1 comments about Traditional Japanese Okinawan Kobudo (5 DVD Set).

1. I bought this set with some reservations, having wasted money on another tape from Rising Sun called Richard Kim's Classical Kobudo, which was nothing but some old videos of extremely poor quality evidently filmed while playing on the producer's television. I don't know whether my scathing review on Rising Sun's website had anything to do with the creation of this set or not, but the majority of Rising Sun's DVDs have suffered from an apalling lack of quality, even those of recent vintage. This set, however, is certainly a step in the opposite direction. Tapes nos. 1,2, and 4 each demonstrate four different kata; tape no. 3 demonstrates 5 kata; and the last tape demonstrates three different kata, with a section on basics, which, frankly, is pretty much of a joke, as there is no attempt to teach the proper handling of the weapon, beyond a few explanatory remarks concerning the handling and history of the various weapons, some of which seem to bear no relation to any other research on these tools. There is also a very brief explanation concerning the nunchaku, which seems pointless since there is no nunchaku kata demonstrated on any of the tapes. There is also an omission in the description on the advertisement for the tape with the naginata form; this tape also includes the kata Matsu Higa no sai. From an instructional standpoint, nearly all of the kata are shown three times from two different angles each, for a total of six repititions of each kata - twice at walk through pace, twice at half speed, twice at full speed. The production quality of each disc is excellent, although on one disc during one repitition of one kata it speeds up for a few seconds, but since the kata is shown six times, it wasn't worth returning the set for that. Some of the versions of these kata seem to differ significantly from versions taught elsewhere. I found the demonstrations of Mr. Ricci and Mr. Romanelli to be traditionally oriented, that of Mr. Gaviola somewhat less so, being more appropriate (in my opinion) for the open tournament scene than a traditional dojo. It is also my understanding (based on my research) that the yari and naginata are not part (with some rare exceptions) of the Okinawan kobudo arsenal, and that these weapons are practiced in Japan as part of two person kata, and not as solo kata at all. Even with Mr. Kim's acknowledged lineage, I found these kata to be somewhat surprising. For my own part, I found the Matsu Higa kata and especially the Techu kata (which has heretofore appeared only in book form) to be very valuable, although it should be noted that their versions of the Matsu Higa kata do differ slightly from some that have appeared on other videos. In conclusion, I would rate these tapes to be an excellent buy for the breadth of the weapons and kata demonstrated and the excellent quality of the production values.

5 comments about Avenging Warriors of Shaolin.

1. This is one of the less known "old school" kung fu classics made by Shaw Brothers with some of the "Venoms" stars. The fights are great, most notably the one with the double-broadsword hero hopelessly taking on several bad guys alone. MOST UNUSUAL WEAPON: Giant two-handed hammer that looks like a big brass pumpkin. Really.



2. I enjoyed this old school classic. Fighting scenes were good though not the best from the Venoms. They had much more talent than what they displayed in this film. I understand that the movie is quite old - didn't have great technology back then. My version was transferred to DVD horribly. In some scenes you saw the lines on the bottom and top of the tv screen and it faded light to dark in some areas. A horrible transfer does not take away from this picture.



3. The choreography, and cinimatography absolutely awesome!!
   There is no question this is another 5 star performace from the vemom crew, however, I give it 4 stars for being too predictable, needless to say simply amazing!! However, like I've expressed in previous venom flicks,,you see one, and you see them all,,the story lines are usually alone the same line,,the bad guys are usually the same, the good guys are usually best friends,,who ends up dying in the end,,,,,,,,,,,kinda like knowing your A B C's,,,,a bit too elementric and mundane,,but entertaining!!



4. This is your typical Venoms flick starring all of the 5 main players and is by far the most comical of all their movies, but the action is just as good as the rest. It could be considered the best Venoms movie. The fight scenes never stop. There is a lot of joke around type of fights, and they are brilliantly choreographed. Lu Feng makes his usual appearence as the bad guy and does some of the best spearwork ever. Only his performance in 'Magnificent Ruffians' can top this.
   
   The story struggles at times, and the use of the red screen filters in the final fight just don't work this time around for Chang Cheh. There is really no need for it, but it's just kind of thrown in. What works even less is Jason Pai Paio's role. He is supposed to be a teacher figure I have to guess. The story starts out with him on the run from Pai Mei, and his chararacter is by far the weakest in the movie. His wig is also really bad. Luckily, all of the fights are outstanding, and only Sun Chien gets a bit shorted. No surprise there of course.
   
   Be sure to look out for Wang Li's use of the twin swords. Definitely one of the best weapns fights I have ever seen. I think this is his second big role in a Venoms movie , and he proves to be on just as high of a level as the others. You may remember Wang Li from 'Ten Tigers of Kwangtung' in a scene where he looks to be the predecessor to Scorpion of Mortal Kombat. The cast also includes plenty of other Venom regulars. Brasshead, Ping Yu Tai (guy with slingshot in 'Cripped Avengers'), and the kicker who plays Fong Sai Yuk in '2 Champions of Shaolin', and all 3 play Lu Feng's henchmen. The leg specialist also has a great fight with Lo Meng in 'Crippled Avengers', and his kicks are on full display in this Venoms classic.
   
   As Beckybwoy has said, you always know how a Venoms movie is going to end. They get injured, they fight on, and give a big smile before dying. The question is, how many of them will die? All? Maybe 1 will live? Maybe only 1 will die?
   
   4.5/5
   
   This is one of the last on the list of movies that Celestial still needs to remaster. It will be out in the next year for sure. The Groundzero version is full screened very badly, and the picture quality is also horrible. 1/5 for the Groundzero DVD's picture quality. I can't wait to see this remastered.



5. After having seen ALL of the Venoms' body of work, this is my absolute favorite. The Five Venoms might be the most famous, but it doesn't have much fighting, and what little there is is sub-par. Crippled Avengers has unusually involving characters with great fighting and lots of it, so it is pretty much their best film.
   
   Avenging Warriors of Shaolin (aka Shaolin Rescuers) gives a lot a screen time to Chang Cheh's second and third string stables of martial arts actors and is memorable for fleshing out their characters more than in most of the rest of the Venoms oeuvre. It also contains the most amusing display of comraderie in the entire Venoms canon: that between Kuo Chui and Lo Meng as tofu restaurant waiters. The only thing that comes close is the interplay between Fu Sheng and Sun Chien in The Chinatown Kid. A lot of people find the repartee between Kuo Chui in this film to be cloying to the point of nausea, but once you get really used to the Venoms and love them, this film scores on so very many levels.
   
   I understand how some may not like this film, and I do not recommend it to anyone to anyone who's seen less than at least three or four other Venoms films, but for the true fan, this is one that demands being played over and over again.

5 comments about Agent Aika: Naked Missions.

1. this is the best anime dvd it has so many pantie shots in it and the movie is the best



2. If you like watching...
   
   1) beautiful women wearing ridiculously short skirts...
   2) aforementioned beautiful women beating the crap out of each other with acrobatic kung-fu...
   3) lots and lots of panty shots...
   
   ...then this series is for you!
   
   Capsule reviews for both discs...
   
   "Naked Mission": Briefly (pun intended)...a megalomaniac named Hargen recruits an army of beautiful and brainy women to help him take over the world. Aika and her fellow Salvagers are caught up in his ambitions, and turn out to be the only people who can stop him!
   
   Things to look out for: Nudity (graphic), some sex (including incest!), plenty of violence (fairly graphic), panty shots galore, and...well, just see it; you'll be glad you did!
   
   "Final Battle": The Delmo Army (Hargen's women; see #1 above), is on the offensive again, and only one person stands in their way; sexy, savvy super-agent Aika. Along the way, Aika faces death, danger, and personal humiliation, but she comes through it all with grace and style.
   
   Things to look out for: Brief nudity, no sex, plenty of violence (nobody gets killed, though), one completely unethical medical exam, and...well, see #3 above. 'Nuff said!



3. this serie it's ok if you want see a story to kill time, good animation, action and like all the series of this type, no have a story, but I think is fine to lost time.



4. As a guy watching animes more intensely in the last 6 months, I found agent aika to be a change of pace from straight action vs getting into hentai which is an acquired taste.
   
   A couple of points (1) see gwen stefani video:hollaback girl & you can see shots of her panties which means that director has been been influenced by Japanese fascination w/ panty shots & a possible bid for mainstream acceptance in N America (2) in japanese past censored media with female genitalia, the white panties were to represent the genetalia & thus the fascination w/ panties.
   
   I found this DVD episodes 1-4 to be better than Ep 5-7 in terms of drawing detail & coloring. And action sequences & storyline more fun. Thus I would recommend to get this one first. However, if you enjoyed the peekaboos in 1-4, then get 5-7 as it's more & it's funny as hell.
   
   As a guy, I tend to get bored easily. The peekaboo factor makes a conventional action anime more interesting. And watching other animes, I feel that I am going to get a panty shot & when I don't, I have to remind myself that I am not watch Aika or Najica.
   
   I believe this fascination stems from the fact that the last few years we had the low-rider/min-skirt phenomena in women's fashion & not being able to see their panties made aika interesting for me.
   
   Plus the camera angle present a different perspective ie what camera angle is chosen for conventional vs unconventional shots. As a amateur director, I found value in watching this series from that point of view.
   
   Thus if you bored of anime & looking for change as a guy, then get this dvd



5. Agent Aika plays like an animated Russ Meyer movie. It's perfect 1:00 AM entertainment and great way to play 'count-the-panties' (you won't be able to keep up). I suggest watching the subtitled version, as the dub verges on unlistenable. Just kick back and have fun with this flick. DON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!!!!

5 comments about Honor.

1. I've been a Russell Wong fan for years. However, I'm deeply saddened that he was a main character in this D-movie. With his head shaved, he proved that he has a nice cranium, but I still think it was meant to hide his wrinkles. I hate that he is beyond his prime.
   I loved the diverse cast. It was amazing to see "ROWDY" Roddy Piper in a fatherly, aged role. Still, this was a poorly-done "urban drama." The fighters' moves were sped up because they were not that spectacular. The army vet lead is meant to be macho based upon his aloofness and elective mutism. However, I felt like he filled the screen with what Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction" called "uncomfortable silences." The movie tries to marinate on the theme of honor and it falls flat.
   Only watch this film if you can sit through low-quality flicks.



2. Malaipet, the Muay Thai Champ on the cover is my friend. I bought this movie to see him in the movie and to preserve a copy with him on the cover. Instead, I get another cover without Malaipet's picture in front. This would probably not matter to most of you......but since he is my friend, I preferred the cover as advertised. I was not pleased when I received the alternative cover.
   
   As far as movie contents, you just better be a fan of B movies with fight scenes. For fight fans, it's time to see your favorite fighters in a movie.



3. The most amazing thing to me was how the fights were as realistic as can be. No wires. No BS. Great fighters from Pride and K-1 going toe to toe in the underground. The movie was decent, but if you want to see great fighting scenes, check this out.



4. Look this is not a bigtime Hollywood production...This is low budget warehouse fighting, no wires, no cables, and no amazing stunts...It's not a romantic comedy, it's not a drama, the acting isn't meant to bring you in to the story...the action is, and it suceeds, take it for what it is and you'll have as much fun as I did!!!



5. I don't know why this did not hit the big screen. It has great virtues as well as amazing martial arts.

5 comments about Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters.

1. first off let us get one thing straight. this is by no means the first ever movie with HOPPING zombies. it is no wonder that these reviewers have trashed this movie so much. they don't know anything about the history of the chinese kung-fu horror flick! for any of you who know about the fad of chinese kung-fu horror flicks that reached their height of popularity in the early to mid 80's you will also know that this is definetly NOT the first ever movie with hopping zombies. Encounters of the Spooky Kind, Mr. Vampire, 5 Venoms vs. Wu-tang (which seemingly has nothing to do with the 5 deadly venoms or wu-tang) to name just a few that were put out about 20 YEARS earlier! anyway enough about that this movie doesn't deserve the thrashing it is getting. it is a decent action flick with good special effects (which i might mention special F/X is usually what Tsui Hark's movies focus on) i found the first 30 minutes or so kind of slow but then it gets more interesting. defintely worth a couple of bucks!!!



2. This movie belongs to a genre of Hong Kong cinema that goes back at least to Sammo Hung's Encounters of a Spooky Kind. Many reviewers in this forum do not seem to know that there is an entire genre of kung fu/horror/comedy in Hong Kong cinema, and that in this genre a staple of such films is that "vampires" are essentially zombies that hop. I am not name calling, but merely pointing out that many people here seem unaware of such things. China has much of its own folklore surrounding vampires, which is a folklore that has nothing whatsoever to do with the European/Bram Stoker/Polidori (based off of Lord Byron) variety. Thus, by making his vampires "hop," Hark was not trying to be corny, but was paying homage to an older genre of Hong Kong cinema, and especially to the classic film starring Lam Ching-ying, entitled Mr. Vampire. Check into it.



3. Hop Schmop. It's a dumb movie. I can't believe reviewers defending the classic tradition of the hopping zombie. I mean are these people typing that with a straight face?
   
   You've got these zombies going around hopping and what we are supposed to NOT LAUGH? Okay childrens, sit very still as we watch the legendary hopping zombie of Calavaras Couty. I am so cracking up right now just thinking about it.
   
   If you want a true classic Asian horror movie, you want the impossible to find "Kung Fu Exorcist" with Kathy Leen. KFE predates Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind by at least 4 years.



4. I think that previous movies had the gyonsi glide more than an out and out hop. And those were comedies, this is supposed to be taken more seriously.
   
   Also the hopping zombie and the hopping vampire are really different. The hopping vampire is what you get when the hopping zombie gets out of control. At least I guess that's the way it works. They also dress differently and have different abilities and weaknesses.
   
   The hop scoffers seemed to like the movie, so I'm not sure what the problem is.
   
   Me, I thought it was a little silly.



5. Tsui Hark has created some of Chinese cinema's best, such as "Chinese Ghost Story," "Zu Warriors" and "Once Upon A Time in China."
   
   So why exactly did he attach his name to this murky, incoherent action flick? "Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters" is an attempt to recapture the kung-fu/vampire magic on the 1980s, but it manages to have neither plot nor character development. But it does have some wicked vampires and creepy atmosphere... its saving grace.
   
   China is apparently riddled with the undead -- zombies that turn into vampires, and feed on the living. Wind, Thunder, Rain, Lighting and their master roam around getting rid of them, but during one nasty attack their master vanishes.
   
   Three months later, they come to the Jiang house, where the beautiful Sasa has just been wed to young Master Jiang -- all six of whose past brides died on their wedding night. The next morning, HE'S the one dead of a snakebite. And so the Vampire Hunters are hired to find the snake, even as one of them falls in love with Sasa.
   
   But Master Jiang has some secrets -- he preserves all his relatives in wax, and keeps a massive store of gold somewhere in the mansion (which is why Sasa's bandit brother married her into the family). And when a zombie wrangler arrives, the waxed corpses will return to unlife -- and the arrival of the king vampire will set off the final showdown between vampires and Vampire Hunters.
   
   Admittedly with a name like "Vampire Hunters," you're expecting a cheesy movie, probably without much plot. And this movie delivers on that score, attempting to recapture the martial-arts/vampire-hunting charm of old "Mr. Vampire" style flicks, but forgetting to include the humor and slapsticky kung-fu.
   
   The plot is messy and kind of haphazard, moving along slowly and throwing in some wire-fu battles and gruesome bloody death whenever it gets dull. The dialogue isn't much better, with little gems like one Hunter telling a girl he just met: "Good! Thunder has Sasa, and I have you." Real charmer, that one. What's more, the artificial romances feel like they needed something to pad out the thin plot until the King Vampire could show up, and we could have a literally explosive finale.
   
   It does, however, have a few saving graces -- the horror ambience. It's dark, misty, filled with graves and spooky Halloweeny trees, and Wellson Chin lingers on the really horrible stuff like waxed corpses. And the vampires are pretty horrible -- they have rotted papier-mache faces with maggots, fly, tunnel underground, can't see you if you're wet, and suck the blood out of your eyeballs and mouth. Yikes.
   
   The characters are decidedly lacking -- all four guys are basically interchangeable, and develop superstrength or other qualities without any prior warning, Neither of the villains serve much of a purpose plotwise (one dies LONG before the finale). Ji Chun Hua as the master is deeply cool, but he's in the movie for about five minutes.
   
   "Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters" attempts to be spooky, but ends up being mostly silly. Watch it for the creepy vampires and the ambience, not for the rotted dialogue or thin plot.

2 comments about Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.

1. This flick is definately one of Jackie Chan's finest performance. I must have checked out this flick more than 5 times,,and can't seemed to get enough of it,,,I also though like usual Kwan Jung lee (Silvewr Fox)like always did a stellar performance,,,,,,,this is must have for the collection!!



2. there are a lot of corny martial arts flicks out there but this one is very good. a must for your collection

No comments about Owls' Castle - DVD.

No comments about Tattoo Connection + Ninja Turf.

4 comments about Ultimate Dragon Collection.

1. KUNG FU SUPERMAN, also known as LITTLE SUPERMAN- this is one of the best old school kung fu movies of all time. Tons of fight scenes with lots of recognizable actors. Bruce Leung, James Nam, Chan Lung, Chan Lau, Lee Ka Ting, John Cheung, Hon Kwok Choi, and Meng Hoi who looks about 13 years old. All of the fights are good, and the final fight is one you will never forget. If you want to save yourself a few dollars, I recommend just getting the 2-pack this comes in- Kung Fu Superman/Muscle of the Dragon. Rating- 5/5
   Picture quality is fine, and it is uncut. Best picture quality in the 10-pack. This movie is a MUST see for any kung fu fan.
   
   BRUCE LEE THE STAR OF STARS, better known as EXIT THE DRAGON, ENTER THE TIGER- Chen Zhen has died and his brother played by Bruce Li starts investigating his murder. This movie is complete nonsense but it tries to be serious. The fight scenes are nonstop but none of them are good. Lung Fei, Kam Kong and Chang Yi all have lengthy fights, and I was expecting a lot more from a cast like that. There just isn't much put into the fights. It is sad. This movie is a big disappointment. 2/5
   Picture quality is washed out but partly widescreened. It is watchable.
   
   DRAGON LIVES AGAIN- Bruce Leung stars as Bruce Lee. The story is about Bruce Lee going to Hell and fighting his way out. He teams up with the One Armed Swordsman and Popeye the Sailor and they fight Zatoichi, James Bond, Dracula, The Godfather, Emmanuelle, and other people. Yes, I am serious, that is what the movie is about. It is not a good movie, but still a lot of fun. Fans of cheesy kung fu movies may like it. 1.5/5
   Picture quality is bad but watchable. Full screen.
   
   FIST OF FURY 3, aka JEET KUNE THE CLAWS AND THE SUPREME KUNG FU- Bruce Li once again plays Chen Zhen's brother. Fist of Fury 2 was good, but part 3 isn't. Don't waste your time with this. Just fast forward to the last 30 minutes. Some of the action is good, but not enough of it is good. 1.5/5
   Picture quality is not too bad but the full screen presentation cuts out a lot of the action. Barely watchable.
   
   REVENGE OF FIST OF FURY- if you are a fan of really bad movies then this is right up your alley. I found it to be truly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I had never heard of Bruce Pack before and now I know why. 0.5/5
   Picture quality is bad and it is full screen, but it is still watchable.
   
   MISSION FOR THE DRAGON, aka RAGE OF THE DRAGON- Dragon Lee and Carter Wong fight it out to the death in this crappy kung fu movie. The kung fu is decent at times, but there is nothing special about it. The movie itself is completely mindless and doesn't make any sense. The only reason to watch this is for the sound effects they use in the final fight. I have never heard anything like it before. It kind of sounds like a Nintendo game. 0.5/5
   Picture quality is watchable.
   
   MUSCLE OF THE DRAGON- this movie uses footage from Clones of Bruce Lee. I couldn't get into it I had to turn it off after watching 20 minutes. Completely unwatchable. 0/5
   Picture quality is decent at best.
   
   CHING WU AND SHAOLIN, better known as BRUCE AND SHAOLIN KUNG FU- one of the worst kung fu movies of all time. Don't waste your time with this. I tried my hardest to make it all the way through this and I had to shut the movie off with 20 minutes left. I don't think I have ever seen worse fight choreography. No joke. Bolo Yeung and everyone else involved with this movie should be ashamed of themselves. 0/5
   Picture quality is very bad, but still watchable.
   
   CHING WU AND SHAOLIN PART 2- after watching part 1, I figured that there was no way part 2 could be any worse. Well, I was wrong. The only reason I watched it for more than 30 minutes was because superkicker Eagle Han Ying has a part in the movie. He has one fight. It is a bad fight, but he gets to show off his amazing kicks. Then he gets shot and dies. So to sum it up briefly, part 2 is somehow worse than part 1. My eyes were bleeding by the end of this movie. 0/5
   Picture quality is very bad, but still watchable (same quality is part 1).
   
   ENTER THE GAME OF DEATH- I can usually watch even the worst picture quality, but this is completely unwatchable. The picture shakes like crazy and you can't see anything. Too bad, because I was looking forward to this movie.
   
   So once again, the only reason to get this 10-pack is to see Kung Fu Superman, which can also be found in this 2-pack- Kung Fu Superman/Muscle of the Dragon And I apologize for not going over all of the movies in more detail. It was painful to try and watch all of them.



2. The official title of this DVD set is "Grindhouse Experience Presents: Ultimate Dragon Collection - 10 Film Set". It is a 3 DVD set. The first disc is single sided with 2 films and the other two discs are both double sided with 2 films per side (see my submitted images for details). The films are as follows (all are full screen unless noted):
   
   Disc 1: Kung Fu Superman (ws)& Muscle of the Dragon. (note: Kung Fu Superman/Muscle of the Dragon is sold separately, but for $5-$10 more, depending on where you buy it, you're getting 8 additional films with this set)
   Disc 2/Side A: Dragon Lives Again & Bruce Lee: Star of Stars (ws)
   Disc 2/Side B: Enter the Game Of Death (ws) & Mission of the Dragon
   Disc 3/Side A: Ching Wu and Shaolin Kung Fu parts 1 & 2
   Disc 3/Side B: Fist of Fury 3 & Return of Fist of Fury
   
   I haven't watched the films straight through as of yet so instead of plot I'll stick to quality & format issues in this review. Don't get this set expecting nice quality film prints because they probably never looked any better to begin with. Basically everything here has that slightly blurred but mostly watchable look of low budget films found on public domain collections. Some are definitely better than others. I found Kung Fu Superman & Enter the Game of Death to have slightly better film quality with the Ching Wu films having the worst. The other films fall somewhere in the middle. If you're used to this type of varying quality then you'll more than likely find everything at least watchable. Sound is another issue. Although KF Superman & Enter feature some of the better film quality they also both have a low pitched hum in their soundtrack, but it's not enough to really distract you. Sound in the other films ranges from good to ok. Everything is english dubbed (some really badly) with the exception of Bruce Lee: Star of Stars which I believe is in mandarin, but features english subtitles. Also for some reason Muscle of the Dragon has spanish subtitles on the film print. All but 3 films are displayed in full screen format and in some cases this cuts off action and actors.
   
   All in all, what you're getting with this set are 10 films of varying quality (for the price of one) from the 70s sub-genre of "Bruceploitation", named so for featuring several actors such as Bruce Li and Dragon Lee doing their best "Bruce Lee". In other words these and many other cheaply made kung fu flicks exploited the fame of the late Bruce Lee by using actors that resembled and acted like him. Some films go as far as to rip off titles of Bruce Lee films such as this set's Enter the Game of Death (combining Enter the Dragon & Game of Death) and Return of Fist of Fury (Fists of Fury aka The Big Boss). You'll appreciate this set if you like all things 70s kung fu and aren't put off by low budget, bad dubbing, and mediocre film quality. Some might say those all go hand in hand with this type of collection. Just go into it knowing you aren't getting the cream of the kung fu crop here. This is obviously released in hopes of appealing to the fans of "grindhouse" drive in movies (especially riding on the popularity of the Rodriguez/Tarantino double feature) but kung fu junkies like myself should find something to like here. There are definitely better starting points for the genre that I highly recommend such as:
   
   Enter the Dragon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
   Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection (The Big Boss / Fist of Fury / Way of the Dragon / Game of Death / Game of Death II)
   The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
   Master of the Flying Guillotine
   
   Definitely look into what the Dragon Dynasty series (that 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a part of) has to offer. If you're seeking out more low budget kung fu craziness and want a lot for your buck try this:
   
   Martial Arts 50 Movie Pack Collection



3. I've just given in to the temptation to pic up this "10 film dvd set" under the assumption that it was a remastered, repackaged re-release of films featured in the Return of the Dragon Pack and Fist of Fury Legacy collection, both released in 2003-04 by Video Asia. Don't let the additions of Kung Fu Superman and Muscle of the Dragon fool you...if you already own the Return of the Dragon Pack and Fist of Fury Legacy, you'll want to save your money because once you open the box, you'll find those 2 series and a double feature containing Kung-Fu Superman and Muscle of the Dragon and slap yourself miserably for assuming that VideoAsia would give us an upgrade(ie, Star of Stars with ALL of the widescreen feature and subtitles, Enter the Game of Death WITHOUT the shakiness of the picture,etc). Good films...except for The Dragon Lives Again...but nothing new. For reviews of the other films, lookup the Return of the Dragon Pack and Fist of Fury Legacy individually.



4. If you have read the other reviews, you know that the picture quality is bad and the fights scenes are pretty much terrible. I would just like to add the fact that you probably aren't buying these for a quality film. First of all, any DVD package that says "Grindhouse Experience Presents" is pretty much a giant warning sign saying that the picture quality will suck, that acting will probably be terrible, and that the movie overall will be bad. Another warning sign would be that fact that you get ten films for eighteen bucks. Overall, these films are terrible, but if you like "Grindhouse" films, this is great; if you are looking for good quality, find something else.

4 comments about God of Killers.

1. "God of Killers" is yet another in a long line of retitled Hong Kong films designed to get the unsuspecting public to either rent or buy a title that they may have previously seen. This 1981 film was Chow's first major starring role and he's excellent here. But why change the name of the film from the original "The Story of Woo Viet?" There's really no need to do so. "The Story of Woo Viet" is a serious drama/character study and features fine acting from Chow who had worked for years in Hong Kong television and was trying to make the move to feature films. In Fact, "The Story of Woo Viet" did well at the box office, but for the next several years, Chow's films did not do so well and it wasn't until 1985 that he finally broke through and he hasn't looked back since. By the way, those looking for a John Woo style action film will be sadly disappointed; this is very definitely a character study, with an unhappy ending, that showcases Chow's acting talent.

   In all honesty, I cannot rate the VHS versions being offered by Amazon, as the copy that I have of this film was presented on DVD (that I picked up for five bucks at a Pathmark grocery store!). However, based on internet research that I have done on this film, I recommend that potential buyers stay away from the Arena Video version. While there's very little in the way of the usual crappy English dubbing (there are a few scenes spoken in English), the Arena version has the English subtitles cut-off at the bottom of the screen for large chunks of the film as does my budget DVD from Beverly Wilshire Filmworks (who are based in New York!).

   Bottom line: As this was Chow Yun-Fat's first major film role in a superior Hong Kong film, viewers ought to give it a look. Just be careful with the version that you are buying. Buyer beware!




2. One of the worst DVD transfers we have seen to date. Subtitles were imprinted on the original film, and frames jump all over the screen, making them impossible to read. Not to mention overall bad quality of video and audio. Otherwise, could be a something for Chow Yun Fat fans.



3. This transfer is absolutely horrid. I have probably hundreds of 'budget' dvds and this is absolutely the worst transfer that I have seen to date.
   
   To further amplify the first reviewer's comments, the subtitles are not only hard to read but generally IMPOSSIBLE to read. The bottom line of the subtitles is nearly always unreadable.
   
   Stay away from this and look for a Hong Kong version instead. Beverly Wilshire transfers are always among the worst of the budget dvd's.



4. If you are idiot! do not buy this DVD!!! it is the worst copy of this film!!! Poor images, and the subtitles look like a madmans breakfast!!! As they said to Big Julie, on the way to the Forum, dont do it Big Julie!!!