Seven Samurai (product link) Drama / Swordplay/Sword(s) Classic! This movie has a great reputation for a reason. It holds up well, despite its age. A must-see.
Mad Monkey Kung Fu (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Excellent kung fu! Great depiction of monkey-style. Decent characters, innovative training sequences, and eye-popping fights. Plot and characters not quite on par with Venoms movies or this director's best work. Highly enjoyable and recommended.
Fearless [2006] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Jet Li is magnetic and fun to watch (as always). The fights are good, but not on par with "Fist Of Legend" or "Iron Monkey". Too much CGI and other effects--it's distracting for the viewer and detracts from the impression of the actors' talents. The plot is good (although the director's version is a bit long), and the characters are likeable. The message is very positive and the movie is enjoyable.
The Blade (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Action/Adventure Overdone. Overly dramatic, overly serious, and somewhat boring. Most of it is well-done, but just too much. The fighting is okay, with some interesting ideas but nothing to make me want to watch it again. I love "The One-Armed Swordsman"; this had similarities and references, but don't expect anything like the original.
Iron Monkey [1993] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The fighting in this movie was amazing. Personally, I think they got a bit carried away with the wires and 100-foot jumps, but otherwise it was a pleasure to watch. Donnie Yen is awesome, and so are the other stars. The young Wong Fei Hong does a pretty good job. The plot is fairly standard, but the characters make up for any gaps. If you love Yuen Wo Ping's fights, don't miss this movie! One of my new favorites.
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This has long been a favorite of mine, welcome to the club! :)
The Invincible Kung Fu Guy (product link) Comedy / Martial Arts Short--only 23 minutes or so. However, it's very funny. It accurately skewers and pokes fun at lots of the kung fu movies that so many of us love, while still maintaining respect for the genre. Some funny scenes and laughable kung fu. The humor is fairly subtle, not over-the-top humor.
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I rated it a bit higher, but agree with all your comments.
Hansel And Gretel (product link) Fantasy / Thriller Too long, not as interesting to watch as it seems on the surface. The camerawork and direction is really good, and there are some interesting ideas. However, the plot drags on and made it difficult for me to care much. I was also hoping for some kind of interesting twist at the end, but I was disappointed. I should note though, that the ending wasn't bad.
Soul Of The Sword (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Martial Arts I love this movie! If you like Ti Lung, don't miss this one. The fighting is really cool and the plot is very intriguing. Excellent exposition of obsession and short-sightedness, common in many people with incredible talents. SEMI-SPOILER: I found the end to be surprising and powerful.
Chinese Super Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure An absolute classic. As a kid, this was always my favorite. Lo Meng has a decent part, but this is not a Venoms flick. Nonetheless, the fighting is top notch and you will recognize a lot of familiar faces if you are a Venoms fan. If you enjoy weapons work and strategic fighting, then don't miss this.
It drags on in the middle, but the beginning is fighting (even during the opening credits!) and the end is fight after fight after fight!
The Tournament [1974] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I'm new to Angela Mao, but I was impressed with her in this movie. Parts of the movie are painfully slow, and other parts are set up so poorly that you need to guess to figure out what is happening (or maybe I'm just slow). There are occasional stunt doubles, too.
If you are a huge Angela Mao fan, then this may be worth it. Otherwise, avoid.
Pedicab Driver (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy Not as much fighting as I would have liked. Also too much focus on love interests that don't entertain or satisfy the viewer. The few fights are pretty good, and Sammo is at his best, but they're too few and far between.
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Unlike "I love you rater haters" I did not throw my copy away, but only because movies cost too much. This movie was not enjoyable to watch with the exception of the short fight between Sammo and Lau Kar-Leung.
Come Drink With Me (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A highly influential classic that changed the genre. The fights are a bit dated now, but it's easy to appreciate the tension, plot, and camerawork.
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Correct rating in my opinion. I don't know where people get five starts from.
Shaolin Daredevils (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Gotta' love the Venoms. This one was really fun, because all of the Venoms are friends in the beginning/middle and then we get to see a bunch of them just hanging out, goofing around, and performing. Great acrobatics and good plot. If you love the Venoms, don't miss this. It's not in the top five Venoms flicks, but close.
Wheels On Meals (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy Very good movie. Some parts now seem pretty dated and boring, but the fights at the end make the movie. Jackie Chan vs. Benny the Jet is my favorite Jackie Chan scene for sure. Oddly enough, my 8-year old son calls this his favorite movie of all time. Don't get this movie for Sammo Hung, though, since he has a weird and fairly small part.
Ip Man (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Great movie. Innovative fight style, good play, decent amount of fighting. Several of the fights (notably Ip Man vs. 10 Japanese fighers) are just incredible. I thought that perhaps the early/middle of the movie was a bit slow, and there wasn't much development of Ip Man's relationship with his wife, but these are minor quibbles with an extremely impressive movie.
The Lady Assassin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Excellent plot, eye-popping fights. I think that many of them were sped-up, which may turn off purists. However, the choreography is innovative and the story is strong. Also, the camerawork and colors are beautiful.
Ninja In The Deadly Trap (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Worth watching if you love the Venoms, but does not stack up with any of their classics.
Shaolin Prince (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Mind-blowing acrobatics and kung-fu. For fans of Ti Lung, don't miss this fun and creative film. The only thing that could be better is that a few parts are distractingly silly (the three crazy masters).
Yojimbo (product link) Drama / Action/Adventure Classic Kurosawa! This highly influential movie is artistic and entertaining. The main character is immediately likeable and magnetic. Don't expect high-flying martial arts.
Excellent film.
Marco Polo (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Recommended for fans of the Venoms! Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu have non-starring roles here, along with Philip Kwok and some of the mini-Venoms. The fighting and plot are similar to the later Venom movies. The Marco Polo character is a bit distracting and I would have preferred the movie without him.
The training scenes are great, the fighting styles are inventive, and, of course, it's always a pleasure to see these stars on the screen.
Chocolate [2008] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The fighting is incredible. Many moves I've never seen before - creative, eye-popping, and still (somewhat) realistic. The main character was very likable; some of the other plot elements detracted from the film. Also, it may just be more own lack of experience with Thai movies, but I found the music and pacing to be distracting. Also, the beginning (before the girl fights) and the last scene drag on a bit too long. However, this is still worth every penny and every second in order to see the amazing fights.
The Prodigal Son (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Incredible fighting! Sammo Hung is not the star here, but he does steal the screen for awhile. Very inventive moves and styles. I think there are some cultural boundaries that impede my ability to get into some aspects of this movie, though. Also, I thought the end was sort of pasted on; it didn't flow as smoothly (in or out) as I would have hoped.
The Magnificent Butcher (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Sammo Hung's physical abilities are incredible. The fights in this movie are really good. However, it isn't my favorite due to: the unbelievable sliminess of the villian, the stunt double for the drunken master, and a storyline that I didn't care for. Sammo Hung is fun to watch, but this movie is not on par with my favorite kung fu films.
Adaptation (product link) Dark Comedy / Crime Very smart and self-aware film with a fascinating backstory. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Spike Jonze.
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Yeah I agree this is a great flick for Spike Jonze fans and Charlie Kaufman fans.
The Mirror [1997] [3-Movie Set] (product link) Drama Totally different! This movie was very enjoyable because it is real. After the first third or so, the young star decides to head home and the camera crew follows her trials and tribulations. She is a remarkably determined, resourceful, and mature girl. Fascinating glimpse into another culture.
Once Upon A Time In China (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts A bit slower than I expected from this famous Jet Li movie. Also, it was more artistic than I'm used to. I enjoyed it, but I wish it moved faster. Also, it seemed to be a bit scattered, trying to address too many themes (Westernization, Chinese corruption, greed, revenge, and so on).
A Friend From Inner Space (product link) Comedy / Ghost Not great. I like Ti Lung, but he wasn't exuding his normal charisma in this ho-hum movie. Maybe it's a culture thing, but I did not find this funny, and only barely entertaining.
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