ASIAN CINEMA - HUH?

OK, you all are probably wondering what the hell I have to say about Asian cinema. Let me tell you how this all began and why I am such a fan. As a fan of Quentin Tarantino I had bought the dvd's Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2. I was watching all the bonus features and Quentin was talking about all the movies that had influenced him in making these movies. He mentioned Five Fingers of Death, 36 Chambers of Shaolin and many others.

This got me to thinking that as a teenager I had went to the drive-in with some friends and saw Five Fingers of Death. I loved it and remember seeing several Bruce Lee movies like Fist of Fury around that time as well. There was also Black Belt Theater (later called Kung Fu Theater) on every Saturday afternoon that I used to watch after Soul Train. I remember watching these Kung Fu movies and getting a kick out of them. The best ones seemed to be the ones that were the most ridiculous with people flying through the air or limbs being cut off.

So with these memories fresh in my mind I started looking at Asian movie web-sites. I found that these sites not only reviewed the classic old movies but all the current Asian movies as well. This led me to find out where I could buy these movies. I located a small place in San Gabriel and would frequently go there to buy my movies. Later I discovered that in Chinatown I could buy the same movies for about $4. The movies in Chinatown are definitely bootlegs but I can tell you that the artwork and packaging is superb. There have been movies that I didn't like and I traded them in and they took them because they looked so authentic.

So this is how it all began. I will be posting updates on the latest and best movies I have seen. Although most of these movies have never been released in this country they are definitely entertaining and worth a watch.