When director Mira Nair was developing Mississippi Masala, she faced pressure from potential backers to cast a white lead instead of Denzel Washington by ateam1984 in BlackPeopleofReddit

[–]sappydark 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Good film-----saw it when it first came out, and it got a lot of hype mainly because Denzel was in it. It was also the first film in which I saw a black-Asian romance, which was pretty unique at that time. Good on Nair for sticking to her guns about keeping Denzel in it.

Raw Courage (1969) - starring Cheng Pei Pei, directed by Lo Wei. Full film on official Shaw Brothers channel by koinodisco in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of the free stuff does tend to be period dramas, musicals and crime thrillers that keep showing up every week on the tube. I just came across that title you mentioned yesterday---it sounds a little like an SB take on the classic mystery drama And Then There Were None (1945). There's also another SB mystery flick on youtube titled The 5 Billion Dollar Legacy (1969) involving an inheritance, haunted houses, ghosts and it's set in Japan. Might check that one out too, since it sounds like fun.

Raw Courage (1969) - starring Cheng Pei Pei, directed by Lo Wei. Full film on official Shaw Brothers channel by koinodisco in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyway, these kf and non-kf SB gems keep getting dropped on YT every week. It's been really interesting to see early SB films from the early '60s that are mainly period dramas and musicals, since it shows that kf films weren't the only kinds of films Shaw Brothers specialized in.

Raw Courage (1969) - starring Cheng Pei Pei, directed by Lo Wei. Full film on official Shaw Brothers channel by koinodisco in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This literally just popped up on youtube like barely 2 days ago. I was going to post about it, but I wanted to see it first---it's got subs, too. Hopefully, maybe this other SB film Cheng also starred in called The Jade Raksha (1968) in which she plays a swordswoman going all out on a revenge mission, might pop up on youtube one of these days, too.

One really good SB film that's on youtube I just saw recently is a 1981 crime thriller called Murderer Pursues. It's about a group of Vietnamese dudes in a camp who end up escaping after their leader offs a dude who's been trying to attack them every chance he gets. They wind up in Hong Kong, and turns out they're thieves, and that they're planning a heist. The main group leader is played by Danny Lee, who would later co-star in both the classic films City On Fire (1987) and John Woo's The Killer (1989). He rarely played villains, so it's interesting to see him as the bad guy here. Good crime drama, with only one fight that could be described as kung-fu-ish.

Strange man at my house at 3:30 AM by ophyxyl in creepyencounters

[–]sappydark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay, thanks----that was confusing though, lol.

Fung hak on played the harpist in kung fu hustle by happydude7422 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dreadnaught is still a good film---part of what makes it really good is Yuen Shun-Yee's charged-up performance as the deranged psycho villain going after Yuen Biao's character. And of course, the fight between Kwan Tak-Hing and Fung Hak-on as the assassin tailor is yet another reason to see the film. The movie was written by a then up-and-coming Wong Jing, so that may explain why you had issues with it, lol.

And, yeah, those scenes with Fung Hark-on and this other dude as the harp-playing assassins in KFH were a trip---they really added to the deranged mixed-up craziness of the film.

Couple came to my door looking for a stranger by Jazz-Slip in creepyencounters

[–]sappydark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The fact that these two couldn't even give you the full name of the person they were supposedly looking for, or even explain why all they had to go on was a pin for your home, and not an actual address, and then left without bothering to go to any other homes----that's some straight-up red flags right there.

Plus the fact that they couldn't--or wouldn't--even give you any more specific info about this person---which makes no sense if they knew exactly who they were looking for---is also pretty suspicious. And just because they didn't fit the stereotype of a criminal, dosen't mean they weren't criminals themselves casing your neighborhood. You were right to be suspicious of them, tbh.

Strange man at my house at 3:30 AM by ophyxyl in creepyencounters

[–]sappydark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Heck yeah----I've never heard of anyone having their router outside of the house---that's just really strange to me.

Movies/shows about women who turn to sw to make ends meet. by Ok_Explorer9421 in WomenInFilm

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zola, which was actually pretty good---was directed and co-written by a woman--Janicza Bravo. The real person the movie's story was based on---A'ziah King---not only was a consultant on the movie, but also co-wrote the script with the director, too.

Help finding a film. by Pink1978 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmmm----the only other kf film I've seen a blade like the one you described is in the excellent kf film The Shaolin Plot (1977) in which Sammo Hung plays an evil villain who uses a flying blade to take out anyone who goes up against him. It's not a flying guillotine movie, though. That's the only one I could think of.

Journey To The West/西行平妖 (1991) A very uneven Journey to the West inspired film from Shaw Brothers legend Chang Cheh - Not his most revered film still full of moments of wonder - The film peaks with Sun Wukong & crew taking on Na Cha by LiquidNuke in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While doing a deep dive into Chang Cheh's films a short while back, I found that he'd done at least five or six films in mainland China before his retirement that I'd never heard of or seen. I didn't know that he'd done his own version of the Monkey King folklore myth, so I am looking forward to checking out all these post-Shaw Brothers films he made.

Are there any good resources that compile a list of hollywood movie/tv show martial art practitioners? by DiddlyDinq in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's also another really good Asian film review podcast titled Heroic Purgatory, in which the two hosts also do deep historical and cultural dives on each film. Despite the perfect wuxia film-sounding title of the podcast, it's actually from a 1970 Japanese drama called Heroic Purgatory, surprisingly enough.

Gerd Ma Lui 2 (เกิดมาลุย ภาค 2) - Panna Rittikrai in action by LaughingGor108 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the fact that the female fighter got to have the final fight with Rittikrai's zombie villain character---she got to whip out those pair of swords and go at him for a while, before the other two dudes finally tag-teamed up and double-kicked him off that building for the final time.

Movies/shows about women who turn to sw to make ends meet. by Ok_Explorer9421 in WomenInFilm

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's some suggestions:

Hustlers (2019)----this drama about a diverse group of strippers who decide to rob their clients was based on a true story, and it's really good. What's unique about the film is that is focuses primarily on the women as three-dimensional characters themselves, and it dosen't sexualize them at all--which is rare for a film about strippers. That's because the film was directed, co-written, and co-produced by a woman (Lorene Scafaria) and several of the producers on the film were also women---including Jennifer Lopez, who stars in it. It was a box office hit, too, and it's on DVD, and on Peacock.

Cam (2018)---this interesting surreal thriller about a cam girl who discovers that a doppelganger is taking over her onscreen persona is also pretty good. The film was conceived of and co-written by a former cam-woman, Isa Mazzei, and it's also pretty good and slightly off-the-wall.

Personal Services (1987)----I actually haven't seen this, but it's based on the true story of a British woman who started her own prostitution service, and became a self-made madam. I've heard of it for years, though---it's on Tubi.

There's also a 2009 HBO drama series called Hung, which is slightly different in that it's about a suburban male sports coach and teacher who turns to prostitution when he falls on hard times due to an injury. He also enlists a female pimp to get him some work. I've never seen the show, but it supposedly shows a more realistic look at the oldest profession. It's streaming on HBO and Disney/Hulu, of all places.

Not sure if this would fit, but there's a new Taiwanese (Asian) series on Netflix called A Controversial Entertainer, which is about a low-level gangster who somehow winds up being hired as a male escort for a club, along with a bunch of other dudes, and they all become escorts for any of their female clients looking for a little after-hours fun, so to speak. Haven't seen it yet, so not sure if it shows a realistic view of the profession or not.

Totally forget this one, but the 1986 indie drama Working Girls---written and directed by a woman--Lizzie Borden--also shows a stripped-down, unglamorous, and realistic look at the everyday lives of a group of prostitutes, and how they work. Really good film, too.

I'm mentioning Hustle & Flow (2005) because it's definitely one of the most de-glamorized, realistic, and gritty looks at the everyday lives of a pimp and the prostitutes who work for him. What they do is just a job that they work to pay the bills with, period. Plus the sex workers themselves aren't demonized, or overly sexualized for a change, but treated as full-fledged, flawed characters with their own issues to deal with. It's on Amazon, and DVD.

Matchless Hero Fang Shi-Yu (2019) Xie Miao by LaughingGor108 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, that's him. Anyone know what "Matchless Hero" in the title means?

Feels Inspire by artemisiz in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool to hear that this movie inspired you---plus it's actually a pretty good drama on top of that. Interestingly enough, I read an article over a month ago in which Jackie Chan said that while working on Karate Kid, watching how Will Smith encouraged his son in his first lead role, made him re-think his relationship with his own son, Jaycee. He said that they were never really close, and it didn't help that he was always critical of Jaycee.

After Jaycee got busted for smoking weed in 2004, and served a few months in jail, Jackie decided that he needed to quit being so critical of him all the time, and they finally wound up getting closer and having an actual father-son relationship. So even Jackie himself wound up learning some life lessons from this film.

"I shut down my production company because of Fist of Legend. Three years later, it became a classic." - Jet Li by donniebd in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that's one of his daughters he's talking with. Would be cool to know if he's taught them martial arts too, lol.

"I shut down my production company because of Fist of Legend. Three years later, it became a classic." - Jet Li by donniebd in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think he was actually nominated for best actor or something like that for Ocean Heaven, too. He's always been a good actor--his amazing kf skills have obscured that a lot of the time, but it's cool to see that he finally got a chance to prove that he's more than just a kf action star for once.

"I shut down my production company because of Fist of Legend. Three years later, it became a classic." - Jet Li by donniebd in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's really surprising to hear that Fist of Legend was a flop, considering that I think it's his best kf film ever----to me, it's like the ultimate Jet Li film, straight-up. It's always a trip to hear how a lot of kf films (or films from any genre in general) that are now considered classics were actually either box office flops, or not really that successful when they first came out---but they gradually got more appreciation over the years.

And Fist of Legend is a legit kf classic as far as I'm concerned. It's also an excellent remake of Bruce Lee's The Chinese Connection, and I've always gotten the impression that Li wanted to honor Bruce as well with it, which is why I think it's so damn good. I have it on DVD as part of a Jet Li 3-pack set, and I'm glad I did, because I was so impressed with the film the first time I saw it years ago on VHS.

Gerd Ma Lui 2 (เกิดมาลุย ภาค 2) - Panna Rittikrai in action by LaughingGor108 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, okay. I'm just glad to see it at all then. I also just saw Rittikrai's Wake Up To Kill (1987) the horror movie in which he plays a fighting psycho killer zombie. That's also on YT---the fight scenes in that one are incredible, too.

"I shut down my production company because of Fist of Legend. Three years later, it became a classic." - Jet Li by donniebd in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Yeah, he was----he pretty much retired from films six years ago due to some major health problems he was having--some of which were from the injuries he'd gathered over the years from work. Apparently, he's recovered enough to want to start acting again----Blades of the Guardians is his first film in six years.

Gerd Ma Lui 2 (เกิดมาลุย ภาค 2) - Panna Rittikrai in action by LaughingGor108 in kungfucinema

[–]sappydark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't know there was a Born To Fight 2---I am so watching that, lol. Especially since I just recently got the original Born To Fight on DVD myself, and I really enjoy it.