Here you’ll find  the commentary on You Tube timed to video.

Strap yourselves in even AFTER watching Lau Kar-wing’s multi-mood classic Scared Stiff as the commentary by Stoo and Ken attempts to deconstruct this wild one out of the busy Hong Kong cinema scene of the 80s. Remember the robot thrusting motion come ending time…

Ken’s note: I meant to say Yuen Wah worked as action director at Shaw’s for a while, not director.

Strap yourselves in even AFTER watching Lau Kar-wing’s multi-mood classic Scared Stiff as the commentary by Stoo and Ken attempts to deconstruct this wild one out of the busy Hong Kong cinema scene of the 80s. Remember the robot thrusting motion come ending time…

Ken’s note: I meant to say Yuen Wah worked as action director at Shaw’s for a while, not director.

 

 Commentary On Fire: Scared Stiff (1986) [92:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Just to get the excitement up to lethal levels, here you’ll find the rather insane trailer to the even more insane Scared Stiff by Lau Kar-wing. Made in 1987 and starring Miu Kiu-wai, Eric Tsang and with an appearance by the hard working Chow Yun-fat,  in the Hong Kong cinema tradition the trailer reveals a lot so proceed at your own risk if you haven’t yet had the pleasure to screen the film. You owe it to yourself and coming soon you can hear Stoo and Ken’s Commentary On Fire on said flick!

Those of you wonderful folks who also joined the forums will also get a chance to TODAY hear to  our commentary on the trailer! If you want to access this exclusive extra, just complete the simple registration on the forums. (continue reading…)

Claustrophobia is not like the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong movies that I have seen. Where in your typical Hong Kong flick characters state implicitly and clearly what they are feeling so that the entire world and his dog can get behind it, in Claustrophobia our cast of bedraggled yet always immaculately dressed office staff keep their emotions a tightly guarded secret. As an audience the trick throughout this movie is to read between the lines, to catch a glimpse of human frailty lest you spend the entire movie wondering what the point of it all is.

The movie begins with Tom (Ekin Cheng) dropping his closest co-workers home at the end of a shift. They are essentially a motley crew of typicals; the old grumpy one, the office bimbo and the nervy geek. And then there is Pearl (Karina Lam) who is last to arrive home. Whilst sat in the car, Tom takes this opportunity to tell Pearl that she is a great employee and deserves a better job working for someone else. What he is really saying here is that she should take a hike because the mutual office flirting could screw his marriage up; Pearl doesn’t take too kindly to this. (continue reading…)

Sans Mike Banner, Stoo and Ken are joined by James Aylmore but before, Ken feels the need to spoil the entire plot of Scared Stiff (starring Eric Tsang, Miu Kiu-Wai and Chow Yun-Fat) so if you desperately want to avoid hearing about its ending (you should in some ways avoid the flick to tell you the truth), skip listening between 00:03:00 to the 00:20:00. We will then be back to discuss the latest development in the already old Edison Chen Sexy Photo Gate. Next development: You’re off the island, son!

Jims Links; FaceBook | Chocolate | Twins Effect II

Lam Ching-Ying.com Forum; Click Here

(continue reading…)

 

 Podcast On Fire 43: Urban Hong Kong Celebrity Survivor [01:10:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When a small time triad (Andy Lau) decides to take his girlfriend, Ling (May Lo) on holiday to Singapore, they end up catching the same flight as the Daka Lama (A famous Monk). When arriving in Singapore a group of suicidal Japanese terrorists attempt to assassinate Daka. They manage to shoot Daka, but Ling is also caught in the cross fire.

Doctors find out that both patients need a blood transfusion, yet to make things more complicated both patients require a certain blood type. They need blood type P and there is only three available donors in Singapore. Now both police officers Tai (Alan Tam) and Stone (Leung Kar-Yan) have only 12 hours to get the donors, but the suicidal Japanese ‘Red Army’ are one step a head of them. The group have killed off two of the donors and which leave them with only one person left, Fatty (Eric Tsang). (continue reading…)

One of the most well casted films I’ve seen to date!

Sammo Hung plays a petty thief who returned to his home town, Hanshui. Sammo returns with a group of prostitutes including Olivia Cheng, Rosamund Kwan, Emily Chu & Wong Yuk Waan. Sammo comes up with the idea to de-rail a train filled with Multi-Millionaires travelling to Shanghai.

His reasons be that his home town seems run down, nothing new, nothing to attract people. So stopping this train will flood the town with many rich people and hoping it picks up the towns business…

Yet on the train their is a group of Japanese led by Hwang Jang Lee, Yasuaki Kurata & Yukari Oshima. They are carrying a very valuable map which leads to the location of a very valuable Jade Buddha. Now a group of Bandits led by James Tien along with Corey Yuen Kwai, Dick Wei, Chung Fat, Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and a whole bunch of lackys.

Another Storyline is the Police Force, led by Eric Tsang, Lam Ching-Ying, Yuen Wah, Wu Ma, Mang Hoi & Chow Gam Kong. The town off Hanshui is so quiet, there isn’t any crimes. Yet the police force were so bored they decided to set fire to the one of the buildings, this is used as a distraction the police force rob the towns bank. Most of the group escape, yet both Wu Ma & Mang Hoi are caught by the Firemen, led by Yuen Biao, Hsiao Ho, Chin Kar-Lok, Peter Chan & Siu Tak Foo.

The Police Force plan that their only method of escape is hitching a ride on the Shanghai Express. Now the town without a police force is useless. So the mayor decides to make the Fire Brigade the new Police Force. Biao decides that the first plan of action is to foil Sammos plan on derailing the train and then arrest the fleeing bank robbers.

Richard Ng and Lynda Shum join the list A cast as a rich couple boarding the train although Richard Ng has a secret mistress which leads him into some sticky situations.

Now the action, you know its Sammo Hung Action, its got to be good don’t you think? Well it is. We get to see a great fight between Sammo vs. Yuen Biao, Sammo vs. Cynthia Rothrock and Yuen Biao versing Dick Wei in a very fast paced fight to the end.

Yuen Biao also does a excellent stunt, doing a cartwheel off a two story building and landing on the ground and then delivering a line of dialogue. Hsiao Ho also takes quite a jump, Sammo tricks Ho into following him to the roof of a hotel. Sammo confronts Ho and Ho decides to exit by jumping off the building. from the roof to a balcony and from the balcony to the dirt!!

The Millionaires Express is a great action comedy which I highly recommend to all.