Shaolin Intruders (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Another great Shaw film from the later years. Fighting Shaolin Abbots and 16 guys on wires at the same time equals pure awesome on the action scale.
You've got smart and funny characters, a cool setting, great great great action, a crystal clear image, and an interesting story.
This might not be one of the biggest named titles to hear about coming from Shaws, but it would be a shame not to give it a try and find an amazing gem of a movie.
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Going out on a limb here.... I liked it even though Tang Chia is way too over-spazmodic with his directing style.
Legendary Weapons Of China (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Seriously one of the best of the Shaw era. Gordon Liu: awesome. Lau Kar Leung: awesome. Hsiao Ho, first time I'd seen him in a movie: awesome. Kara Hui Ying-Hung: awesome.
This was one of those films you'd heard about or seen advertised as a great Shaw production. Then you buy it and realize you're an idiot for not buying it sooner. [The Celestial print] looks great, it has good action and humor, great sets, and a really cool way to learn about all the different weapons used in kung fu.
It's worth every penny and is one of the best when it comes to martial arts films.
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Great film! Loved the ending when the Lau brothers fight it out,and Kara Hui is pretty as ever!
You are right, one of the best films ever. It's even better because of being based on real events. Hsiao Ho has never received enough respect. Lau, Kara,Lui Wan -perfect!
After watching the promo material and trailers, hearing about all the training he went through and subsequent breakdowns from over budget shooting, etc., etc., etc., I was expecting the most kick-ass over the top action/stunt movie ever made.
NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Let's keep this short. ALL the action is super generic. It's just a bunch of fighting and people being killed or beaten down. There are no amazing takedowns or creative fights, it's all super plain Jane stuff. Punch, kick, stab, slice. Other than the three seconds of rope dart, nothing special.
No stunt work at all. Other than the flip from on top of an elephant and then landing on a guy, there was nothing here worth seeing.
I railed "Ong-Bak 1" and "Tom Yum Goong" for being just stupid over the top action that wasn't necessary and lacking a coherent story, but I changed my mind. I want the over the top stunts that blow me away rather than a movie without that, and still an incoherent story.
It tries harder this time to make sense, but the ending made NO SENSE AT ALL, and sometimes you had no idea who he is fighting. And there was NO POINT in having the female relationship love drama going on because there is no pay off. She's there, she misses him, sees him again, that's all. There isn't any resolution or purpose to even have her in the film. It's as if they planned to but cut it out or didn't shoot the ending.
Overall, this is not anywhere near as good as it should have been. This was his chance to shine with a real story and some new fighting styles that would really show off his ability. What you get is a generic action movie with no spectacular moments and a story that amounts to dribble.
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I really don't understand which movie were you guys watching? It's terrible! The fights are average if not boring...Huge disappointment!!!
Ong-Bak 2 has many flaws, but is vastly better than you say. The largest bulk of its problem is this: It is not part 2 of the previous film, but a sadly incomplete part 1 of a new series. I believe many of the dangling threads will be tied up,
Seriously, straight up AWESOME. This is a comedy, but it plays itself so straight, and that makes it work.
If you even somewhat understand how Hollywood works, this movie is a mockery of the entire system, with good cause. It makes fun of every little thing that happens in movie making, the stuff that goes on behind the scenes normal folks wouldn't believe. Add to the fact that you're looking to replace Bruce Lee at the peak of his career and everyone wants to make a quick buck, and you've got certified gold on your hands. Think about how many movies came out about Lee or claiming to have Lee in them after he died, watch this and you'll understand why.
If you're a fan of Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow", "The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift"), you'll already love this film. If you've never seen his previous works, it's time to hop on and learn to love him. It's great to see the same cast from previous films return in new roles with some great new additions.
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I always skip this dvd in the stores or online. I am not a huge fan of Justin Lin's work, "Better Luck Tommorrow" was his best movie though. But thanks for your review, I'll give it a shot now.
Election 2 (product link) Triad / Crime It's awesome! So good it's sad, because you want an "Election 3" after the second the movie is over. GREAT cinematography. A dark mood and superb acting (Simon Yam was great, but Louis Koo stole the show). It all fits perfectly.
Johnny To is the best director in HK right now, easily gaining a reputation akin to Park Chan-Wook from Korea. Get this and the first movie and watch them! They are classics that will go down in cinema history as defining movies for their time period.
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Yes I agree, I love the election series. I am ready for election 3 if there ever will be one. Johnnie To said that this is his version of the Godfather. And if you seen Godfather 3 then maybe this is it for the election films.
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