Will

Weedjies: Halloweed Night (2019)

Starring Brett Hargrave, Victoria Strange, Yo Ying, Johnny Jay Lee, Denise Milfort, James Adam Tucker, Nelson Hayne, Derek Petropolis, Chad Ridgely, Roy Abramsohn, Shellie Sterling, Sebastian Fernandez, The Don

Directed by Danny Draven

Expectations: Not much, but it does look fun.

On the general scale:

On the B-movie scale:

It’s no secret that recent Full Moon movies are a different breed than the films of their ’90s heyday, but Weedjies: Halloweed Night does its best to recapture the old spirit. Dagnab it, they do a pretty effective job of it, too! It’s more than simple nostalgia, though; Weedjies is dedicated to the memory of FX artist & director John Carl Buechler. His unique style and skilled hands helped shape the look and feel of many Empire/Full Moon movies, and they wouldn’t be the same without him. Weedjies specifically hearkens back to the Ghoulies movies, and while it isn’t on par with them, it’s a welcome return to the horror-comedy fun that typified Empire/Full Moon films at their best.

College friends Madison (Brett Hargrave), Dallas (Victoria Strange), and Frankie (Yo Ying) are throwing a giant Halloween party in Las Vegas, and they’ve rented out an entire hotel for the occasion. The party must be a great success, or else Madison won’t be able to afford her tuition next semester. How can they rent out a hotel on a holiday night if they need money, you ask? Never you mind, Mr. Armchair Accountant, we’re here to have fun! They’ve teamed up with chemistry nerd Claude (Johnny Jay Lee), who created a most desirable scavenger hunt prize: a potent marijuana strain named the Golden Nug! This attracts a healthy crowd, but it also brings along The Baroness (Denise Milfort), a mysterious woman with a unique Ouija board.

The Voyage of Emperor Chien Lung (1978)

The Voyage of Emperor Chien Lung [乾隆下揚州] (1978)
AKA The Adventures of Emperor Chien Lung Part II

Starring Lau Wing, Lee Kwan, Chiang Nan, Yueh Hua, Cheung Ying, Wang Sha, Wang Lai, Kara Hui, Hao Li-Jen, Lun Ga-Chun, Ng Hong-Sang, Chan Shen, Yang Chi-Ching, Wang Han-Chen, Aai Dung-Gwa, Ku Wen-Chung, Shum Lo, Fanny Leung Maan-Yee

Directed by Li Han-Hsiang

Expectations: Pretty high, I liked the other ones.

The Voyage of Emperor Chien Lung was director Li Han-Hsiang’s second film (of four) about the undercover monarch from Beijing traveling through South China. In my review of The Adventures of Emperor Chien Lung, I surmised that even though Li’s film followed Wong Fung’s successful 1976 film, Emperor Chien Lung, he was in fact starting his own series (with roughly the same cast). Watching this sequel, I was almost 100% sure, and a few passages from the Hong Kong Film Archive’s Li Han-Hsiang, Storyteller affirmed my suspicions. There I also learned that Emperor Chien Lung has been something of a folk hero — in general and in the cinema — for many generations. For instance, Unique Film Productions, the first film company run by the Shaws, made a series of Chien Lung films from 1929–1931, and there were plenty others in the years leading to The Voyage of Emperor Chien Lung. Jin Yong’s 1955/1956 serial novel The Book and the Sword — adapted in 1981 by Chor Yuen as The Emperor and His Brother — also re-framed the character and reignited interest in him.

Without a deep Chinese cultural knowledge in place, a movie like this is fairly impenetrable. Li’s writing often plays on Chinese language and culture, with the wit and comedy often coming directly from these elements (a standard of Cantonese-language comedy). Over the years I’ve learned to identify where these things happen, but I don’t always understand why they’re funny. It’s easy to overlook wordplay in a goofy Stephen Chow movie, where there are many other comedic elements in play, but here it’s almost entirely based on language/cultural satire. I was lucky if I made it more than a few minutes without being thrown out of the movie. The Voyage of Emperor Chien Lung won the Golden Horse award for Best Adapted Screenplay, so it was regarded as a well-written piece of work, but I am absolutely the wrong person to critique it. I wish I looked at the HKFA book before watching the movie, but I felt confident I’d be fine with two previous films under my belt. Wong Fung’s film is much more accessible to a non-Chinese audience, though, and seeing it first altered my expectations of what Li’s films might contain. 😳

Witchouse 3: Demon Fire (2001)

Starring Debbie Rochon, Tanya Dempsey, Tina Krause, Paul Darrigo, Brinke Stevens

Directed by J.R. Bookwalter

Expectations: Not much, but hopefully fun like the first two.

On the general scale:

On the B-movie scale:

On the surface, Witchouse 3: Demon Fire is a low-budget, low-end horror film from Full Moon in their lean years. Thankfully, like Witchouse 2: Blood Coven, low-budget sensation J.R. Bookwalter is at the helm, so the results are far more satisfying than similar films from the era. The whole movie is shot on video this time around, but don’t let that deter you. Bookwalter packs in plenty of well-framed shots with the more traditional handheld video footage, enough to make me wish it was shot on 35mm like Witchouse 2. But alas, things can only be what they are, and Witchouse 3 is a lot better than I thought it would be.

Annie (Tanya Dempsey) is in an abusive relationship with Burke (Paul Darrigo), but today she finally mustered the strength to leave. She drives to the house of her friends, Stevie (Debbie Rochon) and Rose (Tina Krause), who she finds in the middle of a creepy witchcraft ritual. Well… that’s what it looks like, but Stevie and Rose are actually filming a framing section for Stevie’s documentary on witchcraft. They spook Annie pretty well, though. Normal life would resume for average people, but since this is a horror movie, our characters decide to perform a real witchcraft ritual for fun. What could go wrong?

The Avenging Eagle (1978)

The Avenging Eagle [冷血十三鷹] (1978)

Starring Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, Ku Feng, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Eddy Ko Hung, Tang Chia, Austin Wai Tin-Chi, Peter Chan Lung, Yuen Bun, Jamie Luk Kim-Ming, Cheung Kwok-Wah, Shih Szu, Yue Wing, Yang Chi-Ching, Ou-Yang Sha-Fei, Jenny Tseng

Directed by Sun Chung

Expectations: High.

The Avenging Eagle is made with undeniable style and skill, standing tall against its many fantastic contemporaries as one of the best kung fu films of 1978. I first saw it in March 2011, back when I was just a few films into this review series. After watching the first few mid-’60s Shaw films, it seemed like a vision into the future, a reminder of how badass kung fu movies were. I’ve anticipated arriving at this moment of reviewing The Avenging Eagle ever since (didn’t think it would take 10 years 😮 ), and now that I’m here I don’t know what to say! It’s a movie everyone who loves Shaw films has already seen multiple times, y’know?

Chik Ming Sing (Ti Lung) is bloody, exhausted and near-death, riding a horse in a similar state. They travel across a barren desert, until Chik falls to the dirt, sprawled and unconscious. Thankfully for him, Cheuk Yi Fan (Alexander Fu Sheng) happens by on a horse of his own, and gives Chik some water. What a nice guy! Chik introduces himself as “The Rover,” and Cheuk replies that his name is “The Homeless.” These guys really hit it off; I love them! Unfortunately, Chik is a jerk who takes this friendly gesture and repays it by stealing Cheuk’s healthy horse, riding it off into the distance. How dare he! These two men haven’t seen the last of each other, though, as unbeknownst to them, their fates are intertwined!

The Five Venoms (1978)

The Five Venoms [五毒] (1978)
AKA The Five Deadly Venoms, 5 Deadly Venoms

Starring Chiang Sheng, Phillip Kwok Chun-Fung, Sun Chien, Lu Feng, Lo Meng, Wai Pak, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Dick Wei, Ku Feng, Lau Fong-Sai, Shum Lo, Lam Fai-Wong, Suen Shu-Pau, Wong Ching-Ho

Directed by Chang Cheh

Expectations: High. It’s Five Deadly Venoms, c’mon.

Besides The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Five Venoms is probably the most well-known Shaw Brothers film in the West. I, and many fans like me, will always know it by its catchier US release title, Five Deadly Venoms, which is surprisingly a more accurate translation! The Chinese phrase 五毒 carries a connotation that a simple translation can’t convey, specifically referring to the five poisonous animals of Ancient China (snake, centipede, scorpion, spider or lizard, and toad). Beyond the killer title, these animals set the film apart, as only the snake style is a well-known, legitimate Shaolin style and kung fu movie staple. I can’t tell you if the other styles have their roots in the real arts or not, but I’m guessing they’re more fantasy than anything else. Chang Cheh was never interested in presenting realistic fighting styles, hence Lizard’s ability to stand on vertical walls and such.

The master of the Five Venom House (Dick Wei) is deathly ill, staying alive by soaking himself in a vat of wine and medicine… y’know, as you do. His only remaining student, Yang De (Chiang Sheng), tends to his needs when he isn’t training in the five house styles. Despite his noble soaking, the master’s time has come, so he tasks Yang De with killing the school’s previous five students (who he regrets unleashing on the world). One does not simply kill the five deadly venoms, though. They’ve assumed new names to protect their identities (apparently, vibrant colors and sparkly silver robes are still OK, though 😀 ), and Yang De’s martial skills aren’t good enough to actually kill any of them. Oh, and the five venoms are hunting for a hidden treasure, and will gladly murder anyone who stands in their way. Thanks for the impossible task, master!

My Kung Fu Master (1978)

My Kung Fu Master [師父教落] (1978)

Starring Lau Dan, Chan Bo-Yeung, Meg Lam Kin-Ming, Hon Kwok-Choi, Rosalind Chan Yee-Hing, Lau Yat-Fan, Addy Sung Gam-Loi, Yue Tau-Wan, Hon Yee-Sang, Wong San, David Wu, Gam Lau, Mama Hung

Directed by Wong Wa-Kei

Expectations: Low, I guess. I don’t know what to expect.

My Kung Fu Master, according to the filmography in The Shaw Screen, was a co-production between Eternal and Shaw & Sons (a company started in 1952 by second-oldest brother Runde Shaw), with Runme’s son Vee King Shaw serving as a producer. I couldn’t find anywhere else that cites the connection, but if it made it into the book then who am I to dispute it? Anyway, My Kung Fu Master doesn’t feel like a Shaw picture, that’s for sure. It fits right in with other independent or Golden Harvest productions from the era, though — Cantonese language, modern day setting, shot on location in the streets and high-rise tenement buildings of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, it’s not much of a kung fu movie, despite its seemingly kung-fu-as-hell title.

We open with a rich man (Lau Yat-Fan) meeting a young rascal, Small Plane (Chan Bo-Yeung), who asks for money. Oddly, they share a unique head twitch, and the rich man correctly concludes that Small Plane is the illegitimate son he never met. For reasons unexplained, he wants to take care of his son now, so he sends his men to track him down. The only problem is that the man’s current girlfriend wants his inheritance, so she convinces the guys to not only find Small Plane, but to kidnap him! During their first attempt, a man trained in the martial arts (Lau Dan) saves Small Plane. He begs “the master” to take him as his pupil, as any kid would.

Legend of the Bat (1978)

Legend of the Bat [蝙蝠傳奇] (1978)

Starring Ti Lung, Ling Yun, Derek Yee, Yueh Hua, Ching Li, Wong Chung, Candice Yu On-On, Yuen Wah, Norman Chu Siu-Keung, Ku Kuan-Chung, Lau Wing, Wang Lai, Lau Wai-Ling, Ching Miao, Ai Fei, Yang Chi-Ching, Yuen Bun, Chan Sze-Kai, Chong Lee, Shum Lo, Alan Chui Chung-San, Huang Pei-Chih, Chan Shen, Keung Hon, Tang Tak-Cheung

Directed by Chor Yuen

Expectations: High. Clans of Intrigue was awesome.

Legend of the Bat was Chor Yuen’s second adaptation from Gu Long’s Chu Liu-Xiang series, this time tackling the fourth novel (and first of the five-novel New Legend of Chu Liu-Xiang cycle): Legend of the Bat [蝙蝠傳奇] (1971). Clans of Intrigue is one of my favorite Chor Yuen films — a perfect mix of wuxia and mystery — so I eagerly awaited Chu’s new adventure of investigation in the martial world. But Legend of the Bat is a different film entirely from its predecessor, so I couldn’t help but feel let down. Regardless, Legend of the Bat has some good thrills, and I hope they play better when I know what I’m in for. I like to be challenged as a viewer, but that means sometimes you just have to take the bitter hit of not really getting it during the first go-round.

We open on Bat Island in autumn, during a Jiawu Year in the sexagenary calendar, where an auction has begun. Mr. Bat, the head of Bat Island, conducts the yearly auctions completely in the dark so no one can know each other’s true identities. The first order of business is a request for the death of our intrepid hero Chu Liu-Xiang! Say it ain’t so! From there we reconnect with Chu (Ti Lung) and his martial brother Yi Tien-Hung (Ling Yun), who appear to be just leaving the final scenes of Clans of Intrigue. They stop at the Simin Villa, only to find it deserted, with a banquet laid out and undisturbed. Further inside, they discover the bodies of many formidable members of the martial world; the only survivor is afflicted with amnesia and a burning compulsion to visit Bat Island.