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

[saltysam]

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.

i have a reasonable widescreen english dubbed copy taken from a german VHS i think. bonkers film with a great cast,it's got it's own dedicated fan page here http://filmphest.com/gungfu.htm

[Killer Meteor]

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.

The dub calls Bruce "Bob", except for one stray line. Was this the first HK/Taiwan film to feature Hwang Jang-lee?

[saltysam]

Deadly Strike 2.5/5 ok Bruce Li flick is similar to Incredible Kung Fu Mission. Li plays a police captain who rounds up 7 convicts to take on the town's bandits led by the great Chen Sing. action is plentiful and of course Lung Fei complete with eyepatch is here.sadly the uk dvd is censored.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

... 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.

Thanks I thought it looked like Taiwan. There are several titles for that film (a couple of youtube, my DVD copy has the Bruce Lee’s Deadly Kung Fu title). HKMDB has an image for the poster for the HK title: The Story of the Dragon.

i have a reasonable widescreen english dubbed copy taken from a german VHS i think. bonkers film with a great cast,it's got it's own dedicated fan page here http://filmphest.com/gungfu.htm

Thanks for the link (I'll check it out today). It does have a great cast which makes it so much more fun than many other Bruceploitation films. Nice knowing there is a widescreen available, now if only it could come out on DVD and they find a Mandarin and/or Cantonese track.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

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

The dub calls Bruce "Bob", except for one stray line. Was this the first HK/Taiwan film to feature Hwang Jang-lee?

It is either that or The Secret Rivals (released 06/18/1976). Unfortunately HKFA does not have a release date mentioned for Bruce Lee's Deadly Kung Fu title. Does Mark know?

Now this is speculation but I was thinking The Secret Rivals because it was filmed in South Korea and Hwang was "discovered." I thought I had notes on the topic, I will look for them.

Found it: Ninja in the Dragon’s Den HKL R2/PAL -> Ng See-yuen & Roy Horan Interviews (24:21m; English) ->
[my notes] Talk on Hwang Jang-lee: he’s a real fighter. He finds him in Korea when shooting Secret Rivals Part I.
Korean line producer caused issues with Korean staff (I believe on Secret Rivals); Hwang still worked regardless. Brings him to HK because of it.

[Markgway]

The Secret Rivals was released in HK on June 18th, 1976.

[Killer Meteor]

Deadly Strike 2.5/5 ok Bruce Li flick is similar to Incredible Kung Fu Mission. Li plays a police captain who rounds up 7 convicts to take on the town's bandits led by the great Chen Sing. action is plentiful and of course Lung Fei complete with eyepatch is here.sadly the uk dvd is censored.

I'm not aware of an uncut release anywhere. The only sign of the nunchaku footage is on the trailer, avaliable on Something Weird Video's "Karate: Hand of Death" DVD.

Bloody Ferman - bending over backward to release pretentious trash like Salo uncut, but picking on defenseless kung fu movies. The day he retired was a glorious one.

[saltysam]

Deadly Strike 2.5/5 ok Bruce Li flick is similar to Incredible Kung Fu Mission. Li plays a police captain who rounds up 7 convicts to take on the town's bandits led by the great Chen Sing. action is plentiful and of course Lung Fei complete with eyepatch is here.sadly the uk dvd is censored.

I'm not aware of an uncut release anywhere. The only sign of the nunchaku footage is on the trailer, avaliable on Something Weird Video's "Karate: Hand of Death" DVD.

Bloody Ferman - bending over backward to release pretentious trash like Salo uncut, but picking on defenseless kung fu movies. The day he retired was a glorious one.

according to this link the german vhs had the nunchuk sequence intact.however we got off lightly,according to same link the german dvd is missing 25 minutes http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=213102

[Markgway]

Lesson of the Evil (2012-Japan) *½
Suspicions arise among a select group of school pupils that their well-liked teacher might not be all he appears. What starts out as an intriguing (if confusing) tale of blackmail and mystery plummets into yet another example of soulless splatter product. The third act - a protracted shotgun massacre of students - is appallingly graphic and shocking for the total lack of human empathy with which it's (pardon the pun) executed. Director Takeshi Miike seems to find the bloody slaughter of children funny... a view I cannot share.

[HungFist]

Lesson of the Evil (2012-Japan) *½
Suspicions arise among a select group of school pupils that their well-liked teacher might not be all he appears. What starts out as an intriguing (if confusing) tale of blackmail and mystery plummets into yet another example of soulless splatter product. The third act - a protracted shotgun massacre of students - is appallingly graphic and shocking for the total lack of human empathy with which its (pardon the pun) executed. Director Takeshi Miike seems to find the bloody slaughter of children funny... a view I cannot share.

Good movie! It was my friend's favourite film of 2012. And he's a high school teacher

[HungFist]

Cold Wind Monjiro: None of My Business (Japan, 1972) [35mm] - 2/5
The second and final Cold Wind Monjiro film. Both films offer a more realistic look at the matatabi heroes of the past. They intentionally lack many stylistic devices and are pretty short on action. Unfortunately, they also lack interesting storylines and characters, although Bunta Sugawara is pretty good in the lead role. This second movie is the weaker of the two, mainly because it lacks the beautiful locations and some memorable scenes the first film had.

Hana-Bi (Japan, 1997) [35mm] - 5/5
Kitano's masterpiece, some of the most perfect filmmaking ever committed to film. I don't even have words describe how stunningly good it is.

[HungFist]

Roman Porno treasure hunt: part 30

100 High School Girls: Secret Motel Report (Japan, 1975) [DVD] - 1/5
The 1973-1975 period is often referred as a mid-career slump in director Chusei Sone's filmography. It is a good generalization; however, there were occasional inspired films during this period as well. Unfortunately this isn't one of them. The film opens in black & white, which reminds of Sone's wrongfully bashed 1974 movie Modern Prostitution: Lust Under Uniform. Unfortunately none of that film's stylish cinematography and decent plotting can be found here, and the use of black & white film for the first 15 minutes serves no actual purpose. The plot shows a little bit of promise at first - a reporter begins investigating a motel where illicit high school girl activity is supposed to take place - but it doesn't go anywhere and the whole movie is directed without any kind of passion or inspiration. Oh, and there aren't nearly 100 high school girls in the film - 10 would be a better guess.

Zoom Up: Rape Site (Japan, 1979) [VoD] - 3.5/5
Koyu Ohara legendary violent pink film has been missing in action for decades. A lot has been written about it, with some reviews calling it the most brutal and misogynist film ever made, and others guessing it's a lost film. Of course, none of those critics had ever seen the film as it was buried in Nikkatsu's vaults all this time. Truth be told, in terms of graphic violence it may not be the most repulsive film ever made. In fact, Nikkatsu had already made more violent movies before. However, it is a mean movie with some classic kills and a pitch black view on humanity. The film kicks off with a serial killer lurking on women in the night; however, what's most interesting is how all other characters seem to lose their mind because of the fear and paranoia, ending up committing almost as many crimes and murders as the actual killer. It's a well made exploitation film, with a solid thriller structure, an entirely misfit, laidback 70s score, and a view on women that can be summarized in the main character's words "be so kind, rape me again!". Pretty lovely smut, quite interesting from a historical perspective as well, but obviously not for all viewers.

[saltysam]

The Dragon Lives Again 4/5 this insane bruceploitation flick makes the Clones Of Bruce Lee feel almost normal in comparison. Bruce,played by Bruce Liang dies and ends up in a strange netherworld ruled by a pervy king. Residents include the man with no name,james bond,the exorcist,Zatoichi,One Armed Swordsman,Kwai Chang Caine,Popeye,Emmanuelle amongst others. Of course Bruce gets into scrapes with all of them in probably the craziest idea for a movie i've ever seen. sadly the horrible full screen Vengeance dvd reduces it's greatness as this is definitely a film that suffers heavily from being P & S. Bizarrely for english language speakers the dvd offers a mandarin soundtrack but no english subtitles

[HungFist]

The Dragon Lives Again 4/5 this insane bruceploitation flick makes the Clones Of Bruce Lee feel almost normal in comparison. Bruce,played by Bruce Liang dies and ends up in a strange netherworld ruled by a pervy king. Residents include the man with no name,james bond,the exorcist,Zatoichi,One Armed Swordsman,Kwai Chang Caine,Popeye,Emmanuelle amongst others. Of course Bruce gets into scrapes with all of them in probably the craziest idea for a movie i've ever seen. sadly the horrible full screen Vengeance dvd reduces it's greatness as this is definitely a film that suffers heavily from being P & S. Bizarrely for english language speakers the dvd offers a mandarin soundtrack but no english subtitles

I've always wanted to see this, but the lack of even half-decent release has kept me away...

[saltysam]

4/5 rating for Dragon Lives Again

i imagine an anamorphic release would up the rating a little.Anyway,haven't you watched Ninja Terminator about 100 times

With all the remakes these days, i think they should do a big budget remake of Dragon Lives Again.

agreed

[saltysam]

Legend Of A Fighter is great.Pity hkl cropped their release which is the only half decent one around.

[saltysam]

I got that version recently. It is disappointing. I wonder why they cropped it.

they cropped their initial releases, Drunken Master,Snake In The Eagles Shadow were others.

[grim_tales]

Shouldnt Legend of a Fighter have been in Cantonese and not Mandarin?

[Markgway]

Shouldnt Legend of a Fighter have been in Cantonese and not Mandarin?

Yes.

HKL cropped their early releases because the berk in charge thought no one wanted black bars on their TV.

Seriously.

[grim_tales]

Really? Thats some shocking QC
Does anyone if the Cantonese track for LoAF is used on any other release?

[Markgway]

Does anyone if the Cantonese track for LoAF is used on any other release?

Mei Ah's VCD has it.

[saltysam]

Thundering Mantis 2.5/5 what starts off as your typical kung fu comedy -"cheeky kid" check "grandfather who's a kung fu master" = check "loveable buffoon who wants to learn from grandfather" check but the latter part turns dark in a rather surprising way leading to a shocking climax.. Beardy is his usual reliable self here- is the UK DVD i have as good as it gets for this one?

[saltysam]

The Dragon Lives Again 4/5 this insane bruceploitation flick makes the Clones Of Bruce Lee feel almost normal in comparison. Bruce,played by Bruce Liang dies and ends up in a strange netherworld ruled by a pervy king. Residents include the man with no name,james bond,the exorcist,Zatoichi,One Armed Swordsman,Kwai Chang Caine,Popeye,Emmanuelle amongst others. Of course Bruce gets into scrapes with all of them in probably the craziest idea for a movie i've ever seen. sadly the horrible full screen Vengeance dvd reduces it's greatness as this is definitely a film that suffers heavily from being P & S. Bizarrely for english language speakers the dvd offers a mandarin soundtrack but no english subtitles

lol i didn't even remember doing a comparision for this years back. i found it by googling "Dragon Lives Again" widescreen https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/ ... php?t=3761

[HungFist]

Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness (Japan, 1965) [DVD] - 3.5/5
The 3rd film in the series, and one of the best. Like the previous instalment it was shot during a summer and also lacks any prison scenes. However, the screenplay and characters are pretty good this time round and the film features a very atmospheric use of music. Thr film starts with Takakura out of the slammer and trying honest living as a port labourer with other former prisoners gone straight, but of course things are complicated by Toru Abe's villainous rival gang, who want the business all for themselves. There's also a black(face) kid who makes friends with Takakura, but is surprisingly not irritating at all. Although Abashiri Prison was not really a ninkyo yakuza series, this instalments features quite a few typical ninkyo elements, including an honourable, death-sick assassin hired by Abe's gang to fight Takakura.

Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country (Japan, 1966) [DVD] - 2.5/5
The 7th film in the series isn't bad, but it doesn't truly come alive until the great finale. Similar to many other weaker instalments in the series, it suffers from the lack of strong plot. There's too much silly comedy, especially with two gay prisoners, and too many meaningless quarrels. The plot doesn't really kick off until during the last half an hour when Takakura is out of the prison and runs into an old man and daughter harassed by a local gang. The film benefits from some impressive winter locations, but the best thing is the highly satisfying, Western influenced gunplay/sword fight finale on the snow covered streets.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Bruce’s Fists of Vengeance (1988: Bill James: Philippines)

And speaking of horrible, horrible Bruceploitation films. There is not a lot of information on this film out there. It would help that there were more credit information on this film. But since it was filmed in the Philippines with mostly a Filipino crew I would consider it (so far unless someone has more information on this) a Filipino movie. 1988 seems a little too late for the release date, unless it was held up for a few years.

This patchwork and shoddy filmed movie with more issues than Lindsay Lohan on crazy pills is not particularly fun to watch. There are continuity issues, bad martial artists, animal cruelty showing a cock-fight for no real reason, Bruce Le, a horrible English dubbed soundtrack with which I swear one person doing multiple people without even changing his voice and that fact it gets out-of-sync, undercranking, Bruce Le’s acting range, and a plethora of other problems that make many other Bruceploitation films seem competent. Now how about that ending in the fountain? The slow motion scenes at the end are hilarious. There is nothing like seeing a fake hit that comes nowhere close to hitting the person in slow motion. Also the slow motion replays are bizarrely done. They will replay at a particular point that makes no sense instead of the normal go back to one hit (often this is normally done three times total). And those slow motion scenes are done Ad Nauseum.

The main plot is basic. A Bruce Lee disciple (Jack Lee) has a book by Bruce Lee that purportedly has so many secrets (would not this actually be against Bruce Lee’s philosophy; so many Bruce Lee clones have no real respect for Lee’s philosophy or even a decent riposte to it). Anyways, one particular martial artist/thug played by Romano Kristoff – who is actual decent with the nun-chucks and an OK martial artist, is interested in this book at all costs. Bruce Le (the one with one e) is a martial arts teacher and friend of Jack Lee. So you expect something to happen to Jack and someone else to get revenge.

I am sure though you could find something better to watch or rewatch for the 19[sup]th[/sup] time.