Chinatown Video releases for September 2000
Weasel Alert: I occasionally do a bit
of work for Chinatown Video.
THE DUEL (2000) Rated M.
90
mins. $27.95.
The Duel is Andrew Lau's third fantasy feature, and with
each of them he has a presented different take on the genre. The Storm
Riders was all MTV flash and comicbook angst, and remains his best
work. A Man Called Hero was more an epic, transplanting the
sword-swinging action into a modern setting, and spending more time on
characterisation and less time on action. With The Duel, the new
secret ingredient is comedy, and the seriousness of the other features is
gone - this one is fresh and funny. I think we can attribute that to Wong
Jing's involvement, but hey, it worked for me.
Sword Saint (Andy Lau) calls out God of Sword (Ekin Cheng)
for a one-night only showdown on top of the Forbidden City to prove to the
martial arts world who is the better swordsman. Dragon-Nine (Nick
Cheung), the 9th and smartest of the Emperor's secret agents, is given
the task of swelling the imperial coffers by minting and selling 8 tickets
to watch the match from inside the palace. Everyone wants one, but someone
also wants a few key people dead before the match - so Dragon-Nine gets on
the case. There you have it, part swordsmen action, part murder mystery,
and much comedy, complete with thousands of extras in ridiculous hats. The
action style is in the Storm Riders CGI mode, taken to even more
ridiculous degrees - for a sword fightin' film, I don't think metal
strikes metal once, it's all power blasts. If you like your fu 100% real,
then this one may not do it for you. It did it for me, in every
department; the film's a romp, perfect popcorn entertainment.
MONKEY! Volume 1 Rated PG. 130
mins. $22.95.
MONKEY! Volume 2 Rated PG. 130
mins. $22.95.
MONKEY! Volume 3 Rated PG. 130
mins. $22.95.
MONKEY! DVD Volume 1 Rated PG. 130
mins. $29.95.
Siren Entertainment realise a long-cherished dream this month with the
video release of the first in a series of tapes and DVDs which will
eventually encompass all 39 episodes of the classic 1970s live action
Japanese show. Each volume has three episodes of cloud-flying fun. It's
dubbed, but that's good in this case - I never get tired of hearing Monkey
called Pigsy a poofter. (Or at least that's how I remember it, it has been
20 years since I watched it.) Anyway, even though Monkey is not HK per se,
I just know everyone loves the hell out of it - track 'em down, kids. Volume
1 has the episodes Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven, Monkey Turns
Nursemaid and The Great Journey Begins. Volume 2 contains Monkey
Swallows the Universe, The Power of Youth and Even Monsters Can Be People.
Volume 3 includes The Beginning of Wisdom, Pigsy Woos a Widow and
What Monkey Calls the Dog-Woman. See
the Monkey Video website for
more info.
(Back on the HK trail, also look out for VCDs of Chinese Odyssey, Stephen
Chow's fantastic two-film take on the Monkey legend. I'll probably get
stoned for this, but I reckon he out-monkeys Masaaki Sakai. True
dinks.)
