Film to Film

More 1970s political intrigue (but in the Qing dynasty) with the Shaw brothers and with an awesome weapon.

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-flying-guillotine/

Back to Chile via France for Costa-Gavras State of Siege from 1972.

https://letterboxd.com/film/state-of-siege/

This episode we review the cult classic Shaw brothers film, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan.

https://letterboxd.com/film/intimate-confessions-of-a-chinese-courtesan/

This episode we review one of the most talked about horror films of the year, When Evil Lurks!

https://letterboxd.com/film/when-evil-lurks/

Bonus episode review covering Lau's Mad Monkey Kung Fu. This one moves away from Gordon Liu and features the super athletic Hsiao Ho.

Stars: Hsiao Ho, Lau Kar Leung, Kara Hui, Lo Lieh

https://letterboxd.com/film/mad-monkey-kung-fu/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

Easily the heaviest film we've covered in the Lau Kar Leung project and very much an atypical Lau Kar Leung film and can be seen as an elegy towards the Shaw Brothers studio, which would shut down the following year. This film is based off of Chinese folklore in the Song dynasty and features great performances and perhaps my favorite fight in the entire Lau Kar Leung filmography.

Stars: Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu Sheng, Kara Hui, Lily Li, Philip Ko

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-8-diagram-pole-fighter/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

One of Lau Kar Leung's favorite films and easily one of hist underrated, Martial Club is a great martial arts film that and has one of the greatest fights of all time between Wang Lung Wai and Gordon Liu.

Stars: Gordon Liu, Wang Lung Wai, Kara Hui, Hsiao Ho

https://letterboxd.com/film/martial-club/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

This episode we review one of the most impressively choreographed films of all time, Dirty He. Dirty He has a much different performance from Gordon Liu and shows the director's range and ability to create incredibly elegant, wonderful fights with very simple devices and tricks.

Stars: Gordon Liu, Wong Yue, Lo Lieh, Wang Lung Wei, Hsiao Ho, Kara Hui

https://letterboxd.com/film/dirty-ho/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

With around 170 Martial Arts choreography credits, Lau Kar Leung is arguably the most influential and greatest martial arts choreographer of all time. Due to his martial arts background, the amount of details and intricacies he brought a unique and varied choreography to nearly every film he directed. In this episode I discuss his choreography in his directorial body of work and some of my favorite fights.

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

After the hit that was Executioners from Shaolin, Lau Kar Leung followed it up with an even greater success, and perhaps his most iconic film, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Featuring likely the greatest training and second act in martial arts film history, this is a must watch for everyone.

Film stars: Gordon Liu and Lo Lieh.

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-36th-chamber-of-shaolin/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

This episode I review the first film in our series, Executioners from Shaolin. Released in 1977, starring Chen Kuan Tai this is Lau's 3rd film and features a Chinese folk hero, Hong Xiguan that is in Lau's Martial Arts lineage. It also serves an important bridge between Lau's choreography work in Chang Cheh's Shaolin cycle and his own directorial output. Featuring an all time great villain performance from Lo Lieh.

Stars: Chen Kuan Tai, Lo Lieh, Wong Yue, Lily Li

https://letterboxd.com/film/executioners-from-shaolin/

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

In the second episode of the Lau Kar Leung Project, I discuss Shaw Brothers and many of the other key collaborators to Lau's career. This includes Chang Cheh, Gordon Liu, Kara Hui, Hsiao Ho, Lo Lieh and others.

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

This week we start a series on, the directorial work of Lau Kar Leung, or in Mandarin Liu Chia-liang. We cover background information on Lau's biography, his appeal, and his career during the Shaw brother's era and afterwards.

https://letterboxd.com/director/lau-kar-leung-2/

This episode Jemes reviews one of the tier 2 Venoms Mob Movies, Masked Avengers!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082153/

This episode we review one of the most well known and regarded Venoms movies, Crippled Avengers!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077292/

This episode we watch the next film from Diaz Espinoza with Marko Zaror, Mandrill.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1434618/

This episode we continue the journey through the Latin Dragon's lead roles with Mirageman!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1046183/

This episode we review the outrageous classic Shaw Brother's horror film, The Boxer's Omen.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085951/

This episode we review a pair of Chilean martial arts films from the Ernesto Diaz Espinoza/Marko Zaror combination. Kiltro is their debut and The Fist of the Condor is their recent release.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460484/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13354802/

This episode we review the golden age Hong Kong classic, Righting Wrongs!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094374/

This episode we discuss the unusual combination of Come Drink With Me by King Hu and Golden Swallow by Chang Cheh, films made by two different masters of the early Wuxia.

Sorry we had a few technical difficulties with the audio that we could only partly iron out.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059079/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063105/

This episode we discuss the 1967 quintessential Martial Arts film by Chang Cheh starring Jimmy Wang Yu.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061597/

We go back to Italy in the 1970s for two more Giallo classics, The House with the Laughing Windows (1976) by Pupi Avati and The Psychic (1977) by Lucio Fulci.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074287/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075614/