Adventures in Movies: Dirty Deeds (“The Coffee Table”, Bruceploitation)
This week, things get nasty with a horror film touted as deeply disturbing and a 1970s film that exploits Bruce Lee’s legacy.
The Coffee Table
The first movie we reviewed this week was The Coffee Table.
Critics’ quotes discuss how uncomfortable it will make audiences feel. The director has stated he wanted to make a “cruel” film. And it definitely succeeds on both accounts. But does that make it good? It is one thing to make people watching a film rethink their positions on things; it is something else entirely when the goal is just to make people feel ugly.
It can be argued that Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave (America bangmungaeg) is just as disgusting, though for completely different reasons. Released just three years after Bruce Lee’s death, the U.S. distributors added a tasteless opening and title that have nothing to do with the actual plot. This was simply about capitalizing on someone’s death in the most crass way possible.
The fact it stars Bruce K.L. Lea (aka Jun Chong) may be the most sensitive part of it all.
The actual movie has nothing to do with Lee or anything supernatural. It is a straight-up action movie about a man trying to find his missing brother. It is filled with the wackiness expected of a martial arts movie from the 1970s. Unsurprisingly, it does not live up to anything done by Bruce Lee.
The question is, should you spend an hour and a half of your life with it?
Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave (1976)
You can watch Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave on Tubi.
You can rent The Coffee Table on Amazon Video.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
Every week AIPT Movie Editor Nathaniel Muir and his cinema partner in crime Blake Heath discuss indie and genre movies you have have never heard of, the ones you cannot hear enough about, and the ones you never want to hear about again.
Episode 372 ‘Ebola Syndrome (1996)
It has been a bad week for people who enjoy physical media. ‘GTA VI’ is not getting a physical release, Playstation games are not getting physical releases after next year, and Sony deleted over 550 movies from user libraries. We also talk about the awesome summer box office.
Sometimes it seems like the days of good old fashioned extreme horror are gone. It was fun to look for movies that everyone talked about but few people had actually seen. In today’s world, it is easy to find any movie that you have heard about. And the worst offenders are nowhere near as bad as they are supposed to be.
At least that is our opinion. But can you blame us? When we hear that movies like ‘Terrifier’ are supposed to be extreme horror, it is hard not to think this way. We decided it was time to take a look back. We literally went to a category that have previously made us feel uncomfortable.
‘Ebola Syndrome’ is a Category III Hong Kong movie that checks off all the boxes for extreme horror. This movie has all the trigger warnings. Despite the constant racism, misogyny, and assault, there is a shockingly good film here. It is funny, creative, and well-done. But is it worth watching?
Adventures in Movies! is a part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcast Network. Morbidly Beautiful is your one stop shop for all your horror needs. From the latest news and reviews to interviews and old favorites, it can be found at Morbidly Beautiful.
Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror. You can reach us personally or on Twitter @AdventuresinMo1.
Music in the background from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com
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Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror.
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