Dragon Dynasty (logo pictured above) started releasing a numbered collection of hit films on Dvd and Blu-Ray in 2007; about the same time I became addicted to Hong Kong Cinema. The simple formula was to remaster movies ranging from the 60's to modern day films, pack in tons of extra features, put them in a shiny numbered case, and get them into the hands of fanboys everywhere. Hong Kong cinema fans rejoiced; Shaw Bros, John Woo films, classic Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, and many other great films/actors were now getting the love and hugs they deserved. Hong Kong movie expert and virtual voice of Hong Kong cinema , Bey Logan (pictured bottom left), had a steady stream of blog posts on the DD website (the guy is a walking encyclopedia of all things HKC) and new release updates were flowing down the interweb river on a regular basis. No longer did we have to settle for worn out VHS tapes of our favorite animal style, wire effected, "you killed my teacher" flicks! Or did we?
All was well, until one day, the website came to a screeching halt. No new posts, no announced releases, no "dear John" letter, nothing. Several months after I noticed that the sight had become frozen in time, I was pillaging the martial arts section of a local F.Y.E., when to my surprise, 5 newly released dragon dynasty films stood un-purchased on the shelf!!!
With high hopes, I purchased the films and scurried back to my house just to find a still dead website. To this day, the sites inactivity is a head scratcher. From that time on I began periodically checking amazon.com for new releases from DD. This really only worked part of the time and makes it really hard for a guy to complete the collection (first world problem). Today, I added several movies to my wish list on amazon and will be looking at purchasing them in the near future, when funds allow.
So what made the DD Kung Food and a Movie wish list?
I believe the current count for DD releases is 56, though there is no way of telling.
If that is the accurate count, then eleven movies are missing from my DD collection. These eleven movies made my wish list, totaling to around seventy buckaroos on amazon.com. A few of them I have seen on several occasions and I thought deserved honorable mentions below.
The Flying Guillotine 1&2 ~This early Shaw Bros. classic was essentially the film that started Hong Kong cinemas over the top love affair with inventive weaponry. Few of these weapons are as iconic and original as the flying guillotine, and this was the first film to use them. The weapon was so iconic in fact, that it spurred a short segment on Discovery's Myth Busters. The evil Emperor, on his quest to sever the insubordination of upstanding local officials who oppose his wicked rule,commissions a new deadly weapon to clandestinely carry out the killing of these men. Enter the Flying Guillotine and the elite squad trained to use the new, seemingly invincible weapon.
(Pictured Left)The Royal Tramp~ A very young Steven Chow stars in the Blockbuster parody of the famous "Duke of Mt. Deer" novels and television series. Though not considered to be one of Chows best films, the constant attack on your funny bone makes it worth a purchase. So what is the best Steven Chow movie? My personal favorite Steven Chow film is the greatly underrated 'God of Cookery' that I'm sure will appear in later blog posts. In the words of Bull Tong, "God of Cookery is the BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST!"
Last Hurrah for Chivalry~ (pictured left) I'll let David Chutes description speak for itself. "In the Chinese wu hsia (martial chivalry) genre, sword-swinging heroes are often referred to as "altruists," and it's that aspect of the legend that gets a workout in this 1978 John Woo effort. Kao (Lau Kong), the duplicitous pivotal character, has purchased a beautiful wife for 1,000 taels of gold; alas, his rival, the prodigious fighter Pei, has paid her 2,000 taels to kill him. The moral is that when loyalty can be purchased, it no longer exists. The central action unfolds against this backdrop of a cynical, mercenary world. Kao selects a couple of fighters as soldiers in his quest for revenge, but being rare and noble souls they won't fight for money alone. Only after Kao, in a calculated move, helps Chang's dying mother will the fighters agree to take the case. This is only a moderately successful action movie, but it was a crucial stepping-stone in Woo's career: the action scenes, the highly emotional friendships, and the romantic music recall Chang Cheh, who Woo credits as an inspiration for his later gangster pictures, A Better Tomorrow and The Killer. The mournful resignation, the fading values, even the final assault on the baddie's headquarters, all these flourishes became staples of the Hong Kong gang films of the 1980s--though the gang flicks can't boast eccentric characters like the Sleeping Wizard, who fights in his sleep." --David Chute 
Mad Monkey Kung Fu~ (pictured Right) Easily one of the best displays of monkey-style kung fu to ever grace the silver screen. This film is a classic Shaw Brothers winner! Master Chen is tricked into a compromising situation, for which he is punished by crippling his hands. He takes on a new student and routine master-student training follows. "Little Monkey" then sets out to avenge his masters pet monkey that has been killed by the ruthless baddies. The final fight scene is a must see!
That is all for the first edition of Kung Food and a Movie. Tune in next time for more HKC and Asian Food talk! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you back. HIYa!
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