Bullets 'n' Babes

Bruce Lee:The Man,The Myth 2.5/5 probably Bruce Li's best,this biopic is full of the usual inaccuracies and liberty taking but is never too over the top and has some effective sequences.not sure if it was intended or not but it was interesting that the guy who played the factory boss in The Big Boss plays the assistant director of The Big Boss sequence here.

New Fist Of Fury 2/5 Nora Miao reprises her role along with (very briefly) Lo Wei and are joined by Jackie Chan in this mostly mediocre and way overlong sequel.Another of the first film's actor's Han Ying Chieh returns to play a far more prominent role.Despite being directed by the same man (Lo Wei) this has none of the verve of the first film,Chan spends far too much time getting beaten up before regrouping for the admittedly well done climactic face off with Chen Sing.first time i've seen this,i believe the HKL version is 40 minutes shorter.Still,if you ever wanted to see Chen Sing fight in a nappy this is the film for you...

I didnt know the HKL version was shorter, which DVD/version have you seen Sam?

grim_tales wrote:I didnt know the HKL version was shorter, which DVD/version have you seen Sam?

this is the one i have

http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displa ... hp?ID=3224

grim_tales wrote:I didnt know the HKL version was shorter

You didn't notice it was missing FORTY minutes??

I havent seen it

Keiji monogatari 2: Ringo no uta (Japan, 1983) [DVD] - 2.5/5
The second film in the drama/romance/action/comedy series which is best remembered for, but not best described by, its hanger nunchaku action. As usual, the detective hero played by the beloved television actor Tetsuya Takeda is transferred to a new town where he interacts with the locals, falls in love, and kicks a little bit of ass. These are the kind of movies that go well with Japanese television audiences with all their gentle melodrama, comedy, and depictions of idyllic small town life. Fun action scenes in which the hero takes out the bad guys in inventive ways are just a small addition to the mix. Also, it's nice how in the 1980s Japanese family movies could still find a way fit in a few pairs of bare boobs somewhere.

Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (Japan, 1985) [35mm] – 4/5
This film is somewhat a turning point on Shinji Somai's career. It was his return to idol cinema four years after the monumental genre classic Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981). It was the movie that followed his real masterpiece, the defining Japanese youth film Taifu Club (released in 1985, filmed in 1984). How do you follow such benchmark classic? You can see a clear twist here, which lots of heavy handed symbolic imagery and melodramatic storytelling that were not so evident in Somai's earlier movies. Even then, it's an excellent movie. Sukeban Deka girl Yuki Saito stars as an orphan girl who grows up to love her stepfather. Somai throws in his magic from the very beginning, opening the movie with a great 14 minute take. Saito is pretty decent in the lead role and recorded an excellent theme song for the film. The movie was shot in Hokkaido, in Sapporo, Chitose and other locations, with many scenes being filmed a few hundred meters away from where I now live.



I cross that bridge almost every day... too bad I wasn't here 30 years ago.

Story Of Ricky 3/5 bat shit crazy HK adaption of the japanese manga.ridiculously over the top but entertaining with it.

Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 1/5
As universally bashed as the recent Ryuhei Kitamura Lupin III film was, this earlier live action adaptation is even much worse. It's an incredibly lame and unfunny caper slapstick comedy clearly aimed at children. The gags are childish, the anime-like acting is irritating, and there is literally nothing stylish or interesting about the film. Rarely has 82 minutes felt so long. Avoid like plague!

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 4/5
This must be one of the trashiest and most brutal Japanese crime films ever made aside Junya Sato's equally sadistic yakuza film True Account of Ginza Tortures (1973). Nearly everyone is an irredeemable psycho here. Miki Sugimoto stars as female cop who infiltrates a psychopath rapist scum gang who has kidnapped a politician's daughter. Another cop (Hideo Murota in his favourite role) is tailing them from a safe distance until it's time to take action. It all leads to an incredibly groovy, and unbelievably violent climax. Immoral pinky violence cinema at its best, but not for the easily offended, and never to be passed uncut by the BBFC. Viewers may observe a slight Meiko Kaji vibe in the film, from the theme song to the badass heroine. There's that influence for sure, but it's also because the film is based on a manga by Tooru Shinohara, who also wrote the Female Prisoner Scorpion comics.



And what a pleasure it was seeing this from a gorgeous 35mm print!

saltysam wrote:Bruce Lee:The Man,The Myth 2.5/5 probably Bruce Li's best,this biopic is full of the usual inaccuracies and liberty taking but is never too over the top and has some effective sequences.not sure if it was intended or not but it was interesting that the guy who played the factory boss in The Big Boss plays the assistant director of The Big Boss sequence here.

I guess it was a nice way of getting him back after Lo Wei fired him. The soundtrack is very cool for this movies, in particular the training scenes with music by Bob James - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V56yeZtqQTs

I wonder if the fact that this is a Hong Kong production meant that it's more respectful to Bruce then the earlier Taiwanese bio-pics. No drugs, no boozing, and he and Betty Ting Pei are just reading a script.

And considering it was less than a decade afterwards, this film fails miserably at re-creating the 1960s!

saltysam wrote:Fist Of Fury Pt 2 2/5 reasonable,certainly better than expected Bruce Li sequel.Having some of the original's cast returning adds some authenticity to the by and large predictable proceedings.

It's funny how it's much more legit a sequel than the official sequel from Lo Wei. Having a good re-creation of the Ching Wu school set helps.

I'm fairly sure this is a Tarentino favourite and that he has a 35mm print. Wish he's stick it on home video for us!

Markgway wrote:I think the South Korean release date is probably accurate. Those relevant Bruce Le films were all shot circa 1977-78 in South Korea. The staggered HK releasing reflects a more limited interest in the product. The Bruceploitation pics often played better in export territories with English dubs, which is partly why the dubbed versions are the easiest to get hold of.

Insan Film (P.T. Insantra) was officially based in Hong Kong (I have a lobby image that shows a HK fax number!). Insantra, however, was Indonesian (I think -- this is from memory) and setup productions in Jakara and Manila, some of them in cooperation with his HK talent.

The extent of Insantra and partner Robert Jeffrey's involvement in the South Korean films I don't know (no one ever talks about these forgotten works). It may just have been financial (i.e. Insan supplies the HK actors and budget in exchange for worldwide rights) or if they were onset or had onset production representation. It's very difficult to know.

I think at the moment we can safely classify them as South Korea-Hong Kong co-productions until contradictory evidence comes to light.

Trying to figure out when these indie films were made is a bit tricky. The HKMDB and HKFA only list HK release dates (which were sometimes staggered anyway) and production order isn't obvious either. I'm sure the info probably exists in Chinese somewhere.

Generally, the Korean release dates are more accurate an indicator than the HK ones.

Leave it to Kotaro (Japan, 1984) [35mm] - 2.5/5
A typical mid-80s Japan Action Club film which leans much more towards comedy than action. Norifumi Suzuki helms the manga adaptation of a mischievous modern teenage ninja who spends his days hanging upside down in front of a girls' dressing room window. There are more panty shots than you can keep track of. Other students finally get sick of him and put a reward up for his beloved long hair. Then a blonde Caucasian girl arrives the school and falls in love with the pervert ninja, which leads to the film's best, and dumbest, laughs. It's a silly, mostly entertaining but a bit overlong comedy with several bits of action. Hiroyuki Sanada and Etsuko Shihomi play supporting roles, and Sonny Chiba makes a quest visit in a fully English language role. Suzuki did much better with the more action oriented Roaring Fire a few years earlier.

Lady Snowblood (Japan, 1973) [35mm] - 4.5/5
A terrific revenge movie with an great storyline and an atmosphere that slightly reminds of old fairytales (those that were full of death, sex and brutality). Meiko Kaji stars as a girl born in prison whose only purpose in life is taking revenge against four ultra-nationalist scum who killed her father and raped her mother. It's a heavy film, and very political as well, the kind film of that could not be made in Japan anymore. Kaji is excellent, and her theme song is truly unforgettable. It's an unusual film for director Toshiya Fujita, who specialized in contemporary youth/crime films. Lady Snowblood essentially served as an early screenplay draft for Kill Bill: a female revenge film divided into chapters where the protagonist goes after the bad guys one by one in the order they are on her death list. Plus, Tarantino borrowed dialogue, music, and images from the film.

Lady Snowblood & Kill Bill mini comparison

Best Of The Martial Arts Movies 2/5 fast paced but ultimately tiring documentary showcasing the best action from mainly GH movies. Narrated by John Saxon who only appears briefly on screen at the beginning and end. the new uk dvd is a mess, some clips (the Lee movies) are anamorphic,most aren't which leaves (on my player anyway) most of the sequences playing out windowboxed.

Lady Snowblood sounds good Hung I think I remember seeing the first film but not the sequel.

Return Of The Chinese Boxer 2/5 Wang Yu retreads his earlier work as a sort of hybrid concoction here, it makes little sense but Wang Yu can always be relied upon to do something off beat,notably the climax featuring dozens of Wang Yu mannequins....and doves (Woo seen this? ) and of course Lung Fei is here.

The Desperate Chase 3/5 known as Blood Of The Dragon in the usa,this weapons based Wang Yu feature has plenty of action,moving along at a frenetic pace till it's great 20 minute climactic battle.German dvd has the usa dub and the hk english one which is hilarious.Lung Fei's dubber is especially epic.

Prince Of The Sun 1/5 Terrible martial arts comedy featuring Conan Lee,Cynthia Rothrock and Lam Ching Ying.Dire on pretty much every level.

In Return of the Chinese Boxer, Wang Yu really doesn't suit the Ching dynasty haircut. I think it's his last movie as star and director.

Ivan Drago wrote:In Return of the Chinese Boxer, Wang Yu really doesn't suit the Ching dynasty haircut. I think it's his last movie as star and director.

i wouldn't argue,but Jimmy Wang Yu,Lung Fei and the style of the movie makes it ftw

Lung Fei is awesome. One of my favourite kung fu villians.

saltysam wrote:Return Of The Chinese Boxer 2/5 Wang Yu retreads his earlier work as a sort of hybrid concoction here, it makes little sense but Wang Yu can always be relied upon to do something off beat,notably the climax featuring dozens of Wang Yu mannequins....and doves (Woo seen this? ) and of course Lung Fei is here.
...

Wang had used an interesting bird house fight scene in the earlier Master of the Flying Guillotine.

I liked this film more than you, but I do wonder how much Wang would repeat in his movies (tournament, insanely powerful punches, supernatural skills, bad Japanese, bizarre weapons, Lung Fei) if he kept going. He was an auteur alright (of course one might make the argument that Michael Bay is an auteur).

Wang Yu set out his stall with The Chinese Boxer and spent most of the 70s churning out inferior remakes.

Mo wrote:Lung Fei is so badass and so damn confident. I wonder what he did after his film career. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a hitman.

He would be manly selling woman's shoes (not that he would.) This is when I wish KFC would get back so I can query questions like this.

Women's Police (Japan, 1969) [16mm] - 2/5
The young Meiko Kaji flashes her breasts for about two seconds in this otherwise forgettable programmer picture. Unfortunately even that sole delight was ruined by the super-soft 16mm print that screened in Cinema Vera. The film's real star is Akira Kobayashi as a some sort of night life professional looking after Tokyo hostesses and eventually getting in trouble with gangsters. It's a rather lame film in every respect, with nothing especially stylish nor sleazy about it. Of course, it's still technically well made film, but that's not saying much. Kaji, who is the most interesting thing about the film, plays a pretty small role. Oddly enough, the film received no less than three sequels.

Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (Japan, 1974) [35mm] - 3/5
Solid, but still a bit disappointing sequel needlessly continues the storyline. While it's true both films are based on a comic book that ran several volumes, the first movie was such an emotionally draining experience that the protagonist's transformation to wandering heroine after all she went through just doesn't feel right. That being said, this is another politically charged storyline that certainly offers several points of interest and features a good cast. The action scenes are a little more flamboyant than in the first film, which doesn't really work to its favour because Kaji isn't the best swordswoman out there. Her strength is intensity and acting skill, which are the two elements the first movie handled very well even in the action sequences. Nevertheless, this is a pretty good film; it's just no match for the excellent first movie.