Watched NEW TALES OF THE FLYING FOX, for some reason i wasn’t expecting too much from this one but as it turned out i enjoyed it.
[quote=“Yodlaf Peterson”]Check it out 
Hong Kong Godfathers! 8)
Yes! I saw this bit of news a few days ago. If they had only listed the first three titles this news would be cause for a massive celebration! But, the rest of the titles makes this a truly epic reason for merry-making!
Some good stuff here, for sure.
Hopefully, sales will be solid and they will release even more Shaw Bros. titles in the future.
Incidentally, Funimation is also set to release the insanely interesting Japanese film ROBO-GEISHA directed by maverick director, Noboru Iguchi (who happens to be a friend of a friend of mine). Iguchi is an absolute lunatic–and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
For me, Funimation is a company to keep an eye in the future!
Ha ha! I realised i already put a link to this on the previous page so i wiped it, you must have answered it pretty quick 
I wonder if The 14 Amazons will be the full length version?
Watched The Heroic Ones today. More of an epic feel to this one than previous ones I have watched. Lots of outdoor shooting and large scale battle scenes. Also a longer run time. Entertaining stuff which, despite the long fight sequences, actually concentrates more on the story and characters than pure action. Just as well probably as David Chiang is clearly not the martial arts master of say Gordon Liu. I like him though. He has a good screen presence.
And of course this is a Chang Cheh film so we are treated to some body parts going astray from their original locations. Poor old Dave Chiang’s gory end reminded me somewhat of Alberto Dell’Acqua’s at the start of Vengeance. Only more so ;D
That’s one of my favourites.
It is supposed to be.
[quote=“Phil H, post:25, topic:2162”]Watched The Heroic Ones today. More of an epic feel to this one than previous ones I have watched. Lots of outdoor shooting and large scale battle scenes. Also a longer run time. Entertaining stuff which, despite the long fight sequences, actually concentrates more on the story and characters than pure action. Just as well probably as David Chiang is clearly not the martial arts master of say Gordon Liu. I like him though. He has a good screen presence.
And of course this is a Chang Cheh film so we are treated to some body parts going astray from their original locations. Poor old Dave Chiang’s gory end reminded me somewhat of Alberto Dell’Acqua’s at the start of Vengeance. Only more so ;D[/quote]
An absolute classic!
The thing about David Chiang that I find interesting is that he frequently doesn’t look like he has much ability as a martial artist; but, apparently, in real life he was quite skilled.
Watched JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED, the main star (now an adult) is the kid Bruce Lee gives a lesson to at the start of ENTER THE DRAGON. I quite enjoyed this, the first half was better than the second though with plenty of nudity and violence.
Watched THE CRIMINALS, i thought it was great, especially the last segment with Lo Lieh. Looking forward to tracking down the rest, i’ve got No.4 but need 2.3 & 5. Shame the sequels only got released on vcd.
Thanks to a brother forumite I watched Come Drink With Me today and found it to be one of the most enjoyable Shaws I’ve seen so far. Beautifully paced and visually well crafted. And of course Pei Pei Cheng is fabulous. I love to see the girls kick arse in these films and she does it in spades while looking stunningly beautiful at the same time.
I checked the movie at imdb and, for a change, was impressed by the comment left by someone there. In describing the film they said:
“what we have here is part ‘adult western’, part ‘chinese opera’ and all adventure movie from start to finish.”
and I couldn’t have put it better myself. It is very ‘Chinese’ in feel. This may sound like me stating the bleeding obvious but what I mean by that is that, having visited China on a number of occasions, this film really reminded me of the country itself; the sounds and look of it. The music is very evocative and the song sequences at the inn as well as some of the stylised fight sequences really reminded me of a couple of Tea House opera shows I have seen there. But it also reminded me so much of a spaghetti western in plot and style too. The lone fighter comes to town to sort out a problem, shows coolness and skill under extreme odds, gets injured and retreats to a hide out to recuperate then come back to finish the job. This is standard Cinecitta stuff but fits just as well here and the dual plot threads of the converging quests of Golden Swallow and Drunken Cat work perfectly.
Great film.
Glad you enjoyed it Phil, it’s one of the classics.
It certainly is. Too many great scenes to mention all of them but the climax of the final fight scene when Drunken Cat kills the Abbott and gets a face full of claret for his troubles will stay with me for a while.
[quote=“Phil H, post:33, topic:2162”]It certainly is. Too many great scenes to mention all of them but the climax of the final fight scene when Drunken Cat kills the Abbott and gets a face full of claret for his troubles will stay with me for a while.[/quote]I love the scenes in the inn, especially when she throws the coins, it oozes class.
Did you spot Jackie Chan as one of the kids?
[quote=“Yodlaf Peterson, post:34, topic:2162”]I love the scenes in the inn, especially when she throws the coins, it oozes class.
Did you spot Jackie Chan as one of the kids?[/quote]
No I didn’t. Was he one of the boys who sing with Drunken Cat? Those scenes gave the film a very traditional feel to me.
[quote=“Phil H, post:35, topic:2162”]No I didn’t. Was he one of the boys who sing with Drunken Cat? Those scenes gave the film a very traditional feel to me.[/quote]Yes he was, also Mars is one of them kids but he is easier to spot.
[quote=“Phil H, post:31, topic:2162”]Thanks to a brother forumite I watched Come Drink With Me today and found it to be one of the most enjoyable Shaws I’ve seen so far. Beautifully paced and visually well crafted. And of course Pei Pei Cheng is fabulous. I love to see the girls kick arse in these films and she does it in spades while looking stunningly beautiful at the same time.
I checked the movie at imdb and, for a change, was impressed by the comment left by someone there. In describing the film they said:
“what we have here is part ‘adult western’, part ‘chinese opera’ and all adventure movie from start to finish.”
and I couldn’t have put it better myself. It is very ‘Chinese’ in feel. This may sound like me stating the bleeding obvious but what I mean by that is that, having visited China on a number of occasions, this film really reminded me of the country itself; the sounds and look of it. The music is very evocative and the song sequences at the inn as well as some of the stylised fight sequences really reminded me of a couple of Tea House opera shows I have seen there. But it also reminded me so much of a spaghetti western in plot and style too. The lone fighter comes to town to sort out a problem, shows coolness and skill under extreme odds, gets injured and retreats to a hide out to recuperate then come back to finish the job. This is standard Cinecitta stuff but fits just as well here and the dual plot threads of the converging quests of Golden Swallow and Drunken Cat work perfectly.
Great film.[/quote]
Glad you liked it, brother!
It is darn good, isn’t it?
I agree with everything you’ve said about the film. One interesting thing I’d like to bring up: It is, indeed, very much like a Spaghetti Western—but, I think that is because King Hu wanted his film to be more like a Japanese samurai film (in terms of plot and pace) than what passed for a typical Chinese swordplay film of the time. Personally, I think it is his striving to make a more Japanese-style film that lends COME DRINK WITH ME its “Spaghetti” feel.
Also, it is worth pointing out that even though King Hu was striving for that Japanese flavor—he still made a very Chinese film!
I’ve never seen a Shaw Brothers film, but I will soon get a chance to view their movie Vengeance! AKA Bao chou starring David Chiang and directed by Chang Cheh. Is it a good film to start with, or is it for fans only?
P. S: I’m not completely sure if this is even a Shaw Brothers film, but I have read somewhare that it is.
[quote=“John Welles, post:38, topic:2162”]I’ve never seen a Shaw Brothers film, but I will soon get a chance to view their movie Vengeance! AKA Bao chou starring David Chiang and directed by Chang Cheh. Is it a good film to start with, or is it for fans only?
P. S: I’m not completely sure if this is even a Shaw Brothers film, but I have read somewhare that it is.[/quote]It is a Shaw brothers film and it’s a fucking cracker!
Excellent, I’ll be definatly watching it!