Customer Reviews

Video Hound's Dragon: Asian Action & Cult Flicks

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, as the guy with the third most reviews in the book, I'm admittedly biased. However, significantly less than 1/10th of the work is mine -- so I think I can have an opinion. And my opinion is WOW! The day the book came in the mail, I thought it was 3 books, just due to the sheer size and heft. The night I got it, I stayed up 'til 3 AM reading it and marveling at the amount of work that Brian (and the other non-me contributors) had put into it.

This is an AMAZING collection of film reviews and facts. It's already invaluable to me (every time I see an Asian/Anime DVD for sale I wish I had it with me), and if you love HK/Action/Oriental/Monster films, I'm betting you'll adore this book, too.

Heck, I'd _have_ to buy it, even if I hadn't worked on it. There is no better guide to Asian cinema.

Dunno what book that NY guy was reading, or even if he saw this. Clearly, he was misinformed.

Simply put, if you're a fan of Asian films, or are interested in delving into the wild world of Eartern cinema, this book is a must-own.

To make things clear, this was originally intended solely as a guide to Hong Kong action films. But then the editors made a last-minute decision to include films from all East Asian countries. However, most of the capsules are for HK and Japanese films. There are some Korean, a few Taiwanese and maybe one or two Indian films covered here. The problem with a book like this is that it is virtually impossible to create a comprehensive guide. The world of Asian cinema (especially Hong Kong cinema) is as vast as that of America, meaning, there are tons and tons of titles that aren't covered here, even if they were on DVD at the time this book was written. I can name at least five to ten titles off the top of my head that should be in this book but aren't.

That said, what makes this book invaluable are the capsule reviews themselves. Besides putting to light some of the rarer titles (including some ultra hard-to-find kung fu movies from Taiwan that are nearly impossible to locate on the internet) the writers also provide incredibly detailed plot descriptions. This comes in handy, especially if you're the type of movie-watcher (like myself) who will go to the video store and pick out random titles off the shelf just because the artwork is cool. A lot of times the older kung fu movies are almost impossible to follow plot-wise, and I've spent many times in front of a film with this book on my lap, following along with the description as the actual film played out (this was especially helpful when I accidentally rented PEKING OPERA BLUES without English subtitles!).

So, overall, I'd say this is a great book. It's the only true movie guide to Asian films, and while I would have liked to have seen more Bollywood titles, I really can't complain.

This amazing book is bursting at the seams with information both insightful and witty about the vast unknown world of asian cinema.
It is great to be able to find a film to fit any wacky mood.
The way you can search so many different criteria and be entertained by informed trivia make this guide indispensible to anyone looking expand their film horizons.
There is a genuine affection for the subject that clearly comes thru in the writing and in the reviews.
I highly recommend this resource.

I understand that this book is not absolutely perfect. I've tried, with little success, to find the ultimate guide to Asian cinema. (Specifically pertaining to Hong Kong action/triad/horror/kung fu films) Perhaps I just haven't come across it yet, as I'm sure I'm far from the end of my search. This book, however, I must say is an excellent place to start. I wouldn't call it the "ultimate" guide but if you're just getting into Asian action cinema, this is probably the first book you want to buy. With an array of useful tools, such as Search by Cast/Writer/Director Index and the all-important Alternative Title Index, this book is an A-Z encyclopedic reference guide to Asian movies. Though far from being a complete guide, I've found this book to be extremely useful. The Alternative Title Index is probably the greatest asset of this book, coupled with the internet... I'd make this an essential guide to own when beginning a collection and ESPECIALLY for just a casual viewer looking for movies to rent. Just make sure you have room for this huge book cause it'll be more like a bible. (I have to admit, I haven't even made it all the way through the book yet!)

I've gone through this fun book repeatedly as great guide to remind me of films I want to watch again, unseen films I want to immediately put on my Netflix list and films I want to avoid at all costs. I recommend a copy for each bathroom of your home!

Kudos to Mr. Thomas, Mr. Martin and their colleagues. This is the one we've have been waiting for: a treasure trove of witty, incisive, ever-lively mini-reviews of Asian cult films. It's a wonderfully eclectic mixture of the famous, the infamous and the obscure (deservedly and undeservedly) that makes for compulsive reading. Above all, it's an *exciting* read; the authors' fever-charged passion for these films is clearly palpable, not to mention downright infectious. Highly recommended.

I really didn't know anything about Asian movies outside of Godzilla, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, but got curious after seeing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I started watching more Asian movies, but didn't have a good frame of reference for what I was seeing, and since so many of the directors and actors are credited with variations of their names, or anglicized versions, it was hard for me to keep track of what I was watching.

I am so glad I own this book! It makes sense of an enormous subject, with humor and an excellent attention to detail. The reviews are great, and the numerous sidebars, from Who's Who in Fu (parts 1 thru 5) to The Ultraman Family, and from a Salute to Sammo Hung to an explanation of the Yuens, this book has it all. And at 900+ pages, it better! I also loved that there is a category index in the back, so that I can pick a theme, like Beggars, or Cyberpunks, or Old-School Kung Fu, and find titles that fit that theme. And the cast index is very helpful as well. The forward by Cynthia Rothrock is great - she tells some great stories from her career.

This is the book for any serious fan of Asian cinema, or anyone wanting to become a serious fan. The only drawback is that I may never leave the house again - I have bookmarked hundreds of movies in it that I want to watch!

What Brian Thomas, et al, have done is nothing short of amazing! He has taken a survey of thousands of Asian films, most from Hong Kong but also included Korea, Japan and others, and put together a book of limitless information. Videohound guide books have always had great indexes, and The Dragon continues in this tradition. Like a film by director A? Find all of his other films, and then buy, buy, buy! There are reviews for films in almost every genre, from every period of Asian cinema, and all are written from a fans point of view, which I appreciate. Often times genre fans find their favorite movies slashed and burned by other guides, but in this guide the reader can easily tell that the author is a fan and appreciates and admires the films he has reviewd! My only complaint is that this book will further the extinction of my already vanishing bank acount! We at the MHVF are all proud!

Wow, I wish they would've made this book sooner, so I would have known which movies to rent! No more guess and check, I can now read this book and find out which movies are good, and who's in them!

I don't personally trust people that type with the caps lock button on, so I went and bought this book at Boarder's. It's actually pretty good, and was a great reference for some of the lesser known hong kong movies.