cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin (1979) Review
- Arrow Films to release Kinji Fukasaku’s ‘Battles Without Honour and Humanity’ Limited Edition Blu-ray Collection
- Shane Black’s ‘Predator’ sequel to ‘reinvent a franchise’
- Deal on Fire! Shaolin | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon!
- Jean-Claude Van Damme to launch a radio show?
- Killing Heat | DVD (Wild Eye Raw)
| Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin (1979) Review Posted: 14 Aug 2015 12:50 AM PDT  "Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin" Chinese Theatrical Poster AKA: Golden Gate By Paul Bramhall Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is a sure contender for having one of the greatest kung fu movie titles, and there's plenty of competition out there. However as grand a title as it is, Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is decidedly misleading. Much like Strike of Thunderkick Tiger, the opening titles would have us believe that we're about to watch a production directed by the equally dreaded and revered Godfrey Ho. For those familiar with Ho's unique style of movie distribution, using his Asso Asia Films label, it should come as no surprise that he had nothing to do with directing any part of it, nor is it a Hong Kong movie as many sources have it listed. Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is actually Ho's re-working of the 1977 Korean movie, Golden Gate, directed by Kim Seon-gyeong. Seon-gyeong was a well known action movie director in Korea, and had just a year prior made Black Dragon River, a production notable for having super kickers Casanova Wong and Hwang Jang Lee in early roles sharing the screen together. Seon-gyeong also became the go to director whenever Hong Kong productions wanted to film in Korea, often directing various scenes for the movies he was brought in for, despite rarely receiving any recognition for them in the credits. Most famously he co-directed scenes for the Shaw Brothers production Killer Constable in 1980. Golden Gate gives Casanova Wong his second lead role, after starring in Four Iron Men earlier in the same year, and is an entertaining entry into the Korean kung fu movie genre. As much as it's easy to deride Godfrey Ho for his questionable film practices, it can't be denied that often with these types of movie, the English dubs make them just as entertaining as the fight action. Under the new title of Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin (even though “Shaolin” has no connection to the plot whatsoever), some of the best lines are given to the head monk who, perhaps inspired by Star Wars which was made the same year, speaks like Yoda. Yelling at a trio of monks after a lackluster display of fighting prowess, he yells "Idiots, all of you are!" Indeed. The plot centers around the said trio of monks, two of whom are played by Korean kung-fu movie luminaries Eagle Han and Elton Chong, and their attempts to steal a golden buddha hidden somewhere in the temple that they're residing in. The trio end up teaming up with a dastardly Mongolian played by Hyun Kil-soo, sporting pig tails and dangly earrings, and what they believe to be Kil-soo's deaf mute assistant, played by Casanova Wong. Wong gets to play the role like a warm up to his ridiculous turn as a courier driven to insanity in The Master Strikes, made 3 years later. Although deaf and mute, it's also made overtly obvious that he's a complete idiot, usually found running around on all fours like a dog, or chewing on strands of his own hair. Thankfully, around the 40 minute mark, Wong gets framed as a Mongolian spy and is thrown out of the temple, at which point he reveals to Kim Chung-ran (an actress many will recognize from the early Jackie Chan flicks Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin and Half a Loaf of Kung fu) that he's neither deaf nor mute, it's been an act the whole time! It turns out that Kil-soo killed Wong's father in the past, so he's been following him around waiting for the right time to take his revenge ever since. You may ask why such a task required him to act as a deaf mute idiot, but if you do, don't expect an answer. Logic isn't the order of the day in Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin, but it's forgivable. Wong's meeting with Chung-ran is a significant one, as it turns out her father wrote a kung fu manual on how to master the Fire Fist. Learning the Fire Fist could be just what's needed to overcome Kil-soo's deadly Wind Blade technique. We get to witness the Wind Blade technique a couple of times in the movie, and I'm still not sure exactly what it does, apart from acting as a cue for some windy sound effects and a swirling sped up shot of some trees. Whatever it does though, it proves to be effective in eliminating the person going up against it. Soon Wong is bare chested on top of a mountain, busting out the moves in preparation for his revenge, with his mastery of the Fire Fist indicated by a red light being shone on to his hands, combined with cut away shots to the sun. This is visual filmmaking at its best, as it's clearly conveyed that the Fire Fist is powered by the sun. Best of all though, is that it leads to a deadly serious conversation between our heroes about the weather. How many kung fu movies out there contain a scene in which the characters discuss if it's going to be a cloudy overcast day tomorrow, of if it'll be perfect weather for a fight? Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is that movie. Of course the greatest kung fu movies never give the hero an easy ride, so fate dictates that on the day Wong decides to take his revenge, it is indeed cloudy. This is despite the fact that after this revelation, he proceeds to walk into a brightly lit field which indicates that there isn't a cloud in the sky. Thank goodness for cloud stock footage. The final 25 minutes are essentially a kicking showcase for Wong, which as a kung fu movie fan, is exactly what's required. He takes on the traitorous trio of monks, who have now grown evil moustaches and mohawks to show their ill intent, and are armed with some aesthetically pleasing exotic weaponry. Austin Wai, the brother of Kara Hui, shows up as a guest villain brandishing a pair of double swords for a lengthy duel of blade versus feet, and of course the final showdown against Kil-soo himself. One aspect of Korean kung-fu movies that I find unintentionally charming, is that they'll always attempt at least one wire assisted move which probably sounded great on paper, but ends up looking ridiculous onscreen. Magnificent Wonderman from Shaolin is no exception, so at one point Wong decides to grab a floored Kil-soo by both of his feet, and proceeds to horizontally lift him off the ground to an almost 75 degree angle, before throwing him so far his landing cuts away to a completely different area. It's goofy, but it's entertainingly goofy. Eagle eyed kung fu movie fans will also notice that the temple the finale takes place at is the same one used for the finale of The Secret Rivals, made a year prior, with the rows of animal statues leading to the entrance being the give away. For those who want a fix of Casanova Wong's kicking, the final third of the movie more than satisfies, and the rest entertains in a way that only a Godfrey Ho tampered with movie can. I lost track of the number of times a character was referred to as either an idiot or a bastard, there's a funky Hammond organ driven soundtrack which doesn't fit the setting in the slightest, and we even get the immortal line, "You're tired of living?" thrown in for good measure. It may not be magnificent, but it's far from being terrible. Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6.5/10 |
| Posted: 14 Aug 2015 12:48 AM PDT  "Battles Without Honour and Humanity" Blu-ray Collection On November 17th, Arrow Films will be releaseing Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honour and Humanity Blu-ray Collection. This limited edition collection (3000 units) includes all 6 films, plus an endless list of supplemental features. I think Arrow just made Kyle Warner’s day… The following is a press release from Arrow Films: Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) gave the world Japan's answer to The Godfather with this violent yakuza saga, influencing filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill) to Takashi Miike (Graveyard of Honor, Audition). Made within just two years, the five-film series brought a new kind of realism and ferocity to the crime genre in Japan, revitalizing the industry and leading to unprecedented commercial and critical success. Literally exploding onscreen with a mushroom cloud, and ending with Hiroshima's A-bomb Dome, the epic story of Battles Without Honour and Humanity follows over 100 characters through twenty years of gang wars, alliances, betrayals, and assassinations, in an exciting exploration of criminal power and politics in Japan. In the opening episode, ex-soldier Shozo Hirono escapes from the post-war black markets to become a key member of the Yamamori gang, but soon finds himself disillusioned by the selfish duplicity of his bosses. Hiroshima Death Match focuses on a demobilized kamikaze pilot drifting through the early 1950's, whose suicidal impulses find good use as a mob assassin. Proxy War and Police Tactics form a labyrinthine, two-part story of ambition and betrayal set against Japan's rapid economic growth of the 1960's, with Shozo caught between warring factions. Final Episode concludes the series in the 1970's as the former Yamamori gang transforms itself into an economic conglomerate called the Tensei Group, in a bid for mainstream respectability. Fukasaku and his team broke with the longstanding studio tradition of casting marquee idols as honorable, kimono-clad heroes, defending their gang bosses against unscrupulous villains, and instead adapted true accounts torn from the headlines, shot in a documentary-like style, and with few clear-cut heroes or villains. The vibrancy and dynamism of the filmmaking, plus its shocking violence, Shakespearean plotlines, and wide tapestry of characters, launched a revolutionary new genre, establishing the series as one of the great masterpieces of world crime cinema. Limited Edition Contents
The Complete Saga [Limited Edition Exclusive]
The Yakuza Papers [Limited Edition Exclusive]
Stay tuned for pre-order information. |
| Shane Black’s ‘Predator’ sequel to ‘reinvent a franchise’ Posted: 14 Aug 2015 12:40 AM PDT  "Predator" Japanese Theatrical Poster Hollywood sure loves their remakes these days, and no film is sacred – not even Chan-wook Park’s beloved Oldboy or the Pang Brothers’ Bangkok Dangerous. Still, it’s one thing for the studios to grab the remake rights to a foreign language film that, let’s face it, most American movie-goers haven’t seen. It’s another thing altogether for Hollywood to remake one of their own beloved genre pictures. That’s why news of a Predator remake in the works is so surprising. While the original Predator may have its share of cheesy one-liners, it’s regarded by most as a modern action classic. It’s a movie that many consider Arnold Schwarzenneger’s strongest effort, a movie that would most likely be called John McTiernan’s finest hour if it wasn’t for a little film called Die Hard. Still, even more surprising than the fact that Hollywood would touch the sacred cow of Predator is the news that none other than Shane Black will be directing the film. Before he made headlines for writing and directing Iron Man 3, Black was a talented writer who rose to fame on the strength of scripts like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. Alongside his meteoric rise as a screenwriter in the late Eighties, Black actually had a small supporting role in Predator as the character Hawkins; this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part was apparently a way for the producers to try and coax Black into polishing the script for Predator, a task which he repeatedly refused. All these years later, the Predator story appears to be coming full circle, as Black will write the treatment for this new Predator before directing the film itself. The real question is: what modern actor could possibly step into the combat boots made famous by Arnold Schwarzenneger – let alone the other musclebound roles ably filled by Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Sonny Landham? Considering that most of today’s stars are cast to be pretty rather than buff, it’s most likely that this new Predator will look and feel radically different than the original. Update: Co-writer/director Shane Black has confirmed that the film is actually an “inventive sequel” and not a reboot as originally thought. Now we’re left to speculate if the film will treat the events of Predator 2 (let alone 2010′s Predators) as canon or ignore everything except the ’87 original. BREAKING NEWS: According to Collider, producer John Davis says that the sequel is still happening and that the film will “reinvent a franchise.” A “genius” draft of the script is complete and was written by Black and his writing partner, Fred Dekker (Iron Man 3). |
| Deal on Fire! Shaolin | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon! Posted: 14 Aug 2015 12:39 AM PDT  "Shaolin" Blu-ray Cover Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Benny Chan’s Shaolin, starring Andy Lau. After unscrupulously killing a wounded enemy, Hou Jie (Lau) pays a terrible price for his actions and is forced to seek refuge in the same Shaolin Monastery he blatantly disrespected. The film also stars Nicholas Tse (The Bullet Vanishes), Fan Bing Bing (Flash Point), Jacky Wu (Kill Zone) and a special cameo by the legendary Jackie Chan. Some call Shaolin the best martial arts film since Ip Man. Order Shaolin from Amazon.com today! |
| Jean-Claude Van Damme to launch a radio show? Posted: 13 Aug 2015 06:06 PM PDT  "Derailed" Japanese DVD Cover From straight-to-video to straight-to-radio! Jean-Claude Van Damme (Pound of Flesh) has recently announced the launch of an “interactive” online radio show. Here’s what Van Damme posted on his Facebook page: “Coming soon, JCVDWORLD.com (a radio show)… so, make sure to go on camera and send me your videos at media@jcvd-online.com with your questions and anything you wish to say! I will do the same and send you a video reply to expose the conversation later if you want, of course.” And yes, JCVDWorld.com is being hosted by Go Daddy. Also, if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out our latest feature: Van Damme is the most 'remade' action star in the world! |
| Killing Heat | DVD (Wild Eye Raw) Posted: 13 Aug 2015 06:05 PM PDT  Killing Heat | DVD (Wild Eye Raw) RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2015 Wild Eye Raw presents the DVD for Daniel Dahl’s Killing Heat, a bloody, low budget, action packed homage to 1980s action movies. The movie was supposedly made with a two-person crew and $5,000 during a summer in Thailand. When JD is fired from his desk job his friends promise him the best vacation of his life in Thailand. But following a rowdy drunken night, JD wakes up in the jungle with no memory of how he got there – and with several locals trying to kill him. While fighting his way back to civilization, JD must figure out why he’s been targeted. | Watch the trailer. Order Killing Heat from Amazon.com today! |
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