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Author Topic: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 561706 times)

roujin

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1080 on: May 28, 2010, 09:51:18 PM »
CONTEXT


God of Gamblers Wong Jing, 1989

I really just don't understand the rationale of making Chow Yun Fat (one of the coolest motherCINECAST!ers of all time) act all "child-like", or if you're feeling cool, full retard. It sucks! At the beginning is all smooth and wearing suits and shit, showing up at the game table ready to destroy motherCINECAST!ers - this is awesome. He has this constant smirk in his face that's just about the best thing in the film. He knows he's the shit. Then, of course, he gets hit in the head, loses his memory, and loses all cool. He's basically a little kid again. He gets picked up by Andy Lau and his crew and stuff happens. None of this is really any good, but it's all worth it just to watch Chow be a complete prick and smirk his way through the ending. what a badass.


All for the Winner Jeffrey Lau + Corey Yuen, 1990

This is a parody of God of Gamblers. Stephen Chow plays Sing, his usual character. He comes to HK to visit his uncle. It turns out that Chow has the ability to see through objects which makes him perfectly suited to become a gambler. So, his uncle trains him to do so. This movie's pretty hilarious. There's this one part where Chow hitches a ride with this one beautiful girl and kinda finds himself in the middle of some other movie. A bunch of other people start attacking, but not before the traditional movie hero shows up and kicks ass. Chow keeps trying to fight and be the hero of the situation, but he's constantly shut down by the other guy. The most overt reference to the original film is when Man Tat Ng (this man is almost as funny as Chow) sit down and watch the original God of Gamblers to learn about Chow Yun Fat's stylish nature. The next scene is probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Chow then tries to imitate Chow Yun Fat's badass slow mo entrance in his own way, and it's hilarious. Anyway, the whole thing is just a series of gags that don't really make any sense (like the whole taking the mole out on a date thing or that hilarious part when Ng is wearing a dress). Basically, Chow is hilarious. And this movie is way better than the original God of Gamblers. I just wish it was more consistently hilarious.


God of Gamblers II Wong Jing, 1991

Andy Lau returns from the first God of Gamblers film while Stephen Chow and Man Tat Ng also show up, reprising their roles from All for the Winner. It's part spin-off part sequel. Anyway, Andy Lau has trained for an entire year under the God of Gamblers and has become the Knight of Gamblers (the literal title). Chow, feeling all poor and stuff, seeks out the God of Gamblers to gain training from him so he can start making money. The scenes where Chow and Ng are just being goofballs and have nothing to do with the plot are pretty great, but all the dumb showdowns that I guess are supposed to be the focus (even though they're still kinda fun cuz Chow gets to use his powers and illusions and stuff - it's fun - to CINECAST! shit up) are kinda underwhelming. But, still, Chow can't be denied. This guy makes the dumbest stuff be hilarious. He's always good, even if the film isn't that great.


God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai Wong Jing, 1991

Chow comes back to HK after training for a whole six months with the God of Gamblers. Old enemies turn up and proceed to go after him. Through some mysterious overload of crazy ass powers, he goes back in time to 1930's Shanghai, home of the triads. It seems like Chow's powers during the films have been pretty much dictated by whatever the scene calls for. He started with only the ability to look through objects, but now he can do all sorts of crazy shit. Anyway, Chow kinda falls right into the middle of triad warfare, somehow manages to fall in love with a mentally challenged Gong Li (in a dual role!) and have an awesome dance number. It also manages to bring back the awesome bodyguard dude from all the other movies back in time just to decimate some motherCINECAST!ers (seriously, how many people has this guy killed?). Is life this simple? Yes, it is.


Fist of Fury 1991 Choh Chung-Sing, 1991

This film opens almost exactly like All for the Winner, except we're in a post-God of Gamblers world and there's a brilliant almost Bellboy-esque opening sequence where Chow (and Ng Man Tat) playing their characters from the God of Gamblers spinoffs (etc) show up being all rich and famous. Great stuff.. Anyway, it turns out this new Chow has an amazingly powerful right fist, but since he's from the mainland and coming to scary HK for the first time, he's robbed by some random dude. Soon Chow beats the shit out of him and kinda sorta shacks up at his place. The film's brilliant ass spoonings, spit battles, virginity takings are kinda bogged down and made all depressing by its whole "I didn't try to rape her! it was actually that one guy who is a clearly defined "villain" dude! forgive me! whoa, what the CINECAST! is all this violence?" thingie majiggers. Very much like Hail the Judge, the comedy is ruined by its on-a-dime switches in tone, going from ridiculously silly to all brutal melodrama in about the time it takes me to type the word SHIT.

roujin

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1081 on: May 28, 2010, 09:52:10 PM »
roujin's 13th Verdict: is that all there is?

God of Gamblers Returns vs. Fist of Fury 1991 II


God of Gamblers Returns Wong Jing, 1994

This is the only direct sequel to the original God of Gamblers since it's the only one that actually has Chow Yun-Fat. I guess what I like the best about it is how ridiculously over the top it is. Chow is living in France with his pregnant wife when all of a sudden old people from his gambling life show up, kill his wife and, wait for it, REMOVE THE FETUS FROM HER WOMB, and just put it in a jar. After making a few promises, he ceases to be God of Gamblers for an entire year until suddenly trouble finds him. The whole thing is quite strange, really. There's a small part when Chow takes care of a small kid who's all wise-cracking and shit and I was groaning and rolling my eyes at the direction that was going to take, but then it suddenly it introduces a bunch of other characters and that's pretty much dropped. The movie is kinda summarized by this BIG HUGE AND SHOCKING reveal that some random bad guy has had his hands cut off. It's totally lurid nonsense, and it's hilarious. Chow Yun Fat also cuts through a poker table with a sword, so there's that. I have nothing. This movie does nothing with nothing, but it's also not bad and it has God of Gun, too (this is the only guy to be in all the movies). I'm actually just making all of this is up. Chow Yun Fat has sex with a sheep for 90 minutes.


Fist of Fury 1991 II Choh Chung-Sing + Corey Yuen, 1992

Josephine Siao stars! Thanks to some random baddie looking for revenge, Chow loses his really powerful right arm. Add on to that that his girlfriend thinks he's gay, he's lost all his money, etc, etc. Then he kinda crashes at some random dude's place and the dude's cousin shows up (and she looks exactly like his gf) and she begins to love him, but somehow everyone thinks he's gay (and everyone walks into the shower while he's there) and Josephine Siao warns Chow of the AIDS and some random guy says that didn't expect him to love "sodomiting". Basically, the whole thing is nonsense, and while it made me laugh (Chow's facial expressions when the random dude mistakes him for his cousin and declares his love is hilarity defined) and Josephine Siao being all turned on by that one dude is hilarious, it was mostly a drag to get through and barely engaging. I have nothing to say. Please lock me away, but provide a hot tub. I need to record these dreams.

Anyway, I think it's clear that both Fist of Fury 1991 films desperately needed Ng Man Tat. That man is a goldmine.

I'm giving it to God of Gamblers Returns. Sorry, Chow.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1082 on: May 28, 2010, 10:54:59 PM »
Wait what, this is confusing? Is the first post just the films before and the next post the films? I guess so. It's too late for this. I should just go to bed.

BlueVoid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1083 on: May 29, 2010, 12:22:38 AM »
Nice work roujin! That was some dedication to watch all of those just for proper sequel context. 


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1SO

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1084 on: May 29, 2010, 01:39:11 AM »
So glad you went with God of Gamblers Returns.  Despite some questionable moral decisions, it's my favorite Chow Yun-Fat in a non-John Woo film.  If I remember, this also has the original 'catching fresh ammo clips in the air with the two guns in your hand' trick ripped off in Kick-Ass.

smirnoff

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1085 on: May 29, 2010, 08:00:51 AM »
Man these movies sound weird. Way to get it done though. :)

roujin

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1086 on: May 29, 2010, 08:28:03 AM »
If I remember, this also has the original 'catching fresh ammo clips in the air with the two guns in your hand' trick ripped off in Kick-Ass.

Oh, man, totally forgot about that. So awesome. The best character might be the God of Gun character. I love that he somehow gets to go back in time for him to have his usual huge gun battle.

edgar00

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1087 on: May 30, 2010, 08:21:26 AM »
Is it necessary to watch the original God of Gamblers before venturing into God of Gamblers Returns? Cause that sequel looks like all kinds of awesome.
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Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1088 on: June 01, 2010, 07:48:25 PM »
My first verdict in the brackets is between:

Farewell, My Concubine (1993 Kaige Chen)

This is a film where the unspoken, unseen is all important. Unspoken love, unspoken of sex and unseen death. Following the lives of Deiyi and Xiaolou famous for playing King Chu and his concubine in the Beijing Opera, their tale is imprinted over the turmoil of China from the period of the Warlords, through the rules of Japan, the Nationalists and finally the Communists and the Cultural Revolution.

It captivated me, even while being a little long (2.5 hrs).

Why See It? For a timeless story of love

and

Swordsman 2 (1992  Siu-Tung Ching and Stanley Tong)

The last half of my Far East Bracket. This film like so many other martial arts films is a mess. Poor quality subtitles, editing, acting and script. The fight scenes were pretty good (it is always good to watch Jet Li). Still I do enjoy watching these films.

Why See it? Jet Li

The verdict: Farewell, My Concubine by a long margin.

BlueVoid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #1089 on: June 01, 2010, 07:56:18 PM »
Glad to see Farewell, My Concubine move on.  That's been on my list to see for about a year now.
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