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

[Killer Meteor]

THE LADY IS THE BOSS

Interesting modern-day spin on MY YOUNG AUNTIE but suffers from that film's problem - Kara Hui is shoved out of the way in the finale so the boys, especially 'Pops', can rescue her. The presentation of 80s HK pop-culture was probably dated before the film even came out - very much a film version of an old man trying to get the kids to turn down the music! The fighting is very good, with Gordon Liu and Hsiao Ho sending up their classic kung fu roles.

As with the IVL dvd, the source audio for 88's release is quite harsh on the ears, especially when Kara's Cantonese dubber mangles the English language in a manner not heard again from an "American" until SHIN GOJIRA. There is a lot of harsh siblilance whenever anyone says an "s" and it probably would have helped if the Cantonese dubbers didn't shout down the mike! Subtitles are good, but oddly when the actors names appear on-screen, the names are back-to-front - so Lau Kar-leung is Kar-leung Lau etc.

[HungFist]

A Lawless Outpost (無法の宿場) (1963) [35mm] – 3/5
A relatively obscure samurai film about a swordsman (Chiyonosuke Azuma), who wanders into a small town with vengeance in his mind. The opening scene where our anti-hero comes across three thugs on a dusty countryside road is superb. The poor bastards thought they could grab his money and live. Once in the godforsaken town, our protagonist rents a blood soaked room where the previous inhabitant’s guts are still on the tatami. The old man offering the room warns him of local gangsters, especially a hell raiser who looks like a bear. “Oh, him? I killed him this morning in the bar” responds our hero. The film then somewhat slows down when the protagonist becomes obsessed with challenging a local old master to a duel. His motivations won’t be explained until later on. It would be fair to say this film (among other similar pictures) very much anticipated the Italian spaghetti westerns that were just around the corner. It doesn’t quite live up to its premise as it’s held down by what is ultimately a pretty standard storyline, and lacks the finishing touch in style and nihilism, but it’s a good film and deserves to be seen by anyone curious the genre.

Gang vs. Gang (ギャング対ギャング) (Japan, 1962) [TV] – 3/5
A more stylish than average noir from Teruo Ishii. Koji Tsuruta stars a gangster who finishes his five year prison stint. He's greeted with a bullet into the arm as soon as he walks out from the gates. In return, he decides to take down his ungrateful ex-boss' drug operations. This is one of the better Gang films Ishii directed. It’s not without some slow patches, but also not lacking highlights. The entire sequence where weak-willed drug operations manager Ko Nishimura is being interrogated by mean boss Tetsuro Tamba is supremely stylish, as is the thrilling last 20 minutes that probably borrows from Wages of Fear. I’ve not seen the French classic, but the tension is comparable to the William Friendkin remake. The cast is uniformly excellent, full of mean and lean Toei heavies.

[HungFist]

Hole in the Pants: Hanagarabatake de inputto (パンツの穴　花柄畑でインプット) (Japan, 1985) [Streaming] – 3/5
A largely forgotten sequel to Norifumi Suzuki's raunchy / tender youth comedy Hole in the Pants (1984), somewhat surprisingly directed 70s gun for hire Yutaka Kohira (Dragon Princess, New Female Prisoner Scorpion) and written by Masahiro Kakefuda (Horrors of Malformed Men, Terrifying Girls’ High School). This unfolds very much in the fashion as the first film. It's another high school comedy about horny boys chasing after pretty girls and failing miserably, something that could’ve been a typical idol film were it not so full of gross jokes and even some nudity, not entirely unlike American 80s teen sex comedies. It's politically about as incorrect as they get by today’ standards, comes with more boner jokes than Love Exposure, and packs a very nice pop soundtrack. And much like Suzuki's film, it eventually comes out almost adorable. As for casting, Yoichi Yamamoto returns from the first film but Momoko Kikuchi, who had become too popular to appear in junk like this, has been replaced with a new idol of the day, Kaori Shimura (whose career did not last much beyond this film). Also look out for a Tatsuo Umemiya cameo. Released theatrically as a double feature with Kazuhiko Yamaguchi’s Big Magnum Kuroiwa.

Chivalry of One Lone Flower (任侠花一輪) (Japan, 1974) [TV] – 4/5
A lone wolf yakuza (Tatsuya Fuji) just out of prison is searching for his long lost sister (Yumi Takigawa) on the streets of Tokyo in this melancholic gangster ballad. This came out well into the jitsuroku era, after ninkyo films had gone out of fashion, but carries the DNA of the former while being set in the gritty world of the latter. There is however a third reference that should not be overlooked: the untitled wave of late 60s & early 70s nocturnal dramas following pimps and hostesses, set in the neon-lit red light districts, and usually based on pop ballads (*), produced mainly by Toei and Nikkatsu. Perhaps not surprisingly, this film was also based on a song: Fuji's debut single of the same title from earlier in 1974. The film became his first lead role after having been a notable supporting player for a decade, first at Nikkatsu and later at Toei. He's solid here as a tormented man of few words. Co-star Takigawa, fresh off her debut in School of the Holy Beast, doesn't get much to do in the masculine narrative; however Tatsuo Umemiya is given a good “ninkyo role” as an honourable enemy. Atsushi Mihori (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody) helms the film with loads of style and atmosphere; the cinematography and art direction are some of the most stylish you’ll find in any 70s yakuza movie. This film feels slightly out of time for 1974, but serves as a fine swansong to the old fashioned yakuza romanticism: the honour and humanity among outlaws.

* Examples of the many films belonging to this “genre” include Toei's Youth of the Night series (1965-1968), Song of the Night series (1967-1974), Neon kurage series (1973), Nikkatsu's Night Butterflies (1971), Women’s Police series (1969-1970) (especially part 4), and many others.

[Killer Meteor]

MAGNIFICENT WANDERERS

I'm not sure what prompted Chang Cheh to try out a kung fu comedy 2 years before they became fashionable, and this is a rather odd beast, not least because much of the comedy comes from the goony bad guys, whilst the heroes are much more restrained. But it does have some genuine laughs in there, and it's an interesting companion peace to HALF A LOAF OF KUNG FU where the comedy waters are tested by people who think stuttering is the height of hilarity.

6/10

[Killer Meteor]

Yesterday I watched the Japanese movie THREE OUTLAW SAMUAI, followed by its Shaw remake (official or not, the credits don't say) THE MAGNIFICENT TRIO - last time I watched the latter was 20 years ago on the rubbish non-anamorphic Momentum Asia DVD!

It's quite interesting seeing how the two films differ. At first, there are almost shot-for-shot, which doesn't do Shaws that much favours as their more theatrical look is negated by the gritty realism of the Japanese film. And Jimmy Wang Yu, all masacara and posing, couldn't compete with Testuro Tamba if you cut off both of Tamba's arms! Cheng Lei should have been the breakout male star of this, as he really steals the show, but sadly afterwards he just seemed to be there in movies to take his shirt off and die quickly.

But, and this is truly remarkable when you consider this is a Chang Cheh movie, it is the Shaw film that has much more active roles for its female chacters. In 3OS, they are there to help the heroes a bit then die horribly, but the resolution of the Shaw film relies on the villian's daughter putting justice over family, and the final closing shot is genuinely moving.

And since this is 1966 and Chang Cheh was just starting out with his Yang Gang formula, it is rather surreal to see our three burly leading men arrive on screen with the title THE MAGNIFICENT TRIO...but then the three top-billed actors are the leading ladies, which creates the odd impression that Jimmy Wang Yu's real name is Margaret.

8/10

[HungFist]

A Violent School Revolution (青春讃歌　暴力学園大革命) (1975) [TV] – 2.5/5
Makoto Naito helms this largely forgotten entry into Toei's delinquent boy genre. There were a handful of similar films, such as the Waru series (1973 1974) and the Gang of Men series (1975-1976), made in the mid 70s when girl gang films had begun to fade away. One should not draw too direct comparisons between the two delinquent youth genres as one was largely a sub-genre of Toei Porno while the other were comic book films with a far wider intended mainstream appeal. The delinquent boy films were targeting mainly adolescent boys with their manga mayhem and visual gags, and perhaps girls too with the handsome bad boy leads ("I love a violent guy with a tender heart" is even uttered in the film!). The tormented heart knob here is Makoto Hoshi, a top student who puzzlingly becomes a school gang boss. Girls compete for him, teachers are suspicious of him, and rival biker gang boss Koichi Iwaki tries to barge into his turf. Unfortunately the film suffers from a near complete lack of plot (not entirely unusual in a mid 70s Toei film) and a general lack of punch that may partly be due to its mainstream box office ambitions. There is however enough good music, badly behaving boys, occasional nudity, and a cool sunset closing shot to keep a 70s Toei fan moderately entertained. Just don’t expect too much.

Edo Ninja Scroll: Seven Shadows (江戸忍法帖　七つの影) (Japan, 1963) [TV] – 3.5/5
Seven Koga ninja are sent to find and kill for the former Shogun’s secret illegitimate son (Kotaro Satomi) and all of his acquaintances. It’s surprising that this pulpy ninja action film from Toei isn’t better known. Not only is it an entertaining genre picture, it’s also based on a novel by ninja exploitation favourite Futaro Yamada (Female Ninja Magic, Samurai Reincarnation, Ninja Wars). There’s at least two film’s worth of intrigue and at times surprisingly bloody action packed into brisk 85 minutes. The action choreography which utilises various ninja weapons is thoroughly entertaining and the film's dark tone feels slightly ahead of its time for early 1963. There are quite a few moments where not only fans of the mid 60s gritty and brutal new jidaigeki films but also the 70s Lone Wolf and Cub films should feel at home. Best of all, the entire film is strikingly photographed on black and white film making full use of noirish shadows, smoke, snow and stylish frame compositions. The only area where the film fails is telling a particularly memorably story or crafting unforgettable characters. Nevertheless, genre fans ought to check it out. For some reason the film has long been difficult to see, having fallen into oblivion for ages until Toei just recently remastered it in HD alongside another ninja picture, Moonshadow Ninja Scroll: Twenty-One Eyes (1963), from the same director, Junji Kurata.