Kung-fu makes a splash in America via Bruce Lee, via King Boxer but a Taiwanese Wuxia from 1971 unexpectedly dazzled audiences as well. Armed with an array of deadly kung fu killers and a promotional campaign for the ages, in 1973 Fearless Fighters came to America. Also, kung fu cinema in the third dimension in 1977’s […]

The director of Fantasy Mission Force scales down the genre bending and time warp madness and goes for a stripped down, broad comedy about a treasure hunt highlighted by frequent action choreography featuring among others Yukari Oshima. A Book Of Heroes from 1986 starts off this episode of Taiwan Noir and in the second half […]

Just before The Child of Peach, actress Lin Shao-Lu got to try out playing a boy with magical powers in Lee Tso-Nam’s Kung Fu Wonder Child. Bring out your Taiwanese bingo card, this one will have nice songs, pee and poo in faces and energy bolts. Also, the characters of The Water Margin fights people […]

Taiwan filmmakers bring to life the manga and anime sensation Dragon Ball as Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins and we also review Chu Yen-ping’s Dirty Dozen style adventure with mahjong playing hopping vampires that arrives in the form of Fantasy Mission Force. Described by many as bonkers and the worst Jackie Chan movie ever. With Kenny […]

Taiwan responds to the success of Hong Kong’s Mr. Vampire in the form of Hello Dracula*, courtesy of the director of The Child Of Peach, Also, Todd brings us The 36 Shaolin Beads (aka The Gloomy Tower). A possibly ghostly swordplay movie with an unusual emphasis on mystery. It seems like someone directed for once. […]

Legendary director Chang Cheh gets actors he worked with across the decades together for a Super Smash (Shaw) Brothers style time in The Shanghai Thirteen and he crafts a Wuxia pian fantasy with a tint of Halloween store horror and extensive kung fu in the form of The Nine Demons. Starring Gary and Joey. Thank you […]

Jimmy Wang Yu dones the One Armed Boxer persona again and takes on the blind master of the flying guillotine IN… Master Of The Flying Guillotine. We’ll also be talking about The Shaolin Invincibles, widely known as “the one with the gorillas.” Contact the show via email at podcastonfire at googlemail.com, on our Facebook page and Facebook group or Twitter (@podcastonfire, @sogoodreviews) and SUBSCRIBE to […]

The Asian film industry of the mid 70s was infused with the spirit of sharing–or, at least, borrowing. And often without permission. One of the results of this was a series of incredibly strange hybrid superhero films that were just as likely to include figures from Thai folklore as they were mad scientists and damsels […]

Once upon a time there was a big forest and in it sat two podcasters. One found a movie based on a fairy tale about deers fighting wolves (and there’s also exotic dancing) and the other found a movie where West meets East mixed with a possibly supernatural serial killer plotting. Far apart in genre […]

For once, we’re talking AVAILABLE Taiwanese cinema. It can be prolific, important aaaaand promptly lost. But since it has been part of the discussion, somewhat available before but now to the masses via a shiny new restoration, Taiwan Noir tackles a high profile Taiwanese movie for once: King Hu’s Dragon Inn from 1967. Contact the show […]