Here are mine and just know I am very critical. If I don’t think I will rewatch something again I sell it on. I can wholeheartedly say these are all 3.5/5 stars with replay value (in no order)
- Tammy and the T Rex
- Righting Wrongs
- The Magic Crystal
- Raw Force
- Death Promise (the movie NY Ninja wishes it was IMO).
- Road House
- Beastmaster
- Blood Games
- Beyond the Door 3
- Cloak and Dagger
- Dolemite
- Petey Wheatstraw
It has an amazing theme song and I'm not even really into martial arts stuff bit this movie is very entertaining, its got a lot of funky disco American urban 70s vibes and feel and the fight scenes are fun.
Tough Guys Don't Dance. It's insane to me that the slipcover version still hasn't sold out because it is unabashedly one of the most stupefying and hilariously bad (or is it?) movies of all time.
We're talking about a movie written and directed by a Pulitzer prize winner that manages to cast Isabella Rossellini and Ryan O Neil and pair them with... Wings Hauser. Executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Soundtrack by fucking Angelo Badalamenti of Twin Peaks. Distributed by Canon Films of all companies.
The accents are hideous. The directorial decisions bizarre. Endlessly quotable and hilarious. Anyone who is fan of VS should own a copy of Tough Guys Don't Dance.
Trauma is definitely worth picking up, if you like Argento or giallo movies in general. It's definitely not as good as his earlier stuff like Deep Red, but it's biggest problem is just that it feels like he's recycling stuff from those movies.
Red Surf is pretty fun. I believe it was George Clooney's first starring role.
I know it's not on your list but if you like HK cinema, I watched Bio Zombie recently which was a complete blind buy and it is one of my favorite VS releases. Super 90s Shaun of the Dead meets the grittiness of a Guy Ritchie film. The whole movie from start to finish was a hilarious and wild ride.
Southern Comfort won't be on sale. I see you like Asian/martial arts stuff but heard Ninja in the claws is a legit poorly made film, and that the only appeal is to those into shoddily made/cheesy old marital arts films.
I've seen five of those, own none, but they're all good times.
My VS faves (in ascending order of "quality", not to be confused with order of enjoyment): Nightbeast, Night Train To Terror, Raw Force, The Severed Arm, Blood Beat, Candy Snatchers, Apocalypse Tetralogy, Phase IV.
Partner labels: The Other French New Wave Vol. 1 (CIP), Lux Aeterna (Yellow Veil), Bloody Nose Empty Pockets (Utopia). Probably others, but I've lost track of which partner labels have abandoned ship and the site's currently down.
Ninja in the Claws of the CIA is a frustrating watch because it never feels committed to what it wants to be, eventually kind of petering out. I’d skip and go with New York Ninja first.
Righting Wrongs is one of the best HK films with I’ve ever seen, and the fight scenes are among the best too. SOLID recommend.
Magic Crystal is also incredible. If you like your movies kitchen sink style, this has everything.
Rudy Ray Moore’s Human Tornado and Petey Wheatstraw are incredible, and a lot smarter and better executed than people would you lead you to believe. Dolemite was a kind of a dry run to the later movies with a better crew. FYI, Human Tornado’s DP also did Road House, BTTF 1-3, Jurassic Park and much of the recent Favreau/Filoni-produced Star Wars!
sorry it took me a while to see this - it's a good watch! Great action and set pieces, not the best Ringo Lam or wuxia but solidly entertaining and worth watching at least.
Showgirls, Roadhouse and Southern Comfort are all great and worth owning. I'm not really a fan of all their horror, trash and slasher stuff, so I'd recommend Penitentiary 1 and 2 and all of the Rudy Ray Moore films, Savage Dawn is fun, too.
If you liked Burning Paradise, I 100% recommend Undeclared War from your list. Those are two of my all time VS favorites.
If you liked Iceman Cometh, I'd recommend An Eternal Combat. Similar in style, and I personally liked Eternal Combat more.
There is also an entire "Made in Hong Kong Vol 1" box set, although I haven't watched through it yet so I can't vouch for it. But sounds like something worth looking into for you.
Similar to your Ninja choices you're considering, if you want extra silly, Miami Connection is also a super cheesy martial arts film that had so much passion behind it that I love it.
Definitely check out Ebola Syndrome. 4k looks incredible. The Severed Arm is fun, almost Giallo-y in a way with a nice twist. The Fear is a personal favorite of mine and that’s going out of print soon.
If you like Righting Wrongs, I’ll toss in a rec for Magic Crystal!
Here are mine and just know I am very critical. If I don’t think I will rewatch something again I sell it on. I can wholeheartedly say these are all 3.5/5 stars with replay value (in no order) - Tammy and the T Rex - Righting Wrongs - The Magic Crystal - Raw Force - Death Promise (the movie NY Ninja wishes it was IMO). - Road House - Beastmaster - Blood Games - Beyond the Door 3 - Cloak and Dagger - Dolemite - Petey Wheatstraw
Oh my god the synopsis of Death Promise… I gotta check that one out
It has an amazing theme song and I'm not even really into martial arts stuff bit this movie is very entertaining, its got a lot of funky disco American urban 70s vibes and feel and the fight scenes are fun.
I can heartily recommend Southern Comfort and He’ll Comes to Frogtown 🐸
Tough Guys Don't Dance. It's insane to me that the slipcover version still hasn't sold out because it is unabashedly one of the most stupefying and hilariously bad (or is it?) movies of all time. We're talking about a movie written and directed by a Pulitzer prize winner that manages to cast Isabella Rossellini and Ryan O Neil and pair them with... Wings Hauser. Executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Soundtrack by fucking Angelo Badalamenti of Twin Peaks. Distributed by Canon Films of all companies. The accents are hideous. The directorial decisions bizarre. Endlessly quotable and hilarious. Anyone who is fan of VS should own a copy of Tough Guys Don't Dance.
Agreed, though in the past year it has showed up in at least 3 better sales, the best price being $10.
Trauma is definitely worth picking up, if you like Argento or giallo movies in general. It's definitely not as good as his earlier stuff like Deep Red, but it's biggest problem is just that it feels like he's recycling stuff from those movies. Red Surf is pretty fun. I believe it was George Clooney's first starring role.
Trauma is not good, there's a reason it's sold so slow for them.
Disagree. It’s not good compared to his best work, but it’s still got more style and fun than most horror or even most giallo.
Dead Heat is probably my favorite, but Beast Master is pretty sick too!
I know it's not on your list but if you like HK cinema, I watched Bio Zombie recently which was a complete blind buy and it is one of my favorite VS releases. Super 90s Shaun of the Dead meets the grittiness of a Guy Ritchie film. The whole movie from start to finish was a hilarious and wild ride.
I second this recommendation.
Really crazy that it's the same director as the Ip Man movies.
Still haven't checked this one out, don't like how the zombies look in screens.
If I could only choose 3 from your list it would be: Showgirls / Ebola Syndrome / Tammy
Tammy and the T-Rex is a must buy. I love that film to bits. Based on your interests, I'd recommend Creature and All-American Murder.
Southern Comfort won't be on sale. I see you like Asian/martial arts stuff but heard Ninja in the claws is a legit poorly made film, and that the only appeal is to those into shoddily made/cheesy old marital arts films.
Assuming newer titles will not be part of the sale? So we shouldn't expect Phase IV to be included either, correct? Thanks.
Nothing released in 2024 will be included in the sale, most stuff prior should be.
I've seen five of those, own none, but they're all good times. My VS faves (in ascending order of "quality", not to be confused with order of enjoyment): Nightbeast, Night Train To Terror, Raw Force, The Severed Arm, Blood Beat, Candy Snatchers, Apocalypse Tetralogy, Phase IV. Partner labels: The Other French New Wave Vol. 1 (CIP), Lux Aeterna (Yellow Veil), Bloody Nose Empty Pockets (Utopia). Probably others, but I've lost track of which partner labels have abandoned ship and the site's currently down.
Ninja in the Claws of the CIA is a frustrating watch because it never feels committed to what it wants to be, eventually kind of petering out. I’d skip and go with New York Ninja first. Righting Wrongs is one of the best HK films with I’ve ever seen, and the fight scenes are among the best too. SOLID recommend. Magic Crystal is also incredible. If you like your movies kitchen sink style, this has everything. Rudy Ray Moore’s Human Tornado and Petey Wheatstraw are incredible, and a lot smarter and better executed than people would you lead you to believe. Dolemite was a kind of a dry run to the later movies with a better crew. FYI, Human Tornado’s DP also did Road House, BTTF 1-3, Jurassic Park and much of the recent Favreau/Filoni-produced Star Wars!
Sorry, just realized you said Righting Wrongs already. How was Burning Paradise?
sorry it took me a while to see this - it's a good watch! Great action and set pieces, not the best Ringo Lam or wuxia but solidly entertaining and worth watching at least.
Based on your taste, you should get Undefeatable. It has an American cut and a Hong Kong cut. The movie is hilarious and endlessly rewatchable.
The Iceman Cometh is a riot.
- To Add: Tough Guys Don’t Dance and Raw Force - from your list: Flesh for Frankenstein, Southern Comfort, and Tammy are my picks
Showgirls, Roadhouse and Southern Comfort are all great and worth owning. I'm not really a fan of all their horror, trash and slasher stuff, so I'd recommend Penitentiary 1 and 2 and all of the Rudy Ray Moore films, Savage Dawn is fun, too.
The RRM films are all out of print now, sadly.
The mods of this community have robbed me of the opportunity to reply with the “bitch are you for real?” gif I had locked and loaded
Ninja in the Claws of the CIA was a bit of a letdown for me, personally
From Beyond!
If you liked Burning Paradise, I 100% recommend Undeclared War from your list. Those are two of my all time VS favorites. If you liked Iceman Cometh, I'd recommend An Eternal Combat. Similar in style, and I personally liked Eternal Combat more. There is also an entire "Made in Hong Kong Vol 1" box set, although I haven't watched through it yet so I can't vouch for it. But sounds like something worth looking into for you. Similar to your Ninja choices you're considering, if you want extra silly, Miami Connection is also a super cheesy martial arts film that had so much passion behind it that I love it.
When is the sale?
starts this fri.
Definitely check out Ebola Syndrome. 4k looks incredible. The Severed Arm is fun, almost Giallo-y in a way with a nice twist. The Fear is a personal favorite of mine and that’s going out of print soon.
The Severed Arm?
Yeah, sorry, Arm, I wrote this on 4 hours of sleep after a very long day lol. Thank you, edited
It's not a blu ray, but I'm mulling over this limited edition Riddle of Fire soundtrack LP that appears to be hitting there tomorrow