Kung Fu Fridays

Counterfeit Jet

2011-12-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

Yup, this is how I think of Jet Li, in a dress jacket and t-shirt... Really? This is a depiction of Jet Li? Isn't there a death sentence in China for bad wax figure sculptors? If I were Jet Li, I'd demolish this pale imitation with my fists! Here is the source for the photo, with a fluff bio piece on Li.

Jet Li poses with his wax figure in Shanghai [Photo: baidu.com]

Season's Greetings!

2011-12-26T22:31:00.003-05:00

From Hong Kong Movie News, December 1979

My eBay auctions for Dec 19th!

2011-12-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

Back with more auctions of doubles from my personal auctions. Got a couple are rarities in this lot. They might be a little pricier than some of my usual offerings, but these are so hard to find, I can't let them go at bargain basement prices. Stay tuned as there will be some steals in auctions to come. I have a wedding in January that I need to pay for, so stuff is going on the auction block!

Have a look, browse around and if the feeling hits you, BID!

My eBay page

My current auctions

when there was fun to be had at Yonge + Queen

2011-12-19T00:12:00.003-05:00

Don't care much about the headliner, but imagine seeing a Zatoichi film on the big screen!?

(from The Toronto Star, December 26 1976)

new Jackie Chan film, but am I excited...?

2011-12-16T15:03:00.002-05:00

Not sure I can get excited by this. Looks like a rehash of fights from Dragons Forever and Armor of God 2... Zzzzzz

Keanu-Fu

2011-12-16T11:29:00.003-05:00

From Film Business Asia comes this news: Universal boards Reeves' Man of Tai Chi.

Reeves will also appear in front of the camera, though the star will be Tiger CHEN 陳虎, a martial artist who previously worked on The Matrix with both Reeves and Village Roadshow.

The contemporary, Beijing-set story is the "spiritual journey of a young martial artist (Tiger Chen), whose fighting skills brings him to a realm opportunities and painful choices."

Sounds curious and not passing any judgment on this one yet...

Run Run Shaw Announces Retirement at Age 104

2011-12-09T08:57:00.005-05:00

Legendary producer, Run Run Shaw, co-founder of Shaw Studios, has announced that he will step down from his position of Chairman at TVB, Hong Kong's biggest television company (which he also co-founded) on December 31st.

Shaw's contributions to film and television are nearly untouchable, and my love of film would most certainly be a much more pretentious and less enjoyable beast without his work. I'm beyond thankful for his films. If anyone deserves their retirement, it's him.

ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR!!!

Source: Bloomberg.com

Attention casting agents!

2011-12-08T18:31:00.001-05:00

Just found a bunch of photos that were scanned for my old film zine Asian Eye and there are some goodies in that folder. Like this one. AMAZING! The buddy cop film we never knew we needed...

lastest batch of my auctions (ending Dec 4)

2011-12-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Back with more auctions from my personal Hong Kong movie poster collection!

Thanks to all those who bid on last week's auctions! Your posters are in the mail and I am off to a good start adding to the nest egg for my wedding in January.

All the following auctions are of various doubles from my collection and there are some fine and rare posters here, if I don't say so myself!

Several auctions feature "Buy It Now" pricing for the impatient collectors. Have a look, browse around and if the feeling hits you, BID!

My eBay page
My current auctions

vintage buddha palm blast on eBay!

2011-12-01T12:38:00.001-05:00

As I was rooting through the various eBay listings for Hong Kong movie posters, I stumbled across these amazing stills for old Hong Kong swordplay fantasy films from the 50s & 60s. ANIMATED MARTIAL ARTS SUPER POWERS ARE GO! These rare stills feature actors Yu So Chau, Tso Tat Wah, Lau Hark Suen (wo starred in over 460 films!) and Yu Lai Jan in a number of unidentified films, but one seems to be from one of the entries in the Buddha's Palm series. Do I buy myself a Christmas present now?

One of these framed on the walls of the temple would we a great way to start off the New Year...

Auction

My eBay Auctions Nov 20-27

2011-11-21T13:17:00.001-05:00

As some of you devoted blog disciples may know, I occasionally put up eBay auctions of items from my personal Hong Kong movie poster collection, but it has been some time since I listed anything. Well, I have a wedding in January that I need to pay for, so back in the auction ring I go!

All the following auctions are of various doubles from my collection and there are some fine posters here, if I don't say so myself! I hope to list new auctions every week and will soon be listing some mega-rare lobbycard sets!

Starting bids for some of the posters start at $2.99 and I have a few auctions with "Buy It Now" pricing. Have a look, browse around and if the feeling hits you, BID!

My eBay page

My current auctions

Two heads are BETTER than one

2011-11-14T13:58:00.001-05:00

Found on eBay:
custom A BETTER TOMORROW 1/6 Action figure head SET

RIP Ricky Hui

2011-11-12T20:12:00.001-05:00

I've been archiving my posters today (an ongoing task) and game across the poster for Games Gamblers Play which made me realize I didn't share the news of Ricky Hui's passing this week. I have a fondness for him as he starred in Mr. Vampire, which was one of my entry points to Hong Kong cinema. Watching him then, little did I realize his contribution to Hong Kong comedy and of course the relation to his other entertainer brothers, Michael and Sam.

Here is a selection of only a few of the Ricky Hui images I have in my collection.

Rest in peace Ricky.

Read the asiaone story for more details.

Lost Secrets of The Royal

2011-11-12T19:09:00.001-05:00

I just came back from the reception at A-Space Gallery for "Lost Secrets of The Royal" that showcased two of four installations made from odd reels of 35mm Hong Kong films that I rescued from Toronto's The Royal cinema back when it was the Chinese cinema, The Golden Princess.

While I donated many of the complete prints to the University of Toronto, but with the odd and incomplete reels, I donated it to the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) with the stipulation they be used and recycled. The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, of which I sit on the advisory board, commissioned four installtions with LIFT that were unveiled at this week at the festival. You can read more about it here.

I really loved the two pieces, "SNAKE'S SHADOW" and "OFFICER TUBA MEETS THE HAPPY GHOST" Both artists "got it" in my opinion. Well done! If in Toronto, go see it! I hope to post more photos from the show later this week.

Fists of Muck

2011-11-02T22:35:00.000-04:00

Improved Guillotines?

2011-10-24T16:38:00.003-04:00

Via Twitch comes this poster for the Peter Chan produced reworking of The Flying Guillotine. Not crazy about the Transformers-like font and isn't that just a sword...? The cast is less than impressive, but then that is just me being woefully nostalgic.

Towering Adventure!

2011-10-07T15:05:00.000-04:00

Behind the Scenes Video of 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER

2011-09-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

Check out this great behind the scenes video of the making of 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER, featuring Lau Kar-leung having Gordon Liu perform an action scene over and over again until they get it right--both of them sweating with stress and concern. You also get to see LKL's sweet ride, and multiple young fighters audition for a role in the film.

No English subs but it's still fascinating stuff.

Thanks to Blake for posting it on Facebook!

Hong Kong Movie Posters: Kung Fu Zombie - Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui (198...

2011-08-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hong Kong Movie Posters: Kung Fu Zombie - Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui (198...: Wa Yat-Wang

kill bill fantasy!

2011-06-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

Yours for only $62US on ebay!

Kill Bill /Kung Fu Master Fancy Dress Costume Catsuit-M

Hot Kill Bill-style Kung Fu Master costume.

Brand new.

It is a yellow and black stretch catsuit which moulds to your body shape and has bootleg-cut legs - also features a very handy hidden zip around the crotch so you do not have to remove the entire catsuit for bathroom breaks - or for any other purpose!

It is tagged as a Medium and due to the two-way stretch is recommended for an Australian size 8 to a small size 14 (US size 4-10 / UK size 6-12), but please see the below measurements for specific fit.

The approximate measurements are:

Bust - 86-118cm / 34-46.5 inches
Waist - 74-108cm / 29-42.5 inches
Hip - 90-124cm / 35.5-49 inches
Length (neck to crotch) - 68cm / 27 inches
Leg Inseam - 78cm / 31 inches

evil cat scratch fever (凶貓)

2011-06-24T10:37:00.000-04:00

Time for a little Evil Cat (凶貓)! Nope, not a YouTube video of someone's pet running amuck, but a fun little horror film starring Shaw Brothers director Liu Chia-Liang (who also served as the film's action director) and Mark Cheng. It's been a long time since I saw it, but I remember it as a fun mix of Eastern superstition topped with kung fu action. HK comedy/trash king Wong Jing penned and stars in it and it was directed by Dennis Yu, who had a short run as a horror film director after debuting with the brutal and violent revenge film The Beasts (1980) and The Imp (1981). (Photos from my collection)

quote of the day

2011-06-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

"I used to love Hong Kong. I had hopes for it, and that’s why I was constantly critical. Now I just hate it. I look at the younger generation, young couples hugging teddy bears in the street—what hope do we have?" - Anthony Wong, actor

(via HKMDB Daily News)

My Neighbours Are Phantoms

2011-06-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

A random lobbycard from one of the early Hong Kong ghost comedies that I rented when I started going into Chinatown video stores. I think I still have a dub of this somewhere on VHS! Some good ghostly boob jokes in this one!

Haven't posted for awhile as I have been pre-occupied with other jobs and projects including this one that I will be detailing over on my other blog: http://spiltpopcorn.blogspot.com/2011/06/spooling-up.html

name this poster....

2011-05-30T16:40:00.000-04:00

Trying to identify some of the posters in my collection and looking for an English name for this one. Anyone got any ideas?

cash for films

2011-05-01T20:58:00.001-04:00

In the the "out of touch with the market price" dept, I found this seller on eBay selling 2 full 35mm prints of two Hong Kong films for $600 each. EACH! Yikes! And these titles are not exactly in demand. Okay, The Tigers would be cool, but Lung Fung Restaurant? Well, there are some fanatical Stephen Chow fans, but...

If you care to bid, here you go:

The Tigers

Lung Fung Restaurant

Lung Fung Restaurant

The Tigers

A young Tony Leung and Andy Lau in The Tigers

not many took a liking to these balls...

2011-05-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

An ad from a mainstream US magazine circa 1973. Click on photo to enlarge.

From Here To There

2011-04-26T14:29:00.000-04:00

Muscles sore from moving 21 35mm prints (each weighing 45lb-50lbs) from the old storage space to the new one. Thank God I have an accupuncture appointment for Thurs.

My new address has far less charm than the old digs but I'll spruce it up and get those portraits up on the wall somehow!

Moving Day

2011-04-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

Spent a good part of the day moving my posters, boxes of video tapes & paper film ephemera and 35mm film prints to a new storage space. Nothing says "I Love HK Cinema" more than moving 50lb boxes of films including Taoism Drunkard, Sword of Many Loves, Robotrix, Prodigal Son, and Eastern Condors. Goodbye 253 College Street.

VHS - vertical hold sucker

2011-04-25T16:42:00.001-04:00

This is fantastic.

From The Scandy Tangerine Man's Tumblr

Not Showing....

2011-04-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

The Far East Theatre at Dundas and Spadina in Toronto. Today.

is that you... Bruce?

2011-04-24T18:17:00.000-04:00

Found today on ebay:

MASK - CHINESE BRUCE LEE KARATE KUNG FU MASTER MOVIE

It can be yours for only 99 cents starting bid plus shipping from China.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/MASK-CHINESE-BRUCE-LEE-KARATE-KUNG-FU-MASTER-MOVIE-/140536709417?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b8a40129#ht_882wt_1062

who's a Big Rascal? (大惡客)

2011-04-17T18:28:00.000-04:00

A blurry photo from my poster collection and an playbill that was up for sale on eBay. Plus the opening credits!

put the needle on the record

2011-04-14T12:19:00.000-04:00

I am expecting it to be middle of the road or crap, but I am looking forward to watching Robert "Enter The Dragon" Clouse's Golden Needles that I just got a copy of. Let's just see how Joe Don Baker is as a hero (and a lover, yikes!), the evil menace of Burgess Meredeth's bow tie, Roy Chiao's sinister sulk, all set to a score by Lalo Schifrin.

And as a reward for getting to the end of this post, go grab some free soul music from one of my favourite blogs, Funky 16 Corners!

Sounds of ZU

2011-04-13T12:11:00.000-04:00

Had to get into the storage space to rescue a film print and found this!

blood blood blood

2011-02-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

Frankie Chan is BACK!

2011-02-10T04:15:00.000-05:00

From www.filmbiz.asia

Jackie Chan's (成龍) Jackie & JJ Productions has added big-budget martial arts action film Legendary Amazons (楊門女將) to its sales slate at Berlin's European Film Market.

Shooting under the direction of Frankie Chan (陳勳奇) is underway in Inner Mongolia and will wrap this month, setting up delivery for summer or early autumn.

The story is derived from a series of books and plays referred to as Generals of the Yang Clan (楊家將) and recounts the unflinching loyalty of four generations of warriors from one Northern Han family. It has twice been made as TV series aired by rival Hong Kong free-to-air broadcasters TVB and ATV (1998). It is also the basis for a rival film project directed by Ronny Yu (于仁泰).

Chan's $16 million Amazons (previously titled Lady Generals of the Yang Family) boasts the biggest role in several years for Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝), the actress who until hit by a sex scandal, regularly polled as one the favourite HK leading ladies among foreign audiences. It also stars martial arts legend Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩). Other leading roles go to Ritchie Ren (任賢齊), Liu Xiaoqing (劉曉慶) and Xiao Mingyu (肖明玉). Martial arts action is choreographed by Wu Bin (吳彬), a mentor to Jet Li (李連杰).

Production is through Jackie Chan International Cinema and Jackie & JJ Productions, which will be operating from Berlin's Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Its slate includes other Jackie Chan-produced titles; historical epic 1911 (now in post-production), contemporary romantic comedy The Break-up Artist (分手達人) and last year's Jackie Chan-starring epic Little Big Soldier (大兵小將).

Frankie Chan is a veteran director and music arranger. Amazons will mark his first film in cinemas since youth drama IQ Dudettes (辣椒教室) in January 2000.

The Grandmasters in Berlin

2011-02-10T04:11:00.000-05:00

Best sight in Berlin at the European Film Mmarket so far... Tony Leung. Wong Kar-wai. Kung fu. BRING IT!

kicking into 2011

2011-01-03T12:03:00.000-05:00

Trying my best to kick start this year. Been a little preoccupied with other stuff of late, but one of them now has a bigger, online presence: ActionFest

Spent most of the holidays working on that site. Please spread the news of it with Twitter, FaceBook, etc. Currently working on the line-up for the 2011 edition.

Meanwhile, this film's tagline is my anthem for 2011!

a collectors item?

2010-12-31T22:43:00.000-05:00

Look what my mom still has! A t-shirt I made of the cover of the 2nd (and last issue) of my HK film zine ASIAN EYE.

An old Christmas card that kicked ass!

2010-12-31T12:49:00.000-05:00

Surly I have blogged this in the past, but it is worth pulling out every year. This is a Christmas card I made up several years ago and sent out to friends. I think I did it around 1994-97? Foggy on when it went out, but it was a good one. It has been years since I sent out Christmas cards, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to do that for 2011!

poster a day #25 - The Hunter, the Butterfly and the Crocodile (1976)

2010-12-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

I have been neglecting my duties here in the temple and rather than just doing a quick sweep of the temple's floors, I am going to do a little wax on and wax off. While I do that, enjoy more than just a poster, but some photos of some of the rare lobbycards in my collection for this early Chow Yun-Fat flick, The Hunter, the Butterfly and the Crocodile (1976), from the director of one of my fave flicks, Seeding of a Ghost (1983). In fact, it looks like director Richard Yeung Kuen liked Chow so much, he went on to cast him in his 1977 production, Hot Blood.

and speaking of Devil Fetus...

2010-11-21T13:29:00.001-05:00

Here is a review from when a print of Devil Fetus ran in Winnipeg in 2008 (click to enlarge):
And I could link to a clip off the DVD, but instead, here is camcorder footage off the screen when it played in at the Sitges Fantastic Fest a few years ago. Beware! Spoilers!

name this movie!

2010-11-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

Got some new posters from a trade I did with a collector in Taiwan and one of the fab scores was this oddity, but I have no idea what it is. At first I thought it might be for Devil Fetus, but looking at the characters for Devil Fetus, clearly not a match. Anyone help out here?

Mystery poster

Close-up of the logo of my mystery poster

Poster for Devil Fetus

Wong Tin-lam passes away (1927-2010)

2010-11-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

You might not know the name, but if you have seen some of Johnnie To's films in the past 10 years, you just might recognize Wong Tin-lam from his roles in The Mission and Election 1 & 2. Wong was a respected director who made Cantonese cinema in the 1950s and then moved to TV in the 1970s and ended up writing many of TVB's most popular series including Legend of the Condor Heroes. It was in TV that Wong Tin-lam made another great mark on the cultural landscape, as the mentor for the young assistant directors working under him including Johnnie To and Ringo Lam. And of course, his other great contribution to Hong Kong pop culture - he is Wong Jing's dad.

For more info, read the obit over at HKMDB Daily News (for more photos) and at Asian Film Business.

Ringo Lam and Johnnie To with mentor Wong Tin-lam

The cast of Johnnie To's Election in Cannes

Father and Son: Wong Jing and Wong Tin-lam

run baby run: Fatal Termination

2010-11-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

I've been absent from blogging, but the other day I was working on archiving my poster/lobbycard collection and came across this gem of a lobbycard that I had to share. It's from Fatal Termination, a film with a WILD stunt scene that I have posted about before. This picture says it ALL. I also scanned a newspaper ad for the film and at the bottom is a YouTube clip of the film for you to experience the mayhem.

Footage from Tsui Hark's Dragon Tiger Gate 3D!

2010-10-25T15:31:00.000-04:00

Here's some behind the scenes footage of the filming of Tsui Hark's new Dragon Tiger Gate 3D. The best part of the segment is that there's some assembled footage from the actual film at the end, which looks pretty dang exciting.

Check it out here!

via Wild Grounds' Twitter account.

La fureur du juste!

2010-10-25T13:16:00.000-04:00

JCVD intros EAGLE'S PATH

2010-10-22T14:44:00.000-04:00

From Cannes in May, some video I shot of JVCD introducing Eagle's Path, the new film he wrote, produced and directed. Sorry for the crap audio.

TONIGHT! IP MAN 2 at The Toronto Underground Cinema

2010-10-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry. I know it is late notice and all, BUT if you are in Toronto, come on down to the Toronto Underground Cinema tonight at 9:30pm for an assortment of vintage kung fu coming attractions and then the main feature of IP MAN 2, all on glorious 35mm film! Click here to learn more.

Tsui Hark + Jet Li in 3-D!

2010-10-11T05:09:00.000-04:00

I'm super excited about this news, especially after how much I liked Detective Dee & The Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

Li, Tsui reunite for new Dragon picture

Yup, Dragon Gate Inn 3-D!

Read the full story by our friends over at Film Business Asia.

Oct 22nd - IP MAN 2 plays Toronto!

2010-10-03T17:40:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for details...

Five Fingers of OUI

2010-08-30T13:43:00.001-04:00

A review of FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH from the July 1973 issue of oui.

pulp kung fu graffiti

2010-08-23T10:53:00.000-04:00

From several different sources including Apartment Therapy and Croatian Times, but the Daily Express seems to have the most complete story, on the discovery of a martial arts novel written on the walls of an abandoned home.

"The story is entirely written in Chinese lettering and also includes illustrations.
Unfortunately however, no one knows who wrote the book, or why they did it.
But now the story has become a massive online hit after one fan uploaded photographs of the novel on the internet.
One excerpt reads: 'I was 17… I have reactions like lightning, hearing like a bat, my vision is like a hawk, and I am as strong as a general.'"

Thanks to Hal Kelly for pointing this out to me.

the good ship Mayfair

2010-08-16T09:58:00.001-04:00

Behold, the Mayfair Theatre in Ottawa! 'Twas a Chinatown cinema and is now a cool and fun rep cinema run by the kung fu cinema king of the nation's capital, Lee Demarbe! Check out what they do here!

your ticket to ACTION!

2010-08-14T18:57:00.001-04:00

Found stuck in an old film can...

RZA's got the fists

2010-07-15T10:52:00.000-04:00

If you are either a hip-hop/kung fu/horror/Bear Jew/QT fan, you might have read some online buzz about Man With The Iron Fist, the RZA directed and Eli Roth/Quentin Tarantino produced film that is set to shoot in Chna in September.

I recently came across these two "trailers" on YouTube for RZA vs The Golden Phoenix, which looks like RZA's tests for his feature. Further investigation had uncovered these behind the scenes videos with RZA working out shots and sequences with kung fu cinema veterans, including fight choreographer Robert Tai (Chinatown Kid; Crippled Avengers; Five Venoms; Ten Tigers of Kwantung; and The Kid with the Golden Arm) and actor Chi Kuan-Chun (Men from the Monastery; Five Shaolin Masters; Shaolin Martial Arts; Disciples of Shaolin; Shaolin Temple). So the question now is, are these the masters he will be using for Iron Fist...?

Behind the scenes amateur doc for Golden Phoenix

Part 2 (has some brief but cool aerial wirework stuff)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepnHQBeEQE

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bIE8SeEMMs

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEVzQ3EjjQ

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cLvOharaik

your teeth are in my congee

2010-07-13T18:44:00.000-04:00

How I love the Mr. Vampire movies...

drunk and disorderly

2010-06-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

I want this poster!

'70s Print Ads

2010-05-31T14:17:00.000-04:00

I came across some ads in back issues of the International Film Guide that I thought were neat, and scanned them. Excuse the scan quality on a couple of them.

with a funky score, anything is possible

2010-05-31T11:54:00.000-04:00

And here is an LP cover from some other Bollywood knuckle duster:

it's all in the hands...

2010-05-31T10:27:00.000-04:00

rock with Asianada!

2010-05-30T13:09:00.000-04:00

Years ago, I did an interview with Teddy Robin Kwan when he was at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of Temptation of a Monk, the Clara Law film he produced. Before becoming an actor and producer, in the 1960s he was in a popular band called Teddy Robin & The Playboys. During our chat he told of being in a rock band in the 70s that toured Canada and took him to places such as Thunder Bay. Well, a photo has surfaced of that band! Behold:

ASIANADA!

Broken Cheung Chau cinema dreams

2010-05-30T12:58:00.000-04:00

Found over at Yvonne's blog Webs of Significance, a great roaming camera blog that breaks out of HK's urban confines, comes these pics of a closed cinema in Cheung Chau. It might be familiar to contemporary HK film fans as a location from Riley Yip's Just One Look. I've overlooked that film and now from reading up on it, I need to seek as I am intrigued by how it sounds like a love letter to HK cinema from the 60s/70s plus has some of my favourite actors including Anthony Wong and Eric Kot.

late notice: FREE HK double bill May 29th

2010-05-28T12:53:00.000-04:00

As some of you Kung Fu Fridays regulars will know, I had amassed a decent collection of 35mm prints of Hong Kong feature films over the years, rescuing them from closed Chinatown cinemas and in some cases, from the garbage. In March I donated a number of those prints to the University of Toronto and this Saturday, they are holding a FREE screening of two of the films to celebrate the donation. In between the two films will be a discussion about the films and their directors, plus a dim sum snack will be served! If you want to beat the heat, what better way to do so than by sharing in laughs and chills from two rarely screened Hong Kong films! And again, it's F-R-E-E!

Hoping to see some of the familiar faces from Kung Fu Fridays out for the evening!

Colin

(FREE!) HONG KONG FILM RETROSPECTIVE DOUBLE BILL / ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH Restless Spirits: Ronnie Yu and Ringo Lam's 1980S Ghost Comedies

Saturday May 29
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Innis Town Hall
Innis College at the University of Toronto
2 Sussex Avenue (south of Bloor at St. George)

FREE ADMISSION - Registration is strongly encouraged!
Please arrive early - First come first seated
Link for Registration: http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=9010

Colin Geddes will launch his donation of Asian films to U of T with fun and prizes

Schedule
3:30 Doors open
4:00 - Film Screening - ESPIRT D'AMOUR
6:00-7:30 Panel on Hong Kong Films with Bart Testa (Professor of Cinema Studies) and Colin Geddes (International Programmer, TIFF & Ultra 8 Pictures), and moderated by Peter Kuplowsky [Dim sum snack will be provided]
8:00 - Film Screening - THE OCCUPANT

4:00PM - Film Screening

ESPRIT D’AMOUR
1983 / 35MM / Hong Kong / English Subtitle / 98 min
Director. Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
Cast: Alan Tam Wing-Lun, Joyce Ngai Suk-Kwan, Cecilia Yip Tung, Bill Tung Biu, Billy Lau Nam-Kwong, Phillip Chan Yan-Kin

Supernatural romance and shenanigans abound in Esprit D'Amour, a funny and even tragic romance directed by master filmmaker Ringo Lam (City On Fire, Full Contact). Alan Tam is Ming, a mousy insurance agent engaged to spitfire fiancee Ivy (Cecilia Yip). When investigating the death of the young and pretty Siu Yu (Joyce Ni), Ming meets and falls in love with Siu Yu's spectral form. Siu Yu wants her life insurance delivered to her beneficiary (a five year-old boy), and the charmed Ming is only too happy to go along. But falling in love with a ghost is sure to arouse some suspicion, and when the scheming Ivy catches on, Ming's ghost-man love affair may be in jeopardy. Mixing romance, comedy, drama, and a touch of supernatural tragedy, Esprit D'Amour is wildly entertaining and compelling example of Hong Kong cinema entertainment.

ESPRIT D’AMOUR Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB7Y1XVDRUY

8:00PM - Film Screening

THE OCCUPANT
1984 / Hong Kong / English Subtitle / 96 min
Director. Ronny Yu
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Sally Yeh, Raymond Wong, Lo Lieh

Five years before their now-classic romantic pairing in The Killer, Sally Yeh and Chow Yun-Fat starred in this 1984 horror-comedy hybrid from director Ronny Yu (The Bride with White Hair, Fearless). Yeh stars as a wide-eyed Canadian college student named Angie, who comes to Hong Kong to do some field research for her study of Chinese superstitions. She gets a bit more than she bargained for when she rents an apartment haunted by the spirit of a spurned singer. As if fending off ghosts wasn't bad enough, Angie also has to deal with the unwanted affections of a sleazy con-man (Raymond Wong, All's Well Ends Well), as well as the sweet-talking detective (Chow) who vows to solve her supernatural case. Chow requires a little otherworldly help of his own after Angie's body is taken over by the ghost, who's hell-bent on reenacting the murder-suicide that ended her life. The Occupant's evenhanded mix of Creepy and Crazy foreshadows Yu's later work on American horror flicks like Bride of Chucky, and although Chow is operating largely in comedic mode, his role as a fearless police detective looks forward to his later heroic bloodshed collaborations with John Woo. But this is Sally Yeh's show, and her wonderful split-personality performance as a naive student of the supernatural possessed by the ghost of a sultry singing chanteuse is what ultimately makes the film a success. (synopsis from www.yesasia.com)

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Hire this man!

2010-05-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

And in the bottom of that last story I linked to:

Interestingly, while Chan's celebrity parents have spared no expense to make their son happy, one of Jackie Chan's former employees, William Duen, claimed they were misers and mistreating their employees.

Duen claimed that the kungfu star fired his former right-hand man, Kenneth Lo, right after he appointed his wife Lin as head of his two entertainment firms JCE Movies and JC Group.

Duen, who was also fired after Lin's appointment, accused Jackie Chan of being "a heartless boss" when he spoke to Hong Kong reporters last week.

Lo, 50, had been working with Jackie Chan for 30 years but apparently received just HK$100,000 (S$18,000) in compensation when he was dismissed last year.

Lo, who had no other experience other than being a martial artist and bodyguard, is reportedly still unemployed.

Not meaning to bash Jackie, but there is also this story: Jackie Chan a ruthless boss?

And here is a fan tribute to Ken Lo, bodyguard and an astounding and underrated martial arts actor:

Jackie Takes The Glove

2010-05-28T12:04:00.001-04:00

"Action superstar Jackie Chan has bought one of Michael Jackson's silver gloves for US$250,000 (S$352,000) for his son Jaycee Chan at a charity auction, reported Hong Kong media."

And in related webcrawling, here is a pic of Jackson in costume when he visited the Shaw Brothers Studio on a trip to Hong Kong in 1987. (via shawbrothersreloaded.com)

And then there is also the lifesize Bruce Lee statue in MJ's private arcade wearing his owner's hat.

GALLANTS trailer rocks the old school style

2010-05-05T12:07:00.000-04:00

Glorious tribute to old school kung fu comedies. It took HK long enough to do this! I missed this in HK and can't wait to catch up with it.

Police-Woman Fights with Jacky Chan

2010-04-28T21:44:00.001-04:00

Super rare poster! Anyone know what this actually is?

DREAM HOME in NYC

2010-04-25T17:36:00.001-04:00

If you missed the world premiere at the Undine Far East Film Festival and are in the NYC area, be sure to check out Pang Ho-Cheung's Dream Home, easily the bloodiest film in the line-up at the Tribeca Film Festival.

It's a gruesome throwback to the Category 3 films of the early 90s that had social commentary on local HK issues buried amongst the sleaze and the violence. Starring Josie Ho (Exiled) the film has stand-out brutal set pieces choreographed by one of my favourite, if not one of the most underrated HK stunt people, Chin Kar-lok. I got to see a very rough version of this last summer and was impressed, but am curious to know how the new cut is following a legal battle regarding editing between the director and his actress/producer Josie Ho. A good pal of mine, Fred Ambroisine recently interviewed Josie Ho for his site Action Queens.

Dream Home plays tonight at Tribeca and has more screenings throughout the week.

I have embedded the trailer (via Twitch) below.

Sun, Apr 25, 10:00PM - SVA Theater 2
Mon, Apr 26, 9:30PM - Village East Cinema 6
Tue, Apr 27, 9:30PM - Village East Cinema 6
Fri, Apr 30, 11:45PM - Village East Cinema 2

in the land of Chuck

2010-04-16T12:56:00.001-04:00

Reporting from the field! Currently in Asheville, NC to serve on the jury of the first edition of Action Fest. A little groggy from a long day of travel that included a 30 minute dentition in Toronto at the airport by US Homeland Security that made me miss my initial flight, but ready for action! Going to explore the town then check some films, but the highlight of the weekend is the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to Chuck Norris! And somehow, I have been given the privilege of moderating a panel discussion with Chuck and his stuntmen on Sunday! However did that manage to happen. More to follow.

want to put Donnie Yen in your fist?

2010-03-31T03:15:00.000-04:00

3am, back in Toronto and suffering the jetlag from the HK trip. Went to Ap Lei Chau to get away from the hordes of rugby fans and there was no internet in my guest house, so hence the lack of posts. Expect a flurry of catch up posts. Meanwhile from my pal King who is still on the ground in HK: IP MAN Donnie Yen Wing Chun Bruce Lee Action Figure 1/6

in HK: IP MAN 2 press conference

2010-03-22T06:02:00.000-04:00

Stopped at my hotel to quickly change into fancy duds for the Asian Film Awards tonight, but wanted to share these snaps. In HK for Filmart and the HKIFF and today I was one of the few gweilos at the press conference for the upcoming IP MAN 2. No Sammo in sight, but Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen where there along with producer Raymond Wong and the film's lead actress. I know Wilson from when I presented his films at the Toronto International Film Festival over the years and he was happy to see me. Wish I could fill you all in on the gossip and trivia that the joked about from the stage, but the conference was in Chinese and Mandarin, two languages that I have no skills in. More photos from other HK escapades to come!

arrived in HK + ready to SING!

2010-03-19T22:56:00.001-04:00

From my buddy Jesse comes this musical clip from a Tamil movie showcasing HK in the early 80s! About to hike off to the HK Film Archive hoping to see Patrick Lung Kong's Prince of Broadcasters (1966).

future cops vs future x-cops

2010-03-14T18:51:00.000-04:00

Oh, Wong Jing! You've just suckered me into wanting to watch another one of your dreadful movies! Winged baddies versus Andy Lau super future crime busting police man! Will I need to backtrack and catch up with your video game comedy Future Cops? And do you have a contract over Andy Lau's soul that makes him continue to star in your films?

Future Cops / 超級學校霸王 (1993)
(literally Title: Super-School Tyrant)

Future X-Cops / 未來警察 (2010)

HK poster a day #24 - Yugoslavian dragons

2010-03-14T18:40:00.001-04:00

Three Yugoslavian posters for Hong Kong kung fu films.

Donnie Yen gets to wax on wax off

2010-03-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Found this over at the news section of the HKMDB:

Action star Donnie Yen will have his wax figure displayed at Madame Tussaud's Hong Kong next month, the wax museum announced on Thursday.

Let the comments about his acting start...

Jackie Chan pulls up his HK roots

2010-03-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

I bookmark lots of blogs, forget about them and then rediscover them sometimes a year later or so when I clean up all those tagged sites. Re-discovered Hong Konger YTSL's blog "Webs of Significance" in the days leading up to my trip and it is getting me excited to go back, plus the fact that I have three days with no biz commitments!

This March 7th post of from her blog points out the fact that Jackie Chan has closed his landmark office in Kowloon Tong to move to Beijing, and the building is slated for demolition.

pic from http://webs-of-significance.blogspot.com/2010/03/jackie-chans-waterloo.html

She also points out the fact that most Hong Kong residents don't think to much of him after making some controversial political comments where he kowtowed to Mainland China and that he recently came, "dead last out of 80 candidates in a poll of most versus least trusted people in Hong Kong."

Check her blog for more deets and poke around for photos of HK from her viewpoint.

getting ready for my HK trip

2010-03-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

Off to Hong Kong on Thursday, so busy getting ready for the trip. Have few posts that I want to pop up here, but very pre-occupied at the moment...

a tip of the hat

2010-03-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

Never saw these circulating when the film came out, but now I can buy one on eBay for $29.99

Rare Kung Fu Hustle 2005 Promotional Folding Top Hat

oh, that "Little Lizad"

2010-03-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Read over at the "Daily News" section of the HKMDB, a little news blip that Andy Tsang Tak-Wah, the Eddie Deezen of Hong Kong, known for walk on roles or as the guy complaining about a VCD he bought in Bio-Zombie or as food delivery boy in lift in Bullets Over Summer, has been jailed for raping a 15-year-old girl he lured through the internet.

"Andy Tsang Tak-wah, 31, nicknamed the "little lizard" and claiming to be a casual actor and owner of a modeling company, was found guilty of rape in the High Court last month.

Sentencing the accused yesterday, Deputy High Court Judge Patrick Li Hon-leung said Tsang - who made brief appearances in a handful of local movies and had a one-line talking role in Stephen Chow Sing-chi's 1998 film The Lucky Guy - played up his acting experience to cheat others and had shown no remorse or shame for his act.

"You are, basically, not an actor at all. As for your modeling business, it's very likely it too is a pack of lies aimed at bluffing and deceiving others," Li said."

"In mitigation, the defense counsel said a psychological report showed Tsang "has been living in his own world" and had convinced himself he was part of the entertainment business."

I am going to Hong Kong in a few weeks and curious to talk to some people I know who worked with him to get more back story on what seems to be a rather deluded life in showbiz...

Do your part! (PSA)

2010-03-03T14:01:00.000-05:00

Best radio station ever!
Freeform!
Listen to the archives!
So many possibilities!
Support them in their pledge drive!

&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://wfmu.org/marathon/pledge.php" target="_blank"&amp;gt;&amp;lt;img height="156" width="150" src="http://wfmu.org/marathon/images/tl/insta_marathon_badge_150x156.png" alt="Pledge to the WFMU Marathon!" border="0" style="padding: 6px 6px 6px 6px; margin:0;"&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;

HK poster a day #23 - Night Caller / 平安夜

2010-03-01T16:35:00.001-05:00

Night Caller / 平安夜 (1985)
Director: Phillip Chan Yan-Kin
Script: Phillip Chan Yan-Kin
Action Director: Billy Chan Wui-Ngai
Cast: Melvin Wong Gam-San, Phillip Chan Yan-Kin, Pat Ha Man-Jik, Pauline Wong Siu-Fung

Was just settling down to watch this one on an old VHS tape that I got when I bought a bag of tapes for $2 from one of the Chinatown video stores I used to frequent back in the day (see this post about that purchase). Sadly, the tracking on my VCR is kaput, so I only got 10 minutes into it. Remember seeing a great trailer for it on the front of a tape I rented in the mid-90s that impressed me, but only getting around to it now. Highly influenced by the Italian black gloved killer giallo flicks, Night Caller is written, directed and starring Philip Chan who played Chow Yun-Fat's superior in Hard-Boiled. I recall reading that Chan was an former cop who won some PSA jingle contest and through that got into the film industry. Last I heard, he was involved in production.

Bruce Lee Retrospective in HK

2010-03-01T12:48:00.000-05:00

From March 23rd to April 4th, the Hong Kong International Film Festival will be screening a 9 film Bruce Lee retrospective starting with his very first film, THE KID, and wrapping up with GAME OF DEATH.

Screening times, film information, and tickets available here.

insuarance for falling limbs

2010-02-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

And to follow up the post for Tiger Cage which happens to star Donnie Yen, just found this via the forum at the HK database:

Actor Donnie Yen insures limbs for S$17.9m each

"Yen's insurance policies must have cost him a pretty penny in premiums but it is probably just a tiny fraction of the 60 million yuan (S12.2 million) he made from the four movies he acted in last year. "

Little did I know the true nature of the fists of fortune that I was pointing to when I met him last year at the Hong Kong International Film Fest!

HK poster a day #22 - Tiger Cage / 特警屠龍

2010-02-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

Two styles of poster and two newspaper ads for Yuen Wo-ping's slam bang action flick!

Tiger Cage / 特警屠龍 (1986)

HK poster a day #21 - Shaolin vs Lama / 少林鬥喇嘛

2010-02-18T18:52:00.000-05:00

Been lax with the poster updates and the reason why? Been deep in the archiving process with my collection. Currently taking photos of all the lobbycards that I have, so expect to see some of those cropping up in the near future. In the meantime, any votes on who will win in this fight to the death?

Shaolin vs Lama / 少林鬥喇嘛 (1983)

HK poster a day #20 - In the Lap of God / 蠻荒的童話

2010-02-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

In the Lap of God / 蠻荒的童話 (1991)
Director: Lo Gin
Cast: Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung, Irene Wan Pik-Ha, Francis Ng Chun-Yu

In addition to this low res and bland poster is this hot and spicy lobby card for the film, sure to delight fans of breasts and rifles!

HK poster a day #19: The Master Strikes Back / 教頭發威

2010-02-09T10:59:00.000-05:00

The Master Strikes Back / 教頭發威 (1984)
Director: Sun Chung
Cast: Ti Lung, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Sibelle Hu Hui-Zhong, Wong Yu,Fan Siu-Wong, Ku Feng, Phillip Ko Fei

Contest! HK poster a day #18: Furious Dragon / 赤手空拳

2010-02-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

Furious Dragon-赤手空拳 (1973)

Okay, technically this one is Taiwanese and not from Hong Kong, but this project is more aptly titled: "A poster a day from Colin's Asian collection".

Now, how about a caption contest for this guy getting the boot?

Time for readers of this blog to step up! A mystery prize (HK film themed) will be sent to the author of the most cleaver caption, picked by Jeff and I. Entries can choice the speech balloon typle for added dramatic effect! Start scribbling and leave your captions in the comments. Deadline for entries - Monday Feb 15th

HK poster a day #17 - DIFFERENT LOVE

2010-02-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

HK poster a day #16 - Spectacular

2010-02-03T11:11:00.000-05:00

No idea on what this one is about or its orgin, but looks like Chinese acrobat showcase pic. Love that legwork! I have around 30 copies of this poster, so if anyone needs one....

HK poster a day #15 - The Last Blood / 驚天12小時

2010-02-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

The Last Blood / 驚天12小時 (1991)
UK re-title: Hard Boiled 2
Director: Wong Jing
Action Director: Blacky Ko Sau-Leung
Cast: Alan Tam Wing-Lun, Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Leung Kar-Yan

My intern and I are busy archiving and cross indexing the posters today and we came across this one. Showed her the trailer and told her how it was one of the first HK laser discs that I rented, to which she asked, "What's a laser disc?" Kids these days... I need to take a better picture of the main picture, but like the two alternative styles of the poster.

Here is the UK video trailer were it was marketed as HARD BOILED 2, which actually works even though the showdown in a hospital is the only connection...

HK poster a day #14 - Wild Search / 伴我闖天涯

2010-01-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wild Search / 伴我闖天涯 (1989)
Director: Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
Script: Nam Yin
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung Cho-Hung, Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung, Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung, Paul Chun Pui

Two different styles for Ringo Lam's take on Peter Weir's WITNESS.

HK poster a day #13 - Angel III / 天使行動III魔女末日

2010-01-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

Angel III / 天使行動III魔女末日 (1989)
Alias: Iron Angels III aka Midnight Angels 3
Director: Teresa Woo San
Action Director: Dang Tak-Wing
Cast: Moon Lee Choi-Fung, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Kharina, Ralph Chan Shing-Gwai, Mark Steinborn, Katy Hickman, Marco Lo Chi-Fung, Tam Wai-Man, Ho Hon-Chau, Panna Rittikrai

And co-starring Thai fight director superstar, Panna Rittikrai (ONG BAK, BORN TO FIGHT)

HK poster a day #12 - All About Ah Long / 阿郎的故事

2010-01-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

All About Ah Long / 阿郎的故事 (1989)
Director: Johnnie To Kei-Fung
Script: Philip Cheng Chung-Tai, Ng Man-Fai
Action Directors: Tony Ching Siu-Tung, Yuen Bun, Joe Chu Kai-Sang
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Sylvia Chang Ai-Chia, Wong Kwan-Yuen, Ng Man-Tat

Early Johnnie To!

HK poster a day #11 - Man on the Brink / 邊緣人 (1981)

2010-01-26T18:05:00.000-05:00

Man on the Brink / 邊緣人 (1981)
Director: Alex Cheung Kwok-Ming
Script: Alex Cheung Kwok-Ming
Cast: Ngaai Dik, Ga Lun, Kam Hing-Yin, So Hang-Suen, Ada Fung Oi-Tsz

Great little undercover cop thriller with a sharp ending!

HK poster a day #10 - Blood Money / 血汗金錢 (1983)

2010-01-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

Blood Money / 血汗金錢 (1983)
aka Bloody Money
Director: Wong Shu-Tong
Script: Alfred Cheung Kin-Ting
Action Directors: Lau Chi-Ho, Tino Wong Cheung
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Chan Man-Ngai, Lam Kau, Jue Tit-Woh, Chris Lee Kin-Sang, Chan Dik-Hak, Nick Lam Wai-Kei, Tino Wong Cheung

Jackie "Chawn"?

2010-01-23T00:31:00.000-05:00

If you were at tonight's awesome double bill of POLICE STORY 2 and PROJECT A 2 in Toronto, and are checking out the blog for the first time... Welcome! During one of his intros, Colin talked about Quentin Tarantino's interesting pronunciation of Jackie Chan's name, among others. I thought I'd save you the YouTube searching and post the videos.

First is the Jackie "Chawn" clip:

And then the video where he mispronounces a few other Asian filmmakers' names with hilarious results:

HK poster a day #8 & 9 - double bill Jackie Chan

2010-01-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

Making up for not posting yesterday by putting up TWO posters, but also to celebrate the fact that I am off in an hour to see a FREE double bill of POLICE STORY 2 and PROJECT A2 on 35mm at Innis College (on U of T campus). Gonna be soooo much fun! Only have a crappy low rez image of my PA2 poster, so making it up, but posting the great illustrated poster for the original. And check the two styles of the PS2 poster including the hilarious sheriff badge that Jackie is clutching!

HK poster a day #7 - Queens High / 紅粉至尊

2010-01-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

Queens High / 紅粉至尊 (1991)
Director: Chris Lee Kin-Sang
Action Directors: Poon Cheung, Nicky Li Chung-Chi,
Rocky Lai Keung-Kun, Lee Gin-Hing
Cast: Cynthia Khan, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Wong Yung, Kenneth Tsang Kong,
Shum Wai, Cha Chuen-Yee, Billy Chow Bei-Lei