Wooing the West

 

I caught John Woo's THE KILLER at Washington D.C.s The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in August 1989, (along with a double-bill of his A BETTER TOMORROW films.) And was blasted into the back of the theatre along with the rest of the audience. 

One could argue, that film, starring Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee and Sally Yeh, was more influential, if not more popular, in the United States (and the UK), than with its native Hong Kong audience who perhaps saw it as just another heroic bloodshed picture. It was commercially successful in HK, but I think it did much more to woo (sorry) western audiences and wake up Hollywood to the amazing work of its writer/director. Of course, John Woo eventually did find a new parallel career working on American films as well as Hong Kong productions. Including a 2024 gender-swapped remake. 

Long unavailable in the West due to corporate mergers and licensing issues, now THE KILLER is not only widely available again, but has been remastered from the surviving negative. It looks and sounds stunning in 4K. 

A year ago I was lucky enough to be hired to produce new artwork for the long awaited "resurrection" of this beloved action film. I often pinch myself that this is really happening. In the year 2025. The irony is not lost on me. I'm doing hand drawn artwork (already replaced by AI) for a physical media release (already replaced by streaming) of an old celluloid film (already replaced by digital) of a story (already replaced by a remake). One could argue that the medium of the 90-minute film has itself been replaced in popularity by YouTube or TikToks or whatever. But let's not even go there.

As I've probably said before... this job combines my love of art, marketing and cinema, so I'll happily ride that train to the end of the line doing promotional art for films. 

 Below is the result.     

Alas, there once was a time when I would routinely drive over an hour to another city to see a film, weekly, by myself usually. But now, I haven't even been to a movie theatre in six and a half years. Times change. And people do too. It's so much easier today to see these foreign films, and movies in general, from the relative comfort of my home. And the cost versus quality is about the same. Physical media on a modern television keeps improving, while the theatre-going experience keeps declining. From lengthy commercials to acrophobia-inducing ticket prices. Given the choice, for the same cost I'd rather own it than see it once. If I tire of the film I can always sell it and get my money back. 

But it's true to say that something is lost amid the convenience. It's not just nostalgia for my youth, although there is some of that. (The power of that can't be underestimated.) I think the ritualistic experience of "going to see a film", much like dropping a stylus on a vinyl record, was something greater than just pressing a button from your couch. It's hard to explain, but, ahh, ... that's a whole other conversation. Don't get me started.  

Anyway.... the bullets and bodies keep flying. Next time. Right here.

WAH WAH

No, that's not a sad trombone. It's YUEN WAH! (Birth name Yung Kai-chi.)

It's a quickie piece I did for fun for a magazine cover. The cover boy is Hong Kong actor/stuntman/action choreographer (and, of course, martial artist) Yuen Wah, of the Seven Little Fortunes performing group from the 1960s—which also featured fellow classmates Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. 

One of his early claims to fame was as the body double for Bruce Lee in FIST OF FURY and ENTER THE DRAGON. Bruce could cartwheel, but not back or front flip. Yuen could do both in his sleep. So they stuck a fast friendship and Bruce hired him to work on several fights scenes with Bruce, as well as play small parts in the films. Wah was actually the one doing the acrobatics for Lee's character.  

With AI poised to make our future entertainment, we are not likely to see the causes and conditions arise for performers like Yuen Wah to entertain us again onscreen. So it's important to recognize and appreciate their unique talents, especially while these actors are still around so they can see what they meant to us film fans.

He's still working, but naturally slowing down a wee bit at 75 years old. He's earned it. But thankfully he's still alive and, of course, kicking. Here's to you. Long live Yung Kai-chi. 

Next up.... John Woo's gun-fu classics get a fresh coat of paint.

PEKING OPERA BLISS

A year ago I was honored with the rare opportunity to provide some new original artwork for one of my absolute favorite films, Tsui Hark's 1986 genre-bending masterpeice PEKING OPERA BLUES.

My love for this movie, which I have exhaustingly chronicled here, has not waned over the decades. So I was thrilled for the priveldge to be involved with the much anticipated and long overdue restoration and revitalization of the film on 4K and Blu-ray.

Given my normal "4-day turnaround" (I typically only have a few days to complete each peice) I usually spend most of the first day watching the film a couple times (I know, hard work) and jotting down some layout ideas. It can be challenging to distill the essense of the movie into a single frame that is at least somewhat representative of the 2-hour experience. I attempted to capture and convey the vibrant energy, colorful pageantry, and vivid characters that Hark and his talented team crafted. 

Asked to do it again I would probably do something quite different, but this is the first design that came out. And I used my full alotted time. I don't enjoy the luxury of test studies. Everything is the "first take", and move on. 

Were the film's matte paintings seemless? Not entirely.

Did they re-use the same (only slightly redressed) street set? Yep. If you looked closely.

Are the general's luscious sideburns and ridiculous eyebrows over-the-top? Absolutely! And I wouldn't have my archetypal Chinese movie villians any other way.

Did that spoil any of the cine-magic? Heck no!  

Hark's (along with Poon Han Sang, his director of photography) were successfully able to cinematically realize a fully immersive fictional world with limited resources through the use of frugal blocking and constructing only what was needed for the camera to see. Two or three-walled rooms accomplished the illusion. The result is a gauzy, romanticised 1913 China. Where the characters are not overpowered by expansive ornate sets, but rather they are constantly the focus of attention. And with gorgeous stars like Sally Yeh, Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung and Mark Cheng, why would you look anywhere else?

The film spools out at a breathless pace with plots and subplots piling up like a jenga tower. Each one interlocking, building higher and higher to its inevitable thrilling conclusion.

For this US release, by SHOUT FACTORY, I also contributed an extensive image gallery in addition to my menu artwork.

Because of the later deadline for the UK release, by ARROW, I was able to add even more content to the image gallery. 

And for the Australian IMPRINT release, I had even more time, so that image gallery is the largest of the three. They also commissioned me to write a 2500 word essay on the film's production and legacy. And I also produced a 20 minute featurette on the film's marketing materials and other collectible memorabilia.

My hope is that Tsui Hark's masterpiece can now find a home in the hearts of a whole new generation of cinema fans. And the work can have the longevity any work of art deserves.   

Next up... Bruce Lee's body double finally gets the spotlight.

Patchwork Memories

The design brief for this project was an outer slipcase box, two double-sided inlays, disc art and booklet designs for a ten-film compilation from the extrememly prolific Shaw Brothers filmmaker CHANG CHEH. Oh, and come up with a title for it. 

As is typical of my working method, my first intention is to for the outer packaging to reflect the tone and feeling of it's contents. And to me, this patchwork collection of pathwork films reminded me of my early days rummaging around the dusty old shelves of Chinese video rental shops in somewhat seedy parts of town. As I've chronicled previously, this lead me to spend so much time in one particular shop in suburban Maryland, VIDEO CITY, that I eventually married the owner. Now our store is long gone, but the wife (and hundreds of VHS tapes I couldn't part with) remain. 

But something about this Chang Cheh collection triggered a memory from the old video store. My wife would constantly get new Hong Kong movie posters with every shipment of tapes. She'd put up some new ones, and take down soem old ones. And what did she do with the old posters? Well, grab a seat HK movie collectors and take a deep breath... she would CUT THEM UP INTO LITTLE SQUARES and use the reverse blank side as scrap notepaper on the counter for customers to use to scribble on when communicating in Mandarin, Cantonese or even broken English. As a matter of fact I still have some cherished "squares" of a ROBOTRIX poster somewhere. I eventually stopped her from doing that for the most part, and bought her a notepad. But these discarded, faded and torn old poster scraps somehow informed my visual approach to this package. The movies are old so. The package should remind buyers of the excitement we felt digging through those forgotten shelves discovering an old movie that you'd never seen, featuring a faded photo of one of your Martial Arts heroes. Our hearts beat like finding lost gold. So, from the distressed background to the photo collage to the "carved colossus" title treatment. Even the tarnished copper metal corners which are taken from an old Chinese jewlery box I own. It's all meant to evoke those old patchwork memories for fans of these films. While still presenting them with a clarity that was impossible outside a theater. We are living in a golden age for physical media collectors. But for how much longer is anyone's guess.

FURIOUS SWORDS AND FANTASTIC WARRIORS: THE HEROIC CINEMA OF CHANG CHEH.             

The two inlays are designed to be placed side by side making a diptych. 

The turquoise tone was a color I haven't used much in my designs lately and it made me think "old". I felt this was the appropriate time for its return. The circular stickers are the type of thing my wife would apply to the tapes to indicate if it has Mando or Canto dialogue, so I wanted to include an homage. 

And my book cover design also has that "UV-damaged from months in an old shop window" appeal... and is more than ready for my wife to rip into small pieces. (Damn it honey, that was Jackie Chan!) 

Next time.... I revisit my old favorite film. Can you guess?

Let Them BASH

Another 1970s Hong Kong basher, this time SHAOLIN BOXERS starring journeyman actor James Tien, gets restored for Blu-ray. As a fan of Jackie Chan's golden age films, it was nice to spot Mars in a small early role. He would later go on to have more prominent parts in many Chan classics, as well as doubling Jackie for certain shots. 

My artwork takes its cue from the original HK poster, included on the inlay sleeve, which also prominently features green tones.  

The booklet cover, featuring the martial arts tournament trophy seen in the film, repeats the visual style I've used for a series of similar films.

Hang in there folks.

SPIES AND LIES

 

This Blu-ray packaging design project provided me a fun opportunity to explore mid-to-late 60s spy movie visual asthetics. This three-film collection of Shaw Brothers modern actioners is full of clever characters, glamorous gals, groovy gadgets, furious fisticuffs, and of course, outragiously "sixties" set designs. That's what makes them so fun to watch.   

For this triple feature, SUPER SPIES AND SECRET LIES (which includes THE GOLDEN BUDDHA, ANGEL WITH THE IRON FISTS, and THE SINGING THIEF) I split the real estate vertically and contained the actor's inside "surfboard" ovals with various related iconography breaking the borders. Since I went with a consistant "themed" color palette, I decided to make the art grayscale to achieve a more cohesive overall appearance. I also added some weathered aging and a psychodelic font treatment to help sell the time period. 

For the booklet cover I simplified it down to the various MacGuffin iconography representing each film.

The James Bond movie series was a pop culture phenomenon all over the world. With the craze perhaps reaching it's boiling point in 1966. But the ripples continued for a few years, with action "spy" films riding out the decade. With each culture adding their own local flavor. The Hong Kong filmmaking giant, Shaw Brothers, was no different. These 3 films certainly flaunt their cinematic inspiration proudly. But they are more than low budget copies of Her Magesty's most popular agent, they illustrate the tastes of the HK film audiences of the time. Less sex, more fist fights. Less WORLD DOMINATION, and more down-to-earth, localized stakes.

For cinema buffs, it's fun to spot the recognizable shooting locations. Two of the films included here were filmed on the Shaw Brothers Movietown lot in Sai Kung, without much effort to hide the fact. In ANGEL, our heroine rappels down the face of SHAW HOUSE (the iconic administrative building), while in THIEF, our protagonist has his climactic finale battle on the Shaw backlot amongst various standing, but dimly lit, martial arts film sets. 

Hey, whatever saved them a buck. But, I'm glad they did, because getting an "behind the cutain" glimpse into Shaw Movietown, however obscurred or lightly camouflaged, holds as much interest to me as anything they could've constructed for the film. Sadly, the glory days of Shaw's filmmaking dominance are long gone, and the site is due to be redeveloped into apartment flats.

Getting back to the packaging. I was under the mistaken impression it was to be a three-disc affair. So each film got it's own disc art and menu design. I don't think these were used in the final presentation. So here they are for posterity.

The disc art:

And the menus:

See you in 2025!

COPS OF FUTURE PASSED

 

Here's some Blu-ray cover art I did a couple years ago that I was starting to think might never get released. This title faced an extended delay as the distributor tried, ultimately in vain, to get a new higher quality HD scan of the original film elements. After two years, they finally decided to go ahead and do a very limited release of this 1993 goofy Wong Jing action comedy, FUTURE COPS. On the bright side, at least now there's an acceptible (if maybe not spectacular) HD version out there for fans. Yes, there ARE fans of this film. It's a bit broad for me personally. (And I often like broad humor.) And the cast is top tier. But for me, it just doesn't quite gel as a whole.

My brief from the client was to NOT raise the attention of CAPCOM's lawyers. The film has characters obviously inspired by the popular Japanese video game franchise, yet not officially licensed by CAPCOM. So my art should also not resemble the video game fighters too closely. The only "video game" reference is the old CRT monitor showing nothing but, appropriately enough, static. (Anybody else have a strange nostalgia for "tv screen snow"?) And the 8-bit font of the director's name. I leaned more into an anime style. It was a gamble, but the movie is a goofy mess, so I figured the art could be too. 

Actually this style of illustration more closely matches my normal, "comfort-zone" style (minus the manga-ish faces, which obviously is not my thing), than the painterly stuff I feel is expected of me for movie posters. As a young child I was heavily influenced by the artwork found in 60s-70s MAD Magazine. Early exposure to the work of Don Martin, Basil Wolverton, Jack Davis, Antonio Prohias and Sergio Aragonés boiled my brain, and certainly inspired my burgeoning imagination.

Side note: Recently, I was super lucky to catch the wonderful exhibition of original MAD MAGAZINE art and memorabilia at the Norman Rockwell Museum of Illustration located in his hometown of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The Rockwell stuff was great, of course, but man, feast your eyes on that Wally Wood original?! Glorious!

Anyway, I gave each character a background color matching their costume, bursting forth from manga panels with action lines, halftones and whatever else. Hopefully you get the idea, without it really looking like typical Street Fighter art at all. Mission... accomplished?

For the inside inlay I did another piece just for variety. I wasn't sure how much anyone would care for the cover art since it was a bit different. But I guess if you hate the cover, you'll hate the inside image too, since they intentionally share a common style. 

Surprisingly the film distributor included a double-sided poster with this release featuring BOTH art pieces. Yikes!

Next up... Would you believe... we put on our X-Rays specs, our tiny hidden cameras and our shoe phones (well maybe not the shoe phones, Chief) as we delve into the stylishly super groovy mid-sixties SPY MOVIE CRAZE.... via Hong Kong, no less.