It is no understatement to suggest that Bruce Lee’s return to Hong Kong, after America refused to make him a star, was the best thing for his career. Lee was pissed off; frustrated by Hollywood’s inherent racism and refusal to put any faith in the idea that an Asian could ever carry a profitable film ...
In which the Shaw Brothers go gonzo for pulp fiction, combining a magical spider whose webs capture foes and then melt their faces right off their skulls! Alongside some limited martial arts mayhem, The Web of Death is an entertaining fantastical journey as choreographers Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-yan ...
Don’t let those colored backgrounds fool you one bit. The cast - or half of it - might stand stoically as the credits roll in the beginning of Life Gamble, but this wuxia feels a bit odd after that. This film’s action is slow to boil, saving the best bits - which involve a parade of flags flying high against the brilliant ...
And so arrives Hong Kong legend Derek Yee. It is here, in the role of the third master as a 20-year-old, where the young actor absolutely delivers a memorable role as the greatest sword master in the world . . . even if he is in disguise as a lowly worker in a whorehouse due to the shame he feels about his ...
Maybe I am getting a bit soft in my old age, but I was completely wrong in my original opinion of this direct-to-video sequel. The Man With The Iron Fists 2 does exactly what it needs to do in continuing the story of Thaddeus, the blacksmith blessed with some deeply mystical martial arts skills. It’s not better than what ...
Maybe I am getting a bit soft in my old age, but I was completely wrong in my original opinion of this direct-to-video sequel. The Man With The Iron Fists 2 does exactly what it needs to do in continuing the story of Thaddeus, the blacksmith blessed with some deeply mystical martial arts skills. It’s not better than what ...
Battles on (and below) bridges! Awesome swordplay in familiar Shaw Brothers’ sets! Nunchuck stabbings! And the fabulous Chen Ping kicking all sorts of ass as The Bloody Hibiscus! The Vengeful Beauty, director Ho Meng-hua’s follow-up after the smashing success of The Flying Guillotine, might ...
In which the Shaw Brothers go gonzo for pulp fiction, combining a magical spider whose webs capture foes and then melt their faces right off their skulls! Alongside some limited martial arts mayhem, The Web of Death is an entertaining fantastical journey as choreographers Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-yan ...
“In this world of guns and knives, Tang Lung is the one who walks the lonely road.” Mixed with a solid sense of comedy that Jackie Chan would later use in his films, Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon is a non-stop barrage of unarmed fighting as he plays Tang Lung who has traveled from China to Rome to ...
Meteor. Butterfly. Sword. For myself, any interest that I had in Hong Kong cinema began here. Killer Clans is a martial arts masterpiece which remains stunning in its use of the shawscope lens, proving to be both spacious and gorgeous to revisit on 1080p, and, storywise, absolutely obliterates souls with its ...
What do Pam Grier, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’s Gordon Liu, Dave Bautista, and legendary fight choreographer Corey Yuen have in common with the Wu-Tang Clan’s beatmaker the RZA? This film, my Chop Socky Brothers and Sisters, this badass film right here. The Man With The Iron Fists ... ...
Unbeknownst to the Shaw Brothers and acclaimed director Lau Kar-leung (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter would be Alexander Fu Sheng’s final performance. Fu Sheng was one of Hong Kong's finest performers in the martial arts genre and his kung-fu films for the Shaw Brothers ...
An even better way to lose your head! That’s right, not content to let other production companies have all the fun with the flying guillotine routine, the Shaw Brothers put forth a copycat effort with yet another flying instrument of ...
Well, that’s one way to lose your head! While no one knows what the weapon at the center of this classic film can tell you what it looked like, The Flying Guillotine offers one possible and completely unforgettable design that continues to cause knees to knock. It’s little wonder that the company spent ...
Ever wanted to watch someone fight with a bird cage before? If so, Monkey Kung Fu is the action spectacle for you! Flawed but absolutely gonzo with its wall-to-wall action sequences which involves chairs, bowls, a bed, and all sorts of interesting props, the film is energetic and absolutely off its rocker as two prisoners ...
Beginning in the middle of the burning of a Shaolin Temple, Heroes Two throws the audience right into a fight sequence in which a whole lot of burning things becomes obstacles for our heroes Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai to duck and dodge as they take on the oppression of the Manchurian ...
It’s time to get spooky, Chop Socky fans! The Bride from Hell might be tonally inconsistent, running the gamut between horror tropes and comedy in a very clunky (but lovable) way, but it is damn revelatory in its take on gothic tropes as the Shaw Brothers tackle Hammer Studios-like atmosphere with ...
“The wall may be low, but the buddha is high.” The ultimate martial arts film when it comes to training, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin remains an amazing watch. Here, we get an intense look at the steps in the Shaolin style of martial arts, which includes lightness, balance, arm strength, wrist technique, eyesight ...
Let the street brawls begin! Cue the funk music because it’s time to kick some serious ass and look badass while doing it, too. Man of Iron has arrived on sparkling blu-ray! ...
The Shaw Brothers made a lot of martial arts films covering Shi Nai-An’s The Water Margin, the 14th-century Song Dynasty novel, but it is here, with 1972’s Chang Cheh adaptation (covering chapters 64 through 68 of the novel, if memory serves me correctly), where they struck gold. The film is ...
There are a lot of firsts involved with the legacy of The One-Armed Swordsman, which is now on blu-ray thanks to Nova Media. Obviously, it’s the first in the trilogy of Swordsman films, but (and more importantly) for Hong Kong cinema, this was the first film to make a million bucks in its initial domestic ...
Secret passageways! Zombie-looking baddies! Corpse worm pills! Evil dungeons! And Hammer Studio-like atmosphere galore! Also featuring an impaling from a peg leg, The Devil’s Mirror is bananas! It definitely puts the SOUP in the supernatural ...
Written by Ni Kuang, Chang Cheh and Chin Shu-mei, The Delightful Forest is actually a restaurant in a small town. It is also a place where gambling and prostitution is accepted. But, wuxia fans know it as the movie in which Ti Lung steals the show as Wu Song, a lone warrior who believes wine makes ...
Written, directed, and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and made for Raymond Chow’s Golden Harvest (and not the Shaw Brothers after he left them), One-Armed Boxer takes its kung-fu leanings as seriously as it does its villains' row. Recognizing this, Arrow Video presents the film in a special limited ...
Cheng Pei-Pei is back in action! This time she wields a whip instead of a sword and, as it is time for the Shaw Brothers to experiment with their brand of wuxia, one shouldn’t be surprised that its take of revenge comes across as paper-thin. ...
Decapitations! Impalements! It’s time to let the limbs fly! Early on, it really feels like this wuxia is going to deliver something altogether different as a martial arts film. There are a bunch of early highlights as the crimson charm gang is confronted among crypts, corpses, and a skull which seems to float into ...
Brothers Five, directed by Lo Wei, is a definite early high water mark for the Shaw Brothers as the production design is absolutely through the roof and the locations are far and wide, making this violent story a beautiful canvas for a whole lot of bloodletting which is Wei’s specialty ...
Get those fists ready! It’s time for some hand-to-hand combat as one family is absolutely brought to its knees due to an Emperor’s secret mission. Shaolin Mantis, distributed from 88 Films, opens with David Chiang shadow fighting against ...
Lady of Steel features one of my favorite fight sequences as its co-headlining stars - Cheng Pei-Pei and Yueh Hua - “fight” each other to determine just where their allegiances lie. The set design of this village is cool. From balancing on the top of a bridge to running on water and flying to rooftops ...
Snake pits! Swordplay! Cheng Pei-pei having great fun with a secret clan of deadly women! Also featuring a lively song and dance number from Pei-pei herself, one would think The Golden Sword would constantly be one of the most energetic Shaw Brothers productions out there. It’s not. In fact ...
BADass SINema Unearthed - Where we dig up blu-rays of the wild, weird, and wonderfully wicked world of classic grindhouse cinema. Celebrates the raw energy and unapologetic style of vintage exploitation films — from the slick swagger of Blaxploitation and the lurid allure of sexploitation to the gnarly thrills of monster mayhem and cosmic horror.
Chop Socky Cinema is your go-to corner for all things martial arts on screen—from high-flying kung fu classics to modern bone-crunching brawlers. We dive into the legends, the hidden gems, and the genre-defining moments that shaped martial arts cinema.
Reel Classics celebrates the golden age of cinema, when shadows danced across silver screens and stories were told in black and white. This section revisits timeless masterpieces, legendary stars, and the directors who shaped film history. From noir thrillers to screwball comedies, Reel Classics explores how these cinematic treasures continue to inspire filmmakers and captivate audiences today.
Kaiju Korner is your ultimate destination for everything colossal and creature-filled. We explore the wild, wonderful world of kaiju cinema—spotlighting both classic monster epics and today’s thrilling new entries. From Godzilla and Gamera to modern reimaginings and global giants, Kaiju Korner dives deep into the history, cultural impact, and sheer spectacle of giant monster films.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or a curious newcomer, this is where titans clash, cities crumble, and cinematic legends roar to life—one stomp at a time.
Monster Mayhem is your go-to destination for all things monstrous and menacing. We will sink our claws into the world of classic creature features, celebrating the timeless terror of cinema’s most iconic beasts.
From Universal’s legendary monsters to B-movie behemoths and international kaiju, Monster Mayhem explores the history, artistry, and cultural impact of the films that made us fear the dark. Expect deep dives, behind-the-scenes stories, retrospectives, and rankings that resurrect the giants of genre filmmaking.
Welcome to Christmas at the Cinema, where twinkly lights glow a little brighter, cocoa is always implied, and emotional subtlety has politely gone on holiday.
This is our cozy corner for celebrating the sappy, campy, utterly irresistible world of Hallmark-style Christmas movies — where snow falls on cue, careers are abandoned for small towns, and love arrives right on schedule. The season’s sappiest cinematic traditions start here.
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