Cereal At Midnight

Power corrupts. This simple fact has been the theme of countless movies that showcase how the rise to power is so often followed by a fall from grace. Money, power, and corruption are the subjects of 1997's Hero, which is not to be confused with the 2002 Jet Li movie of the same name. The film takes place in 1897 Shanghai and chronicles the rise of Ma Wing Jing (played by Taiwanese/Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, an actor that video game fans may recognize as the star of  Onimusha ), a determined-but-poor working-class tough guy who impresses local mob boss Tam Sei (Biao Yuen) when he refuses to back down from a fight. The standard organized crime story follows as our protagonist grows in power and influence while becoming a target for rival, hatchet-wielding gang members as he ascends the ladder to the top.  Sound familiar? Hero is a remake of Chang Cheh's 1972 epic The Boxer from Shangtung , but with an entirely different aesthetic that fundamentally changes...

88 Films has been hitting hard with their recent martial arts movie releases! In this episode, we discuss all the fists of fury and kung fu kicks that the've unleashed in the last few months! Purchase links to titles mentioned in this episode: The Chinese Boxer Disciples of Shaolin Flag of Iron Legendary Weapons of China Monkey Kung Fu Shaolin Mantis The Chinese Boxer Review Disciples of Shaolin Review Shawscope Vol. 1 Review CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

1972's King Boxer , better known to U.S. kung fu fans as Five Fingers of Death,  is one of the more iconic entries in the seventies martial arts cycle. The moment the film begins, pop culture vultures will recognize the splashy red title screen accompanied by the distinct siren-like musical cue that millions of viewers know from Kill Bill , but that originated here (or more accurately, in the title sequence of the TV drama Ironside ). Furthermore, many of these Asian fighting flicks tend to repeat many of the same plots and action beats from movie to movie--one of many similarities to spaghetti westerns--but King Boxer  looms large in the pantheon as the grandfather of so much that was to follow. Part of this is because it was smartly exported to multiple markets by the Shaw Brothers and became a smash hit all over world, but especially in America where audiences were just starting their love affair with these hyper-violent tales of revenge and honor. In fact, it was the Warn...

Martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu makes a splash in 1970's The Chinese Boxer for The Shaw Brothers! This spectacle of flying fists is a showcase for Wang Yu, who wrote the film, stars in it, and helmed it in his directorial debut. Wang Yu had been known for a series of sword-based action movies throughout the latter half of the 1960s, but this is the beginning of the hand-to-hand combat kung fu movie as we know it, predating even Bruce Lee, who would add elaborate kicking techniques to his big screen battle repertoire.  The plot isn't all that different from many other Shaw Brothers action spectacles: a Chinese martial arts school is invaded by a loud-mouthed bad guy. He's beaten by Master Li and his students, but vows to return in one month for revenge. And return he does, with three Japanese karate masters who lay waste to the school, kill Master Li, and leave most of the students either dead or severely injured. One survivor (Lei Ming, played by Jimmy Wang Yu) must tr...

Hot on the heels of The Street Fighter Collection comes the Sister Street Fighter Collection! Now all four Toei films starring Etsuko Shihomi (aka Sue Shiomi), Sonny Chiba's real-life protege and student, are available in stunning HD from Arrow Video! We'll dig into the films themselves, explore the special features, and celebrate these martial arts movies and their place in movie history.

In this video, we take a look at the new Street Fighter Collection from Shout Factory! These are the movies that made Sonny Chiba a star of the drive-in and a staple of midnight movie marathons! We discuss The Street Fighter, Return of the Street Fighter, and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge, their influence on modern cinema (including filmmaker and fan Quentin Tarantino), and evaluate how these classic martial arts masterpieces look and sound now that they've been restored for Blu-ray!