Crippled Kung Fu Boxer (1979)

Kung fu genius (Cliff Lok) stars as the student of a famous kung fu master whose kung fu gym gets overrun by the Hunchback and his gang, Cliff runs off and seeks refuge with his uncle, who teaches Cliff the art of the Crippled Fist so he may take revenge of the Hunchback and the rest of his vile posse.

I watched this film under the title CRIPPLED KUNG FU BOXER, which is an appropriate title unlike NINJA SUPREMO, a later re-titling for VHS release during the ninja boom of the mid 1980s. As there are no ninjas in this production, that title is a misnomer while CRIPPLED KUNG FU BOXER is more than appropriate. The story stars Cliff Lok as an idealistic young kung fu student whose master gets into trouble when he encounters some sinister, physically-deformed criminals.

It starts with two against one fighting over hidden money. Cut to Cliff Lok practicing the three section staff. The one armed swordsman barges in and challenges Suen Yuet who "fights" him. Then a spearsman barges in for another challenge. Cliff Lok flips from master to master according to the winner. His father laments how the son is only interested in martial arts. Cliff takes his spearsman master to the brothel and offends about four men. They follow him home and Cliff is forced to flee. The four turn against the father but another master arrives and rescues him. Cliff has his fish dinner stolen by a monkey then hooks up with a "cough" master and a kung fu chick.

Dude, my fucking hands won't stop shaking. 

This movie has a ton of training, right up until the final fights. And the final 2 fights take up the last 20 minutes of the movie. Ma Chin Ku and Choi Wang are the villains, and they really get to shine. They are crippled at the start of the movie, and come back for revenge at the end. Ma Chin Ku is a hunchback, and Choi Wang holds his hands out awkwardly in front of him and his hands are always shaking.

Just when you think the film is over and you think you've seen it all, a fighter with cerebral palsy shows up and the story gets even weirder and borderline offensive. Still, at least it's unique...

Killer Clans (1976)

Two clans compete for dominance over the martial arts world in this classic of violent swordplay and political intrigue. A complex tale of deception and double crosses. Killer Clans leaves viewers guessing every step of the way. Masterful fight choreography from Yuen Cheung Yan (Yuen Clan member and brother of Yuen Woo Ping) and Tong Gaai fills the screen with bloody sword fighting and imaginative weaponry, delivering both great drama and fantastic martial arts.

Killer Clans is a masterful big-budget costume drama from Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. studio that is quite a change from the usual SB martial arts extravaganzas of the 1970s. It's closer in tone to Japanese samurai films of the 1960s and boasts a formal aesthetic beauty that was not often found in HK swordplay films. The sets are quite spectacular as are the costume design and art direction.

Based on a novel by famed martial arts chronicler Ku Lung, the plot has to do with clan warfare between the Lung Men Society and the power-hungry Roc Society in Old China. Various characters are not exactly what they seem as clan loyalties shift and major characters betray lifelong comrades. There are many surprising plot twists that would be best left undescribed here. Swordfights erupt every so often, although they are shorter affairs than usual for a Shaw Bros. swordplay film and place less of an emphasis on martial arts technique. The film's dramatic stress is on the interplay between the various characters and the alliances they form rather than on the action per se. The fight scenes, staged by Yuen Cheung-Yan, remain, however, consistently exciting.

The large cast includes some major players from 1970s Shaw Bros. films, most notably Ku Feng, normally a villain, but seen here as the durable and crafty head of Lung Men, whose survival efforts are quite impressive. His character is clearly the dominant one and his performance outshines those of the two younger male leads, Chung Wa, who plays a freelance swordsman whose loyalties become a major issue as the film proceeds, and Yueh Hua, who plays Ku Feng's second-in-command. Other familiar performers are on hand and are seen to good effect, including Wang Chung, Lo Lieh, Yeung Chi Hing, Norman Chu, future star Danny Lee (CITY ON FIRE), and actresses Li Ching and Chan Ping (as a lusty femme fatale who disrobes for some surprising nude scenes). The portly Fan Mei Sheng, usually seen in comic supporting roles, plays a family man who is at the center of a moving, intense scene late in the film that is truly one of the film's dramatic highlights.

KILLER CLANS was directed by veteran filmmaker Chor Yuen (SACRED KNIVES OF VENGEANCE, IRON CHAIN FIGHTER), who displays an assured and restrained touch that's quite a departure from the more frenetic direction found in the Shaw Bros. martial arts films directed by Chang Cheh (FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH, BLOODY AVENGERS). For one thing, there's not a zoom lens in sight! The director also avoids the more theatrical, Chinese Opera-style staging found in the films of his contemporary, King Hu (A TOUCH OF ZEN). While Chang Cheh's films tended to be less demanding and more entertaining, KILLER CLANS is ultimately a richer, deeper film and more satisfying on a dramatic and artistic level.

"Killer Clans" is not a perfect kung fu film. It's a very inconsistent one overall in pacing and acting (allowing Ku Feng to act circles around his co-stars as the brilliant chess player Uncle) and the random bits of nudity feel massively out of place. It is, however, very entertaining with its crazy complex story and some fun fight sequences choreographed by Yuen Cheung Yan (yes, that's the brother of legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping). It does earn some credit with its charm that makes some of the weirder elements less of a burden. For kung fu fanatics, "Killer Clans" comes recommended for its entertainment value even if Chor Yuen has done better.

Theatrical Run:  3/20/1976 - 4/2/1976

Box Office:  HK - $1,596,557.20

Valley Of Gwangi (1969)

A cowboy named Tuck Kirby seeks fame and fortune by capturing an Allosaurus living in the Forbidden Valley and putting it in a Mexican circus. His victim, called the Gwangi, turns out to have an aversion to being shown in public.

The Valley of Gwangi is a 1969 American western fantasy film directed by Jim O'Connolly, written by William Bast,and starring James Franciscus and Richard Carlsonand Gila Golan. It was filmed with creature effects provided by Ray Harryhausen, the last dinosaur-themed film he animated.

Originally written by King Kong's Willis O'Brien, Gwangi's script was never filmed, but a copy owned by Ray Harryhausen stored in his garage was resurrected in 1966. With additional work by writer William Bast, The Valley Of Gwangi was approved by Kenneth Hyman of Seven Arts Inc, which had financed Harryhausen's film with Raquel Welsh, One Million Years B.C. and who had purchased into the Warner Brothers studio.

Filming took place in Spain and lasted two years, mostly due to the time needed by Harryhausen to animate the dinosaurs. Given that the film employed over 300 animation shots (the most of any Harryhausen film), it was expected that release would not come until two years after principal photography had been completed.

[knock knock] Do you guys have a moment to discuss Jesus Christ?

The extra time paid off in Harryhausen's best animation. Adding enormously were the superior sound FX employed by Warner Brothers, giving dinosaur voices far more menacing and believeable than those used by Columbia or Hammer; attention to peripheral sound FX is also striking, notably in the finale within the enormous cathedral, where the echo of Gwangi's breathing and footsteps adds greatly to the drama.

Okay, so it's the only dinosaur and cowboy movie (that I know of).  It has some cool shit in it.  Like a horse diving into an oversized swimming pool.  Yes.  And it dove off of a high fucking diving board too.  Then later on the cowboys run into the Allosaurus and try to capture it by lassoing it.  And the dinosaur eventually ends up kicking an elephant's ass.  And I don't mean your fat mother in-law.  I mean a real fucking elephant. Take this foot in your ass Dumbo.

James Franciscus is an obnoxious, smarmy leading man. Vivacious (and dubbed) Gila Golan makes for an unbelievable American cowgirl but she's nice to look at. The romance between these two is the movie's least redeeming feature; it's insufferable really. Richard Carlson is largely wasted in his role. The actress who portrays the fearsome gypsy Tia Zorina is probably the best of the cast, actually.

He who takes from Gwangi the evil one is cursed.

And the plot of the film..... James Franciscus plays Tuck, an amiable hustler who comes back into the life of T.J. (lovely Gila Golan). T.J. is one of the participants in a Wild West show that is not doing so well at the moment. However, one of their people, Carlos (Gustavo Rojo) has ventured into a Mexican location known as the "Forbidden Valley" and come back with a prize: an adorable "Eohippus", or miniature prehistoric horse. Circumstances lead Tuck and others to head into the valley, where they encounter other ancient animals, such as a Styracosaurus and a very aggressive Allosaurus.  In the well loved tradition of "King Kong", T.J. and her friends, including Champ (Richard Carlson), get the bright idea to introduce the Allosaurus - who gets christened Gwangi - to their show. Havoc predictably ensues.

Come on in the church guys.  Time for Sunday School

The Valley Of Gwangi is a likable fantasy-western, full of nostalgic value for big kids who remember it from their childhood and quite enjoyable for new audiences that are discovering it for the first time. It has its shortcomings for sure, but is pleasant fare all the same – a guilty pleasure from a bygone era!

Trivia:

When this film was first conceived it was supposed to have been a follow-up to King Kong(1933), but was never made. However, an early B&W version of the "cowboys in Africa" footage was shot, and wound up being used in Mighty Joe Young (1949).

The roping of Gwangi was achieved by having the actors hold on to ropes tied to a "monster stick" that was in the back of a jeep. The jeep and stick when filmed with Gwangi are on a back rear projection plate and hidden by his body and the portions of rope attached to his body are painted wires that are matched with the real ropes.

Special effects master Ray Harryhausen has said that sequence of the elephant performing its act and its subsequent fight with Gwangi were done with no shots of a real elephant because no such animal was available. However, there is an elephant in the very early scene of the Wild West show's parade through the town and Harryhausen's animation puppet is a perfect double for it.

Oh shit.

This was the last film where Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects technique was billed as "Dynamation". Starting with his next film, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), Dynamation would be rebranded as "Dynarama".

Leading lady Gila Golan was re-dubbed, but the voice actress remains unidentified.

In 1971, Warner Brothers cleverly reissued this film in the USA on a double bill with When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970).

The sound that Gwangi makes is that of a camel and a raspberry run backwards.

Just captured a dinosaur. Move along.  Nothing to see here folks.

Whereas all of Ray Harryhausen's past films had an "Approved" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, the modern ratings system was introduced around this time, and this was the first film of his to get a "G" rating.

"Gwangi" is a Native American word that means lizard.

Due to a mishearing of the word "fuck" by the BBFC, the 1995 video release was wrongly given a "12" certificate. This was corrected for the 2003 DVD and the rating changed to a "U" certificate.

Special-effects pioneer Willis H. O'Brien began pre-production at the RKO-Pathe Studios on a story by Harold Lamb about a huge T-Rex called "Gwangi", with John Speaks as producer, in 1941. The project was canceled when studio management was changed.

The film was known as "The Valley Where Time Stood Still" during production.

The film was in production for over a year and a half - the dinosaur rope sequence alone took more than two and a half months to complete - but shortly before production ended, the studio management changed, and the new bosses had little confidence in the film, which was released with very little publicity and failed at the box office.

Gustavo Rojo is dubbed by Robert Rietty.

Opening credits: The story, all names, characters and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons, living or dead, is intended or should be inferred.

Curtis Arden receives an "introducing" credit.

In the artwork, the Gwangi is green, like a giant lizard aka dinosaur would be. In the movie, however, Gwangi and the other prehistoric creatures are a dark purple color.

Burn, Witch, Burn (1962)

Night of the Eagle is a 1962 British-American horror film directed by Sidney Hayers. The script by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt was based upon the 1943 Fritz Leiber novel Conjure Wife. The film was retitled Burn, Witch, Burn! for the US release.

A college professor in England named Norman Taylor (Peter Wyngarde) and his wife Tansy (Janet Blair) seem to live a charmed life. Then Norman finds out Tansy is using witchcraft to "protect" him. He firmly disbelieves of it and makes her burn all her protective charms. Then his life becomes a living hell...

A demonstration that a lot can be achieved on a small budget by imaginative filmmakers. This movie caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. What really makes the film work is Peter Wyngarde's performance as professor Norman Taylor. He is spot on as a logical and intellectually superior man who discovers that his core beliefs about his life may be in total error. American actress Janet Blair was chosen to portray Tansy Taylor. Her background in American movies had been in romantic comedy, but she is just fine as the witch in question.

Witch or Woman, What Was It?

This, the second of three adaptations of the Leiber novel to get the big screen treatment, is easily the best, a smouldering suspenser ripe with paranoia and atmospheric unease. Subtle in pacing, it's a marked lesson in gaining the most out of suggestion and understated story telling. Clearly not armed with a gargantuan budget, Hayers and his team rely on the strength of writing and acting.

That's a limping evil bitch right there. 

But there would be no film without Margaret Johnston as the limping and gazing Flora. To say her character epitomizes evil is an understatement and who can forget the scene where she talks to Wyngarde in her office with her face hovering over a lamp with that devilish sneer? I'm not convinced that the film needed the scenes with the giant eagle and I would have enjoyed this just as much if those had been omitted in the final edit.

Just a giant eagle...nothing to see here folks.

This film would make a great late night flick - and a good one for Halloween season. If you like movies on witchcraft/occult topics then you might like this particular film.

Trivia:
When Norman hides in the classroom "I Do Not Believe" is written on the chalk board with other key words related to witchcraft. Something off screen appears to him and he backs up to the chalkboard in fear. After the PA system is silenced, he walks back to the door. The blackboard has been smudged, creatively revealing the phrase "I Do...Believe"

Peter Wyngarde was only cast because the original actor became ill.

Star Peter Wyngarde initially found the script for "Burn, Witch, Burn" (titled "Night of the Eagle" at the time) to be "rubbish" and decided to pass on the film. Later when Wyngarde saw a luxury car that he desperately wanted to own he went back and took the role of Norman Taylor: asking to be paid exactly the amount for the cost of the car.

Peter Wyngarde attended the premiere of the film with fellow British actor Alan Bates. Much to his disdain, he and Bates were the only people in the audience. Years later after the film received an American release, Wyngarde was pleased to learn that Burn, Witch, Burn played in Times Square for several years and found a bigger audience.

I do NOT believe

Star Peter Wyngarde said that his reaction to the infamous eagle attack was genuine as the huge bird had a nine foot wingspan and tremendous talons.

A pair of stone dragons sit on the Taylor's mantle piece. Originally in the novel, Conjure Wife (which the film is based on), it's a stone dragon that comes to life instead of the eagle of the film.

Tansy Taylor keeps a black cat for a pet.

At one point Lindsay Carr tells Tansy that her refreshment offer is "bewitching."

The infamous stone eagle is shown in the foreground or background of every scene at the university.

Raw meat was placed on Peter Wyngarde's back to make the trained eagle swoop down at him during the finale. After a while the meat became soured and the bird would stop driving for it.

A hidden voodoo doll.  Sneaky.

The second of three (and most acclaimed) cinematic adaptation of Fritz Leiber Jr.'s novel Conjure Wife.

American International Pictures insisted on playing up the horror-occult themes of the film when marketing it. As part of this, the film's original title was changed to the more ominous "Burn, Witch, Burn" - a line that Margaret Johnston speaks in the film. Also, the voice-over opening where a spell is cast upon the audience was added for setting the tone.

Despite the film's having two American screenwriters who usually worked in Hollywood, the plot of Fritz Leiber Jr.'s famous novel has been moved to an English setting. However, the dialogue still contains a few Americanisms, as when the Colin Gordon character asks, "Will you beat out my brother-in-law?", which no Englishman of the period would have said.

You've got too much already - a beautiful wife, this lovely house and that cottage by the sea. Your excellent thesis, and your ability to interest the students, now what's the answer to it all, eh? You sold your soul to the devil?

A rubber plant sits in the window of the Taylor house. The common houseplant is suppose to bring good fortune and luck.

The original script contained much more occult and voodoo material, however, this was cut down as director Sidney Hayers felt the relationship of the Taylors needed to be the focus of the film.

The shot of the eagle bursting through the door was achieved by punching a glove puppet through a miniature of the door. There are only a few frames of this sequence before a very quick cut to a shot of an actual eagle in a miniature of the hallway, but the shape of a hand and wrist can just be made out in silhouette.

Reportedly the California home of star Janet Blair burnt during production. Ironically, it occurred during the shooting of the climactic scene where the Taylor house burns down. Blair received a call while shooting the blazing sequence that her actual house was on fire.

There is no The End closing title, just a final "Do You Believe?" to conclude the film.