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

[RetroRobot]

Valid points all around. It's your basic rival schools flick, but as far as those go, I prefer this over Fist of Fury.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Valid points all around. It's your basic rival schools flick, but as far as those go, I prefer this over Fist of Fury.

"Rival Schools" is a good tag. I have seen seen Fist of Fury several times, especially early on when I did not have access to as many martial art films, but it has been several years. It would be interesting to rewatch that film and compare the two. I should eventually do a proper review on at least one Bruce Lee films (I have quite a lot of 900+ word reviews on Jackie Chan films.)

I also think it will be interesting to compare Lady Whirwind and see how that earlier film differs (there have been a few comments on that in the past few posts.) So far it looks like Hapkido is a noticable improvement all-around as a film.

Quick question: how many different fight (or stunt) scenes is Jackie in? I think at least two (one is easy to see when he is wearing black which sets him apart from everyone else in that scene)

NOTE: JC does not really mention this film in his "autobiography." There is a snippet in the films section with a first person account, though that section is questionable at best (though technically if you read JC's interviews even in the 80s he does not have the best recollection when it comes to his films.) But you do get the feeling, while not explicitely mentioning this film (that I notice), it in that he hated to be beat up by Sammo in fight scenes.

I really hate when biographies or autiobiographies do not have indexes.

[RetroRobot]

It's pretty common among HK stars to have somewhat vague recollections on past work. Most of them (especially the action guys and stunt guys) did so many movies, often at the same time, that it is understandable if it's all a blur.

Try getting Andy Lau to tell a specific story of a specific film shoot from 1989...... he only did 16 movies that year

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

It's pretty common among HK stars to have somewhat vague recollections on past work. Most of them (especially the action guys and stunt guys) did so many movies, often at the same time, that it is understandable if it's all a blur.

Try getting Andy Lau to tell a specific story of a specific film shoot from 1989...... he only did 16 movies that year

I certainly understand how common it is. I've seen that in many autobiographies and interviews in Hollywood and foreign cinema as well. One of the reasons I tend to trust comments made closer to the film than later on. I was just noting that JC had that issue just a few years after a film was made. Part of that is his philosophy though to keep on working and not really dwell much on the past (a lot of actors and directors are like this.)

[RetroRobot]

True. And regarding JC in Hapkido, I think he partakes in a couple of fights, if memory serves.....

Most people who watch Lady Whirlwind for the first time today are usually unimpressed. And Yes, Sammo certainly upped his game in a short time from that to Hapkido and onwards. I realise that the action in LW is not super flashy with the hindsight of 40 years worth of amazing HK action, but judged on its own merits, it's still a solid flick, I think.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

...Most people who watch Lady Whirlwind for the first time today are usually unimpressed. And Yes, Sammo certainly upped his game in a short time from that to Hapkido and onwards. I realise that the action in LW is not super flashy with the hindsight of 40 years worth of amazing HK action, but judged on its own merits, it's still a solid flick, I think.

I've seen that (and I have inadvertently done that as well) where a person will comment on an older film, for example One-Armed Swordsman, lamenting a style of action which has not been seen yet. But certain types of films are superseded by later and better ones. I will take all of that in mind when I watch Lady Whirlwind.

It's kind of funny seeing the early Golden Harvest logo displaying ... a golden harvest of plants.

[Markgway]

But you do get the feeling, while not explicitely mentioning this film (that I notice), it in that he hated to be beat up by Sammo in fight scenes.

That's probably because Sammo insisted on full contact.

[RetroRobot]

That's probably because Sammo insisted on full contact.

Which, again, is probably why his action is so much better than everyone else's

[Killer Meteor]

It's pretty common among HK stars to have somewhat vague recollections on past work. Most of them (especially the action guys and stunt guys) did so many movies, often at the same time, that it is understandable if it's all a blur.

Try getting Andy Lau to tell a specific story of a specific film shoot from 1989...... he only did 16 movies that year

I certainly understand how common it is. I've seen that in many autobiographies and interviews in Hollywood and foreign cinema as well. One of the reasons I tend to trust comments made closer to the film than later on. I was just noting that JC had that issue just a few years after a film was made. Part of that is his philosophy though to keep on working and not really dwell much on the past (a lot of actors and directors are like this.)

Jackie is one of the guys at the entrance to the school when Angela bring back the sign. She then clobbers him one.

JC's autobio claims he is in important films like Come Drink with Me and A Touch of Zen, which so far as I can tell do not include him. But the book is ignorant of his prominent speaking parts in No End of Surprises and The Golden Lotus.

Speaking of which, Chu Yuan Lung is Sammo, right? It's the name on the choreography credits on some of his films, including Iron Fisted Monk, but Jeff Yang thinks it's Jackie, who used to go under the name of Yuen Lung.

[Killer Meteor]

Valid points all around. It's your basic rival schools flick, but as far as those go, I prefer this over Fist of Fury.

"Rival Schools" is a good tag. I have seen seen Fist of Fury several times, especially early on when I did not have access to as many martial art films, but it has been several years. It would be interesting to rewatch that film and compare the two. I should eventually do a proper review on at least one Bruce Lee films (I have quite a lot of 900+ word reviews on Jackie Chan films.)

Fist of Fury was once my favourite HK film but it's gone down a bit in my view. I think trying to watch it in Mandarin after being used to it in Cantonese didn't help - lovely language, but rubbish voice actors on some of these old school flicks. I've never quite been able to get the magic back on that one, which is kinda sad.

[RetroRobot]

Yes, Chu Yuan Lung is most definitely Sammo.

[Killer Meteor]

Yes, Chu Yuan Lung is most definitely Sammo.

I wonder why he used a different name?

[RetroRobot]

It was his honorary Yuen name, just like all the others from the school, most of whom kept theirs through the years.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

...JC's autobio claims he is in important films like Come Drink with Me and A Touch of Zen, which so far as I can tell do not include him. But the book is ignorant of his prominent speaking parts in No End of Surprises and The Golden Lotus.

Speaking of which, Chu Yuan Lung is Sammo, right? It's the name on the choreography credits on some of his films, including Iron Fisted Monk, but Jeff Yang thinks it's Jackie, who used to go under the name of Yuen Lung.

Jackie has said in other sources (can't remember where right now) that he was in Come Drink With Me. Not that it means that much but CHang Pei Pei has directly stated she does not remember if Jackie was in that film . (extra in Come Drink with Me Dragon Dynasty release)

superchanblog has some pictures of possibly Jackie in Come Drink with Me here. I don't find the pictures conclusive because the kid looks a little younger than Jackie should at that age. What do you think?

[Killer Meteor]

Yeah, Jackie was Yuen Lo, then switched to Yuen Lung for films apparently.

[RetroRobot]

Speaking of......

Does anyone have an accurate list of all the opera Yuens' real birth names?

I know Sammo's, Jackie's and Yuen Biao's real names, but what about Yuen Wah, Yuen Kwai, Yuen Tak, Yuen Mo, Yuen Bun etc.

[RetroRobot]

I will say that Jackie was not in CDWM. And that is certainly not him in those pics, as far as I can see.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

I will say that Jackie was not in CDWM. And that is certainly not him in those pics, as far as I can see.

That was and still is my reaction to those picks. ON a second watch of the film I paused and spot checked hundreds of frames to see if I could see Jackie Chan there. Mars is soooooo noticable. I looked for him as well in Touch of Zen, however my copy sucks so that did not help (plus the length of the film -- a film I do like quite a bit and wish Criterion would get a copy of for their second Taiwanese film -- bastards.)

Notice we have had better discussions here than anything lately on kungfucinema. Just saying (or else I'm just happy that some people actually respond to something I have said -- sorry had to get that out.)

[Killer Meteor]

...JC's autobio claims he is in important films like Come Drink with Me and A Touch of Zen, which so far as I can tell do not include him. But the book is ignorant of his prominent speaking parts in No End of Surprises and The Golden Lotus.

Speaking of which, Chu Yuan Lung is Sammo, right? It's the name on the choreography credits on some of his films, including Iron Fisted Monk, but Jeff Yang thinks it's Jackie, who used to go under the name of Yuen Lung.

Jackie has said in other sources (can't remember where right now) that he was in Come Drink With Me. Not that it means that much but CHang Pei Pei has directly stated she does not remember if Jackie was in that film . (extra in Come Drink with Me Dragon Dynasty release)

superchanblog has some pictures of possibly Jackie in Come Drink with Me here. I don't find the pictures conclusive because the kid looks a little younger than Jackie should at that age. What do you think?

I can't tell, it could be.

Mars is much more prominent in those scenes, and gets a dramatic scene in the sequel Golden Swallow.

[Killer Meteor]

I will say that Jackie was not in CDWM. And that is certainly not him in those pics, as far as I can see.

That was and still is my reaction to those picks. ON a second watch of the film I paused and spot checked hundreds of frames to see if I could see Jackie Chan there. Mars is soooooo noticable. I looked for him as well in Touch of Zen, however my copy sucks so that did not help (plus the length of the film -- a film I do like quite a bit and wish Criterion would get a copy of for their second Taiwanese film -- bastards.)

Notice we have had better discussions here than anything lately on kungfucinema. Just saying (or else I'm just happy that some people actually respond to something I have said -- sorry had to get that out.)

I just wish Criterion would do at least one old school kung fu flick, or get their hands on those John Woo flicks again.

I think Jeff Yang got A Touch of Zen mixed up with The Valiant Ones, since he says Sammo plays a Japanese in it.

And yeah, Bullets could rise from the ashes yet!

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

...I just wish Criterion would do at least one old school kung fu flick, or get their hands on those John Woo flicks again.

I think Jeff Yang got A Touch of Zen mixed up with The Valiant Ones, since he says Sammo plays a Japanese in it.

And yeah, Bullets could rise from the ashes yet!

I'm complained about this on other sites so I will complain here: Kino has more Hong Kong films in the Wong Kar-wai set than all of Criterion combined. Criterion has a great Japanese collection, but sucks with well Taiwan (which is weird considering there is several autuers there like Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien and more Edward Yang and Ang Lee (non-English) that they could use), Mainland (seriously what is wrong with them there), Korea (at least there is now two films), Vietnam, Thailand (you think they would latch onto Apichatpong Weerasethakul) etc...

As much as they love chambara they seem to take a disregard to wuxia and kung fu.

[RetroRobot]

Notice we have had better discussions here than anything lately on kungfucinema. Just saying (or else I'm just happy that some people actually respond to something I have said -- sorry had to get that out.)

Most def... it's quality, not quantity. Also, with fewer people (much fewer ) your posts don't just get lost in the mix. And I never got much response on KFC when talking about Hollywood stuff. At least I have Mark, The Master and others here, to bounce that stuff off of. Quitting KFC and coming here felt like leaving a big, noisy nightclub, full of people and going to a small private party where you could actually hear what folks are saying.

And it truly saddens me to see what KFC has become. I still check in and see if there's anything of interest being discussed, but there really isn't.

[Killer Meteor]

...I just wish Criterion would do at least one old school kung fu flick, or get their hands on those John Woo flicks again.

I think Jeff Yang got A Touch of Zen mixed up with The Valiant Ones, since he says Sammo plays a Japanese in it.

And yeah, Bullets could rise from the ashes yet!

I'm complained about this on other sites so I will complain here: Kino has more Hong Kong films in the Wong Kar-wai set than all of Criterion combined. Criterion has a great Japanese collection, but sucks with well Taiwan (which is weird considering there is several autuers there like Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien and more Edward Yang and Ang Lee (non-English) that they could use), Mainland (seriously what is wrong with them there), Korea (at least there is now two films), Vietnam, Thailand (you think they would latch onto Apichatpong Weerasethakul) etc...

As much as they love chambara they seem to take a disregard to wuxia and kung fu.

I think they got the chambaras since they were already getting the likes of Kurosawa, Mizoguchi and Ozu, titles that they have had since the days of laserdisc.

[Markgway]

That's clearly not Jackie in those CDWM pics.

[Killer Meteor]

You can always recognise Jackie by the third toe on the left foot.