Rod, Justin, and Karen discuss listener feedback, cooking, Chinese movies, the It’s Been a Minute podcast, Karen ordered some new glasses, Rod and Karen go to the dispensary, Last Samurai Standing, listener feedback, and some local news.
Pre-Game: (Protected Content)
TLDRYESS! Sammo Hung is a legend. Funny, fast, and fierce. It’s a treat to see him move the way he does. Ip Man and Twilight Warriors are more recent Hung films where the mastery is on proper display. The Peking opera school gave us the 7 fortunes (the crew y’all mentioned).
Golden Harvest Studios owes it all to that crew. I did a deep dive as a teenager, burned through their filmography, and then I caught 36 Chambers of Shaolin starring Gordon Liu one Saturday morning, and that’s when I discovered ShawScope … they were gatekeepers. and for good reason.
Chang Cheh directed the same crew, specializing in brotherhood and coming-of-age themes (gangster-forward, Scorsese-like). Leung Kar Lung had a crew of usual suspects, and he was the purist, so his films were rooted in ancient Kung Fu history and Chinese traditions. He’s one of the greatest choreographers/storytellers of all time and militant, but he never kills the bad guys at the end; instead, he offers them the opportunity to do better.
There was a name for those microwave movies pieced together, and yes, the name was problematic (chop sucky). These were pumped out every day by random studios to capitalize on the Kung Fu craze. “Iron Fists..” is a great documentary.
Side note: In Kill Bill, the character Pai Mei is played by Gordon Liu, who fights Lo Lieh’s Pai Mei character in Clan of the White Lotus 35 years prior.
That wraps up our weekly kung Fu corner.
“Buddha’s name be praised.”
Debbie Allen Kicks
Wow, great podcast! You covered so much without it ever feeling overwhelming. Nice job!
Btw, as for not using oil on a pan. You can create asparity by grinding salt on the surface of the pan before cooking. This prevents sticking by causing minimal surface contact long enough for the oils in the meat to coat the pan. This can preserve the flavor of the meat and decrease the overall fat content of the meat. There’s a scientific term for just putting fish directly on a stainless steel pan and cooking it until it doesn’t stick too! . . . stupidity.
I saw Samo Hung in Chinese Kung Fu movies before I saw him in American movies, so he’s been one of my long-term faves too! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
And, about listeners who write 12 paragraphs about one word. . . sorry.