Non-MoC Eureka Titles

[black&huge]

how is Eureka's Flesh+Blood disc overall? can we expect a restoration or upgrade from some label anytime soon-ish? All I heard is that it's a dated master and apparently riddled with sharpening?

[Finch]

The Sammo Hung triple bill is absolutely worth getting for Eastern Condors which I think is an action masterpiece and easily one of Sammo's three best films; the other two films have great fight scenes but as swo said, Iron-Fisted Monk has a rape scene that sits very uneasily with the comedy (one of our fellow board members memorably described it as a blend of Carry On and Straw Dogs), and Magnificent Butcher has a lot of mugging that gets a bit tiring. Odd Couple, their release from last month, is perhaps even worse in that regard but the weapons based fight scenes are the very best in the genre. I am a big fan of Spooky Encounters though it ends with a mean-spirited, misogynist gag. I think Mr Vampire drags a little in the second half due to an unnecessary subplot involving one of the heroes and a ghost seductress but that's a small complaint: the film is deservedly a classic of HK kung fu horror comedy (it might make a nice double bill with 88's upcoming Human Lanterns for approaching kung fu and horror from opposite ends). I wrote up Full Alert a few pages ago (I think!) and liked it a great deal (Wild Search, also from Lam, is worth getting for Chow Yun Fat though I like Full Alert and other films from the time more), ditto Hung's Millionaire's Express in the longest cut which is exclusive to their limited edition. I've not seen Time and Tide and PTU (hoping, perhaps foolishly, that Criterion or someone else will come through with a fresh scan of PTU) yet.

Edit: Your Hongkong collection won't be complete without the Warriors Two/Prodigal Son double-bill (Prodigal Son is the better film of the two overall (Warriors Two has too much of Dean Shek's shtick for my liking, as does Odd Couple mentioned above).

[therewillbeblus]

Wow, thanks for the rundown! And I did put Full Alert in my cart already based on your writeup- so you are correct (and thanks for that too)!

So given the Sammo Hung love, should I snag Knockabout and The Lucky Stars 3-Film Collection? And what would you say are Sammo's "three best films?"

Also, it seems that Mr Sausage liked Time and Tide if I'm reading between the lines of the Tsui Hark thread, so I may have to bite

[swo17]

Full Alert is very good, Time and Tide just okay. I haven't seen the others you mention yet but am just buying them all because I have a friend who only ever wants to watch Jackie Chan or Sammo movies. I think my favorites have been Dragons Forever (available from 88 Films) and the two Finch mentions from the triple bill (I actually really liked Magnificent Butcher)

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks- your friend sounds like my dad. I was actually just eye-ing Dragons Forever, just choosing where to buy it from- not sure if 88 films has any U.S.-delivery sites that save a buck against eBay. Does anybody like Bride with White Hair or One Armed Boxer?

[dwk]

One-Armed Boxer is getting a US release from Arrow (same transfer, but, I think, more extras), so I'd wait for reviews of that before deciding which version to get..

I like Bride with White Hair, but I haven't seen it in 15 or 20 years.

[Maltic]

Wheels on Meals is a must. I'd prioritize that over the Lucky Stars set...

[swo17]

Yes, Wheels on Meals is a lot of fun

[tenia]

how is Eureka's Flesh+Blood disc overall? All I heard is that it's a dated master and apparently riddled with sharpening?

Pretty much.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Wheels on Meals is a must. I'd prioritize that over the Lucky Stars set...

Agreed. If you're looking for Sammo Hung's typical blend of comedy and action, Wheels on Meals is his greatest film. If you're looking for a more straight ahead action film, then pick up the Sammo triple-feature Eureka release solely for Easter Condors. Finch is right on the criticisms on the other two films on the set (which I nevertheless enjoy), but Eastern Condors is one of the high points of action cinema. A film industry adjacent pal told me that it was a major influence on no other than James Cameron.

I happened to see Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon for the first time a few nights ago and found it to be sort of a low-point for Sammo Hung. I enjoy a low-brow film like Pantyhose Hero for how audacious its crass and tasteless humor can get, but STAFD often feels uninspired with its comedy and its action on top of the endless women beating and references to "ladyboys". Sandwiched between two excellent films, Pedicab Driver and Slickers vs. Killers, this is a minor film with some nice visual flourishes that remind you exactly what the early-90s looked like.

I'm in agreement that Time and Tide being simply okay. I know feihong on the forum is a fan, but I wasn't too impressed with it other than a few visual moments. Tsui's brief period with American co-productions drastically altered his style and this is him applying that sensibility to a Hong Kong production. It's a shame that only a few years prior he was cranking out masterpieces like The Blade only to end up with Time and Tide, simply a competently made action film.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but The Bride with White Hair feels like one of the high watermarks of Hong Kong cinema. It's melodramatic, fantastical, and sexual in a way I rarely see in Hong Kong films. If Hong Kong films get sexual, it's usually the category III excess of A Chinese Torture Story or Daughters of Darkness, but TBWWH has these erotic moments right out of 90s American thriller. On top of being visually spectacular, it's the only Hong Kong film of its era other than Chungking Express recorded with proper direct sound and mixed in stereo no less. If you have good speakers, the audio on this film is excellent. It's a shame Ronny Yu's American career could never reach the heights of even his minor Hong Kong films like Shogun and Little Kitchen.

I'm a tremendous Ringo Lam enthusiast, but personally think Full Alert is simply fine and tampered by some sloppy plotting and an ending that lacks the punch of films like Full Contact or City on Fire. Wild Search on the other hand I found to be excellent. It's grim and dark like any of the other films of his peak period, but has a sort of warmness with a romance subplot that I find very effective. Plus this is Chow Yun Fat at his creative peak where he just infuses any role with an infinite amount of charm.

It's not a Hong Kong film, but in terms of non-English language being released by Eureka, Revolver is my personal favorite Sergio Sollima film. It's a great film about the pointlessness of morality as a police officer and a sort of anti-poliziotteschi with how it tampers the expectations of crime films of the era. It goes further in the exploration of the tropes of genre cinema and the expectations of a villain beyond what Sollima did in The Big Gundown. Plus its a perfect example of how even an innocuous production like this can lead to one of Ennio Morricone's most memorable cues.

[Glowingwabbit]

I was actually just eye-ing Dragons Forever, just choosing where to buy it from- not sure if 88 films has any U.S.-delivery sites that save a buck against eBay. [/b]?

Check out Orbit DVD. They have Dragons Forever available. If you buy 3 items you get free shipping.

[Maltic]

They had Kim Newman do the commentary for Revolver, which seems a match made in heaven.

Always impressive how he can just sit back and weave an intricate web of genres, tropes, and archetypes, like a structuralist cyborg...

[Nw_jahrles]

I would say to anyone that their mileage may vary with the Sammo Hung films, as despite the excellent stunts, the women are usually either raped, or sexually assaulted/beat up for laughs. So it’s going to depend on your ability to get through those moments to the stunts.

[Finch]

Quickly wanted to add another vote for Wheels on Meals and Dragons Forever. Skinny Tiger Fatty Dragon is the only recent Eureka disc that I have not bought as I heard of the violence against women beforehand and thought, no thanks, and a few posters on Blu-ray.com, like elegant dandy fop on here, didn't think the film overall was particularly great.

Re Sammo's three best films? I still have to see a few but right now, I'd choose Wheels on Meals, Eastern Condors and Prodigal Son, with Spooky Encounters a close fourth.

[Maltic]

Sounds about right.

In Eastern Condors, it's Sammo's wife doing a lot of the asskicking btw, and raping the enemy with sharp objects, Chang Cheh style.

[therewillbeblus]

You guys are awesome- I'm definitely going to preorder Revolver, along with Knockabout (which I've seen make the upper ranks of a few internet lists of Sammo films) but I forget if Eureka ships pre-orders separately from bulk orders. I actually recall that they do, but I haven't ordered from them direct in a while.

So here's my list for now (including what I've bought already most recently, and omitting MoC releases I've been sleeping on):
-Duel to the Death
-Encounter of the Spooky Kind
-Mr. Vampire
-Jackie Chan's Project A and Project A Part II
-Full Alert
-Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son
-Odd Couple
-Three Films with Sammo Hung: The Iron-Fisted Monk / The Magnificent Butcher / Eastern Condors
-Wheels On Meals

Any stragglers I'm forgetting about?

[therewillbeblus]

I was actually just eye-ing Dragons Forever, just choosing where to buy it from- not sure if 88 films has any U.S.-delivery sites that save a buck against eBay. [/b]?

Check out Orbit DVD. They have Dragons Forever available. If you buy 3 items you get free shipping.

Wow, thanks! Any other 88 Films releases you'd recommend adding to it? Or other companies with films in a similar vein to what's being discussed that may be worth bulking together?

[yoloswegmaster]

I would hold out on buying 'Dragons Forever' for now. On the list of hints for 2022 titles, there is a listing for "DF" that was circled. Brandon Bentley was hinting at this being a UHD release and since he is mainly involved with the HK titles, I think it's safe to assume that he is talking about Dragons Forever.

[swo17]

I forget if Eureka ships pre-orders separately from bulk orders. I actually recall that they do, but I haven't ordered from them direct in a while.

They will ship every part of your order as soon as possible (for free anywhere in the world!) So if you include current and upcoming titles in your order, they will ship the currently available ones right away and then each individual pre-order as they come out

Any stragglers I'm forgetting about?

Do you already have Drunken Master or did you just exclude it because it's MoC?

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks for the reassurance that nothing has changed! And yes, I do have Drunken Master already (bought it way back when it came out, during the time when I was remaining current with my MoC orders)

[therewillbeblus]

I would hold out on buying 'Dragons Forever' for now. On the list of hints for 2022 titles, there is a listing for "DF" that was circled. Brandon Bentley was hinting at this being a UHD release and since he is mainly involved with the HK titles, I think it's safe to assume that he is talking about Dragons Forever.

Is this for Arrow? Thanks for the head's up

[yoloswegmaster]

I would hold out on buying 'Dragons Forever' for now. On the list of hints for 2022 titles, there is a listing for "DF" that was circled. Brandon Bentley was hinting at this being a UHD release and since he is mainly involved with the HK titles, I think it's safe to assume that he is talking about Dragons Forever.

Is this for Arrow? Thanks for the head's up

It's for 88 Films.

[Maltic]

Project A is an interesting contrast/compare with Wheels on Meals, two of the major films directed by Sammo and Jackie, respectively: Both have the trio with Yuen Biao, though Project A is clearly the Jackie show (some of his most incredible/masochistic set-pieces/stunts), while Wheels gives equal room to those three different personalities.

One could just keep adding, of course, but you might consider Iron Monkey. The Yuen Woo Ping kung fu comedy infused with some Tsui sensibilities - so there's amazing wire-work, active camera, quick cutting, and a certain interest in the actual historical drama (it's a Wong Feihung origin story / OUATIC prequel of sorts).

[Finch]

Iron Monkey was one of the first HK titles I was exposed to, along with Chinese Ghost Story 1 + 2 (though that trilogy may never get a release in the West due to indifferent rightholders) and it is a lot of fun. I recall the comedy not being as broad as in the 70s and 80s titles.

[Maltic]

Not nearly as broad