What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[Killer Meteor]

I've never seen any info on Lung Fei. I think Killer Meteor has asked a couple times. Lung Fei needs to make a come back. Just to let us know that he's alive!

I always got the impression that he and Shan Mao (who was murdered in a brawl) were real life bad-asses.

[HungFist]

Nowhere Girl (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 3.5/5
A flawed but fascinating psychological drama by Mamoru Oshii. Nana Seino stars as an art school student who suffers from some sort of trauma for which reason she's given special treatment. She's being bullied by other students, her teachers are growing sick of the situation, and she seems to be going crazy. But there's more than meets the eye, and she's more than a little dangerous, as proved by a certain ultra-violent sequence near the end. It's an extremely slow paced movie bound to drive some viewers crazy, but it's also quite an interesting and extremely rewarding film. Seino is fine in the lead role, and the slow pace works when she's in the frame. Some unfortunate CGI blood weakens the impact. Director Oshii, much like Hideaki Anno, is one of those anime masters whose live action filmography is vastly under-rated, with his own fans usually being his harshest critics. Nowhere Girl is unlikely to change that situation.

Girls' Junior High School: Dangerous Games (Japan, 1970) [DVD] - 3/5
Nikkatsu's lesser know bad girl series lacks the excessive sex and violence of its Toei contemporaries, which is only fitting for the series being set in a junior high school. There's no lack of bad behaviour, though, from frequent delinquent antics to shower room fights and strip gambling (none resulting in anything more than girls in underwear). Junko Natsu stars as a new student who enter a school where the girls are framing their poor teachers for rape and hanging out with a silly a yakuza gang running a strip club. There's a lot of good stuff going on during the first half, but the film somewhat runs out of steam towards the end. Also, it should be mentioned the film is just as much a comedy and drama as it is a bad girl flick. Still, it comes with many good moments, plenty of nostalgia, and an excellent, energetic turn by Natsu.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Yang + Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema (1998: Stanley Kwan)

Considering the short running time this documentary feels more like an overview on gender identity but lacks depth considering the amount of cinema that you can reference. It has a personal feel to it, most noticeably toward the end when Kwan interviews his mother and Kwan picks mostly auteurs from Chang Cheh, Hou Hsien-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang, Edward Yang, Tsui Hark and others, but directors with mostly artistic flair (I am sure the ones he prefers) he tends to ignore the more popular directors from Jackie Chan, Lau Kar-leung, Wong Jing all of which you could have had a field day discussing the stance of sexuality within their films (obviously not all positive, like discussing Michael Bay in this area.) He does politely discuss several of these issues with Hark in what he calls heterosexual norms, but there was a lost opportunity in discussing more popular cinema.

A real missed opportunity was discussing Lam Ching-ying in Prodigal Son. From this film you get the feeling that the only Peking opera female impersonator in Chinese cinema is from Leslie Cheung in Chen Kaige’s (one of my favorite films) Farewell my Concubine. Kwan seems to complain (like the term lesbian chic in Chasing Amy) more after the female-as-male than the male-as-female roles.

I got this film from a member from Kung Fu Cinema whom I unfortunately forgot the name and cannot get to my messages there since the site is down.

[Killer Meteor]

Magnificent Fist (1978)

Seriously lame Chinese vs. Japs flick, mostly involving some squabbling over old ginseng (how riveting). Besides Carter Wong (whose acting is awfully clunky here), this seems to be an all-Korean movie. The fighting is slow, but impact is surprisingly vicious in some scenes. The "Japanese" are even less convincing then usual. Thank God the leading lady is hot!

4/10

[Markgway]

There are a few Chinese actors in the cast so it's probably a co-production... but definitely filmed in Korea. The 'hot' leading lady is Korean but having not seen the film I can help you out with a name at the moment.

[HungFist]

Girls' Junior High School: Trouble at Graduation (Japan, 1970) [DVD] - 2/5
This second film in the series was released mere five weeks after the original - and oddly enough, produced by a different studio (Academy Pro). The latter may explain why the supporting cast is mostly different, while the former is likely the reason why the film isn't all that good. This time the girls are given homework regarding sex education, which results in a couple of fun but not-all-that-naughty jokes. The film mostly plays out like a mediocre schoolgirls coming-of-age comedy. There's a bit of anarchy at the climax when the girls let the teachers have what they deserve, but this scene too pales in comparison to what would come in Toei's exploitation films in just a few years. The real highlights are the opening scene and a great montage later on, both utilizing the terrific song 'Seishun no uta' by Takuro Yoshida. Director Yukihiro Sawada had a talent for creating that kind of cool scenes, as evidenced by several other films he made (e.g. Melody of Rebellion, 1970; Sex Hunter: Wet Target, 1972; Assault, 1976).

Girls' Junior High School: Too Young to Play Like This (Japan, 1970) [DVD] - 2/5
The last film in the series is a slight improvement over the previous movie. This one, too, is pretty much a schoolgirl drama/comedy from start to finish with little in terms of bad girl action. The most amusing part involves three school boys sneaking into the girls' bathing facilities. There's a highly politically incorrect (by modern standards) joke when a big breasted girl gets up from the bath tub and a subtitle saying "15 years old, and she's got such big..." appears. Another good, and completely ridiculous, sketch features the girls fooling two teachers into believing the other person's got a crush on him/her. Star Junko Natsu also gets her share of the cameraman's love, especially during the last 15 minutes, which feature plenty of idol-like footage of her walking on the streets. Despite these strengths, however, the film isn't all that exciting and far outstays its welcome even at just 82 minutes. But, you gotta love the title!

[HungFist]

Tag (Japan, 2015) [DCP] - 3.5/5
Sion Sono kills more high school girls than a medium size natural disaster in this often energetic, but uneven horror film. The story is loosely based on the popular manhunt franchise by Yusuke Yamada (already adapted into 5 other movies and two series), but Sono goes his own way and brings the film closer to his own Suicide Club and certain David Lynch twists than Yamada's straight-forward dystopias. In Sono's film Japanese high school girls find themselves targeted by someone - or something - that starts slaughtered them in epic fashion. The film is bound to anger the more sensitive viewers, although it also offers interesting commentary on the Japanese schoolgirl phenomena. The film suffers from some lame CGI effects; however, it also features some nice practical gore and fantastic camerawork with lots of aerial shots done with drones. The all female cast - there isn't even a single male seen during the first 70 minutes - is solid as well. Sono is consistently good with young actresses, bringing the best out of them in nearly every film he makes.

Car 33 Doesn't Answer (Japan, 1955) [35mm] - 4/5
A terrific, gritty crime film follows two policemen riding around Tokyo in their patrol car, picking up drunks, hookers, junkies and killers on what seems like a never-ending Christmas night. They finally run into professional criminals who highjack their car and take them as hostage. This is a realistic, atmospheric film that beautifully captures the post-war streets of Tokyo on film while also telling a great story with excellent characters. Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece High & Low would be a good comparison point; however, it's remarkable how much time director Senkichi Taniguchi spends documenting the policemen's everyday work and encounters with random people before turning on the plot gear. A rarely seen gem entirely worthy of a Criterion release. Unfortunately it has never been released on DVD even in Japan.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno teasure hunt part 28

Kindan: Seifuku no modae (Japan, 1976) [DVD] - 1/5
There are so many terrible movies in the Roman Porno genre that it's always a bit sad when you come across one that actually wouldn't be so bad if it only had something going for it. This is the case here. A school girl falls in love with her cousin, who first has a skiing accident and then turns out to be an asshole, and finally his friend seduces her. Whatever. This could be a passable melodrama as far as music and acting goes, but there's very little reason to care about anything that's going on. The only point of interest is the snowy mountain locations featured in the opening scene. Sadly, the rest of the film takes place in boring suburbs.

Red Violation (Japan, 1980) [35mm] - 4/5
This is one of Chusei Sone's best films, a terrific music docudrama released in the Roman Porno series, but actually far more fit for Art Theatre Guild's catalogue. The film follows the real life rock band Devils, played by the band's members, as they perform on clubs, compose new songs, and have their misadventures in private life. The film concludes in an utterly fantastic 10 minute scene where when band is practicing and refining their new song, which must be one of the best scenes of its kind ever filmed. Also of interest is that this is one of the few Japanese movies that dedicates a large portion of the film to an American cast member, The Devils member James Hunt, whose character is treated with no prejudice at all. On the minus side, the lack of strong plot, as well as a few unnecessary sex scenes, sometimes slow the film down a bit. A very strong slice of life picture that beautifully captures its era. Unfortunately, this film too has never been released on DVD or VHS.

[HungFist]

Melody of Rebellion (Japan, 1970) [35mm] - 2.5/5
A mediocre yakuza film starring Yoshio Harada as an outlaw who teams up with other rebels after his yakuza clan has disbanded. There's a great series of moody scenes that capture some of that 1970s nostalgia via music and images - something director Yukihiro Sawada was really good at - in the middle of the film. Otherwise it's a bit underwhelming movie with some comedic scenes, some serious ones, and not very much consistency to any of it. The supporting cast is great, e.g. Tatsuya Fuji, Takeo Chii and Meiko Kaji, but their roles are forgettable. Harada, too, would've deserved a better film. He was a charismatic badass comparable to Yusaku Matsuda, but he ended up in mediocre movies way too often.

Taiyo no kizuato (Japan, 1981) [35mm] - 4/5
The year 1981 saw two modern sun tribe films hit the screens almost simultaneously. Kichitaro Negishi's brilliant updating of Crazed Fruit (1956) was released by Nikkatsu in April. Chusei Sone's Taiyo no kizuato came out already bit earlier from Toei. The excellent youth film follows a delinquent boy who runs into his shy little brother, and his innocent girlfriend, for the first time in 11 years. He brings them to his beach crib where he's having fun with his no-good friends. This initiates an interesting psychological game where the big brother never seems quite sure if he wants to protect or destroy his brother's innocence. The film also packs literally every single genre cliché in the most enjoyable form: car chases, boat chases, motorcycles, fist fighting, sex, nudity, disco scenes, and rock music. Ken Ogata has a terrific supporting role as the main character's father, an alcoholic university professor who is constantly holding parties and couldn't care less if his son has raped some random girl or not. Probably director Sone's best film, but unfortunately this too has never been released on DVD or VHS.

[saltysam]

Knight Errant 2/5 bonkers Wang Yu vehicle notable for his match up with Yasuaki Kurata. Lung Fei is there of course but the highlight is the elderly,portly japanese female martial arts expert

Clones Of Bruce Lee 1/5 batshit crazy exploitationer features Way's Jon T. Benn as a mad professor who clones three new Bruce Lee's and uses them to help interpol fight crime.Bruce Le,Dragon Lee,Bruce Thai and Yang Sze feature here.

[Markgway]

but the highlight is the elderly,portly japanese female martial arts expert

She got her own spin off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Ck9wkftiQ

[Killer Meteor]

Knight Errant is a lot of fun. I just how the villians spend years training to kill Wang Yu's father, training that is pretty painful, then the first thing they do is try to get him killed by falling machinery!

[HungFist]

The Big Gamblers of the Amazon (Japan, 1961) [35mm] - 4/5
New York, 1961. A worldwide gambling committee gathers. The industry is in recession. Japan is seen as the most promising new market. Enter Amazon Kenji (Chiezo Kataoka), a homeless gunman and master gambler (mostly because he cheats) from the jungle, wearing poncho and a huge Mexican hat, who introduces himself by shooting a cigar from a random guy's hand. He's going to be the first one to sink his teeth in the new market. But before he gets there, but he's joined by an Americanized bastard Gold Rush Kumakichi and Jack the Ace, the son of a Japanese geisha on Paris. This is an insane action comedy gem by Shigero Ozawa, the director of The Street Fighter (1974). It's also a fascinating mix of new and old; the type of colourful film sets and costumes from Toei's lavish Kyoto productions combined with mad energy that was running wild at Toei's contemporary Tokyo studios. The film also includes strong western influences and a climatic shoot out where the hero guns down at least 60 bad guys. It only makes sense that halfway into the storyline the protagonist is actually locked up in a mental hospital. Amazon Kenji is a lost 1960s cult hero waiting to be discovered by the world! Only if there was a DVD release...



A sequel, in which Kataoka stars as a homeless gambler from The Himalayas, was released later in 1961. Apparently the sequel also contains a yeti...

[Killer Meteor]

The Chinese Tiger aka Tiger from Canton- this Larry Lee vehicle is one of the many Big Boss rip offs. But this is one of the few that is actually as good as Big Boss. it gets very grim at times, it has really good intricate basher action, and an awesome 70's soundtrack. This is my favorite Larry Lee movie, replacing 10 Tigers of Shaolin.

IS there a good edition of this to purchase?

[saltysam]

Fists Of The Double K 4/5 My score is probably coloured by nostalgia,i owned this in a condensed super 8 version in the late 70's and was one of my first introductions to the kung fu genre. Henry Yu Yung is the bad ass cop who's sent out to arrest the evil accountant who framed his father.Epically great basher with a rousing finale,obligatory music lifts the Godfather and Mission Impossible and the usual damsel in distress/stupid brother characters. surprisingly ruthless at times the way Henry finishes off Pigtail i love this movie and pray for a 2:35:1 anamorphic remaster one day.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

... Clones Of Bruce Lee 1/5 batshit crazy exploitationer features Way's Jon T. Benn as a mad professor who clones three new Bruce Lee's and uses them to help interpol fight crime.Bruce Le,Dragon Lee,Bruce Thai and Yang Sze feature here.

Is there a good release of this? What country(ies) is this film from? I do think a widescreen of this would help the fight scenes out. I would be interested to hear/read what names they used in the original language version. Great to see Chuck come along.

Hilarious to see a scene they would later use in Big Boss 2.

I saw this for the first time a few days ago. The bronzemen eating the poison herbs have to be some of the more crazy/non-understandable scenes I've recently seen. Leon Hunt in the book Kung Fu Cult Masters has probably the most positive (or at least artistically derived) review I have read of the film.

I would probably give this a half star more than you did .

[saltysam]

... Clones Of Bruce Lee 1/5 batshit crazy exploitationer features Way's Jon T. Benn as a mad professor who clones three new Bruce Lee's and uses them to help interpol fight crime.Bruce Le,Dragon Lee,Bruce Thai and Yang Sze feature here.

Is there a good release of this? What country(ies) is this film from? I do think a widescreen of this would help the fight scenes out. I would be interested to hear/read what names they used in the original language version. Great to see Chuck come along.

I would probably give this a half star more than you did .

My copy came from Jamal , a custom letterboxed english dubbed version.quality is fairly decent.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

... Clones Of Bruce Lee 1/5 batshit crazy exploitationer features Way's Jon T. Benn as a mad professor who clones three new Bruce Lee's and uses them to help interpol fight crime.Bruce Le,Dragon Lee,Bruce Thai and Yang Sze feature here.

Is there a good release of this? What country(ies) is this film from? I do think a widescreen of this would help the fight scenes out. I would be interested to hear/read what names they used in the original language version. Great to see Chuck come along.

I would probably give this a half star more than you did .

My copy came from Jamal , a custom letterboxed english dubbed version.quality is fairly decent.

Thanks. I was not aware there was a widescreen version of this. Its interesting that this film sounds better when you describe it then when you actually watch it.

I have a DVD copy of Fists Of The Double K which I'll have to get to sooner than later.

[saltysam]

Fists Of The Double K is great.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Fists Of The Double K is great.

I'll put it higher up in my rotation then (though it will most likely be awhile). I'll give a mini-review after I watch it.

[Killer Meteor]

What's the best edition of Fists of the Double K? I'm only aware of the Ground Zero release.

[saltysam]

What's the best edition of Fists of the Double K? I'm only aware of the Ground Zero release.

not sure what the Ground Zero release is like but the one i have is a custom taken from the old Rank Pre-cert vhs, letterboxed but nowhere near the full scope ratio.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno teasure hunt part 29

Teacher Deer (Japan, 1978) [DVD] - 1/5
Chusei Sone was a frustratingly uneven director who could deliver a dull misfire like this even during the most innovative era of his career (1978-1981), which contained several excellent films like Red Violation (1980) and Taiyo no Kizuato (1981). This one is about a mixed race teacher who enters a high school in order to pursue revenge on a man who did wrong to his father decades ago. It's an overlong erotic thriller with no thrills. Style is severely lacking, characters have zero depth, and the storyline is quite pointless. It should also be noted that the film has nothing to do with SM, despite the usual fairytale review by the Weissers claiming otherwise. Only if they'd actually watch the movies they review. Then again, they can consider themselves lucky they didn't have to endure this one.

Wandering Lovers: Dizziness (Japan, 1978) [DVD] - 3.5/5
This is one of Masaru Konuma's best films, a breezy love story about two youngsters on the run from the world (and people they owe money to). Konuma keeps the tale moving fast enough and shoots many scenes early morning so that you can almost feel the fresh air coming through the screen. The best thing about the film, however, is the two leads. Toshiyuki Kitami and Megumi Ogawa seem to have genuine chemistry between them. They are energetic, a little quirky, and frankly quite adorable. You find yourself caring about their future, which is a rare thing in the Roman Porno genre. Even the potentially sleazy storyline - they run into an older guy who suggests they should earn money by having sex in front of paying elite audiences - feels oddly innocent in this context.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Bruce Lee’s Deadly Kung Fu (1976: Chi Chang, Hua Chen) Hong Kong

It is interesting that this is a Hong Kong release which I found on HKFA (though it uses a different Chinese title than the one on HKMDB.) I am not sure where most of this was filmed (probably Taiwan, certainly not San Francisco.)

This is OK. I had fun with it, to a point. The plot is reductive of Way of the Dragon mixed with of Bruce Lee’s adventures in America. Now after watching The Clones of Bruce Lee this feels like quite a step up, even in washed-out full screen English dubbed mode. Strangely enough since the fights are mostly centered the cropping does not hurt the action as much. Now the kid actor, especially with the dub, is almost Sleeping Fist kid annoying (very little is annoying as the kid in The Tin Drum.) Now if the plot was not in cruise control it could have been a much better film. I am a Hwang Jang-lee fan (though I am never convinced his character could actually lose to Bruce) and it was nice to see Roy Horan and Carter Wong in it as well. With several other actual martial artists in the film you get some decent choreography (done by Wong Fei-lung) and Bruce Li comes off decently. I think I have appreciated him more after watching several Dragon Lee and Bruce Le films.

This is written about in The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s by Dr. Craig D. Reid.

[Markgway]

A Hong Kong production filmed in Taiwan, IIRC.

I have this listed in my notes under the title Bruce Lee's Secret.

I think that's the original title, although I believe it played in HK theatres as The Story of the Dragon.