One of Hong Kong's top action directors of all time, Liu Chia-liang makes a mind-numbing directorial debut in The Spiritual Boxer, which not only quickly established Liu as a genius director but also encouraged other martial art choreographers to take up the directing reigns. It was also the debut film of kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu as the main character, who in reality was part of Liu’s clan of stars that he personally trained for a film career. Its Ghostbusters meets George C. Scott’s The Flim-Flam Man as Wang plays a fake ghost catcher who catches more than he bargained for. With this film, Liu is also credited with introducing comedy in to the kung-fu genre; the pre-cursor for Jackie Chan's kung-fu comedies.
Martial arts hero Ti Lung gets to flex his dramatic muscle in this horror movie about evil magic spells. In a departure from his normal roles, Ti plays Hsu Lo who runs up against an evil black magic practitioner San Kan-mi (Ku Feng). San Kan-mi wants to seduce Hsu's fiancee Wang Chu-ying (Lily Li) and places a death spell on Hsu and a love spell on Wang, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Matters are further complicated when sexy widow Lo Yin (Tanny Tien Ni) casts her lascivious eyes on the tall and handsome Hsu. Fortunately for the spellbound lovers, Wang's friends manage to find another veteran witch doctor to take on the evil San Kan-mi. Supernatural battles of epic proportions ensue as this bone-chilling tale of good versus evil races to a heart-stopping ending.
Thirty year film veteran Yueh Feng cast almost equally experienced heroine Li Li-hua as a swordswoman out to reclaim her murdered husband's "Green Sword" the sharpest blade in the world. Li Ching, a lovely new star, plays the role of Li Li-hua's student, who must take up the fight when her teacher falters. Action fans and art film lovers alike will appreciate this "woman warrior" epic, which premiered more than thirty years before the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon resurrected the same themes.
Li Li-hua, Li Ching, Chiao Chuang, Wu Ma, Chen Hung-lieh
Celebrated scriptwriter Shen Chiang (Heroes of Sung) continues to spread his magic touch to directing with this tale surrounding the end of the Song dynasty. Threatened by the Yuan who are closing in to rule the whole of China, a band of Song survivors band together to save their prime minister. This bold and fearless heroes fighting for their cause are led by international star, Lo Lieh (Glass Tears, Killer Clans) and Shi Szu ( Lovers Destiny), who must fight their way out of trap after trap. But they can't escape them all, and eventually the two end up in prison... it is either death or a fight to the end!
Laughter and action come fast and furious in Doubles Cause Troubles with Dodo Cheng and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk - two of Hong Kong's best actresses - as squabbling cousins who find themselves in over their heads after their tenant ends up dead. The gangsters are after them, the law suspects them, and they still don't know what they've done wrong! As the girls get more confused, they get drawn deeper into trouble. Will they be able to climb out again?
Carol Cheng, Maggie Cheung, Wilson Lam, Chan Pak-cheung
With his fight choreography, Liu Chia-liang was a central figure in Hong Kong martial arts film, first establishing a new-style of Mandarin kung-fu hero film in the 1960's. Then as a successful director, his films usually had a strong traditional sense and emphasis on martial virtue and the importance of family. This is no more evident than in the kung-fu comedy My Young Auntie, the film that rocketed actress Hui Ying-hung to the top. Hui plays a young heiress to an esteemed kung-fu family embroiled in internal strife. Her gutsy and dauntless performance opposite Liu's starring role as her calm to psychotic elderly nephew-by-marriage, earned Hui the Best Actress Award at the 1981 HK Film Awards. The film's final 20 minutes is ultra-guaranteed to blow your mind away.
Liu Chia-liang , Hui Ying-hung , Hsiao Hou , Wang Lung-wei
Famed action director Chu Yuan helmed this engaging Chinese Robin Hood adventure with martial arts battles choreographed by Yuen Cheung-yan (Charlie's Angels, Daredevil). Action star Yueh Hua is a master thief who earned his nickname by gliding on walls. The film features universal screen idol Connie Chan Pao-chu in her final performance as the Lizard's faithful partner-in-crime against a corrupt police chief, played by genre veteran Lo Lieh.
This musical production serves as a showcase for personable singer/actor George Lam, who tries to find love and success in the world of TV commercials along with his buddies Hamburger and Snoopy. They wind up in a mindless gang fight in the middle of a junkyard during a camp-fire party! That's just everyday business in the crazy world of bumpkins and disco bumpkins at that!
The young Chen Chi-chin (Liu Yung) loses heavily to experienced gambler Hu Kuan-ten (Lo Lieh). His father loses at cards and dies of shock. Chen appeals to his uncle who summons seven fellow professional gamblers to carry out vengeance. Much more than a gambling film, this is a thrilling melting pot of martial arts stars, extortion, illicit love, poker-face vengeance, and all sorts of edge-of-your-seat gambling duels. Featuring two of the leading action stars of the era, Chen Kuen-tai and Lo Lieh, in a series of intense poker game standoffs. Famed director of the genre, Wong Jing, also has a guest appearance as one of the Notorious Eight.
Liu Yung, Chen Kuan-tai, Wong Jing, Lo Lieh, Linda Chu
Shaw's and TVB's biggest stars join hands in this ensemble cast tale of the woes of falling headfirst into a hunger chase for money and riches. In 1973, the Hong Kong Heng Seng Index hit extraordinary peaks, and people from all walks of life go stock market crazy. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's social problems pile up without anyone paying any attention to what's happening to the crazy lives of this mad city that so many people call home. An ingenious tongue-in-cheek tale from talented director Chu Yuan.
The Water Margin, Journey To The West and Romance Of The Three Kingdoms are China's most famous literary classics. After director Chang Cheh's film adaptations of the first two classics wowed audiences, Chang completed the circle with The Weird Man, a bizarre variation of Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. Besides Cheng Tien-chi, who starred in Jackie Chan's Fearless Hyena, Chang uses a cast of unknowns and gives the story a ghostly-horror edge. Chang is known for his lone swordsman and hero movies and strangely The Weird Man still reflects this. Cheng plays a righteous, beheaded priest with supernatural powers that returns from the dead to wreak havoc against one of the corrupt kingdoms, making Cheng a heroic "swords-ghost." It's insane sanity to the hilt, a must see film.
The subtle repackage of the most filmed Ching Dynasty novel, The Dream Of The Red Chamber by renowned director Li Han-hsiang has earned public acclaim by attaining The Best Art Direction of The 15th Golden Horse Award, The Best Costume and The Best Art Direction Of The 24th Asian Film Festival. Brigitte Lin and Sylvia Chang play the adorable yet sorrowful couple Bao Yu and Dai Yu; playing their roles to the hilt in this gloomy love story of their uncontrollable destinies.
Brigitte Lin , Sylvia Chang , Deborah , Michelle Mei Suet
Sun Chung started exploring the kung-fu genre with this fascinating tale which mixes music and martial arts. It's a tale of conflicting clans and a mysterious song called 'The Proud One' which leads to slowly blossoming love as well as sudden death.
An unspeakable act of cruelty that tortures a beautiful woman to her death sets the stage for vengeance and horror in Sex Beyond The Grave. The betrayed beauty Hua (Kuang Mei-pao) haunts her persecutors from the Tao Tao Mansion. Terror and death even continue to pursue a professor and his family as they tussle with spirits who want to claim the life of his son!
Liu Yung, Chien Hui-yi, Ku Kuan-chung, Kuang Mei-pao
