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I'm always up for some more Donnie Yen. Is it me or does modern HK cinema overprocess the hell out of the look of their films now?

"Now"? They've been doing that shit for quite some time.

I hope this is good. Donnie Yen has been in quite a slump as of late. Special I.D. was watchable but not good. Iceman was horrible. And Monkey King was enjoyable but not an action movie (it was really a kid's movie).

At least Wu Xia was excellent (even in the truncated American cut) and 14 Blades was very entertaining.

FYI
This is already available on Blu-Ray in Hong Kong and has a different name "Kung Fu Jungle"

http://www.dddhouse.com/v3/product_d...roductID=14557

It's pricey though at $25

I picked up a cheaper DVD from Chinatown on a trip to San Francisco last month. Haven't had the time to watch it yet.

I see that's it coming out in theaters here next month in extremely limited release.

Here are all the U.S. locations showing it

http://www.wellgousa.com/theatrical/kung-fu-killer

I had a bad experience the last time I ordered from the dddhouse. It seems someone in HK intercepted my shipment, took the BD's crushed the shit out of the cases, and then wrapped it all up in plastic and mailed put it back in the mail. dddhouse were kind enough to refund my entire purchase cost and I knew they were not at fault (as I'd noticed similar tampering with the packaging on other orders but nothing ever missing and the items still shrinkwrapped). So it's some ass in the post office over there. But it put a halt on my HK orders since then.

I just ordered from DDD House a month ago and my 5 Blu Rays arrived with no troubles. They came in 5 days.

Anyways, Kung Fu Jungle is also available from HMV Hong Kong. I've actually been to their physical B&M there. It's one of the few giant media retailers there.

http://www.hmv.com.hk/product/bluray.asp?sku=584963

They are reliable. And I've had things shipped from there too. Same price around $25.

As I said, I don't think DDD House were at fault. It has to be some asshole in the post office.

I haven't watched a Donnie Yen film since the Ip Man films. Should I check out the films you mentioned?

Trailer looked interesting. I'll probably check this out.

Wu Xia is essentially A History of Violence, starring Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Jimmy Wang Yu. You're in for a treat if you go in with that mindset. And the action sequences, though not numerous, are spectacular.

14 Blades is essentially a man-on-the-run period piece but with flourishes of a Western. Nowhere near as overt in that regard as The Good, The Bad, The Weird but more subtle in nature. The plot is nothing special but it is enjoyable enough. However, the fights are what will really get you going.

Special I.D. is a mixed bag. It keeps you entertained but it never amounts to much of anything. It had production issues (including Donnie Yen feuding with an actor who was supposed to be his co-star and walked off the set when the script kept getting changed) and it shows. It is interesting to see Donnie Yen use more MMA than you'd expect from a typical HK production. Oh but the final car chase, though competently done (and featuring a fight sequence inside the speeding vehicle), feels like a car commercial. You'll know what I mean when you see the sequence.

Iceman is a complete waste of time. Everyone is grossly misused. Simon Yam looks like he'd rather be anywhere else and Donnie Yen delivers the absolute worst performance of his career. He's so over-the-top, I wondered if he crossed from self parody and went straight to "fuck this movie and everyone involved in it" mode. The fights are well done but they never really kick it into high gear because the whole movie is a tease for the sequel that's due later this year. Even as a hardcore Donnie Yen fan, I can't say I have any intention of ever watching the sequel.

The Monkey King was fun but it is a kids movie. The action is like something out of The Storm Riders. So don't expect any kind of hard hitting action. Donnie Yen acquits himself very well and really gets the personality of the titular character just right. But it is an atypical movie for Donnie Yen.

I thought it was o.k. It was a good premise but I thought it was sort of tedious. It's on par with his other recent films.

Damn. The action in the trailer looked fantastic so I was hoping it was a return to form.