Something new
And now…for something completely different.
We’re all movie and TV fans here at JoBlo. So, this week, we’ll be trying something a little unorthodox and having a communal segment. Whether it be at the theaters or on your couches, we all connect with the entertainment of the past and present (while hoping for the best in the future). So, what are you currently watching? We’re opening it up to the readers. Are you on a rotation of a show you’ve seen a million times? Are you starting a new show? Did you recently check out a movie that you’ve been wanting to watch? Are you revisiting a classic from your personal collection or one of the many streaming libraries?
Let us know if you have a recommendation for us or for our readers to watch! We’d definitely like to know if there’s something that doesn’t get the spotlight often. Or even if there’s a popular movie that might’ve hit differently on your recent rewatch.
Rumble in the Bronx (Hong Kong Version)
So, with the new Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits 4K Blu-ray set coming out from Arrow Video, it’s been somewhat of a Jackie Chan month for us. We’ve already given our picks for Top 10 Jackie Chan Fight Scenes and for today’s installment of “What are you currently watching?” I’ll be highlighting seeing a couple of the Hong Kong cuts of Chan’s films from the set. Consider this a preview of our upcoming two-part reviews of the 4K set.
As a kid, I’d already seen a couple of Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong movies thanks to the local video store having certain imported videos or whatever TV channel would play his movies. However, I, like a lot of American audiences, would only get to see some of his movies as released by New Line Cinema or Dimension Films in the late 90s when those studios would re-dub and re-cut the movies for release on our shores. For a long time, the original Hong Kong cut of Rumble in the Bronx hadn’t been available and to be honest, I hadn’t sought it out in the age of online purchasing.
Now that Arrow’s new set has released multiple cuts of Jackie’s movies, I have now seen these movies in their original forms and I was quite surprised at how much Rumble in the Bronx differed under its initial context. A few restored scenes and lines from the original version changed quite a bit of the narrative. Firstly, I had always read that Keung was supposed to be a cop, but New Line’s version never truly indicated that. The Hong Kong cut shows a bit more character establishment, where Keung is not only a cop, but he also has a girlfriend back home, which now makes his relationship with Nancy pretty strange. I also couldn’t help but get the feeling that these details might make the movie a secret installment in the Police Story franchise, but the pieces don’t all fall together to support that.
However, the biggest difference is seeing how Anita Mui’s Elaina character is a bit more tragic, as the original scenes show that she was duped into buying the store without being told that it’s regularly harassed by the bad element in the Bronx. It’s played for laughs as well as drama as she tries to stand up to the gangs, but isn’t always successful.
Drunken Master II (Hong Kong version)
In regards to Drunken Master II, I was actually lucky enough to see it as a VHS import before it was released officially by Dimension Films under the title Legend of Drunken Master. However, I did not have access to the VHS since that time and Legend of Drunken Master was the only version readily available for a long time, so revisiting the Hong Kong version in this new set was like getting reacquainted with an old friend.
It had been a long time since my revisit of this movie and while it has been sealed as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, watching again really reminds me why. And it’s not even just the fight scenes. In an age where bad guys get more sympathetic backstories to make them more complicated (the new Masters of the Universe movie even puts a spin on this aspect), it’s incredibly satisfying to see some real nasty villains do bad things with no remorse, then their comeuppance with the final fight sequence gives you a sense of catharsis.
The villains played by Ken Lo and Ho-Sung Pak may be more simplistic by nature, but they play their roles well and after seeing them not only sell out their country’s history, but also humiliate Fei-Hung and his family’s name — making things personal — the entire mill factory finale becomes SO much more gratifying.
YOUR TURN!
While these titles may not be revolutionary for everyone’s radar, they are what I’m currently watching that I think everyone should check out or re-check out if you’re interested. But now it’s your turn! What are YOU currently watching? Drop your recommendations in the comments below! Have a great weekend!
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