One Eyebrow Priest
Nov. 26th, 2009 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zustiferGeung si sin sang (AKA Mr. Vampire, 1985), Ricky Lau. Nov 21, 9pm. View count: One.
Ling huan xian sheng (AKA Mr. Vampire III, 1987), Ricky Lau. Nov 22, 8pm. View count: One.
Jiang shi xian sheng xu ji (AKA Mr. Vampire II, 1986), Ricky Lau. Nov 23, 7:30pm. View count: One.
Jiang shi shu shu (AKA Mr. Vampire IV, 1988), Ricky Lau. Nov 24, 9:30pm. View count: One.
Xin jiang shi xian sheng (AKA Mr. Vampire V, 1989 (released 1992)), Ricky Lau. Nov 25, 7pm. View count: One.
These are great movies -- kung fu with various supernatural whatnot. The first one holds together the best, of course, with the third and fourth ranking roughly equal (I'd say) in entertainment value. The second is easily the crummiest, with a weird "heartwarming" aspect and several ve-e-ery lo-o-ong segments in which everyone's under the influence of a sedative, and thus are pretending to move in slow motion. And then there's the fifth, with the western-style vampire and the fake bats. (It should also be noted that the movie we watched which was labelled as Mr. Vampire 5 bears no resemblance to the summary on IMDB, and yet I can't find a closer match. It's weird.)
So, the first one is easily the best (although I bear a great fondness for #4), and apparently codified the chinese movie vampire. (Wikipedia link: "In the movies, jiang shi can be put to sleep by putting a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it on their foreheads [...]. Generally in the movies the jiang shi are dressed in imperial Qing Dynasty clothes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis.") This is of course the basis for Hsien-ko/Lei lei, who's my default avatar. Even she's sort of a takeoff, with her shifting from foot to foot instead of hopping, and ability to speak.
Anyhow, vampire shows up (ancestor buried in a bad location), hassles Lam Ching-Ying and disciples, almost transmits vampirism (apparently through fingernail wounds?), and eventually is vanquished.
Number Two is schmaltzy and has a vampire family, the child of which becomes friends with a brother and sister in a really, really american mid-century house. Number Three has a con artist with pet ghosts (somewhat reminiscent of the Frighteners). Number Four has a rivalry between a buddhist priest and a taoist one (they are next-door neighbors), and it's totally hilarious, with a lot of goofy slapstick. Anthony Chan as the 'Four-Eyed Taoist,' (he has glasses) a total dick who nevertheless has cool powers, is the best part. Weirdly, I think Lam Ching-Ying wasn't in this one.
And number Five is the christianity-and-western-vampirism one, which wasn't so hot.
Okay, I'm wrapping this up now, because I have more movies in the queue.
Ling huan xian sheng (AKA Mr. Vampire III, 1987), Ricky Lau. Nov 22, 8pm. View count: One.
Jiang shi xian sheng xu ji (AKA Mr. Vampire II, 1986), Ricky Lau. Nov 23, 7:30pm. View count: One.
Jiang shi shu shu (AKA Mr. Vampire IV, 1988), Ricky Lau. Nov 24, 9:30pm. View count: One.
Xin jiang shi xian sheng (AKA Mr. Vampire V, 1989 (released 1992)), Ricky Lau. Nov 25, 7pm. View count: One.
These are great movies -- kung fu with various supernatural whatnot. The first one holds together the best, of course, with the third and fourth ranking roughly equal (I'd say) in entertainment value. The second is easily the crummiest, with a weird "heartwarming" aspect and several ve-e-ery lo-o-ong segments in which everyone's under the influence of a sedative, and thus are pretending to move in slow motion. And then there's the fifth, with the western-style vampire and the fake bats. (It should also be noted that the movie we watched which was labelled as Mr. Vampire 5 bears no resemblance to the summary on IMDB, and yet I can't find a closer match. It's weird.)
So, the first one is easily the best (although I bear a great fondness for #4), and apparently codified the chinese movie vampire. (Wikipedia link: "In the movies, jiang shi can be put to sleep by putting a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it on their foreheads [...]. Generally in the movies the jiang shi are dressed in imperial Qing Dynasty clothes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis.") This is of course the basis for Hsien-ko/Lei lei, who's my default avatar. Even she's sort of a takeoff, with her shifting from foot to foot instead of hopping, and ability to speak.
Anyhow, vampire shows up (ancestor buried in a bad location), hassles Lam Ching-Ying and disciples, almost transmits vampirism (apparently through fingernail wounds?), and eventually is vanquished.
Number Two is schmaltzy and has a vampire family, the child of which becomes friends with a brother and sister in a really, really american mid-century house. Number Three has a con artist with pet ghosts (somewhat reminiscent of the Frighteners). Number Four has a rivalry between a buddhist priest and a taoist one (they are next-door neighbors), and it's totally hilarious, with a lot of goofy slapstick. Anthony Chan as the 'Four-Eyed Taoist,' (he has glasses) a total dick who nevertheless has cool powers, is the best part. Weirdly, I think Lam Ching-Ying wasn't in this one.
And number Five is the christianity-and-western-vampirism one, which wasn't so hot.
Okay, I'm wrapping this up now, because I have more movies in the queue.
