1980s
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Swift Sword (1980) Douban IMDb TMDB
情俠追風劍
director: Ho Meng-Hua actor: Wong Yu / Nau Nau …
other title: The Swift Sword / 情侠追风剑 …
Starring a menagerie of established Shaw Brothers' talent like kung-fu comedienne, Wang Yu, female kung-fu fighter Hui Ying-hung (the lady Michelle Yeoh tries to emulate) and perennial bad guy Lo Lieh, it's a movie about cross people and crossed swords where our heroes discover that gold is not as precious as friendship.
July 12, 2026 watched
I've dealt with some confusing plots in kung fu films, but way too often in this I found myself thinking "who the hell are these people and what the hell is going on???"

Watched in #KungFuSat watch party on Mastodon
HongKong KungFuSat WatchParty MartialArts ShawBrothers
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Royal Warriors (1986) WikiData TMDB IMDb
皇家戰士
director: David Chung actor: Michelle Yeoh / Hiroyuki Sanada …
other title: Ultra Force / Hongkong Cop - Im Namen der Rache …
When a tough policewoman learns about a group of violent terrorists, she, along with her partner and a Japanese detective, does everything it takes to take them down.
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Priest of Love (1981) IMDb WikiData
Priest of Love
director: Christopher Miles actor: Ian McKellen / Janet Suzman …
other title: Sacerdote del amor
Following the banning and burning of his novel, "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, move to the United States, and then to Mexico. When Lawrence contracts tuberculosis, they return to England for a short time, then to Italy, where Lawrence writes "Lady Chatterley's Lover."
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Thunder of Gigantic Serpent (1988) TMDB IMDb WikiData
Thunder of Gigantic Serpent
director: Lee Chiu actor: Pierre Kirby / Edowan Bersma …
other title: Terror Serpent
A secret formula that can cause plants and animals to expand a thousand-fold in size is stolen by a terrorist group. During a wild chase and shoot-out, the formula is lost. It's found by a little girl who accidently gives the formula to her pet snake. After the snake grows to an immense size, it follows and protects her. When the terrorists go after the girl, the snake begins destroying everything in its path.

Hong Kong cut and paste edit of the 1987 Taiwanese film "大蛇王" (King of Snake) with new scenes.
June 29, 2026 watched
Take a Taiwanese monster film, splice in some pointless white guys, Australian flags & Tangerine Dream, & you've got Thunder of Gigantic Serpent!

Watched in #MonsterMiru watch party after #Monsterdon on Mastodon.
GodfreyHo MonsterMiru Snake Monster HongKong
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52 Pick-Up (1986) WikiData TMDB IMDb
52 Pick-Up
director: John Frankenheimer actor: Roy Scheider / Ann-Margret …
other title: 52 gioca o muori / Afpresning …
Harry Mitchell is a successful Los Angeles manufacturer whose wife is running for city council. His life is turned upside down when three blackmailers confront him with a videotape of him with his young mistress and demand $100,000. Fearing that the story will hurt his wife's political campaign if he goes to the police, Harry pretends that he will pay the men, but does not follow through.
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Runaway (1984) WikiData IMDb TMDB
Runaway
director: Michael Crichton actor: Tom Selleck / Cynthia Rhodes …
other title: Døden løber løbsk / Runaway - Spinnen des Todes …
In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
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Eat the Rich (1987) IMDb TMDB WikiData Skybridge
Eat the Rich
director: Peter Richardson actor: Ronald Allen / Jimmy Fagg …
other title: Mangia il ricco / Comendo os Ricos …
Alex is a disgruntled waiter at a snobby exclusive restaurant who falls on hard times. Forced to deal with the contempt and disgust of the upper class, Alex & cohorts attempt to go on a rampage. Meanwhile, General Karprov and Spider plot to involve the inept anarchists into their plans to derail the prime-minister-to-be's campaign.
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Class of 1984 (1982) IMDb TMDB WikiData
Class of 1984
director: Mark L. Lester actor: Perry King / Tim Van Patten …
other title: Os Donos do Amanhã / Classe 1984 …
Andy is a new teacher at an inner city high school that is unlike any he has seen before. There are metal detectors at the front door and the place is basically run by a tough kid named Peter Stegman. Soon, Andy and Stegman become enemies and Stegman will stop at nothing to protect his turf and drug dealing business.
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Waxwork (1988) TMDB Douban IMDb
Waxwork
director: Anthony Hickox actor: Zach Galligan / Jennifer Bassey …
other title: Reise zurück in der Zeit / 蜡像 …
Wealthy slacker college student Mark, his new girlfriend Sarah, and their friends are invited to a special showing at a mysterious wax museum which displays 18 of the most evil men of all time. After his ex-girlfriend and another friend disappear, Mark becomes suspicious.
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Midnight Run (1988) Douban TMDB NeoDB WikiData IMDb Skybridge
Midnight Run
8.0 (5 ratings) director: Martin Brest actor: Robert De Niro / Charles Grodin …
other title: Prima di mezzanotte / Fuga à Meia-Noite …
A bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.
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The Fruit Machine (1988) TMDB IMDb WikiData
The Fruit Machine
director: Philip Saville actor: Emile Charles / Tony Forsyth …
other title: Wonderland / The Fruit Machine – Rendezvous mit einem Killer
Eddie and Michael are two 16-year-old gay friends from Liverpool. Berated by his father for his camp behavior, Eddie runs away from his Liverpool home and joins Michael, a streetwise hustler, who is also on the run.
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Sexmission (1984) IMDb Douban TMDB WikiData NeoDB
Seksmisja
director: Juliusz Machulski actor: Olgierd Łukaszewicz / Jerzy Stuhr …
other title: Sex Mission: Misión en el futuro / Seksmisja …
Two scientists are chosen as guinea pigs for a time experiment: they are placed in hibernation and should be brought back to life after three years. In the meantime, however, World War III breaks out and life has been wiped off the surface of Earth. When they wake up, it turns out that not only 50 years have passed but also that they are the only living specimens of the male sex in a new, underground society composed exclusively of women.
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Silver Bullet (1985) IMDb WikiData NeoDB Douban TMDB Skybridge
Silver Bullet
director: Daniel Attias actor: Gary Busey / Everett McGill …
other title: 银色子弹 / 狼魔 …
The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…