Satan Returns - Donnie Yen, Francis Ng, Chingmy Yau, Dayo Wong
1/5
Starts out like a Donnie Yen movie would, with good camerawork and nice lighting everywhere. There are a few scenes in the beginning where Donnie gets to show his stuff, but doesn't do a whole lot of kickboxing. Francis Ng isn't a good opponent, but he acts very well. Dayo Wong ruins everything. Ending is especially bad. From about an hour into the movie, everything goes downhill immediately and it ruins all the stuff before that as well except the tiny action segments.
Secret Rivals - Wang Tao, John Liu Chung Liang, Hwang Jang Lee
4/5
One of the classic kicker movies, with Liu and Wang taking on Hwang. Lots of kicking from Liu, but Wang can't be taken for granted as he puts on a show of his own with fast punches and hung gar movements. Most of the movie is wasted on bumbling villians with no stories of their own, they just get up and run, which is repetitive, but when Liu and Wang go against eachother and against Hwang, it's good old school (not two-beat but faster, except the movements are more basic) action all the way.
Secret Rivals - John Liu, Hwang Jang Lee, Tino Wong, Phillip Ko (??)
5/5
In my opinion far better than the first. Tons of fights (I went all out on the captures), faster and cleaner choreography, WIDESCREEN for this VCD, and a 9 minute finale against HJL. Tino Wong makes a good replacement for Wang Tao, but Wang I think would have been slightly better. But Tino has some amazing hand choreography. Liu's kicks are shown off even more in this movie. HJL gets more kicking too. Great, highly recommended.
Shanghai Affairs - Donnie Yen, Yu Rong Guang, Chen Peng
5/5
One of Donnie's more recent self-directed pieces. It screams quality. A small setting at a village, good acting, and interesting characters. Fights are big in size and well filmed. Numerous too. It's modern, with good and fast choreography. Guang takes on Donnie at the end in an oddly, but very effectively, filmed fight that goes down a walkway, then back, then into some power building. This movie is so moody that it probably won't be replicated. Guang is especially cool.
Shanghai Shanghai - Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Anita Mui, Meng Hoi
4/5
There's nothing really worth your time if you're looking for action except for the end fight which I believe is a marvel in HK history. Biao and Sammo have perfect timing, choreography, pace, editing, camerawork, everything, there isn't a spot missed in this fight. A few wires, but overall it's like a huge dessert. Skip to that part.
Shaolin Kung Fu - Shaolin temple students
5/5
A documentary about the aspects of Shaolin training. Very interesting, with lots of those special techniques like breaking plates with one finger, also known as kungs. Some choreographed fight scenes, good, interesting styles and weapons, and the second cd is about this guy Hai Tank, who, at 90 years old, can stand upsidedown leaning against a wall on 1 finger. Incredible. Good buy if you're interested in real martial arts.
Shaolin Temple (The) - Jet Li, Yu Hai, many others
5/5
THE Shaolin movie that started the craze that spawned so many other movies. Jet Li is fast and the choreography is very much like the actual Shaolin styles. Good training sequences, plus a big final scene. Jet effectively and couragously takes on 30 guys in a field at one point. Who can't like this movie?
She Shoots Straight - Joyce Godenzi, Agnes Aurelio, Yuen Wah, Sammo Hung
2/5
Little action in this. Godenzi beats up some guys at the end, and never does Wah get a single fight. He does 2 stunts, and dies at the end. Aurelio and Godenzi fight well at the end though. Doesn't make up for the absense of action otherwise.
Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon - Sammo Hung, Karl Maka, Lau Ka Wing
5/5
A great entry into the 90's by Sammo. Too bad his later stuff wasn't like this. Good action in this one, 3 scenes stick out in my head, all of them excellent. Sammo does Bruce impersonations most of the time while fighting, and does the man justice. Finale is gigantic, Sammo and Maka (Maka doesn't do much, but what he does isn't bad) take on 2 big groups of bad guys, then Sammo fights a very talented white guy and has a fast wing chun sequence (good form), and then finishes it off with a furious duel against Lau Ka Wing. Camerawork is very different from other Sammo films but seems to work perfectly. Thus the high rating. Maka is hilarious.
Snuff Bottle Connection - John Liu Chung Leung, Yuen Fui, Roy Horan, Hwang Jang Lee, Yan Yee Kwan (cameo)
2/5
A bad kung fu movie in my opinion. Every fight in this that doesn't have John Liu is atrocious. Some Russians try to fight also, and get more screen time than Yan Yee Kwan, who is superior in the beginning but was killed (maybe because he's a mainlander?). Liu's scenes are awesome, no doubt, his handwork and footwork are excellent as are his opponents. Hwang gets no good fighting and has a fan the whole time, which fails. Finale is terrible, even though it has Liu. Fui is aweful. Just a bad movie, had Liu done all the fights and Hwang had no fan but more kicking instead, it'd be a 5/5. Too much garbage too. The Yuens double for everything too, they do whole choreographies and their wigs pop off. Bad.
Storm Riders - Aaron Kwok, Sonny Chiba, Yu Rong Guang
3/5
Surprisingly entertaining piece with little action, but still lots of this magic stuff. They let you know what's happening too, and it's pretty cool. RPG buffs would like this one. No martial arts though except for some scene in the beginning where 2 guys fly around a big Buddha and swordfight. Guang does nothing and dies in the beginning. Sonny Chiba is the big magic man. I'm surprised that I liked a movie with Aaron Kwok.
Story of Ricky - Fan Siu Wong, Yukari Oshima
4/5
Hilarious movie with Wong as Ricky, who is a master of Qi Gong and can take pain of any proportions and uses it to kill kill kill!!! So much gore that your stomach might turn upsidedown, but it's all fake and silly. Don't bother if you only want some nicely choreographed martial arts, there is none here. But it's a riot if you have a party. Everyone will love the corniness of the gore and violence, especially the warden turning into a monster.
Supercop 2 - Michelle Yeoh, Yu Rong Guang, Fan Siu Wong, Sam Wong, Dick Wei, many others
5/5
Great movie, probably better than the first one, as a side story basically to Supercop. Lots of people get involved. Some short fights, but they're very slick and stylish. Guang has a small fight or two but nothing big, he just plays a convincing character. He does have some time in the beginning and fights Yukari Oshima, who has a small cameo. Yeoh takes on a huge white guy, while Fan Siu Wong has a good fight with Dick Wei. The action doesn't really stop either, with a good car chase down a freeway too.
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