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Post by The Mad Plumber on Jun 18, 2009 15:14:24 GMT -5
Boards don't hit back.
Martial arts is not really my most favorable of genres. My father used to rent Jackie Chan movies from the video store and I thought they were a bit silly ... which I guess was the intention. I tend to think that the genre would be beloved for the same reason kaiju films are beloved: camp value. Also, I think that modern martial arts films are lacking something that the older stock possessed. So, I would like to see if people can come up with what might be considered as the best of the martial arts genre.
Enter the Dragon (1973)
I've only seen one other Bruce Lee film. I think it was The Chinese Connection; all I could remember was that there was a lot of anti-Japanese rhetoric through it and that Lee's voice was ridiculously dubbed over. So, whether Enter the Dragon is the best of Bruce Lee's work is unknown to me, but it's one of the few I've seen and the only one I fairly like of the whole genre.
I bought a DVD release which included extra scenes not included in the theatrical release. The extra scenes mainly involved philosophies taught to Lee by one of his mentors and some backstory about the film's villain Han. I initially felt that the extra scenes were unnecessary especially since the mentor was poorly dubbed, but they're not really bad and I can live with them.
Speaking of dubbing, I did not expect at all that Shih Kien himself was dubbed over as he couldn't even speak one word of English.
I find Lee to be a very distinguished and authentic person and he possesses one of the most unique and defined physiques I have ever seen.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jun 19, 2009 0:07:33 GMT -5
Yeah, Dragon is not only his best, but one of the very best of the genre overall.
I have a man crush on Bruce Lee. I thought he was so cool and unique. I guess he had a lisp which he worked on and minimized, but I always thought, "so what", I preferred the sound of his real voice.
The Dragon DVD I have includes a great documentary about his plans for "Game of Death".
Aside from Lee I'm not big on martial arts as a whole, never got into Chan movies (aside from Shanghai Noon) But I recently watched "Chocolate" based on Laserblast recommendation and that was outstanding! It's about this autistic girl who can mimic any move. I especially dug the scene where she riffs on Bruce Lee's ice house fight from "Fists of Fury" - I'd highly recommend it.
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Post by reaperg on Jun 21, 2009 9:22:05 GMT -5
The only martial arts movies in my film collection are Sonny Chiba's Streetfighter films. Chiba was an animal, stressing brutality over Bruce Lee's finesse. Oh, what he did to that rapist in the first film....
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Post by Hoss Ragen on Jun 21, 2009 9:40:58 GMT -5
The Prodigal Son is one of the best. Funny, brutal and moving...
"LEUNG CHANG!...KUNG FU KIIIIING!"
"And Don't you ever forget it!"
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Post by Jack Burton on Jun 21, 2009 15:04:57 GMT -5
Here's some off the top of my head:
Big Trouble in Little China
The Protector
The Crippled Masters
The Story of Ricky
The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula
Drunken Master 2
Best of the Best (a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure to be sure)
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Post by McCallum on Jun 22, 2009 13:23:54 GMT -5
Master Of The Flying Guillotine - My favorite. Like a live action cartoon. One armed Kung Fu expert Jimmy Wang Yu vs. old blind master with a saw blade/hat on a chain that flies around and decapitates people (then comes back like a yo-yo). Has a guy from India with arms that can stretch out (pre-Street Fighter 'Dhalsim'). Jimmy Wang Yu gives an awesome performance (and along with his Kung Fu skills, he can walk up walls too). Must see to believe.
The Boxers Omen - Another must see to believe movie. After a kick boxing match where his brother is seriously injured, a guy is visited by an apparition telling him he must become a monk to lift a curse. Then the insanity starts: A floating brain (with spinal cord still attached) shoots lasers out of it's eyes, an army of marching bat skeletons, an evil priestess is mummified inside of an aligator, glowing red text spirals around a huge clay vase and then floats onto the body of the monk, and that's only a small sample of what goes on. This movie is a mind blower.
Gymkata - Another favorite of mine.
Good Guys Wear Black - Chuck kicks through the windshield of a moving car.
All these are worth checking out if you haven't seen them already.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jul 1, 2009 10:57:51 GMT -5
For an alternative, more modern choice, I highly recommend Kung Fu Hustle from a few years back. It's a parody of older Kung Fu films, particularly some of Bruce Lee's work, along with newer Kung Fu knock-offs like parts of the second Matrix film. It has a completely off-the-wall sense of humor, featuring everything from very broad, cartoonish slapstick to hilariously crafted satire of the genre. It also has a lot of well-done and creative fighting and features several classic Kung Fu actors and fight choreographers. Some jokes fall flat, but 90% of the film works, and it's a true modern classic in my mind.
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Post by Melkor on Apr 11, 2010 16:46:18 GMT -5
I see Boxer's Omen listed. Great movie! Be sure to check out Seeding of A Ghost which was released in the US by the same company, Image Entertainment. No martial arts, and not as good of an overall movie as Boxer's Omen, but still loads of fun, and the craziness reaches even more extreme levels than Boxer's Omen. Yes, seriously, even more crazy. The pregnancy scene has to be seen to be believed.
Here's some random favorites of mine-
Legend of a Fighter- my favorite martial arts movie! This is based on the same character Fok Yun Gap aka Huo Yuanjia that Jet Li played in Fearless. Must be seen dubbed IMO. Very R-rated dubbing, but hilarious. Directed by Woo Ping, same guy who directed the original Drunken Master, so you know there’s going to be comedy, but it is also very serious and just a great overall movie. A real tear jerker.
Shaolin vs Lama- kung fu comedy at its finest. Good story, amazing fights, and an amazing martial arts performance from the villain Chang Shan, my favorite martial arts actor.
Killer Constable- my favorite Shaw Brothers movie! Very dark movie with not the best choreography or anything, there’s hundreds of movies out there with better fighting, but placing it on this short list tells you just how great it is. The “hero” of the movie is one bad mofo. “Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
Secret Service of the Imperial Court- dark as night this one. Lots of crazy violence, great story, and, well, just too much to say about this one!
Avenging Eagle- yet another dark one. Great great story, acting, fights, characters… You name it this one has it. And probably the best shot kung fu movie ever made. Every second of every scene is beautifully filmed. All these movies need to be seen in widescreen with remastered pic quality, but with this one it is even more important than the rest.
Little Superman- from 1975 and one of the last movies that have the basic punch and block style choreography (also known as bashers, and this one is the best of all bashers.) Not a great overall movie or anything, but action packed and a long intense final fight that will leave you breathless. Not recommended if you are prone to seizures. I don’t want anyone to die while watching this. The final fight is filled with hate, my favorite kind of fights. HATE!
The Young Master- my favorite Jackie Chan movie. Make sure to get the English dubbed edited version. Original English dubbing only! It is a hilarious dub, and hilarious music that is different than the original music. Also exclusive to this version is a song Jackie sings at the end. The first time he sang in one of his movies. This is truly one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, not just in the kung fu genre. This movie also has amazing fights and a killer finale. Not to be missed if you like Jackie Chan at all!
Fist of Legend- Jet Li’s best fighting performance of his career! The Wachowski brothers said they saw this movie and had to get the action director Woo Ping to do the action in The Matrix. But don’t worry, the fights are 280 times better than The Matrix! Don’t get the Dragon Dynasty version, it is only for real collectors. It has a problem in the picture that I won’t get into. Just don’t get that version. I can’t stand it when there’s major flaws in the picture! Get the old Dimension DVD, or if you want it subbed and uncut, seek out an old VHS or VCD. I can answer any questions you ask on these movies I’ve listed, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Best of the Best- I'm very glad to see this one already listed! Bravo Jack Burton. It is easily one of my favorite American movies. Don't tell anyone this, but I start crying hardcore every time I get to the end.
5 Element Ninja- the most fun kung fu movie ever made. I like movies that don’t take themselves too seriously. This is kind of a serious, but it has lots of intentional goofiness. I’m yet to meet the person who didn’t enjoy this immensely, and all my friends except 2 despise oldschool kung fu! Everyone loves this movie! "I'll avenge your death." "I'm not dead yet."
I will try to not to talk about kung fu movies all the time here since I'm on this forum to talk MST3K, but my deep love for this genre made me post on this thread. I just couldn't pass it up!
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Post by Don Quixote on Apr 11, 2010 19:40:55 GMT -5
Breaker! Breaker! - Chuck Norris (pre-beard) is a Zen spiritualist van-driver (it's even got a cool eagle on it!) whose brother has gone missing in the small town of Texas City. He's a trucker who's been imprisoned for offenses he didn't commit, all to keep up the town's appearances while the run a moonshine racket. They also run a speed trap. The town's mayor is a corrupt man whose name you don't really hear that well. Chuck shows up, and is introduced to the town's various hillbilly stereotype characters via a crazy series of being wrongfully prosecuted. The town has a helicopter for some reason. There's a simple kid who helps out Chuck for some reason. Mishaps happen, and long story short, Chuck kicks the entire town's ass, and frees his brother, after the woman he's shtupping calls in some big-riggin' help from some truckers. A whole convoy descends on the town and knocks it down, while Chuck is beating up local law enforcement. A happy ending is abruptly implied, and we're treated to a truly awful trucker-related song over the credits.
Just caught it on IFC tonight.
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Post by ometiklon on Apr 19, 2010 18:18:54 GMT -5
Kill and Kill Again 1981.
Starring: James Ryan...a.k.a MacPhearson from Space Mutiny.
I had not seen this one since the early 80s on HBO.
By gosh it was quite alot of fun.
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Post by zombiewhacker on Jul 13, 2010 13:06:20 GMT -5
Jade Claw
Non-stop comedy and action in this affectionate rip-off of Jackie Chan's Drunken Master films.
Great training sequences, slapstick action, and lots of memorable villains.
Master Killer
Screw David Carradine. This is what the TV series Kung Fu should have been. Student trains at Shaolin, then leaves as a master and goes forth and conquers.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Not as great as many critics made it out to be, but still a solid, intelligent, well acted martial arts drama. If most chop-socky movies were made at this level, the genre itself wouldn't have such a cheesy reputation.
That's three off the top of my head.
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