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Category Archives: Video
Saturday Matinee: The Boxer’s Omen
“The Boxer’s Omen” (1983) is a gonzo Hong Kong horror film directed by Kuei Chih-Hung and produced by the Shaw Brothers. Phillip Ko stars as Fei Kao, a boxer whose brother is nearly killed in a match by a rival from Thailand (played by Bolo Yeung). To get revenge, Fei travels to Thailand where he discovers he happens to be a spiritual twin of a revered Buddhist monk whose temple is under siege from a black magic cult. In a series of spiritual battles, the protagonist and his fellow monks must overcome demonic bats, spiders, snakes and caterpillars, floating human heads, animated crocodile skulls and statues, and a she-devil among other obstacles. While some of the puppetry work may seem amateurish by today’s standards, the often strikingly bizarre visuals evoke psychedelic fare such as Altered States and The Holy Mountain as well as aspects of giallo cinema or the supernatural genre films produced by Tsui Hark.
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: Bimbo’s Initiation
“Bimbo’s Initiation” (1931) is an unnerving and surreal Fleischer Studio short animation. It’s an early example of mass media featuring blatant occult symbolism and has influenced a number of artists such as Jim Woodring (the Frank cartoons), Richard Elfman (Forbidden Zone), Joe Dante (Twilight Zone: The Movie) and Jared Moldenhauer (the Cuphead video game).
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: Shakedown (aka Blue Jean Cop)
“Shakedown” (1988) is an action/crime drama written and directed by James Glickenhaus. Peter Weller and Sam Elliot star as Dalton (an idealistic lawyer) and Marks (a veteran cop) who team up to defend a low-level crack dealer who is framed to cover up a ring of crooked cops working for a drug lord. In the midst of his case, Dalton rekindles an affair with the prosecutor of the case Cantrell (Patricia Charbonneau), unbeknownst to his fiancée Gail (Blanche Baker). Shakedown is one of the more enjoyable and underrated low-budget action films of the 80s.
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: Bluefin
Film synopsis from BullfrogFilms.com:
BLUEFIN is a tale of epic stakes set in “the tuna capital of the world,” North Lake, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The film explores the baffling mystery of why the normally wary bluefin tuna no longer fear humans. Local fishermen swear tuna are so starving and abundant now that they will literally eat out of people’s hands like pets. But something is not right. Have these “endangered” tuna stocks suddenly recovered as the fishermen claim? Or are we actually hunting down the last of them–like the buffalo–as scientists claim? One thing is certain: this sudden and incredible abundance of tuna off their shores flies in the face of scientific assessments claiming endangered stocks are down by 90 percent.
With stunning cinematography, director John Hopkins documents this mystery and brings the issues into sharp focus. At the heart of this documentary lies a passionate concern by all about the fate of the giant bluefin tuna. Isn’t it time we learned to appreciate the giant, and relentlessly hunted, bluefin as extraordinary “wildlife,” in the same way we love whales, dolphins and panda bears?
Watch the full film here.
After the Crash 