5 comments about The Royal Tramp Collection.

1. ROYAL TRAMP 1- Wong Jing's parody of the novel Duke of Mount Deer is a funny movie with some amazing wire fu action sequences. Stephen Chow stars as a man who is just an ordinary person surrounded by extremely powerful people. He is given a mission to steal a secret book, and it's a suicide mission. He has to steal it from an evil General played by Elvis Tsui. Chow fakes being a eunuch so that he can steal the book, but instead he accidentally becomes good friends with the Emperor. The group that sent Chow on the mission wants to kill the Emperor. Why am I trying to explain the story? Its probably the least important thing about this movie. Its all about the nonstop jokes and amazing wire fu action sequences. The fights have some crazy stuff going on. If you are a fan of wuxias then you are really gonna dig this. And the comedy is also very good. In the second half of the movie alone I remember laughing outloud at least 10 times. Its a crazy ride all the way through. Highly recommended to Stephen Chow fans. Rating- 3.5/5
   
   ROYAL TRAMP 2- as expected, part 2 picks up where part 1 left off. Unforunately, it doesn't have the energy that part 1 has. I was very excited to see Brigitte Lin and Yen Shi Kwan have big roles, but with a boring story there isn't really much for them to do. It's not a bad movie, it just doesn't have nearly as many hilarious moments or amazing action scenes as part 1. The action scenes are once again creative, but I was disappointed that Yen Shi Kwan doesn't really get to do any fighting himself. 2.5/5
   
   
   Picture and sound quality are good. Picture is kind of grainy, but not bad at all for a movie from 1992.
   
   Only a couple of special features to speak of. Bey Logan gives a great commentary on part 1, and on part 2 he repeats himself quite a bit, but its still a good listen.
   
   There is a 10 minute interview with Wong Jing that is interesting. This is only half of a 2 part interview, so I don't understand why Dragon Dynasty didn't put the other 10 minute interview on here. That's my only complaint about this release.



2. Great deal for movies that are fun to watch with lots of interesting twists and turns. I've been keeping a watch out for new DVDs for him especially after watchin Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. I'm happy to have these in my collection.



3. I watched this and enjoyed the fun of it. Wasn't to serious but I got to relax. Thanks



4. I've enjoyed Stephen Chow in Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, so I figured I'd give The Royal Tramp Collection a try, and I wasn't disappointed. The pair of stories about a conman who inadvertently befriends the emperor of China (and beds and marries his spoiled sister!), while simultaneously defusing multiple competing plots to overthrow the dynasty, is hilarious in its zany unlikelihood. The films combine excellent kung fu action and slapstick comedy in an entertaining package. Be sure to watch them with the English language track. The voice acting is nothing special, but the translation captures a lot more of the humor than the lackluster subtitles.



5. If you like Stephen Chow, you'll love this. The picture quality is A+++, the story is A+++, and the humor is off the chart!

4 comments about Five Shaolin Masters.

1. Man, oh man, this is one fantastic martial arts film. If Five Shaolin Masters doesn't have it all, it certainly does come close. Not only do you have numerous well-choreographed fight scenes involving groups as well as individuals, you've got a whole buffet of fighting styles served up for your viewing pleasure. Speaking of viewing pleasure, the print is fantastic. I can't speak for the DVD specifically, but the print that I saw was in vivid, glorious widescreen, looking more like a modern-day Hong Kong release than a film dating back to 1974.
   
   As the film opens, the Shaolin Temple has just been destroyed by imperial Manchu forces. Thanks to a traitorous spy among the Shaolin disciples, the bad guys were able to take the Temple by complete surprise, killing all but five of its members. After fighting their way to safety, the survivors head off separately to make contact with other rebels. The Manchu are never far behind, as they are determined to stamp out all the rebels once and for all. Numerous fights ensue along the way, leaving the five Shaolin disciples alive but unsure of themselves, having learned that they are no match for the kung fu fighters of the Manchu. Having encountered their enemies (including the traitor that betrayed the Temple) face to face, though, they are now aware of their enemies' strengths and weaknesses. Proving that knowledge is power, each of them begins intensive training in the particular fighting style he thinks he will need in order to defeat his adversary. That, of course, sets the stage for one hell of a battle in the film's final 15-20 minutes.
   
   I'm no martial arts film expert, but my understanding is that the great writer/director Chang Cheh brought together two generations of top-notch martial artists for this film. The five would-be Shaolin masters are played by Ti Lung, Chi Duan-chun, Mang Fei, Alexander Fu Sheng, and David Chiang, with the last two turning in particularly memorable performances. The Manchu kung fu experts are a few years older than the heroes, but their skills remain honed to a razor-sharp edge. Pao Yu-lung (Choi Wang) is deservedly renowned and feared for his skill with the Flying Axe, while his buddies (played by Kong Do, Fung Hak-on, Chien San, and Ma Fu-yi) are just as masterful at their own individual fighting styles. One of them kills a man with a mere snap of his ponytail, which was so impressive I had to immediately pause and watch him do it a second time.
   
   The big fight at the end is the equivalent of five main events all rolled into one, featuring a display of martial artistry showcasing the Tiger and Crane style, advanced usage of the chain dart and fighting staff, a whopping ten complementary styles by one fighter, and all kinds of other impressive action. The realism extends all the way through the aftermath of each pugilistic duel, as well. Liu Chia-Liang's fight choreography is spot-on throughout the entire film, as is Chang Cheh's direction. For the time being, at least, Five Shaolin Masters is my new favorite martial arts film.
   
   On a final note, a prequel to this film, Shaolin Temple, was made in 1976, so you might want to hunt that one down before watching Five Shaolin Masters. If you have any interest in kung fu cinema at all, though, you're definitely going to want to see this 1974 classic - with or without the prequel.



2. This is the best kung fu movie of all time. It features the beloved Fu Sheng, who I think is the best.



3. The maestro Chang Cheh made this Shaolin versus Manchu classic "Five Shaolin Masters" in 1975 for his independent Chang Ho Film company (which was affiliated with Shaw Brothers). First, the movie itself is classic Chang Cheh, right down to his themes of brotherhood, patriotism and honor.
   
   The Shaolin heroes are comprised of his "first team" ~ Ti Lung as Tsai Te-Chung, the late Fu Sheng as Ma Chao-Hsing, Chi Kuan-Chun as Li Shih-Kai, David Chiang as Hu Te-Ti & an odd choice in Meng Fei as Fang Ta-Hung. Odd because it's Meng's only appearance in a Chang Cheh film to my knowledge. Billy Tang & Gordon Liu both make cameos, I don't know why he didn't use one of them. Anyhoo, Chang rounds out the film with great "villains";(shown with their own music) Tsai Hung as Pao Yu-Lung, Liang Chia-Jen a.k.a. Beardie as Chien San, Feng Ko-An as Chiang Chin-Chiu, Chiang Tao as Chen Wen-Yao & Johnny Wang Lung-Wei as Ma Fu-Yi. The story is simple; Manchus attack and destroy Shaolin with the help of a spy (explained in the prologue), each Shaolin hero gets matched up with their Manchu adversary, the heroes get beaten, they regroup, spend a year brushing up on their fu in the Shaolin ruins and have a 15 minute finale with our "improved" heroes taking on their Manchu enemies. However, Chang Cheh executes the narrative like no other. The Liu brothers, one of whom makes a cameo, deliver the goods in the choreography department, especially the end fight between Chi Kuan-Chun using the Cross Fist style against Feng Ko-An's Mantis Fist & Eagle Claw styles. Awesome stuff here and great stock music.
   
   Now for the DVD; digitally restored & remastered blemish-free print. Widescreen, uncut, and it includes the original Chinese/English credits. One complaint though. Even though I would prefer subtitles and original Chinese audio track, I didn't mind the English dubbing here because it was those familiar "Drive-In Movie" voices that I grew up listening to. But here's the problem, the English track this DVD company had wasn't in the greatest shape. It was audible and all, but there were synch glitches left and right (probably because of the different region origins of the video and audio), and the audio track kept switching between two different audio tracks. It wasn't that bad, I'm being a little nitpicky I know, but it was slightly distracting, but the picture quality is top-notch.
   
   Bonzai Distribution, who did this one, are hit and miss. Sometimes they do a fantastic job like "Ten Tigers of Kwangtung", "The Weird Man" and "House of Traps", sometimes they do a real crappy job like "Magnificent Ruffians". "Five Shaolin Masters" a.k.a. "Five Masters of Death" falls in between - excellent picture, so-so audio, no special features. Well, there's my opinion for what it's worth. Hope it helps.



4. I saw this in a theater back in the 70's. This is a martial arts classic as the various fight scenes will show several styles of Kung Fu not normally known to most people. The dubbed voice overs are kind of corny as most films of this genre were back in the day but then people who view these movies could care less. It's strictly about the fight scenes.It's ok, I'm glad to own a copy of this movie.

5 comments about My Young Auntie.

1. Considered by many to be a Kung Fu classic, this Lau Kar-Leung flick is another of those films that has much to enjoy, however; the material in between those scenes can be pretty rough! Kara Hui is introduced here as the central character(The Young Auntie if you will). Although nice to look at and a strong female lead, I found her character to be fairly unlikeable and her fighting scenes are probably the worst in the film. Hsiao Hou plays the charismatic nephew who is always trying to show his Kung Fu superiority (great facial expressions) and is impressive even when scripted into campy situations(like sword-fighting with a small army knife while dressed as Peter Pan!?). Lau Kar-Leung steals the show to no real suprise. He is obviously the best fighter of the entire cast(although Gordon Liu shows up in a bit part) and is electric throughout. The movie clocks in at roughly 2 hours and even though there are fight scenes scattered through the first hour and a half it is the final half hour, filled with Kung Fu mayhem and Leung and Hou fighting alongside to rescue thier Aunt that saved this for me. And that great finale is what elevates this to the 3 stars I gave it... everything up until then is worth watching once but rather forgettable. If you do enjoy the genre comedy elements of this era(slapstick, misunderstandings, sexual inuendo, bizzare situations, dance routines, etc.) than this is a must own... these are the elements that brought the film down for me personally. Either way this is worth a viewing and the DVD release by Dragon Dynasty is top notch as always(special features are a rare letdown though).



2. If you like Cutesy humor and long SONG and DANCE numbers in your Kung Fu flix, this is for you... otherwise, stay away.



3. Dragon Dynasty only releases top notch movies in their collection and this is one of them, a classic with great humor and action combined...



4. I noticed an error in the details; the screen format is 2:35:1, not 1:66:1, and there are quite a few extras like an awesome 22 minute interview with the "Young Auntie" herself, Kara Hui Ying-Hung and original widescreen Shaw Brothers trailers. This is NOT a bootleg, this is a re-mastered version of a great Liu Chia-liang (Lau Kar-leung) movie. I'm not going to go into the plot, but I will say that this one is a Liu comedy. If his brand of comedy appeals to you, you will definitely enjoy this. Besides, the fu (choreography by Liu & Hsiao Hou) is absolutely incredible. Many great cameos by Gordon Liu (who sings and plays guitar here), Kwon Young-Moon, Wilson Tong & Yuen Tak (one of Jackie Chan's classmates during their Opera school days). Many great set-pieces including a ballroom dance turning into an all-out brawl, European fencing versus Chinese swordplay & the numerous martial bouts towards the film's end, culminating with a fantastic bout between Johnny Wang & Liu Chia-liang (seen on the bottom of the DVD's cover). In short, a classic Liu Chia-liang comedy, a great looking DVD by Dragon Dynasty; crisp, blemish- free picture, widescreen, clear audio & re-mastered subtitles. However, stay away from the English dub & the audio commentary, quite simply, stinks on ice.



5. I was thrilled to see the new release of the Shaw Brothers martial arts films on DVD. I remember sitting in front of the TV every Saturday in the '70's and '80's watching Kung Fu movies. And Shaw Brothers films were always the best.
   
   Having said this, My Young Auntie was a waste of film. There are a few good fights, but the attempts at comedy totally bog the film down. Perhaps to an Asian audience this film is hilarious. Jackie Chan, in an interview about the Rush Hour movies, stated that he really doesn't understand American humor. Perhaps this is my problem with this film -- I may not understand Chinese humor.
   
   In any case, if you are a hardcore fan of the Shaw Brothers films. buy this for your collection. If you are looking for an action-packed classic Kung Fu movie, look elsewhere.

5 comments about Come Drink with Me.

1. If you are familiar with Shaw Brothers, then you know that this is not your first choice of their films. First, to it's credit (or more specifically to the credit of Dragon Dynasty) the film is restored really well and has a great picture.
   
   What I don't like is that nearly every fight scene, of which there are many, are implied martial arts. It is edited in such a way that you really don't see a whole lot of action. What you do see is simple, and disapointing. The story is decent for a kung-fu film, but compared to other Shaw Brothers classics, especially their earlier releases, this leaves much to be desired.
   
   If you are looking for some great martial arts, this is probably not a good choice.



2. This is a good strong Chinese martial arts revenge movie. I was surprised to see a VERY young actress that plays one of lead roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon! See if you can spot her.



3. A gang of bandits ambush a small convey in an attempt to rescue their leader. They kidnap the son of an official to force a trade. In retaliation a highly skilled agent is sent to rescue him and force the group to surrender.
   
   I'll start by pointing out the incredible job DD did on this DVD transfer. The picture is very clear and sharp. There isn't the slightest bit of grain and the sound is just as good. I had to watch this film with the volume at full blast. Simply because the music score is so well done.
   
   Now for the film itself. Unlike many fu flicks that rely solely on the action to give you a rush. Come Drink With Me moves at a pretty good pace and the characters push the story. Now the action scenes are given in good doses but I didn't really think they were that special. I found alot of them to be too slow and I don't feel the characters lived up to their over deadly reputations. If it wasn't for the very solid acting and a cruel villian, I wouldn't have cared too much for it. Anyone who comes into this film for quick paced over the top action and leave disappointed. Have a legit complaint in my view.
   
   Still, I enjoyed the film from start to finish. Chang Pei-pei was incredibly beautiful in her young days. And if you dig asian chicks then you owe it to yourself to see this beauty in action. The extras are pretty good too with some trailers and a couple of interviews. I found them to be pretty enjoyable with some good info. Those searching for gory, very quick paced action should be careful with this. It just might not be for you.



4. Back in the early 80's a local TV station here in the Detroit area used to have something called Kung-Fu Theater every Saturday night. These were very cheaply made films with little plot and even less character development but it didn't matter...These were Kung-Fu films and young male viewers ate them up. It seemed they all had a Bruce Lee clone as the star and they even used variations of the late actor's name such as Bruce Lei or Bruce Le. It was all good stuff!
   
   Come Drink with Me is an early martial arts classic from 1966, written and directed by legendary martial arts filmmaker, King Hu. It's choreography and wire stunts would influence such modern films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill. In fact, its lead actress, Cheng Pei Pei, would play an important role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon over thirty years later.
   
   A bandit clan has kidnapped the son of a governor and is holding him as ransom for the return of their leader who is imprisoned. Instead, the Governor sends his daughter, the expert swordswoman named Golden Swallow to rescue her brother. The bandit second-in-command, Jade Faced Tiger, sends a group of his men to try and kill Golden Swallow at a nearby Inn. This sets up the first major fight of the film as Golden Swallow shows off her skills, easily defeating the bandits. Quentin Tarantino was heavily influenced by this scene for the restaurant fight in Kill Bill Part 1. Golden Swallow was the prototype for Uma Thurmond's character.
   
   When she tries to rescue her brother from the temple the bandits have taken over, she finds herself vastly outnumbered but gets aid from the near-mythical master martial artist known as Drunken Cat. Pulling the strings behind the bandits is Drunken Cat's rival the evil Abbot Liao Kung who murdered Cat's master years earlier.
   
   Come Drink With Me is a remarkable film on several levels. Neither of the main two stars were proficient in the martial arts before making the film. Their abilities came from a combination of training during the film, brilliant choreography, and clever film tricks. The film techniques look a bit dated over forty years later but you can certainly see why this film was such a hit in Hong Kong and considered one of the best martial arts films ever made.
   
   Cheng Pei Pei is dynamic as Golden Swallow and the fact that a female was cast as the heroic lead in a film from the 1960s is truly amazing. She is beautiful, tough, and yet still sensitive in her portrayal, reluctantly taking aid from Drunken Cat. Yueh Hua was equally adept as master Drunken Cat, providing comic relief initially appearing as a drunken fool but aiding Swallow so skillfully that it went without notice.
   
   The widescreen DVD release is a gorgeous transfer and you'd never guess the film was over forty years old. The rumor is that Quentin Tarrantino is planning on doing a remake of the film.
   
   
   Extras
   
   Genius Products has provided fans with several outstanding extras for the DVD release. There is an audio commentary with Cheng Pei Pei and Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan. Other features include:
   
   "The King and I" Acclaimed filmmaker Tsui Hark remembers the late King Hu
   
   "Come Speak With Me" an interview with Cheng Pei Pei (15:00) who still looks fabulous over forty years later.
   
   "A Classic Remembered" Bey Logan provides a retrospective on the film and its tremendous influence on modern directors (17:24)
   
   "Return of the Drunken Master" An exclusive interview with the lead actor, Yueh Hua, who played Drunken Cat (18:00)



5. "Pei Pei is wonderful in her role as Golden Swallow and Yueh Hua as the drunken beggar/martial arts master incognito is fantastic here. This film boasts the inspiration for what was to become martial arts cinema as we know it. Shaw Brothers productions make an all out attempt at realism. The villians are cruel, and very brutal, especially the White Faced Killer. The dialogue is extremely well thought out and the english dubbed translations may be a little better than the mandarin translations to english subtitles. Another interseting feature to the disc are the interviews. Yueh Hua actually confess' in his interview, to having been actually drunk during the scene where he's drinking while under guard by the villians, interestingly the director informed Yueh that's one of his best scenes in the film. The sets are simply fantastic examples of rustic 18th century china. The scene where Yueh Hua is tending to Pei Pei's wounds at his humble abode (any beggar would be truly fortunate to have a waterfall in their back yard), and is accosted there by the villians who wish to remove Pei Pei by force, is very well done and the set is beautiful. This is where Yueh Hua reveals his true identity, and his disguise of being a drunken beggar to all involved in the stories plot, though Pei Pei is wise to this very early on. The final fight is a bit of an anti-climax but not enough to cause the veiwer to be disappointed. A must have for any who truly appreciate classic Shaws Bros. martial arts films. The picure quality of this DVD is absolutely beautiful."

5 comments about Elektra - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition).

1. Ok, although I worked in a movie store, and I am usually a good judge of films (thus no need to review movies less than 3 stars, generally)...I bought it for the cover and a few previews.
   
   I thought that this movie would be an intense, butt kicking, action packed film with a hot chic superhero cutting her way through obstacles. This movie has not left as strong of an impression in my mind, as most films do. I only vaguely recall the plot and some rather boring scenes.
   
   Don't get me wrong, the actress is hot, and she does a little butt kicking, but if you want action I'd recommend movies with Milla Jovovich, such as Ultraviolet (Unrated, Extended Cut), Resident Evil - The High-Definition Trilogy (Resident Evil/ Resident Evil: Apocalypse/ Resident Evil: Extinction) [Blu-ray], etc., or Kate Beckinsale; Underworld (Unrated) [Blu-ray], Underworld - Evolution (Widescreen Special Edition), and obscure flicks such as Bloodrayne (Unrated Director's Cut)(DVD ROM game is included).
   
   Elektra was not very electrifying. I give it a "watch it once" rating, but I was not very impressed with the movie.



2. Ah yes, super heroes, those eccentric, maladjusted, social pariahs, forever troubled by their pasts. Ben Affleck was effectively blind and dysfunctional as Daredevil; Christian Bale much less appealing (in my humble opine) as a wimpy Batman. But when it comes to a super hero who can simultaneously kick arse and hold a guilt-ridden pity party, no one can hold a candle to sleek bombshell Jennifer Garner; not only that, she wears a red outfit that makes Viagra a mere breath mint, and she moves and grooves in ways that make ELEKTRA serve its very own call of the wild.
   
   The plot is campy and goofy, but name me a super hero plot that isn't. Garner's Elektra is a professional assasin (what a way to go), only she's taken a gig she can't complete; meanwhile, she's pitted against some supernatural ninja-types (talk to the Hand) who share a commonality with her high-drama past. She fights, she pouts, she swims to relieve her guilt, then--like all action heroes--she comes back from near-death to become an invincible villain mauler.
   
   Garner makes this film so much fun to watch; she's beautiful, graceful, exotic, and deadly, and I want to take my next vacation in her dimple. Heck, in that outfit she could just stand in front of a camera and read the phone book; I would not be entertained any less. Jennifer, sweetheart, you are my alltime favorite super hero as ELEKTRA. And you've got the costume to prove it.
   --D. Mikels, Author, Walk-On



3. I have to say that I am not familiar with any Daredevil or Elektra comics, games or had had any other contact with the characters apart from the two movies so I cannot compare the characters to other sources, nor can I take part in discussing the technicalities and the specifics like other reviewers have. Therefore, coming from someone that did not "know" Elektra prior to the film I have to say that the movie was pretty good.
   Jennifer Garner (who is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!) and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well, allowing for an entertaining movie. On the negative side, there were several parts that were too predictable/obvious taking away from the overall enjoyment of the movie.
   In short, the plot, the setting, the special effects, and the music are all good.
   Overall, though not a masterpiece, it is definitely a movie worth watching, as it will provide for an evening's entertainment! 3.5 Stars



4. I like Garner and think she's an appealing actress, and I liked her in Daredevil, but in this movie the action scenes are so weak and unbelievable. She is supposed to be a great fighter, but we hardly see anything, it's just implied that she is able to get past an army of ninjas or armed thugs. Then the battles with the superpowered guys are even more absurd, because any one of them could end the fight in a second. The story?.. not much there, there's a young girl who is supposed to be a good fighter so she protects her, and something about her learning from a blind teacher. Not as bad as Catwoman though.



5. The beautiful Jennifer Garner is back as Elektra! After being reborn from DareDevil, Elektra assassinates the bad guys. During Christmas time, Elektra moves to a cottage and meets Mark Miller and his 13-year old girl, Abby. She find out that her next mission is to assassinate them both. After having Christmas dinner, she doesn't want to and all three of them are being hunted down by an organization known as The Hand. There are a lot of special effects and action sequences. If you love action, and sexy Jennifer Garner, you'll love ELEKTRA!!!

5 comments about Above the Law.

1. This movie, directed by Corey Yuen, the master of developing "fun" fight scenes. The movie stars a younger Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, Karen Sheppard, Pete Cunningham just to name a few. The plot, predictable, the dialogue whether in English or Cantonese, is often obvious and not very clever; but, this movie, judged on its own terms excel where many of this genre fails. There is a plot and the fighting is always in relation to it.
   
   And, it is here, in the fight scenes that one can indulge in martial mayhem! This is a young Rothrock and she is at some of her best (actually, her Hong Kong films far surpass any of her American work). The fight scene with Karen Sheppard is just fantastic! There is so litle work of Sheppard on film, that this makes the movie even more of a treat. Of course, Biao is great and one will enjoy his fight scene against Pete Cunningham.
   
   These fights are great and fun and Rothrock and Biao fans will you it.



2. Yuen Biao stars as a vigilante defense attorney. When all of his witnesses are killed, he looks to take matters into his own hands. Cynthia Rothrock stars a mahjong playing, kung fu fighting policewoman, and Melvin Wong stars as the dirty police chief. The story has many illogical things happening, but if you have seen a lot of Hong Kong films, you know they do whatever they have to do to move onto the next fight scene. Fan Siu Wong has a great role as a young punk. He doesn't get to do any action, but it is pretty hard to believe that this is the same kid who only 5 years later would attain a physique that even Bruce Lee would have marveled at. So to sum the movie up briefly, Biao and Rothrock finally figure out Melvin Wong is the bad guy, and it all leads to a spectacular finish.
   
   The story is not bad, but the action is definitely the best thing about this movie. Yuen Biao gives one of his very best physical performances, and Rothrock has a few nice fights including one of the better woman on woman fights of all time against Karen Sheperd. I always love to see the chain rope in action, and Karen Sheperd seems to be very skilled using it. Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham plays an assassin and has my favorite fight of the movie against Biao. They don't pull any punches and it is very intense. The final fight is good, but then there is a thrilling chase sequence that I was not expecting at all. Don't give up on this movie half way through if you don't like it, the last 30 minutes are worth a watch for any fan of action cinema.
   
   3.5/5
   
   Picture and sound quality are VERY good, and big thanks to Dragon Dynasty for including the original Cantonese mono track.
   
   Special features are as good as it gets. The alternate ending is interesting, the commentary from Bey Logan is filled with good information, and the interviews are worth the price of the DVD alone. 18 minutes with Peter Cunningham, 17 with Yuen Biao, and 13 with Rothrock. All the interviews are so good, I can't name a favorite. There is no way I could go over all the great things that are brought up, but here is a small taste of Rothrock's interview- "Yuen Kwai (the director) was a lot tougher on me than Sammo Hung. I would tell him I don't think I can do this and he would say yes you can, practice here for 2 hours."



3. I just got that new Dragon Dynasty version of the film, though I'd never seen it before last night. Haven't watched any of the extras yet, though from what I've read elsewhere this is the "downbeat" Cantonese cut of the film. I must admit I'm disappointed in the film, though can still justify a decent score. I really liked Yuen Biao as well as the lead villain. I just realized that Bad Egg was played by the director, haha. The film had some big laughs, perhaps occasionally unintentional, but also some great action.
   
   There were a lot of problems with the editing and stunt-work though. I know they make these movies fast and for not much money, but this one seemed cut together more carelessly than most. Also, despite how talented all the stunt people and the leads are in the film's action scenes, there were way too many moments where I saw wires or could clearly see the faces of stunt-doubles. Especially for Rothrock. Sometimes they'd put makeup on the guy. And one of the doubles for her looked like Biao himself. I know you can never be perfect with such things, but it was just much more obvious than in many other films of the genre that I've seen.
   
   On sort of a side note, you ever notice the ramp effect with vehicles in action movies? The most common example would be of a speedboat hitting the low end of another boat and rocketing through the air. You occasionally see this with cars too. Here in Above the Law a.k.a. Righting Wrongs, you see it with a car chasing down Yuen Biao going off of a parked car. Of course the car is in front of a railing up high on a multi-level parking garage. And I don't know my models but it's probably a Mitsubishi since they made it into EVERY Hong Kong action movie in the 80s. But the parked car wasn't particularly low to the ground. The moving car didn't hit any objects to lift it's front end up. It just jumps the other like a ramp. I don't know if this is really a complaint. It was odd, but hysterical.
   
   If we're talking recommendations and I have to exclude anything with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, or Jet Li, I'd recommend any of the first four In the Line of Duty movies over this. But it's still a decent action movie and any fan of Yuen Biao in particular really needs to see it.



4. I absolutely love Yuen Biao, in fact; I think he may be the most underappreciated GREAT martial artist ever. So it pains me to say that this movie is altogether mediocre at the very best. None of the acting is good enough to make any of the characters compelling and the dialogue is jilted and forced(even for this type of film) when not busy being downright painful. As another reviewer mentioned, the stunt work and fight scenes seem overly edited and even sloppy at times. The music... oh boy, this may be as bad as I've ever heard(stock tunes or even nails on a chockboard would've been preferred) and is literally bad enough to dock the movie a star all on its own. All that being said, you do get some good and even great action. The first fight between Yuen and Cynthia Rothrock is fast and tight and they compliment each others styles well. The next solo fight Yuen takes on former kickboxing champ Peter Cunningham in a brutal give-and-take fight with plenty of big shots and broken glass. My favorite Yuen part was the entire parking garage scene that begins with him being ran down by cars before breaking into a brawl against a bunch of goons. Shocking to me though, was that arguably the best fight of the movie is a ladies only scrum between Rothrock and Sheperd! I would agree with fellow reviewer Morgoth when he states that it's "one of the better woman on woman fights of all time." If you are a fan of Yuen or just martial arts action movies in general you could certainly do worse, but this is far from the best the genre has to offer. For all those looking for a review for the Steven Seagel film of the same name... sorry to waste your time (and sorry you're looking for that!).



5. GREAT fights, didn't like how it ended to much but that didn't really affect what I thought of the movie. Yuen Biao is a machine dude is nuts!

5 comments about Dragon Tiger Gate [Blu-ray].

1. Dragon Tiger Gate is based on a martial arts comic book of the same title popular in the seventies and eighties.
   
   I rate this movie at one star as it might be of interest to fans of Donnie Yuen and/or fans of martial arts. If you are neither, then steer well clear. Dragon Tiger Gate just has all the bad parts of Hong Kong Cinema including a script so bad that it ruins the whole endeavour.



2. I was a great Dragon Tiger Gate comic fan during my childhood days (in the 70s). You will appreciate the movie more if you're familiar with such comic. Since this is a comic adaption, I didn't have high expectation but surprisingly the actions are good!
   
   Fans of the comic will recognize the fighting style such as "Golden Mask" & "Electric Dragon Drill" in the movie. The CGI is done nicely & I love the effect (except the ending part). Donnie Yen's fans will not be disappointed. Great energetic moves! Nicholas Tse carrying the role of Tiger Wong quite well.
   
   1-star off due to the PQ which isn't a big difference than the SD edition. However as for the audio, it offers both the lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 & TrueHD 7.1! I feel the ending part where Dragon finishes off Shabumi from the falling tower is too "exaggerated"...well, perhaps this is a movie not to be taken seriously, forget about any good story line, etc thus you will be able to enjoy it. Give it a try!



3. For people who read comic books, you'll love this movie. Filled with great fighting sequences, this movie is lacking any plot really. As the title reveals no plot either, this is a beat 'em up movie. There are some noteworthy, bordering on legendary actors in this movie, has English 5.1 version, excellent presentation. As I said, it lacks any good story or plot. Also it is not real martial arts, but computer animation sequences mostly. Not a bad movie for fans, otherwise not too memorable for martial arts lovers.



4. Version: U.S.A / Tai Seng / Region Free
   MPRG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
   Running time: 1:34:19
   Movie size: 26,81 GB
   Disc size: 37,71 GB
   Average video bit rate: 25.98 Mbps
   
   DTS-HD Master Audio Chinese 3458 kbps 7.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 3458kbps (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1536kbps)
   Dolby TrueHD Audio Chinese 2479 kbps 7.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 2479kbps (AC3-EX Core: 5.1-EX / 48kHz / 640kbps)
   Dolby Digital EX Audio English 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48kHz / 640kbps
   Dolby Digital EX Audio Chinese 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48kHz / 640kbps
   Dolby Digital Audio English 384 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 384kbps
   Dolby Digital Audio Vietnamese 384 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 384kbps
   
   Subtitles: English / Chinese (Traditional & Simplified)
   Number of chapters: 19
   
   Version: Hong Kong / Region Free
   MPEG-4 AVC BD-25
   Running time: 1:34:19
   Movie size: 23,36 GB
   Disc size: 24,54 GB
   Average video bit rate: 22.85 Mbps
   DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 16-bit
   Dolby TrueHD 7.1 16-bit



5. Dragon Tiger Gate [Blu-ray] Excellent fight scenes. Beautifully filmed and executed. the sound track is great. I saw this on dvd originally and couldn't wait to own it on Blu Ray. If you decide to give it a peek do get the Blu Ray disc. It is well worth buying and owning.

5 comments about Warriors of Virtue.

1. this is the most ridiculously awesome movie i have seen in my entire life - kangaroo ninjas!!! it doesn't get any better than that. wow, what a trip ryan, what a trip. makes me want to grow some big back legs and a pouch and learn kung fu. great movie.



2. The Dvd arrived ontime and in a sealed package. The movie is what we expected



3. To be frank, this movie gives the feeling of a thrown together, have a happy ending kid movie. But when u see its villain, all conventions disappear. Komodo has to be one of the best villains in this genre of film. I find myself renting it over and over , just to watch the scenes with him in it. Angus Macfayden brings a quirky and somewhat comedic attitude but thats balanced by the sadistic evil we know lies in Komodo because of his ruthlessness. Now i admit, parents may not like choice scenes in the movie such as Alicia's new outfits as she joins Komodo and the sex kitten attitude. Now this is to parents looking to buy this movie. There is a curse word and i myself, who watched it before as a child, did not remember it being there so be on the watch. There is only one so it wont do much damage to the young viewer. But it might get them repeating it. There is a good bit of violence and some bloodshed, which is what i meant by conventions being shattered as the villain enters the story. To be honest i find Angus in this role to be dangerous and sexy, which keeps my coming back. As for the heroes, i do like how they made them non conventional ie kangaroos. It twists the story a bit and gets the kids rooting for the cute karate kangaroos, which is the aim of the filmakers. The fight sequences are spectacular. With a director like John Woo, you come to find great action sequences and here is no exception. My one probablem, which is why there is one less star, is the abysmal script. Even though there are memorable lines, the rest of it drags the story down like the titanic and leaves you going huh? Other then that the rest is all good and i thank John Woo for giving a non forgetable villain.



4. The '97 film `The Warriors of Virtue' has borrowed from a plethora of other movies that fall within the children/family genre. It starts out well with the introduction of the lead character Ryan Jeffers (Mario Yedidia), a young lame adolescent suffering from poor self-esteem due to his inability to physically perform like the rest of the kids his age. It gets even better moments later when his friend and Taoist mentor Ming (Dennis Dun) appears. Ming is a gifted kung fu practitioner who utilizes the ancient art in his skillful, aerobatic approach to cooking, holding the position of head chef in a Chinese restaurant. At this point I thought "This is really going to be good." Unfortunately Ryan is soon magically transported to the otherworldly land of Tao and Ming is left behind. My interest in the story slowly declined from that point on.
   
   Negatives: The biggest problem with this movie is that there is too much replication of what has been already seen or done in previous films. The script is borrowed from `The NeverEnding Story' (`84), the villains costumes come direct from the `Power Rangers' (`95) wardrobe department and the five talking ninja Kangaroo warriors are the `Teenage Mutant ninja Turtles' (`90) without the shell. If that weren't bad enough, there are far too many `Star Wars' ('77) images and characterizations to even attempt to list.
   
   Positives: The attempt to instill Taoist values and philosophy in `Warriors of Virtue' is commendable and that alone makes the film worth the watch, however some of the lessons that are meant to be passed on may be over the head of the target audience that are most likely to be attracted to this movie. Bottom line, if you're a male ten or younger you'll probably love it. Otherwise I'd pass.



5. I could not remember the name of this movie for the life of me but I googled some key words and I've found it. This movie came out my senior year of college and me and a buddy saw it. It was a train wreck of a movie. People were walking out of the theater. I stayed the whole time just scratching my head at the craziness of it all. I tried to rent it but I couldnt find it. The writer/director/producer must have been on acid when he made this movie.

5 comments about Fist of Legend.

1. This movie contains two of my favorite fights of all time: Jet Li vs. Chin Siu Ho, and Chin Siu Ho and company vs. a buttload of Japanese fighters. Just astonishing. The film is a remake of Bruce Lee's "Chinese Connection" about Chen Zhen, the fictitious student of the real Huo Yuan Jia, who Jet Li would later portray in "Fearless". This movie differs from Lee's in that some of the Japanese characters are sympathetic to the Chinese, plus the addition of a complicated romance and the school's internal conflict.
   
   The Japanese have set up shop in mainland China. Jet is studying in Japan when he learns of his master's death back in Shanghai, from a match with the master of a rival Japanese school. He comes home and immediately sets about getting his school's reputation back and letting the Japanese know who the best really is. The trouble is that Master Huo's son (Chin Siu Ho) is now in charge but everyone wants to follow and learn from Chen Zhen. Complicating things further is a plot to implicate Chen in the death of the instructor who killed his master, and a Japanese woman who is in love with Chen and sacrifices her life in Japan for him.
   
   This may be Yuen Woo Ping's best choreography, though it is not completely flawless. Too often props are broken rather ridiculously, and some scenes are a little too heavily edited. It's a minor complaint though and you won't care until you're on about the 22nd or 23rd viewing. If you don't already own it, BUY THIS. English dubbed only. 4.5/5
   
   1994



2. This is the best kung fu movie ever. Don't watch it! If you do, you will be disappointed with every other movie. And not just other kung fu movies, ALL MOVIES.



3. One of the best martial arts movies ever.The stuff tony jaa is doing now that people are making such a big fuss about was done here...
   There's even some muay thai clinching!.I saw elements of wing chun,chin na,jujustsu,muay thai boxing,aikido and of course kung fu in this.
   actually an educational film as well as a brutal,hard hitting martial arts movie.The dubbing and acting are above par for this sort of thing.The best thing jet li has ever done by far.



4. Read the other reviews but this movie rocks beyond imagination.
   
   Questions we have for Jet Li might be
   
   1. How come your other movies don't have such wonderful martial artistry, presumably the terrible "The Forbidden Kingdom" where it looks like you and Jackie are flailing arms rather than doing art.
   
   2. I'm sleepie but this'll do.
   
   The movie rocks!



5. This movie is amazing in every way, but you should probably wait for the dragon dynasty release. They do an excellent job with their Martial Arts movie releases.

5 comments about Ultimate Fighting Championship: The Best of 2007.

1. The fight bewteen Sam Stout vs Spencer Fisher is missing the entire second round. what is up with that?



2. This dvd is a great buy if you're a casual fan of Mixed Martial Arts or a more serious fan because every single fight on here is easily worth watching again and again. As a matter of fact it could easily be your go to dvd if you start a collection, and it unlike a lot of other MMA dvd's has the quality of having only good, watchable fights from elite fighters on it. The problem is that even though what you're getting is great it might not be what you originally wanted in the first place. One major thing I noticed is that it has a couple fights different than what it originally had when it was played on Spike TV, those being Penn vs. Pulver 2, Silva vs. Marquardt, and Huerta vs. Garcia just off the top of my head. Interestingly enough for a dvd that puts Anderson Silva on the cover and mentions him in the package he's not even on here. Fortunately the second disc is entirely made up of worthy fights that weren't on the original broadcast. There's no denying St. Pierre vs. Hughes 3, Silva vs. Liddell, and the two classic fights from TUF season 6 finale make buying that dvd set almost pointless. All in all this is pretty good, but I would rather they include the discarded fights than fill up the remaining space on the second disc with some behind the scenes feature that is only maybe worth watching once. Also my only other gripe is the complete omission of Randy Couture.



3. This 2-disk DVD set is an incredible collection of exciting UFC fights from 2007. Even if you already own most of the full fight cards from their individual event DVDs, there's just something about being able to pop a single disk into your player and watching excellent bout after excellent bout that makes this set worth buying. _Best of 2007_ is a great introduction to the UFC for new fans, as most (but not all) of the big-name fighters are on it. My favorite use of this set, however, has been to have all of the matches play on the big-screen TV during a party - guests tend to float around it during their mingling, as it provides an interesting conversation piece. :)
   
   The problem with this set is that it not only lacks the most talked-about fight of 2007, but many of the runner-ups are also missing. The most talked about fight, of course, was Randy Couture's battle against Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 - a bout that turned Couture into a world-famous superstar rather than just an MMA hero. Since that bout went the distance (25 minutes), I can see why it wasn't included - but that doesn't explain why Couture's equally-famous match against Gonzaga at UFC 74 was ignored (an extremely bloody match that resulted in broken bones and a TKO). Couture's departure from the UFC in late 2007 is probably to blame for his fights not being in this collection, but he's not the only fighter who's disappearance will confuse fans. Middleweight champion Anderson Silva DOMINATED name opponents (including former champion Rich Franklin) throughout 2007, but his full fights are not on these DVDs. B.J. Penn put on a legendary display of Octagon skill against Jens Pulver at The Ultimate Fighter 5 finale, but that match isn't included, either. The list goes on and on...
   
   Best of 2007 has two interesting bonus features. The first is a featurette entitled "2007 Behind the Scenes" that contains interviews and locker room footage describing the main UFC fights of 2007 (though still lacking any details of Couture's huge accomplishments). The second is a multi-angle enabled fight between Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor that allows viewers to see the events from any of the four Octagon cameras. These features probably won't interest casual UFC fans, but hardcore UFC followers should find them worth playing.
   
   Conclusion: This is a five star collection of fights that is well worth the retail price. It is not, however, a complete representation of the best fights of 2007, which is why I can only give it four stars. I still highly recommend it, even with its flaws.
   
   Full Fights Included:
   DVD 1:
   Frank Edgar vs. Tyson Griffin
   Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFedries
   Kenny Florian vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
   George St. Pierre (GSP) vs. Matt Serra
   Mirko Filipovic(Cro Cop) vs Gabriel Gonzaga
   Keith Jardine vs. Houston Alexander
   Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson
   Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher
   Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida
   Alesio Sakara vs. Houston Alexander
   Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor
   Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson
   
   Disk 2
   Mauricio Rua (Shogun) vs. Forrest Griffin
   Jon Koppenhaver vs. Jared Rollins
   Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida
   Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
   George St. Pierre (GSP) vs. Matt Hughes



4. This is a great set of fights. It includes some fights that were on fight nights and TUF finales. The only things wrong with the dvd is that Anderson Silva is on the front of the cover, but none of his fights are shown and Couture's fights are not on here. Also on my dvd the entire Spencer Fisher vs. Sam Stout fight was present so I dont know whats wrong with the other reviewer's copy.



5. Awsome cd. Amazon was good to their word. The 1st cd's came and were defective. I used the exchange policy and amazon mailed another cd out to me that day.