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- Evil Hits Evil | aka Three Dark Spirits (1983) Review
- Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Rothrock back for ‘Martial Arts Kid II’
- Matt Damon leaps into battle in a new ‘Great Wall’ trailer
- Deal on Fire! Shogun | Blu-ray | Only $23 – Expires soon!
| Evil Hits Evil | aka Three Dark Spirits (1983) Review Posted: 10 Oct 2016 01:23 AM PDT  “Evil Hits Evil” Korean Theatrical Poster Director: Lucifer Lai Wen-Hsiang By Paul Bramhall If you're going to watch a horror movie, then one which credits its director as Lucifer Lai Wen-Hsiang is as good a place to start as any. In what appears to be his first and last time in the director's chair, Wen-Hsiang unleashed this Taiwanese and Korean co-production onto unsuspecting audiences in the wake of the kung fu horror genres revival in Hong Kong. Thanks largely to Sammo Hung's productions such as Encounters of the Spooky Kind and The Dead and the Deadly (which was made the year prior), movies which feature as much Taoist magic as they did toe-to-toe showdowns had become a popular trend in the early 80's. While Taiwanese and Korean productions of the same elk were always considered a tier below their Hong Kong counterparts, that certainly never made them any less fun. Evil Hits Evil brings together an eclectic cast of talent. I'm not sure if there's another movie out that that features the likes of Kwan Yung-moon, Chan Sing, Robert Tai, and Doris Lung all sharing the screen together, however Wen-Hsiang appears to have used his devilish ways to make it happen. What's perhaps more surprising though, is that he decides for the majority of the runtime to keep it a straight faced horror movie, with very little kung fu action on display. While some would, understandably, cry foul at having such talents share the screen and not fully utilise their physicality, it's certainly not the first instance of kung fu stars branching out into horror territory. Shaw Brothers stars Ti Lung and Lo Lieh famously paired up for Black Magic and its sequel, and Philip Ko found himself front and center of the madness that is The Boxer's Omen, made the same year as Evil Hits Evil. The plot opens with Kwan Yung-moon arriving home to find his parents murdered by a group of six assassins, which includes an axe wielding strongman with a mohawk, and a crossdresser. The assassins have been sent by a respected government official played by Chan Sing, who couldn't tolerate Yung-moon's lowly woodcutter harbouring a crush towards his daughter, played by Doris Lung. Yung-moon also ends up being beaten and left for dead, however once he dies his spirit is unable to rest and returns to seek vengeance, which he does via possessing the body of another woodcutter played by Alan Lau, a mainstay of many 70's and 80's Taiwanese movies. All of this takes place in the opening few minutes, after which Lau becomes the plots main focus, with Yung-moon not appearing again until we get 50 minutes in. While fans of the Mad Korean will no doubt be disappointed by his prompt exit, his presence continues to be felt via Lau's possessions, and when he does reappear it's certainly worth it. As I mentioned, Wen-Hsiang chooses to focus on the horror element for most of the run-time, which actually serve to make Evil Hits Evil a refreshing piece of old-school Asian spookiness. Lau looks genuinely tormented whenever Yung-moon possesses his body, as he scratches his head wildly and the camera distorts the image onscreen. The fact that almost the whole movie takes place at night also adds to the supernatural atmosphere. What's perhaps most interesting though is the treatment of those spirits looking to seek vengeance. Essentially once Yung-moon returns as a spirit, he's treated as much as a bad guy as Chan Sing's murderous government official. As a spirit harassing the lives of the living, it quickly becomes apparent that he'll do anything to ensure he gets revenge, and pays little regard to those that get in his way. As an innocent everyman that gets murdered, it's an interesting tonal shift that suddenly sees him become a bad guy on equal footing with the character that had him murdered, and one that it appears as an audience we're supposed to willingly accept. Such a turn in events is also likely the origin of the movies English title, Evil Hits Evil. The arrival on the scene of a Taoist master, played with an energetic gusto by Robert Tai, leads to a series of Taoist rituals being conducted to try and remove Yung-moon's spirit from Lau's body, one which allows us the pleasure of briefly enjoying a Yung-moon vs. Tai face off. Unfortunately the introduction of a fake Taoist master trying to make a quick buck (think Richard Ng in Mr. Vampire Part 3), leads to a jarring comedic shift which threatens to derail the whole production. The scene involving the fake master and his assistant is overly long and a torturous affair to get through, but thankfully it doesn't last, and the characters exit the movie as quickly as they entered it. There are a couple of other comedic scenes thrown into mix, almost as if there was a comedy quota that had to be fulfilled, which stick out like a sore thumb amongst the darkness of the rest of the plot (both literally and figuratively). In one scene a pair of bandits attempt to mug a passer-by, one of them brandishing a pair of nunchucks, and the other tasked with keeping their pet Pug on a leash. Yes, before Pugs became the subject of countless Instagram accounts, one of them played a pet to a pair of bandits in a 1983 horror movie. The bandits ultimately end up being chased by a much bigger dog, which amusingly bites the arm of one of them. He then proceeds to try and get the dog to unlock its jaws by spinning in circles, but only ends up swinging it around by its teeth, like a canine version of an Olympic hammer throw. Dog lovers will likely not be impressed. I would argue that these scenes could well have been filmed separately by Nam Gi-nam in Korea, who's listed as the director on the Korean Movie Database. Gi-nam acted as a co-director on many Korean co-productions throughout his career, including the likes of New Fist of Fury, The Clones of Bruce Lee, and Ninja in the Dragons Den, so this kind of arrangement was certainly one that wouldn't be new to him. The character that really steals the show could also be Korean, as frustratingly she's not listed on any of the usual online movie databases. Later in the movie a female Taoist master shows up, dreadlocked, heavily tattooed, and wearing what can best be described as a fur leotard. Whoever she is, her character certainly leaves a lasting impression, especially in one particular scene in which she proceeds to do the splits while levitating above the ground. It's this mysterious female master who eventually coaxes Yung-moon to show himself, which leads to an entertaining showdown that involves him kicking someone's head off (for the second time in his career, the first attempt belonging to Kung Fu Zombie), as well as witnessing him chewing the glass of a fluorescent light stick. Don't ask how a fluorescent light stick ended up in a movie set during this era, but I have a feeling it was included for the simple reason to see Yung-moon eating it. During his martial arts demonstrations, Yung-moon would often smash a pair of fluorescent light sticks over his head, and then proceed to eat the glass of the smashed stubs like they were chicken legs. He wasn't called the Mad Korean for nothing. Yung-moon also gets to finally unleash some of his trademark kicks during the showdown, ensuring that those that have clocked in purely for his presence can leave feeling satisfied. Often in Evil Hits Evil though it's the smaller details leave a lingering impression. The inclusion of a black crow, that follows Lau around whenever he's possessed, pre-dates the same concept that was used in Brandon Lee's fateful final movie by a whole decade, and who wouldn't be entertained by watching steam come out of Robert Tai's head? Throw in re-animated zombies, grizzly makeup transformations, and some worthy death scenes (the final scene with Yung-moon is a killer, pun intended), and while Evil Hits Evil is far from the best horror Asia has to offer, it's still a whole lot of fun. Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6.5/10 |
| Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Rothrock back for ‘Martial Arts Kid II’ Posted: 10 Oct 2016 12:10 AM PDT  “The Martial Arts Kid” Theatrical Poster Don “The Dragon” Wilson (Bloodfist), Cynthia Rothrock (Shanghai Express) and director Michael Baumgarten will be returning for The Martial Arts Kid II, the sequel to last year’s coming of age, martial arts-themed tale (read our review). A “production meeting” photo has surfaced with Wilson, Rothrock, Baumgarten, Anita Clay (Paying Mr. McGetty) and producer, James Wilson (via FB), who has stated that the plan is to return to Florida to shoot, with filming taking place on both coasts this time around. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Jansen Panettiere (The Perfect Game), Matthew Ziff (Kickboxer: Vengeance), Kathryn Newton (Paranormal Activity 4) and Chuck Zito (True Lies) will hopefully return, given the first film’s “cliff hanger” ending that heavily involves their respective characters. The first film followed a rebellious teenager named Robbie (Panettiere) who moves to Florida to “clean up his life” by living with his Aunt (Rothrock) and Uncle (Wilson). Once there, Robbie immediately finds himself in more trouble when he stumbles upon a beautiful girl named Rina (Newton), whose boyfriend, Bo (Ziff), decides to make Robbie’s life a living hell. We’ll keep you posted on The Martial Arts Kid II’s progress as we learn more. |
| Matt Damon leaps into battle in a new ‘Great Wall’ trailer Posted: 08 Oct 2016 12:00 AM PDT  “The Great Wall” Chinese Theatrical Poster Acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of the Flying Daggers) is currently on post-production for The Great Wall, a 15th century period flick revolving around the origin and construction of the Great Wall of China. The film, which will be released in 3D on February 17, 2017 (December 2016 in China), will be Yimou's first English-language project. For those expecting a historic lesson, think again. The Great Wall is being described as a “fantasy epic,” as well as an “action blockbuster” by Zhang himself. This is what Zhang had to say about The Great Wall: (via THR): "It is an action blockbuster…The story is very important, and I have to do a lot of preparation for the various cultural elements in the film. Then comes the visual effects and action, which I like a lot. It's very different from my last film." The Great Wall stars Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones), Willem Dafoe (John Wick), Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), Jing Tian (Special ID), Zhang Hanyu (The Assembly), Eddie Peng (Rise of the Legend), Lu Han (Miss Granny), Lin Gengxin (Young Detective Dee), Zheng Kai (The Running Man), Chen Xuedong (Tiny Times 3), Huang Xuan (Blind Massage), Wang Junkai, Yu Xintian and Liu Qiong. | 1st trailer. Updates: Watch the 2nd trailer below: |
| Deal on Fire! Shogun | Blu-ray | Only $23 – Expires soon! Posted: 07 Oct 2016 12:00 AM PDT  James Clavell's Shogun | Blu-ray (Paramount) Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for James Clavell’s Shogun, starring Richard Chamberlain (Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold), Toshiro Mifune (Incident at Blood Pass) and Nobuo Kaneko (Battles Without Honor and Humanity). This critically-acclaimed 1980 mini-series, spread out on 6 Blu-ray discs, focuses on John Blackthorne (Chamberlain), an English ship pilot, whose vessel wrecked upon the Japanese coast in the early 17th century. Blackthorne is thrown in the midst of a war between Toranaga (Mifune) and Ishido (Kaneko), who struggle for the title of Shogun which will give ultimate power to the one who possesses it. Order Shogun from Amazon.com today! |
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