"Actor: Chi"

• The Thundering Mantis | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Seriously weird as only the best, completely-barking-mad kung fu flicks can be, The Thundering Mantis is the story of Ah Chi, a martial artist who hooks up with a kid sidekick. However, an old grudge resurfaces, with the result that the boy's uncle is murdered and the boy himself kidnapped. So far so Arnie-in-Commando, but it's at this point we're reminded that indigenous martial arts movies are something else again, as Ah Chi's rescue attempt goes disastrously wrong and the boy is tortured to death before his eyes. Apparently driven to insanity by this experience, Ah Chi goes berserk, breaking free and systematically trashing everything and everyone in sight. End of movie. Devotees will absolutely want this in their collections, but those who have yet to progress beyond the Jackie Chan/Jet Li school of Americanised martial arts films will need to leave their preconceptions at the door. There's a nice touch to the dubbed English soundtrack, where the voiceover artists seem to have taken it upon themselves to imitate various British character actors: listen out for Wilfred Brambell, Kenneth Connor and so on. On the DVD: The Thundering Mantis has no extras on the widescreen DVD other than a one-screen guide to other titles in the Kung Fu Connection series. --Roger Thomas

• The Terminal / Catch Me If You Can / Cast Away | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Includes the following films:The Terminal:Starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones. Viktor Navorski (Hanks) gets caught in bureaucratic glitches that make it impossible for him to return to his home country to enter the U.S. Now, caught up in the richly complex and amusing world inside J.F.K. airport, Viktor makes friends, gets a job, finds romance and ultimately discovers America itself.Catch Me If You Can:Inspired by the true story of a brilliant master of deception and the FBI agent, hot on his trail, Catch Me If You Can stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in one of the year's most acclaimed hits! From director Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can follows Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. as he successfully passes himself off as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor - all before his 21st birthday!Cast Away:Tom Hanks stars as Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems engineer whose ruled-by-the-clock existence abruptly ends when a harrowing plane crash leaves him isolated on a remote island. As Chuck struggles to survive, he finds that his own personal journey has only just begun...

• The Kid | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £5.38   |  Saving you £10.61 (197.21%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Bruce Willis is a successful forty year old image consultant who is forced to reevaluate his life when his childhood self from the '70s confronts him in the present day!

• I Robot - Single Disc Edition | DVD | (03/12/2004) from £3.94   |  Saving you £12.05 (305.84%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Will Smith stars in this sci-fi action thriller suggested by the classic short story collection by Isaac Asimov, and brought to the big screen by visionary director Alex Proyas ("The Crow").

• Shaw Brothers Presents: Four Films by Chang Cheh Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (23/10/2023) from £19.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  By the early-1970s, Chang Cheh was already Shaw Brothers' most prolific and well-known director with a plethora of box office hits (including the One-Armed Swordsman franchise) to his name and renowned for discovering the hottest young talents to star in his films. Three of those stars - David Chiang, Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng - all feature in Five Shaolin Masters and Shaolin Temple, two selections from his instant-classic 'Shaolin Temple Cycle', based on the real-life tales of fighters training to face off against the ruthless Qing armies taking over China. A few years later, Chang outdid himself with the formation of the all-powerful posse of kung fu experts known to fans as the Venom Mob, whose talents would be showcased most famously in The Five Venoms and Crippled Avengers. Blood-soaked, brutal, and a marked influence on the 'heroic bloodshed' films by Chang's sometime assistant director John Woo, these four films show one of Shaw's greatest directors working at the height of his talents.

• A Better Tomorrow | DVD | (29/11/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The John Woo gangster classic that started it all, a romantic, violent, swirlingly stylish melodrama about duelling brothers--with a mesmerizing lead performance by Hong Kong's favourite actor, Chow Yun-Fat. In repose, Chow's sleepy magnetism recalls the glory days of Robert Mitchum, Steve McQueen, and Takakura Ken; when he's stepping high, Chow has a unique, ebullient star presence, a man who embraces life so unselfconsciously that he becomes vulnerable to all kinds of suffering and heartache (he endures masochistic megadoses of violence here). The sequence in which Chow's Mark avenges his betrayed best friend---by blasting his way into, and then out of, a Chinese restaurant, twin .45s blazing---is a swashbuckling standout. Woo's film technique may have been more polished in later efforts, but A Better Tomorrow has a direct emotional power that is still unique. Kung fu star of the 1970s, Ti Lung is also terrific here as the 40ish established mobster, relied upon by all, who allows conflicting loyalties toward Mark and toward his younger brother, now a cop, to undermine the stability of his position. --David Chute, Amazon.com

• Pushing Daisies - Complete Season 1 | DVD | (23/06/2008) from £28.17   |  Saving you £1.82 (6.46%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The story follows Ned (Lee Pace) who discovered as a boy he could bring the dead back to life. As an adult he is now a pie maker and not only uses this gift to ripen fruit for his pies but also solve mursers alongside a private investigator. The tale then gets complicated as he brings his childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) back to life. Life would be perfect for Ned and Chuck except one cruel twist if he ever touches her again she'll go back to being dead... But this time for good!

• Red Corner | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £9.43   |  Saving you £6.56 (69.57%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Using a faulty thriller for his soapbox as an outspoken critic of China, a devout follower of the Dalai Lama, and an influential supporter of Tibetan freedom, Richard Gere resorts to the equivalent of propagandistic drama to deliver a heavy-handed message. In other words, Red Corner relies on a dubious strategy to promote political awareness, but director Jon Avnet appeals to the viewer's outrage with such effective urgency that you're likely to forget you're being shamelessly manipulated. Gere plays a downtrodden TV executive who sells syndicated shows on the global market, and during a business trip to China he finds himself framed for the murder of the sexy daughter of a high Chinese official. Once trapped in a legal system in which his innocence will be all but impossible to prove, Gere must rely on a Chinese-appointed lawyer (played by Bai Ling) who first advises him to plead guilty but gradually grows convinced of foul play. Barely attempting to hide its agenda, Red Corner effectively sets the stage for abundant anti-Chinese sentiment, and to be sure, the movie gains powerful momentum with its tale of justice gone awry. It's a serious-minded, high-intensity courtroom drama with noble intentions, but one wonder if it has to be so conspicuously lacking in subtlety. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• The Relic | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £10.33   |  Saving you £2.65 (36.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The Relic is the story of a monster that runs amok in a Chicago museum on the very day the institution is holding a glitzy reception. Naturally, the museum bosses want to go ahead with their public relations even as the creature is decapitating victims. Penelope Ann Miller plays a scientist on the run from the critter (which is at times computer generated and reminiscent of the raptors in Jurassic Park), and Tom Sizemore is a cop looking for his cold-blooded (in every sense) killer. Peter Hyams (Timecop) directs, and as always he excels at managing the plastic action at the cost of real feeling and logic. (Much of the story is pretty laughable.) --Tom Keogh

• Disciples of Shaolin | Blu Ray | (13/12/2021) from £13.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Another Kung Fu vehicle from the infamous Shaw Brothers Studio, Disciples of Shaolin AKA Hong quan xiao zi, delivers a typically power-packed Hong Kong tale of enemy gangs and super cool fight scenes. When shaolin disciple Kuan Fung Yi (Sheng Fu) takes a job at a textile factory he soon becomes embroiled in a bitter and violent clash with the rival Manchu clan who run a neighbouring mill. As well delivering some impressive martial arts set pieces, Disciples of Shaolin also provides a political punch, underlining the abuse of workers and the corruption of cruel bosses. Fast, fierce and thought provoking, this is a must for collectors of extreme Asian cinema.

• Fearless Hyena | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £10.75   |  Saving you £-2.76 (-34.50%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Since bursting onto the martial arts film scene in 1973 Jackie Chan has become one of the world's most popular stars. His movies - which he acts in performs his own stunts for and often directs - have earned millions at the box office. In Fearless Hyena he plays a young man whose grandfather and teacher Master Chen escapes from the tyrannical Ching Dynasty and come to live in his village. Although Jackie wants to learn martial arts more than anything his grandfather won't permit this out of fear that the villainous Ching rulers will come after him. After seeing his grandfather murdered Jackie promises to get revenge. So he enlists the aid of Master Chen who teaches the young student kung fu. Soon the pupil has learned enough to make him invincible --even against the infamous death blows. Now Jackie sets out to avenge his grandfather's death.

• THE VALIANT ONES | Blu Ray | (27/05/2024) from £23.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Chao Lei), China's coastal regions have come under attack by wokou - Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates. Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers - including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) - set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns. Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.

• Snake In The Eagle's Shadow | DVD | (07/02/2000) from £15.24   |  Saving you £4.75 (31.17%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is the film that marks the beginnings of Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong action star. Set in early 20th century China, it is a traditional kung fu action picture invigorated by Chan's good humour and charm. The heart of the film is Jackie's surprisingly emotional relationship with the elderly Yuen Siu Tien, whom the star rescues and befriends. In return, the old man trains Chan in the art of Snake's Fist kung fu, which he later combines with the Cat's Claw to develop the technique of the title. The action, directed by Yuen Woo Ping, includes Chan in an exciting battle with a sword-wielding preacher and a striking showdown with arch-villain Hwang Jang Lee. The sequences in which Chan learns new fighting techniques are both inventive and humorous, with the charismatic Yuen Siu Tien (a veteran Chinese film star and father of the director) offering a sober version of the character he would play in Chan's follow-up Drunken Master (1978), and in Magnificent Butcher (1979). The film features a regular ensemble cast of classic Hong Kong kung fu film actors, and regardless of its obviously low budget mixes violence, comedy and emotion into an enduringly popular success. On the DVD: The image is variable, with some shots displaying considerable grain and print damage while the colours are weak throughout. Worse, the original 2.35:1 film has been reformated to 1.77:1 widescreen TV ratio. While this has been done with some care it inevitably damages the compositions and loses information in the dynamic fight scenes. The sound is functional mono. Soundtrack options are the original Mandarin with English subtitles, or an English dub. Extras include the original English language theatrical trailer, Hong Kong Legends' own trailer, plus promos for further releases and a photo gallery. There is a detailed text biography and filmography of Jackie Chan, and a text interview with producer Ng See Yuen. There is also a text biography of Hwang Jang Lee linked to a kicking showcase which is another short fight scene. Most of these features are identical to those on the Drunken Master DVD.--Gary S Dalkin

• THE COMPLETE (EXISTING) FILMS OF SADAO YAMANAKA (Masters of Cinema) (DVD) | DVD | (20/05/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The brief but prodigious career of Japanese director Sadao Yamanaka resulted in a catalogue of work characterised by an elegant and unforced visual style, fluid editing, and a beautiful attention to naturalistic performances. Although he made 22 films over a six-year period (before dying of dysentery in a Japanese Imperial Army outpost in Manchuria at the age of 28), only three of them survive, collected here for the first time in the West. Tange Sazen: The Million Ry Pot is a gloriously comic adventure yarn as the titular one-eyed, one-armed swordsman becomes embroiled in the hunt for a missing pot that points the way to hidden treasure. In Kchiyama Sshun, a subversively humanistic adaptation of a classic kabuki play, a small but invaluable knife stolen from a samurai leads to a chain of an increasingly complex and troublesome set of circumstances. His last film, Humanity and Paper Balloons, is an unsparing ensemble drama set among the lowest rungs of Japanese society in the 18th century. The Masters of Cinema Series is delighted to present these treasures of world cinema in a long-awaited two-disc DVD set, including rarely-seen fragments of two other lost Yamanaka films. Special Features: New digital transfer of all three films New English subtitle translations Rare fragments of other lost Yamanaka films A lengthy booklet, including Yamanaka's will, excerpts from his diaries, essays by Tony Rayns, Shinji Aoyama, Kimitoshi Sat, and more.

• Long Day's Journey Into Night | Blu Ray | (13/04/2020) from £9.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Oozing atmosphere with its noirish neon glow, the film chronicles the return of Luo Hongwu to Kaili, the hometown from which he fled many years before. Back for his father's funeral, Luo recalls the death of an old friend, Wildcat, and searches for lost love Wan Qiwen, who continues to haunt him. Sculpting time and space through virtuosic technical feats, Bi's film yields successive visual and aural delights. With talismanic cues and motifs of uncanny doubling, the film is bisected its first half recast in the second through a vertiginous, trance-inducing, hour-long single take in 3D. A hushed, hypnotic study of hazy memory, lost time, and flight and featuring the formidable Sylvia Chang as Wildcat's mother Long Day's Journey Into Night leads the viewer on a nocturnal, labyrinthine voyage, one that both reveals and conceals a world of passion and intrigue.

• The Sadness (uncut) - 2-Disc Limited SteelBook (UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (15/04/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• THE VALIANT ONES | Blu Ray | (27/05/2024) from £20.59   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Chao Lei), China's coastal regions have come under attack by wokou - Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates. Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers - including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) - set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns. Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.

• Kung Pow - Enter the Fist | DVD | (20/01/2003) from £15.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (12.51%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A shamelessly low-brow parody, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is a scrambling of footage from the 1975 Hong Kong martial arts epic Tiger & Crane Fist with new material shot by director Steve Oedekerk (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) in which he doubles for original star Jimmy Wang Yu. Following the style set by Woody Allen in What's Up Tiger Lily?, Oedekerk also dubs all the voices, rendering the basic revenge story even more formulaic and ridiculous. The villain turns out to be working for flying saucers manned by French aliens (!) and the Chosen One hero has an odd habit of using animals as weapons (gopher nunchakas, squirrel padding) and, in the stand-out scene, doing a full-on Matrix/Crouching Tiger battle with an extremely agile killer cow. A lot of the film is just dumb, but it still manages to beat laughs out of you with its relentless goofiness. Though it might seem an ego trip for Oedekerk, he is actually a likeable leading man, pulling funny faces and deliberately dubbing even his own voice badly. On the DVD: Kung Pow: Enter the Fist on disc includes an animated draft of the kung fu cow scene, with special effects elements shown pre-mixing. There are also several deleted sequences and a director's cut of one extended fight scene. --Kim Newman

• Jet Li - The Legend 2 | DVD | (08/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Martial arts sensation Jet Li kicks back into action as the heroic Fong Sai Yuk in this explosive follow up to the powerfully entertaining original 'The Legend'. Having fought to save his father from the wrath of the Chinese government Fong Sai Yuk joins his father's underground revolutionary organization the Red Flower Society. But in the camp of rebels a traitor lurks. Now at the time when few can be trusted Fong Sai Yuk must utilize his every skill in the fight to overthrow his nation's brutally powerful empire. With the incomparable Jet Li performing all of his own martial arts in spectacular fight scenes 'The Legend 2' is a film action fans don't want to miss.

• BURNING PARADISE (Eureka Classics) Special Edition Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (29/05/2023) from £19.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Director Ringo Lam's (Wild Search, City on Fire) only film in the wuxia genre is also one his best and bloodiest.Hunted by the Manchu government, a young Fok Sai-yuk is captured and sent to the Red Lotus Temple, where Shaolin monks are enslaved and viciously tortured by the sadistic warden Kung (Wong Kam Kong). Thrown into a pit of corpses and left to die, Fong survives and attempts to save his Shaolin brothers.Produced by Tsui Hark, Burning Paradise is a dark fantasy epic, filled with shocking violence and incredible choreography. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film for the first time in the UK since the VHS era in a blood-soaked special edition.Product FeaturesLimited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling (First Print Run of 2000 copies only)1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration of the films' original 35mm camera negativeCantonese and English audio options (both in their original mono presentations)Optional English Subtitles, newly translated for this releaseBrand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)Brand new interview with actor Wong Kam KongArchival Interview with Tsui HarkOriginal theatrical trailerPLUS: A Limited Edition collector's booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver (First Print Run of 2000 copies only)*All extras subject to change