Jackie Chan DVD - Page 9

The Cub Tiger of Kwang Tung

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

"It is not easy to be a delivery boy!" 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Contrary to popular belief and even in contrast to Jackie Chan and many other sources, "Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung" (aka Little Tiger of Canton) was finished and even had a small release (probably around 1973 or 1974, I currently cannot find exact details) though it was filmed a few years earlier in 1971, done a little before his stunt work in "Fist of Fury". Chan was given an opportunity to star in this movie by his "biggest sister" from his Peking Opera youth whom was now an assistant to a film producer. In Chan's autobiography "I Am Jackie Chan" he has nothing good to say about this experience stating "One night, the director and producer quietly disappeared, taking with them any hope that the movie would be finished." It is not his first film either, he had done several movies as a child actor in the 60s with "Big and Little Wong Tin-Bar" (1962) being his first appearance in a movie. He looks quite young though and slight of build compared to his later appearances.

Jackie Chan (he uses the screen name Chan Yuen Lung using Sammo Hung's old opera name) portrays Hsiao Hu, an adopted precocious martial art youth who has been brought up by a semi-sadistic foster dad (Tien Feng: Fist of Fury, Young Master) and enjoys sparring with his foster sister Hsiao Lam (Shu Pei-Pei) when he is not working for his Uncle Chiang at Chiang Kee Noodles. Hsiao Hu does not know that his real Dad died absorbing Lu Chi's aka 3rd Brother (Kwan Chung) "Leg of Doom" (the move sounds good, does not look that impressive though should be named "Leg of Partial Hurt") so Tien Feng could get away and raise his Hsiao Hu.

Meanwhile, back at the noodle shop, a group of ruffians order a plethora of food, yet refuse to pay. Hu's superior Kung Fu is shown as he destroys them in fighting. Lu Chi just happens to be their boss and this angers him immensely when he finds out. Hu's foster dad is perturbed by his fighting and tortures him with excess work. At first it is just moving extra pails of water, but after another incident (even though he saved his sister) he is forced to put his hands into broken glass (great dad). Later, he forces Hu to "really" fight his foster sister (later in the film though he states that they were made for each other). Of course, Hu's foster dad is only trying to prevent him from using his Kung Fu so he won't be found out by the vengeful Lu Chi (though I do not think this point is ever explicitly said). As in any martial art movie

I can only recommend this for Jackie Chan or martial art movie fanatics for completeness. The editing is quite bad and the story is a bit hard to follow leaving lots of floating plot points. The lifted score (I am pretty sure this is not an original piece) is quite annoying as it is repetitively used. The martial art action is decent though, Jackie Chan looks quite better than everyone else and so the pacing is sometimes off in the fights. The finale works as well as it should though the highpoint of the film is the demonstration of skills during the beginning credits where Chan gets to show off his technique and acrobatic skills (the 70's Jackie films show Chan do more of his Peking Opera background than later films as well as this film shows him pre-eye surgery).

The film quality of the Rarescope R1 edition is quite poor with a cropped picture (shown 2:35:1, but a lot of image is missing), burnt-in subtitles that are occasionally replaced by "other" subtitles when the cropping interferes (and that replacement also has typos and grammar mistakes) and copious amounts of damage. Also, the back cover description has many mistakes with its summation of the plot. The funniest is the combo of "his father has forbidden him ... from learning the martial arts" and "... killed his father many years before." Still it is nice to have available in a non-"Master with Cracked Fingers" version shown close to what it originally was.

The extras are a hodge-podge of trailers, still gallery and a 6-plus minute questionnaire and answer with Jackie Chan. The still gallery is not too bad with what looks like lobby cards and stills from the movie. The Q and A with Jackie Chan is a shaky camcorder print of Jackie being questioned after a showing of "Rumble in the Bronx" (quick talk about the longer HK cut). So this was probably originally filmed around 1997 in the UK (the year it came out in UK) with other clues such as the accents and he talks quickly about future projects: Police Story 5 (probably talking about New Police Story though that would not come out until 2004), a western story (obviously talking about the future "Shanghai Noon" (2000)), a South African story ("Who Am I" (1998)) and about finishing A Nice Guy (later known as "Mr. Nice Guy"; though filming was done in 1997). Not much is learned from this extra other than a quick mention of the "fireman story" that never came about and audiences that are annoying are ubiquitous. Jackie is asked to perform some moves (which he absolutely hates to be asked to do) and he feigns a previous knee injury though later he can be seen bouncing around without any problems.

Editorial Review:

Jackie Chan s first starring role sees him play a young waiter who also happens to be a kung fu fanatic although his Father (Tien Fong-Fist of fury) has forbidden him from learning the martial arts.Jackie trains in secret and is a Young Master in his own right. Local store owners seek the help of Jackie to protect them from a greedy Chinese extortion ring.Tempers reach the boiling point when Jackie discovers that the crime kingpin behind the extortion scheme killed his father many years before. Jackie sets off on a one man vengeance trail featuring some ground-breaking choreography (from Jackie Chan and Corey Yuen).For its time this classic from 1974 still packs a punch today and it s easy to see why Jackie Chan became an international superstar.First time ever released outside of Hong Kong and Japan a must for all Jackie Chan fans.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS UPC: 787364754991

Chop Socky - Cinema Hong Kong

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For anyone interested in the origins of martial-arts action films, Chop Socky provides a perfect introduction the historic milestones, important films, and famous figures in "Cinema Hong Kong." Co-produced by the Independent Film Channel for original broadcast in 2004, this hour-long documentary offers a smart, in-depth survey of Hong Kong's wuxia film legacy and its vibrant influence on global cinema, from its earliest roots in Beijing Opera and the monastic rituals of Chinese Shaolin monks to Quentin Tarantino's tribute to Hong Kong action in Kill Bill, Vol. 2. All of the bases are covered, from Hong Kong cinema's first martial-arts hero (Wong Fei Hung) to the balletic choreography of Chang Che, the "one-punch" impact and immortal charisma of Bruce Lee, and the evolution of kung-fu comedy as epitomized by Jackie Chan. Most of the surviving masters of Hong Kong cinema are included in informative (and subtitled) interviews, including John Woo, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Lar Kar-Leung, who provides a fascinating survey of martial-arts weaponry. The Hong Kong technique of editing-in-camera is thoroughly demonstrated in a multi-screen sequence, and abundant film clips provide tantalizing samples of the genre's classic films, including King Hu's Come Drink with Me and Dirty Ho, cited here as Hong Kong cinema's "one true masterpiece." Engaging and expertly comprehensive, Chop Socky could turn almost anyone into a Hong Kong action enthusiast. --Jeff Shannon

Magnificent Bodyguards

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Classic Hong Kong Kang-fu film 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a bit similar to "The Killer Meteors", contains some complicated stories, unbelievable attacks(comedy!?) or so. That means this is is a very Hong Kong movie!! But looks little more serious than KM and have more Kang-fu action. I think Jackie is so cool in Chinese traditional costume.

Conclusion --> Must see item for classic fans.

Very outstanding for the standard of the 70's hk movies 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

i like the most of the Jackie Chan's pre-humoristics movies and this movie is one of the best. Magnificient Bodyguards is outstanding for the standard of the 70's hk movies, the history is unpredictable, and full of action all the movie... the final fight is amazing... if you like the old kung fu movies you will enjoy Magnificient bodyguards.

If you want a good laugh 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Well...This movie was interesting. The Star Wars music at the end action scene was a diffrent idea. Also the 3D shots are kinda funky to watch. A good buy for a good laugh.

Jackie Chan Is the Prisoner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Though Jackie Chan is billed as the star of The Prisoner, he's actually part of a stellar ensemble cast including Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever, TV's Martial Law), Andy Lau (Saviour of the Soul), and Tony Leung Ka-fai (The Lover). Leung plays a cop who goes undercover in a prison to dig out corruption; Hung is a roustabout prisoner who keeps breaking out to see his son; Chan plays a pool shark who accidentally kills a gambler; and Lau is that gambler's mob boss brother who's sworn to kill Chan. They all end up in the same prison, resulting in a complex, engrossing, and sometimes brutal story--think of it as the Hong Kong version of HBO's Oz. Which is not to say it isn't full of the bizarre narrative shifts that make Hong Kong movies such a perverse pleasure: Chan got into a fight with this gambler because he was trying to raise money to buy his dying girlfriend a black-market liver; at one point, Hung escapes and takes his son to the park, where they buy cotton candy and have some quality time; and at the end the whole movie takes a bizarre lurch into John Woo-style gunplay spectacle. This isn't a criticism--this crazy quilt of emotional tones and genres adds to the movie's entertainment value without detracting from the emotional power of some gripping scenes of prison conflict. For new Jackie Chan fans who've seen his American movies and want to learn more about why he's one of the biggest stars in the world, this is probably not the right place to start; but for anyone looking to experience more of one of the world's most exuberant and engaging bodies of cinema, The Prisoner offers jolting fights and hairpin twists and turns. --Bret Fetzer

The Twins Effect

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Classic 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This vampire action comedy is one of my favorites for the very fact that I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie. First of all, the characters are memorable, contributing a myriad of classic scenes. Charlene and Gillian are naturally cute, charismatic, and humorous. This movie was my first exposure to them, and all I wanted to do was reach through my television screen and give them a REALLY BIG HUG. The remaining cast did well in their supporting roles, including Jackie Chan, Karen Mok, "The Duke", Josie Ho, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong, and the vampire bad guys (one of which looks eerily familiar to Will Ferrell). Even the abominably horrible Ekin Cheng was good in this one. Good characters are important, of course, because they avoid the feeling of boredom by keeping things interesting between action sequences.

And speaking of action, this film has plenty of it. More importantly, there is an emphasis of quality in the fight choreography. One aspect that helped in this regard is the featured weapon of the protagonists - a sword with a retractable spear-ended rope. This weapon, in and of itself, opened up a variety of moves that would have been otherwise impossible. Josie Ho and Gillian Chung, in particular, perform some wicked aerial maneuvers using these devices.

In addition, the swordplay is superb, and is highlighted by two great sword fights - one taking place during the opening train station sequence and the other occurring in the church finale. In fact, the blade-wielding maneuvers showcased in this film put some other highly overrated fan favorites to great shame, and I truly feel sorry for those who would cite the horribly choreographed garbage seen in Ashes of Time, Storm Riders, or A Man Called Hero with the well-planned, precisely executed sequences seen in The Twins Effect. It's not even close.

This film was so good that it actually set me up for being disappointed at other Chinese movies with the same actors and actresses. This especially applies to Ekin Cheng, whose other films almost always suck - and yes, this includes the obscenely overrated and exploitative wuxia crap mentioned in the previous paragraph. Even The Twins have never been able to match the value of this movie when both were lead actresses in a film, although they have managed to hit some good films when either one or the other takes the leading role (e.g., Beyond Our Ken, Good Times Bed Times, House of Fury) or when one or both are in supporting roles (e.g., Colour of the Truth, New Police Story, Just One Look). The Twins Effect 2 should have been a direct sequel, instead of a family fantasy. I am still yearning to see Charlene and Gillian team up and kick some butt in another movie, but the fact remains that The Twins Effect hits on all cylinders, optimizing their charisma while avoiding a descent into annoyance (as in Protégé de la Rose Noire).

All in all, this film has everything one needs to be entertained. And may I remind the reader that it is precisely this - ENTERTAINMENT - that judges the greatness of a movie, more so than artsy dramatic elements or meaningless awards from established academies of critics who usually have no idea what they are talking about.

In the end, the Twins Effect is a CLASSIC not to be missed.

Rating = 5/5 stars

P.S. - The Hollywood execs decided to slaughter this film when it was released in the U.S. by renaming it The Vampire Effect and cutting out 20 minutes of footage, which includes parts of the action scenes. However, the final fight of the U.S. version does have a better soundtrack than the original version. Therefore, I purchased both versions, which allows me to first watch the original until about the 1:20 mark, and then swap discs to watch the final fight on the U.S. version.

The Fearless Hyena Part 2

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Lo Wei's attempt to cash in on Jackie 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

It seems that the movie makers used lots of footage from the first movie, making the story choppy and incomplete. Apparently the studio that owns the film rights tried to cash in on first Fearless Hyena movie's success. The real story: The Lo Wei monstrosity. Jackie had just started filming this movie before moving to Golden Harvest. Lo Wei was quite bitter and even got the Triads involved. Jimmy Wang Wu got Jackie out of trouble so Jackie did two favors for Jimmy, making Fantasy Mission Force and Island of Fire. Lo Wei was very bitter over this entire situation so a couple of years later he put together Fearless Hyena 2 from the little filmed footage that he had, outtakes from Fearless Hyena, and new scenes that they shot using a Jackie Chan look-a-like. All of this nonsense is why I don't like this movie that well. It does have Jackie in it and didn't turn out that increadably bad so I'll give Lo Wei that credit. But none for trying to cash in on Jackie's name. A real disappointment in many fans opinions. Go see the first one... and you shouldn't waste your time with this one. With that said... you may feel stupid buying the Fearless Hyena double-video pack. Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware).

Jackie Chan 4 Film Collection

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Editorial Review:

Enter the world of Jackie Chan!

Jackie Chan Invincible Fighter
It's the absolute best of Jackie from all his early films in one action packed film! See his fights from Shaolin Wooden Men, Snake and Crane arts of Shaolin, Dragon Fist, Fearless Hyena and many more! Made by Lo Wei, the producer of Jackies films, this is pound for pound the best action film fest ever made!

Kung Fu Cook
A super rare production! When Jackie hit it big producers were desperate to get anything with his name so they hired his dad! Mr. Chan makes his feature film debut as a cook which was his job in real life. Co starring Bolo Yeung and an all star kung fu cast. First time on dvd!

The Old Master
If you thought Jackie Chan was hot stuff wait until you see his teacher in action! Super producer Joseph Kuo teams Bill Louie and Jackies real life master in this rare action masterpiece. See where Jackie got his moves from!

Killer Meteors
The pairing of two superstars! Jackie faces off with Jimmy Wang Yu in this super production. Wang Yu helped Jackie in his career many times and the two co starred in three films together with Killer Meteors being the first. Presented for the first time in it's UNCUT chinese version (with english subtitles)!

The Killer Meteors

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A 1976 novelty item for Jackie Chan completists only; he plays one of his rare costume roles, and his only bad guy. The star is Jimmy Wang Yu (One Armed Swordsman) as Hero Mei, a freelance warrior whose top-secret weapons are explosive projectiles known as killer meteors. Mei is hired by the so-called "Immortal Meteor," Hua Wa-bin (Chan), to eliminate his pesky wife, who (Hua claims) is plotting to kill him. There are some clever, gimmicky fight sequences and some amusingly far-fetched weaponry. A couple of glamorous sword-fighting women are also involved, as is a potion called the Pulverizing Drug, which melts people into puddles, like vampires exposed to sunlight. But there's so much plot to get through (adapted from a lengthy serial novel by Gu Long), and so many long-winded explanations to plow through that none of the characters have much free time for fighting. The movie plays both as hard-boiled (with everybody betraying everybody else) and as a medieval Chinese conspiracy yarn: kung fu Robert Ludlum. --David Chute

The Killer Meteors

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A 1976 novelty item for Jackie Chan completists only; he plays one of his rare costume roles, and his only bad guy. The star is Jimmy Wang Yu (One Armed Swordsman) as Hero Mei, a freelance warrior whose top-secret weapons are explosive projectiles known as killer meteors. Mei is hired by the so-called "Immortal Meteor," Hua Wa-bin (Chan), to eliminate his pesky wife, who (Hua claims) is plotting to kill him. There are some clever, gimmicky fight sequences and some amusingly far-fetched weaponry. A couple of glamorous sword-fighting women are also involved, as is a potion called the Pulverizing Drug, which melts people into puddles, like vampires exposed to sunlight. But there's so much plot to get through (adapted from a lengthy serial novel by Gu Long), and so many long-winded explanations to plow through that none of the characters have much free time for fighting. The movie plays both as hard-boiled (with everybody betraying everybody else) and as a medieval Chinese conspiracy yarn: kung fu Robert Ludlum. --David Chute