Kung Fu Fridays in April 2012

Tonight, Hot Potato feat. Black Belt Jones, some silly Blaxploitation before we go to a friend's housewarming party. But in April? Here's what we'll be watching (and what you'll be finding in my capsule reviews). I've decided on a trilogy of sorts, or rather, a trilogy of swords, and a smooth back and forth between China and Korea, between vintage and contemporary.

Bastard Swordsman - A late era wuxia film from the Shaw Bros., I've heard good things about it and it did spawn a sequel. Just from the tiny pictures on the back of the DVD, I can tell there's a lot of wire fu on this one, and even people shooting chi out of their hands. Bring it on, ya Bastard!

The Sword with No Name - It's a historical epic about Korea's legendary Queen Min. It's a romance between a Queen and a rogue. It's a tale of betrayal and courtly intrigue. And it continues Korea's love affair with pretty people.

The Sword of Swords - Cheng Kang's 14 Amazons was really awesome, so we can expect good things from this magic sword story. Jimmy Wang Yu, star of this month's poster, was the One-Armed Swordsman, and though he's got both arms in this one, he still gets blinded! Can you say TYPECAST?

War of the Arrows - And back to Korea for a 2011 hit about an archer who risks his life to save his sister from slavery under an evil prince's rule. It won a pile of awards in Asia, so I'm sure its success will translate to my little group of aficionados.

Hope the gang isn't all caught up in exams, because it looks like a pretty good month!

Comments

tom said…
I HATED Sword with No Name. I can forgive the liberal changes in Korean history-- But I cannot forgive the stupid and gratuitious "special effects" Fish.. butterflies... arctic-- what the hell... You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. As for War of the Arrows.. it was ok.. but it did not make my list of top ten Korean films from 2011.