Centre Stage (1992)

aka CENTER STAGE / ACTRESS
[DVD/mainland China/letterbox/Cantonese & Mandarin/English subs]

I watched this about 15 yrs ago at a cinema in Melbourne's Chinatown and didn't really like it but the image of Maggie Cheung and her great performance as the (real life) tormented actress has stayed with me ever since - so although I initially didn't like the film I guess it must have had something that made it stay so vividly in my mind. And so... now's the time to go back and re-visit. Ordered this DVD yesterday. A mainland China release. Credits at HongkongMovieDataBase.

(An older DVD release with a much better cover imo. Click for bigger size)

Legacy Of Satan

“George, don’t be so obstinate...George, don’t be so obstinate.”

My latest WONDERFUL winning: the rare original US Abacus ntsc vhs! From an unlikely seller: some bookstore! Nobody knew about the auction and I was the only bidder!!!

BLACK MAGIC 2!!!

[Black Magic 2, Hong Kong poster]

Haha, I was gonna tell ya some amazing news but then I remembered my last post and now you're probably thinking I'll try and lure you into a cult of B-L-A-C-K M-A-G-I-C!!! Haha, well no not quite. Hmm, altho... black magic cult... arrr (*Homer Simpson drool*). Hahaha.

[Black Magic/VHS/Germany]

Anyway, the big news is of course that now it's finally official... BLACK MAGIC 2 is finally getting released on DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, it's not an April Fools joke but indeed nothing but the true, honest, untampered with, TRUTH!! BLACK MAGIC 2 is finally being released on DVD which is just about fucking time; I mean, how long is it since the first film came out! Fucking 5 yrs or so!! It's ridiculous. Celestial are ridiculous!!

And not surprisingly it's NOT Celestial (in Hong Kong) who are releasing it but Tokyo Shock in the US. If they do it right and don't screw up the DVD it'll be a blast!

I have already watched Celestial's fully uncut, letterboxed print in Cantonese (thanks to Fred Adelman of Critical Condition) and it's almost like watching a different movie compared to the old dubbed, fullscreen and censored US NTSC tape (aka Revenge Of The Zombies)!!!

[Black Magic, Hong Kong poster]

The new DVD is set for release in July. Oh, and apparently there's no sight of the VCD version of BM2 which Celestial announced for Hong Kong release ages ago. Oh well, I guess that's not so important now, aye.

Anyway, I look forward to this DVD a lot and if you have the slightest interest in dark HK horror movies from the 80s so should you! It is one of the very best. The first film in the series is really good, and the third one (which was retitled Seeding Of A Ghost) is great... but this one is even better!

Btw, incidentally the poster (for the first film) at the bottom of this post is my latest poster purchase! Yes, as a complete coincidence with the news of the upcoming DVD it just popped up at a store in Thailand (on eBay) and I scooped it up right away! Yes, HAPPY DAY!!! LOL.

[Black Magic, Thai poster]

(you can click all the scans in this post for bigger sizes)

I wish I had a cult

You would all follow me. Cater to any of my needs and wishes. Rub my feet and wash my clothes. You would give me your hard-earned bread. Well, not bread as such because obviously you would cook great meals for me (and do the dishes). I wish I had a cult, then I'd be a happy man. I wish I had a dog. Hmmm. I did have a dog... wonder what happened to it. Anyway, gimme a cult. Any cult. Be my disciple, any disciple will do really.

Oh, and incidentally, I won this on eBay today:

[VHS/UK/English language/no subs/pre-cert]


[VHS/Denmark/courtesy of Diabolik, Cinehound forum]

[poster/Thailand]

(click scans for bigger size)

38 yrs down the line

I was driving to night class today with my aunt (we're both doing the same home-page course). One minute before we get there she goes: "Oh, by the way, I'm meeting with your niece Anette when we get there" and I'm, like, "Huh??? I haven't seen her since 197-fucking-1!!", and my aunt is like "Oh, really!?"
Gee man, I so wish you could choose your own family members sometimes!!! Anyway, we met and that was... weird. Anyhoo, how you doin'? Haha.

China White finally on dvd

Yes my children, I have been away from you but now I am back. Rejoice!
(yes, I have just re-watched that old Jim Jones TV series, LOL).

After having bought John Woo's now classic heroic bloodshed masterpiece THE KILLER around 1991, one of the first violent HK movies I got hold of on original video tape (as opposed to 4th generation dupes via tape-trading) was Ronny Yu's CHINA WHITE on vhs from the UK. Later, I also got hold of the Danish vhs release.
As I said, this was way back in the early 90s and for some reason the film kinda just drifted into obscurity and was never granted a dvd release. Well, not until now that is cos, lo and behold, on April 7. it's finally gonna come out in HK!

[old UK vhs/filmed in English & Cantonese/Eng. subs]

Opposed to most HK heroic bloodshed/triad films CHINA WHITE isn't set in HK but in and around a Chinatown in Holland. Hmm, now that I think about it I remember I actually reviewed the film for a fanzine way back in around 1992 or 93!! Anyway, when the film was made they actually shot two versions, one for HK and the other for international release. Interestingly enough, it's actually the international version which is director Ronny Yu's cut. The video versions I have both contain this version but I'm not sure which version is gonna come out on dvd. Obviously, it would be interesting to see the HK cut but according to Spannick at Asian Dvd Guide forum the HK print was heavily censored on laserdisc and vhs. But still, it would be interesting to see as it (apparently) contains completely different scenes and actors. I guess the ultimate dvd would include both versions. It's up for pre-order at Dddhouse.

[new HK dvd]

NB: there's a bit of confusion about whether the UK vhs is cut by 3 seconds or not. I'll see if I could be bothered to compare the two video releases at some stage. LOL.

I got shot in the head today!!!

And it was even in the trigger happy Nørrebro part of Copenhagen! But fortunately it was only in a movie! I went to the Danish capital today to star in a new Herschell Gordon Lewis inspired underground movie entitled PLANET HOLOCAUST.

 



PLANET HOLOCAUST is directed by renowned underground musician, film maker, and actor Amdi Peter. Amdi Peter is well known on the Danish punk scene for his old band Amdi Petersens Armé which also received some underground fame in the US and toured there, and he has later played in Gurilla Angreb and various other bands. Peter is also a well known face on the alternative Danish film scene. About five years ago he played the lead in the zombie flick RÅDDEN KÆRLIGHED which, incidentally, is also where I first met him (I was one of the zombies, LOL) and he directed DEN INTERGALAKTISKE GENVEJ starring Heine Sørensen and Henrik Larsen (of Obskuriøst magazine). Interestingly enough, I finally got to see the place where INTERGALAKTISKE was shot as today's shoot was done at the same flat.

PLANET HOLOCAUST is an ambitious trash movie that has already been 18 months underway and which still has a long way to go as it isn't scheduled for release until the end of the year. The cast is fairly big counting almost everyone from the Copenhagen scene of horror/trash movie collectors. For instance, today I spoke to Rockugle-Kim from the Copenhagen record & video store "Rock Uglen" who is also in the movie, along with Hetero Jens of Moshable magazine & Lowcut.dk and Heine Sørensen (of Stay Sick! magazine and several underground films including Martin Schmidt films, LOL), and countless more.

When I starred in RÅDDEN KÆRLIGHED five years ago I said I wouldn't do another movie. My feelings towards it all were kinda like when Ed Wood in ED WOOD says: "This is the one I'll be remembered for". Back then I said to Heine: "I don't wanna do another movie ever; this is going to be my cult role". Haha, well, you have an opinion until you change it for another one, LOL. The thing is Heine kept bugging me about this movie going: "Oh go on, they really want you in this, they keep asking me!" So I caved in, haha.

Anyway, my part isn't very big anyway and it was all done today. I only have one scene and Heine told me there wouldn't be very much dialogue, just a couple of lines. Well, never trust a bullshitter!!! haha. When we arrived today Amdi Peter pulled out FOUR PAGES OF DIALOGUE!!! I got more lines than anybody else in the whole bloody movie!!! I said "but how am I gonna do this, I can't remember four pages of dialogue. I'm not a fucking actor for chrissakes!"

Anyway, I believe it went alright in the end. Briefly about the plot; The film is about this virus from the moon that spreads to Earth and makes someone mutate into a hideous monster. A monster which obviously kills people, haha. In the film I play an astronaut who returns from to Earth and tries to warn people by leaking his story to a journalist although the company has told him not to. Obviously both he and the journalist get violently killed with gun shots to their heads. Good fun!

The journalist is played by an American guy called Justin that I hadn't met before and he knew as little about the movie and the plot (and the lines!!) as I did but he was a good trooper and after a few rehearsals it all worked out well (that was my impression anyway but of course you never know how it's gonna look once it's on the screen!). Our big snuff scene was, needless to say, quite gory. The special effects were provided by Tue Sick who also did the FX on RÅDDEN KÆRLIGHED (and who also played in some punk bands, I'm not sure if he still does). His surname (listed in the end credits to Rådden Kærlighed) probably isn't "Sick" but I suspect it's a reference to the magazine I publish; "Stay Sick!"). :-)

All in all a fun day. I hope they'll finish the movie sooner than later as it's probably gonna be great fun. We watched a teaser trailer and that certainly looked fun. They're talking about getting the film out on DVD and they've been speaking to a (for the moment being undisclosed) video label about a release but whether this'll pull thru or not remains to be seen. If nothing else they'll put it out on their own label. More info later.

EDIT (2020): The film was retitled GROTESK before its release. It premiered at the Blodig Weekend horror film festival (Copenhagen) in 2013 and was released on English friendly DVD from AWE (Denmark) soon after. The filmmakers were lousy cheapskates and I had to buy my own copy – they wouldn't even give me a lousy dvd-r. Not very punk if you ask me (actually complaining about it is way more punk, haha).

Here's some pictures from today's shoot. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a proper camera so they were all done using my cell phone and yes they're pretty crappy!! Sorry, haha.

Tue Sick working on my head-shot wound.

The shot wound before it was painted with skin colour.

Me with my open skull that doesn't look open at all as it wasn't painted at this point. Colour makes all the difference!

Tue hard at work.

Director Amdi Peter.

My co-actor Justin.

Preparing Justin's bloodied face (he gets splattered by MY blood and brain matter!).

Still preparing Justin's bloodied face.

Heine Sørensen looking by.

Belgian QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC

[VHS/Belgium/letterboxed/English dubbed/French & Dutch subtitles]

It must be 7 or 8 years ago since I bought this rare Belgian VHS release of the Indo horror movie THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC starring Suzzanna. And still to this day I think it's one of the coolest cover designs. I even have this as a poster (also from Belgium). Apart form a flying head, Suzzanna becoming an evil witch, and women eating maggots, the film also contains an amazing scene where a man suddenly, while walking in a crowd of people, pulls his own head off! You don't see that too often in movies these days. LOL.

Nocturnal Demon (HK, 1990)

Way back in the early 90s there was an ad in an issue of the UK mag "Eastern Heroes" for some of EH's Hong Kong tapes. Actually, as far as I remember their "releases" were 1st generation dupes. Buy hey, it was a different world back then. We didn't have DVDs, we didn't have video companies that were interested in Asian movies, and there weren't thousands of fans to support releases. Actually the only HK movie fans around were just me, a couple of guys over in England, and Craig Ledbetter + Thomas Weisser from "Asian Trash Cinema"!!

Oh, and obviously Damon Foster who did thee best Asian fanzine E-V-E-R!!! "Oriental Cinema".

Anyway, one of the films in that ad was NOCTURNAL DEMON starring Moon Lee. Back then I imagined the film probably dealt with Moon Lee fighting some evil demon from Hell. Unfortunately, I didn't have much money back then (now THERE'S a surprise!) and so I never got to order the tape from the UK. And years later it became just impossible to get hold of, not least seeing that NOCTURNAL DEMON never received a DVD release.

Then last year, something like 12-13 years after having discovered the film's existence, I discovered that it was among a big pile of films on laserdisc that someone was selling at Asian Dvd Guide forum. By the way, that "someone" actually turned out to be Miles Wood who's written about HK movies and had a book published on the subject. He also lives in the old crown colony. "Wauw" you might say but as it is mr. Wood doesn't even freaking like HK movies anymore, haha. Funny but also sad. So, like, he's living in this cool place which tons of HK movie fans would kill to live in and he doesn't give a rat's ass about the movies anymore, LOL.

Anyway, I wrote to him about the laserdisc but learnt that it had actually been sold. Fortunately, Miles had made a DVDR copy before shipping it off and he offered me that I could buy a copy so that was fantastic! I mean, after all these years to finally get hold of this film which I was hoping would turn out to be an awesome horror movie.

Much delayed I watched NOCTURNAL DEMON last night and, uh, it's wasn't quite the horror movie I had hoped for. It did revolve around a serial killer but that's actually just the setting. The rest of the films is a weird (very weird) comedy! However, although NOCTURNAL DEMON turned out to be something ELSE than a dark and nasty horror movie I must say I enjoyed it heaps! There were scenes that had me rolling in tears from laughter. I can only recommend you watch the film. Btw, I mentioned it stars Moon Lee and of course any film that stars miss Lee is watchable as far as I'm concerned as she's such a fun and quirky actress. I'm not gonna review the film on this blog (but maybe later) but there's a really good fairly short review here. I suggest you read it. Credit info here.

The cover on this page isn't from the laserdisc but from a newly released dvd! YES, THAT'S RIGHT!!! After having remained unreleased during all those years when I desperately tried to find it someone obviously had to put it out on cheap and easily available DVD as soon as I found a copy off a laserdisc and had it sent over all the way from Hong Kong!! Figure that!!

However, the film remains unreleased on its home turf of Hong Kong! The DVD is released in Malaysia of all places and is out from Dragon Jester who's a new company that has specialised in old obscure HK films. The picture quality of their DVDs isn't great, it's almost like watching old video tapes from HK; fullscreen, subtitles cut off left and right, and they've obviously kept the old wonkey translations. But, hey, who's complaining! Certainly not me. This way I'm finally able to watch old rare HK flicks that I've had marked as "must find!!" in my old well worn copy of "Asian Trash Cinema - The Book" for well over a decade! And as wonkey as the old WONKEY English subtitles may be they ARE English subtitles. Dragon Jester could easily have chosen not to provide English subs at all, after all they are a company in Malaysia catering to Malay customers.

In addition to NOCTURNAL DEMON Dragon Jester have put out quite a few cheap (VEEERY cheap) DVD's of old very rare films. I don't have their new DVD of NOCTURNAL DEMON but info on a French HK site makes me believe it's the same fullscreen version they're selling. Altho not strictly speaking a horror movie as I said before I wholeheartedly recommend it!!

[click cover for full size]

Worldweird???

What's happening with Jared's WORLDWEIRD blog??? For a moment there, a couple weeks back, it seemed our old buddy was making a return to the fandom of weirdo horror movies from strange places but he disappeared again. Too bad, pal. There aren't too many of us, sorry to see one go. The old site here.