My Top 10 Favorite Kung Fu movies

I’ve been on a Kung Fu kick (gosh, look at me with the clever word play, thank you) lately.  Between the great Shaw Bros sets (and some Golden Harvest titles) that Arrow Video and Shout Factory have been releasing recently; along with Region A-friendly individual Shaw Bros titles from 88 Films; a surprising handful of releases from the Criterion Collection; the upcoming Bruceploitation box sets from Severin (can’t wait!); and Eureka Entertainment soon-to-be releasing Region A-friendly titles from their catalog (there better be a Region A-friendly release of Duel to the Death!!!), it’s been pretty great getting back into a genre of films I’ve enjoyed since first discovering them in my youth on TV’s Kung Fu Theater in the early/mid-1980’s.  At that time, ninjas and The Karate Kid (my all-time favorite martial arts-related film – but it’s not Kung Fu!) were big deals to 10-year olds like me – but little did I know back then, those were Japanese-influenced martial arts – whereas Kung Fu is China-based.  Not that any of that really matters to me, because, regardless of their origins, they’re both kickass to watch.

So, like I said, there are various boutique labels putting out great, restored, blu-rays now for those of us who prefer physical media (like myself).  However, there are so many more great Kung Fu films from the 1970’s and 80’s that deserve to be preserved for future generations with proper restorations in their original aspect ratios.  I say that because One – it’s a fact, Jack; and Two – though there are plenty of vintage Kung Fu films readily available on streaming services such as Tubi, PlutoTV, Plex, GoogleTV, and perhaps my favorite – the Wu Tang CollectionYouTube channel (seriously, whoever the person or persons are who run that channel, they are truly doing the Lord’s work in making so many rare Kung Fu gems available to view again) – sadly, the vast majority of the films available on these streaming services are just old, unrestored, pan-and-scan versions – similar to how they were seen on TV, back in the 80’s, on shows like Kung Fu Theater.   On the one hand, it adds a little nostalgia to the viewing experience for those of us who were around in the 80’s; on the other hand, it just shows that we’re only getting to see roughly 55% of what we really should be seeing (most Kung Fu films were shot in the wide 2:35 aspect ratio…even the shitty ones), and at a far inferior image and sound quality to what these films deserve.  (UPDATE: March 29, 2024...I recently found an amazing TV show called Dracula's Kung Fu Theatre...the host of the show is the funniest damn Dracula ever and he shows an old school Kung Fu movie every week on VHS - it's like Svengoolie, but this guy is a million times funnier.  The "Glamour Shot" T-shirt for sale on the site will be mine - it's so damn funny!  Though I'm not on Facebook, I did find that the show also has a public Facebook page...funny videos on there too.  Ok, end of Update.)

That ranting and rambling aside, I’d like to share what are currently my Top 10 favorite Kung Fu movies.  Granted, I haven’t even come close to seeing every Kung Fu movie ever made, so this list could very well change in the future…will I take the time to update this list if it does change?...meh, probably not – so this will be a snapshot in time.

I just (re)discovered the fantastic Felicity Jones…

 I recently got around to finally seeing 2014’s TheTheory of Everything (yep, I’m only 9 years behind the times) – damn good movie!  Who knew the life of Stephen Hawking would produce such a sweet/bittersweet love story?  The charm of that love story really came from the chemistry and talent of the two stars – Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawking) and Felicity Jones (Jane Wilde/Hawking) – whatever nominations/awards they received, they 100% deserved.  I really enjoyed the early parts of the movie when they were in college together - it put a genuine smile on my face.   

There were a couple of other parts that made me chuckle and flat out laugh as well…

First, when the Jonathan character shows up and shows a clear interest in Jane, Stephen is looking at him like “Who the hell are you moving in on my woman?  If I could get out of this wheelchair, I’d create a new black hole with my foot in your ass!”; and then later, when the character of Elaine shows up and shows a clear interest in Stephen, Jane is looking at her like “Bitch, who the hell are you moving in on my man?  I’ll come at you like a spider monkey!”  But, eventually, proving that real life is indeed crazier than fiction, Jane ended up with Jonathan, and Stephen ended up with Elaine.

Second, there were two great scenes that showed Stephen Hawking – genius mind though he was – was also just a regular ol’ guy as well…

October Spookiness - My 5 Favorite "Tales of the Weird" YouTube Channels

October is back again for 31 whole days, and that means one thing - the internet will be chock-full of "31 Days of Horror" movie, book, etc., lists.  However, since I don't have that level of dedication (this is my first blog post in over two years after all...man, I can't believe I still have a blog...but I digress), I'd like to instead share my 5 favorite YouTube channels that specialize in Tales of the Weird, the Spooky, the Unexplained, and whatever other words are used for those stories that either make your jaw drop with an incredulous "What the F--k?!" exclamation, or make your eyes roll with a "What a load of Sh-t" utterance.  Either way, it's always entertaining.

What I love about these types of tales is the whole "Gather 'round the campfire folks, you won't believe the story I have to tell!" vibe...and these 5 YouTube Channels capture that vibe perfectly.

Congrats to Elon Musk and SpaceX (and NASA) for getting US back into space!

I gotta say it, Elon Musk inspires the hell out of me (and makes me feel like I'm wasting my life at the same time).

The manned Falcon 9/Dragon launch which took place today - which took many talented people to accomplish for sure - still needed a spark and focal point of inspiration to get started and see the journey through - and there's no other greater spark in the world right now than Elon Musk. Period.  Statues will be erected of this guy when all is said and done.  Jeff Bezos might be "richer", but Elon Musk is more "valuable" (his Paypal creation isn't my kind of thing, but what an amazing springboard that led to his current companies - the innovations coming from Tesla; Boring/Hyperloop; and SpaceX are just amazing...we all can dream - that's easy; but he makes them come true - that's hard).

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - fantastic emotional rollercoaster

Just got back from seeing the final Star Wars film in the saga I grew up with since 1977...man...it made me feel my feelings in a public place.  I was wiping away tears at the end...what can I say, I love Star Wars.

I was very satisfied with this end installment - though, I'm prob one of the few who have loved every episode of this sequel trilogy (loved Rogue One and Solo too!).  All of the performances were top-notch with great moments of humor, sadness, and inspiration (even though there was some clunky dialogue - hey, it's Star Wars!).

The Force Awakens refreshingly brought back the fun and feel of the Original Trilogy; The Last Jedi followed it up with an enriching "thinking-man's" Star Wars which, apparently, was too much of a challenge for lesser minds with loud voices to handle; and now, The Rise of Skywalker, though dumbing things back down a bit, finished everything off with a fantastic emotional rollercoaster ride that never let up for a second.  Whew!  Good stuff!

With that said, let's get into some spoiler-ific details - continue on at your own risk...

Star Wars Rogue One: A lifelong Star Wars geek's dream come true

I just saw Star Wars: Rogue One today and I'm just beside myself with geeky glee!  I loved last year's Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which brought the fun back to Star Wars with it's mix of classic and new characters, but this new stand-alone film was truly made by Star Wars nerds for life-long Star Wars nerds like myself who grew up with, and loved, the Original Trilogy.  I can't believe some of the things I just saw in this movie!


I'm going to get spoilery, so if you haven't seen the movie yet - run away, far away, from this page!


Still here?  Ok, I warned you!

Renaissance - yet another example of great music from the 1970's

The easiest way for me to explain the band Renaissance is this: if the band Yes had an artsy sister, Renaissance would be her name.  Let me explain...


Both are considered (amazing) prog/symphonic/art rock bands who created some absolute epic pieces of music; both have amazing keyboard players (Yes primarily has heavy synthesizer work with classical piano sprinkled in; Renaissance primarily has heavy classical piano work with synthesizer sprinkled in); both prominently feature powerful and intricate bass playing; both bands keep the drum work in the shadows so to speak - meaning, there really aren't any memorable drum beats that pop out at you in either group's songs; Renaissance (with the exception of Prologue) utilize acoustic guitar on their albums for a softer sound, while Yes features a heavy dose of electric guitar (by the amazing Steve Howe) for a more aggressive sound; and for vocals, Yes features the male lead of Jon Anderson (great lyricist as well), while Renaissance features a female lead singer (the unbelievable Annie Haslam supplying the ear candy...I can't even put into proper words how great of a voice she has) which provides a naturally softer vibe to their songs - though still as powerful as any male lead.


The run of albums that Renaissance put out from 1972 - 1977 (5 Studio / 1 Live) are some of the best of any group, of any genre, during that time period - and that's saying something considering the amazing sounds being released by all artists during that time frame. 


Let's just go in order...

The Sweet - amazing 70's Rock in all it's crazy glory!

Throughout 2014 and 2015, I was obsessed with the Electric Light Orchestra - I just couldn't go a day without listening to some of Jeff Lynne and Co.'s magical creations.  As the calendar was changing from 2015 to 2016, I kept hearing songs from a band called "Sweet" on two of my favorite satellite radio stations in the car - Classic Vinyl and 70's on 7.  They played a song called "Little Willy", and I thought - well, that was a catchy tune.  Then, I heard their two more well-known US hits, "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox on the Run".  Again, I liked what I heard, but it still wasn't enough to make me go "Holy shit! I need to hear more!". 


However, I then heard their song from 1975 called "Action" - and, yes, the "Holy shit!" moment was had.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing - these guys sounded like a harder rocking version of Queen!  I do love me some crazily overdubbed vocal harmonies!


So, since the beginning of 2016, I moved to get my hands on everything I could from this band called "The Sweet" or "Sweet" (I really don't know what their official name is, so I just call them "The Sweet"...sounds more dramatic with the "The").  Also, before I go into my ramblings, run (don't walk!) to their official YouTube site - it's an absolute treasure trove of awesomeness!  They've recently put up a few videos from a live performance they did back in 1974 on the legendary German music show called Musikladen.  It's.so.fucking.amazing!  Their performance of a song called "No You Don't" is so kickass, I actually got mad at myself for living all these years and only now finding out about this band.


Ok, let my new-fanboy ramblings begin...

KC Royals are...

WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!


ROYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLS!


Hyperventilating - need paper bag!

UPDATE: 11-3-2015

A buddy of mine sent the picture below to me, and I thought it was the perfect retort to "Thor"'s tough guy talk during the Series.  I'll never get tired of seeing a knuckle dragger, who talks tough and acts intimidating, get put in their place.

I just can't stop spinning the vinyl...

Man, I’m really enjoying my new vinyl setup.  Building upon my boring ramblings in the previous month’s post, I think I’m going to continue on with some more vinyl record goodness.  Over the course of the past month and a half or so, I’ve learned 3 things about myself:

1. I really enjoy cleaning records in my SpinClean.  I can’t explain it really – I wash my car, my clothes, my dishes, I clean my house, I keep my yard tidy – and I hate doing every single one of those things.  Yet, cleaning records is enjoyable.  There’s just something about turning an old, dusty, smudgy record into a gleaming, grooved jewel; gently placing it on the turntable hoping for the best; and then hearing the sweet, fresh sounds fill the room.  It’s like I played a part in bringing it to life.  It’s like…I’m Clark Griswold standing atop my very own Family Truckster and softly, yet proudly, proclaiming - “50 yards!”
2. I’ve still got a bit of a competitive streak in me.  I hate to lose as much as the next guy, but hey, at my age I’ve learned to accept my limitations.  However, after getting snaked in the closing seconds of a few Ebay auctions involving some choice classic rock records – ooooooooh shit-fire!…I ate lightning, and crapped thunder on the auctions that came after. I. Was. Not. Going. To. Lose. Again. *deep breath* *find happy place* - and I didn’t…not sure that was a good thing though.
3. Remember what I just wrote in #2?  Yeah, I went a little overboard.  I mean, it wasn’t exactly Sherman’s fiery march on the South or anything, but I’ve had to push myself away from the record-buying table for a while…I like ramen noodles and all, but I don’t want to have to eat them exclusively for the next month or two.

So, I figured I would now do some mini-reviews on just a handful of the albums I’ve acquired so far. 

In my previous post, I mentioned the Black Sabbath and Queen collections – I’ve listened to them all now, and have even acquired some alternate Queen pieces to boot.  However, I think I’ll review all of those in a future post – it’ll be a doozy!  I’ll also include my somewhat frustrated feelings toward the Beatles albums I’ve acquired; as well as the happy, yet crazy, experiences with my Led Zeppelin acquisitions.  Speaking of Led Zeppelin, I’m happy to hear that a whole new round of re-mastered vinyl is coming out (fingers crossed the sound quality is kickass), because traversing through their original vinyl pressings jungle is just nutty – there are so many different pressings, and the sound quality varies depending on what pressing you have.  Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came along with the following info. – “Dude, the copy of Led Zeppelin IV you really want will have a “WF” code on the label, with the words “You’re surrounded” hand-etched in the deadwax.  If you play the album backwards at 45rpm and you start to smell peanut butter and hear a weasel fart, you’ll unlock the hidden 5.1 surround sound out of the record grooves!  Duuuuuuude, it’s the best version!”.  Yep, it’s that ridiculous.  Anyway, more of my Led Zeppelin adventures in a future post…

Now, the albums I’d like to talk about in this post are as follows: