Lady Whirlwind | aka Deep Thrust (1972) Review

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Ian Whittle
"Lady Whirlwind" Theatrical Poster

“Lady Whirlwind” Theatrical Poster

Director: Huang Feng
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Chang Yi, Angela Mao Ying, Pai Ying, Oh Kyung-Ah, Liu Ah-Na, Chin Yuet-Sang, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Huang Feng, June Wu Ching Erh, Chin Nan Yi
Running Time: 84 min.

By Ian Whittle

Golden Harvest’s early years were devoted soley to martial arts films, and keeping up with their main rival, the Shaw Brothers. After a year of wu xia swordplay, 1971 saw Golden Harvest strike it lucky with the Bruce Lee/Lo Wei blockbuster The Big Boss, which beat Shaw’s similary Thailand set contemporary action flick Duel of Fists into submission.

Alongside the swordplay films, Shaws had started to branch out into what fans call “basher” flicks, focusing on empty-handed “Chinese boxing”, set either in the present day or an earlier circa 1920s era. Besides resulting in Golden Harvest’s 1972 collosus Fist of Fury (again Bruce Lee and Lo Wei), their satellite producer/director Huang Feng branched out into the sub-genre, with choreographer Sammo Hung and, in marked contrast to the new male-oriented box office domination of Chang Cheh, Jimmy Wang Yu and Bruce Lee; a female leading lady, Angela Mao Ying.

Having said that, Mao is not top-billed in this, and the Chinese title translates to “Iron Palm Whirlwind Leg”. Lady Whirlwind is actually primarily about Ling Shi-Hao (Chang Yi) and his feud with a gang led by Japanese villian Tung Ku (Pai Ying), a conflict marvellously summed up in the English dub’s hilarious opening lines:

Tung Ku: “Ling Shi-Hao, there’s no escape. You’re a dead duck!”
Ling Shi-Hao: “You dirty lowdown Japanese!”

However, Ling is also marked for death by the mysterious Tien Li-Chun (Angela Mao), who wants revenge for him abandoning her sister to suicide. She will, however, permit him to defeat Tung Ku first. Which isn’t easy, but then Ling rescues an old Korean man from a snake bite, and is taught a new Tai Chi style…

Lady Whirlwind is a interesting example of a kung fu film where the fighting is probably the weakest aspect. The atmosphere is very effective, with the whole film having a desolate Western feel to it that I find very appealing (it wouldn’t surprise me if the plot came from a Western too). And the canned music (John Barry’s fresh from the record-shop Diamonds Are Forever score turns up a lot) works well.

Chang Yi’s leading man roles were never as engaging as his later cackling villains, and for all his efforts here, he is one of the least interesting performers/characters. Mao, effectively playing a male character as Kim Newman once remarked in his excellent book Nightmare Movies, is a striking prescence and you can see why she caught on in the Western markets even more than in Hong Kong. The film also finds room for two other distinctive female characters: Oh Kyoung-Ah as Ling’s new love interest, and Liu Ah-Na as a marvellous “Dragon Lady” style whip-wielding chain-smoking villianess Tiao. Sammo Hung is a frequent punching bag for the rest of the cast, and Chin Yuet-Sang looks patently absurd pretending to be Japanese ronin Wen Tien: all exaggerated bowing and awkwardly fitting top-not.

Incidentally, this film contains one of my all time favourite bad dubbing exchanges

Tiao: “Go to the inn, you’re welcome to any of my birds.”
Wen Tien: “B..i..r..d…what is a…bird?”
Tung Ku: “Ha ha! It’s a woman, you dumb ass.”
Wen Tien: “Wooo…mannn…Ha Ha! I love em! I’ll take two of them! I’ll take two of them!!!”
Tung Ku: “Sure, sure, sure, sure…I’ll take you there myself!”
Tiao: “You what? The hell you will!”

The fights are many, but rather dated, even by the standards of what Hung turned out in the same year’s Hapkido. By that point, most of the Golden Harvest players had been for a crash course in Hapkido under Grandmaster Ji Han-Jae, and the difference is striking. Lady Whirlwind features a lot of Austin Powerish “Judo Chops!” with the extras milling around wondering where their swords are gone. Awkward trampoline jumps, reverse acrobatics… it’s all very stagey, but charming in itself.

Lady Whirlwind caught the wave of interest in kung fu in the USA, becoming a big hit under the not-to-be-confused-with-any-pornos title Deep Thrust. And it was caught for review by a young critic named Joe Dante.

Hmm, one day a man is reviewing an Angela Mao movie, the next he’s a blockbuster film director. There’s hope for me yet!

I liked it more than Joe did, though

Ian Whittle’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in All, Chinese, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Kung fu legend Yuen Biao makes a ‘Fast Escape’ from prison

Posted on April 20, 2020 by JJ Bona
“Fast Escape” Teaser Poster

“Fast Escape” Teaser Poster

Hong Kong’s Yuen Biao (Dragons Forever, knockabout, Righting Wrongs) – a legendary kung fu star known for his acrobatic kung fu ability – will return in Fast Escape, an actioner from director Wang You Hao.

We’ve seen the 3rd famous Seven Little Fortune in semi-recent films like Sifu vs. Vampire and The Bodyguard – and look forward to seeing him in the forthcoming Heroes Return – but for Fast Escape, here’s hoping he’ll show us that he still has what it takes to the light up the screen.

Acording to its poster, Fast Escape is described as “The first overseas prison break movie” (via AFS). We’ll keep you updated as we learn more. In the meantime, here’s the Trailer for Yuen’s 1986 classic, Righting Wrongs:

Posted in News |

Ted Geoghegan explains ‘This is Not a Story About Bruce Lee’ (it’s about that other kung fu guy)

Posted on April 18, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Eight Diagram Pole Fighter" Hong Kong Theatrical Poster

“Eight Diagram Pole Fighter” Hong Kong Theatrical Poster

Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan (Mohawk, We Are Still Here) has started a radio program dedicated to “the guy behind the guy, behind the guy!” (you better know that quote!).

Official description: Each episode of the program begins as the story of someone or something in the world of film that cinephiles know quite well, but transforms into an expertly-researched tale about a new topic: one that can be closely-related or worlds away from where its story began.

The series’ debut episode, This is Not a Story About Walt Disney begins with the story of young Walt’s bourgeoning career before transforming into the story of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, “a blockbuster cartoon icon who was stolen out from under Disney and locked away for a half-century before finding redemption in the most unlikely of places.”

The second episode, This is Not a Story About Bruce Lee uses the story of the iconic martial artists as a launching pad to unfold the lesser-known story of kung fu star Alexander Fu Sheng (Chinatown Kid, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) “whose incredible career in Hong Kong cinema was ultimately overshadowed by bigger names – and whose life and art deserve rediscovery.”

If you read this far, you’ll appreciate the following direct links:

Episode Two – This is Not a Story About Bruce Lee (20 minutes)

Thanks to Collider for spreading the word.

Posted in News |

Bruce – The King of Kung Fu | aka Young Bruce Lee (1980) Review

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
“Bruce – The King of Kung Fu” VHS Cover

“Bruce – The King of Kung Fu” VHS Cover

AKA: Legend of Bruce Lee
Director: Bruce Le 
Cast: Bruce Le (Huang Kin Long), Chan Kwok Kuen, Jeng Kei Ying, Fung Hak On, Fung King Man, Hon Gwok Choi, Kong Do, Benny Lai, Sek Kin, Wong Chi Wai, Lee Hang, Wei Pei , Yeung Chak Lam, Law Keung, Bolo Yeung
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Spend enough time down the rabbit hole that is the Bruceploitation genre, and you’ll come to understand that there’s two types of Bruceploitation. Those flicks that claim to be biopics of Bruce Lee’s life, and those that attempt a continuation of a character the Little Dragon played in his 5 most famous movies. Of the former, during the peak of Bruceploitation it was Taiwan’s Ho Chung-Tao that had the monopoly. Going under the guise of Bruce Li, between 1974 to 1978 his physical similarities to Lee saw his cast a whopping 5 times in various biopics spanning the Little Dragon’s life. Even Danny Lee, who’d become Hong Kong’s go-to guy to play a cop in the 80’s and 90’s, had a crack at playing Lee in 1976’s Bruce Lee and I (or as I prefer to call it by its alias – Sex Life of Bruce Lee).

During the 70’s, another of the Bruce Lee clones – Bruce Le (real name Huang Kin-Lung) – didn’t get a look in when it came to actually playing the Little Dragon. At best, you could expect to witness him traipsing around Manila trying to find Bruce Lee’s secret deadly finger kung fu manual. At worst, well, you were spoilt for choice. However in 1979 Le decided to take the reins, and helmed his directorial debut, Bruce the Superhero. Sure, he was still stuck in Manila, but it proved Le to be more ambitious than some of the brain numbing tripe he’d been starring in. It was with his sophomore production as a director that Le would finally cast himself as Bruce Lee for the first (and last) time, in what would become Bruce – The King of Kung Fu.

Although it was made only a year after Bruce the Superhero, 1980 was the year that Le finally got out of the Philippines and South Korea where he’d filmed many of the titles he headlined in the 70’s, and found himself back in Hong Kong, where he’d started as a bit player for the Shaw Brothers. Bruce – The King of Kung Fu focuses on Bruce Lee’s late teens attending college and learning kung fu in Hong Kong, and ends with the decision to send him back to the U.S. to complete his studies. Well, actually it ends with a freeze frame of Le performing a slightly gangly legged flying kick in the middle of a field, à la the famous freeze frame that closes out Fist of Fury. But let’s just assume that he goes to the U.S. shortly afterwards, and Le knew his audience were smart enough to not need to see him actually board a plane.

I mention the final freeze frame of the flying kick, because kicks and fists are really what Bruce – The King of Kung Fu are all about. Sure, on paper it may read like a genuine biopic, focusing in on a specific period of Lee’s life, but onscreen it quickly becomes clear the plot (or indeed, any semblance to the events in Lee’s actual life) are not the key priority here. When I say quickly, the opening credits are set over Le performing a drunken snake fist routine, complete with a bottle of Chinese wine in hand. It’s fair to say that while the framework of the plot may use Bruce Lee, the content is very much based on the trends of the time. Only 2 years earlier Jackie Chan starred in Drunken Master which became a megahit, cementing comedic kung fu as the new box office gold.

Here Le feels like he’s also looking to put his own stamp on the genre, but knows that to have a chance to do so he needs to use the Bruce Lee connection, so simply uses the guise of Lee’s tumultuous late teens to make his own Seasonal Films influenced kung fu flick. This makes Bruce – The King of Kung Fu both an entertaining and frequently hilarious (albeit unintentionally) experience to watch, often awkwardly mixing the more light-hearted elements of a kung fu comedy, with the over-the-top ferocity of the Bruceploitation genre. What’s definitely enjoyable though, is to see Le’s action direction turn away from imitating the Bruce Lee aesthetic of short, brief busts of action, to more intricate and lengthy exchanges that show off all the performer’s skill. Indeed Le allows himself to have his ass handed to him in more than one of the fights, which gives him the motivation to start visiting various kung fu masters and learn their ways.

One such master is clearly modelled after Ip Man, as Fung Ging-Man portrays a Wing Chun teacher who Le visits, and ultimately ends up learning from. Watching the 30-year old Le visit Ging-Man as a teenage Bruce Lee with his neatly coiffed hair and tidy college attire looks every bit as wrong as it sounds, however it only adds to Bruce – The King of Kung Fu’s slightly surreal charm. Jeet Kune Do may not get a single mention, but Le does go on to meet a blind cookie seller who happens to be an “expert at blindfold fighting” (surprisingly), and another kung fu master who practices snake fist, all of whom he endeavors to learn their respective styles from. All of this is hung on a very loose narrative that basically involves Lee constantly getting into trouble with the local youths and other kung fu school students.

This is demonstrated from the get go, when in the opening scene Le leaves his house to go to college, and is immediately set upon by a gang lying in wait to ambush him. Before you can let out a high-pitched battle cry Le has already lost his shirt, and is knocking seven shades out of his attackers. Having floored the lot of them, he’s barely taken a couple of steps before a 2nd different group of riled up attackers run into frame to demand a fight, and we rinse and repeat. This is kung fu genre visual storytelling at his best, I mean why use exposition to explain that several groups are unhappy with Le, when you can use a scene of them trying to attack him one group at a time? Le never really gets to put his shirt on again, and proceeds to spend the duration either walking around Hong Kong bare chested, or wearing it unbuttoned. Who knows, maybe Le was making a sly poke that he doesn’t think Bruce Lee was capable of buttoning up his own shirt?

Le is joined by a pair of comedic acquaintances in the form of Hon Kwok-Choi (The Gold Connection) and Shaw Brothers regular Chan Kwok-Kuen (Opium and the Kung Fu Master). Thankfully any detours into grating comedy, all of which are fleeting, are handled by the pair, who do an amicable job of bouncing off Le’s attempts to look like a fresh-faced teenager. The closest Le gets to anything gratuitous is when he visits the window of his favorite prostitute, who obliges by unbuttoning her top and allowing Le to fondle her breasts through the window grate. However even this slice of nudity is interrupted by the arrival of yet another gang who want to give Le a beating (and apparently knew just where to find him – another subtle poke at the Little Dragon?), and quickly segues into an alley way fight scene. When you’re Bruce Lee, there’s no time for breasts, whether they be through a window or otherwise.

To Le’s credit, he’s enlisted some top tier fighting talent to populate the cast of Bruce – The King of Kung Fu. Fung Hak-On turns up as a thug who Le goes up against twice, once empty handed, then again pitting Le armed with a pair of Wing Chun knives versus a pole wielding Hak-On. Some performers are so high level that they couldn’t look bad on screen even if they tried, and Hak-On is definitely one of them, making it a pleasure to watch him pit his moves against a skillset such as Le’s.

A couple of Enter the Dragon luminaries are also in the mix, with Bolo turning up for a cameo solely for the purpose of having a fight against Le (although let’s be honest, Bolo turned up in almost every Brucepolitation flick!), and Sek Kin clocks in for what most resembles the villain of the piece. Kin’s role in Enter the Dragon was an epic disservice to his skills, so suffice to say his fight here blows the lame hall of mirrors finale out of the water. Kong Do, another familiar face from the Bruceploitation genre turns up as part of Le’s cannon fodder, and his scene seems to indicate that Le forgot at least once that he was supposed to be filming a Bruce Lee biopic, as their fight ends with Le crushing his throat and leaving him dead on the floor! I guess old habits die hard. While such anomalies would be enough to make the casual film fans brain melt, for the discerning kung fu fan Bruce – King of Kung Fu has plenty to offer.

Featuring training scenes surrounded by very real cobras (one of which ends up being force fed Chinese wine, but still, that’s getting off lightly compared to the snake in Eastern Condors), fights aplenty, above average choreography, and a kung fu teacher referring to Bruce Lee as “a very dangerous little man”, you can tell that Le didn’t set out to do anything half-heartedly. As a director he’d really hit his rhythm with the likes of Bruce Strikes Back and Ninja Over the Great Wall, but as his one crack at playing Bruce Lee, Bruce – The King of Kung Fu is an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in All, Bruceploitation, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , |

Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Posted on April 15, 2020 by JJ Bona
Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2020

On April 28, 2020, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch (formerly known as Chasing the Dragon II: Master of Ransom).

Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch is based on a real-life spate of kidnappings that terrorised Hong Kong’s elite in the 1990s.

The film stars Tony Leung Ka-fai (The Taking of Tiger Mountain) plays the kidnap king, while Louis Koo (Paradox) is the undercover agent who infiltrates his gang. Gordon Lam (Z Storm) and Simon Yam (The Midnight After) round up the rest of the main cast.

Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch is directed by Wong Jing (Mercenaries from Hong Kong) and renowned cinematographer Jason Kwan (As the Light Goes Out, Helios). The film is related, by title-only, to Donnie Yen’s Chasing the Dragon.

Note: The Well Go USA Blu-ray edition of Chasing the Dragon II will be manufactured on demand (MOD), giving fans the option of owning a physical copy, as opposed to streaming it.

Pre-order Chasing the Dragon II from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

Unstoppable | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Posted on April 15, 2020 by JJ Bona
Unstoppable | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Unstoppable | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2020

On April 28, 2020, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Unstoppable (read our review), starring the super charismatic Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee (Champion, Along with the Gods), who practically stole the show in 2016’s Train to Busan. 

In this action-thriller, a legendary gangster (Ma Dong-seok) enjoys a quiet retirement. But when his wife (Song Ji-Hyo of New World) is kidnapped, he must once again become the brutal criminal he left behind in order to get her back.

The film also stars Kim Sung-Oh (The Merciless), Kim Min-Jae (Memoir of a Murderer), Bae Noo-Ri (Woman with a Suitcase), Park Ji-Hwan (The Outlaws) and Lee Sung-Woo (Fabricated City).

Note: The Well Go USA Blu-ray edition of Unstoppable will be manufactured on demand (MOD), giving fans the option of owning a physical copy, as opposed to streaming it.

Pre-order Unstoppable from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Posted on April 14, 2020 by JJ Bona
Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2020

On April 28, 2020, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy, the sequel to 2016’s Line Walker.

Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy is once again directed by Jazz Boon and stars Nick Cheung (The Trough), Louis Koo (Three) and Francis Ng (Enter the Warrior’s Gate).

In this action spectacle, a car crash sparks a war between local police and an international terrorist organization. After Superintendent Yip (Ng) and Inspector Ching (Cheung) arrest a hacker named Yiu involved in the accident, the two police officers are suspected by Superintendent Cheng (Koo) as double agents. Clues lead the three officers to the far foreign soil of Myanmar and Spain, but as the investigation continues the lines between who is good and evil become blurred.

Note: The Well Go USA Blu-ray edition of Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy will be manufactured on demand (MOD), giving fans the option of owning a physical copy, as opposed to streaming it.

Stay tuned for pre-order information.

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

Lucid Dreams | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Posted on April 14, 2020 by JJ Bona
Lucid Dreams | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Lucid Dreams | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2020

On April 28, 2020, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Lucid Dreams (not to be confused with 2017 South Korean movie, Lucid Dream), a thriller from writer/director Teddy Robin Kwan (Twin Dragons, The Legend of Wisley).

Four stories make up this episodic film in which the director recounts four of his own dreams. The explored dreams are Tung, a down on his luck young man who decides to hold a fake wedding in order to pay his debt to a finance company; Fan, a depressed white-collar worker whose boss is trying to steal his girlfriend; Tung Tung, a writer who reunites with her long-lost mother; and Chun, a bus driver inspired by four ‘ghost ladies’ to believe in his musical talent.

Lucid Dreams stars Dada Chan (The Empty Hands), Juju Chan (Invincible Dragon), Kevin Cheng (Ip Man 4), Louis Cheung (The Trough), Cecilia So (The Brink), and Teddy Robin Kwan himself.

Note: The Well Go USA Blu-ray edition of Lucid Dreams will be manufactured on demand (MOD), giving fans the option of owning a physical copy, as opposed to streaming it.

Pre-order Lucid Dreams from Amazon.com today! 

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

All-star wuxia actioner ‘Invincible’ with Simon Yam, Andy On and Collin Chou choreographed by Sammo Hung in the works

Posted on April 13, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Tianxia Wudi" Teaser Poster

“Tianxia Wudi” Teaser Poster

Directors Tan Qiao and Allen Lan – the filmmakers behind the Dream Journey franchise and Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger, respectively – are planning an all-star wuxia actioner titled Tianxia Wudi (or Invincible).

The film is set to star Simon Yam (Mrs. K), Andy On (Undercover Punch and Gun), Collin Chou (Super Bodyguard), Eric Tsang (Handsome Siblings), Waise Lee (To Be Number One), Shi Yanneng (Flash Point), Timmy Hung (God of War) and Bruce Leung (The Fists, the Kicks and the Evil) – and the legendary Sammo Hung (The Bodyguard, Eastern Condors, Magnificent Butcher) is set to choreograph film’s action sequences (via AFS).

We’ll keep you updated on this project as we learn more. For now, here’s a look at Sammo Hung’s classic Trailer for Magnificent Butcher:

Posted in News |

Deal on Fire! Immortal Demon Slayer | Blu-ray | Only $2.32 – Expires soon!

Posted on April 11, 2020 by JJ Bona
Immortal Demon Slayer - The Legend of Wu Kong | Blu-ray & DVD (Cinedigm)

Immortal Demon Slayer – The Legend of Wu Kong | Blu-ray & DVD (Cinedigm)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Immortal Demon Slayer – The Legend of Wu Kong (aka WuKong), a fantasy/martial arts film directed by Derek Kwok (As the Lights Goes Out, Full Strike, Gallants).

Immortal Demon Slayer tells the story of Sun Wukong (played by Eddie Peng of Hidden Man, Operation Mekong and The Great Wall) before he became the Monkey King.

The film also stars Ni Ni (Enter the Warriors Gate, The Thousand Faces of Dunjia), Shawn Yue (The Brink, Reign of Assassins) and Zheng Shuang (Swords of Legends, No Limit).

Order Immortal Demon Slayer from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Lackey and the Lady Tiger (1980) Review

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Paul Bramhall
"Lackey and the Lady Tiger" Theatrical Poster

“Lackey and the Lady Tiger” Theatrical Poster

Director: Norman Law Man
Co-director: Siao Lung
Producer: Ng See Yuen
Cast: Hwang Jang Lee, Mars, Lee Chun Hwa, Tien Niu, Tsang Choh Lam, Chu Chi Ling, Linda Lin, Sek Kin, Charlie Chan, Yiu Lam, Chiang Kam, To Siu Ming
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Producer Ng See Yuen and Seasonal Films knew they were onto a good thing with the double-whammy of Snake in the Eagles Shadow and Drunken Master, the 1978 productions that effectively launched Jackie Chan into the stratosphere, and made Korean super-kicker Hwang Jang Lee a household name. By the time it was 1980, Chan was at Golden Harvest attempting to break into Hollywood with The Big Brawl, as well as working on his sophomore feature in the director’s chair with Young Master. See Yuen was left scrambling to recreate the success of his collaborations with Chan, and repeatedly looked to the same formula but with a different lead.

In 1979 Dance of the Drunken Mantis brought back most of the cast and crew (including Yuen Woo-Ping as director and Hwang Jang Lee as the villain), with the Yuen Clan’s Yuen Shun-Yi as the lead, and 1980 kicked off with Two Fists Against the Law, which brought in Alan Chui and Chik Ngai-hung to face off against, you guessed it, Hwang Jang Lee. While both productions had moderate success, they also serve as early examples that prove regardless of your leads screen fighting talent, if you’re going to headline a movie you also need an equal amount of screen presence and charisma. Undeterred though, the latter half of 1980 saw the release of Lackey and the Lady Tiger, another attempt to stick to the formula that was perceived as the winning one from a couple of years prior.

The irony of Lackey and the Lady Tiger is that this time the Jackie Chan replacement is the man who’d become one of Chan’s most famous stunt doubles – Mars. Taking on a lead role for the first time (and arguably last, although he’d play a supporting character with significant screen time in Naughty Boys from 1986), Mars is one of those likeable guys who’s always up for performing a crazy stunt. Just a year prior he’d become a part of Jackie Chan’s Stuntman Association, and he’d go onto play supporting roles as well as stunt doubling in many of Chan’s most famous work from the 80’s (notably, he performs the famous alley way bicycle lift in Project A).

Here he plays a lowly kitchen hand who loves to learn kung fu, if only he had the money to do so. Thankfully he’s a resourceful guy, so when making food deliveries to a local kung fu school (run by Charlie Chan), he tends to stick around longer than needed to observe what’s being taught. He also becomes acquainted with the fish delivery boy (who’s actually a girl, played by Tien Niu, the Lady Tiger the title refers to) of the restaurant he works at, who turns out to know both snake fist, and what can best be described as fishing kung fu. Her skills comes from her grandfather, played by the legendary Sek Kin (the villain from Enter the Dragon), who’s developed a unique style of fishing which has him use a pole to strike the fish when they’re just under the surface. A humane death, and no fussing around with lines or hooks! Needless to say, this is also a not so subtle indicator that he’s a kung fu master.

So, what exactly is the plot? Damned if I know. I’ll be honest, in old-school kung fu movie’s plot isn’t that much of a priority. Give me a bare bones revenge tale that has the slightest thread of coherency, throw a bunch of top level fight scenes in there, and you won’t find me complaining about a lack of characterisation or how many plot holes there were along the way. However Lackey and the Lady Tiger struggles even with this. It’s a well-known fact that many of these old-school kung fu flicks were made up as they went along, with the main priority being the fights, however never has it been more blatant than here. Apart from Mars wanting to learn kung fu, and his subsequent attempts to do so, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot going on. A villain would be nice at least.

Just short of the hour mark, co-directors Siao Lung (The South Shaolin Master) and Norman Law Man (A Hearty Response) seems to realise this, so suddenly Hwang Jang Lee (who else!?) randomly shows up in jail being visited by his sister. He’s getting out in 3 months, and wants revenge on Sek Kin for some reason (don’t expect to have too much more clarity on why by the time the end titles roll). Before that though, it honestly feels like Lung and Law Man’s approach was something along the lines of, “We’ve got Mars and Hwang Jang Lee in the same movie, so let’s just keep on filming whatever inconsequential crap comes to mind while we figure out a way to have them fight.”

Onscreen, this amounts to basically an hour of unfunny comedy, fights which for the most part are played for laughs, and plotless meandering. Fish get thrown into people’s faces, firecrackers get set off in people’s eyes (which I found to be kind of cruel, but hey, that’s just me!), and at its most infuriating Tien Niu breaks into an ear bleeding rendition of Rock Around the Clock, set to the context of a training scene which has Mars surrounded by suspended bricks tied to various appendages. It’s a struggle to get through, and time gets warped to feel much longer than it actually is.

Matters aren’t helped by Mars himself. Like the Xing Yu’s and Philip Ng’s of today’s kung fu movies, supporting roles are where he really shines, with leading man status proving to be a bridge too far. It may of course be the fault of the character he’s being asked to play, but his permanently cheerful demeanour means a grin never seems to be far from his face, making it almost impossible to feel that anything is really at stake in the fights he partakes in (yes, even when he’s getting beaten to a pulp, he still ends up showing his pearly whites!). There’s also a lack of focus on exactly which style we should be concentrating on – in the beginning he learns snake fist, which becomes more and more inconsequential, he attempts to copy the pole fighting from the kung fu school, then also learns pole fighting from Sek Kin, and ultimately ends up copying a cat (via repeatedly throwing one into the air to observe how it lands, poor cat!).

Thankfully the last third has Hwang Jang Lee released from jail, sporting what appears to be his cream coloured threads from Drunken Master (I initially thought a shot of him walking was recycled!). Any opportunity to see the boot master in action is usually a welcome one, and here the action choreography is handled by Chan Siu-Pang. While his name may not be instantly recognizable, Siu-Pang has an impressive body of work as a fight choreographer, and at this point in his filmography had already racked up 20 years of experience. He worked extensively with Cliff Lok, choreographing the likes of Tiger’s Claw, Thou Shall Not Kill…But Once and Duel of the 7 Tigers, and also Joseph Kuo, handling the action on The Blazing Temple, The 18 Bronzemen, and The Shaolin Kids to name a few.

Here Jang Lee is given a fighting style that represents a “form of judo that uses their opponent’s strength against them.” As expected, this results in him being able to throw his opponents around with ease, however the lack of focus results in even this fighting style being diluted, as in the short time he’s onscreen he also uses a pole (fresh from using one in Hell’s Windstaff the year prior), as well of course as his famous kicks. The closing reels of Lackey and the Lady Tiger consist of Jang Lee taking on Linda Lin Yang (who plays his sister trying to set him on the straight and narrow), before seguing into a fight against Sek Kin, then Mars, before eventually becoming a 2 vs 1 as Mars teams up with Tien Niu to take him out.

While the fights serve their purpose, they lack any kind of distinctive “wow!” moment. Jang Lee’s ferocious kicks are kept in check just enough to miss them, and his famous 3-blows flying kick feels carbon copied from the one he performs in Drunken Master (probably because he’s wearing the same clothes). For the 2nd time in 3 years he has to suffer defeat thanks to a ridiculous cat based style of kung fu, which Mars cheerily refers to as his “anti-judo power cat’s paw kung fu” (I’m serious). Lackey and the Lady Tiger was made in Jang Lee’s busiest year, clocking up 8 appearances in 1980, so perhaps he was tired of knowing he can kick everyone’s ass but still have to end up defeated. Indeed tired is the best way to describe Lackey and the Lady Tiger, which feels like a movie clinging onto the previous decade, when the reality was most audiences had already moved on.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4.5/10

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , |

What Proof Do You Need for a Restraining Order? A Helpful Guide

Posted on April 10, 2020 by JJ Bona
What Proof Do You Need for a Restraining Order? A Helpful Guide

What Proof Do You Need for a Restraining Order? A Helpful Guide

Did you know that there are between two million to three million restraining orders issued per year? If you are wondering what proof do you need for a restraining order, you are in the right place. We have put together this guide with the key things to know about filing a restraining order.

Keep reading to learn all the ins and outs of getting a restraining order put in place.

What Is a Restraining Order?

A restraining order is an order from the court to protect someone from further harm from someone that is being hurt. It helps to keep the abuser away and it also keeps them from harassing you.

Keep in mind that a restraining order is a civil order and this does not give the abuser a criminal record.

Getting a Restraining Order

Any victim of domestic violence can obtain a restraining order against the person causing the violence. Domestic violence is when there have been one or more of the following acts committed:

  • Assault
  • Criminal sexual contact
  • Burglary
  • Criminal restraint
  • False imprisonment
  • Harassment
  • Kidnapping
  • Homicide
  • Sexual assault
  • Stalking
  • Lewdness

In any of the domestic violence examples above the judge will sign an order of protection that demands the abuser to obey the orders appointed by the court. It will have specific orders on what the abuser can and can’t do.

Restraining Order Demands

One of the demands that the restraining order can make is for the abuser to not have any contact with you either by phone, at home, at work, in your home, or anywhere that you are. The order might also protect other people in your family if the judge finds it necessary such as underage children.

A restraining order can order the abuser to pay any costs from the abuse. For example, moving expenses, loss of earnings, bills that are due immediately, medical treatment, etc. Sometimes the judge might also make the abuser pay the attorney fees and all the damages that the abuser caused by their actions.

A judge might have the police escort the abuser to remove their items from the home or a business that is shared by the abuser and victim to avoid unnecessary contact with the victim. Even if the place of residence is in the abuser’s name the court can order the abuser to leave the home or apartment and find a new place to live.

The judge has the right to make any decisions to protect and help the victim from further abuse and pain.

What Proof Do You Need for a Restraining Order?

The best way to have evidence that you need a restraining order is by keeping a recorded log of abusive incidents or of threatening behavior. If you are ever physically hurt go to the doctor and contact the police. This will give you a record from the hospital and the police that you were hurt by the abuser.

If you receive any threatening texts, emails, voicemails from the abuser this can be used as proof as well. Having an organized log will help you when you are filing for a restraining order.

It is also a great idea to consult a professional that specialized in this area of the law. Attorneys like https://injunctionattorneys.com/ will help you navigate the system and will help you file a restraining order to keep you safe if you are too confused or overwhelmed on what steps to take.

One of the main things to remember is that you want to do this as soon as the first incident occurs. Many people make the mistake of waiting because they are hoping that it does not happen again and they can sweep everything under the rug. Unfortunately, once the abuse begins it can easily happen again and it typically occurs multiple times after the first time.

Not waiting and taking action after the first sign of abuse will help you when you are filing for a restraining order.

Different Types of Restraining Orders

It is good to understand that there are different types of restraining orders. There are some orders that will prohibit the abuser from coming with a certain amount of feet from the victim.

Other orders might keep the abuser from contacting the victim through any means (phone, text, social media, email, etc.). Once a judge approves a restraining order it has to be followed very carefully because if it is violated it can lead to fines or even jail time.

Disobeying a restraining order can influence future legal proceedings such as child support, child custody, or alimony. Both the victim and the abuser have to make sure that the restraining order is followed. As the victim, do not allow the abuser to make their way back into your life and allow them to disobey the order.

If you allow the abuser to disobey the restraining order the judge can hold this against you if there is another incident of abuse.

Now You Can Stay Safe

Now that you know more about restraining orders and the answer to the question “what proof do you need for a restraining order?” you can make informed decisions on the next steps to take.

The best thing you can do is consult an attorney to help you build a compelling restraining order application to ensure that you and your family are protected as soon as possible.

Did our blog post help you today? Please come back soon to never miss our latest posts.

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How to Check for a Concussion: A Detailed Guide

Posted on April 10, 2020 by JJ Bona
How to Check for a Concussion: A Detailed Guide

How to Check for a Concussion: A Detailed Guide

Did you know that there are between 1.6-3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year? With this many concussions happening every year it is a good idea to learn how to check for a concussion in case your child or family member ever suffers from one.

Keep reading to learn more about checking for a concussion and what to look out for.

What Is a Concussion?

First, let’s go over what a concussion is. A concussion is also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). It can be caused by a jolt, a bump, or a blow that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull.

This rapid movement will change how the brain normally functions. A concussion can have a serious long-term health effect even if the bump on the head seems small.

Symptoms of a Concussion

When someone is playing sports and they are suddenly knocked out on the field or have trouble getting back up it is easier to diagnose the concussion. A serious head injury will be much easier to diagnose than a subtle one because this is when a doctor will be able to see obvious signs like bleeding or a fracture.

Sometimes people are not aware that they ever suffered a concussion because of how subtle the injury seemed. Some symptoms of having a head injury include:

  • Hard time concentrating
  • Difficulty with completing work or homework
  • Irritable
  • Frequent headaches
  • Lethargy
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Difficulty seeing

Any of the symptoms above can start to show up hours after the initial trauma to the brain. If you notice one or more of the above you want to make sure that you or your loved one are immediately seen by a medical professional to assess your brain.

If the person is indeed bleeding then this will become a medical emergency. The blood will have no place to drain and it will cause a hematoma which will put pressure on the surrounding tissue in the brain. This will end up moving the blood supply to other parts of the brain.

Diagnosis

When it comes to diagnosing a concussion it can be a bit tricky because typically there is no bruising or bleeding in the brain, which would be an identifiable clue. If you think that an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or a CT (computer tomography) will help, the reality is that usually, they can’t diagnose a concussion either.

A doctor has to rely on a careful assessment of symptoms and of neuropsychological functions. A doctor can do this assessment on site right after the injury occurs. If it occurs during a sports game then a decision has to be made soon after the injury whether the person can safely return to the game or not.

Testing

Because concussion symptoms can vary so much, testing will require looking at several factors. There is no one simple test to diagnose a concussion and it actually requires several different factors to come into play.

Interview testing for amnesia is one way to test for concussions. A medical professional will test for memory loss or memory lack about what happened before the brain injury occurred. The test will also check for any post-traumatic amnesia or any loss of consciousness.

Post-traumatic amnesia is the memory that is lost after the trauma happens. This is an important test that will tell a doctor the most information about a patient’s prognosis.

Pre-Concussion Testing

When someone wants to play a sport or participate in an activity, it is best to go through pre-concussion testing. This will help everyone know if there are any injuries that can affect the person while they are playing.

Pre-concussion testing will involve tasks that will evaluate a person’s coordination, vision, speed, problem-solving skills, and response time. Once the testing is done the person is given a score that can then be used in the future if the person suffers from a brain injury. The pre-concussion test score can then be used to compare to any tests done afterward.

Healing

The good news is that a person can recover from a concussion. The recovery time will depend on how much damage the person suffered. If the brain areas are not destroyed and only injured then the recovery will be faster. You will have to allow your brain to rest and take things slowly until it is healed.

You won’t be able to rush back into life as you knew it if you want to heal 100%. Your brain tissue will need time to heal and go back to normal. Make sure that you follow your doctor’s orders on how long you have to wait before you engage in physical activities or sports.

Most of the time an injured person can return back to playing sports within a couple of weeks after their concussion. The most common treatment is to relax and rest. If someone returns to their normal daily sports activities it will end up taking the brain a much longer time to heal.

Now You Know How to Check for a Concussion

Hopefully, you feel confident that you know how to check for a concussion with the article above. If you have even the slightest thought that possibly your child, friend, or loved one suffered a concussion seek treatment right away to confirm whether they did or not. It is not good to let a concussion go unnoticed.

Did our blog post help you today? Please come back soon to keep up with our latest helpful posts.

Posted in News |

‘Badges of Fury’ director Wong Tsz Ming sends Simon Yam to space in sci-fi thriller ‘Regained Earth’

Posted on April 9, 2020 by JJ Bona
"Regained Earth" Teaser Poster

“Regained Earth” Teaser Poster

Filmmaker Wong Tsz Ming (Party King), who is best known for directing the 2013 Jet Li/Wen Zhang actioner Badges of Fury, is taking a cue from Frant Gwo’s 2019 box office hit, The Wandering Earth, for an upcoming film, similarly titled Regained Earth.

This upcoming science fiction film (we’re pretty sure it’s not a sequel to the aforementioned The Wandering Earth) is headlined by veteran Hong Kong star Simon Yam (Operation Red Sea) with Huang Yi (The Legend is Born – Ip Man), Kelly Yu (Chasing Dream) and Fiona Sit (A Witness Out of the Blue).

Plot details for Regained Earth are being kept under wraps, but thanks to AFS, we have ourselves a Teaser Poster. We’ll keep you in the loop as we learn more, but for now, here’s a look at what Wong Tsz Ming is capable of:

Posted in News |

Iron Mask, The | aka The Mystery of Dragon Seal (2019) Review

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Martin Sandison
"The Iron Mask" Theatrical Poster

“The Iron Mask” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Viy 2: Journey to China
Director: Oleg Stepchenko
Cast: Jason Flemyng, Charles Dance, Rutger Hauer, Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Helen Yao, Martin Klebba, Christopher Fairbank, Igor Jijikine
Running Time: 124 min.

By Martin Sandison

When I was a kid my parents didn’t allow me to watch violent movies; they wanted to protect me from the horror of the world, I guess. But I was allowed to watch Jackie Chan movies. There’s a great quote from him: “I love action, and hate violence.” Jackie is the greatest exponent of the former, and perhaps Arnold Schwarzenneger is the most famous exponent of the latter, in film history. The two have been longtime friends and admirers since the late 80’s, and it has been a fan’s dream to see the two onscreen together. Now that dream has come true, with the fantasy actioner The Iron Mask (aka Viy 2: Journey to China). I have to admit, as a hater of the recent Chinese forays into this genre, I was reluctant to watch this film. Shamefully, I actually quite enjoyed it.

The film begins in the 17th century, with Jackie imprisoned in the Tower of London and looking like a villain from any pick of old school kung fu films, replete with whispy beard and long silver hair. Arnie is the head guard, one who likes to challenge the prisoners to some fisticuffs. Soon this plot is brushed to the side to focus on a Chinese Princess gone rogue (Yao Xingtong, Chinese Zodiac) and her journey back to China with a cartographer (Jason Flemyng, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), to reclaim her throne from an evil witch (Ma Li, Never Say Die) who has taken on her identity. Underneath this plot is the story of a Dragon whose eyelashes can bury in to the ground and create healing tea leaves. Yes, you read that correctly. The Dragon will awaken when the dragon seal is returned, an artifact that drives the plot.

To be honest, as soon as I’ve seen trailers for most of the recent entrants in to the Chinese fantasy action genre I’ve turned my head in disbelief, and sadness. The most disturbing came in the form of Ching Siu Tung’s Jade Dynasty. Ching is a filmmaker I admire so much, and his Duel to the Death is my favourite Wuxia. My abiding memory of the Jade Dynasty trailer is a close up of a CG dragon’s head, as it licks its lips and seems to have a human personality. I felt like laughing, but the sick feeling in my gut and the tears welling up quashed that.

With Jackie, I’ve become accustomed to his films in the last decade or so being laughable affairs, with a few exceptions. I’ve become numb to the horrid feelings they create in me. Saying that, I’ve still not watched Kung Fu Yoga or Bleeding Steel. As for Arnie… he’s not as bad. I quite enjoyed Terminator: Dark Fate, so sue me. Upon settling down to watch The Iron Mask, my thoughts were: “Ok. Jackie and Arnie together. They will fight. I can do this.”

And fight they do. Choreography duties here are left to Jackie Chan stunt team member He Yun, who has worked with the man since the early nineties. Once the first fight kicked in, with Arnie taking on some lackeys, I was like: “he can still throw a punch.” There were some nice close-in angles, and some good reactions. But… the action falters in all of the fights, with a case of ‘as soon as it gets going, it’s over.’ Unfortunately, that’s the case for the main attraction. The best part is Arnie’s line: “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” It made me salivate. These dribbles quickly dried up, with an overuse of wires, no meaty exchanges and a lapse in to silly comedy. A real shame. For the ardent fan, I noticed a reference to the Sammo Hung ultimate classic Odd Couple, that warmed my heart. And getting to see the two legends exchange blows and lines is something I’m betting every fan will want to see, and a wonderful feeling glimmers in there, for a brief few minutes… As the movie moves away from our heroes, action duty is left to Yao and others, and while the final fight has some redeeming qualities, the viewer is robbed of true martial fulfilment.

Now that the action is out of the way, let’s get to the other angles of this overcooked, fatty leg of lamb. Discussions with friends, reading online and the like have led me to go in to watching these films with a more open mind, and that’s exactly what I did with The Iron Mask. The thing is, this film, and others like it, are so ridiculous, silly and laughably bad that it’s entertaining. What crap plot twist will come next? What other terrible CGI character or backdrop? It really beggars belief how Chinese audiences lap this stuff up, and seem to love the horrid, garish approach to visuals and CGI. Saying that, this film bombed in China.

Very interestingly, this film is not purely Chinese. It’s co-produced with Russia, and is a sequel. What is really confusing is the original’s English title is Forbidden Kingdom. On first reading this I was like, what? And strangely the film has a visual style at points like the Chan/Li film, and Chan’s character is similar in look. But rest assured, the original is a Russian fantasy adventure with the same protagonist, and the same director Oleg Stepchenko. This makes for a very uneasy mix. At times the film feels Lord of the Ringsy, be it a cheap low rent version, and once the action moves to China very much like the style we’ve seen countless times over the last two decades in films such as The Great Wall.

More problems pile up with the horrendous dubbing going on a lot of the time. I have no idea why it’s dubbed. You can see the Chinese actors are speaking mandarin, but the dub is worse than some 70’s kung fu movies I’ve seen. All of the aforementioned aspects made me shake my head, but there was something compelling me to keep watching. I guess that means ‘it’s so bad it’s good,’ and at times is actually good, in terms of filmmaking and the abilities of the cast. Outwith Arnie and Jackie, Jason Flemyng does a reasonable job with some humorous moments and decent characterisation. Yao and Ma certainly look the part, both being very attractive women, and respectively inhabit their characters quite well. The film is edited well some of the time, and at times qthe direction of the camera hints at a good talent.

While not a movie we could hope to be great, and live up to Arnie and Jackie’s filmographies, The Iron Mask contains a certain charm. At times you can tell the cast and the filmmakers have had a lot of fun bringing the film to the screen, and that does show in entertainment value. Be warned, though, if you hate this genre and bemoan its tropes and style you may be cringing. Two of my favourite character actors show up too: the man, the legend Charles Dance (Last Action Hero), who has about 2 minutes of screen time; and none other than Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner). Honestly, I breathed a sigh of relief on reading this wasn’t the great man’s final screen appearance. He plays an ambassador arriving in a cart pulled by pigs, looking confused before uttering: “what’s going on here?” Indeed, Mr. Hauer, indeed.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 5/10

Posted in All, Asian Related, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |
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