Crippled Avengers (1978)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

VERDICT – 4/5

 
PROS –
1) Another Venom Mob gem from Shaw Brothers Studio. The villains were too strong and too legendary.
2) Forget about the main villain with Tiger Style, even the side villains like Iron Hands, Lin, Wan, & especially Mr. Chu are fascinating.
3) Great fight choreography – especially the entire training at Eagle Mansion is an example of amazing hard-work put by the lead actors of Venom Mob.
4) Mr. Chu though sided with Tu Tin Tao, his death was a textbook example of kung-fu treachery.

 

CONS –
N/A

 

QUOTE –
“Wang Yi: His iron hand hurt me real badly”

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

VERDICT – 4/5

 
PROS –
1) A Shaw Brothers Studio’s Rated-R classic.A cult kung-fu cop-drama.
2) Fascinating mythology of 5 kung-fu fighters with unique animal styles.
3) Rich, smartly written suspenseful screenplay. The movie is not counting only on the action scenes, in fact, the story itself is intriguing.
4) Lo Mang as Toad – his death and torture scene will remain unforgettable.

 

CONS –
N/A

 

QUOTE –
Gecko: All judges are the same. If we kill him, the next one may be worse, and we can’t kill them all.

Project A (1983)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

VERDICT – 4/5

 
PROS –
1) A fun-filled action-packed movie in the 19th century in Hong Kong. A must watch for Jackie Chan fans.
2) The Clock Tower stunt. The fascinating part is that Jackie Chan performed the stunt twice.
3) Great supporting cast that includes Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao

 

CONS –
N/A

 

QUOTE –
Hong: Password.
Fats: Beat me.

The Great Wall (2016)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 0
ACTOR – 0
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

 

Verdict – 2/5

 

Pros –

 

1) “Tao-Ties” – A monster for future spin-off movies.
2) Action packed entertainment with high production value.

 
Cons –

 

1) Boss-fight – too mediocre for such huge built-up.

 
Quote –

 
“William : I’m alive today because I trust no one.”

You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 0

Verdict – 3/5

 

 

Pros –

 

1) The text-book slip scene
2) The climactic groom kissng scene

 

Cons –

 

1) Average romantic story
Quote –
“People always say that the most wonderful time of a relationship happens before it really happens. When two people are together, the magic vanishes easily.”

SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 0

 

VERDICT – 3/5

 

PROS –
1) Boss Fight: Donnie Yen vs Sammo Hung
2) Wu Jing as knife-wielding “Jack“.
3) Somewhere between “Copland” & “LA Confidential”
4) Father’s Day sub-plot

 

 

CONS –
1) Nothing extraordinary; average fight scenes

 

QUOTE –
“Even if you have the chance, you can’t fight your fate.”

The Mermaid (2016)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 0
ACTOR – 0
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 0

Verdict – 0/5

Pros –

1) Stephen Chow factor

Cons –

1) Shallow character development
2) Movie with a environmental message – no,thank you !
3) Bad CGI

Quote –

n/a

Dance of the Drunken Mantis (1979)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

Verdict – 5/5

 

Pros –
1) Beggar So: an introduction to his family
2) Hwang Jang Lee as Rubber Legs: and the Drunk Mantis music
3) The Grand Duel: Beggar So Vs Rubber Legs
4) The revelation of a astonishing mythology: “Books, Magic, Sickness, and Wine”
5) Linda Lin Ying as Beggar So’s wife

 

Cons –
1) Yuen Shun-yee as Foggy

 

Quote –
“He’s like a dragon – he exists, but no one knows where.”

Journey to the West (2013)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 0
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

VERDICT – 3/5

 

PROS –
1) Shu Qi as Duan
2) Colorful characters like Monkey King / Prince Important / Almighty Foot / KL Hog
3) 300 nursery rhymes

 

CONS –
1) Bad CGI (low production value and average treatment of a good script)
2) Music heavily copied from previous Chow’s films.
3) Wen Zhang
4) Abrupt ending (sad anti-climax)

 

QUOTE –
Knowing stubbornness, one can let it go. Knowing what one wants, one can release it.

Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 0
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

Verdict – 2/5

Pros –

1) Jackie Chan & Anita Mui
2) Action sequences : Street Fight & Hovercraft Scene
3) End Credits
Cons –

1) Mediocre story
2) Lack of supporting cast
3) Abrupt ending

Quote –
Ah Keung: I hope next time we meet, we will be drinking tea.