4 comments about Wing Chun Kung Fu, Vol 1 by William M. Cheung.

1. Wing Chun Kung Fu Volume 1 by William M. Cheung
   
   Wing Chun Kung Fu Volume 1 is part of a 5 volume series by William Cheung. The series is available on VHS or DVD. I strongly recommend that you buy the DVD version. DVD's can be played on a home DVD player attached to the TV, a small, portable DVD player which can almost fit in your pocket, if you wear pants with large pockets like those military style dungaree pants some police and paramedics are wearing now days, or you can play DVD's on a laptop or note book computer that has an installed DVD/cd player. This would enable you to take your DVD lessons with you where ever you go and to view them whenever you have time. You can watch DVD's in Slow Motion or speeded up. You can freeze a scene to examine it as a still picture. You can capture images. DVD's have an interactive potential for the viewer which the VHS machines lack. This characteristic supports the viewers learning requirements for understanding a subtle or difficult move or concept being studied.
   
   Wing Chun is the style of Kung Fu Bruce Lee learned before he developed his own style of Jeet Kune Do. Although, Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do in an attempt to develop a simpler yet superior means of fighting, he remained influenced by Wing Chun and incorporated some of its concepts into Jeet Kune Do. You will see it for yourself If you watch this video series by William Cheung and compare it with Jeet Kune Do by reading his books and maybe watching some videos of Jeet Kune Do such as the video adaptation of Bruce Lee's Fighting Method by Ted
   Wong and Richard Bustillo.
   
   Wing Chun is very unique from most traditional styles of Kung Fu or Karate. Simplicity is its main characteristic. There are only 3 stances which feel some what more natural than the many classical Kung Fu or Karate stances. Strikes and punches are thrown from the middle of the chest. The fist is given a flick of the wrist at the last instant upon contact with its target. I compare this to the flick of the wrist at the last instant as a base ball is pitched to add a little extra velocity to it. This manner of punching is very different from the traditional hand on hip and twist of the fist at the moment of contact found in classical Kung Fu and Karate.
   Kicks are kept low, usually not higher than the opponent's waist. There is no exageration of the move's execution, such as the wide sweeps, large circles, and exagerated force used in classical blocks and strikes.
   
   The strategy and attitude of a Wing Chun practitioner seems more similar to that of aikido and jujitsu practioners in that the practitioner of wing chun seeks to harmonize with his opponents force rather than to oppose it.
   
   Volume 1 of Wing Chun begins a demonstration of the Sil Lim Tao form three times. Karate practitioners would think of it as a simple kata using only hand techniques.
   
   Next, exercise drills of basic blocks are demonstrated. In contrast to classical Kung Fu and Karate where students are taught to block first, then counter with a strike or kick. Wing Chun practioners use both of their hands to block and strike or kick at the same time.
   
   Demonstrations of Wing Chun basics are shown more than once from different angles.
   
   William Cheung describes Wing Chun's strategy as being four steps or phases of attacking an opponent's balance, creating an opening in the opponent's defense, controlling the opponent's elbow and maneuvering the opponent into a position in which his arms become crossed and therefore unable to fight back when trapped in that position.
   
   William Cheung demonstrates defenses against various punches, strikes and kicks. He and his assistant demonstrate combinations and the rolling punch technique.
   
   Foot work is demonstrated by his assistant. This leads to demonstration of the Chum Kil form and its applications because Chum Kil incorporates foot work and kicks into the form.
   
   William Cheung and his assistant end volume 1 of Wing Chun by demonstrating a means of Chi meditation.
   
   I think this video series offers useful information and techniques to consider for every martial artist. If you appreciate intelligent systems of fighting, you will not be disappointed with this series. However, some people might have not much use for volume 4 which is about fighting with chinese butterfly knives and a long staff called a dragon pole.



2. I took Wing Jitsu for a year (This art was invented by my instructor) and always liked the wing chun side of it the best. I work late hours so I can not take a class so I have decided to get videos and work out with my fiends.
   
   This video has some really good stuff. The only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 is cause they don't do a good job of covering the very basic concepts. That worked out for me cause I already knew them pretty much but if you have never take wing chun you may want to start with Wing Chun: The Science of In-Fighting. I know a lot of people say that you can not learn kung fu from a book or DVD but in the old days in China a lot of people learned from book as long as you have some one to practice with you should be able to learn from this DVD. I have already learned most of this DVD and can not wait to get the next one.



3. I did buy the volume 1 of William cheung and I have to say I love it,and I will buy the next volume soon.
   
   Robert



4. I was more than surprised to see the poor quality of this DVD, especially after reading the positive reviews.
   Very very superficial DVD, which seems more an exhibition than a didactical tape.
   No explanation of the moves, just the two persons "dancing" around, performing moves at very high speed.
   This is clearly not an "instruction" video, since the techniques are not explained, just performed.
   I normally prefer books as a way to learn something, but I have found some very serious and valuable DVD as well. Not this one.
   Maybe if you are an advanced Winch Chung practitioner, with years of practice with a real Sifu, this can be for you. Otherwise, you will not catch much from these video.

No comments about Bruce Lee: The Early Years 1953/1955 - The Guiding Light/An Orphan's Tragedy.

2 comments about Super Brawl: Greatest Hits.

1. The only fight that wasn't that great was the main event Tim Sylvia vs Wes Sims - it ended too quickly, and wasn't very exciting. Other than that, these are some excellent fights, exciting and showcasing skill and heart. The highlight for me were the 2 fights featuring Jason "Mayhem" Miller - he is a real character, and I have never seen a boring fight with him.



2. There are a few good fights on this one, but all in all it's pretty subpar when compared to UFC and Pride. They show one guy in three different fights. The Tim Silvia fight is a joke, it pretty much sucks. One or two good knockouts, but if you enjoy mixed martial arts this is not really one to get. Save your money and buy something else.

1 comments about The 72 Desperate Rebels.

1. As a child, if you watched Kung Fu theater on Saturday's and enjoyed it, this is the movie for you. This movie is by far one of the worst Kung Fu movies ever made, and I mean that in the best possible sense. It has all the intangibles for a great Kung Fu movie--unbelieveable Kung Fu action, bad sound effects, bad editing, and bad overdubs. The plot revolves around a pirate known as The Master Wu, who has surrounded himself with the best fighters from China and Vietnam. If you only watch the beginning when they are all introduced, you will be hooked. This band of fighters terrorize China during the Ming dynasty. Through their terror, they end up killing someone's father, and as we all know in Kung Fu, that means sworn revenge. The movie is non-stop action from then on, and sure the plot line gets blurry, but that's not the point. You have to see this movie to believe it. With characters like the Ghost Killer and Blind Swordsman, you can't help but love it. So, if you liked "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but thought the cinematography and editing was too nice for Kung Fu, then try this movie out. You'll agree that "72" is truly the best of the worst.

2 comments about Wu Tang Swordsman.

1. i can honestly say i have never seen a bad movie with carter wong .like every thing else that he does this movie will become a collector's favorite.great fight scenes and excellent drama



2. THIS IS WHAT I CALL A TRUE KUNG FU CLASSIC. CARTER WONG HAS CRAZY FAST HANDS. I MEAN ITS BRUCE LEE FAST. THE CAMERA MAN SUCKS SO BAD THAT ME AND MY SISTER WAS LAUGHING THROUGH MOST OF THE MOVIE AND ITS NOT EVEN A COMEDY. THE CHICK IN THIS MOVIE IS NICE AS HELL. I MEAN SHE REALLY SHOWS SOME SERIOUS SKILL IN THIS MOVIE. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON GOT ITS FOUNDATION FROM THIS FILM OBVIOUSLY. "THE GREEN SWORD" THAT CUTS THROUGH ANYTHING. THE END FIGHT SCENE IS SO SERIOUS. I LOVED IT. THE CAMERA MAN TRIED HIS BEST TO KEEP UP IN THIS LOW BUDGET AFFAIR SO I CANT KNOCK HIM TOO MUCH. I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS FILM FOR TWO DAYS AFTER I WATCHED IT. IT KINDA STAYS WITH U AND MAKES U THINK. THIS IS A FILM FOR TRUE OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FANS. BEGINNERS STAY AWAY!!!!

3 comments about Pride Fighting Championships: Bad Blood - Ringside Collector's Edition.

1. This isn't a terrible PPV. There are a few memorable matches, such as Antonio Nogueira vs Enson Inoue and the main event Ken Shamrock vs Don Frye. However, the product in its entirety isn't as exciting as it seems on paper.
   
   I expected a lot more out of Bad Blood, than I got. If you're looking for a PPV stacked with swift finishes and shocking upsets, this is the wrong DVD. Most of the fights (or hugging contests), go quite the distance, namely Alex Stiebling vs Wallid Ismail and Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn. Other matches are simply too predictable, including the ones worth watching.
   
   The Special Features on Disc 2 are decent, collecting some uncut interviews and backstage clips of the fighters before and after. If anything after a rather dreary seminar of matches, the "Outtakes" with Ken Shamrock and Don Frye shooting to promote the PPV warrant a viewing to lift your spirit.
   
   The fight card is as follows (no spoilers):
   
   - Tom Erikson vs Tim Catalfo (4/10)
   This match could've been held at King of the Cage.
   
   - Alex Stiebling vs Wallid Ismail (5/10)
   True to all of Wallid Ismail's matches, feel free to fast forward 90% of it.
   
   - Carlos Newton vs Jose "Pele" Landi-Jones (8/10)
   The first solid fight of the night.
   
   - Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn (6/10)
   How did this match go wrong?
   
   - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Enson Inoue (8/10)
   The most thrilling bout in the PPV.
   
   - Wanderlei Silva vs Kiyoshi Tamura (7/10)
   It's not the typical slugfest you'd expect from a Silva fight.
   
   Main Event:
   - Ken Shamrock vs Don Frye (8/10)
   Although Shamrock and Frye lose steam quickly, their emotional struggle is what really makes this fight.
   
   Bonus Match (disc 2):
   - Daijiro Matsui vs Rodrigo Gracie (5/10)
   Nothing special...
   
   Pride 19: Bad Blood is definitely one for the faithful. I'd probably not recommend it to conventional fans, who don't thoroughly appreciate the sport. In other words, it's somewhat of a snoozefest. But something tells me you're gonna have to watch it and decide that for yourself.
   
   The booking looks excellent on paper, no doubt. Perhaps the last few matches aren't as bad as my conviction. Yet when the event is analyzed as a whole, from start to finish, the introduction fights are reliable substitutes to counting sheep. And by the time business starts picking up, Bad Blood is a little too late to be great.



2. PRIDE or PRIDE Fighting Championships is the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world. It is based in Japan and currently promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997, promoted by Kakutougi Revolution Spirits (KRS). It is the most popular MMA organization in the world based on the number of event attendees: the PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 event had over 67,000 people in the audience. The audience record is 91,107 people on the PRIDE and K-1 co-production Shockwave/Dynamite, held in August 2002. It is considered to be the premiere MMA organization on the planet.
   
   PRIDE 19: Bad Blood is a very good show that showcases a wide array of talent; estalished veterans, world champions, and rising stars can all be found on this entertaining event. Furthermore, the event contains a fight that I consider to be one of the greatest in MMA history. Here is a spoiler-free breakdown on the fight card:
   
   Tom Erikson vs Tim Catalfo - 7/10
   - A short fight pitting two very large men. It almost looks like the clash of the titans when you first see these two guys at the staredown.
   
   Alex Steibling vs Wallid Ismail - 6/10
   - A relatively dreary fight between two fighters of contrasting styles. Wallid attempts to keep this fight on the ground while Alex tries his best to keep it standing.
   
   Rodrigo Gracie vs Daijiro Matsui - 7/10
   - Another typical Gracie-like fight in which Rodrigo attempts to ground his opponent
   
   Carlos Newton vs Jose Landi-Jons - 10/10
   - One of my all time favorite fight. Carlos Newton plays the role of the exceptional grappler while Pele plays the role of the remarkable striker. The fight is packed to the brim with nonstop action and some unintentional humor mixed in as well.
   
   Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchyn - 8/10
   - A fight between two of the top 10 heavyweights in the world. An incredible first round is followed up by less spectacular action.
   
   Don Frye vs Ken Shamrock - 9/10
   - This fight is where the tagline "Bad Blood" came from. A fight with an extensive backstory, both men give it their all until they are lingering at the brink of exhaustion. Great fight with a slightly debatable ending.
   
   Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Enson Inoue - 9/10
   - Nogueira is the defending PRIDE Heavyweight Champion and #1 ranked fighter in the world. His challenger is Enson Inoue, a modern day Japanese-American samurai who's never-say-attitude has made him huge fan favorite with the crowd.
   
   Wanderlei Silva vs Kiyoshi Tamura - 9/10
   - PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva, defends his title against top Japanese superstar, Kiyoshi Tamura. What on paper looks like an easy destruction, turns out to be far more than you'd expect. Great fight with a brutal finish.
   
   Overall, Bad Blood makes for a tremendous addition to any Mixed Martial Arts library. Although the undercard is somewhat lackluster, the main bouts more than make up for it. I would highly recommend purchasing this DVD.



3. I hadn't heard the best reviews for this double-DVD edition of Pride Fighting 19: Bad Blood. We are still in the rapidly developing stages of Pride and getting big names such as Shamrock and Frye (both "legends" of the UFC) is nothing but good for business.
   
   Tom Erikson v. Tim Catalfo:
   This one doesn't last long, but it is difficult to tell whether or not the win was that impressive, given the fighters involved. You will see what I mean... but a decent opening to the event.
   
   Alex Steibling v. Wallid Ismail:
   Ismail is a freak. He will creep you out in his pre-fight interview, with his child-molester stare and his odd speech pattern... but out in the ring, he's a serious fighter. These two are amped to get at each other, but for all the buildup, there is truly no clear winner after the first 10 minutes of fighting. The action picks up in the 2nd and comes to a head in the 3rd, when the winner becomes apparent.
   
   Carlos Newton v. Jose "Pele" Landi:
   I don't particularly like Pele, but I do respect his fighting ability. He annoys me with his behavior and demeanor, but he also entertains me. He is overconfident in this fight against the soft-spoken Newton. The battle goes back and forth and both fighters find themselves in trouble at different points in the fight, but the fight ends abruptly and unexpectedly at the end of the 1st round. Great fight.
   
   Heath Herring v. Igor Vovchanchyn:
   Herring is a wildman and you see it here against the slugger, Vovchanchyn. Herring controls early - and Vovchanchyn then surprisingly gets a few consecutive takedowns. As usual, he is not able to do much damage on the ground, but he makes it a good fight. The pace is fairly steady throughout - this is a very decent bout that ultimately goes to a decision.
   
   Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira v. Enson Inoue:
   Submissions end up telling the tale in this fight, rather quickly.
   
   Wanderlei Silva v. Kiyoshi Tamura:
   Silva, one of the most entertaining fighters ever to fight in mixed martial arts, steps in against Kiyoshi Tamura, with whom I was not particularly familiar. Nevertheless, I was anticipating another awesome Wanderlei Silva fight. He controls Tamura early with effective ground & pound and the fight ends in very exciting fashion early in the 2nd round. Classic Silva!
   
   Ken Shamrock v. Don Frye:
   In the pre-fight interviews, Don Frye says that he respects Ken as a fighter - Shamrock refuses to make the same claim. Shamrock finds reasons to dislike fighters simply to hype the fight. He rarely makes sense when he speaks, causing his fans to slowly lose respect for him as the years pass (ultimately leading to the pitiful state of his current "I hate Tito Ortiz"-based career)... These two trade body-blows in the clench during the first round. There is a LOT of clenching in this fight. Shamrock makes a few weak leglock and toehold submission attempts but, there's nothing there. They seem to be fighthing an "old man's" fight: clenching the whole time, landing weak body shots and engaging in standing exchanges for only seconds at a time. Frye remains crisper than Shamrock, expelling less energy throughout. This is revealed early in the 3rd round. The action then again fizzles after this moment of excitement. This one goes to a split decision and the decision is fair. So ends the "Bad Blood".
   
   This event was far better than the reviews I had read indicated it would be. The matchups were not exactly legendary, but the fighters were. Silva, Nogueira, Frye, Shamrock, Herring, Vovchanchyn, Newton and Pele each contribute to another great Pride Fighting event. The bonus disc includes extended interviews with Frye and Shamrock (and a hidden interview with Wallid Ismail's crazy @ss). Recommended.

5 comments about Return of the Dragon.

1. This movie has bad quality it is dubed in they have deep voices and it sounds bad.If you want a good bruce Lee movie get Enter the Dragon I thought it would be a good movie but I was worng.It was not even a hollywood movie maybe if you were a big fan of Bruce Lee you could handle the bad quality.



2. The story isn't that good. The humour is awful. Some of the sets are a joke. But the action? Man, you just can't fault this baby. The twin nunchaku sequence is superb. The fight with Bob Wall is unbelievable. But the true triumph is the Chuck Norris fight. Has to be one of the greatest fight scenes ever filmed. Fantastic. The choreography (entirely Lee's work) is matched only by the final execution. This is a true lesson from a true master on how cinematic fight scenes should be built, performed and filmed. Stunning.



3. While I very much like this action/comedy, it isn't the best of Bruce's films. The story and comedy are very old hat but his fight scenes(especially with Norris at the Coliseum) are as good as ever put on screen! It shows that along with the footage shot for "Game Of Death" that Lee Would have made a gifted director and writer had he lived.



4. According to Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee pitched the idea of their climactic, gladiatorial duel in the Roman Colloseum to him over the telephone. Norris, who was World Karate Champion at the time, responded "So you want to beat the World Champion?", and without missing a beat, Lee replied, "No, I want to kill the World Champion."
   
   THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (the title Bruce gave his film, later titled RETURN OF THE DRAGON to link it to Bruce's signature piece) was Bruce's directorial debut, and features a cheesy story involving Bruce protecting a Chinese resturant from local Italian mafioso's, but the real sotry of the movie comes in the end.
   
   During his climactic face-off in the Colloseum against Chuck Norris, Bruce stubbornly clings to his traditionalist method of Kung fu, and ends up getting his butt kicked. He then realizes that he must embody the essence of water: flow. Constant, ceaseless, unending flow. With this principal in mind, Bruce rises to his feet and adopts a more bouyant approach, and before long, he is victorious in one of the silver screen's most amazing (and brutal) martial arts duels.
   
   Watch THE WAY OF THE DRAGON for this classic match up of two legends; even after thirty five years, the battle is as powerful as ever, and Bruce's philoshophy of flow has never been better represented.



5. 
   This movie is good to have if you are a Bruce Lee fan. I consider it a nice collectible.

5 comments about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Special Edition) DVD / Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon UMD.

1. having it on the psp was nice, got to watch it on the plane. i love this movie, and i am not particularly into the whole kung fu thing in general, but this is great!



2. I'm very pleased with this product! Very high quality and well worth purchasing! Thanks, Amazon!



3. I had the opportunity to see this film when it first came out in the movie theater in 2000 and it immediately became my favorite movie since I love martial arts, philosophy and visual arts.. and this movie combines them all. It had the best choreography I had ever seen back then, reflected on eastern martial arts philosopy, nature, buddism wisdom as well as western metaphysical thoughts..



4. Crouching Tiger is not really a Kung Fu movie. The fight sequences are so stylized and interjected with such gravity defying feats such flying and fantastical jumping, and flips; the fight scenes become almost a 3D ballet. I liked it, but don't come into this movie expecting Bruce Lee action sequences. The fight scenes are more of a dance. The fights are mainly sword fights, although there are a few hand-to-hand battles as well. The acting is superb. The story line is more of a fairy tale than straight fiction, but the movie works superbly well. Michelle Yeoh's physical acting are displayed well as well as her emotional range. Chow is great as the swordsman and Zhang Ziyi is very good as well.
   
   The movie tells the story of several stories of love, of revenge, of loyalties, and of duty. It concerns duty to one's family, to society and to one's self. A fairy tale is used to tie the plot lines together. The movie has a great medieval setting. The scenery switches from deserts, to Peking, to bamboo forests and mountains. In every case, the views are breathtaking. The bamboo forest fight is very strange, but it works.
   
   My wife didn't like the movie because if its fantastical elements, but it is one of the best movies I have seen for a long time. Most kung fu movie have their fantastical elements.
   
   I don't know much about the superbit technology, but my DVD looks great and the sound is good too.



5. How do you sum up Crouching?
   Brilliant, touching, amazing!!!
   Incredible acrobatics, incredible scenery, an awesome script and great actors and martial artists.
   What's not to like about this movie?
   Not my favorite, I liked Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower better but for different reasons.
   Still, a must see if your new to the recent wave of martial arts flicks.
   A word of advice, watch it with the subtitles on and not the English voiceovers as they are terribly done.

3 comments about One Armed Boxer.

1. Before Bruce Lee, there were a few kung fu movie stars. The first huge star was Jimmy Wang Yu who started working in the very first Shaw Brothers sword plays back in 1965. He directed and starred in 'One-Armed Boxer' for Golden Harvest in 1971 and is in top form both in front of and behind the camera. While you can clearly see Jimmy Wang Yu is not a real martial artist, he is still one of the best kung fu stars ever. At least 50 people die in this movie and he does the most damage.
   
   The story is simple. A gang that is involved in opium smuggling and prostitution is looking to take out Wang Yu's kung fu school. When defeated, the gang hires Japanese fighters. Well, mostly Japanese. 2 Thai kickboxers, 2 Tibetan Lamas, a Yoga kung fu master(I never heard of Yoga kung fu, but hey, it's a movie), a Judo expert, a Taekwondo expert, and the unstoppable Lung Fei. Lung Fei also brings his 2 students, and obviously Wang Yu doesn't stand a chance against all of these guys. These are truly 10 of the craziest villains that you will ever come across. Wong Wing San played the Yoga guy with extendable arms in 'Master of the Flying Guillotine', but he just plays one of Lung Fei's 2 students in this. I will stop my review right now and let you find out for yourself how Wang Yu loses his arm and gets revenge.
   
   If you are a fan of kung fu movies pre-Bruce Lee, this is a must have. Maybe the best basher ever. It's one of the movies that started the imaginary world where only martial arts schools exist. So the one martial arts school is a gang, and the other school is made up of good people. You just have to go with it, but it more than works. The movie is serious, but takes place in a complete fantasy world. "Never insult Tibetan martial arts".
   
   There are too many good things to speak of when it comes to this movie. The great soundtrack, TONS of bloody fights (there is like 20 individual fights), Lung Fei's fangs, very creative training sequences, and best of all, Jimmy Wang Yu's acting. He was always the best at making me believe that he is in a really tough fight.
   
   Overall, this is a one of a kind. They didn't make enough crazy movies like this that actually had good stories. A true classic in every way. 5/5
   
   Red Sun version is widescreened with English and Cantonese languages. I don't know who they stole the print from.



2. Unfortunately, the subtitles in this Red Sun release are absolutely terrible. I myself do not know the chinese languages, so the subtitles make the story for me, and I must warn, for others in my position, they have put in a very lousy effort, to the point that it can, at times ruin the storyline somewhat. I was disappointed and frustrated with this, and got to the point that I would rather turn the subtitles off and just try to remember what was REALLY said! Luckily, I still have the original movie subtitles on VHS that I dubbed from the TV so long ago. I had actually bought this DVD to replace it, however it looks like I will still have to hang on to my VHS for now.
   
   The movie itself gets 5 stars from me and that goes without saying. I remember many years ago when I was only a child, waking up and turning the television on to find this movie showing... I was completely drawn in to the unique fighting scenes and story line, both of which have been explained well by the reviewer before me. It is a timeless classic of Hong Kong cinema, and really is a must own. Let's just hope that some day they release a DVD with better, more accurate subtitles...



3. I'm rating this Red Sun dvd only two stars,not for the reason of this classic Jimmy Wang Yu early 1970 film,but for the quality of Red Sun dvd's,a company out of Hong Kong,an estimated three out of five dvd's I own there's some kind of problem,for instance One Armed Boxer,I never got to see the ending,can you believe that?for the reason it just flat out freezes,trying everything from fast forward,rewinding,and skip scene access.It's not my dvd player and I want to know if anybody else has had the same problem with Red Sun,and the real bad part about it is that these dvd's are remastered,I guess you can't have everything.One Armed boxer is a kung fu classic,never did see Jackie Chan,maybe he's in there at the end.

3 comments about Heaven & Hell: Shaw Bros Special Edition.

1. The story starts out in Heaven and David Chiang is on the run with a woman he loves. Lee I Min plays Xin Ling and is sent to capture David Chiang. He decides to let Chiang go and the Queen of Heaven kills Xin Ling and sends him to Earth as a punishment. He is reincarnated as a taxi driver.
   
   When the movie goes to Earth the story is about Alexander Fu Sheng and his girlfriend played by his real life girlfriend Jenny Tseng. Jenny is currently being held by force by a gangster played by Kong Do. This movie is sort of like a musical and actors will just start singing. While Alexander and Jenny are singing a triumphant song, Kong Do is hiring Johnny Wang Lung Wei to kill Alexander and kidnap Jenny. Xin Ling (Lee I Min) is driving them in his taxi and dies saving them.
   
   Now the story shifts to Hell and Xin Ling gets in all sorts of trouble after he arrives. It gets very boring as they go over all the different chambers of Hell. It is interesting at times, but goes on for way too long. Xin Ling keeps getting sent to a different type of torture and and keeps fighting his way out. This finally ends when the Buddha of Mercy shows up and gives Xin Ling a mission. He is sent to the City of Lost Souls to find 4 people so that they can team up to fight their way out. I don't know one of the actors names, but the other 3 are played by Lo Meng, Sun Chien and Phillip Kwok (also known as Kuo Chui). After Xin Ling finds these 4 people the Buddha of Mercy sits them all down and they talk about how they died in their past lives. This is the highlight of the movie. In Phillip Kwok's flashback he has a magnificent sword fight with Lu Feng. Lo Meng has a short fight, Sun Chien briefly gets to show off his kicks, and the 4th guy has a short fight against a bunch of people when he goes to take revenge for his father. After the flashbacks they have to fight their way out of Hell by killing the people that killed them in their past lives. The fights at the end are good. Robert Tai was still with Chang Cheh when this was made and you can see a lot of his artistic touches in the choreography. And I liked how there is no undercranking whatsoever. That is very rare.
   
   At the start of the movie a lot of the scenes are done on a huge stage. It is more like watching a play than watching a movie. Alexander Fu Sheng busts out some awesome moves, and his opponents seem like they are dancing around him instead of fighting. It is hard to explain, but Fu Sheng's fight scenes are really weird. I enjoyed it.
   
   The best thing about this movie is seeing the Venoms crew in action. I think I named all of the most well known actors that are in the movie, but there are plenty of other recognizeable faces, including Chiang Sheng, Dick Wei and a very young Kara Hui. After this was made the Shaws were not too thrilled about it and decided they weren't going to release it. They actually started production in 1975 and then it was pushed aside for a later date. They started filming again in 1976 but had to postpone it again. The movie finally finished in 1978 but they still decided not to release it. Finally in 1980 the Shaw Brothers decided that it was time for the world to see one of Chang Cheh's strangest movies. But it didn't matter when Heaven and Hell came out, it was destined to fail. The only reason to watch this is to see the Venoms in action and to see all the weird stuff going on. This is one of those movies that I like to watch with a 6-pack of Killians. The story is all over the place and never gets you glued to the screen, but at least the fights are worth watching.
   
   3/5
   
   Picture quality on the Image DVD is good. The original Mandarin audio is perfect. Subtitles are very well written.



2. ... the movie is still a trainwreck, but it's a fairly enjoyable trainwreck that follows different characters on their journey through Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Fellow reviewer Morgoth already wrote a great review but I figured I would add my 2 cents(this IS America right?). Heaven And Hell is a bizarre offering from legendary director Chang Cheh (The One-Armed Swordsman, Five Deadly Venoms)that nearly defies category(and should be noted helped introduce the Venom Mob). Featuring martial arts, adrogynous characters(think David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust), torture(including the "Hell of being skinned alive!"), revenge, musical numbers, demons, and more then a few unintentional laughs, Heaven And Hell is a memorable viewing experience if nothing else. The film is broken into 3 segments, the first about Heaven(pretty lame), the next about Earth(filmed completely like a play and featuring props rather than actual backgrounds, dancing fight choreography, and singing?! Everybody will feel diferently about this section...), and the final taking place in Hell(by far the longest segment and easily most enjoyable in my opinion... contains the most fighting too). The movie feels like 3 completely different, and unfinished, productions were cut and pasted together so the results end up being a little mixed(especially with the fight choreography). This won't be for everybody(not even for all martial arts or Shaw Bros. fans), but for those in the mood for a different kind of movie or interested in seeing a filmmaker attempt something unique and creative, this is probably worth a watch(now whether he was successful in his attempt is up to you... truly a question of trash or treasure?).



3. OK, I love Shaw Bros., the Venoms & the maestro, the late Chang Cheh, and I kinda like this movie as well. However, I'll be the first one to admit that it's not his best, and it's not for everyone. The Shaw brothers themselves weren't too crazy about it either, the production started in 1976 and kept getting postponed until 1978. Then it wasn't released until 1980.
   
   With close to a hundred films to his credit, he wanted an avant-garde musical thrown into his filmography. Alright, so it doesn't look like it was made by MGM, and the special FX are prehistoric, but ya gotta admire his creativity. Besides, what makes this work for me is the fu. Whether it's Li Yi-min, David Chiang & Chiang Sheng duking it out in "heaven", the late Fu Sheng going fist-to-fist with Johnny Wang, Kuo Chui battling blade-to-blade with Lu Feng (one of the highlights) or the Venoms fighting their way out of "hades", Robert Tai, Liang Ting & Lu Feng deliver the goods in the choreography department. Kudos to them for making some awkward scenes work (for me at least) like when Fu Sheng takes on a gang of thugs (look for Lau Kar-Wing) to protect his wife (his real-life wife Jenny Tseng).
   
   In any case, Image Entertainment does a wonderful job restoring this movie; crisp widescreen picture, re-mastered audio & subtitles. Look, it's like this; if you're familiar with the Shaws & a fan of the late, great Chang Cheh, watch it with an open-mind, and you'll probably like it. If not, then why the "hades" are you reading my review for?