Obscure Shaw recommendations

[The Dragon]

Have you ever checked out The Bastard? If so, what did you thik of it? Sort of The Man In The Iron Mask, type story, if you ask me. The end fight, where Hua puts a baddie through the floor:p is pretty good.

[venoms5]

Have you ever checked out The Bastard? If so, what did you thik of it? Sort of The Man In The Iron Mask, type story, if you ask me. The end fight, where Hua puts a baddie through the floor:p is pretty good.

I missed that one, Dragon. Haven't been able to locate a copy yet either. Hopefully, I'll find one before long.

[Alex]

a little late here, but i'm with you on Brotherhood venom, a nice flick

I actually have The Brother sitting in the unwatched pile, one of these days I'll get around to it

[venoms5]

a little late here, but i'm with you on Brotherhood venom, a nice flick

I actually have The Brother sitting in the unwatched pile, one of these days I'll get around to it

THE BROTHERS is kind of similar in that it mines familiar territory only the dramatic aspects are explored in more detail and the violence level, while high in places, never reaches the grim plateaus of BROTHERHOOD. Also, after seeing it, it would seem A BETTER TOMORROW was an unacknowledged remake.

[venoms5]

SWORDSMAN AT LARGE (1971) Frankie Wei Hung is Hsiao the Rambler who robs from the rich and gives to the poor while he himself remains dressed in rags. He is asked (or ordered) to obtain a Deer Blade, one of the most powerful weapons in the Martial World by a feisty swordswoman who also wants the Rambler to marry her. Also looking for Hsiao and the famous blade are two well-to-do cousins. The storyline is just as convoluted as the average Chu Yuan movie and this, too, is based on a Ku Lung novel. The action is below average for the most part compared with other swordplay films of the same time period although there is a plethora of characters with odd weaponry. There are some creative bits from time to time. One great scene sees the ugly woman with the werewolf hands have her heart ripped out. Her killer holds it in his hand briefly before casually dropping it to the ground. The final 9 minutes are right gory and exciting. The final fight is good and bears no resemblance to the action scenes that came before it. Frankie Wei was better suited for his later sleazy villain roles. Tina Chin-fei is the feisty lady who uses a whip. Amazingly, both Chang Yi and Chen Hung Lieh die early on. Sammo Hung plays one of the rapists at the outset of the film. The main villain from FEARLESS FIGHTERS also has a role here. The gorgeous Yu Feng has a minor role as a servant and gets killed off rather quickly. As per the more obscure swordplay films I've watched recently, another character(s) breaks out into song at one point; those being Frankie Wei and Margaret Hsing Hui.

[mistertpitydafoo]

I have The Bastard if you need help obtaining it. I ordered it a few months ago from a very nice ebay seller based in Canada who can get Shaw films and they decently priced. I've ordered from him several times. I will look and see if he has any left if you would rather buy it. I will post the link or contact info if he has any left.

[mistertpitydafoo]

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-BASTARD-Shaw-Brothers-DVD-cMm_W0QQitemZ360044414320QQihZ023QQcategoryZ617QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

He has really good communication, name is Andre (if I remember correctly, i like 95% sure). You can even buy off of ebay's service to save a few bucks for him from the ebay fees which he will lower your cost for the movies, just ask. He of course wants you to pay with paypal still, so you are both protected up to $2000. He had several OOP ones in the past that I bought from him, I dont' know how big his selection is now but I bought The Bastard from him way before Christmas time cuz I saw it was OOP. If you buy 5 you get one free. They are IVLs, they come with covers but no cases, just so you know. But I didn't mind, I buy 100 clear cases for 25 dollars (if you need link for that just ask) with free shipping. I have bought probably 35-40 Shaws from him so I highly recommend it. He will even put a lower value so customs is no problem, just remind him to be certain he remembers. I am in no way affiliated with this seller I am just happy with his customer service and prices so passing it on to others. People are so quick to complain about something or someone and let the whole world know, but they seldom give praise about something/someone to everyone who will listen. It's sad that we love hearing bad things more than good things (just take a look at the evening news) so I'm trying to make there be a little bit more positive messages in the world whenever I feel someone deserves praise for a good job.

Ben

Ben

[mistertpitydafoo]

Sorry double posted. Moderator, please delete when convenient I am very sorry.

[venoms5]

Thanks, but I don't have a paypal account any longer. I would much rather buy an original. Hopefully I'll run across an original soon although this film isn't necessarily high on my priority list at this time.

[peringaten]

Deltamac's on sale... http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.528741/qx/details.htm

[HAZ]

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-BASTARD-Shaw-Brothers-DVD-cMm_W0QQitemZ360044414320QQihZ023QQcategoryZ617QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

He has really good communication, name is Andre (if I remember correctly, i like 95% sure). You can even buy off of ebay's service to save a few bucks for him from the ebay fees which he will lower your cost for the movies, just ask. He of course wants you to pay with paypal still, so you are both protected up to $2000. He had several OOP ones in the past that I bought from him, I dont' know how big his selection is now but I bought The Bastard from him way before Christmas time cuz I saw it was OOP. If you buy 5 you get one free. They are IVLs, they come with covers but no cases, just so you know. But I didn't mind, I buy 100 clear cases for 25 dollars (if you need link for that just ask) with free shipping. I have bought probably 35-40 Shaws from him so I highly recommend it. He will even put a lower value so customs is no problem, just remind him to be certain he remembers. I am in no way affiliated with this seller I am just happy with his customer service and prices so passing it on to others. People are so quick to complain about something or someone and let the whole world know, but they seldom give praise about something/someone to everyone who will listen. It's sad that we love hearing bad things more than good things (just take a look at the evening news) so I'm trying to make there be a little bit more positive messages in the world whenever I feel someone deserves praise for a good job.

Ben

Ben

These discs are not Region 3.

[venoms5]

Yeah there's a good deal of bootleggers selling pirated Shaw discs on ebay. One seller in particular ripped me off of $300.00 worth of Spaghetti Western dvds. Granted, most of those were not available legitimately at the time (save for some of the mega expensive Japanese dvds) and was the only way to see those. I ended up shelling out big bucks for the Japanese DVDs for some of those.

Not to sidetrack the thread, but this seller also had a good number of duped IVL discs. I never got my money back nor the discs I ordered.

Good one, Peri. Thanks. I'll pick it up there then.

[mistertpitydafoo]

Region 3? Whats that matter? I know for a FACT Shaolin Avengers which I received from him is IVL region 3, the others are ALL IVLs. The way I can tell it's region 3 is it would not play on my parents living room DVD player. Well I've bought from him before, I can show you pictures of how the discs look. They come sealed but it's in a plastic bag from some distributor. The discs are pressed. Says IVL on the back of the covers. Look JUST like the real cover plus they are slip covers. I don't see how they could make slip covers and make a profit off pirated DVDs. It's legit thats why I was suggesting that seller. I would not post it to such discerning Shaw fans if I knew they were bootlegged. Let me look at my copy of the bastard to see what it says on the back.

[mistertpitydafoo]

Mine looks like the IVLs as far as the case. The bottom says the usual warning but has a gold and red symbol in chinese. 1999 Dynastic Movie Co. LTD which is quite interesting. I know it is pressed, but it's not an IVL so my mistake. But the seller's others are like that. This has a normal cover but most of his have slipcases (not the side slip kind, the slip over the top kind which I have also received from another seller on ebay with good ratings. I was going to ask everyone about these, like whats their story since when I buy from dddhouse the slips are from the side). Sorry to misinform you I was just trying to help.

[bruiselee]

The Bastard is back in stock at DDDHouse. I started a thread on all the OOP Shaw titles that they have back in limited stock. Some titles went quick though but The Bastard is still in stock.

http://dddhouse.com/v3/product_details.php?ProductID=2847&PHPSESSID=4f2ed73592a416a9fa19fbf9930ec6e3

OOP Shaw titles back in stock at DDDHouse (note: some went quickly last time I checked the site).

http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5286

[venoms5]

THE CRIMINALS (1976) is an anthology film made up of three true crime tales. The first is 'Hidden Torsos' from director Cheng Kang. The story deals with a vicious loan shark who brutally murders and dismembers a young woman and her little girl. Not much plot here but Cheng Kang masterfully shoots this like a horror film and adds some depth to this first segment.

The second is 'Valley of the Hanged' and deals with a poor man and his adulterous wife who constantly chastises him for never having enough money to allow her to play Mahjong every night. She hooks up with an ambitious philanderer and his Aunt causing the husband much grief until he goes over the deep end and murders them all with a meat cleaver. The title comes into play during the closing moments. Hua Shan directs this episode.

'The Stuntmen' is directed by Ho Meng Hua and is a treat. Lo Lieh is a stunt actor at Shaw Brothers Studio. He gets mixed up with a prostitute that shares a striking resemblance to Tanny Tien Ni (who plays herself along with her real life husband Yueh Hua who also plays himself briefly) Lo Lieh gets entangled with the Triads and it all goes down hill from there. There are several notable scenes showing behind the scenes working on a Shaw Brothers swordplay movie and director Ho instills a brief but eerie feel of Triad infiltration of the HK film industry. Nothing overly special about THE CRIMINALS but it was a big hit and four hit sequels followed. Some nice gritty atmosphere and each show opens and closes with narration. The closing title font is different from the usual one that ends all Shaw Brothers movies. Recommended for trash fans just don't expect to have to think too hard.

[venoms5]

HOMOCIDES-THE CRIMINALS 2 (1976) is four true crime stories. The first one is 'The Deaf-Mute Killer'. It's about a seriously abused handicapped young man. His friend is a pretty young woman whose husband has died. One evening her brother-in-law rapes her in the woods. She refuses to reveal who has raped her and incurs the wrath of her in laws in the process. It is surmised the deaf mute is the one responsible and this brings more harm to him when he gets a job in another town. The episode culminates in a bloody machine gun battle with police. This bit is directed by Kuei Chi Hung and shot in B/W save for the final shot which delivers a queasy ambiance reminiscent of his THE DELINQUENT (1973).

The second segment titled 'Mama San' is directed by Hua Shan. In it, a couple foolishly rip off the den owner of a prostitute ring. She in turn goes after them and upon their capture, brutally torturing them. Kuei Chi Hung has a cameo here at the end. This story closes with narration detailing what happened to the demented dragon lady. The actress playing this role is very intense and memorable.

The third story is titled 'The Informer' and is directed by Kuei. It deals with an informer for the police who gets in over his head and soon come under the watchful eye of another informer. Kind of a weak show and nothing much of interest really happens. The coda is kind of decent though.

The fourth segment is called 'Nude In A Box' from director Sun Chung. The story opens with the discovery of a nude, naked and very dead body of a young 17 year old girl stuffed inside a cardboard box. As would become common place years later in other more sadistic true crime movies, the episode opens with the discovery of a body followed by a court procedural then a flashback detailing the sordid act of murder. An improvement over the first film, the sleaze factor in increased a bit especially in this final segment which features a rapist who enjoys slicing women's nipples and blowtorching their crotches. Only the final scene keeps this from being a classic but Sun Chung's trademarks are clearly in their infancy stages here soon to display a director about to define his signature style.

[Alex]

venom you are a godsend, i've been trying to find info on the criminals series for ages. keep them coming

[venoms5]

I got part three hopefully lined up for this evening if I finish up with the Barbara Steele Italo horror flick THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH.

[peringaten]

Sun Chung's Queen Of Temple Street is prob the best of the series, I reckon. Seriously waaaaaaay eclipses his torso box episode by a country mile (and most of the others). Don't let me hype it too much for you so the expects don't live up though, obvious, but try to drop any of them, & my subjective opinion here, etc. but I really do think it's real next level work. Brilliance. Cinema. So different - SC stretching out to the fullest. Pretty remarkable. Wasn't too impressed by Torso... enjoyed it though.

Teenager's Nightmare and Gun (aka Celestial's 5th installment) are the most fun for proper tasteless grindhouse exploits - properly crafted grimey sleeze (although Gun more crimey - love its grindy aesthetics) and criming exploits.

Look forward to your react's... Might be completely different - need to see more feedback on this wonderful series. Know where I stand, curious as to where others do. Good stuff so far.

[venoms5]

I wonder about the TEENAGERS NIGHTMARE movie. The lobby set lumps it in with the others but the poster seems to have it as a stand alone.

[venoms5]

Aside from the first movie, I can't find any info either aside from cast and such. I forgot to mention that the VCD for the first CRIMINALS was awful. Lots and lots of combing there. Hopefully, I can find the DVD for this one soon. The VCD for the second film didn't seem to have this problem.

[Guest Markgway]

Didn't think this was awful at all. What was awful about this movie? IMO, one of the best spy capers they did and it would seem the biggest budget wise. The only problem (and it's a minor one) I had was with Wang Yu. Somebody else would have been better suited for the role here. Loved the Japanese gangsters here with their shades and villainous looks. Although I don't know much about them, this film reminded me of some Fukasaku and Sezuki gangster flicks.

The whole thing was an inept Bond rip without any of the panache or excitement. If your only problem was Wang Yu you should track down the alternate Japanese cut (t'was a co-production) that features Jo Shushido in the lead.

[Guest Markgway]

Have you ever checked out The Bastard? If so, what did you thik of it? Sort of The Man In The Iron Mask, type story, if you ask me. The end fight, where Hua puts a baddie through the floor:p is pretty good.

If you want an actual Shaw remake of Man in the Iron Mask check out The King With My Face (or don't - it's actually pretty dull).

[Guest Markgway]

Sun Chung's Queen Of Temple Street is prob the best of the series, I reckon.

Would agree with that. I'm not a big Sun Chung fan but QUEEN is the ONLY episode in the entire CRIMINALS series that is above average. (Not sure if I've seen NIGHTMARE - but definately have the others). I think the worst was the one about bungling cops trying to catch a rapist of young girls. Forgot the title and director. Sorry, lol.