|
Read More
|
I’m so happy to see that Arrow Films has finally announced their Shawscope: Volume Two boxset. The extra long boxset will be officially released on November 22, 2022… but as we all know, they sometime will ship out early.
As I have already mentioned in my review of Shawscope: Volume One, I thought it was missing some key films and would hope they address it with the 36th Chamber of Shaolin trilogy - and, of course, the three films (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, and Disciples of the 36th Chamber) will be the centerpiece of Volume 2.
With that said, it looks like Volume 2 has a few ‘comedy kung fu’, that I dislike so much. So I’m not looking forward to seeing the comedy stuff (even if it’s on Bluray): Mad Monkey Kung Fu (in fact, I just bought this from 88 Films in March 2022 and hated it) and My Young Auntie. I own both of these films already, and don’t really care for them. It’s just too goofy for my taste.
They did offset the comedy with some classic “Venom” films, including Invincible Shaolin (love this one! aka “Shaolin vs Wu-Tang”), The Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, and Ten Tigers of Kwangtung. I own all of Chang Cheh’s films (that’s officially released), and I always enjoy a good Cheh throw-down.
It looks like the odd/weird film in the bunch is the Shaw Brothers horror film The Boxer’s Omen. This is a gruesome film. In fact, I love most Shaw Brothers horror, so it’s a welcome addition to my collection.
The rest of the collection, I have not seen, so I won’t comment on them for now.
So this might be the last Shawscope set we will get… even though Shaw Brothers have produced over 700 films. The reason for this is due to licensing. From the 2021 rumor in a Criterion forum, someone said Arrow only has the rights to 26 Shaw Brothers films. 88 Films also has its hands in some of these licensing, so far 88 has released about 40 Shaw Brothers titles.
The Arrow’s 26 number is probably true, based on the fact that between the two boxsets, Arrow would release 24 titles. The missing two? Well, that’s The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter and Come Drink With Me, which they released as a single release. The The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter release really puzzled me, as 88 Films also released their version of the film, only months prior. Yes, I own both version, and yes, I have collector’s remorse.
I hope these Shaw Brothers boxsets does well… so we can get more releases in the future. I hate to say it, but there’s not a huge kung fu market in the United States, so I doubt Arrow Films will likely negotiate to release more (obscure) films.
Anyway, here is a list of films including in Shawscope: Volume Two:
Disc One – The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin
Disc Two – Return To The 36th Chamber / Disciples Of The 36th Chamber
Disc Three – Mad Monkey Kung Fu / Five Superfighters
Disc Four – Invincible Shaolin / The Kid With The Golden Arm
Disc Five – Magnificent Ruffians / Ten Tigers Of Kwangtung
Disc Six – My Young Auntie
Disc Seven – Mercenaries From Hong Kong / The Boxer's Omen
Disc Eight – Martial Arts Of Shaolin / The Bare-Footed Kid
Disc Nine – Music From The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin And The Kid With The Golden Arm (CD)
Disc Ten – Music From Return To The 36th Chamber, Magnificent Ruffians, Ten Tigers Of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries From Hong Kong And Disciples Of The 36th Chamber (CD)
As I have already mentioned in my review of Shawscope: Volume One, I thought it was missing some key films and would hope they address it with the 36th Chamber of Shaolin trilogy - and, of course, the three films (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, and Disciples of the 36th Chamber) will be the centerpiece of Volume 2.
With that said, it looks like Volume 2 has a few ‘comedy kung fu’, that I dislike so much. So I’m not looking forward to seeing the comedy stuff (even if it’s on Bluray): Mad Monkey Kung Fu (in fact, I just bought this from 88 Films in March 2022 and hated it) and My Young Auntie. I own both of these films already, and don’t really care for them. It’s just too goofy for my taste.
They did offset the comedy with some classic “Venom” films, including Invincible Shaolin (love this one! aka “Shaolin vs Wu-Tang”), The Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, and Ten Tigers of Kwangtung. I own all of Chang Cheh’s films (that’s officially released), and I always enjoy a good Cheh throw-down.
It looks like the odd/weird film in the bunch is the Shaw Brothers horror film The Boxer’s Omen. This is a gruesome film. In fact, I love most Shaw Brothers horror, so it’s a welcome addition to my collection.
The rest of the collection, I have not seen, so I won’t comment on them for now.
So this might be the last Shawscope set we will get… even though Shaw Brothers have produced over 700 films. The reason for this is due to licensing. From the 2021 rumor in a Criterion forum, someone said Arrow only has the rights to 26 Shaw Brothers films. 88 Films also has its hands in some of these licensing, so far 88 has released about 40 Shaw Brothers titles.
The Arrow’s 26 number is probably true, based on the fact that between the two boxsets, Arrow would release 24 titles. The missing two? Well, that’s The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter and Come Drink With Me, which they released as a single release. The The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter release really puzzled me, as 88 Films also released their version of the film, only months prior. Yes, I own both version, and yes, I have collector’s remorse.
I hope these Shaw Brothers boxsets does well… so we can get more releases in the future. I hate to say it, but there’s not a huge kung fu market in the United States, so I doubt Arrow Films will likely negotiate to release more (obscure) films.
Anyway, here is a list of films including in Shawscope: Volume Two:
| vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
Comments