Asian Cult Cinema

by Thomas Weisser, Max Allan Collins (Introduction)

Provides starred reviews of more than one thousand Asian cult movies, along with information on cast, credits, illustrations and release date, including films from Jackie Chan, John Woo, and Ho Menga, and discusses the roots of martial arts films. Reissue.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[mark monday]

the 80s & 90s were great for hong kong filmmaking. some of the most creative, kinetic, action-packed, gender-bending, mindboggling films of all time were created during this golden era. this is an often-awesome, sometimes embarrassing guide to that period. sadly, it includes some rather sloppy errors and is by no means complete. at times it reads as if Weisser is almost drooling in excitement, which gave me a rather creepy feeling. and the reviews could be longer. but overall, this is a fun and punchy overview of lots of wonderfully entertaining movies.

okay, another thing that sorta annoyed me is that this era in hong kong cinema saw the rise of tons of KICK-ASS WOMEN and had some of the most amazing female roles in the world during that time... a trait that the author barely bothers to note (except to salivate over the hotness of the various actresses). during this period, hong kong filmmaking was where you could find the clearest examples of women taking power over their lives, fuck The Man and men in general if they stood in the way. this dynamism when approaching gender is one of the many things that makes this particular period in Hong Kong filmmaking a uniquely rich one - and forever relevant.

because i love lists, here are my favorites:

Ashes of Time (my favorite hong kong film of all time!)
Dragon Inn
Swordsman II & Swordsman III: The East Is Red
The Bride with White Hair
Once Upon a Time in China (last third only)
Once Upon a Time in China II & III
The Blade
Kung Fu Cult Master
Green Snake
Iron Monkey
Peking Opera Blues
Naked Killer

that last one is a guilty favorite. it is a cheap and gaudy grindhouse film, no doubt about it. quite unlike the comparatively classy and often complex examples listed above. but if you like the idea of empowered, deadly, and often semi-naked women kicking ass - including older women of an age range that you will never see in a hollywood actioneer - then find this one pronto. it has given me many happy moments of idle contemplation. thank you, Naked Killer!

[Gabriel]

Hardly comprehensive, even for its time, and by now is massively outdated. Individual reviews are lively, but with the preponderance of titles each film takes on in translation (and mistranslation), it can be hard to connect the dots.

[Ed]

Hundreds of capsule reviews that are full of basic errors. A book like this is essentially a long list of facts and when so many "facts" turn out to be mistaken it is useless.

[Jon Y.]

Rife with errors, questionable star ratings, and dripping with the creepy fetishistic leanings of the author. Godawful.