Features

10 Great American martial arts films you probably haven’t seen (plus one you HAVE to)

10 Great American martial arts films you probably haven’t seen (plus one you HAVE to)

American martial arts films have never been up to the standard of their Asian counterparts – mostly due to their low budgets...
Glorious Grindhouse: The films of Sun Chung

Glorious Grindhouse: The films of Sun Chung

Love them or hate them, exploitation films have a long if not entirely respectable history. The bad ones are so poorly conceived and made as to…
LHMC: Southern Screen Magazine – February, 1982

LHMC: Southern Screen Magazine – February, 1982

Shaw Brothers’ February, 1982 issue of their studio fan magazine “Southern Screen” features actor Ti Lung on the cover. Ti was one of Shaw Brothers’ top…
Frank Dux: The man behind ‘Bloodsport’ and the rise of JCVD

Frank Dux: The man behind ‘Bloodsport’ and the rise of JCVD

In 1988, the martial arts community was introduced to Jean-Claude Van Damme with the arrival of the movie BLOODSPORT. Van Damme displayed a unique fighting style…
Bad to the Bone, Part 2: Chan Wai-man

Bad to the Bone, Part 2: Chan Wai-man

There are a lot of stories about Chan Wai-man. They say he was a real gangster, a Triad insider, long before he became an actor. That…
LHMC: Southern Screen – December, 1975

LHMC: Southern Screen – December, 1975

You can add only one book on page The December 1975 issue of Shaw Brothers-owned film fan magazine “Southern Screen” featured a Christmas special with festive images…
Hong Kong Godfather (1985)

Hong Kong Godfather (1985)

7/10 – Last week I wrote about Shaw Brothers movie villain Johnny Wang Lung-wei. Back when I used to work as a projectionist at the Star and…
The Deadliest Man Alive: Searching for Count Dante

The Deadliest Man Alive: Searching for Count Dante

Over the past few years, I have had some experience with deja vu, a few premonitions and what some consider precognition. I try to rationalize these…
Bad to the Bone, Part 1: Johnny Wang Lung-wei

Bad to the Bone, Part 1: Johnny Wang Lung-wei

Heroes are important, but sometimes what really makes a great kung fu movie is the villain. From Shek Kin’s sneering, leering wuxia baddies to Sammo Hung’s…
LHMC: ‘The Brave Archer’ lobby cards

LHMC: ‘The Brave Archer’ lobby cards

Lobby card art for Shaw Brothers’ wuxia classic THE BRAVE ARCHER comes to the Linn Haynes Memorial Collection. Featured are 11 original lobby cards once used…
LHMC: Southern Screen – August, 1981

LHMC: Southern Screen – August, 1981

This second entry in the Linn Haynes Memorial Collection contains the complete August, 1981 issue of "Southern Screen" magazine, featuring kung fu leading lady Kara Hui on the cover, along with 80 pages of pictures...
A Tribute to Action Choreographers

A Tribute to Action Choreographers

Three years ago, I heard about an event that caused me to seriously consider dropping everything and jumping on a plane to Hong Kong, cost be…
Kung Fu Divas: Law Yim-hing and Yam Yin

Kung Fu Divas: Law Yim-hing and Yam Yin

Hong Kong action cinema really took off in the years following World War II, when the success of THE STORY OF WONG FEI-HUNG (1949), directed by…
LHMC: Southern Screen – April, 1978

LHMC: Southern Screen – April, 1978

Here begins the first volume in an ongoing series featuring complete issues of cancelled Asian film magazines "Southern Screen," "Cinemart," and "Hong Kong Movie News," all presented in an interactive Flash...
Stan Lee Presents: The Amazing Bruce Lee

Stan Lee Presents: The Amazing Bruce Lee

After Bruce Lee’s death in 1973, the martial arts star and kung fu fighting continued to influence pop culture in America, including the realm of comics.…
In Memoriam: Shek Kin 1913-2009

In Memoriam: Shek Kin 1913-2009

One of the giants of kung fu cinema has passed away. Shek Kin’s career encompassed nearly 600 films over five decades, and the overwhelming majority of…