WEBVTT - Weirdhouse Cinema: Magic of Spell 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:05.519 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:16.079 Hey you welcome to Weird House Cinema. This is Rob Lamb. 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:19.040 And this is Joe McCormick. And today on Weird House 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:21.640 Cinema we're going to be talking about the nineteen eighty 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:26.400 eight Taiwani is fantasy martial arts movie Magic of Spell. 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:30.880 This movie is overwhelming, Rob. I'm so glad you picked it. 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:35.680 I was watching it with Rachel multiple times in the evening, 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:39.720 right before bed, and she was very tired and like, 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:41.080 I really need to go to bed. 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:42.920 But every new moment there. 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.080 Was something that like put the hook in was like no, 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:47.680 I got to watch for another few minutes. And it's 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:51.159 kind of relentless in that regard. So wow, what a 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:51.960 choice this was. 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:55.160 Yeah. Yeah, I was really conflicted on what sort of 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:57.560 movie to pick for today because we have several things 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.480 going on at once. You know, it's like Valentine today 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.600 almost here. So I was thinking maybe a paranormal romance 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.800 of some sort that we kind of got into that 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:11.280 a bit with the last selection, so wasn't heartbroken over 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:13.560 not going in that direction. But then also it's Friday 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:15.520 the thirteenth, so I was like, okay, maybe some sort 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.560 of a slasher. And then also I was thinking, well, 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:20.720 you know, we have Lunar New Year coming up here 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:24.279 as well, so maybe you know, something from Asian cinema 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:26.880 would be appropriate. And I was looking at some pretty 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:31.640 serious and artsy titles, you know, some stuff that was 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:35.000 already a little bit in the bummer category, you know. 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:38.119 And it was in the day that I had to pick. 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.440 The film was also just like the news cycle was 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:45.319 especially depressing and demoralizing, and I realized that a I 0:01:45.400 --> 0:01:49.400 needed a hear b. They needed to be strong, they 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:51.320 needed to be fast, and they needed to be fresh 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.280 from the fight. And I needed a dumb fantasy movie 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:58.360 with very little connection to reality. And the answer came 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.880 to me like a divine p rising up out of 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.520 a well magic of spell, the sequel to Child of 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:07.520 Peach just staring up at me from my movie drawer, 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:11.960 with the promise of frenzied fight choreography, insane magic, and 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.359 essentially zero real world vibes to contend with. 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:18.919 So, as you said, this is a sequel to another 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:21.799 movie we've covered on the show, the movie Child of Peach, 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.040 which came out I think just the year before this. 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:29.080 Yeah. Yeah, they were able to reload the chamber and 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.920 give us another one pretty quickly. It's quite impressive. 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:36.400 There's not much of an esthetic gap between the two, 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:40.120 Like the second one feels very aesthetically tied to the 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:40.720 first one. 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:45.040 Yeah, it doesn't even bother to reintroduce characters that are 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:47.840 brought back into the film halfway through. They're just like 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.280 you watched the last one. You watch Child of Peach, 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:52.160 So yeah, you know what's going on. 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:56.160 But for those who have not recently watched Child of Peach, rob, 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.160 can you remind us, like, what was the deal with 0:02:58.240 --> 0:02:58.959 Child of Peach? 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:03.160 Yeah? Child of Peach eighty seven gave us the origin 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:06.240 of Peach Boy, So this is the Taiwanese film that 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.680 is giving us some version of a Japanese folkloric character 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:13.600 generally called Mama Taro, a child born from a giant 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.520 peach and then found by an old woman and raised 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:20.080 as her child. Then Peach Boy becomes a mighty hero 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:24.560 as a boy fighting alongside a trio of friends Little Dog, 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:28.360 Little Monkey, and Little Pheasant, who in these films are 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:32.480 portrayed as magical, youthful fairy type figures with animal hybrid 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:38.160 attacks and together, these four fight various only devils and 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.880 monsters that's in the original folk tale. Okay, yeah, and 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.080 so this is a Bonker's adaptation of all of that, 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:53.160 seemingly even further removed from reality. Like watching this film, 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:56.720 you may have passing questions about where this takes place. 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.680 Is this supposed to be Japan? Or is or is 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:03.280 this not Japan. It's really a kind of a fantasy 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:05.640 world unto its own. We're in a world of almost 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:08.760 pure myth here. So if you want, you can go 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:10.800 back and re listen to our episode on Child of 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:13.320 Peach before listening to this episode. But on the other hand, 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:17.560 it's absolutely not required. We'll catch up to speed here. 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:19.839 I guess one of the things that we've discussed in 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.400 the last episode that's important to to drive home here 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.000 as well is that there was an energy to Taiwanese 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.440 action films of this era. And the way this is 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.320 often interpreted, or I've seen it interpreted, is that they 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.880 were competing against films released by far more established Hong 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:39.120 Kong cinema studios, but they were making up for it 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:43.799 with greater risks, crazier stunts, and just in certain films anyway, 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:48.120 an absolute commitment to absurd elements. As such, Child of 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.719 Peach goes big, it goes weird. The same goes for 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:53.960 Magic of Spell, and the same goes for a thrilling 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:57.520 Bloody Sword, another Taiwanese fantasy epic that we've discussed on 0:04:57.560 --> 0:04:57.880 the show. 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:00.880 Yeah, that was a really good one too. I'm trying 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:06.120 to think about some common features these movies share. They 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:08.960 do tend to have, as you say, a real emphasis 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:13.600 on outlandish elements. There's no subtlety, there's no restraint. They're 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:20.480 going for bizarre characters and costumes, weird, just juicy set 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:24.720 action set pieces. You know, they're not trying to stay 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:28.440 close to realism or anything like that, just a pure 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:32.919 embrace of spectacle and weird fantasy and comedy. There's a 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:37.960 strong comedic element, very running. Yeah, slapstick. I would also 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:43.279 call out something about the pace of the editing and storytelling. 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.520 A lot of things just happen so fast. It's a 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:51.279 style that mostly cuts out connective tissue that would be 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:54.080 there in other stories and tends to kind of go 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:56.400 from one outlandish thing to another. 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.320 Yeah, yeah, there is something about the Paine. This is 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:03.279 a movie where, at times seemingly every character can both 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:07.159 fly and teleport, and we'll do so. I mean it's 0:06:07.240 --> 0:06:09.560 amazing to watch, but at times it's like, man, this 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:14.760 guy just teleported three times to move across a room. Essentially, 0:06:15.240 --> 0:06:17.520 like a lot of work went into this effect. What 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:19.679 did it accomplish? I don't know. It keeps things moving 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:23.080 really quickly, and there's just it's something about the magical 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:25.560 nature of the world. And it is also worth reminding 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:29.479 her when the martial arts hits, it's amazing, like the 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:34.920 stunt works great, great fight choreography, great wire work, and 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.160 it just goes. It's just when the kicks start flying 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:42.039 and the blades are pulled out. I mean, it's just NonStop. 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:44.839 It's just all out, and I absolutely love. 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:48.080 It, especially the final fight scene, which is huge. I 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:50.240 mean it's the last twenty minutes of the movie is 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:54.479 one continuous fight scene, and it's really excellent, like not 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:59.120 cheap at all, great sets and props and really good choreography. 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:03.640 It's fast, it's interesting, they keep changing it up, excellent, excellent, 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:05.360 final showdown. 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:07.640 I think all three. I could be mistaken on this 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:09.840 because it's been a while since, certainly since we watched 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.400 Throwing Bloody's sword. But I think all three of these 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.960 Taiwanese fantasy films we've talked about, I think they all 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:17.600 have a climax that takes place in some sort of 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:21.640 a throne room somewhere like a massive, massive throne room 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:27.080 with lots of space for stunts and wire effects. All right, well, 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:30.240 let's briefly roll out the elevator pitch for this one. 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:33.240 It is an ancient evil Sorcer needs virgin blood and 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:35.800 thousand year old Jensen in order to retain his power. 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.560 Only Peach Boy and friends can stop him. 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:44.320 This movie, did you notice has strong themes of medicine, health, 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:48.160 and rejuvenation. Seems like it was on the screenwriter's mind. 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:53.520 So the main villain, his problem is that he is old. 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:57.640 He's sometimes called the Elder Demon, also called King Devil, 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:00.840 but he's depicted as very old and decrepit, and he 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:03.840 has powers where he can like launch beams at people, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.040 but he is also shown as being feeble of body, 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:11.240 so he'll like, you know, shoot a ray at somebody 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:13.480 and knock them down and then do a villain laugh. 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:15.600 And then then in the middle of the villain laugh, 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:19.040 he starts coughing, you know, like he's having trouble. So 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:24.560 it's this interesting combination of potency but also aging and 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:27.560 weakness in the villain, and he needs to counteract the 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:30.960 march of time and his own aging with evil magic. 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:34.040 And so that's one theme. There's a kind of dark 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.880 arts of healing that is central to the villain's plot. 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.400 Like one of his main hinchmen we were just talking 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.520 before we came on, Mike is sort of a black 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:46.640 magic concierge physician, like he's a he is a you know, 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:51.760 he provides medical services to rich evil ghosts. I think, yeah, 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:54.200 so that's like one big theme. But then on the 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:56.640 other side, there's also just a lot of talk about 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.319 what's good for health. The gen saying is good for health, 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.640 and foods and drinks are good for health. I don't know, 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:06.240 I was just noticing that knocking around a lot in 0:09:06.240 --> 0:09:08.400 the story. I'm not sure exactly what to make of it. 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:09.920 I mean, I guess a big part of it is, 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:11.559 you know, Jen Singh is going to play a role here. 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:15.400 So the first movie introduces us to Peach Boy, a 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.880 peach that becomes a child, and then they were like, well, 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:21.480 what should we team peach Boy up with for the sequel. Well, 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:24.880 let's go to Gen Sing, because Jen Sing, for those 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.280 of you are not familiar, you know, it has a 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:31.120 root like rhizome that grows in the ground that sometimes 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:34.319 looks kind of like it has limbs, and there are 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:39.280 folk traditions of Gen Seng becoming a child, and so 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:41.600 therefore it just makes perfect sense. And of course Jenseng 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:46.040 has all of these connections to traditional medicine. So this 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:49.120 story basically writes itself at that point. It's a movie 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:50.160 about wellness though. 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:54.160 Yes, yeah, health and wellness, medicine, and also the power 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.600 of the Buddha. Power the Buddha really comes through in several. 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:01.120 Scenes absolutely all right. So for those of you who 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:03.720 now want to go out and watch Magic of Spell 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:05.640 and then come back for the rest of the episode. 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:08.520 Kind of a mixed bag here, because on one hand, 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.640 legitimate releases of this film, at least in the US 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:17.760 and elsewhere, it just seemed non existent. However, if you're 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.920 just looking for streams on various websites, it seems to 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:25.520 be widely available there in multiple formats and actually at 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:29.000 times in really good quality. I watched this on a 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.440 disc of unknown origin, and honestly, some of the streams 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.959 out there are better picture quality, but I don't think 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:39.160 it has had anything like as of this recording, anything 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:42.960 like an official DVD or Blu Ray release, at least 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:46.439 outside of its original markets. Yeah. 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:50.000 I watched a stream of it that had fairly rough 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:52.959 subtitles that felt like an unofficial effort to me. 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:55.480 Yeah, yeah, say, the subtitles on mine were a little 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:57.640 bit cheeky, but it's also hard to tell, because this 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:01.800 movie's a little bit cheeky. Yeah, it's hard to tell, like, 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:06.480 at what point is the subtitle composer going in for 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.600 business for themselves and having a little extra fun, and 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:13.120 how much of it is an accurate translation of the 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:20.800 original dialogue? So yea, that being said, I think both 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.280 of I think the two of us watch slightly different 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.120 subtitled versions of this film, so at times we're going 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.360 to be comparing notes on what may or may not 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:32.000 have been said in this movie. Luckily, it is a 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:35.360 very visual film that mostly tells its story through stunts 0:11:35.400 --> 0:11:48.240 and spectacle, so it's not as important. All right, Shall 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:52.440 we get into the people behind this film? Sure? Now, 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.439 this is one of those films where, at times, piecing 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:59.559 everything together across multiple movie databases is a little challenging, 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:04.560 but I was looking at IMDb, TMDb as well as 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:06.920 a Hong Kong movie database and a couple of other 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:10.640 sources here, all right. The director, also the writer and 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:14.760 the stunt coordinator once again is Chung Sing Chaw, Hong 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:17.439 Kong born director and actor who apparently came up through 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:21.200 the Hong Kong Yun clan of filmmakers. His stunt coordinating 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:24.480 and directing credits include both Peach films, as well as 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:28.040 ninety one's Twelve Animals, eighty five's Drunken Dragon, and eighty 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:32.120 five's Hello Dracula, That's a Hopping Vampire film. He received 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.360 a nineteen eighty three nomination in the Hong Kong Film 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:38.280 Awards for Best Action Choreography in The Miracle Fighters. It's 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.480 my understanding that this is a guy who went to 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:43.320 Taiwan to really capitalize on a lot of excitement that 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:48.000 was building there for locally produced Wu Shaw style fantasy 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:52.360 martial arts epics for the whole family. Yeah, big magical elements. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:56.880 Yeah yeah. And so you know, everything I've seen from him, 0:12:56.920 --> 0:13:00.480 which is just two films at this point, is in credible. 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:03.800 It's just again just a real commitment to just over 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.400 the top action, laughs and absurdity. 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:11.240 We have enjoyed the other JUNGHI hopping vampire movies that 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:13.560 we've seen, and so now that I know this guy 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:15.440 has one, I would like to seek that out. 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.800 Yeah, hello Dracula. I love the title. Yeah, it's a 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.679 great title. It's like the Big Bopper is given a 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:29.680 given given Dracula ring. Yeah, what all right? Now getting 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:34.520 into the cast once more, we have Child of Peach. 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:38.080 Now, one thing I think people notice when they first 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.920 start watching these movie Child of Peach or Magic of 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:45.440 Spell is that the main character, Peach Boy, appears to 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:48.000 be played by an adult woman. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:49.280 And that is correct. 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.640 The star playing Peach Boy is an adult woman. 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:55.920 Not a child. Absolutely. Yeah. It's much like you know, 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:58.679 various incarnations of Peter Pan and of course mister b 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.040 natural for MST fans out there, you know, knowing the 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:05.480 character is supposed to be a little boy, I still 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:09.000 end up processing Peach as a grown woman. So I'm 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:10.640 just gonna go and say bear with me because I'm 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:13.319 probably gonna use just all manner of pronouns when referring 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:16.480 to Peach here. And I think the film is pretty 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.400 self aware on this matter as well, Like, I think 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:21.880 part of its intended humor is like, yeah, peach Boy 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:25.000 is obviously like a twenty something meter a year old 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:29.840 woman playing the role, But that woman is sau Lao 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:35.120 ln aka lamsu Lao aka Sharon Foster. And then I 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:38.080 think her nickname was apparently peach Baby because of the 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:43.080 success of these films. Yeah, so born nineteen sixty seven. 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:48.920 Just again, a tremendous performance here, spirited, high energy, just 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:51.600 a real treasure here when she busts out the sword 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.640 or even when she's just going you know, punches and kicks, 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:58.480 amazing work here. She's great in this role for multiple reasons. 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:01.360 Number one, she's just really good and the action, the 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:06.840 fight choreography and the action scenes, she radiates lawful good 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:09.720 She's one of those people, yeah, just beams out rays 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.840 of goodness. So you really buy her as this as 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:17.080 this kind of angelic, cherubic hero. And then also she 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:22.960 has a groundedness and maturity, especially when compared to the 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:26.320 more clownish character. Is like the puppeteer character we'll talk 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:28.760 about in a minute. When the other characters are doubting 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.560 or panicking, the character peach Boy keeps a cool head 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:33.480 and she portrays that very well. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.440 Yeah, true hero, and yeah, we'll have a lot to 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:39.720 say about her performance as we roll through here. But 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.600 as for the actress here active from nineteen eighty through 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.520 twenty sixteen. According to the Hong Kong Movie Database, I've 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.440 seen her described as a Kung Fu wonder kind of 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.600 her time. She apparently attended a peaking opera school in 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:54.840 Taiwan but quickly made a name for herself as an 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:59.400 adorable fantasy action movie performer. On the various databases, her 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:01.520 acting credits go back to nineteen eighty, but her career 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:05.200 seems to really take off with eighty six's Kung Fu 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:09.720 Wonder Child, sometimes presented with the title Kong Fu Wonder Child. 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.280 And this was a Woosha film in which our youthful 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:17.280 hero battles evil forces. That seems to be that's how 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:20.640 she was type cast, but hey, she's great at it. Yeah. 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.560 Child of Peach in eighty seven was the big one. 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.520 This was a big hit, and we of course get 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:29.000 this Peach sequel. But I think there are other Peach 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.840 sequels as well. I'm not sure if they're like one. 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:36.840 Here's another adventure of Peach Boy or if it's kind 0:16:36.840 --> 0:16:39.400 of just you know, playing with some of the same 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.240 themes when we have a you know, a youthful figure 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:45.920 fighting evil with a lot of crazy action. Yeah, riffing 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.640 on the on the central idea. Yeah. Her other credits 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:52.720 also include nineteen eighty nine's The Iceman Cometh, the movie 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:57.240 about Frozen, then Thoweds Swordsmen from the Ming Dynasty. Well 0:16:57.240 --> 0:16:59.320 regarded sword play in that film. I've actually seen it, 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:02.320 but it has been a long time and I'm not 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.040 sure if she's still active in any way, depending on 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:08.000 the different databases you look at. Her last film was 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.679 possibly in twenty sixteen or twenty eighteen. All Right, So 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:15.320 that's our star, without a doubt. That's our title character. 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.240 But we have some fun supporting characters here as well. 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:22.840 First of all, Yaome Fong born nineteen fifty eight returns 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:27.000 playing Peach Boy's mother, the Old Woman. She only has 0:17:27.040 --> 0:17:29.960 like eight films credited on the databases I was looking at, 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:33.440 including Child of Peach and Hello Dracula, But she's very 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:34.560 funny in this once more. 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:38.080 Yeah, it's funny they write a line because most of 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:41.520 her scenes are comedy scenes, Like there are several scenes 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:45.439 where it's funny because she doesn't understand what's happening or 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:48.600 doesn't understand that there's danger. For example, when the puppeteer 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.560 is attacked by a boxing skeleton and. 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.120 She thinks it's just a puppet show. 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:56.080 Yeah, and so that kind of thing is great. There's 0:17:56.119 --> 0:18:01.120 also some humor at just her being kind of nagging 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:04.320 or harassing of people, like she harasses the clown character 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:08.600 in a funny way. But also you get some real 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:14.200 heart strings with this character. Like spoiler coming, she dies 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:18.200 in this film. She's killed by the King Devil's ghost soldiers, 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:22.000 and like the moment after that happens, you get kind 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:26.480 of a montage of her life raising Peach Boy, and 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.520 I was out of nowhere. I was finding myself feeling 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:32.159 very emotional in the middle of crazy movie. 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:35.840 Yeah. Same, absolutely, will we get those flashbacks to scene 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:38.480 from the scenes from the first film where she's raising 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:39.040 Peach Boy. 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:41.960 She's feeding him like a hundred plates of food in 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:43.800 a row to make him big and strong. 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:47.600 Yeah. So yeah, it's a fun performance that does pull 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.399 up the heart strings when it gets serious, which is 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:52.040 something to say for this whole movie, because there are 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:55.439 times for this movie is just flapstick, you know, to 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:58.679 eleven and then other times, you know, quite sad and 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.520 emotional or a little bit gary, like it really manages 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:02.040 to do it all. 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:05.640 Yeah, ninety five percent hilarious with five percent tier jerkers. 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.200 Yeah, yeah, with stunt work that at times you can 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:11.680 feel in your bones. And and also just some of 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.159 the choreography just makes you like, I'm watching it by 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.280 myself and I'm essentially like fist pumping in the air, 0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:21.080 you know, because it's just so intense. All right, let's 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.680 move on our other. One of our other main characters 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:28.439 here is I believe we can agree at this point 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:30.479 that he is some sort of a puppeteer or a 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:31.520 traveling bard. 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:35.320 Right, Yeah, he is a performer. He explains this to 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:38.679 Peach Boy's mom, that he's been making a living as 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:41.600 a traveling puppeteer. But he's also I think a kind 0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:45.760 of stock character from fantasy martial arts movies of this type, 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.640 who is the aspiring disciple of the great Master. He's 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:55.239 wandering around looking for a mentor to teach him, you know, 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:58.280 the to teach him courage and wisdom and martial arts. 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:01.840 And so he's he's where that Peach Boy exists and 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.399 is out looking for Peach Boy to teach him something 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:06.400 and take him on as a student, even though he's 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:09.080 obviously significantly older than Peach Boy. 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.480 Right and doesn't recognize Peach Boy when he finally meets 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:13.000 Peach Boy. 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:16.639 Yeah, but he's been making a living as a puppeteer, 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:18.879 so he like walks around with this big backpack that 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:23.119 I first interpreted as a shrine or like sometimes in 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:26.840 these movies there's a scholar character who has a wooden 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:29.679 backpack like this in which they carry their books. But 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:33.720 I think his backpack is it functions as a shrine, 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:36.760 but may also work as like a kind of puppet stage. 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:38.320 I wasn't exactly clear on that. 0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:40.399 Yeah, yeah, yeah, at first I thought he was a 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:43.359 priest of some sort as well. But yeah, but anyway, 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:46.760 this character, his name is let's see sau Ye Don 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:53.679 And in my subtitles they translated his name as one short. 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:56.240 I don't know if they my subtitles. 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:58.920 As far as I could tell, my subtitles never gave 0:20:59.000 --> 0:21:01.119 him a name through in my notes, I was just 0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:03.840 calling him the puppeteer or the disciple or the traveler. 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:06.359 Okay, so we may refer to him by a number 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:08.680 of names, similar case with other characters here. 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:13.679 But he is the lovable, naive, buffoonish clown of the movie. 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:15.760 Yeah, this is the guy who's going to get his 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:18.200 butt bit by zombies, whose butt is going to catch 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:20.600 on fire. He is going to be the butt of 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:21.399 many a joke. 0:21:21.960 --> 0:21:24.520 So much happens to his nether regions. He gets a 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.320 lot of testicular trauma, and a lot of stuff butt burning, 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:32.679 butt biting, but boiling. It all happens to his butt. 0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:37.359 Yeah, so yeah. Comedic character played by the Taiwanese actor 0:21:37.400 --> 0:21:41.080 and comedian Kupao Ming, who lived nineteen fifty through twenty 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:44.760 twenty two, and he was active on screen from seventy 0:21:44.840 --> 0:21:48.600 nine through twenty twenty. His other credits include ninety seven's 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:51.399 Wolves Cry under the Moon, ninety two Secret Love in 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:54.520 Peach Blossom Land Unrelated, and two thousand and sevens of 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:57.560 the Warlords. So yeah, he's the clown of this film. 0:21:57.560 --> 0:21:59.240 But it seems like he had a pretty long career 0:21:59.280 --> 0:22:02.840 in pretty a staff bush career as a Taiwanese comedic actor. 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.240 All right, now we're going to get into more villain 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:11.720 territory here, our big bad our chief antagonist we already 0:22:11.720 --> 0:22:14.280 mentioned him is King Devil, also sometimes called the Elder, 0:22:15.280 --> 0:22:18.960 an ancient withered evil who ultimately needs virgin blood and 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:22.920 gen sing in order to attain all of his powers 0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:23.440 once more. 0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:26.720 Yeah, I had a question, did you know if this 0:22:26.800 --> 0:22:30.400 character was played by the same actor in both forms? 0:22:30.440 --> 0:22:32.719