-By  Will, on March 27, 2020, 7:00 am  The Proud Youth [็ฌๅฒๆฑๆน] (1978)
Starring Wong Yu, Shih Szu, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Stanley Fung Sui-Fan, Lau Wai-Ling, Chong Lee, Ling Yun, Ding Ying, Yue Wing, Ku Feng, Wong Chung, Tin Ching, Yau Chui-Ling, Ching Miao, Chan Shen, Yang Chi-Ching, Teresa Ha Ping, Wong Ching-Ho, Ng Hong-Sang, Chan Wai-Ying, Yuen Wah
Directed by Sun Chung
Expectations: High. I have a feeling about this one.
When I was a teenager, I didn’t know anything about the wuxia genre, and fantasy wasn’t what I wanted from Hong Kong movies. Like many Western viewers, I generally saw wirework as a negative, thinking of it more as a crutch or an excuse not to do those incredible Hong Kong stunts I loved Jackie Chan for. A few wuxia films broke through my naive mental wall, though, and the Swordsman films — specifically Swordsman II — still hold a treasured place in my heart. So when I learned that The Proud Youth shared DNA with the Swordsman films, I was fascinated and excited by the prospect of revisiting this tale told through the Shaw Brothers lens.
The Proud Youth is based on the Jin Yong novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (็ฌๅฒๆฑๆน), and shares the book’s Chinese title (which literally translates to Laughing Proudly in the Martial World). Despite sharing titles, the film changed most of the character names for some reason. So if you’re familiar with the Swordsman movies (or the book), Brigitte Lin’s iconic Invincible Asia character is represented here as the castrated and effeminate Sima Wuji (Tin Ching), and Wong Yu plays the same character as Samuel Hui/Jet Li (or Chow Yun-Fat if you’re watching the 1984 TVB version ๐ ). While I haven’t read the book — no official English translation exists — The Proud Youth seemingly attempts to boil the whole thing down into one 90-minute movie, so the film covers some major events from both Swordsman and Swordsman II (I believe Swordsman III is largely unrelated to the book).
Continue reading The Proud Youth (1978) →
-By Will, on March 16, 2020, 7:00 am  This week on the Silver Emulsion Podcast, Stephen and I talk about the 2019 Best Picture winner Parasite, directed by Bong Joon Ho! Fold a pizza box and enjoy! ๐
Watch Parasite along with us on Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, or Amazon Instant Video!
Also: the show is on iTunes! So if you feel like subscribing there, or rating/reviewing the show, feel free to share your thoughts!
Music Notes
Intro:
- Miles Davis –ย Paraphernalia
Outro:
- Beastie Boys – Ask for Janice
- Marty Robbins –ย Stairway Of Love
If you’ve got feedback, throw it into the comments below or email it to me via the contact page! We’ll include it in a future show!
The podcast is embedded directly below this, or you can go directly to Podbean (or use their app) to listen. If you want to subscribe, paste http://silveremulsion.podbean.com/feed/ into whatever reader you’re using.
-By Will, on March 9, 2020, 7:00 am  This week on the Silver Emulsion Podcast, Stephen and I talk about the Sylvester Stallone arm wrestling classic Over the Top! Crash your semi-truck through a rich dude’s front door and enjoy! ๐
Watch Over the Top along with us on Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes, Amazon Prime, or Amazon Instant Video!
Also: the show is on iTunes! So if you feel like subscribing there, or rating/reviewing the show, feel free to share your thoughts!
Music Notes
Intro:
- Sammy Hagar – Winner Takes It All
- Over The Top: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Amazon)
- The Essential Red Collection (iTunes, Amazon)
Outro:
- Giorgio Moroder – The Fight
- Over The Top: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Amazon)
If you’ve got feedback, throw it into the comments below or email it to me via the contact page! We’ll include it in a future show!
The podcast is embedded directly below this, or you can go directly to Podbean (or use their app) to listen. If you want to subscribe, paste http://silveremulsion.podbean.com/feed/ into whatever reader you’re using.
-By Will, on March 6, 2020, 12:00 pm  The Game of Death [ๆญปไบก้ๆฒ] (1978)
Starring Tong Lung, Bruce Lee, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Colleen Camp, Hugh O’Brian, Mel Novak, Roy Chiao, Robert Wall, Dan Inosanto, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Billy McGill, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Casanova Wong, Ji Han-Jae, James Tin Chuen
Directed by Robert Clouse
Expectations: Not much.
The Game of Death is a tricky film to review, but I’m sure it won’t be nearly as painful as actually watching the movie. The actual Bruce Lee footage is as great as it ever was, but everything that leads up to it is pretty sub-standard. The Robert Clouse-directed stuff is most of the movie, too — only 10 minutes or so are from Bruce Lee’s shoot — and there’s just no way around the fact that it’s boring. Even with Sammo Hung choreographing the fights, and Yuen Biao doing a lot of acrobatic double work for “Bruce,” the fights are largely uninspired and average compared to the best the Hong Kong industry was producing in 1978. For instance, Sammo made the absolutely incredible Wing Chun movie Warriors Two later the same year, and the quality gap between these two films is about as wide as the Grand Canyon.
Perhaps the difference lies in Robert Clouse’s direction; there is certainly no palpable passion in any of his material. The shift in tone and quality is jarring when Bruce finally shows up in the final 10 minutes with every bit of charisma he ever had. Bruce Lee was always passionate about his martial philosophy, and he focused on presenting it through his films — particularly The Way of the Dragon and the unfinished Game of Death. Care could have been taken to preserve this spirit, and present a version of Game of Death that was as much a celebration of Bruce Lee as it was an attempt to salvage the unfinished footage. Instead, it was decided to ditch Bruce’s vision for a cliched and rather dumb plot that just sort of stumbles its way towards the electric Lee footage.
Continue reading The Game of Death (1978) →
-By Will, on March 2, 2020, 7:00 am  This week on the Silver Emulsion Podcast, Stephen and I talk about the landmark 1995/1996 anime series by Gainax: Neon Genesis Evangelion! And we’re also taking on the two 1997 companion films, Death(True)2 and The End of Evangelion! Insert the entry plug and enjoy! ๐
Watch Neon Genesis Evangelion along with us on the out-of-print DVD or Netflix!
Also: the show is on iTunes! So if you feel like subscribing there, or rating/reviewing the show, feel free to share your thoughts!
Music Notes
Intro:
- Yoko Takahashi – A Cruel Angel’s Thesis
- Theme Song to Neon Genesis Evangelion (iTunes)
Outro:
- Megumi Hayashibara – Fly Me to the Moon
- Ending Theme to Neon Genesis Evangelion (Amazon)
If you’ve got feedback, throw it into the comments below or email it to me via the contact page! We’ll include it in a future show!
The podcast is embedded directly below this, or you can go directly to Podbean (or use their app) to listen. If you want to subscribe, paste http://silveremulsion.podbean.com/feed/ into whatever reader you’re using.
-By Will, on February 24, 2020, 7:00 am  This week on the Silver Emulsion Podcast, Stephen and I talk about the 1987 low-budget sci-fi barbarian movie: Tim Kincaid’s Robot Holocaust! Save the Air Slaves and enjoy! ๐
Watch Robot Holocaust along with us on Blu-ray or VHS, or in its MST3K version on iTunes or Amazon Instant Video!
Also: the show is on iTunes! So if you feel like subscribing there, or rating/reviewing the show, feel free to share your thoughts!
Music Notes
Intro:
- Manilla Road – Hallowed Be Thy Grave
Outro:
- Willie Nelson – Bach Minuet in G
If you’ve got feedback, throw it into the comments below or email it to me via the contact page! We’ll include it in a future show!
The podcast is embedded directly below this, or you can go directly to Podbean (or use their app) to listen. If you want to subscribe, paste http://silveremulsion.podbean.com/feed/ into whatever reader you’re using.
-By Will, on February 21, 2020, 7:00 am  The Vengeful Beauty [่ก่่] (1978)
Starring Chen Ping, Yueh Hua, Norman Chu Siu-Keung, Lo Lieh, Lam Fai-Wong, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Siu Yam-Yam, Wai Wang, Lee Sau-Kei, Lee Chung-Ling, Wong Ching-Ho, Keung Hon, Chiang Nan, Hung Ling-Ling
Directed by Ho Meng-Hua
Expectations: Hoping it’s better than Flying Guillotine 2.
The Vengeful Beauty opens with narration about how the Qing Dynasty emperor is ferreting out dissension among his subjects, and even the booksellers and proofreaders aren’t safe! I suppose that puts me right into his sights, but I will not be deterred from my mission, no matter what it costs! And just like me, Rong Qiu Yan (Chen Ping), better known in the martial world as The Bloody Hibiscus, will also stop at nothing to help people fight the ruthless emperor. During the day she is a sweet, doting wife to the imperial officer Han Tian De (Lee Chung-Ling), but when Tian De catches wind of the emperor’s secret flying guillotine assassins, the emperor orders his whole family murdered to keep the secret safe. Of course, Qiu Yan escapes the guillotine squad, and pivots her brave wuxia heroics from part-time avenger to full-time vengeful beauty.
I’m not sure what the production specifics were, but The Vengeful Beauty is Ho Meng-Hua’s follow-up to his trendsetting 1975 film, The Flying Guillotine. For some reason, Shaw decided to give the “official” sequel to Cheng Kang (and later Hua Shan), resulting in an OK movie that shows its production woes and ought to be much better than it is. Ho’s The Vengeful Beauty is a much more cohesive film, and while it definitely pales in comparison to the original, it’s a far better sequel than the “official” one. For that matter, so is Ho’s The Dragon Missile.
Continue reading The Vengeful Beauty (1978) →
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