News

A tradition going back centuries, countless stories of objects, most notably books and other dark tomes, have been claimed to be made of human skin, a practice that was reportedly accomplished by Ed Gein who made a lampshade of human skin. However, the real-life inspirations for such gruesome antics might not have been at the center of planning for this gruesome kung-fu/horror hybrid from the Shaw Brothers.

Attending a famous celebration in the town, Lung and his wife Jin are shocked when village head Tan uses the opportunity to embarrass him. After introducing the prostitute Yen-chu which Lung had an affair with, he vows to get his revenge at the village’s local lantern-making contest. His rage at winning, forces him to turn to old rival Chun-fang for help in crafting the perfect lantern. While Lung and Tan continue their feud against each other, a series...

GammaRay and Celestial pictures today announced they will stream a Shaw Brothers movie marathon on Twitch from February 4 to February 8, 2019. The marathon will include 44 full-length features from the Shaw Brothers’ extensive library of kung fu titles, including iconic films such as King Boxer, Crippled Avengers, and Five Deadly Venoms. This viewing event will be streamed globally and exclusively on Twitch, the leading service and community for multiplayer entertainment, and marks the first time Twitch has featured kung fu films.

After the marathon airs from February 4-8, there will be double feature movie nights on Thursdays and Fridays at 5:00 pm Pt for four weeks. The marathon is also the first time GammaRay has hosted full-length features on Twitch.

“We’re excited to introduce cult classic movies from the 70s and 80s to our fans on Twitch for the first time,” said GammaRay COO Do Duong. “Kung fu has influenced filmmaking,...

The Crippled Avengers (a.k.a. Return of the Five Deadly Venoms)

Written by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang

Directed by Chang Cheh

Hong Kong, 1978

By taking a moment to look at Chang Cheh’s career as a director at the Shaw Brothers studio, one might come to notice that several of the stories he shared employed unorthodox protagonists, namely for their physical attributes. In the late 1960s, there was The One Armed Swordsman, which told the exploits of a talented young student whose misfortune in love led to his arm being chopped off. Determination, practice, and spirit proved doubters wrong as he became a great hero, bringing justice back to the land. Then came the many films starring David Chiang. While true that his characters were never hampered by any physical deficiency resulting from an accident or the malfeasance of others, he was by nature short and lean. Upon first glance,...

The Man with the Iron Fists

Directed by RZA

Written by RZA and Eli Roth

U.S.A., 2012

The RZA’s directorial debut, The Man with the Iron Fists, is not a Shaw Brothers picture. It was released by Universal Studios, although its inclusion in the column feels right for reasons that shall be discussed in the review below, reasons which should also appear as evident for anyone who has seen the film. The RZA is certainly not a name one would immediately associate with potential first time directors, regardless of genre. However, his association with the classic martial arts films from the 60, 70s and 80s, most notably those which the Shaw Brothers studio churned out like hot cakes, goes back to his childhood, when he would venture to the nearest cinema on the 47th street in New York that would frequently give them some play. It was love at...

It’s another jam-packed week of DVD and Blu-ray releases, here’s the rundown of what’s available to buy from today, July 25th 2011.

Pick Of The Week

Gallants (DVD)

When legendary Kung-fu master, Law Sun (Teddy Robin), awakes from a 30 year coma he discovers that his once celebrated martial arts school has become a teahouse. With the aid of his now middle-aged apprentices, Dragon (Chan Koon Tai) and Tiger (Leung Siu Lung) and new-kid-on- the-block, geeky office worker, Cheung (Wong You Nam), Master Law trains his motley crew of gallant fighters for the battle of their lives – one they must win to safeguard all their futures. Review.

And the rest…

The Eagle (DVD/Blu-ray)

In 140 Ad, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father,...

Gallants

Stars: Teddy Robin, Wong You Nam, Jia Xiao Chen, Mc Jin, Li Hai Tao, Law Wing Cheong, Leung Siu Lung, Chan Koon Tai, Susan Shaw, Chan Wai Man, Li Ka, Turbo Law | Directed by Derek Kwok, Clement Cheng

When legendary kung fu master Law Sun (Teddy Robin) unexpectedly awakes from a 30-year coma he discovers that his once celebrated martial arts school has become a teahouse and is now under threat from a takeover bid by his former rival. Aided by his now middle-aged apprentices, Dragon (Chan Koon Tai) and Tiger (Leung Siu Lung), and an unlikely hero in the form of the nerdy estate agent tasked with progressing the takeover, Master Law sets about training a rag-tag band of fighters to compete in a forthcoming martial arts tournament. Winning the prize could safeguard all their futures, but anything less would mean a certain end for the both the...

Co-directed by Derek Kwok (The Pye-Dog) and Clement Cheng (and winner of the Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Film Score at the 2011 Hong Kong Film Awards) Kung-Fu comedy Gallants boasts a stellar cast of acting talent and legendary Hong Kong cinema veterans and its arriving on UK via Mvm on 25th July 2011. There’s not much more to be said really. Its great, go get pre-ordering! Synopsis: When legendary kung fu master Law Sun (Teddy Robin) unexpectedly awakes from a 30-year coma he discovers that his once celebrated martial arts school has become a teahouse and is now under threat from a takeover bid by his former rival. Aided by his now middle-aged apprentices, Dragon (Chan Koon Tai) and Tiger (Leung Siu Lung), and an unlikely hero in the form of the nerdy estate agent tasked with facilitating the takeover, Master Law sets about...

Please welcome back contributor Rod Paddock as he gives us the lowdown on one of this year's Fantastic Fest features.

If you ever wondered what would happen if The Karate Kid's Mr Miyagi went back to the Cobra Kai and opened a can of whoop ass, you will love Gallants.

Gallants is the story of 98-pound weakling Cheung (You-Nam Wong), assigned by his bosses to evict a group of elderly tenants from the establishment they have rented. The story starts with the typical "weakling meets bully" theme, but concludes with an interesting set of twists and arcs. During his travels to evict the family, Cheung gets himself in trouble picking on a boy half his size. The boy's elders show up to teach Cheung a lesson. During Cheung's beating, an older gentleman carrying a bag of rice happens along. The elders postpone Cheung's beating to taunt the old man.

Whatsammata, that teaser trailer for “14 Blades” we posted yesterday not enough for ya? You say you want more Donnie Yen killing people with all manner of blades and Sammo Hung being Sammo Hung? Well dang, ain’t you the lucky one, cause a 3-minute trailer for Daniel Lee’s “14 Blades” just popped up online. Unfortunately it’s still in Chinese, so you probably won’t get any of the plot. Mind you, not that that should stop you from wallowing in the film’s potential badassery. Thanks to reader Rick for the heads up. Starring Donnie Yen, Wei Zhao, Chun Wu, Yuwu Qi, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Kuan Tai Chen, Chen Zhi Hui, Ma Wu, Damian Lau, Kate Tsui, Kar-Ying Law, Xiang Dong Xu, and directed by Daniel Lee.

A teaser trailer for Donnie Yen’s latest Chinese costume martial arts epic “14 Blades” has landed online, and oh boy does it look good. I mean really, really good. It looks like the movie that “An Empress and the Warriors” should have been. The focus of the film seems to be directed at the right spot — the action — and not some insipid romance or, worst yet, some perfunctory love triangle. The Daniel Lee-directed film stars Yen and Vicki Zhao, along with Sammo Hung and Damian Lau. Set during the Ming Dynasty the movie will depict the exploits of a group of elite assassins known as the Imperial Guards. Trained since early childhood to become masters of the sword in service of the emperor, these men carried out their tasks with deadly precision. Starring Donnie Yen, Wei Zhao, Chun Wu, Yuwu Qi, Sammo Hung, Kuan Tai Chen, Chen Zhi Hui,...

Image Entertainment presents the DVD release of the classic Shaw Brothers’ Human Lanterns (Ren pi deng long) by director Chung Sun and starring Tony Liu and Kuan Tai Chen. Watch the full theatrical trailer below. Synopsis: Swordplay, savagery and blood-chilling thrills reign supreme in this outrageous mixture of martial arts and the macabre from Shaw Brothers! Two rivals, one rich and the other poor, enter an unholy pact to win an annual lantern-creating contest in their village; however, the terrifying secret behind their remarkable creations lies within the supple flesh of local maidens, who are disappearing at the hands of a demonic assailant! Now featuring shocking scenes too extreme for its Asian DVD release, this unflinching action-horror masterpiece is now finally [...]...