GENERAL DISCLAIMER

All the pics displayed in this blogs are from the author's private collection or just snapshots from his private movie collection. Whenever I use another web's or person's pics, it will be always mentioned.

Feel free to use the information or pics showed but please ask for permission or just remember to add the source wherever you use them. THANKS

Todas las fotos mostradas en este blog pertenecen a la colección privada del autor o son capturas de las películas de la misma colección. En caso de usar material de otra persona o web, siempre será mencionada su procedencia.
La información y/o fotos de este blog están a disposición de cualquiera, pero por favor pidan permiso para usarlas o al menos indiquen su procedencia. GRACIAS

domingo, 3 de noviembre de 2013

Taiwan Black Movies at IFD & Filmark (Part 23): Dressed to Fire

Several years ago, Brad Jones, That guy with glasses, webmaster of Cinema Snob among other popular sites about pop cinema offered some special entries about Pierre Kirby and his movies. He studied them so deeply that he became Pierre Kirby into a well-known action hero of IFD so popular as Richard Harrison or Mike Abbott.  
 Pierre Kirby became so popular among fans of Z-grade IFD films that even a website dedicated to him and his career was done. If you want to learn more about who Pierre Kirby was you may visit Pierre Kirby Lost Action Hero website right now. I have to confess I didn't know  this site but I am very happy to see the pics I shared with the webmaster have been published mentioning the original source. So I  must thank them for their kindness and of course my gratitude will continue to Edowan Bersma who is still being punished by my questions and demands about his film career in Hong Kong.


This time, here we have an IFD movie that despite has been difficult to track down, was widely distributed in the States, South American countries such as Argentina or Mexico and in European countries such as as Greece, Turkey and as usual in a special way in Spain...Of course every place where it was distributed gave a different title to this film. 



American Commando 4 Dressed to Fire was the title on its release in Usa, while in the UK the title was simply Dressed to Fired. Later when IFD re-organizated its catalog the film was retitled Advent Commando 3: Dressed to Fire as we can see in the pics above.



The Spanish release was similar to the UK one and we knew it as Dressed to Fire but there is a BIG difference among the USA or UK release and the spanish version. While in the States and UK the movie was another cut and paste movie with gweiloh actors, the spanish video edition was the original taiwanese movie that IFD had bought for its international distribution. So, we spanish, never enjoyed the adventures of Pierre Kirby & Edowan Bersma but we had the chance to see the original film that was the base for Dressed to Fire.

The Spanish VHS cover showed some pics of the real movie in the back cover while the front cover showed a ninja woman ( a pic of the ninja girl from the end of Ninja Thunderbolt!!!) to make the audience believe the movie was another ninja film from IFD instead of a gangster drama from Taiwan.


 
Dressed to Fire was the international title IFD gave to a Taiwanese movie directed by Chui Yuk Lung in 1983 and originally titled The Boy from the Dark Street. Jopseph Lai & Tomas Tang bought many of the movies Chui Yuk Lung directed in the late 70's and early 80's and, of course, all of them were released internationally under different titles and as we have seen, those movies were released on their original cut in places such as Spain or with new fotage shot in Hong Kong in many other countries.

If you are interested in learning more about the original movie that "inspired" Dressed to fire, don't forget to visit HKMDB clicking HERE

domingo, 27 de octubre de 2013

Taiwan Black Movies at IFD & Filmark (Part 22): Ninja 8: Warriors of Fire



After a break of about 6 months we are back to continue unmasking those taiwanese black movies that were bought by Joseph Lai & Tomas Tang. Movies that have got the attention of many fans of Asian cinema who are looking for something else beyond the usual big names and popular titles. Anyway, these taiwanese movies were, at sometime, very easy to find in video rental shops all around the world thanks to the distributing works of IFD & Filmark.

Original Spanish VHS of Ninja 8 Warriors of fire.
 If I have to choose 4 ninja movies from movies among all the ones produced by Tomas Tang, Ninja 8: Warriors of fire would be one of them. In this early ninja film from Tomas Tang we can see he wanted to offer something good, he hired nice performers such as Jonathan Isgar for main roles, director Tommy Cheng Kei Ying and tried to offer decent storyline involving ninjas, a fotage that took almost the half of the movie. Later, as we know, they became lazy ( as it happened at IFD) and they thought that 10 minutes of backpackers playing ninjas were enough to cheat westerner viewers.
 

Watching carefully Ninja 8: Warriors of Fire we realize it was shot back to back, and by the same people, along Ninja Phantom, Ninja American Warrior and I could dare to say Death Code Ninja. It is interesting to note Ninja 8: Warriors of Fire & Ninja Phantom were directed by someone named Bruce Lambert while the other two were directed by Tommy Cheng...so, was Bruce Lambert a pseudonym for Tommy Cheng? Who knows? Another thing Donald Kong Do worked as stunt coordinator and supporting role in all of them...so Who is behind Bruce Lambert a name that was seen in another Filmark movies with Kong Do on it?


Ninja 8 Warriors of Fire was done using a taiwanese movie as main body. The chosen movie this time was a 1981 production directed by Wang Chun Kuang titled Queen Bee. Wang Chun Kuang directed some of the most popular & well-known gangster films in Taiwan. IFD bought some of his works and Mr Wang was always credited by IFD as Chester Wang. Please click here to check Wang Chun Kuang profile on HKMD.



Queen Bee tells the story of a woman of became a proffesional killer after her sister is murdered on his wedding day. She asks the help of a weird teacher who will teach her how take revenge & fight against even weirder enemies. Of course, in the Filmark version, our heroine will be trained to be a ninja but for the same reason of the original movie.



I was lucky enough to get a copy of the original Queen Bee on its original mandarin language. It is a pity it has no subtitles but it seems Filmark crew didn't changed too much the original dialogs. They kept many of the lines untouched just changing some lines only to match with the ninja fotage. So, as it happened in Fierce Lady ( the movie used in Ninja Knight Thunder fox), they just dubbed into English the original lines.


What it surprised me more of Queen Bee was its soundtrack. It hasn't a chinese score or music from Hollywood hits of its time but the main theme of George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead composed and performed by italian group I Goblin. This same theme was used the same year Queen Bee was produced by Bruno Mattei on his crazy movie Hell of the living dead ( aka Zombie creeping flesh).There is no doubts I Goblin did a piece of music that could be used in any kind of movie. 




In 2009, Joy Sales released a bunch of Taiwanese films on VCD in Hong Kong. There is another one titled Queen Bee but althought it is Taiwanese as well, it is not the one by Wang Chun Kuang used on Ninja 8: Warriors of Fire.


The pics displayed on this entry are not from Filmark Ninja 8 Warriors of Fire but from the original Taiwanese VHS of Queen Bee.

viernes, 29 de marzo de 2013

A Chat with The Ultimate Ninja by Shitcasecinema

I still remember Easter of 2008, it was about that date when I first contacted by email & then by phone with Mike Abbott. I was tremedously happy and I felt myself very lucky because I had been talking with one of my childhood favourite movie villains...during the late 80's I have been watching most of IFD movies he played and also the ones Mike Abbott starred in Indonesia. So, I can't explain with words how happy I was when I knew Mike Abbott was in the other side of the telephone line!!!!

A pic of Mike Abbott  & I in Hong Kong taken the first time we met on January 2009.
Then, of course, the communication among us continued and eventually we met in Hong Kong. There are a lot of priceless memories of conversations, jokes, meetings...etc. Five years have passed since then and now, it is Easter again and while I was searching some videos on YouTube, I have found the following one.
This video-phone interview has been done by the guys from Shitcasecinema  and that happiness memories have just come back to me when I listened Mike Abbott giving to the interviewer many of the same answers he gave me 5 years back!

I won't get tired to repeat Mike Abbott is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. A gentleman and a good-hearted giant who tought I was Danny De Vito's twin brother the very first time we met in Central Station in Hong Kong.

It is a pity we can't see Mike Abbott more oftenly in Hong Kong movies, specially right now when many western actors are again in front of the camera like in the old good days.

sábado, 23 de marzo de 2013

Ninja The Mission Force is back on DVD...The Complete 2nd Season!

Ninja the Mission Force series was undoubtly the very best online serie of 2012 and of course the very very best and true homage to IFD & Filmark ninja movies. Now Ed Glaser's Dark Maze brings us again the happiness & the feeling we got while we enjoyed IFD movies.

The second season is directly released on DVD containing all the episodes plus juicy extras as the first one.

Here we have the trailer that is simply superb, containing remains of Ninja Thunderbolt ( those priceless roller ninjas & post apocaliptic car), Bruce Lee fights back from the grave & many more...then we also have the beautiful & gorgeous Allison Pregler along with the indescribable Brad Jones plus the friendly Ed Glaser as Gordon & his nice videotaped wife and even Bud Spencer along Lee Van Cleef & Sho Kosugi "The Ninja!!!!! 
Her we can enjoy the great first episode that maintains the spirit of the first season and even goes beyond on its IFD homage presenting Gordon in a kind of "special appearance" as Richard Harrison did in Golden Ninja Warrior or Ninja Champion. And if you think this is not wonderful enought and IFD full-lengh movie is included: A widescreen version of NINJA THE PROTECTOR, the movie that inspired the magnificent Ninja The Mission Force. This is what we condiser a true real gift!

domingo, 17 de marzo de 2013

Lover & Killer ( aka A Fierce Lady) is at home: Turning the impossible into possible 2!!!

The title of this entry it is just the only one I could have given because these days I got another personal goal since I started to investigate about IFD & Filmark. One of the most important one was when on May 2010 I got a good bunch of unreleased or barely released IFD movies on DVD from a legal distributor in South Africa. You may check it HERE. I also have commented many times my love for Ninja Knight Thunderfox & the taiwanese movie used on it, you may check also HERE & HERE.
Today, Thanks to Toby Russell, a person who has been working on Asian films since he was a teenager & a great guy who has released many great movies throught his Eastern Heroes & other labels, sent me the original movie used on Ninja Knight ThunerFox: A Fierce Lady. A movie that I have been looking for years since I saw the IFD edited version in 1990 for first time.
Just imagine how nervous & anxious I was when the postman delivered the package to me!!!...The moments before I opened it & I played were priceless, I was like a child waiting to open his new toys! So, eventually, my dream of watching the original film became true...and now the best is coming...



While I was researching information about this taiwanese movie along with Teddy Wong from HKMDB, we find out the art cover & the title, A Fierce Lady, but the English titled displayed on screen on the copy Toby Russell sent me we can see the English title was Lover & Killer.



And, and, and...the it includes English subtitles!!!!....so the experience of watching it, was a real pleasure since I could follow the original storyline and this fact delivered me another surprise... The new edited version with new fotage starring Mike Abbott & Marko Ritchie just follow the same original storyline...and even the dialogs are exacly the same in both versions. IFD just added the new fotage & adapted it to the original one without any changes!
While I was watching Lover & Killer, I got surprised that IFD even didn't change the order of some scenes as it happened in some other movies or as it happened in most of the movies edited by Filmark. In this case IFD version just follow the original edited version.


The only changed made by IFD was the music of the OST, while IFD, as always, used a synthesizer electronic music and in this case, a part of Nighmare on Elm Street at the end battle between Mike Abbott & Marko Ritchie, the original taiwanese cut just "vampirizes"  the music from movies such as Death Wish 2 for the opening titles and some other music from other american hits during the running time.

 

Well, the bad news is that Lover & Killer is a very cut version for the local market. Every erotic frame has been edited out, even kisses...also some bloody action was also cut. Thankfully, the IFD version contains all the gory & erotic moments & since the dialogs & story line is the same, a fully uncut version could be possible edited...some day...


Once again, Trillions thanks to Toby Russell for his kind help and unlimited thanks for making my dream have come true!

domingo, 10 de marzo de 2013

Ninja Knight:Thunderfox (aka Ninja Empire) deleted shots

I like IFD movies, I love them and I have a special love for the ones starred by my good friend Mike Abbott. When I was a kid I just love ninja movies, then I learnt how to enjoy IFD & Filmark movies and eventually felt in love with them when I learnt how they were made & who made them possible. So, I am always looking for new details, information or whatever that can help me to fully enjoy these movies.

This movie was cut & retitled Ninja Empire in the US.
One of the problems we must face when we find an IFD ninja movie is the big ammount of different aka titles given to these movies around the world. For instance Filmark produced Ninja Phantom Hero Usa was re-edited & re-titled in the US as Ninja Empire after it was released under its original title but this new edition was shorter since the end battle was cut among other parts...but then we also find that IFD's Ninja Knight Thunderfox was also released in the US as Ninja Empire...
This movie was also cut & retitled Ninja Empire in the US
The US edition of Ninja Knight Thunderfox, retitled Ninja Empire was also a new re-edition of the original film and as it happened with Ninja Phanthom Hero Usa, some scenes were shortened or just cut...but what the US censors cut on Ninja Knight Thunderfox? Just the nudity scenes!!!...

In Germany, Ninja Knight Thunderfox was also cut but retitled as Bionic Ninja. There is another Filmark movie titled Bionic ninja.
Sometime ago, someone uploaded Ninja knight Thunderfox Us edition to Youtube claiming it was the full movie. At that time, I was trying to find out the original taiwanese movie used on it so I decided to watch it again and...imagine my face when I see this version has been cut for more than 10 minutes.
Ninja Empire?????Well, just a mutilated version of, Ninja Knight Thunderfox
What I don't understand is WHY the nude scenes were cut. The censorship label of this movie around the world shows it is a movie for adult audience, so cutting those scenes is ridiculous. The full movie is about a prostitution ring and how our heroes destroy it...so what's the use of cutting those erotic shots while all the beating to the women are fully uncut?????
Japanese released didn't want to show anthing "dangerous" to innocent audiences like us..
Anyway, if you have a copy of Ninja Thunderfox  it is cut, here I offer you the deleted scenes that were totally uncut in the spanish VHS tape.
ACT 1: Dance, Drugs and Hair












ACT 2: Be Water My Friend, and Hair too!












ACT 3: There Is No Place as Home, I Mean Bed!






Well, now, I am looking forward my copy of the original taiwanese cut of Fierce Lady, the movie used by Godfrey Ho to design his Ninja Knight Thunderfox & check if these scenes were also seen in the local version or they were edited out as it happened in the US version. I will let all you know about it. I promise!