Kung Fu Yoga (2017) Review

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
"Kung Fu Yoga" Theatrical Poster

“Kung Fu Yoga” Theatrical Poster

Director: Stanley Tong
Cast: Jackie Chan, Disha Patani, Sonu Sood, Aarif Rahman, Lay Zhang, Amyra Dastur, Eric Tsang, Miya Muqi, Zhang Guoli, Jain Kumar, Eskindir Tesfay, Lavlin Thadani
Running Time: 140 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The end of 2016 and beginning of 2017 was a busy period for Jackie Chan, with the release of Railroad Tigers and Kung Fu Yoga just a few months apart from each other. In China there were even posters released promoting both productions, clearly looking to bank on Chan’s popularity to seal a double bill for the cinema going faithful. While Railroad Tigers paired Chan with auteur director Ding Sheng, Kung Fu Yoga has the ageing star teamed with director and former stuntman Stanley Tong. Chan and Tong have a relationship that dates back to 1993’s Police Story III: Super Cop, which was followed by Chan’s U.S. breakthrough Rumble in the Bronx, and a fourth instalment in the Police Story series with First Strike.

After almost a decade apart, the pair reunited in 2005 for The Myth, which cast Chan as archaeologist Jack. The selling point for The Myth was both the India setting, and the parallel timeline which saw Chan taking on dual roles, as his character in the present recalls a past life as a general in ancient China. While The Myth had some good ideas, by the end it had completely come off the rails, containing a sci-fi infused finale that was somehow both stupid and dull at the same time. Now, 12 years later, Chan is back in India as archaeologist Jack. Or is he? In fact while Chan himself has stated that Kung Fu Yoga is basically The Myth 2, it’s never officially been announced as a sequel. In addition, amusingly all of the promotional posters for it plug Tong as the director of the movies he made with Chan during the 90’s, with no mention of The Myth in sight.

Whatever the reasons for the distributors deciding not to draw attention to the fact that Tong and Chan made The Myth together, and let’s be honest there are many, all of the silliness that gradually crept into their last collaboration is placed front and centre from the get go in Kung Fu Yoga. Opening with a 5 minute 100% CGI action scene set in ancient China, we watch a young CGI Jackie Chan as a general (again) battling against an army of elephant riding attackers. The scene is incomprehensibly ludicrous, and ends with Chan dangling off a cliff from an elephants tusks, until a rescuer comes via riding a horse across the herd of elephant’s backs (think Tony Jaa in Ong Bak 2, but with a horse). There’s a line I never thought I’d write. Thankfully, when the sequence comes to an end, it turns out to just be a clip that Chan is showing as part of a lecture to university students.

What I’m less thankful for, is that once proceedings move into the real world, instead of getting better, they only get worse. And worse, and worse. Chan has made plenty of rubbish in the past 15 years (The Tuxedo stands out), however Kung Fu Yoga tops them all. Frequently referred to as “the greatest archaeologist in China” (to which he always quips, “Just one of them”), after finishing his lecture Chan is approached by Bollywood actress Disha Patani, who happens to have a map of the treasure he was just lecturing about. Honestly, what are the chances of that!? Chan, as usual in these types of production, has a young team with him. While Railroad Tigers had former Korean boy-band EXO member Edison Huang, Kung Fu Yoga has current Korean boy-band EXO member Lay Zhang (young female demographic: locked in), yoga coach Miya Muqi (yes they’ve cast a yoga coach as a supporting character), and one time Bruce Lee actor Aarif Rahman.

Patani’s arrival essentially heralds the beginning of one of the most horribly juvenile, incompetent, and fist clenchingly annoying scripts you’ll ever experience. The group begin to converse in numerous awkward English language exchanges, all the while constantly smiling (even when discussing something serious). It would be great if Chan can help to find the Indian treasure that’s said to be buried on the China and India border. Why? Because it’ll help to improve the relationship between China and India, and even better, it’s in line with the Chinese governments ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative as well! This exchange actually takes place. But wait, there’s more. Do you know Indian yoga? Yoga is fantastic, and world champion divers can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes because of it. In all seriousness, Kung Fu Yoga at times feels like more of a promotion piece for China and India relations, along with extolling the virtues of yoga.

When we’re not being hit over the head with inane and lifeless line delivery about the similarities between China and India, somewhere along the way the faintest semblance of a plot appears. It turns out the treasure originally belonged to an Indian family, and now their descendant, played by Sonu Sood (apparently the role was turned down by fellow Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, which was a smart move on his part), is willing to get it back at any cost. This leads to various scenes of Chan action-lite, and at times it’s easy to feel that he’s putting more passion behind his lines (“This treasure belongs to the Chinese government!”) than he is his punches.

In fact the best piece of Chan action in the whole 1 hour 45 minute run time belongs to an initial friendly exchange between him and Rahman, performed to scare off CGI wolves of all things. The exchange has Chan teaching kung fu in the most practical way possible, and the scene serves as a faint glimmer of light in an otherwise black hole of monotony. Wolves aren’t the only CGI animal creation though, we also get a CGI lion (which pukes up CGI vomit), CGI hyenas, and even CGI snakes for good measure. The cast spend a disproportionate amount of time running away from these pixels, far more than they do actually engaging in any meaningful action choreography. Indeed apart from the opening exchange between Patani and Muqi, by the end you’ll be wondering what on earth yoga had to do with anything that took place onscreen.

Tong has clearly completely lost it as a director, it could well be argued he was never a good one, but he knew how to put an action scene together, and his 90’s movies moved along at a brisk pace. Kung Fu Yoga is only the second movie he’s made in 17 years, and the rust shows. Scenes that are supposed to be funny aren’t (a 62 year old Chan eyeing Patani up and down with a sleazy smile on his face), while scenes that are meant to be serious are unintentionally hilarious. In one particular scene Chan and Patani swim under an ice glacier, however before they can get to the other side Chan runs out of breath. Patani ends up dragging him onto the ice barely conscious, and begins channelling her inner-Kate Winslet, shaking him and yelling “Jack, Jack! Jack!!!”

Events eventually culminate in an ancient underground complex beneath a temple in India, were all the characters converge to battle it out over a golden shrine and Buddha. However, the fight inexplicably stops mid-way through, with Sood realising the error of his ways, which subsequently results in Chan breaking into a 4 minute Bollywood song and dance number to round off proceedings. It’s an Indian co-production, so not entirely unexpected, but seriously, like this!? I confess to not being a fan of musical numbers, but when a fight scene gets stopped to break into one, I found myself rather infuriated. Needless to say, if anyone thought the villainous gangs sudden about turn in the finale of Rumble in the Bronx was ridiculous, the ending of Kung Fu Yoga makes it seem perfectly plausible. We don’t even get outtakes over the end credits, instead they just keep on dancing.

While many, including myself, were never expecting the action spectacle seen in the likes of Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike, if Kung Fu Yoga could at least capture the spirit and tone of those movies, the audience could have walked away happy. As it is, Kung Fu Yoga is much more comparable to other recent big budget Mainland China movies, such as Switch and Bounty Hunters, than either of the pairs previous collaborations. At one point Chan is trying to convince Sood that he shouldn’t go after the treasure, and he declares “Everything is empty.” That sums up Kung Fu Yoga in a nutshell, an empty exercise from a film industry that frequently proves that it values spectacle over any kind of coherent storytelling or character development. Containing very little kung fu or yoga, a more appropriate title would be Cinematic Coma.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 1/10

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

Things will heat up again in a sequel to ‘Out of the Inferno’

Posted on January 21, 2017 by JJ Bona
"Out of the Inferno" Chinese Teaser Poster

“Out of the Inferno” Chinese Teaser Poster

The sequel thermometer continues to heat up with the newly announced follow up to the 2013 disaster film, Out of the Inferno (via AFS). The first movie – directed by the Pang Brothers (Bangkok Dangerous) – involved the heroic efforts of two brothers who help evacuate a number of people stuck in an insane skyscraper fire.

The original starred Louis Koo (SPL II: A Time for Consequences), Lau Ching Wan (The Bullet Vanishes), Angelica Lee (The Thieves), Natalie Tong (Dragon Reloaded), Wang Baoqiang (Kung Fu Killer) and Gillian Chung (Ip Man Final Fight).

There’s no word if the Pang Brothers, or any of the original cast members, will be returning this time around, but we’ll update this story as we hear more.

Posted in News |

Steven Seagal 8-Movie Collection | DVD (Sony)

Posted on January 21, 2017 by JJ Bona
"Steven Seagal 8-Movie DVD Collection" Cover

“Steven Seagal 8-Movie DVD Collection” Cover

RELEASE DATE: February 7, 2017

On February 7, 2017, Sony is releasing this 8-Movie Steven Seagal Collection on DVD. Sorry, no theatrical classics like Above the Law, Out for Justice, Under Siege or Exit Wounds to be found, but depending on your taste, this is either a great deal or a great rip-off:

Here’s what the Direct-to-DVD collection includes (spread out on 4 discs): 2003’s The Foreigner, 2003’s Out of a Kill, 2004’s Out of Reach, 2005’s Black Dawn, 2005’s Today You Die, 2006’s Shadow Man, 2007’s Flight of Fury and 2007’s Urban Justice.

At less than $2 a flick, can you go wrong? Anyway, if you’re a Seagal fan, check out our recent reviews for End of a Gun and Contract to Kill.

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

Enter our ‘Beyond Redemption’ Blu-ray Contest! – WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Posted on January 19, 2017 by JJ Bona
Beyond Redemption | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Beyond Redemption | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Beyond Redemption to three lucky City on Fire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, the video below.

We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Also, please ‘Like Us‘ on Cityonfire.com’s Facebook by clicking here.

Beyond Redemption is directed by veteran Hong Kong actor/stuntman Bruce Fontaine (Armour of God II, Once Upon a Time in China, Big Bullet), so we’re expecting to see some of that Hong Kong-style action that comes with Fontaine’s territory.

Beyond Redemption will officially be released on February 7, 2017. We will announce the 3 winners on that date

CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by February 6, 2017 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.

WINNERS: Ben, John C, and Toad Style.

Posted in News | Tagged |

William Feng has a huge ‘Three-Body Problem’!

Posted on January 19, 2017 by JJ Bona
"Three-Body Problem" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Three-Body Problem” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Jules Verne, eat your heart out! A big budget film based on Liu Cixin’s best selling science fiction novel of the same name is currently in production.

The upcoming thriller, titled Three-Body Problem, stars William Feng (White Vengeance, Young Detective Yee) and Zhang Jing Chu (Switch, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation).

Here’s the novel’s plot description, via Amazon: Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

Three-Body Problem is scheduled for release in 2017. If that’s not enough, a sequel is already in the works. We expect a trailer to be hitting the net soon, so stay tuned!

Posted in News |

Tiger of Northland (1976) Review

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Paul Bramhall
"Tiger of Northland" Korean Theatrical Poster

“Tiger of Northland” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Peng Chang-Kuei 
Cast: Park Jong-kuk, Maria Yi Yi, Lau Wing, Lydia Shum Tin Ha, Ko Keung, Chang Il-sik, Yeung Wai, Wu Jiaxiang, Bruce Lai, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Sammo Hung
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

After Bruce Lee’s untimely death in 1973, the production company that Lee was signed to, Golden Harvest, scrambled around for a number of years afterwards, attempting to find a bankable replacement that could fill the shoes of their biggest star. While local talent like Jimmy Wang Yu and Angela Mao were pushed to the forefront, producer Raymond Chow also attempted to fill the void with a number of Taekwondo and Hapkido practitioners from Korea. While Lee himself had fought the likes of Whang In-shik (Way of the Dragon) and Ji Han-jae (Game of Death), in the years after his death fellow Koreans such as Byong Yu (The Association) and Jhoon Rhee (When Taekwondo Strikes) were also attempted to be billed as the next big stars.

Unlike the local stars though, many of which came from either sporting or Peking Opera backgrounds, what made the Korean stars stand apart was that all were teachers of their arts, and for many the film industry simply wasn’t their calling. Both Byong Yu and Jhoon Rhee made a single movie and returned to teaching, which they do to this day, as do most of the other Korean stars of the era. However despite the shortness of their time in-front of the camera, the impression they left was a memorable one, delivering a ferocity that made it easy to understand why they were considered as potentially the next big thing. With all learning their arts in the harsh years following the Korean War, the intensity that they brought to the screen was a different kind than their Chinese counterparts, with lethally fast kicks accompanied by thunderous growls usually coming as standard.

Another such star was Park Jong-kuk, who debuted as the title character of Tiger of Northland, from 1976. The movie was a rare example of a genuine co-production between Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studio and Korea, and again was an example of Jong-kuk being lined up as a bankable leading man in the post-Bruce Lee Golden Harvest era. Filmed entirely on location in Korea, director and writer Peng Chang-Kuei looked to be evoking the same feel of a Bruce Lee movie, casting Maria Yi Yi, who had roles in both The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, as Jong-kuk’s love interest, and hiring frequent Lee cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto. For whatever reason, this would be the only time Chang-Kuei would direct and write a movie. Having previously worked as an assistant director on the 1971 Shaw Brothers productions The Swift Knight and Six Assassins, after Tiger of Northland he disappeared into obscurity.

It would also be the only time for Jong-kuk to be billed as a lead. In the years following he’d go on to take supporting roles in the likes of The Legendary Strike, Iron Fisted Eagle’s Claw, and Quick Step Mantis, however by the end of the 70’s he was featuring in 100% Korean productions, usually as a supporting player in Elton Chong kung fu comedies. If you’re only going to headline one movie though, then Tiger of Northland is a more than worthy title to be proud of. Jong-kuk plays a Chinese freedom fighter that flees to Korea during the 1930’s, similar to Jason Pai Piao’s role in The Crush from 1972, in order to recruit more fighters to the resistance from both China and Korea. While he’s hitching a ride on a train, he saves a family being harassed by a Japanese soldier, killing him in the process, which results in the Japanese forces in Korea attempting to hunt him down.

That’s essentially the story, it’s about as much of a standard tale of China/Korea vs Japan as you can get, however it sets the stage for Jong-kuk to step into the shoes of a kind of 1930’s era Chen Zhen. In fairness, it’s understandable to see why he was never going to be leading man material, with his performance being as wooden as they come. Frankly it would have been more convincing if Maria Yi Yi had fallen for one of the planks of wood that he kicks in half. However Chang-Kuei is mainly concerned with crafting a tale that has the cruel Japanese forces receiving their just desserts, and to that end, Jong-kuk delivered admirably. In many ways 1976 can be considered as that transitional period between when the basher style choreography, that dominated the first half of the decade, began to develop into a more intricate style of fluid and fast shapes based choreography.

Sammo Hung was one of the action choreographers at the forefront of this change, and here is credited with the action alongside Tony Leung Siu-Hung and Richard Cheung Kuen (both of whom also have roles in the movie). Just one year later Sammo would make his directorial debut with The Iron Fisted Monk, heralding in the era of hard hitting fights, backed up with the innovative camera work that he’d become known for. In Tiger of Northland, the action strikes an appealing balance between the basher brutality and what was to come. Japanese soldiers aren’t just punched off the screen here, they’re kicked to the ground, mounted, and then punched repeatedly in the face until they flop into a lifeless slump.

The production is also notable for being Siu-Hung’s first gig at action directing. The younger brother of Bruce Leung, Siu-Hung has had a varied career, having sat in the director’s chair for such Shaw Brothers productions as Thunderclap, through to HK/USA crossovers like Superfights and Bloodmoon, all of which he also choreographed. As an action choreographer he’s one of the most underrated, having orchestrated the action for such personal favourites as Fistful of Talons and The Magic Crystal, so as an early look at his talents, Tiger of Northland should be of interest to any of his fans.

As was also standard for the era, Sammo makes an appearance as a villain, here as a yellow robed Japanese bodyguard, paired with Shaw Brothers regular Anthony Lau as a facially scarred Japanese Karate teacher. The 2 vs. 1 is a standout, which takes place as part of the finale, and was most likely solely choreographed by Sammo, as the speed of the fight is significantly turned up a few notches from the previous confrontations. There’s also another worthwhile 2 vs. 1, which has Jong-kuk facing off against a pair of action choreographers who are famous in their own right – Hsu Hsia, who directed the likes of Lion Vs. Lion and Kid from Kwangtung, and Chik Ngai-Hung, who choreographed the likes of The Loot and The Challenger. Here they play a pair of staff wielding Japanese guards, and their confrontation nicely segues into the one with Sammo and Lau.

Tiger of the Northland is undeniably one of those movies for which you check in for the action, and to that end, the fights have a raw intensity to them that keeps you glued to the screen, with the camera showing a keen eye for capturing the power behind Jong-kuk’s kicks and strikes. For fans of Korean martial arts cinema of the era, there are also plenty of familiar faces on display, such as Bang Su-il and Chang Il-shik, both of whom can be seen in the likes of Canton Viper and The Deadly Kick. Il-shik in particular is on duty here as the main villain of the piece, and the final fight is a suitably vicious affair, which makes the effort to crank things up by including throws and kicks that send the recipient flying through the air, landing an exaggerated distance away. The difference in choreography style from the rest of the movie makes the fight stand out for the right reasons, while never becoming over the top. Its cinema, and Chang-Kuei seems to understand that.

While neither Jong-kuk or Chang-Kuei would go on to become familiar faces of the kung fu genre, and at the time Tiger of the Northland failed to give the world a new Bruce Lee, with the benefit of looking back over 40 years on, it stands up as a worthy entry in the kung-fu genre. With a combination of hard hitting action, some beautifully framed cinematography, and a suitably fitting score, if you’re after a dose of mid-70’s gritty Golden Harvest style action, then you’ve come to the right place.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7.5/10

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

Tampopo | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

Posted on January 17, 2017 by JJ Bona
Tampopo | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

Tampopo | Blu-ray & DVD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2017

The Criterion Collection announced today that it plans to bring Juzo Itami’s Tampopo to DVD and Blu-ray on April 25, 2017. Starring Nobuko Miyamoto (A Taxing Woman), Tsutomu Yamazaki (Departures), Koji Yakusho (The World of Kanako), Rikiya Yasuoka (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter), and Ken Watanabe (Godzilla), Tampopo is a surreal comedy favorite both in its native Japan and among international audiences.

From Criterion: The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous “ramen western” by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges, our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her café a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal Tampopo is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

Special Features:

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • The Making of “Tampopo,” a ninety-minute documentary from 1986, narrated by director Juzo Itami
  • New interview with actor Nobuko Miyamoto
  • New interviews with ramen scholar Hiroshi Osaki; food stylist Seiko Ogawa; and American chefs Sam White, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich, and Anthony Bourdain
  • Rubber Band Pistol, Itami’s 1962 debut short film
  • New video essay by Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos on the film’s themes of self-improvement and mastery of a craft
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by food and culture writer Willy Blackmore

Pre-order Tampopo from Amazon.com today!

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

Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism | Blu-ray & DVD (Arrow Video)

Posted on January 17, 2017 by JJ Bona
Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism | Blu-ray & DVD (Arrow Video)

Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism | Blu-ray & DVD (Arrow Video)

RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2017

Back in November 2015, Arrow Video released Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism Blu-ray & DVD Boxed set in the UK, but now, the company is finally bringing the set to the U.S. for a April 11, 2017 release.

The work of Kiju Yoshida is one of Japanese cinema’s obscure pleasures. A contemporary of Nagisa Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses) and Masahiro Shinoda (Pale Flower, Assassination), Yoshida started out as an assistant to Keisuke Kinoshita before making his directorial debut at age 27. In the decades that followed he produced more than 20 features and documentaries, yet each and every one has proven difficult to see in the English-speaking world.

This collection brings together three works from the late sixties and early seventies, a loose trilogy united by their radical politics and an even more radical shooting style. Eros + Massacre, presented here in both its 169-minute theatrical version and the full-length 220-minute director’s cut, tells the parallel stories of early 20th-century anarchist (and free love advocate) Sakae Osugi and a pair of student activists. Their stories interact and intertwine, resulting in a complex, rewarding work that is arguably Yoshida’s masterpiece.

Heroic Purgatory pushes the dazzling cinematic language of Eros + Massacre even further, presenting a bleak but dreamlike investigation into the political discourses taking place in early seventies Japan.

Coup d’etat returns to the past for a biopic of Ikki Kita, the right-wing extremist who sought to overthrow the government in 1936. Yoshida considered the film to be the culmination of his work, promptly retiring from feature filmmaking following its completion.

Limited Edition Blu-ray Contents:

  • Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3,000 copies)
  • High definition digital transfers supervised by Kiju Yoshida
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations for all films
  • Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM Audio on all films
  • New translated English subtitles on all films
  • Yoshida …or: The Explosion of the Story a 30-minute documentary on Eros + Massacre with contributions from Yoshida and film critics Mathieu Capel and Jean Douchet
  • Introductions to Heroic Purgatory and Coup d’etat by Yoshida
  • Newly-filmed discussions of Eros + Massacre, Heroic Purgatory and Coup d’etat by David Desser, author of Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave, recorded exclusively for this release
  • Scene-select commentaries by David Desser on all three films
  • Heroic Purgatory theatrical trailer
  • Coup d’etat theatrical trailer
  • Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm
  • Illustrated 80-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the films by David Desser, Isolde Standish (author of Politics, Porn and Protest: Japanese Avant-Garde Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s) and Dick Stegewerns (author of Kiju Yoshida: 50 Years of Avant-Garde Filmmaking in Post-War Japan)

Pre-order Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism from Amazon.com today!

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

Deal on Fire! The Heroic Ones | Blu-ray | Only $6.50 – Expires soon!

Posted on January 15, 2017 by JJ Bona
"The Heroic Ones" Blu-ray Cover

“The Heroic Ones” Blu-ray Cover

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 1970’s The Heroic Ones, directed by Shaw Brothers filmmaker, Chang Cheh (Chinatown Kid), aka “The Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema.”

Led by patriarch Li Ke Yung, a powerful warrior in his own right, the family’s 13 sons are charged with freeing the capitol city from a rebel leader. Two of the brothers, Shih (Ti Lung of Legend of the Bat) and Li (David Chiang of Duel of the Iron Fist), take the lead, battling enemy forces with their formidable kung fu skills!

Order The Heroic Ones from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

The History of Chinese Martial Arts Film: The 7 Essential Titles

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Jonathan Mitchell
"Wong Fei-Hung: Duel for the Championship" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Wong Fei-Hung: Duel for the Championship” Chinese Theatrical Poster

List-making is an interesting but challenging exercise in distillation, especially when you’re whittling down the history of an entire genre to just a handful of movies. Obviously, the following is not a comprehensive “best of” list: it overlooks many directors and performers who have made significant contributions to the Chinese martial arts film. But each of these movies represents a milestone in the development of a genre which continues to evolve and still commands an enormous audience.

These are the trendsetters, the shapers of an art form… the films which are the essence of their type.

1. The Story of Wong Fei-hung, Part 1 (1949)

For all intents and purposes, this is where the genre begins. Playing the role of real-life hung gar instructor/acupuncturist/Cantonese folk hero Wong Fei-hung (1847-1924) in a series of films which lasted until the early 1970s, Kwan Tak-hing became a star. In contrast to the wholesale slaughter which has become a hallmark of martial arts movies, the Wong Fei-hung series emphasized forbearance. In the Chinese fighting arts, wu de, or the martial code of conduct, is of vital importance: the character wu literally means “stop fighting”. It is this point that Kwan Tak-hing wished to convey to his audience. This movie’s subtitle, Whip Extinguishes the Candles, is a reference to Wong’s demonstration of his skill with the chain whip (one of kung fu’s “soft” weapons) in the final scene.

"Trail of the Broken Blade" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Trail of the Broken Blade” Chinese Theatrical Poster

2. Trail of the Broken Blade (1967)

In 1967, the conventions of the Chinese martial arts film were still being established. Its most popular subgenre was the heroic swordplay film, well exemplified by Trail of the Broken Blade.

Critics don’t think very highly of this movie (almost unanimously they prefer The One-Armed Swordsman, made a few months later by the same director and star), but it was the prototype for nearly every subsequent Chang Cheh film… and for just about everything else, since Chang was so widely imitated.

All the elements of his formula are here: a stern, chivalrous hero who faces seemingly impossible odds; a supervillain who resides at the center of an impregnable fortress, and whose henchmen wield an array of exotic weapons; and, of course, messy stomach wounds. This film was a groundbreaker, genre history be damned.

Trail

"The Chinese Boxer" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“The Chinese Boxer” Chinese Theatrical Poster

3. The Chinese Boxer (1970)

Having exhausted the potential of heroic swordplay, Wang Yu (now a matinee idol of the first order) parted company with Chang Cheh and set about making his own movies. The Chinese Boxer (aka Hammer of God) was the first “basher”, as the hand-to-hand fighting films of the early 1970s are now commonly called, and from here on out the swordplay film declined in popularity.

In terms of plot, the bashers were fundamentally the same as the sword-fighting movies, but had a much more overtly macho vibe: in The Chinese Boxer there’s no trace of the stylized delicacy which had characterized the swordplay subgenre.

The action looks pretty raw by today’s standards, but it’s bloody and there’s a lot of it. As the ruthless, chestnut-haired karateka with whom Wang squares off in the film’s climax, Lo Lieh began his long reign as the archvillain of Chinese martial arts movies.

"Enter the Dragon" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Enter the Dragon” Japanese Theatrical Poster

4. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Wang Yu was a superstar in Asia, but Bruce Lee became a worldwide sensation. This, his fourth and final film, made the biggest splash internationally.

Lee himself choreographed the fight scenes, which were designed to showcase his speed and accuracy, and chose Shih Kien – a veteran of the Wong Fei-hung films – to portray the villain. Angela Mao, the greatest female kung fu movie star, has a small but very memorable role as the sister of Lee’s character. (John Saxon and Jim Kelly, Lee’s American co-stars, received prominent billing but were just along for the ride.)

Enter the Dragon is marred only by Lee’s distressingly gaunt appearance; just thirty-two years old, he died before the film was released. Even now, rumors abound that his death was the result of foul play.

"36th Chamber of Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“36th Chamber of Shaolin” Chinese Theatrical Poster

5. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Originally an action choreographer for Chang Cheh, Liu Chia-liang began directing his own films in 1975. This is his masterpiece, and the progenitor of an international Shaolin craze.

Gordon Liu plays San Te, a real-life Buddhist monk who takes methodical revenge on the Manchurian general (Lo Lieh) who murdered his parents. Following his showdown with the general, San Te trains a new generation of revolutionaries at Shaolin Temple.

Upon its release in the United States, the movie was luridly retitled The Master Killer: ironic, since most of its 115-minute running time is devoted to authentic martial arts training scenes. Nearly all of the fights take place in the film’s final half-hour, showcasing a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and clashes between weapons like the three sectional staff and the double broadswords.

"Drunken Master" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Drunken Master” Japanese Theatrical Poster

6. Drunken Master (1978)

Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, this is Jackie Chan’s second (and best) comedy kung fu adventure, and the one that spawned 1978’s other martial arts movie fad. (A few of the drunken boxing films, like Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow, are pretty good despite being knockoffs.)

Simon Yuen, father of the director and another alumnus of the Wong Fei-hung films, portrays Chan’s elderly, wine-quaffing instructor; Korean kicking maestro Hwang Jang-lee plays the bad guy.

This is worlds removed from the Jackie Chan with whom American audiences got acquainted in the 1990s, and his brand of slapstick comedy can grate on the nerves if you’re not in the mood for it, but Drunken Master allows you to see a superstar in the making. After this film, Chan could—and did—write his own ticket, assuming full creative control as had Wang Yu earlier in the decade.

"Shaolin Temple" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Shaolin Temple” Japanese Theatrical Poster

7. Shaolin Temple (1982)

The first kung fu film to be shot in mainland China and Jet Li’s cinematic debut, Shaolin Temple is essentially an alternate version of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (but set in an earlier historical period). It had the distinction of renewing China’s interest in its own martial heritage after years of cultural repression under Mao Tse-tung, and the fast, vigorous choreography reflects the popularity of sport wushu on the mainland during the early 1980s.

Liu Chia-liang supervised the shooting of a few scenes in Hong Kong, but Chang Hsin-yen’s Shaolin Temple represented the emergence of a new style which resembled the Hong Kong films only superficially. It gave birth to a sequel, Kids from Shaolin, as well as vastly inferior imitations like The Shaolin Brothers.

The history of Chinese martial arts movies didn’t come to a screeching halt in 1982, of course. Their development continued at a steady pace, from Jackie Chan films like Project A (1983) and Police Story (1985) through Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), director Ang Lee’s revival of the heroic swordplay film. Critical recognition of the genre as a legitimate art form was belated, but today critics and mass audiences alike understand what we kung fu movie fanatics have known all along: that these films represent one of the greatest achievements in world cinema.

Posted in Features, News |

The Yakuza | Blu-ray (Warner)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by JJ Bona
The Yakuza | Blu-ray (Warner)

The Yakuza | Blu-ray (Warner)

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2017

Warner Archive is prepping a Blu-ray release for The Yakuza, a 1974 neo-noir gangster film directed by Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor) and written by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) and Robert Towne (Chinatown).

In The Yakuza, Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum), is a man who returns to Japan after 15 years to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his pal Tanner (Brian Keith) from the clutches of the Yakuza. Once there, Kilmer is forced to enlist the aid of his former lover Eiko’s brother, Ken (KenTakakura).

The Yakuza also stars Herb Edelman (The Way We Were), Richard Jordan (The Hunt for Red October), Keiko Kishi (Kwaidan), Eiji Okada (Ikiru), James Shigeta (Die Hard), Kyosuke Machida (Outlaw: Gangster VIP), Christina Kokubo (Midway) and Eiji Go (Tokyo Drifter).

Special Features:

  • Audio Commentary by Director Sydney Pollack
  • Promises to Keep – Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Optional English SDH subtitles

Pre-order The Yakuza from Amazon.com today!

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

Cold War 2 | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by JJ Bona
Cold War 2 | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

Cold War 2 | Blu-ray (Well Go USA)

RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2017

On March 7, 2017, Well Go USA will be releasing Longman Leung and Sunny Luk’s Cold War 2 to Blu-ray and DVD. This Hong Kong action thriller stars Chow Yun-fat (Office), Aaron Kwok (Monk Comes Down the Mountain) and Tony Leung Ka Fai (The Raid).

In this sequel to the 2012 Hong Kong megahit, rival police chiefs battle it out both on the streets and at the station, kicked off by a psychotic killer’s desperate escape attempt.

Cold War 2 also stars Waise Lee (A Better Tomorrow), Janice Man (The Midnight After), Charlie Young (New Police Story), Eddie Peng (Call of Heroes), Aarif Rahman (Bruce Lee, My Brother) and Tony Yang Kam Tin (The Crossing).

Bonus Materials Include:

  • A Powerhouse Cast
  • The Story
  • The Three Powers
  • VFX and Action

Pre-order Cold War 2 from Amazon.com today!

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

Is Scorsese directing Jamie Foxx in a Mike Tyson Biopic?

Posted on January 12, 2017 by JJ Bona
"Ip Man 3" Teaser Poster

“Ip Man 3” Teaser Poster

There’s no doubt that Mike Tyson’s (Ip Man 3) tumultuous life story would make an interesting biopic. And with the possibility of a filmmaker like Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas) attached, we may have another Raging Bull in our hands (Or not. I mean, Raging Bull is that good).

According to Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), who is apparently playing the former champ, a pending film about Tyson is very much alive. When SR asked Foxx for an update about the project – and about Scorsese’s involvement – Fox replied: “That is a go… yeah, he’s attached, and it’s — Mike Tyson’s life is one of the most amazing American stories.”

Sounds good to us. But before Scorsese steps back into the ring, he still has the Robert De Niro/Al Pacino gangster flick The Irishman to complete (currently in pre-production); not to mention the The Devil in the White City, a thriller about H.H. Holmes (with frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio as the title character) which is most likely higher in priority. In other words, don’t hold your breath.

Whatever the case may be, we still have the real Tyson to look forward to in the upcoming films Kickboxer: Retaliation (with Jean-Claude Van Damme) and the curious Chinese flick, Chinese Salesman (with Steven Seagal).

If you happen to be hungry for a Tyson biopic right here, right now, there’s always 1995’s Tyson, starring Michael Jai White (Skin Trade).

Posted in News |

Operation Chromite (2016) Review

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Kelly Warner
Operation Chromite | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Operation Chromite | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Director: John H. Lee
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Liam Neeson, Jin Se-yeon, Jung Joon-ho, Park Chul-min, Kim Byeong-ok, Jon Gries, Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Sun-a
Running Time: 111 min.

By Kelly Warner

I’m sort of fascinated by the Liam Neeson career shift post-Taken. Though he played action heroes pre-2008 (Star Wars and Darkman, for example), after Taken Neeson became Hollywood’s go-to actor for action movies requiring a middle-aged lead. Maybe it’s because Neeson doesn’t instantly remind viewers of earlier iconic action roles the way a Stallone or Schwarzenegger might. Or maybe it’s just that Neeson has finally found a star role that audiences respond to and which he can refine across multiple films—the gruff voice, the icy glare, and a believable talent for breaking the bones of men half his age (director Jaume Collet-Serra deserves some of the credit for perfecting the Badass Neeson image). Neeson’s smart enough as an actor to know that the tough old guy isn’t the only sort of part he should be playing, though, and he continues to pick a few surprising roles that most of us probably never saw coming—like making fun of his tough guy persona in The Lego Movie, playing a talking tree creature in A Monster Calls, and now co-starring in a Korean-based CJ Entertainment production as General Douglas MacArthur.

Operation Chromite is based on a true story. In 1950, after North Korea invaded and claimed much of the land beyond the South Korea border, UN forces led by Gen. MacArthur were mobilized to defend South Korea from the Northern aggressors. MacArthur, one of America’s most revered war heroes, had negotiated peace in partnership with Japan’s Emperor Hirohito just five years before. After a failed bid for the White House, Gen. MacArthur was entrusted by the UN and President Truman with deescalating the Korean War before things got any worse. MacArthur thought that the best way to accomplish that goal would be to charge the occupied city of Incheon from the sea. However, a well-defended beach put odds of success at 5,000 to 1. In order to ensure victory, MacArthur worked in coordination with South Korean spies who were sent into Incheon to weaken the defenses before the landing parties arrived.

Though MacArthur is important to the story, the film primarily focuses on the South Korean spies. Assuming the identity of North Korean troops, Lt. Jang (Lee Jung-Jae) leads his men into the lion’s den in search of maps that might reveal where the mines are hidden off the Incheon coast. Standing in his way is the volatile North Korean Col. Lim (Lee Beom-Su), who begins to suspect Jang almost right away.

Though billed as a war movie, Operation Chromite also has much in common with men-on-a-mission spy flicks. The South Korean spies know that they’re only one wrong step away from being revealed and consequently murdered. The bodies of those who dared to stand up to the North are given public executions and left on display in the streets to frighten the civilians. When Col. Lim sits Jang down and questions his views on religion and Communism, he’s essentially giving Jang a life-or-death quiz. Ideology can get you killed.

Lee Beom-Su (The Anarchists) is great as the film’s chief antagonist. Col. Lim represents the danger of absolute belief. Lee Beom-Su plays Lim as a little unhinged, though I thought it a more interesting character than most North Korean villains seen in film today. As Col. Lim’s nemesis, Lee Jeong-Jae (Assassination) gives a strong, reserved performance as Lt. Jang. I expect that Jang’s character probably plays differently for Korean audiences—whether he is viewed as a patriotic hero, or if the role is felt to be hero worship, I do not know. This American’s opinion is that Jang is the best character in the film and Lee gives the best performance. He’s cool and confident without ever feeling like a caricature.

The Korean supporting cast is decent, though their characters are underwritten. Actress Jin Se-Yeon (Enemies In-Law) plays a woman who views South Koreans as traitors before the North’s violence forces her to reassess how she sees the world. It’s a good part but she could’ve used more screen time to better sell her character’s arc.

Most of Liam Neeson’s screen time is devoted to poorly written dialogue scenes in cramped spaces shared with subpar American actors. (Neeson, who might have only 20 minutes in the film, only really shares one scene with Korean lead Lee Jeong-Jae.) At first, Liam Neeson gives the film a cool international quality. Few foreign action movies are able to secure an A-list Hollywood star, so this is big. And Neeson looks the part, too; he chomps on that wooden pipe, he pulls up his pants too high, and he commands his men with unquestioned authority. But the English dialogue script, credited to a different writer from the rest of the film, is oh so bad. Neeson gets to say some lines that probably read as inspirational—and who knows, maybe MacArthur even said a few of ’em—but they all feel out of place, either because of the way they’re delivered or where they fit into their respective scenes. Neeson and the supporting English cast try their best to make it work but sometimes the results are just plain silly.

Where Operation Chromite excels is in the action scenes. The powerful sound design really ups the impact of the shootouts and the clear editing keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Some set pieces defy realism and take on an almost Indiana Jones adventure quality but I thought that added to the entertainment value of the picture. Operation Chromite is not a fact-driven historical recreation, it’s a historical action movie, and I think director John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember) makes that clear from very early on. Our heroes get bloody, sacrificial deaths and the villains go down in droves of bullets and/or fiery explosions. It’s loud and sometimes dumb, but I think it hits the desired mark for a wartime action movie.

Though the Korean parts of the film are not without flaws (under developed characters and overly sentimental sendoffs), there is a distinct difference in quality between the two different sections of the film. The American side of things has Liam Neeson saying some unintentionally funny stuff while waiting around to finally get into the fight. The Korean side of things is a well-executed, patriotic actioner about the self-sacrificing heroes who saved South Korea from Communist rule (big surprise: North Korea hates the movie). I tend to think that the film would’ve been better off with a dramatically reduced role for MacArthur and the UN, since that’s where most of the film’s flaws originate. It’s a strange movie for Liam Neeson at the height of his newfound popularity. But again, I still don’t know what to expect from Neeson in the new stage of his career. He apparently simply enjoys taking on odd and unexpected roles amongst all the kidnapping thrillers. It’d be cool if he made another foreign film in the future, hopefully with a better script.

Kelly Warner’s Rating: 6.5/10

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

Details on ‘Drive’ helmer’s Yakuza spy flick ‘Avenging Silence’

Posted on January 11, 2017 by JJ Bona
"Only God Forgives" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Only God Forgives” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives) may be a little too “style over substance” for most viewers, but nobody can deny that the filmmaker has their full attention when he announces a new project.

Refn is currently gearing up for The Avenging Silence, a feature film about a former European spy who accepts a confidential mission from a Japanese businessman exiled to France to take down the head of the most treacherous Yakuza boss in Japan – If this description doesn’t doesn’t peak your interest, then you’re stuck in 2 Fast 2 Furious land.

At one point, Refn expressed an interest to direct a James Bond film (there were even reports that he had met with 007 producers); obviously, a deal never came to fruition, but The Avenging Silence may be the next best thing – if not better. In fact, Bond veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Casino Royale, Skyfall) wrote the script. Refn himself describes it as “a big extravagant action film” that’s inspired by Ian Fleming‘s Dr. No and William Burroughs‘ Nova Express. With these elements, combined with Refn’s unconventional method, the possibilities are exhilarating.

At this time, there is no set production date, nor is there a lead attached (if Refn decides to recruit Ryan Gosling for a third time, we’ll take it). What is available is an extended plot synopsis (via The Playlist).

If you’re sensitive to minor spoilers, you may want to skip it:

The spy was one of the leading spies in Europe. An injury inflicted to his vocal cords during a failed mission six years ago left him mute, forcing him to leave his profession. Now, six years later, he is sought out and put on confidential assignment by a former Yakuza, now a retired Japanese businessman in exile in France, to track down and kill the head of the most dangerous Yakuza family in Japan.

Afraid of flying, our spy anonymously boards a cargo ship headed for Tokyo. An onboard explosion sinks the ship and our spy finds himself washed ashore on a life raft in southern Japan. As a mute, our spy must silently journey through Japan seeking 4 clues – symbolizing conquest, war, famine, and death – which will guide him to the unknown location of the Yakuza boss.

Meanwhile, the Yakuza boss, known for his 2004 mass slaughter of Yakuza members who had turned against him, is believed to be plotting to reenter the Japanese underworld after living in his own surreptitious world in the mountains, void of all technology. This way of life becomes an obsession for the Yakuza boss. Rumors spread that he had committed suicide years ago but escaped prisoners from his hidden camp told stories of his plan for a comeback. Now rival Yakuza families suspect he is forming a master plan to return, a plan that unburies the most infamous story of Yakuza betrayal.

Our spy finds himself on an existential journey through Japan in search of pieces to the puzzle that will lead him to a confrontation with the ultimate Yakuza boss in a terrifying conclusion.

We’ll keep you posted on The Avenging Silence as we hear more. In the meantime, Refn directed the first episode of Les Italiens, a noir series about a squad of French/Italian policemen working in Paris’ famous Quai des Orfevres headquarters. An announcement for the the show’s airing should hit soon. Stay tuned.

Posted in News |
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