Henlo 2026. Not a lot going on that I can reveal publicly yet, but the Blu-ray disc audio-commentary to-your ears-research is pretty constant. Expect us on discs talking horror, the avant-garde, and mean stuff. Hong Kong cinema has it all.

A case of “go with the public domain” version, as that’s where THE HEAD HUNTER retains its full Chow Yun-fat assassin and American/Soviet Cold War story. The social awareness is noble but not followed through efficiently. The Long Goodbye edit removes the geopolitical subplot.

Melvin Wong’s credit on The Head Hunter. Crikey.

Sad to hear Yuen Cheung-Yan has passed. Brother of Yuen Woo-Ping and part of the iconic Yuen family, he was everywhere in HK action cinema. He grew into a comic actor, director, and stunt coordinator whose work even carried him to Hollywood (Daredevil, Charlie’s Angels).

New commentary out soon! Vinegar Syndrome @vinsyn.bsky.social just announced Made in Hong Kong Vol. 2, featuring Stanley Siu’s New York Chinatown, which I recorded a solo commentary for. Proud of this deep dive into a long-obscure HK crime film.

That hurt 🤣

Hong Kong cinema is better than the things you like. Wicked slicing and dicing from Chor Yuen's THE KILLER (1972, aka Sacred Knives Of Vengeance). Action choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping and Yuen Cheung-Yan.

THE KILLER (1972, dir. Chor Yuen) - Featuring several huge battles of hard punches, kicks, wilder stunts than usual for the time and extensive Shaw Brothers blood, the flow is incredible and very well honed for its time. Aka Sacred Knives Of Vengeance. First time watch in original language.

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman strips away the emotional core in favor of bloodletting, tons of it, but still finds time to develop Fang Gang (Wang Yu), once a reluctant swordsman, now a revered leader in a world he tried to leave behind.

The Podcast On Fire Christmas special is here! Paul Fox leads the boys during trivia night, and we wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Thank you for the support during 2025! podcastonfire.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find podcasts.

🎧 New What's Korean Cinema! Today’s episode takes a gentler turn as we look at Christmas in August. An early milestone of late-90s Korean cinema. Listen: podcastonfire.com | Apple | Spotify, wherever you get podcasts.

Hope you’ve had a chance to check this out. A deeply researched but pretty unpleasant ep. We’re closing the year with the annual Christmas special, and What’s Korean Cinema? might sneak back with Christmas in August. Christmas in December… or August. Either works. Coming soon.

City on Fire is back in the UK, and with it, a little piece of Cinema City finally comes home. The Shaw Brothers horror + laser-fu box set also says hi. #piewpiew

Documenting the early days of Golden Harvest. This is Lo Wei's The Invincible Eight and his first film for the upstart, after jumping ship, being part of the exodus from Shaw Brothers.

Not a pleasant case, but a thorough deep dive into the crime, and how theatrical and DTV releases explored (or exploited) it. Listen: podcastonfire.com | Apple | Spotify

If you enjoy Kuei Chih-Hung’s tougher voice, THE LADY PROFESSIONAL is where his personal aesthetic really starts to show. Lily Ho plays an immaculate assassin, but the story itself is darker than the wardrobe suggests. This isn’t a groovy 70s romp just because she looks stunning; the film has teeth.

Only meme I’ve ever made.

Late-60s Shaw pulp at its most fun. A spy caper, with pop-art sets, and Tina Chin Fei dual role via Fantômas-style masks. Light, fast, SHORT, playful, and packed with colour. TEMPTRESS OF A THOUSAND FACES is a strange, stylish little gem that deserves more eyes on it.

Cinema City’s first film is such an odd one. John Woo doing a full Chaplin homage, Dean Shek as theTramp, undercranked gags and skit-like setups. Amusing, sometimes tiring, but fully committed. Somehow LAUGHING TIMES still pulled in 5M and set the path to Aces Go Places etc.

Small local VHS pickup today. Dreadnaught joins the Made in Hong Kong collection, and Hitman in the Hand of Buddha is the Mandarin, subtitled full-screen version. I’ve seen the shorter widescreen cut, so I don’t mind going back to a cropped one.

Not a pleasant case, but a thorough deep dive into the crime, and how theatrical and DTV releases explored (or exploited) it. Listen: podcastonfire.com | Apple | Spotify

Your monthly podcast is coming this weekend, and it's a deeply unpleasant one as This Week In Sleaze does a deep dive on a vile true crime. It involves Lee, Sir. The film. Not the crime. podcastonfire.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find podcasts.

One of the first wave of Golden Harvest films, THE ANGRY RIVER (1971, dir. Wong Fung) is a genre trip: rare herb quest, sword duels, fire rivers, even monsters. Angela Mao debuts with intensity and emotion. Sammo and Han Ying-Chieh deliver a gnarly, gory final act.

The great Tatsuya Nakadai has passed away at 92. Star of Harakiri, The Sword of Doom, Ran, and, of course, Hong Kong’s The Wicked City. One of the last giants of Japanese cinema’s golden era.

Everyone’s unboxing their shiny new 4Ks of Hard Boiled, Peking Opera Blues, and City on Fire… Meanwhile, I’ve got tapes for you. Swarms of them. Including Hard Boiled 2 (naughty, naughty retitle, Eastern Heroes 😆).

Eureka catch-up.

Rewatched One-Armed Swordsman from Arrow’s Shawscope Vol. 3. A landmark of Hong Kong cinema, not just for its action, but its heart. A wounded man learns the martial world can destroy as much as it honors. It's carried through pain, grace, and blood, by Wang Yu and Chang Cheh.

🎃 Happy Halloween! Jet Li already nailed his costume. Now it’s your turn to treat yourself with our Podcast On Fire deep dive on Last Hero in China. Rooster-fu, fire-breathing centipedes, and full-tilt madness await. 🐓🔥 podcastonfire.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find podcasts.

It’s Halloween and I will celebrate by going on mic, solo, for one of those blu ray boutique label audio commentary disc thingies. Scary.

I see there are opinions of the ending of A House Of Dynamite. Me:

Po-Chih Leong’s Hong Kong 1941 finds power in restraint. Less spectacle, more humanity, friendship, loyalty, survival under siege. Chow Yun-Fat’s quiet, magnetic charisma and Leong’s realism turn this modest wartime drama into one of the 80s’ most affecting Hong Kong films.

A quick state-of-the-podcast update: we’re going monthly. The episodes are getting deeper, the research heavier, and naps are now officially part of production. Full note below.

Ringo Lam’s The Adventurers, filmed on a global scale, plays like a warm-up for Hollywood: big scope, little to no soul. A messy shoot, rewrites, and delays didn’t help, but the problem runs deeper. Lam’s realism flickers early, then fades. He got better when he came home again.

Happy to support re-issues like this one from Eureka, even if my old VCD viewing already told me this was minor stuff. SHAOLIN BOXERS is a brisk 78-min Golden Harvest pickup. Competent, occasionally lively, but pure filler from the post-Bruce Lee product era.

The only review of a certain film on @letterboxd.social is mine. I choose to believe that makes me a pioneer, not a weirdo.

🎧 New Podcast On Fire! Jet Li dives headfirst into Wong Jing mayhem in Last Hero in China. With @sogoodreviews.bsky.social & @easternfilmfans.bsky.social. Listen: podcastonfire.com | Apple | Spotify etc.

Look for a new Podcast On Fire this weekend, on site and wherever you find podcasts. And yes, even this stuff gets a deep dive.

The thing with ten movies from THAT guy is here.

Since the thing with the 4 just got announced, thought I’d catch up with the thing with the 3.

Reviewing the first half of Eureka’s Exact Revenge set, The Eunuch comes from a fresh voice in Teddy Yip, delivering sharp revenge beats and fierce swordplay. Pai Ying, in Dragon Inn reprisal mode, doesn’t disappoint. A lean, confident slice of early-70s Shaw wuxia.

Nam Nai-choi's Shaw Brothers actioner MEN FROM THE GUTTER is coming soon from Vinegar Syndrome. He wasn't just goo and gore in the vein Story Of Ricky. He knew genres, and this demonstrates it well. vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/...

Good option for US customers while Europeans should wait for Arrow to announce theirs. That’s the beauty of the Cinema City/Golden Princess deal going global.

Goo and gore in Volume 4!

Actually two commentaries on the go, at the same time. We sure can multitask.

What if there was a Dean Shek movie where you didn’t want to throttle him, where you actually rooted for him as a battle-scarred hero? That’s The Raid (1991), from Tsui Hark & Ching Siu-tung. Hear why Shek is the right fit as Uncle Choi in the latest episode of Podcast On Fire.

Howdy neighbour from across the sea. Things are looking bleak.

🎧 New Podcast On Fire! Tsui Hark & Ching Siu-tung bring comic book chaos to 1930s Manchuria in THE RAID (1991), an adaptation of the Uncle Choi manhua. With Kenny B @sogoodreviews.bsky.social & Michael Scott @a4epodcast.bsky.social. Listen: podcastonfire.com | Apple | Spotify etc🔥

It starts... again.