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October 2002
The film premieres on 24 October but you can view the 30 seconds trailer at bmwfilms.com!
I found the following Tsui Hark movie soundtracks on eBay, including the ultra rare SWORDSMAN II soundtrack! Check out the items below: 1) BRIGITTE
LIN SWORDSMAN II RARE HK OST CD 1992 2) BRIGITTE
LIN EAST IS RED RARE HK OST CD 1993 3) TSUI
HARK GREEN SNAKE RARE HK SOUNDTRACK CD 4) TSUI
HARK THE LOVERS RARE HK SOUNDTRACK CD 5) TSUI
HARK ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA HK OST CD All auctions end on 21 October
I caught Tsui Hark/Wellson Chin's The Era of Vampires over the weekend and here's a quick report (I'll try to keep it spoiler free). The movie as you all know (from the photos below) by now is set in the Qing Dynasty. As it unfolds, a woman narrates how vampires come about and there exists a group of highly trained pugilists/exorcists dedicated in subduing them. Their crusade leads them to a confrontation with a general who had turned into a POWERFUL vampire. Now this bloodsucker isn't the seductive Gary Oldman type nor is he one of those campy Mr Vampire type who sucks blood from arteries. Think LIFEFORCE with a dosage of Yam Sai Koon's ESSENCE ABSORBING skill in SWORDSMAN II plus loads of blood and gore. During a fiery explosion, the chief exorcist and uber vampire disappear. The four disciples mount a manhunt while looking out for more vampires. Speaking of the four disciples, all of them are unknowns except for Michael Chow (MR MUMBLES). They go by the names of WIND, THUNDER, RAIN and LIGHTNING. I gotta admit, I haven't heard of pugilists going by those names since the early 80s Hong Kong swordsfighting TV serial, REINCARNATION and John Carpenter's BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. One of the beauty about this movie is its largely cast of unknowns. As a matter of fact, non belong to the glitzy 'A' list (the Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung kind) of actors/actresses. But you don't need a stellar cast to deliver a good performance as this movie reveals. The cast have great chemistry and are believable. As the story continues, the quartet's investigation brings them to the spooky JIANG mannor where a wedding is taking place. They infiltrate the household and learned that Young Master Jiang is taking his seventh wife. The previous six have died of unexplained causes and their bodies were never found. The four suspect the mannor's owner, the mysterious Old Master Jiang (played by Yu Rong Guang). Like any good horror flick, this old geezer has a freaky agenda of his own (think evil Madame Tussaud's). As they uncover more secrets about Old Master Jiang, the uber vampire shows up in town for a splatter feast. Will the four pugilists uncover the secret of the Jiang mannor? Will they ever find their master and defeat the uber vampire? Catch the movie to find out. I could go on and on but this is as far as I should go without ruining the fun for you guys. This movie feels like A Chinese Ghost Story II combined with dynamic action from The Blade. Despite being a 'vampire' busting/sorcery movie, there're LOADS of dazzling swordfights not seen since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hell, they might even be better. These exponents have super fast reflexes. There was a particular scene where a thief fell from a roof and as he broke his fall, he sprung right back up to counter his opponent who was charging towards him ferociously with a sabre. Definitely wirework but not exceedingly obvious like CTHD. Very tastefully executed! Fortunately, CG was used to enhance certain scenes in the movie and not steal the limelight like it did in LEGEND OF ZU. After watching ZU, I was afraid Tsui Hark had become over-zealous and all his future swordsfighting films would have people zipping through space on their swords. But it seems like the wizard is back in top form (hopefully he stays that way), giving us what we can't get from Hollywood flicks: true HONG KONG action, the 80s kind. Enough said. Two thumbs up and a wide grin of satisfaction.
Here are three more pix from the movie:
Here's a look at the poster art and stills from the movie:
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