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Quentin Tarantino has always worn his movie influences on his sleeve, and some of his biggest inspirations come from the grindhouse era.

These were low-budget films packed with gore, shocks, and wild action, often shown in cheap theaters during the 1970s. Speaking about his love for this kind of cinema, Tarantino has named several films that left a mark on his own directing style.

One of the clearest examples is Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, released in 1974. Made with a tiny budget, the film became a box office hit and remains one of the most shocking horror movies of all time.

Its villain, Leatherface, terrified audiences with his chainsaw and cannibal family.

Jackie Chan is celebrated as one of the greatest kung fu film actors of all time. His classic kung fu movies have their own unique blend of physical comedy, complicated fight choreography, and elaborate stunts. They were not only full of action but were connected to the traditional martial arts to the skill, discipline, and incredible kung fu techniques. Though he went on to become an action star around the world, in his earlier kung fu movies, Chan captured the best of both worlds: the raw power of bare-knuckle fighting and the elegance of the old school martial arts.

What sets him apart from other martial arts actors is his gift for blending comedy with heart-pounding action. Whether portraying a mischievous, incorrigible student in Drunken Master or a sympathetic, bullied orphan in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Jackie fully embodies the characters he is portraying and his films all have...

The Chinese Boxer shifted martial arts focus to hand-to-hand combat, laying the groundwork for contemporary movies. Five Fingers of Death was the first international martial arts success, fueled the Kung Fu craze of the 1970s. Enter the Dragon ignited the Kung Fu craze in the 1970s, influencing martial arts cinema's move into the mainstream.

Martial arts movies have captivated audiences for decades through expertly choreographed fight sequences, powerful stories of good versus evil, and shockingly effective action sequences, with a select few being responsible for where the genre stands today. From the United States Kung Fu craze in the 1970s right up until modern times, martial arts movies have stood as some of the most exciting and over-the-top releases seen on the big screen. With massive stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan leaving their mark on martial arts movies, the genre has gone through countless changes over the decades.

Mubi has unveiled their December 2023 lineup, featuring notable new releases such as Rodrigo Moreno’s The Delinquents, Argentina’s Oscar this year; the Lily Gladstone-led drama The Unknown Country; Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts; and the José González documentary A Tiger in Paradise. Additional highlights include films from Olivier Assayas, Takeshi Kitano, Jean-Luc Godard, Kelly Reichardt, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, the Shaw Browers, Lars von Trier, Arnaud Desplechin, and more.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

December 1st

The House that Jack Built, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier

Breaking the Waves, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier

The Element of Crime, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier

Europa, directed by Lars von Trier | Chaos Reigns: The Films of Lars von Trier

Epidemic, directed...

Revenge is a common motivator for main characters in martial arts films, often triggered by the killing of a family member or mentor. The Chinese Boxer (1970) is considered the first true martial arts film, setting the template for future movies by focusing on hand-to-hand combat and featuring revenge as a central theme. Martial arts movies like Kill Bill (2003/200 and Revenger (2019) showcase epic showdowns and intense fight scenes as characters seek revenge for past wrongs.

Revenge movies are among the most popular entries in the martial arts genre. Martial arts films often involve many different themes, from personal growth and romance to comedy and crime, interweaving each in their stories, whether it's in an ancient or modern setting. However, one of the themes most closely linked to martial arts films is revenge, which is arguably the most common motivator for a main character in the genre.

Martial arts heroes often embark...

Some martial arts actors have built their careers on playing villains, often stealing the show with their formidable fighting skills. Wang Lung Wei, Lu Feng, Lo Lieh, Collin Chou, Benny Urquidez, Lateef Crowder dos Santos, Darren Shahlavi, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bolo Yeung, Yayan Ruhian, and Hwang Jang-lee are exemplary martial arts movie villains. These actors have left a lasting impact on the industry, with their villainous performances standing the test of time and making them some of the greatest martial arts movie villains.

Martial arts movie stars often play heroes, but there are also many great martial arts villain actors. One of the most important rules of martial arts movie-making is that the villain has to be as strong and as menacing as possible. Usually, that entails making the villain an extremely formidable fighter, in order to create the highest possible stakes for the hero or heroes to overcome.

Some martial...

Old-school kung fu movies, like those featuring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, had a major impact on the action genre, captivating audiences worldwide. Some underrated kung fu classics, such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and My Young Auntie, showcased impressive fight sequences and subverted gender roles. These old kung fu movies, while initially accessed through poorly dubbed English versions, still left a lasting impact on the genre and continue to be enjoyed today.

Old-school kung fu movies have dominated the action genre at a global level since the 1960s up to the 1980s, boasting stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. While Lee changed martial arts movies forever with cult classics like Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon, Chan added a humorous punch to the kung fu formula. With most of these movies being produced at meager budgets by Hong Kong studios, these enthralling action flicks ended up...

The greatest tragedy of Bruce Lee’s all too short life was that he didn’t live to see the premiere of Enter the Dragon. Lee died on July 20, 1973. Enter the Dragon was released six days later.

Four years prior, Lee made a vow to himself that he titled “My Definite Chief Aim.” Handwritten in cursive with his characteristic flair, he wrote “I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor.” Throughout his career in Hollywood, Lee struggled to make his way, fighting against prejudice and exclusion at every step, in hopes of reaching his goal. And yet he never lived to see the breakthrough success of his masterpiece.

Enter the Dragon was the 13th highest grossing film in North America in 1973, but it...

Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee may be universally considered the greatest in the Martial Arts genre, but they’re not alone at the top. Both are unquestionably the biggest names in kung fu movies, but they don’t dominate the genre. It’s actually filled with talented fighters not named Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, some of which being actors whose fame predate the two stars.

The number of iconic martial arts movies released since the 1960s speaks to the idea that Lee and Chan have plenty of company when it comes to actors with real fighting skills. After all, a large portion of the most talked-about martial arts movies of all time don’t include either actor. Bloodsport, Come Drink With Me, Ong Bak, Fearless, and Ip Man are among the countless films in the genre that don’t rely on the top two kung fu stars. Here are...

None of Bruce Lee's movies have been revisited on the big screen more than Fist of Fury. Enter the Dragon is without question the actor's most popular film, but Fist of Fury has a unique legacy unrivaled by any of Lee's other movies. Since it hit theaters in 1971, the story has served as the foundation for several more martial arts films.

Released in 1971, Fist of Fury was the second of five kung fu movies Lee worked on in his lifetime. In the film, the actor played Chen Zhen, a Chinese martial artist who rises up to fight the Japanese after his master dies. The patriotic symbolism attached to Lee's character made Fist of Fury an impactful film in the Hong Kong movie industry. In response to its success, filmmakers found more to do with Chen Zhen and the struggle faced by the people in the movie. Of course, this...

In the 1970s, American audiences were treated to an explosion of Hong Kong, Korean, and Taiwanese martial arts and kung-fu films, including the works of Bruce Lee and rival studios Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. As the output cranked out in that style featured plenty of full-fledged classics as well as numerous cheap knock-offs, none of those movies would be involved without the influence of a particular one, Jeong Chang-hwa’s notorious “Tian xia di yi quan,” which went through a slew of titles including “Hand of Death,” “Five Fingers of Death,” or “Invincible Boxer” but also known as “King Boxer” as part of the Shawshope Vol. 1 boxset from Arrow Video.

on Amazon

After an attack on his teacher, Chao Chih-hao (Lo Lieh) and his beloved Sung Ying-ying (Wang Ping) are asked to join his colleague Sun Hsin-pei (Mien Fang) before an upcoming tournament is held in the area.

During the 1970s the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong produced some of the most iconic action films ever made, revolutionising the genre through the backbreaking work of top-shelf talent. The new Limited Edition Blu-ray box set from Arrow Video presents twelve jewels from the Shaw crown, all released within the 1970s – here’s a look at all the titles included in the lavish release, featuring kickass kung fu killers, crazy kaiju knockoffs and culture clash comedies.

King Boxer (1973)

This is the legendary actioner that set the kung-fu film craze on fire in the UK. With a strong cast led by Shaw Brothers stalwart Lo Lieh, this iconographic martial arts movie has fantastic fight choreography, and beautiful sets which look absolutely stunning on Blu-ray.

Lo plays a kung-fu student eager to please his master and defend the honour of the martial arts school. There are a plethora of wonderful fight sequences,...

Maximiliano Contenti's giallo love letter The Last Matinee leads Arrow's December SVOD lineup and we have an exclusive clip just for Daily Dead readers! Debuting on Arrow on December 1st to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland, The Last Matinee will kick off Arrow's December releases, which is packed with an eclectic mix of titles that will please any genre fan:

December 1 will see the arrival of The Last Matinee (UK/US/CA/Ire), Santa Sangre (US/CA), All the Colors of the Giallo (UK/US/CA/Ire), King Boxer (UK/US/CA/Ire), The Boxer from Shantung (UK/US/CA/Ire), Five Shaolin Masters (UK/US/CA/Ire), Shaolin Temple (UK/US/CA/Ire), Mighty Peking Man (UK/US/CA/Ire), Challenge of the Masters (UK/US/CA/Ire), Executioners of Shaolin (UK/US/CA/Ire), Dirty Ho (UK/US/CA/Ire), Heroes of...

“Hey listen! Some great news! Chi-Hao’s beat up Chen Lang down at Chen Sun House.”

Shawscope Volume One , a 10-Disc Mega-Box Set with Twelve Movies featuring Hong Kong’s biggest stars will be available December 28th from Arrow Video

After an undisputed reign at the peak of Hong Kong’s film industry in the 1960s, Shaw Brothers (the studio founded by real-life brothers Run Run and Runme Shaw) found their dominance challenged by up-and-coming rivals in the early 1970s. They swiftly responded by producing hundreds of the most iconic action films ever made, revolutionizing the genre through the hard work of top-shelf talent on both sides of the camera as well as unbeatable widescreen production value, much of it shot at ‘Movietown’, their huge, privately-owned studio on the outskirts of Hong Kong.

This inaugural collection by Arrow Video presents twelve jewels from the Shaw crown, all released within the 1970s,...

John Agar plays a careless scientist whose experiments with nerve gas backfire, turning him into a lumbering beast whose touch can kill. Floyd Crosby’s widescreen cinematography lifts Gene Nelson’s 60 minute programmer about as high as it can go, though the sight of the creature stalking suburbia in a trench coat and fedora is memorable. Makeup artist Bob Mark appears to have based the design for Agar’s monster on The Thing, the crater-faced member of The Fantastic Four.

The post Hand of Death appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

On August 19, 2021, legendary Japanese actor Sonny Chiba succumbed to complications from Covid-19. He was 82. If you don’t know Chiba, he was a pioneering martial arts movie stars and a genuine master of the martial arts. Long before Bruce Lee, there was Sonny Chiba.

Chiba was his stage name. He was born as Sadaho Maeda and adopted “Chiba” after Japan’s Chiba prefecture where he grew up. His Japanese stage name was Shinichi Chiba, but he was known internationally as Sonny.

Chiba was a natural athlete and a contender for Japan’s Olympic gymnastics team until he was sidelined by an injury. He pivoted to study Karate under the venerated master Mas Oyama, a hardened full-contact fighter who was famous for killing bulls with his bare hands. Chiba went on to earn black belts in several schools of Karate, as well as Judo, Kendo, and Ninjitsu.

In the 60s, Chiba...

Written, starred and directed for the first time by Jimmy Wang Yu, “The Chinese Boxer” is undeniably a landmark. Highly considered as the forerunner of unarmed combat martial arts movies, it even features a kung fu training sequence and besides, it’s the last time Jimmy stars in a Shaw Brothers production.

The story concerns Lei Ming (Jimmy Wang Yu), a top student from the Chung Yi Chinese kung fu school seeking revenge after some Japanese karate experts for hire destroy it and kill just about everyone there. Badly hurt and knock unconscious during the attack, Lei Ming is luckily nursed back to health by his Master’s daughter Li Hsiao Ling (Wang Ping). All this destruction is actually the result of a failed challenge by a judo combatant, Diao Erh (Chao Hsiung), which leads him to recruit the help of those karate masters.

However, recalling what his Master once said,...

About This Film

From 1955 and until the Motion Picture Law of 1962 by Park Chung-hee’s regime, Korean cinema experienced one of its Golden Ages, both in terms of quality and popularity, which subsequently, brought bigger budgets to movie production. Chung Chang-hwa took advantage of the fact in order to become one of the pioneers of Korean action cinema, in a series of efforts that eventually brought him to work with Shaw Brothers, directing cult classics such as “Five Fingers of Death”. “A Bonanza” is an excellent sample of his genre filmmaking, as it incorporates almost every element of mainstream cinema.

Synopsis

The story unfolds in a number of different axes, both in the past and the present. As the movie begins, we get to know sailor Dong-il, who has just returned from a long trip and tries to meet his mother, only to be turned away by both her and his stepfather.

By this point a well-oiled machine, The Shaw Brothers studios operating out of Hong Kong had been pumping out swordplay and kung-fu films since the 1960s. By the mid-70s, the studio was operating at peak capacity with the finest efforts in the history of their catalog coming into play, as their classics include this masterpiece, an adaptation of the Ku Lung novel of the same name which features both cast and crew operating at their high-flying best.

Resting in his palace, Yen Man-fei learns that his old nemesis Fu Hung-hsueh has arrived for a duel and begin their fight. Before long, however, a series of assassination attempts on the two convinces them Kung-tze Yu has designs on a mystical weapon known as a Peacock Dart. Entrusted with protecting the weapons as well as Yu Chin the owners’ daughter, they set out to uncover the truth about...

A 35mm print of King Boxer (aka Five Fingers Of Death 1972)) screens at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) Thursday May 16th, The screening begin at 7:30. Facebook invite can be found Here.

Released by Warner Bros. in the U.S. in 1973 as Five Fingers of Death, King Boxer was one of the first kung fu films to play in mainstream American movie houses and was thereby the introduction to the genre for many. At a time when American studios were in financial decline, King Boxer showed U.S. studios the merit of low-cost martial arts productions and built a ravenous audience for the genre along the lines of what horror films enjoy. As such, we have King Boxer to thank for the kung fu invasion that followed.

Screening from a 35mm print courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive.

Admission is:

$7 for the general public

$6 for seniors, Webster...

On March 21, 1973, audiences lured by fliers promising a free flick delivering “Sights and Sounds like never before!” settled into the Loews State theater in the heart of Times Square, and watched one of the most important foreign film premieres of all time — King Boxer. Dubbed into English and retitled Five Fingers of Death, it left jaws on the sticky floor and opened the floodgates for a tidal wave of kung fu flicks to swamp American grindhouse screens in the Summer of ‘73. Bruce Lee died that July and his Enter the Dragon blew up the box office one month later. The King was dead! Long live the King! National General released his earlier Chinatown hits. Aip took Angela Mao, his sister in...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

In the 1970s, American audiences were treated to an explosion of Hong Kong, Korean and Taiwanese martial arts and kung-fu films, including the works of Bruce Lee and rival studios Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. As the output cranked out in that style featured plenty of full-fledged classics as well as numerous cheap knock-offs, none of those films would be involved without the influence of one film in particular, Jeong Chang-hwa’s notorious “Tian xia di yi quan”, which went through a slew of titles including “Hand of Death”, “King Boxer” or “Invincible Boxer” but more famously known as “Five Fingers of Death”.

“Five Fingers of Death” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival

After an attack on his teacher, Chao Chih-hao and his beloved Sung Ying-ying are asked to join his colleague Sun Hsin-pei before an upcoming tournament is held in the area. When his...

Chattanooga Film Festival was unleashed its first full wave of titles for 2018. Based on this new announcement, there is a lot of to be excited about. Newly announced world premieres include: Wolfman's Got Nards, a doc about the cult film classic Monster Squad; Icepick to the Moon, a doc about the musical madman Rev. Fred Lane, whose demented song The French Toast Man has haunted many impressionable minds over the years; and All the Creatures Were Stirring, a new feature film from Rebekah McKendry and David Ian McKendry. Other first wave highlights include Ghost Stories, Mohawk, The Devil & Father Amorth, Revenge and a retro screening of the Shaw Brothers classic King Boxer aka Five Fingers of Death. Finally, the fest has also announced a slew of special...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Craig Lines Sep 6, 2017

45 years on, we revisit King Boxer, and find a genuinely great martial arts movie...

Asian martial arts are now deeply embedded in western pop culture, but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, it wasn’t really until the early 1970s that they made the transition into the mainstream, thanks in no small part to the release of a film called King Boxer. Of course, nothing occurs in a vacuum. By the late 1960s, martial arts were already being taught more widely in the west. Bruce Lee was making waves with his role in The Green Hornet (although his martial arts films, while huge in Hong Kong, were yet to break the Us market). James Bond had a ninja encounter in 1967’s You Only Live Twice. Kung Fu, the seminal ABC series starring David Carradine, hit TVs across America in 1972. The west was primed and ready...

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

The Los Angeles Comic Book And Science Fiction Convention presents Classic Movie Poster Artist Robert Tanenbaum, Jean Hale (In Like Flint), Sharyn Wynters (The Female Bunch), and Donna Loren (Bikini Beach) at the August 20, 2017 Show.

Robert Tanenbaum is a Movie Poster Artist with an over 50 year career illustrating every film genre such as Science Fiction, Horror, Comedy, War, Drama and Martial Arts. Robert has illustrated such Classic Movie Posters as A Christmas Story, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Cujo, Five Fingers Of Death, Black Christmas, Super Fly, The Color Of Money, My Bodyguard, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, The Iron Cross, The Eagle Has Landed, Ransom, Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold, Hot Potato, Mel Brooks High Anxiety and Silent Night, Evil Night. Robert’s art is featured on the first announcement that Jaws was being made into a Movie.

Craig Lines May 3, 2017

For fans of 80s action cinema, No Retreat No Surrender holds a special place. We've been speaking to the man behind the series...

If you were a kid in the 1980s and you liked action movies, chances are you rented No Retreat No Surrender at some point. It was like a more violent, high-octane take on The Karate Kid, with all-American teen Jason (Kurt McKinney) getting martial arts tutelage from no less than The Ghost Of Bruce Lee so he could kick the ass of a muscly Russian (Jean-Claude Van Damme in his first major role). As a kid, this movie was everything to me. It was a 15 cert so a little bit edgy, but still simple and wholesome enough for young me to totally ‘get it’. I had tears streaming down my face the first time I watched it, I was so invested in the final fight.

Presented by Cynthia Rothrock | Written by Leroy Patterson | Directed by Charles Band

Trailer compilations have, in recent year, become big business, they have also become increasingly important in terms of keeping trailers alive. In this time of streaming and digital downloads, where films come sans trailers and extras, there’s no real way – beyond these types of compilations – of seeing interesting trailers for obscure films you may not be aware of.

Titles such as Trailer War, Trailers from Hell, the UK’s very own Grindhouse Trailer Classics, Drive-In Delirium, Attack of the 80s, and 42nd Street Forever have not only kept the trailers alive in a physical format, but also allowed new audiences to discover new (old) films. Keeping up this tradition is Full Moon, who have released a number of trailer compilations already as part of the Grindhouse line – mainly focussing on the sleazier end of genre cinema like...

Before Hugh Jackman's Wolverine takes one last "hurrah" on the big screen next year, check out his collection of Funko Pop! figures, Dorbz, and keychains. Also: cover art and details on the new graphic novel edition of Officer Downe, a look at Jeaux Janovsky's Inktober cartoons, details on the Stern Pinball digital arcade, info on El Rey's "Way of the Turkey" marathon, and two clips from Maker Studios' revamped Polaris YouTube Channel.

Images and Release Details for Funko's Logan Collectibles: From Collector Corps via Funko: “He’s the best at what he does, but what he does isn’t very nice!

The adamantium-filled, self-healing superhero Wolverine is getting an all-new Funko treatment!

Collect Wolverine and his retractable claws as Pop!s, Dorbz, and a Pocket Pop! Keychain!

Be sure to look for exclusive figures! Collect the Logan tank top.

Pop! and Dorbz only at Hot Topic, and Weapon X Wolverine Pop!

In case you didn’t know Shia Labeouf can rap. No, it’s true. The “American Honey” actor surprised people at SiriusXM Shade 45’s “Sway in the Morning” when he freestyle rapped during the show’s “Five Fingers of Death” segment.

The challenge determines an individual’s freestyling abilities over five different beats and surprisingly, Labeouf impressed everyone with his performance.

In the video below, the actor is heard rapping about his Missy Elliott tattoos and Dr. Dre. He also calls himself the Einstein of rhyming and the “Jewish Pac to this music with a twist of Whitman.” At the end of his rap, host Sway Calloway gets pumped up and yells, “Did you see that? This is what we’ve been talking about.”

Read More: ‘Man Down’ Trailer: Shia Labeouf Saw Some Things in the War That You Just Wouldn’t Understand, Man

Labeouf was previously heard rapping in a 2015 viral video,...

Shia Labeouf is a monogamous guy.

The Transformers star opened up about his recent Las Vegas wedding to Mia Goth (although the two may not be legally married), on Friday's Sway in the Morning Sirius Xm radio show, calling it one of the best decisions he's ever made!

Watch: Shia Labeouf and Mia Goth Aren't Legally Married After Elvis-Themed Vegas Ceremony

"I love it, man. That's one that's not been a f**k up, that's been the best thing I ever did for myself," the 30-year-old actor shared. "I'm like a serial monogamist. I think it's cause I'm deeply insecure. Once you get vulnerable with a person, that's it. I've never been a one night stand guy." "

"I think was after something real substantial this time, I'm 30 years old," Labeouf said of why now was the time to hold a ceremony. "And you know when you know."

Watch: Shia Labeouf and Mia Goth Live Streamed Las Vegas...

Shia Labeouf: Actor. Performance artist. Overall curiosity. And now, as it turns out, freestyle rapper. America’s reigning Renaissance man added yet another feather to his cap on “Sway in the Morning” this week, displaying his rapping skills in a rhyme-spitting frenzy. Stepping up to the mic, the former “Even Stevens” star bravely accepted the show’s “Five Fingers of Death” freestyle challenge and handled it like a champ. Also Read: Shia Labeouf to Bum Rides Across Country for Art “Get ready, get set, this a meme/This is wild, this is a childhood dream,” Labeouf rapped. The actor continued,...

After a three-decade hiatus, Shaw Brothers Holdings promises to conquer movie theaters once again.

Nikkei Asian Review reports that the Shaw Brothers Holdings recently appointed media mogul Li Ruigang as chairman. Under the leadership of Li, Shaw Brothers plans to spend 1 billion yuan ($147 million) and to produce eight films next year, all in the hopes of reclaiming the company’s former glory.

The world famous Shaw Brothers dominated Hong Kong’s golden age of cinema in the 60s and 70s. Back when the late Run Run Shaw led the company, the studio produced an impressive oeuvre of martial arts classics such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), Five Fingers of Death (1972), Come Drink With Me (1966), Killer Clans (1976), One-Armed Swordsman (1967), Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) and many others. Stars like Ti Lung, David Chiang and Fu Sheng, as well as filmmakers like Chang Cheh, Chu Yuan and Lau Kar-leun become household names and global icons.

1. Swordsman in the Twilight (1967)

Director: Chung Chang-Hwa

Cast: Nam Goong-Won, Yoon Jeong-Hee, Heo Jang-Kang

Best known for helming the Shaw Brothers film King Boxer (1972) a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death, which stands as one of the best cult films among Hong Kong martial art films, Director Chung pioneered in the genre of action films in Korean cinema. The film stepped into the spotlight at the Biff (Busan International Film Festival) in 2003.

In the reign of the king Sukjong, the new queen, Jang Hui-Bin ascends the throne. Oh Ki-Ryong, an ally of Jang, tyrannizes those who remain sympathetic to the old queen, Min. A lone swordsman, Kim Tae-Won appears and gets rid of the allies of Jang with a certain vengeance. He gradually unfolds his story in flashbacks.

2. The General’s Son (1990)

Director: Im Kwon-Taek

Cast: Park Sang‑Min, Shin Hyun‑Joon, Lee Il‑Jae

The first installment,...

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An important movie in the history of kung-fu films is being remade by Brett Ratner...

The Shaw Brothers' Five Fingers Of Death - also known as King Boxer - was one of the films that, back in 1973, helped kung fu break in America. Enter The Dragon followed later that year, and things pretty much exploded from there.

Now we hear that Brett Ratner is set to direct a remake of Five Fingers Of Death, that he's also producing along with James Packer.

The story of the original film followed a young fighter who gets sent away by his master to train with a real expert. But he then discovers that another student has betrayed said master. Our young fighter must then represent his master at a tournament come the end of the film.

Thus far, it's unclear how closely Brett Ratner will mirror the original, or...

Many films tried to capitalise on the popularity of the late, great Bruce Lee. Here are our ten favourites...

1973 was the year that kung fu broke in America. The release of the popular Five Fingers Of Death (aka King Boxer) in March set the fuse and when Enter The Dragon (the first Hong Kong martial arts film co-produced by a major Us studio) followed in August, it exploded.

Although Bruce Lee was billed as a co-star in Enter The Dragon alongside John Saxon because casting an Asian actor in the lead role of an American film was unheard of at the time (and would remain so until 1982 when Sho Kosugi topped the bill for Revenge Of The Ninja), it was Bruce who captured the public's imagination. His amazing look and style, his astonishing talent for acting, writing and directing, and his unparalleled martial arts ability made him an icon for...

There was indeed a movie planned for this week’s Shaw Brothers column, but in light of the recent sad news regarding Sir Run Run Shaw’s passing, a more tasteful move here is to dedicate this space to the man with a few words about what he meant to fans, kung fu, and film.

There is a plethora of sources to read about Run Run Shaw’s life (his Chinese name is actually Shao Renleng), especially in recent days as most cultural media journalists provided the requisite plot points to the man’s life story (and his rarely mentioned contribution to 1982′s Blade Runner) in the wake of his death. Today’s column shall therefore sidestep the obvious route, preferring to consider his legacy, what it means and how he went about building it sky high.

Like the great Hollywood studio producers such as Jack Warner, Run Run Shaw...

Kelvin K. Chan, Associated Press

Hong Kong (AP) - Run Run Shaw built a Hong Kong movie and TV empire that nurtured rising talents like actor Chow Yun-fat and director John Woo, inspired Hollywood filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and produced the 1982 sci-fi classic "Blade Runner."

Shaw's prolific studio helped bring kung fu films to the world but he also passed on the chance to sign one of the biggest names in that genre: the young Bruce Lee.

The missed opportunity was a rare misstep for Shaw, who died Tuesday, according to a statement from Television Broadcasts Limited (Tvb), which he helped found in 1967. No cause of death was given.

His studio gave his age as 107, but his age according to the Western counting method may have been 106 because Chinese traditionally consider a child to be 1 at birth. Tvb said he was born in 1907, but would not provide his birth date.

We look back at the key films from the long career of the Hong Kong studio mogul credited with triggering the worldwide craze for kung fu

• Run Run Shaw, godfather of kung fu film-making, dies aged 106

Along with his brother Runme, Run Run Shaw set up shop in the south-east Asian film business, first experiencing success before the second world war by founding a chain of cinemas in Malaya. In 1957 the brothers moved their activities to Hong Kong, and they put themselves firmly on the map when their elaborate costume drama, The Magnificent Concubine, won a technical prize at the 1962 Cannes film festival, the first Chinese film to do so. It stars Li Li-hua as a senior emperor's concubine, whose position is threatened when a younger concubine appears on the scene. There's Li warbling a ditty in the clip above.

A decade later, along came The One-Armed Swordsman, which...

The man behind the incredibly inspirational studio known as The Shaw Brothers, Run Run Shaw, has passed on at the glorious age of 107 years old. While he never worked directly within the horror genre, we'd be remiss if we didn't take a moment to honor this true legend of cinema.

From the Official Release

Pioneering Hong Kong movie producer Run Run Shaw, whose studio popularized the kung fu genre that influenced Quentin Tarantino and other Hollywood directors, has died at the age of 106.

No cause of death was given in a statement from Television Broadcasts Limited (Tvb), which Shaw helped found in 1967.

His Shaw Brothers Studios, once among the world's largest, helped launch the careers of powerhouses including director John Woo and churned out nearly 1,000 movies. His television empire helped actors including Chow Yun-fat rise to fame. He also produced a handful of U.S. films, including the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

Pioneering Hong Kong movie producer Run Run Shaw, whose studio popularized the kung fu genre that influenced Quentin Tarantino and other Hollywood directors, died on Tuesday.

He was 107.

His Shaw Brothers Studios, once among the world’s largest, helped launch the careers of powerhouses including director John Woo and his television empire helped actors including Chow Yun-fat rise to fame.

Other stars rose to fame through Shaw’s television station Tvb, which remains a dominant force in Hong Kong. Wong Kar-wai, the director behind critically acclaimed art-house movies like “Chungking Express” and “In the Mood for Love,” got his start through a Tvb training course and worked at the station briefly as a production assistant.

Ironically, one actor who slipped through Shaw’s grasp, Bruce Lee, went on to become the world’s biggest kung fu star.

On December 3, 2013, BAFTA presented a Special Award to Sir Run Run Shaw Cbe,...

Killer Darts

Written by Tu Yun-Chih

Directed by Ho Meng-Hua

Hong Kong, 1968

What a difference a week can make. Last Saturday, the film under review was The Black Tavern, which earned the highest of praise for originality, creativity, and a willingness to go in the deep end by mixing things up in some demented ways. Not to belittle the many quality movies reviewed since this column’s inception, but Black Tavern really did make an exceptional effort to differentiate itself from the pack. Following such an adrenaline-inducing high, the enthusiasm expressed toward a follow-up movie that fails to capture the same magic is understandably more muted. Even when tempering one’s expectations, Ho Meng-Hua’s Killer Darts, despite its amusing title, is merely a serviceable middle-of-the-road entry in the canon.

A gang of scoundrels led by Chou Chao (Ma Ying) brutally assaults its will on a small defenseless community in...

The Swift Knight

Written by Jeng Cheong-Woh

Directed by Jeng Cheong-Woh

Hong Kong, 1971

Writer-director Jeng Cheong-Woh was the instigator for one of the most important films to have ever been produced by the Shaw Brothers studio, Five Fingers of Death (also known as King Boxer). Not only is said film widely considered to be among the very best kung fu pictures ever made, it played a pivotal role for the unparalleled popularity of martial arts films in the United States since the 1970s. True enough, Bruce Lee’s filmography also aided in the rise of the kung fu flick in North American, but Five Fingers of Death’s influence is not to be overlooked. That movie was originally released in China in 1972. Just one year prior, the Korean genre filmmaker directed another Shaw Studio production, The Swift Knight, a project that does not reach the soaring heights Fingers but shows...

Shaw Brothers films are not exactly at the top of many film buffs’ watching list. For one, there has not been a traditional Shaw film, opening fanfare and all, in close to 30 years and a hefty portion of the public do not give catalogue films the time of day. Even for those who do, there is a vast selection of genres, directors, actors and studios that, often for good reason, will strike someone’s fancy more so than a 1960s, 70s or early 80s Shaw production.

It is widely known that said movies were produced at the speed of light, like cheap toys on a factory production line. Even so, their legacy lives on, with the bountiful number of martial arts films made and released in countries around the world, in addition to their critical role in making Kung Fu films popular in North America. For the decidedly smaller band...

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Us release of Five Fingers Of Death, the movie that began the martial arts film craze in America (buoyed also by the surprise TV hit of 1972, “Kung Fu” starring David Carradine). For a short time in the mid 70′s, a flurry of hastily dubbed and edited Eastern action programmers filled drive-ins and urban neighborhood grind house theatres. From this film frenzy a cinema icon emerged: Bruce Lee. After the low-budget sensation Fists Of Fury, Hollywood snapped him up for the martial arts epic Enter Of The Dragon. Lee’s untimely death struck a blow to the booming “kung fu fightin’” flicks. Sure there was Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but Lee’s shadow still looms large over this genre. There have even been several film biographies of Lee, the best of which may be the twenty year-old Us made Dragon: The Life Of Bruce Lee.

A few years ago, Empire magazine asked Quentin Tarantino for his eleven favorite films. At the time, he listed "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" as his favorite movie, but things have apparently changed. Tarantino was recently asked to once again submit a list of his favorite movies and some of his choices are a bit surprising. "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" now landed in fifth place. Meanwhile, his new favorite movie has become "Apocalypse Now," despite the fact that it wasn't on the Empire list. In fact, only five movies appear on both lists. But there are some great choices. Check out both lists below. New List: * Apocalypse Now * The Bad News Bears * Carrie * Dazed and Confused * The Good, The Bad and The Ugly * The Great Escape * His Girl Friday * Jaws * Pretty Maids All In A Row * Rolling Thunder * Sorcerer * Taxi Driver Old List: * The Good,...

As new documentary I Am Bruce Lee shows, black audiences in the Us have long embraced eastern martial arts films

America is generally regarded as the land that subtitles forgot, the graveyard where foreign-language film goes to be buried, with a tombstone reading: "Negligible box office". But that's only if you ignore one special genre, which has had consistent success with a particular audience more loyal than the Cahiers du Cinéma-brandishing, iPad-pawing arthouse set. Since Five Fingers of Death in March 1973 – the first kung fu film to get a release by a mainstream Us distributor – black Americans have stood staunchly by eastern martial-arts films like an outraged young acolyte ready to kick off for his sifu.

"Cross-cultural stuff has been going on in the ghettoes for a long time," says producer-writer James Schamus, whose Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon played big to black audiences, too. "Remember Bruce Lee was probably the...

For those not knee deep in action and martial arts cinema, the name Chung Chang-wha may not ring a bell, but some of the Korean director's films (working in Hong Kong at Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest) will most certainly cause some kind of mind-clang. Chung brought kung fu to the international stage with the likes of King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death), The Skyhawk, and Broken Oath. Though he hasn't had an active role in cinema for decades, his contributions have clearly been great -- Five Fingers' influence and popularity alone is worthy of this statement. And this isn't only to action cinema, but to Korean cinema of the 50s/60s. For these reasons and plenty more, this past week at the 2012 New York...

With The Raid: Redemption now in cinemas around the world or on the cusp or release, the names of its stars have been gaining traction, those names being Iko Uwais, the star and master practitioner of Pencak Silat, and the director, Gareth Evans, from the Welsh valleys, who grew up with a love of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sam Peckinpah and John Woo. That love relayed itself into pursuing a career in cinema. Despite the misstep in 2006, with his little seen directorial debut, Footsteps, Evans never gave up on his dream until a moment of genuine serendipity when he found himself with the opportunity to direct a documentary about martial arts in Indonesia, an opportunity that lead from his Japanese-Indonesian wife. That lead to him making his next film, Merantau, where he started his work partnership with Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, and the rest is history, as they say.

Fans of Asian cinema in the New York area are sure to be happy to get the news that the 11th annual New York Asian Film Festival has set the dates of June 29 through July 15 for this year's event. We've got tons of news about it so read on.

Co-presented with The Film Society of Lincoln Center and in association with Japan Society, the Nyaff is North American's leading festival for popular Asian cinema. All the details we currently have are listed in the press release below, and you can stay current on updates by visiting the New York Asian Film Festival Facebook page.

From the Press Release

The opening night film is Pang Ho-cheung’s astonishingly filthy, extremely hilarious Vulgaria, a movie about making movies, shot in just 12 days, all about gangsters named Brother Tyrannosaur, sleazy lawyers, the sex film industry, and men who love donkeys a little too much.

This month on The Liberal Dead we’re going to be featuring some films honoring Blaxploitation cinema. While a formal announcement and articles will follow in due time, an event not unrelated to this celebration has reared its exploitable head. eX-Fest (the e is purposely kept lower case) thrown by the good folks at Exhumed Films is in its second annual run and plans to exploit Philadelphia like it’s never been exploited before. eX-Fest features films of several different exploitation sub-genre not limited to but including blaxploitation, hicksploitation and spaghetti westerns. While Exhumed Films is known best for its 24 Hour Horror-thon and double feature presentations throughout the year, in recent years they have shown tremendous ingenuity in the art of marathon film presenation by creating both the Go Ape! film marathon (featuring Planet of the Apes films) and eX-Fest.

Last year’s offerings featured the following exploitation films (they...