Fighting Baseball
Posted by Skrud at Saturday, July 10th 2004 at 3:21am
More on the “Fantasia”:http://www.fantasiafest.com front. Today I saw two more movies, “8th Diagram Pole Fighter”:http://www.fantasiafest.com/en/films/filmdetail.php?id=1003 starring Gordon Liu, and “Battlefield Baseball”:http://www.fantasiafest.com/en/films/filmdetail.php?id=1010. 8th Diagram Pole Fighter is easily one of the most amazing Kung Fu movies I’ve seen. Despite the fact that it’s from 1983, the movie had incredible action sequences as well as a relatively well developed and superbly executed storyline. While it was over the top a lot of times (of course, it’s an early 80’s Hong Kong Kung Fu movie), it can easily stand up and rival such awesome films as “Fong Sai Yuk”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106936/. I’m now looking forward even more to when I get to see “Executioners From Shaolin”:http://www.fantasiafest.com/en/films/film_detail.php?id=1017 which is by the same director (Chia-Liang Liu).
As for Battlefield Baseball… well, “ridiculous” doesn’t even begin to describe this movie. “Flesh Gordon”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068595/ was ridiculous. Battlefield Baseball is beyond description. I will describe the intro sequence: a baseball game is being played. A ball goes flying towards the outfield. The outfielder leaps to catch the ball, and it explodes. This movie was …. unbelievably hilarious. With random bits from impromptu musical sequences, completely over-the-top acting, and (not to mention) zombies playing baseball. The movie plays off of well established clichés and is like a live-action anime, and is even funnier because of it. Now I can’t wait to see “Calamari Wrestler”:http://www.fantasiafest.com/en/films/film_detail.php?id=1057 hoping it will come close to the awesome hilarity of Battlefield Baseball.
