Herman Yau is arguably one of Hong Kong film’s strangest fruits. After all, it is hard to find a director whose ouvre shifts between the most despicable expoitation flicks ever conceived (Need I name them?), thoughtful sociopolitical commentary (From the Queen to the Chief Executive), taut crime dramas (On The Edge), or simply balls-out C-movie nonsense (Lethal Ninja). Granted, he can hardly be called an auteur, and often seems unapologetic about his status as a gun-for-hire, yet his B-movie portfolio is - while highly uneven - still miles above the bottom of the barrel that is, say, Wong Jing.

Unlike some of his CAT III colleagues from the early 90s, Yau is still working today, and with recent films like Gong Tau he even seems to be stuck in some kind of parallel universe where HK cinema didn’t go belly-up somewhere in the mid-90s and effectively killed many of HK cinema’s cult staples. Herman Yau, who looks like that friendly, metal-loving neighbour next door, is one of the last remnants of a - dare I say - exciting era that has by now been superseded up by one basically only consisting of mediocre Hollywood imitation and, well, Milkyway Image. Which is great and all, but sometimes I’m just missing the kind of economic creativity that got me into Hong Kong film in the first place. But enough with the pessimism, kids. Here are some of my favourite Herman Yau flicks. What are yours? (I’m excluding The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome - that would make it too easy).

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This week’s edition of the Twitch-o-Meter presents a very unusual topic, yet one that everyone somewhat old enough may still relate to - at least if you grew up somewhere around Europe. I am here to tell you about a time when TV films were still worth watching, strange as it sounds nowadays. I don’t know if these were ever popular in the US, but in certain parts of Europe, they were a phenomenon: The historical mini-series, or multi-part TV movie. The sweeping historical epic that would be shown on Easter or Christmas, going on to drain any signs of life from every street, as families huddled together in front of their TV screens and watched in awe. Originating somewhere in the 1960s, they reached their culmination with the European co-productions in the late 1970s and 1980s; big-budgeted adventure romps which often utilized star ensembles of internationally renowned actors. More interestingly, these kind of features represented a new home for many Italian directors fleeing the sinking ship of the Italian film industry during the early 80s. For me, as I watched quite a few of these miniseries as a child, they were the purest form of escapism one could get from a TV set. In retrospect, although I freely admit to being nostalgic, which surely taints my view to some degree, I am still surprised how well some of them have held up, especially in comparison to what constitutes TV movies in the 21st century - soulless, corny, CGI-laden snoozefests. So let me share some especially fond memories with you…

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About time! Corbucci’s Navajo Joe, which so far has never been available on DVD outside Japan, is finally getting an English-friendly DVD release courtesy of MGM. Release date is set May 13, no details yet on any possible bonus features - but it’s MGM, and so we should be lucky that they’ve gone through the trouble of releasing this at all. Previously, Navajo Joe was part of a bunch of spaghetti western gems rotting away in the license clutches of MGM, apparently deemed too unprofitable to be worth a DVD release. But, while Navajo Joe is a decent film, the most prominent victim of MGM’s shelving practice has always been Il Mercenario. Which means: BUY this disc when it comes out! And there might finally be a decent chance to see Corbucci’s true masterpiece on DVD as well. 

For all the positive reputation Hong Kong cinema has accumulated outside of its home territory in the past few years, the soundtracks accompanying it are usually completely neglected. Which, to a certain extent, is understandable: Rarely does a movie from Hong Kong feature an elaborate orchestra score that could match any of Hollywood’s most beloved masterpieces. In line with the Hong Kong mentality of making movies - do it fast, and do it cheap - music consisted of mostly cheesy (in the 80s) and mostly forgettable (in the 90s) synthesizer cues that, over the years, have evolved in terms of sound, but only marginally advanced in terms of compositional quality. Sprinkle a number of popular Cantopop songs inbetween, and the average Hong Kong movie soundtrack was complete.

Thankfully, this attitude seems to be changing as of late, as more and more thought is given to the aural side of things. Skilled composers are slowly making a name for themselves. Some soundtracks are even being released on CD - still far too few, but it’s a start.
As a way of finally writing a music-related Twitch-o-Meter, here they are, then: My favourite soundtracks from Hong Kong movies. For reference, I’m going to provide trailer links for all my choices, so that you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.

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In the wake of Jack Sparrow’s unabashed success story, film companies worldwide have been digging out as many pirate-themed film reels as they can find - and if you also consider all the made-for-TV features haunting our screens in recent years, you might even argue that the pirate movie is currently enjoying a new surge in popularity; one it hasn’t seen for multiple decades. Somehow, it’s all leaving a bitter aftertaste, what with most of the new stuff blatantly copying Pirates of the Caribbean, and older products being rebranded to cater to the newly assembled Jack Sparrow crowd. Koch Media’s new R2 release of Swashbuckler has thankfully not been as aggressively marketed in that regard as it could have been in the hands of another company, even though the name of Everyone’s Favourite Pirate Captain is proudly printed in large letters on the back of the DVD cover. But hey, if that kind of thing pushes more copies of almost-forgotten gems, I’m all for it.

Swashbuckler was directed by James Goldstone (who also helmed the - in my mind, hugely underrated - Winning (1969)) in 1976. Featuring a number of moderately popular actors, it represented Universal’s final stab at the swashbuckling genre for quite a while. While not as grand and pretty as, say, Polanski’s Pirates, the film at least looks like it had a decently sized budget - and in a pirate movie, that makes for half the fun. Indeed, Goldstone’s picture is full of vibrant costumes, lush sets, and exactly one ship. Well, it’s a nice ship. 

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Ardvark here, presenting you with the seven-of-nine. Yes, this article starts the last third of our MEGA-ToM. Once more one of our writers will list you his 5 most favorite directors as part of our celebration for the 50th Twitch-O-Meter.

And this time that writer is Timo from Germany, who gives us many stellar updates on European DVD-releases.
The floor is all yours, Timo!


So, this idea of 5 different directors has proven kind of difficult for me, as I tend to judge films on their own, trying not to get too caught up in the grand business of namedropping and reputation-based hype. Still, I feel that there are numerous directors who have really given me a new perspective on film as a medium and art form with their work, people which I will always respect no matter how much better - or for that matter, how much worse - they became over time. So let’s get started, in no particular order…

Continue Reading "Timo’s MEGA-ToM! (Twitch-O-Meter turns 50, part seven)"...

Arizona Colt Returns, or, as it is known in Germany, Der Tod Sagt Amen, was intended and marketed as a sequel to Michele Lupo’s Arizona Colt released in 1966, but in reality, the cast & crew overlap between the two films is slim, with the notable exception of Roberto Camardiel (who reprises his role as WhiskeyI). Instead of Giualino Gemma, Anthony Steffen now plays the titular hero, and Sergio Martino directs. Even so, don’t expect a huge leap in terms of quality: We’re talking about thoroughly mediocre C-list westerns here, where the most striking consequence of a main actor’s replacement inbetween sequels is a difference in facial hair density. Acting, ha! We’ve got guns, women and horses. Isn’t that enough already?

It’s still worth talking a bit about this film, however, because it not only marks Sergio Martino’s first step in the spaghetti western landscape, but in feature filmmaking in general. He would go on to cover a dozen genres from giallo to poliziesco, but simply came too late to have any success with horse operas. Only when Enzo G. Castellari directed Keoma in 1976, Martino made his final attempt at the genre with Mannaja - a film far superior to this one. Arizona Colt Returns is a typical example of an Italian director’s early craftsmanship: Technically solid and decently paced, but so bland and unoriginal that you could freely switch reels in the middle of the film and no one would notice.

Continue Reading "Koch Media Western Collection #3: Arizona Colt Returns R2 DVD Review"...

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Tinto Brass made Yankee in 1966. The man who would go on to direct Caligula and Salon Kitty was apparently not yet interested in documenting certain female body parts at that point, but feeling more inclined to follow the trends of the Italian film industry and looking for a direction in which to continue his career. It’s a shame that Yankee remained his only foray into the spaghetti western, because here, he demonstrates a keen eye for creative camerawork and delightful little ideas, which in their strength easily manage to overcome the utterly generic plot.

Explaining it is almost unnecessary: Philippe LeRoy plays ‘the Yankee’, a well-dressed gentleman scouring the Wild West for criminal gangs such as Grande Concho’s, who has been terrorizing and raiding villages to finance his lavish lifestyle. The Yankee has an obvious interest in putting these men into their graves and claim the bounties. Inevitably, it all leads to lots of flying bullets.

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Damiano Damiani is perhaps most recognized for the critically acclaimed TV series La Piovra - but before he, like many other directors at that time, joined the TV business in the late 70s, he made a number of quality films featuring some of Europe’s greatest actors, intelligent screenplays and perhaps most importantly, obvious political implications. Released at the height of the spaghetti western craze in 1966, Quien Sabe? (A Bullet for the General) remained his only serious entry in this particular genre (ignoring the bland comedy Nobody is the Greatest). And indeed, all of Damiani’s trademarks apply here, Quien Sabe? being such a fantastic film that it’s actually a bit demeaning to just call it a Western (Looking at the interview included on the DVD, Damiani would agree with me).

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Another two excellent releases for Euro cult film fans upcoming - Umberto Lenzi’s IL TRUCIDO E LO SBIRRO (FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP) and Stelvio Massi’s LA BANDA DEL TRUCIDO (DESTRUCTION FORCE), to be released on November 22. Directed by two of the most popular polizieschi specialists around at the time, both films star Tomas Milian and haven’t been released on DVD anywhere outside of Italy until now. Anolis is the label responsible for these discs, which will be distributed through e-m-s, and if their past efforts (one of them being a fantastic release of Robert Hossein’s CEMETARY WITHOUT CROSSES) are anything to go by, these titles will be must-haves for anyone serious about Italian genre cinema. 

LA BANDA DEL TRUCIDO will definitely include an English audio track, sadly, I wasn’t able to confirm the same for IL TRUCIDO E LO SBIRRO, but I’ll post DVD covers and specs of both discs anyway. Read on after the jump.

Continue Reading "New DVDs of IL TRUCIDO E LO SBIRRO (1976) and LA BANDA DEL TRUCIDO (1976)"...

It’s been quite a while since I last reported on the long-awaited return of the highly acclaimed Spaghetti Western releases by German company Koch Media which in the past have always proven popular with international fans. And rightly so, since perhaps with the exception of Blue Underground, you won’t find another company on this planet so dedicated to the careful restoration and release of these Italian classics.

Well, after a long hiatus, some production delays and other complications, they’re finally arriving on October 19th in the form of a completely new series with unified DVD covers. The first batch consists of four titles - one (labelled #0) is a fairly recent German documentary on the subject, the others are Damiano Damiani’s QUIÉN SABE?, Tinto Brass’ YANKEE, and Sergio Martino’s ARIZONA SI SCATENÒ… E LI FECE FUORI TUTTI. As I’m told, with the exception of the documentary, all DVDs will include English subtitles and/or audio tracks. I’m fairly sure you will be able to import these discs sooner or later through stores like Xploited Cinema.

DVD covers and more details after the jump.

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Hong Kong’s Category III rating can be considered unique in that it not only represents an age restriction imposed on films, but, to some, a seal of quality as well - after the Hong Kong government introduced the film rating system in 1988, Category III was first used to label sexually explicit movies. As fans of both Asian and extreme cinema are hopefully aware, it only gained its true notoriety as a ‘brand’ in the early 90s, when for a brief period of time, filmmakers like Herman Yau and Billy Tang directed extremely violent shock-fests which cared little for any moral standards, broke taboos whereever possible and, at times, managed to surpass the most deranged Italian cannibal flicks in bad taste. The result? Films like THE UNTOLD STORY, DR. LAMB and EBOLA SYNDROME, worshipped as pure cult flicks nowadays.

My focus in this week’s edition of the Twitch-O-Meter, however, lies not with these popular titles everyone knows about anyway. Rather, I will put much more obscure films on display, all of which deserve their Cat III rating one way or another, but for vastly different reasons. They range from actually decent filmmaking to utter nonsense, from love story to black comedy - and I hope that I’m able to pique some interest in these mostly forgotten treasures.

Continue Reading "Category III Madness!"...

Just a quick heads-up for all Bava aficionados (and those intending to become just that), since I’ve just stumbled upon it myself - Tim Lucas, founder and publisher of cult magazine VIDEO WATCHDOG, has finally finished his massive undertaking of writing the definitive book on Italy’s most important horror director besides Argento - Mario Bava. And when I say ‘definitive’, I really mean it - because ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, released just a few weeks ago, comes with 1128 gorgeously filled full-color pages and weighs in at a hefty 12 pounds. In 800,000 words, Lucas details every inch of Bava’s career, analyzes every film he made (and quite a few of those being films that Bava was never credited with), includes countless interviews with people having had the honor to work with Bava, and tops it off with tons upon tons of production stills, storyboards, and other kinds of artwork. That Lucas also managed to get Martin Scorsese to write a foreword for his book therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore.

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK truly looks like an incredible work of passion about a director who never received the attention he so deserved. Of course, a self-published book of this magnitude isn’t exactly cheap; expect to lay down $250 should you decide to go for it. Nonetheless, seeing as Anchor Bay is currently preparing to release the second volume of their highly acclaimed MARIO BAVA COLLECTION box set, and now Lucas’ mammoth work, maybe we should call 2007 the year of Mario Bava - who, with all the posthumous recognition, is probably grinning fiendishly in his grave right now.

Check Tim Lucas’ site for a peek inside ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK and a way to order it.

Touted as the film that sparked the urban legend of the “Snuff” film, Snuff (or American Cannibale, as the German version was called) is one of the most legendary Grindhouse efforts of the 70s, a low-budget gore flick directed by Michael and Roberta Findlay. Originally a mere slasher film called Slaughter, it quickly became controversial when the film’s distributor, Alan Shackleton, added new scenes to th ending, supposedly showing a woman being murdered by the film crew of Slaughter.

Blue Underground released the film in North America on DVD a while ago; now the equally reliable German company NEW Entertainment World has stepped up to bring a R2 release to the table as well. It’s especially noteworthy because this DVD release not only contains the US uncut version but also the version released in German cinemas as American Cannibale. The latter differs from the uncut version in that the notorious final “snuff” scene has been cut down; to make up for it, American Cannibale contains replaced music and a few bits of added footage.

The DVD includes an English language track for the original US version; the American Cannibale cut unfortunately only comes with a German audio track and no English subtitles. Nonetheless, this should be an interesting release for fans of this film (I’m sure they exist...somewhere). It’s available with three different covers - Check your favourite import store for this one.

The cast and the lurid German title (which translates to “Angel of Death") might suggest otherwise, but Maurizio Lucidi’s La Vittima Designata (The Designated Victim) is far from your average exploitation effort. Instead, we are presented with a brilliant psychological thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s “Strangers On A Train”; but where Hitchcock kept his adaption faithful to the original, Lucidi shifts the action to a foggy Venice, adding an Italian spin that is so typical for the film’s time.

Tomas Milian stars as Stefano, a successful designer who runs an advertising agency together with his wife Luisa (played by an unusually strong Marisa Bartoli). Fed up with his wife’s domineering manners, he prefers to be comforted by the beautiful Fabienne (Katia Christine) and wants to start a new life with her. However, he can’t sell the agency without the consent of his wife, who has no intentions of closing it. One day, Stefano meets the eccentric Count Matteo Tiepolo. They quickly become friends and tell each other of their problems, and Tiepolo makes Stefano an unusual offer: He kills Stefano’s wife, and in turn, Stefano must kill Tiepolo’s brother. Since both parties are strangers to their victims, Tiepolo considers this the perfect crime. At first, Stefano takes this as a joke and refuses, but when his wife is murdered and he becomes the main suspect, it seems the only way to prove his innocence is to commit the murder for Tiepolo.

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