88 FILMS are on fire lately. Not only did they announce a new slate of Shaw Brothers releases mere days ago, they just announced the release of two kung fu classics (and a saucy CAT III collection which I won’t touch upon here). Both are set to land this September.
It’s a great time to be alive if you’re a Hong Kong cinema fans. 88 Films have announced three new Blu-Ray releases for September 10th, including an unsung gem of kung fu cinema. The announcement includes TO KILL A MASTERMIND, THE SHADOW BOXING and THE GOLDEN LOTUS.
If you find a very, very quiet spot today – maybe a closet or a bathroom – and listen carefully, you can hear the agonizing shrieks of kung fu cinema fans’ wallets as today’s the day Arrow Video officially announced the release of SHAWSCOPE VOL. 3, their third Blu-Ray box-set of classic Shaw Brothers films.
Fist of Legend (6/24) – Everyone and their dog knows this film. Considered Jet Li’s best by many, it tells the story of Chen Zhen (also portrayed by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury) fighting off the evil Japanese. Features fight choreography from Yuen Woo Ping and a fantastic villain in the form of Billy Chow. Availaiable on both Blu-Ray and 4K UHD.
Terror Vision is doing the Lord’s work. Not only are they releasing a steady stream of rare horror gems; they’ve well and truly dipped their toes into kung fu cinema. Two months ago they released the quirky Barry Chan flick, Game of Killers, and this month we get a Blu Ray of the Yuen Siu Tien (Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow) starring old school gem, AN OLD KUNG FU MASTER. In full remastered glory, no less.
Why the controversy? The Crippled Masters stars Frankie Shum (Shun Chung-Chuen) and Jack Conn (Thomas Hong Chiu-Ming), two disabled martial artists as the titular “masters” and focuses heavily on their impairments. Whether the film celebrates inclusivity or not is purely up to the viewer, but it’s safe to assume that the film was made to cash in on the exploitation cinema of the 70’s and early 80’s.
One of the perks of writing for a website is that I get to promore my YouTube channel to our wonderful readers. If you don’t know already, I host a podcast called Fu for Thought (see what I did there?). Fu for Thought is a bi-weekly – that’s one every two weeks and not twice a week – martial arts cinema concept where I sit down with my wife, Devan, and my best bud, Cyrus, and we review a martial arts movie.
While a few snaps of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In‘s FILMART promo poster made it to Instagram yesterday, Chinese website and newspaper, Ming Pao, posted this teaser late in the day. It looks to be a no holds barred action-fest with Philip Ng taking a villainous turn as the film’s antagonist. Fans were initially wondering how physical Sammo Hung’s role would be and this teaser answers those questions by showing the big man in action!
Visit the official Quad Cinema website for more info and get your dibs on tickets!
Some of us haven’t had the experience of enjoying old school kung fu in a theatrical setting. I’m an 80s baby myself and my own fandom didn’t take shape until I was old enough to go to video stores or bear witness Dimension’s crossover releases in the 90s.
Fast forward to present day America and with what’s reportedly set to commence this year courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive in its latest partnership with Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studios for the theatrical rollout of thrity 35mm restorations this year. Variety reported the exclusive last week listing titles such as:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
The Avenging Eagle
Bastard Swordsman
Black Magic 2
Blood Brothers
The Boxer’s Omen
The Brave Archer
Buddha’s Palm
Come Drink With Me
Crippled Avengers
Dirty Ho
The Duel
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
The Five Venoms
Golden Swallow
The Heroic Ones
Holy Flame of the Martial World
Human Lanterns
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan
King Boxer
Legendary Weapons of China
Mad Monkey Kung Fu
Masked Avengers
Martial Arts of Shaolin
The Mighty Peking Man
One-Armed Swordsman
Shaolin Temple
The Super Inframan
Vengeance
The Water Margin
Release details remain pending for each title while its reasonable to believe these will likely be limited to select theaters. Apart from certain event and festival bookings one can only imagine what it would be like to live these releases on within today’s filmgoing demo.
Check back for further updates!
“We want our fans to enjoy martial arts and action films in every way they want to watch, and this is the next step in making sure they get that access,” said Jason Pfardrescher, SVP, Digital & Theatrical Distribution of Well Go USA Entertainment. He continued, “As the distribution landscape continues to evolve, it’s our responsibility to change with it.” The deal between Well Go USA and PlayStation VUE was negotiated by Eric Stein of Impact Global Media, a consulting firm focused on digital distribution strategy and business development.
A troop of monks from the Shaolin Temple embark on a mission to get the Golden Sutra to Tibet after the Shaolin Abbot is killed by their traitorous teacher. They are joined on their quest by a beautiful, female warrior – with aims to avenge her father’s death. They traverse forests and mountains on their mission, all the while fighting off deadly ninja assassins, vicious gangsters and even the undead.
The film will be Mat Sunderland‘s directorial debut with a script by Mark Pallis. The cast so far includes a growing list of meaty martial arts action talents, namely joining Cao and the Shifu with actress Zara Phythian, actors Silvio Simac and Mark Strange, co-star/action director Vincent Wang, and as of this week, UFC fighter Alex Reid.
On top of being a film fan and her on-set experience, Smith herself is also a purveyor of several martial arts styles, including Tukong Moosul – based on its roots in South Korean military commando training. And with her growing credentials in entertainment, it’s clear to see how deserving she is of this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing what happens with her future endeavors with Iron Dragon TV.
The film is an historical contribution to the martial arts action genre for modern day filmgoers, and a spiritual window into the Asian action classics of yesteryear, namely with the presence of stars like Sonny Chiba and Gordon Liu, and even made martial arts action maestro Yuen Woo-Ping a household name. Headlined by actress Uma Thurman with a stellar hit list featuring Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and late actor David Carradine who tragically passed away six summers ago, the film delivers all the glorious tropes of old-school martial arts action, Japanese anime and old-fashioned western thrills, with memorable costumes and weapons, and a story that kept fans on the edges of their seats so many years ago.
Austin, TX and Hong Kong – July 28, 2014 – El Rey Network (El Rey), maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s new genre-busting cable network, and Celestial Pictures Limited (Celestial Pictures) announced today a long-term programming partnership. The new five-year deal begins October 1, 2014, extending and expanding on an existing program licensing agreement. The new deal will provide the network with access to 255 iconic martial arts titles from the Shaw Brothers vault – the world’s leading martial arts collection, many on an exclusive basis. Financial terms were not disclosed. The parties are also in discussion on new original programming concepts.
According to the film’s IMDb page, the plot synopsis reads the following:
Keith views his time with LBP Stunts as a privilege he holds in high regard. He views his team members as some of his closest and dearest friends with whom he shares a bonding chemistry that he feels has always held them together to help accomplish great things, with a lot of memories to share along the way.
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