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¤j½ðÃz (2000)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Kung Fu World!!!


Reviewed by: paul
Date: 03/14/2000
Summary: Secrets of Shaolin, Taoist Magic, & Kung Fu Revealed!

This appears to be a HK TV Special. I believe it also spoofs the "investigative journalism" format of an existing popular HK TV show, here called "The Great Disclosure" (kind of a "Hard Copy"/"Entertainment Weekly" kind of thing). Regardless, the program interweaves silly in-studio shananigans with equally silly segments debunking common legends about Shaolin Temple, Hopping Corpses, and the origins of Wing Chun (and the origins of Kung Fu in general), as well as popular Qigong feats like walking on fire, rolling in glass, breaking a spear with one's throat, breaking bricks over one's head with a sledge hammer, etc.

Sadly, the humor is quite lame (or maybe it just doesn't translate very well into English) and the research is often unconvincing and shallow. Still, though it provides few reliable answers, if one has an genuine interest in Chinese legends and martial arts, it does succeed in raising an interestng question or two.

Paul Kazee