During World War II, a singer and her lover face invaders, insurgents, and a warlord's beautiful daughter. Released two years after Linda Lin Dai's suicide, the sequel to the original box office hit becomes all the more moving because of it.
Imagine pint-sized Godzillas fighting the DC Comic superhero "IRONMAN", have Shaw Brothers improve on this outrageous mix by adding kung-fu choreography, and then you have SUPER INFRAMAN, one of the most far-out, fantastical films ever made. Starring the up and coming Danny Lee (who achieved international superstardom in John Woo's THE KILLER), the film pits Lee as the thunderbolt-fisted Inframan battling maniacal monsters from the Earth's center lead by the evil Demon Princess (Terry Liu). Adding to the psychosis is the fast paced fights choreographed by the acclaimed action director Tang Chia, beautiful camera work by He Lan-shan (Bruce Lee's cinematographer in THE WAY OF THE DRAGON), and fights that feature an actor who later starred in kung-fu flicks under the moniker of Bruce Lee.
In one of his early contemporary martial arts actioners, Alexander Fu Sheng teams up with director extraordinaire Chang Cheh in CHINATOWN KID to battle the Five Venoms before they poisoned themselves into cult status. Although Chang was chastised for using San Francisco stock shots to make like it was filmed in America, it's reminiscent of Jackie Chan's New York stock shots for RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. But to CHINATOWN KID'S credit, the incredibly violent fights are immensely satisfying as man on the run Tan Tung (Alexander Fu Sheng), one by one defeats each triad gang related venom while succumbing to the seductive powers of the ultra-sexy Shirley Yu only to realize that, in typical Chang Cheh style, materialism and heroism leads to nihilistic desecration.
Fu Sheng , Kuo Chue , Sun Chien , Shirley Yu , Shaw Yin-yin
Young love seems off-limits for the compassionate, beautiful daughter of a rich man and a young, penniless musician Yuan Ping (Ling Yun). Actor Nan Kung-hsun co-wrote these three romance tragedies, which had audiences' eyes brimming with tears. Yu-ching (Lily Ho) and Yuan Ping (Ling Yun) are the star-crossed lovers, who suffer untold agony before finally managing to be reunited!
Journey Of The Doomed stars Tung Wei as a knight that finds himself protecting the life of a beautiful young lady, the lost Emperor's daughter and stalked by a bunch of assassins headed by kung fu actress extraordinaire Hui Ying-Hung.
Stephen Chow is a delight in this supernatural action comedy about a murdered cop returning from beyond the grave to persuade a rookie (Chow) into avenging his death.
Stephen Chow, Tung Piao, Fung Shui-fan, Chan Tak-yong
In The Sword And The Lute, Kwei Wu (Jimmy Wang Yu) and his partner (Chin Ping) are on a mission to destroy the "Phoenix Lute", a deadly weapon that shoots poisonous needles up to 500 paces and which can only be destroyed by the Kan curved sword...
One of Hong Kong's top directors reunited with its biggest comedy star after several previous hits (ROYAL SCOUNDREL, JUSTICE, MY FOOT) – only this time their subject was the gods themselves. Internationally proclaimed comic genius Stephen Chow plays petty, arrogant god Dragon Fighter Lo Han, who is changed into "Monk Chai" and ordered to alter the fates of three bad people on Earth, lest he be retransmigationized. Unfortunately for him (but to any viewer's delight), the trio he finds are a prostitute (played by the radiant, remarkably talented Maggie Cheung Man-yuk), a beggar (played by award-winning actor Anthony Wong), and a cold-blooded killer. Chow and To wring honest pathos and many laughs from this wonderful scenario, ably supported by the star's welcome sidekick Ng Man-tat and vaunted action director Ching Siu-tung (the director of A CHINESE GHOST STORY and the producer of THE HEROIC TRIO).
Stephen Chiau, Maggie Cheung, Ng Man-tat, Anthony Wong
Years before he was to become famous for directing Bruce Lee in FIST OF FURY and Jackie Chan in NEW FIST OF FURY, Lo Wei was a popular actor and filmmaker. He had already directed many successful films when he joined Shaw Brothers in 1965. It was there that he directed his first major martial arts movie, but this was one of his last for the studio. It was also one of the last times he teamed with superstar swordswoman Cheng Pei-pei (who is even more famous now for her role in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON). Here she stars as Yen Lai, the one woman who can reunite the Kao brothers to rid the Teng Lung Manor of attacking killers as well as take revenge for the murder of their father. Aided by Shaw Brothers' first international star, Lo Lieh, and award-winning actor Ku Feng, Lo and Cheng collaborate for another high-action winner of brotherly love…and death.
Cheng Pei-pei, Chin Han, Yueh Hua, Chang I, Lo Lieh
Shaw Brothers pulled out all the stops to make this star-studded magnificent drama. Fan Chia-soo (Kwan Shan) is a kind-hearted student who is smitten with Shen(Li Li-hua), a heart-rending love song singer. The General's henchmen are determined to present the songstress to their superior as a gift no matter what. Fan receives aid from an unexpected person just in time to save the woman he loves...
Of all the classics maximal martial art moviemaker Liu Chia-liang made, this one really stands out. It is almost more a slapstick comedy than any film he had previously created, and a tailor-made showcase for the "odd couple" skills of international favorite Alexander Fu Sheng and the elegant "Cary Grant of kung-fu" Cheng Shao-chiu (ZU WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, SHAOLIN AND WUTANG). Their wushu squabbling for supremacy ultimately imperils an incognito emperor, leading to a bang-up battle featuring the participation of both the director's and star's brothers (Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Liu Chia-yung, and Chang Chan-peng). Also in the mix are MY YOUNG AUNTIE Hui Ying-hung, MAD MONKEY KUNG FU Hsiao Hou, and Shaw villain supreme Wang Lung-wei. The result is a sparkling, unexpected family affair from the king of kung-fu filmmakers.
Three young kung-fu warriors from wildly different backgrounds become students of Shaolin at the same temple. These three warriors are: Royal Guard Lo Lieh, fleeing soldier, Lo Meng, and villager, Wang Yu.
Besides his pioneering films based on authentic martial artistry and kung-fu comedies during the 1970's, acclaimed director Liu Chia-liang also embraced the master/pupil relationship to form the cornerstone of many of his other works where his characters exhibited physical and moral failure as a means to either "make them or break them". Besides directing MAD MONKEY KING FU, it's also Liu's debut as a lead actor playing down and out, monkey kung-fu master Chen, crippled by the ruthless villain Tuen (Shaw's penultimate bad guy Lo Lieh). Street boy Hsiao Hou (which means "little monkey" and played by popular martial arts aerialist Hsiao Hao) convinces Chen to teach him monkey kung-fu to avenge Chen's shame. The wacky training sequences and outlandish finale fight leave you stupefied.
In Pale Passion, Chin Ping-hsing's only directed film, the gorgeous Chiang Li-ping plays a scorned wife Ah Hsia in an unsettling tale about cheating, adultery and blatant abuse, which develops into a deadly love triangle. The vivacious Elaine Chin Yen-ling plays the other woman Ah Hsing, who teaches the hypocritical husband Ah Fa (Ai Ti) that what goes around comes around! Unknown to him, karma returns in a much more damaging way...
