No comments about Internal Damage: Advanced Tai Chi for Combat.

No comments about Ark Wong's Shaolin Kung Fu Vol 2 -Weapons Forms.

4 comments about Heroes of the Wild.

1. Dvd plays how it's suppose to! There are no technical screw-ups,nothing! the picture is as good as it's gonna get! There are some graininess, some white crap you usually see in any low budget kung fu flick but it isn'y really that bad! The movie itself is pretty good! It's got really well choregraphed kung fu in which Yuen Biao and Cory Yuen are responsible for! And some weird characters! The story is the typical revenge, I must challenge you to become popular type! So product is a 7/10
   the movie is 3 stars or if you perfer 6/10!



2. This is a pretty good movie featuring the powerful Chen Sing and the great kicker Hwang Jang Lee. It also features the lovely Doris Lung, and the main kid is pretty acrobatic (he's also in DEATH DUEL OF MANTIS and CRANE FIGHTER). With a cameo appearance and action choreography by Yuen Biao it's hard to go wrong, but this dvd version cuts out a key sequence. The missing footage has the kid playing with a puppy in a cave while Chen Sing is sitting by the fire. Chen Sing all of a sudden takes the puppy from the kid and smashes it to the ground killing it and saying "In revenge, there's no room for kindness." This infuriates the kid who then lunges at Chen Sing and they start fighting. This dvd version simply shows the boy petting the dog, then putting it down (cutting out the fact that the dog's now dead) and then cuts to the boy lunging at Chen without the puppy's death as his main motivation. It's a minor cut in amount of time, but it was one of the most memorable moments in the film when I first saw it back in the 1980s and one that I clearly remember to this day. One other aspect I didn't remember, or at least didn't notice at the time, was how much undercranking (speeding up of the film, like when Benny Hill runs) there is in this film which is unfortunate. Still, the story is solid and most of the martial artistry survives intact. I recommend this movie, I only wish it hadn't been censored.



3. I bought this movie mainly because of its stars Lo Leih and Hwang Jang-Lee who are in my opinion the greatest villians in classic kungfu cinema. The story is ok as Tu Ta-Shin(Chen Sing) plays the lead role and Hwang Jang-Lee(Nan Pa-Ting) plays the main villian. Tu Ta-Shin is actually a anti-hero as he "kills" the young boy's father in the beginning and takes the boy with him, only to train him allowing him to challenge him at any time. He does however grant the fathers last wish to kill the traitor Nan Pa-Ting. It has nice choreographed action scenes and the story is fairly easy to follow. I gave this movie 4 out of 5 stars because though its is good, the lead villians have had better roles,(see Born Invincible for Lo Leih and Hells Windstaff for Hwang Jang-Lee) and I also thought the little kids role was almost not even necessary for the story. If you like old school kungfu it is a must see.



4. Now the movie starts out with Chen Sing challenging a man who beat him in a duel some years ago. The man ends up fighting him and gets fatally injured. His son being about 15 or 16 years old picks up a couple of sai's and fights with Chen Sing. Not able to beat him and with nowhere to go now that his dad is dead, Chen says that he can travel with him and he will train the boy also so that when he is strong enough, he can take revenge against Chen. Weird concept? Not to me, I thought it was beautiful. This movie has stuck with me forever and oh yeah, the kung fu is REALLY good. Hwang Jang Lee and Lo Lieh as the bad guys, Doris Lung, Corey Yuen, and Yuen Biao as Hwang's 3 grandchildren, and opf course the great Chen Sing as the hero of the movie. Then the kid who he trains(and is constantly trying to muder Chen) is a really good fighter too and he really gets to show off with Hwang Jang Lee. I won't give away anything about the story but it is only so so. The real reason to watch this movie is for the southern fist vs. northern leg fights, the kid fights, and of course the theme of honor which has stuck with me forever. The movie is directed by William Chang who in recent years has been involved with movies like Zu Warriors, Chungking Express, The Blade, Ashes of Time, 2046, In the Mood For Love, and Dragon Tiger Gate Inn.
   
   This 'Black Dragon Collection' version does have a minor cut. It is a part where Chen Sing is trying to teach the boy to have no feelings. He ends up getting really mad and throws the dog up against the wall and killing it. I can understand why they didn't show this. So if youare watching and think you missed something, you did, and now you know. The 50 pack that 'Tree Line Films' released has the uncut version. I still get tears welling up in my eyes when I think about this movie.
   
   "Kill me at any time".

No comments about Kung Fu Classic - Hero Tattooed with 9 Dragons.

5 comments about The World of Drunken Master.

1. The cast of The Mystery Of Chess Boxing and Seven Grandmasters (Jack Long, Lee Yi Min, Mark Long) returns for another great non-stop kung fu flick. If you have seen the two previously mentioned films then you know that this movie will be nothing short of awesome. It is one fight after the next displaying many different styles, but mostly the mastery of drunken boxing. It also ranks side by side with both of Yuen Woo Ping's films, Drunken Master and Dance of the Drunk Mantis. Briefly, the story is of the northern and southern masters of drunken boxing, Beggar Su(Lee Yi Min) and Fan Ta Pei(Jack Long), being reunited after 30 years and recalling their meeting and training of the drunken style. Most of the film is a flashback of when they were young.
   
   Jack Long and Lee Yi Min are amazing as always, performing with great style and speed. Throw in a final fight scene with Mark Long, the Ghostface Killer in The Mystery of Chess Boxing, and this movie could not get much better. There is as much, if not more, drunken style performed here than in any other film I've seen. Although, it does lack a little of the style that is in Yuen Woo Ping's directed performances(Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang Lee).
   
   As for the DVD itself, the picture is full screen but filmed well enough to not cut off much of what is in the scene. The film quality is average for an old school kung fu movie that is not digitally remastered. At least it doesn't claim to be remastered like nearly all others that really are not. The audio is english dubbed only and again is average.
   
   I recommend this movie to any martial arts collection, and also The Mystery Of Chess Boxing and Seven Grandmasters. If you like one, you'll like the others.



2. This is definitely having as part of your collection if your a MA fan. The other reviewer did a good job of telling the story.
   
   The only reason I gave this movie a 4 was because the flashback scene lasts WAY too long, and the final fights are way too cut-up. The really good fights have about a cut a second, it's pretty sad. If it didn't have all the cuts, I would have to give it a 5/5 even with the bad storyline.
   
   Also- the version of this movie that I have is from Tai Seng and is a VERY good picture widesceened and with dual languages.



3. I expected a lot more from the hype,,,but still worth the watch. Great addition for the collection.



4. I highly do not recommend the ground zero "eastern heroes" version. It is full screened and the picture is watchable, but too obviously just taken from vhs. THis version, the one from tai seng is really good picture, thuogh a little washed out. BUT, it is presented in widescreen and has a chinese language track. Also dvd cover art is freaking sweet too!
   
   Now the movie is not brilliant by any means. But by this time Joseph Kuo was making movies JUST for kung fu movie fans. The first 10 minutes or so are all fights and then shifts to an odd looking Jack long. Only odd looking since it is rare for him not to have a beard down to his chest. But the movie is divided in thirds and though not well told, some of the best action I have ever seen in a movie.
   
   So the story would be way too difficult and pointless to try to explain, but I guarantee that if you liked seeing Jackie do drunken style, this should at least be considered near the same leve for you. So the action is overall way better than DM but if it had Hwang Lee in it, I owuld be writing about How World of Drunken Master had THE greatest kung fu ever.
   
   So again, the story is pretty pitiful, yet very fun. And when Ghostface killer shows up and says to his real life brother Jack long, "I have come to see how good your drunken style kung fu is", you will say, alright, this is what it is about. Why has he come, I JUST TOLD YOU, HE WANTS TO FIGHT! I know it's not the best reason, but watching mark and jack go at it is like watching the best ballet ever. I don't want to sound like a girl, but these guys can move! Some of the greatest choreography ever is what you will get if you buy this movie. Add in fun things like an awesome actor for the crazy drunken master training Lee I min and Jack long. It was also fun watching Jack and Lee I just havign a 40 minute contest of who is the better acrobat I guess. So guaranteed you are gonna get some unbelievable drunken style. Also add in a spectacular fight with lung fei and a final fight with lung tien-hsiang(one of teh 7 grandmasters), and I guarantee you will see some of the best kugn fu ever to hit the screen.
   
   Now the only reason this movie did not get a 5 stars is because of the story and some of the unrealistic flips and really bad cutting of the frames. It was well done and all, but was acceptable in another movie that Kuo did called Five Fighters From Shaolin. That could pretty much be considered a super hero movie, this film was more realistic. Too many camera tricks, but still one of the greateest.



5. The director and cast of "7 Grandmasters" try and tackle Drunken Boxing in this amazingly dumb, yet dumbly amazing movie. The film begins with a voice-over prologue that sees Simon Yuen practicing on the beach as Beggar Su, the character he made famous in "Drunken Master". Then, off he goes, never to be seen again.
   
   After some pretty sweet opening credits, we forward to Jack Long as Fan Ta Pei, and a couple of challengers for HIS drunken style. Then, in a flashback that takes up the bulk of the film's length: Fan Ta Pei (Mr. Long again, sans beard) is a young hooligan, in cahoots with Li Yi Min as the young Beggar Su. They get into some trouble, and somehow end up learning the drunken style from some cool dude that beats people up with his pipe; then both of the young men fall for the master's niece. Then we forward again to their reunion, a revelation, and the finale, featuring Mark "Ghostface Killer" Long.
   
   Now for the one thing I neglected to mention in the previous paragraph... the fights: There are lots of 'em. LOTS of 'em. They start well and keep getting better. I debated on the rating, because it's so silly, but I really enjoyed watching this. With this many fights at this high a level, some great acrobatics and sound-effects, it's an old-school fan's dream.
   
   Part of Ground Zero's "Eastern Heroes" collection, the full-screen presentation is a bit of a disappointment, but it doesn't lose a lot of picture, and the quality is quite good for not being remastered. Night shots leave something to be desired, but there's not a lot of them. All in all, I'd have to recommend it. In fact, I can't wait to watch it again. English dubbed.
   
   1979. aka: "Drunken Dragon"

No comments about Absurd Brave.

5 comments about Bichunmoo (Dance With Sword).

1. A good (Korean) martial arts movie. I recommend it - if you can get it at a good price. Four stars!



2. It's funny, the first thought I had after the movie was over wasn't how good or bad it was, or how much I liked it or what my favorite part was. No, my initial impression was just how "watchable" it was. Bichunmoo is a film I feel like I could watch no matter what kind of mood I was in. Some films, regardless of how great they are, require a certain mood to be viewed. Not this one, though.
   
   For its part, "Bichunmoo" is an excellent movie. It comes to us courtesy of the director of "Shadowless Sword". Personally, I liked SS, but this film is far superior to it. Let's dig into it.
   
   Okay, quick premise. Guy loves girl. Girl forced to marry another. Guy gets his undies in a bunch and goes postal with his sword. Yeah, there's far more nuance to it, but you get the idea. The story really does play out nicely. The dialogue is kept to a minimum and the story is told through reactions and expressions and the sweeping score that really is a nice addition. The acting is solid from a very familiar cast (if you watch enough Korean action). The only thing that threw me is that the film pulls a Beowulf in the middle and jumps ahead a decade or so with very little warning. But once your brain catches up, you'll get it.
   
   That leaves us with the action. First off, this movie isn't short on action. There are plenty of sword and fist fights to please any action junkie. What I found interesting is that the action is shot in a very Hong Kong style. It uses the dynamic handheld technique that Tsui Hark has spent a lifetime perfecting, and it does it well. I would say the action in this film most resembles Hark's "The Blade". Not much is slown down. It comes fast and furious with some wire and acrobatics to accent, but never dominate, the action.
   
   The hand held isn't the "shaky" US style that obscures the action so that we don't see how poor our stunt men here our. It's steady and tends to rock left and right or up and down to catch the movement. It adds a certain intensity and brutality that no steadicam or dolly or jib arm can match. Being a huge Hark fan it's one of my all-time favorite ways to capture a fight scene and it's done here masterfully.
   
   That's all I have to say on that. More than passable story. Capable and solid acting. All topped off with a generous quantity and top-notch quality fight scenes and visual style that are world class. A definite must-see.



3. Some people may have to watch it multiple times to really understand the quality of the story. Far surpasses Crouching tiger, House of flying daggers, and Musu the warrior. Just watch it and you wont be dissapointed. The ending has to be one of the saddest things i ever saw.



4. This is a great movie for those who don't have a problem with subtitles. I don't tend to like dubbed movies so i always watch it in the original language and its really a great love story with lots of action to boot.



5. Do not buy the DVD Bichunmoo from Videowonderland . What they represent is not what you get. No Korean language and no English subtitles. I got a English speaking copy and the packaging is different from what is posted on Amazon.

1 comments about The Inheritor of Kung Fu.

1. Now the movie itself is horrible and I will certainly elaborate on that in a minute. But the chick from snake crane secret is in this one, this is the third flick I have seeen her in and while she can't fight whatsoever, she is REALLY hot. I think it has both the chicks but just to be clear, I am talking about the one with 2 pony tail braids. Yeah, that one.
   
   Anyway the movie itself is not even worth one viewing. I got this cause it costed nothing and it had a commentary. I made the mistake of watching the movie and then the commentary. Now at the end, the final fight scene is almost half way made up of good fights. There is a guy who looks like jack long, you may recognize this guy as one of the many fighters in both chess boxing and 7 grandmasters. He has a fight with mark in chess, and a fight with jack in 7 grandmasters. He is really freaking good, well add in a korean superkicker you probably recognize as the 2 boys teacher in hellz windstaff, he is also john liu's first teacher in fighting ace. And then add in ti lung looking pretty good, and if this movie took longer than two days, I would not only be surprised, but I might have actually like this.
   
   Now the commentary is kind of bad. When bobby samuels notices that they are watching an f grade movie(ya didn't know there was a f class, did ya), he points it out quick and ric myers isn't allowed to hide anything. If you don't believe me of how bad this movie is, then you can waste like 5 dollars on it and hear ric myers honestly call this the worst movie he has ever done a commentary for. But since on IMDB, no one has reviewed this, I doubt anyone will back me up on this anytime soon. And the commentary really isn't that good, they are not really able to name any of the other actors, except the korean superkicker. And they don't even mention what other movies he has been in like kung fu for sale or hellz windstaff. The only thing I got out of this hour and a half commentary is the superkicker was a police trainer and would show his strength by having cars run over him. Hey, at least I got something out of this.
   
   So if you buy this, or have it, it is only worth one viewing max, so just watch it with the commentary on and fastforward to the final scene if you need to. BTW, the end makes no sense, bu tthere is some good fu, but if someone actually can break down this story, then I want to hear it.

5 comments about Kill & Kill Again.

1. All the previous reviews hit the nail on the head when talking about the campiness of this flick. It rolls up Enter The Dragon, Magnificent Seven and {Insert any Steven Seagal movie here} for the cheesy plot of a kidnapped professor who has created an alternative fuel source from taters {which is also a powerful mind control drug} and must be saved by a band of kung-fu good guys.
   
   I wanted to second the notion that the DVD version of this film is as good as the VHS version. There are literally no special features and no care taken to create this DVD. The producers of this DVD version did NOT digitally remaster this film; it was simply transferred into a digital video format.
   
   If you really want to see this film, pick up the VHS copy for $5 - $10 and do not get rooked into paying $30 - $40 for the DVD. This flick is worth the view, but since the quality is the same on either format, save your money and go old school.
   
   {Quick note: I found my copy in a Value City bargain DVD bin for a $1.99 a couple years back. I suggest checking those cheap-o bins; sometimes you can find nuggets of DVD joy in the unlikeliest of places. Just don't expect the version you find to be Criterion quality.}



2. James Ryan, a blatant Bruce Lee wannabe, stars in one of the best "so bad it's good" martial arts flicks of all time. I remember this thing being on late-night cable in the early 1980s constantly, and I'm here to tell you it's just as hammy and over-the-top as you remember it. Ryan and a bunch of middle-age posers (who seem to think they actually ARE martial artists) race to save the world from an evil madman bent on enslaving the planet with his mind-control serum. Of particular interest is the scene where Ryan stops a fired bullet from killing someone by jumping through the air and intercepting the bullet with a handheld 3" x 3" steel plate. Oh yes, it's THAT ridiculous!



3. Kill and Kill Again (Ivan Hall, 1981)
   
   There are some bad movies I love, and I can't justify my love of them in any way save pure nostalgia. Kill and Kill Again, a movie I was obsessed with throughout my teen years, is one of them. It is, I believe, the first martial arts movie I ever saw; while I have seen many since, some worse, most better, this one holds a spot in my heart that nothing will ever replace.
   
   Steve Chase (James Ryan) is a martial arts superstar who is called upon by the beautiful, deadly Kandy Kane (Anneline Kriel) to save her father from the clutches of the evil Marduk (Michael Mayer), who is planning on releasing a mind-control drug (developed by Kane's father) into the American water supply. Of course, Marduk has leaked all this in order to attract Chase, so he can pit Chase up against his own pet martial arts champion, Optumis (Eddie Dorie). Chase gets together a team of fighters, and off they go to save the world.
   
   It's astoundingly bad, even more so than I remembered. The script is derivative, the acting wooden, the plot convoluted and manipulative. And yet it's a stupidly fun movie to watch, one I could (and have, at many points in my life) see again and again without it ever getting old. Though I grant you, if you didn't first see it when you were young and impressionable, I doubt it will hold the same magic for you. **



4. I remember seeing this film as the kids today say "back in the day",when 42nd Street was still the deuce.When you could put down a fiver and see 3 features for your money.Usually two martial arts movies and a women in prison flick.For those of you who weren't around to live through the experiance,buy a copy of the Last Dragon and watch the scene when Sho'Nuff makes his entrance.That's truly how movie theatres on the deuce were back then.But I digress.Kill and Kill Again has been one of my favorite western martial arts films since forever.Unlike Enter The Dragon this is a true team-up adventure.Sort of like the western film,The Professionals,but without the guns.James Ryan stars as martial arts champion Steve Chase who is recruited to rescue a scientist who has been kidnapped by a billionaire who has dreams of taking over the world.The scientist has developed a formula made from potatoes that can sap a persons will.The villian also has at his disposal a small army of martial artists led by a Ben Davidson look-alike known as the Optimist.Chase puts together his own team to save the scientist and thwart the villian.This film is great cheesy fun with a plot as Jim Kelly would say "comes right out of a comic book".The fight scenes are effective,and lets face facts that's why anyone goes to a martial arts movie.The one negative is the lead character isn't a real martial artist himself.He's a good athlete with a good physique and good screen presence,but you get the impression that just about anyone on his team(especially the characters called the Fly and Gypsy Billy)could take him apart.Still I recommend this film to anyone who likes martial arts movies.It's a lot of fun.



5. Fun, low budget, movie with surprisingly well done fight scenes.
   
   It was also the first use of 'Bullet-time'
   The bullet-time scene occurs at the end, when Marduk has died and his chief guard is about to kill Dr. Kane while Steve is climbing up the outside of the building they're in. The guard fires his gun (at 1:36:10) and the bullet comes out very slowly and moves across the screen in a recognizable (but low-budget) early version of the famous scene in the Matrix. After ten seconds of the bullet flying across the room, Steve Chase has gotten up the building, gets inside the room, and deflects the bullet with a metal ashtray.

No comments about The Deadly Art of Survival.