CompleteMartialArts.com - Asian Cult Cinema
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List Price: $14.00
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Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 016.7914375095
EAN: 9781572972285
ISBN: 1572972289
Label: Berkley Trade
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 1997-04-01
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Studio: Berkley Trade
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Editorial Reviews:
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The cult of Asian action/exploitation/ martial arts movies has exploded into a phenomenon. Here's the one-of-a-kind guide for its millions of fans which includes:
* Starred reviews of more than 1,000 films
* Cast, credits, and release date
* The roots of martial arts movies
* Extensive director filmography
* The major players
* Fully illustrated
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: UH, NO
Comment: On page 222 he attributes a starring role in "Ninja Strikes Back" to Bruce Li, uh no, sorry. That's a Bruce Le actioner. If he can't get his Bruce Lee clones straight, what does this say about his expertise? I wrote my matser's thesis on Bruce Lee clones so maybe he should have called me for help on this one!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worth a look
Comment: As has been pointed out by multiple reviewers, this book does have some errors, but, despite that fact, it is still a valuable source for information and reviews you will not find elsewhere; if nothing else it will at least provide the names of movies you can research on your own time. For this reason alone, I recommend this book.
Also, I would like to address some of the criticism levied against this book by Amazon.com reviewers. Firstly, to the person who claimed Mr. Weisser's "opinions are wrong": how exactly can an opinion about a movie be "wrong"? Certain individuals have certain tastes; that he likes different movies than you does not make him wrong. Secondly, if I wanted to read the umpteenth review about how great Seven Samurai is or how brilliant Ozu or Ichikawa are I could pick up virtually any book on movie criticism. One would have thought the presence of the word "cult" in the title would have tipped off a semi-discerning reader to the fact that this tome addresses more obscure and trashy films (Category III , pinky and roman porno movies being perfect examples), rather than the same old art-house fare that poseurs cite when they try to seem erudite when it comes to Asian cinema.
As for his website, I do not understand why reviewers have mentioned it, as it is totally irrelevant to the quality of this book. However, since it was mentioned, I feel the need to correct the outright falsehoods written about his site. The site does not require a membership; it requires an individual to register by providing an email address and password so that personal info can be more conveniently recalled. In this respect it is no different than Amazon.com.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sloppy and error filled book.
Comment: Asian Cult Cinema is a bad book. The reviews are flawed and the information is either flat out wrong or badly researched. The movie synopises are down right absmal
and headache inducing. I bought a copy of this book back in 1997. After reading it and doing my own research I sent the writer a huge list of corrections. I recieved a postcard with a note of acknowledgement. A few years later it was reprinted with the same errors.
Instead of buying this book go out and get a copy of Hong Kong Babylon. At least the writers went out and did their homework and put some time and effort into it. A.C.C. is flat out aweful. I would avoid it like the plague. Even the pictures are mislabeled. At his website he charges high prices for videos that are availible elsewhere. You even have to be a member just to purchase these videos. For shame.
Don't even think about it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not enough research
Comment: Weisser's expertise has been in question since long before this book appeared in 1997. Other reviewers here note that it has mistakes, but they really underrepresent the sheer volume of errors in the book which, shockingly, is still in print to this day, even as better volumes have long since supplanted it as a reference work. Shameful that it's still out there, what with it's incorrect and inconsistently spelled names, mistitlings, spoilers and plot synopses that make it all too painfully clear that Weisser and his contributors have not actually watched literally dozens of the films included in the book. Please save your money.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not recommended.
Comment: I would not recommend this book to someone looking for a balanced introductory guide to Hong Kong films. For one, there are a lot of factual errors. Titles, release years, stars, and plots are often mixed up and inaccurate. The author also seems to have a "more exploitative & trashy, the better" attitude--so maybe if your idea of an excellent film is the kind that would be perfect on "Mystery Science Theater 3000", you would like this book. Lots of great films are omitted, and his personal bias against some stars (like Chow Sing Chi) totally color his reviews. Don't get this one unless you're a completist for volumes on HK cinema and already have much better books like "Hollywood East".
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