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[RedKing]

So...after getting on for the last 30 seconds of Vector's Livestream the other day, it occurred to me that this could be fun with semi-obscure Asian action flicks. I could provide some commentary on the cultural stuff (like, who is Wong Fei Hung and why is he the main hero of every other kung-fu movie ever?) and there's plenty of troperrific moments in most fu flicks. I grew up watching imported Hong Kong films every Saturday on a local indie TV station, and group watching of some of these is a thing of joy.

So, I'm curious if there'd be any interest in this? I could probably arrange a stream sometime in the next week or two.

Movies I'm considering (feel free to add your own if there's a particular favorite):

Iron Monkey (has one of the best boss fight scenes EVER and just hella fun all around)
The Good, The Bad and the Weird (Korean reworking of the classic The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, set in 1930's Manchuria. Parts of it are hilarious, parts of it are sheer awesome.)
Once Upon a Time in China (Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung, good action and good storytelling with a fair bit of historical drama)
Drunken Master (Jackie Chan as Wong Fei Hung, mostly a comedy but with some brilliant fight choreography. Considered a classic.)
Versus (Japanese. It's yakuza vs. zombies. Hideo Kojima has a cameo role and is good friends with the director. I have not personally seen this one, but it sounds fun.)
The Protector/Tom yum goong (Thai star Tony Jaa chases down Chinese elephant thieves in Australia. Also, uses his shins to break about six million bones in an hour and a half.)
Shaolin Soccer (Stephen Chow comedy, kinda like the Bad News Bears but with a whole hell of a lot more kung-fu. The final showdown is epic. Don't worry, I won't use the US release.)



EDIT: Stream is here: http://www.livestream.com/redkingsactiontheater

DOUBLE EDIT: Updated showtime in subject.

[lordnincompoop]

Sure, I'd be interested. They sound like entertaining movies, and it's always more fun with someone else, right?

If you can manage a little earlier starting time on your end too, that'd be just great.

[Reelyanoob]

Sounds like fun now i've got the bandwidth for this kind of thing. Me and a buddy used to love "Thundering Mantis" (mainly coz of the bad dub though, but the fights and finale rock) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087145/

My other fave from that era is Shogun Assassin

[nenjin]

What's Up Tiger Lilly? - A mid 70s spoof Kung Fu detective mystery, re-edited by Woody Allen for maximum absurdity. I don't think you can get much more obscure than it.

The Game of Death - 1978. One of the only movies Bruce Lee got to direct. It's nice because everyone has seen Enter the Dragon by now, but few have seen this.

Fist of the White Lotus - A classic.

I'm way more into classic Kung fu movies than the modern ones, obviously.

[RedKing]

All good recommendations. A lot of the stuff I grew up on was (obviously) old-school HK films. Shaw Brothers, Wu-Tang, etc.

But I find that I do prefer the newer films just because the cinematography and acting are considerably better. Grainy 1960's film with massively exaggerated sound effects are good for an ironic lark, but they're tough for most people to enjoy on their own merits. The new wave of wuxia films like Zhang Yimou's films and CTHD and Red Cliff and even Iron Monkey have a certain grace and beauty to them that bears its own merit seperate from the action.

Old-school kungfu is also a lot trickier to find on DVD. If this becomes an ongoing thing, I'll definitely try to dredge up some old stuff. Maybe Shaolin Avengers, which mentally scarred me as a kid thanks to the death scene for the main character. (It's a Fong Sai Yuk story--the "Chinese Achilles" who was bathed in a magic bath when he was young which made him invulnerable to weapons except for one place...his anus.) Janet would probably have a field day with that one. 

[Gunner-Chan]

Oh god that last movie sounds... Hillarious XD

And fuuucckk. If Eva hears about this she's gonna hijack my laptop every time you do this. She loves this stuff.

[Vector]

Yeah, I've wanted to see Shaolin Soccer for years now!

[nenjin]

Lol.

"My....only....weak....point....."

"A true master guards his anus always. Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu."

I think it's easy to downplay everything about older Kung Fu movies for all the reasons mentioned. But if you try to get past the ingrained reaction to the cheesiness, you can actually see a lot of emotion (and perhaps a great deal of over acting) in the parts these guys play.

You're right though, good luck finding anything older in DVD format. There's always....yohoho.

Also as long as we're talking about this, been hunting for an older Kung fu title for years. It's about a young, poor Kung Fu fighter who obsesses about a new pair of shoes. It's like his benchmark for how he's doing in life. Well he hits it big and basically becomes a rich, famous Kung Fu fighter with hundreds of shoes, but suffers some tragic downfall, related in part to his giant ego.

[RedKing]

Lol.

"My....only....weak....point....."

"A true master guards his anus always. Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu."

I think it's easy to downplay everything about older Kung Fu movies for all the reasons mentioned. But if you try to get past the ingrained reaction to the cheesiness, you can actually see a lot of emotion (and perhaps a great deal of over acting) in the parts these guys play.

You're right though, good luck finding anything older in DVD format. There's always....yohoho.

Also as long as we're talking about this, been hunting for an older Kung fu title for years. It's about a young, poor Kung Fu fighter who obsesses about a new pair of shoes. It's like his benchmark for how he's doing in life. Well he hits it big and basically becomes a rich, famous Kung Fu fighter with hundreds of shoes, but suffers some tragic downfall, related in part to his giant ego.

I think that's Disciples of Shaolin. Which oddly enough, has the same director and main cast as Shaolin Avengers. Disciples of Shaolin came out one year earlier (1975).

As to the ass-fu downfall let's just say that if that's your weak spot, really high-flying kicks over top of somebody wielding a spear is NOT a good tactic.  I think it was the "cloth ripping" sound effect that went with the scene that really made the impact.

[nenjin]

It's also just an embarrassing way to die for a main character you were probably, up until that point, mentally putting yourself in the shoes of.

I think that's Disciples of Shaolin. Which oddly enough, has the same director and main cast as Shaolin Avengers. Disciples of Shaolin came out one year earlier (1975).

Oh man I think this might be it. No wonder I couldn't remember, the name has zero semblance to the movie. This is one of those Kung Fu movies that really made me start paying attention to the characters and how they're drawn by the actors. Like I said, I couldn't remember the name for the life of me, but I'll never forget the scrappy little dude who kicks a dude in the face and then takes the time to dust off his shoe matter-of-factly. Thanks for finding that.

[scriver]

I've heard lots of good stuffs about the Good, the Bad and the Weird. Would enjoy a chance to see it.

[olemars]

This must happen.

I've seen a number of weird, asian movies over the years, but sadly I can remember the name of hardly any of them.

[PsyberianHusky]

This must happen.

I've seen a number of weird, asian movies over the years, but sadly I can remember the name of hardly any of them.

I can say I have seen many,
but I cannot say I have seen enough.

[Momiji Inubashiri]

Oh! Why didn't Janet tell me about this! I'm interested!

[Gunner-Chan]

Oh god she found out.