#118: The Dragon Lives Again (1977)

It's time for another annual BLT Halloween episode so what better way to usher in the spooky season than with a review of the martial arts comedy The Dragon Lives Again (1977), an infamous entry in the bruceploitation sub genre, in which Bruce Lee dies, ends up in the underworld, teams up with the likes of Popeye the Sailor and The One Armed Swordsman, and squares off against a gang of movie legends like Dracula, James Bond, The Man With No Name, and Zatoichi for the title of big boss of the underworld! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Absolute Martian Manhunter, Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, Ultraman Z, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Dirty Pair [44:45] Review - The Dragon Lives Again

Grab your buster swords and join us for a look back at Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the CGI animated movie sequel to the landmark video game title that many consider to be the greatest Role Playing Game of all time.  We'll be diving into the history the legendary franchise, sharing our thoughts on the film twenty years out from its original release date, and answering your Bluesky questions. Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Ultraman Tiga, Panzer World Galient, Kaiju No. 8, Clevatess, See You at the Food Court, Dogsred [47:05] Review - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete [2:27:00] Bluesky Questions

We review the second film in Hideaki Anno's trilogy of Shin films: Shin Ultraman.  Following the success of 2016's Shin Godzilla, Anno returns yet again as screenwriter but this time with longtime collaborator Shinji Higuchi taking over directing duties in this modern day re-imagining of the popular Ultraman franchise that aims to return the series to its early roots.  Tune in for the full review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Hunter x Hunter, Return of Ultraman, Lupin Zero, Lupin IIIrd vs. Cat's Eye [37:27] Review - Shin Ultraman [2:36:24] BlueSky Questions

A remake of Bruce Lee's classic Fist of Fury,  director Gordan Chan's Fist of Legend, arriving to Hong Kong movie goers in 1994, softens the harder line of the original film's patriotic fury yet loses none of its tremendous punch with martial art stars Jet Li, Billy Chow and Yasuaki Kurata all in top form.  Tune in for the full review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + G-Fest '25 report, Return of Ultraman, Combattler V, Naruto manga, The Water Margin [52:17] Review - Fist of Legend

A disturbing peek into the dark underbelly of a small American town, David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), with his signature flourishes of dream like logic, penchant for the psychological, and a plot pulled straight from the pages of a tattered noir paperback, tells the story of Jeffrey (Kyle McLachLan), a bored young man, who in his search for clues about a mysterious missing ear, perilously descends bit by tantalizing bit into a dangerous and forbidden underworld with a dark allure that simultaneously thrills and repulses him. Tune in for the full review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, Godzilla Masterpiece Theater, Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven, A Bride's Story, Lazarus [40:55] Review - Blue Velvet

Join us for a master class in action comedy as we take a look at Yuen Woo Ping's Drunken Master (1978).  Jackie Chan, in the role that would launch him into stardom, plays the young and impetuous Wong Fei-Hung, who, after being kicked out of his house by his angry father, is forced under the tutelage of an old, perpetually intoxicated, martial arts master (Sui-Tin Yuen) to learn the unorthodox fighting style known as Drunken Boxing, which Wong will soon require to defeat a deadly assassin (Jang Lee Hwang ) targeting his father.  Tune in for the full review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Zardoz, Anne Shirley, Bocchi the Rock!, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman [32:20] Review - Drunken Master

A blind piano player accidentally gets caught up in a world of crime in Andhadhun, an Indian thriller by writer/director Sriram Raghavan that's loaded with so many twists and turns that the only thing that comes as no surprise is that it became both a critical and commercial hit with audiences.  Tune in to hear our review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Mickey 17, Combattler V, Tatami Time Machine Blues, Ranma 1/2, Orguss, Frieren [38:50] Review - Andhadhun

BLT Team B return with a look at the comedy /  horror sequel House II: The Second Story (1987) from director Ethan Wiley. 

We review Jin-Roh director Hiroyuki Okiura's second animated film, A Letter to Momo, about a young girl that forms an unlikely friendship with a trio of troublesome yokai who through a series of comical misadventures help her to cope with the loss of her father.   Released in 2011 after seven years in production, and to seemingly little fanfare on this side of the Pacific, this underrated family film, equal parts charming, comic, and heartfelt, deserves another look.  Tune in for the full review! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + Macross, Street Fighter 6, Gaogaigar, Combattler V, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End [43:30] Review - A Letter to Momo

We review Hong Kong director Ringo Lam's Burning Paradise.  The film stars Willie Chi as legendary martial artist Fong Sai Yuk, who after being captured by the Ching government, must escape from the imposing Red Lotus Temple, a deadly prison filled with spike pits, booby traps, poison gas, and even more dangerous opponents! Timestamps: [00:00] Intro + God Mazinger, Combattler V, DanDaDan, Kageki Shojo, Akane Banashi, Hyper Dimension Neptunia, and The Water Margin. [39:41] Review - Burning Paradise