NEON MARQUEE FILM FESTIVAL (PART 4): Double Feature Saturday! THE 14 AMAZONS (1972) + THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (1978))
While we await the reopening of all our favorite film houses, we’re presenting an ongoing online film festival of a genre (of sorts) of B grade Sci-Fi, legendary cult action and Martial Arts, some ‘so-bad-they’re-good’ faves and unintentionally funny bottom-of-the-video-store-shelf gems! Plus some cinematic misfires and titles that may serve as a great hangover film, movie comfort food or a perplexing head scratch as to how a film like this got made in the first place.
Our procedure will include a pre-show warm up of classic relevant trailers, clips and commercials, then a link to stream either through official channels or via YouTube (multiple options will be presented if possible).
Played in sequence, it’s just like being at the cinema!
It’s DOUBLE FEATURE SATURDAY of cult grindhouse and martial arts classics! So settle in for this double dose of ass kicking for the fourth installment of the NEON MARQUEE FILM FESTIVAL with two absolutely brilliant entries from the legendary Shaw Brothers back catalogue.
TONIGHT’S DOUBLE FEATURE:
We’re going back to back with a martial arts Double Feature extravaganza of THE 14 AMAZONS (1972) + THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (1978).
The Shaw Brothers studio produced some of the most iconic and influence martial arts cinema ever committed to celluloid, the most notable fan being Quentin Tarantino who adapted many themes and tropes for his KILL BILL movies, so much so that the Shaw Brothers logo appears ahead of the film’s titles.
The Shaw Brothers story is a true cinematic legacy, after brothers Run Run and Runme Shaw assumed control of their company, modeling the business and output on the Hollywood studio system and contracting its stars across multiple films. Most notably, the Shaw films were dominated by female actors during the 1950s and 1960s which filtered into the expanded more into martial arts output. The ‘Venom Mob’ which debuted in the 1978 feature THE FIVE DEADLY VEMOMS (Aka The Five Venoms) became extremely popular, starring in multiple entries and expanding out to a collective of fifteen actors appearing regularly.
Actor Gordon Liu, with his enigmatic appearance and grace, became a legend in the now famous THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, regarded as one of the greatest Kung-Fu films of all time, subsequently became a major influence on rapper / musician RZA, who modeled The Wu Tang Clan concept on the film.
Presented here are two unbelievably entertaining entries in the Shaw Brothers legacy. THE 14 AMAZONS is a sprawling action epic featuring a "who's who" cast of the golden age of Shaw Brothers swordplay adventures, that was not only a major box office hit (ranking 4th for 1972), but also a top prize winner.
Following the first feature, stick around for THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, the legendary adventure featuring the final student of a dying martial arts master is instructed to locate the previous five students and defeat any evil ones among them.
Both features are non stop Martial Arts perfection!
TRAILERS:
PRE-SHOW REEL
Our pre-show warm up reel dives into the world of the Shaw Brothers legacy with classic trailers featuring Gordon Liu and fight scene clips, plus a goofy take on the genre from Wayne’s World 2.
MAIN ATTRACTION
Also available to rent on Google Play / YouTube / iTunes
Also available to stream via NETFLIX