Episode 22! This episode I’m talkin’ about one of the Shaw Brothers Water Margin films, Pursuit, and Wong Kar-Wai’s second film, Days of Being Wild!
Also on the show:
- Budd Boetticher’s Ride Lonesome
- Michael Mann’s The Keep
Intro:
Incidentals:
- Tohru Nakabayashi – Power Up
- From the SEGA Genesis video game Altered Beast
- Kinuyo Yamashita & Satoe Terashima – Start
- From the NES video game Castlevania
Outro:
If you’ve got feedback, throw it into the comments below or email it to me via the contact page! I’ll include it in a future show!
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There was a Black Whirlwind character in the Bioware game Jade Empire. He was a huge guy with two axes and was more than happy to beat the shit out of anyone. I maybe shouldn’t be surprised to find out he came from The Water Margin as that game was based on Chinese folklore, but it surprised me anyway. I guess I expected any reference to that story would be in a more epic way, like how the Suikoden series is always about getting the 108 “Stars of Destiny” to join your team. Makes me wonder what other references to The Water Margin I’ve been missing all this time.
A bit late replying here, currently in the Phillipines and experiencing humid weather and slowwww internet.
Well, it’s cool hearing your take on “The Keep” from the last part of this episode Will, thanks for taking it on with a quickness.
So “The Keep” novel is the first in a series called “The Nightworld Cycle”, later changed. Y the author to “The Adversary Cycle”. I guess that series is parallel with another of his series called “Repairman Jack” with both series concluding in some kind of end of the world novel. Epic. Haven’t read them although they get good reviews.
Personally, I’ve been a Mann fan for a long while; “Collateral”, “Heat” and “Manhunter” [Inna-gadda-da-vida baby!] being some of my favorite flicks. His movies and shows back to the original “Miami Vice” have always been great at placing great visuals right next to interesting music. “The Keep”, though, is his only Horror/Supernatural movie which is why I said it was so different. I had read that a lot of the release problems with the movie had to do with some of the Tangerine Dream music used being from live performances and unlicensed. Along with the 3+ hour cut [which I hadn’t heard of until you mentioned it] and the quick chop job by the studio [ditto] and also the fact that Mann almost disowned the movie and supposedly considers it his least favorite, I can see why its been unreleased for years.
Remembering your critique, I was hoping you’d have a similar reaction as I did to Ian McKellan’s old man make-up, ha! The actress Alberta Watson did a good job as his daughter. Seeing Gabriel Byrne in a movie always makes me happy and he was very sinister and convincing as an evil nazi. Too bad you didn’t dig Radu Molasar as much as I did though. 🙁
P.s. I did watch “Nightbreed” a year or two ago and pretty sure it was Director’s Cut [and very Tim Burton-esque with Elfman’s score], didn’t know about all the alternate takes though and the time involved so I shall have to get hold of and compare the 2 versions soon.