Bey Logan's latest masterpiece to open soon in PRC.

"Beach Spike!" (apparently the exclamation point is important) a movie which stars Chrissie Chau as a cute woman with large breasts. Produced (or something) by Bey Logan.

Anticipating Brian T's review/discussion.

I'm expecting another rave review .

Oh, I'll get to it some day, with level expectations no less, despite my mixed feelings toward its producer and his "expertise" in Hong Kong cinema! Besides, I've never met a Logan movie that required a lot of deep contemplation to review.

I remember requesting the title and cast/crew info be added to some database website, somewhere . . . the name eludes . . . anyways, I have to give the filmmakers some credit (even Logan, to whatever degree the idea was his) for capitalizing in the most obvious fashion on the popular "pseudo-models" or whatever they're called (the Chrissies and AngelaBabys and what not); it was inevitable really, and it certainly behooves any writer to watch and review it in this context, though I do wonder if it's arriving a bit late in the evolution of the fad. Also, even though it's not a Category III picture (is it?), I wonder if the PRC version will differ in any way from the Hong Kong version, if and when that gets released. Or is jiggle A-OK with the censor bureau these days?

Now, LITTLE GOBIE, on the other hand . . .


. . . and SNOWBLADE, well . . .


As long as Logan keeps crankin' it out, the concept of direct-to-video will never die . . .

Brian T wrote:... I wonder if the PRC version will differ in any way from the Hong Kong version, if and when that gets released. ...

Interesting quote from David Bordwell on the new Planet Hong Kong:

"Chinese authorities grew wise to the game and soon insisted that jointly produced
films had to create a single version for release in Hong Kong, the Mainland, and overseas."

I don't think technically applies to strict HK productions, but I think they might not let the film in then.

Is it just me, or did that seem a bit cheap 0.0
and not in a good way.

Seemed to be borrowing from Ninja - The Final Duel :-P

Haven't seen the movie yet. Just watched trailer and saw this:

Monk Law???
Is "Monk" his English name now, or they just wrote his Chinese name that way?

Bearserk wrote:Seemed to be borrowing from Ninja - The Final Duel :-P

If you're referring to SNOWBLADE, I'm sure there's a bit of NINJA: THE FINAL DUEL in there, as well as a whole lotta LADY SNOWBLOOD from Japan.

Bearserk wrote:Is it just me, or did that seem a bit cheap 0.0
and not in a good way.

Nope, not just you. It looks pretty low-budget, so it's understandable. I may have to give him credit, tentatively at least: if his leading lady Yu Yung-Yung appears nude in the film as often as the trailer and Logan's on-set photos suggest, he deserves some kudos for actually finding a Chinese actress willing to perform under such circumstances. It seems like most of the disrobing done in Hong Kong Category III movies for the past 15 years or so has been done almost exclusively by imported Japanese porn starlets. Nice to (possibly?) see a native stepping up to the plate! Naturally, any such praise is contingent on my seeing the finished product.

Nevertheless, while Logan deserves some praise for following his movie dreams even as the local industry has had increasingly less need of his services, if these are the kinds of pictures he cranks out (in 2011!) is anyone surprised that I've been so sniffy about his "Hong Kong cinema expert" title over the years? I mean, seriously, a near lifetime spent in supposed awe of the wonders of the city's cinema, and the best projects he can attach his name to are low-budget (s)exploitation pictures? I can't fault his work ethic, and maybe such productions are the only kind he can attract financing for, but I question what lessons he's taken away from Hong Kong cinema and culture over the years besides kung-fu, gunfighting and hot babes (wow, sounds like I'm describing Andy Sidaris). There's virtually nothing on his blog at Alive Not Dead that contradicts this kind of assessment. Not that Logan would likely argue it anyways . . .

Incidentally, one of his posts on the blog expresses a none-too-subtle disappointment with SHADOWGUARD director and star Michael Biehn, with Logan writin that "for some reason, the more leeway and the more discretionary benefits and credit you give someone, the more they will eventually come to resent you. You can pay someone in full, provide them with every opportunity and give them a credit far greater than they're contracted for... and they'll be unhappy!"

Judging by the trailer (blame YouTube for the un-synced audio), perhaps Biehn got disheartened trying to trying to improve the source material on a cheap-o budget that resulted in another drab, direct-to-video potboiler the likes of which he'd already made many in his post-James Cameron career:

Yeah, kudos for trying :-)

But I am not really that impressed with what you have shown me here, still have to check one of them out one day :-)

And low budget stories can be great movies as we both know, one just have to go in with a lot of love and dedication and never loose sight of what one has to work with.

And nothing wrong with sexploitation movies ;-)
Keep bringing out those, but try to make them look as they are not shot on DV, getting the film look helps a lot for the mood.

Bearserk wrote:And low budget stories can be great movies as we both know

They sure can, and we've seen some dandies! But they can also suck hard when they dream bigger than their budgets allow, which is sadly too often the case. I predict Logan’s productions might be somewhere in between. Hopefully.

Bearserk wrote: one just have to go in with a lot of love and dedication and never loose sight of what one has to work with.

That's my problem with Logan’s continuing mission to stay in film. On the surface, it seems like he's motivated by love and dedication to his cherished Hong Kong cinema, but in reality (as evidenced by the quality of the footage in these trailers) he seems motivated by cash (fair enough) and the easy gratification that comes with cranking out undernourished exploitation fare to sell at Cannes to (a dwindling number of) direct-to-DVD and direct-to-cable distributors.

With the exception of BEACH SPIKE — which gets a pass because it has pseudo-models front and centre and appears to favour character over special effects and stunts — its clear that he’s overreaching, just like so many cash-strapped filmmakers before him, trying to tell stories (even animated ones) that require more money and talent than he’s able to secure, and as a result they just look like cheap, poorly-written shot-on-video fare, made to be sheathed in a flashy slipcover that will sucker unwitting Wal-Mart shoppers on new release day. Maybe it’s just me daydreaming, but if he was truly in sync with Hong Kong and all of its rich cinematic culture, he’d spend his low budgets on less would-be-grandiose genre fare like shot-in-English (!) Chanbara riffs and jungle action epics, and instead fund some indie-style dramas, straight-faced ghost stories (NOT the green-faced Helena Law Lan kind) or even short films that thoughtfully reflect the city that has provided him gainful employment for nearly 20 years (and which are very much still being made there), then work his way up from there, rather than falling back on the most easily-exploited elements of the city’s cinematic legacy, and doing them less justice than his idols did 25 to 30 years ago.

Bearserk wrote:And nothing wrong with sexploitation movies ;-) Keep bringing out those, but try to make them look as they are not shot on DV, getting the film look helps a lot for the mood.

Quite agreed! Unfortunately, the “film look” is a rare thing in Category III sex films, what few are even made any more! We can at least be thankful that serious attempts were made in movies like SEX & CHOPSTICKS and the new SEX & ZEN. On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of DV movies wherein the quality of the framing, blocking and camerawork more than compensates for the lack of a filmic appearance because the filmmakers are able to demonstrate some remarkable technical skills and/or a knack for pulling strong performances from their actors despite meager financing. I’m just not seeing that in the trailers linked in previous posts. I’m reminded of all the DTV junk I used to review for the local daily newspaper — back in 1992!

My problem with the kinds of movies Bey Logan makes is that his hard-earned status could allow him to do so much better, yet he’s making the kind of stuff any stereotypical “chopsocky” fan would try to make if they were given a few dollars and a film crew.