Despite the fact that Disney loves copyrighting characters (hell, they'd probably copyright you if it were even vaguely legal) Mulan is an ancient legend and immune from Mickey's thirst for intellectual property. This also means that there are tons of live-action Mulan movies for you to enjoy, mostly made in China. The first one was a silent film back in 1927, but if you're into talkies, there's 1939's Mulan Joins the Army -- which also didn't enjoy a smooth theatrical release. One early screening was interrupted by political protestors who set fire to the film reels which led to a full-blown riot. In 1964, The Shaw Brothers Studio released Hua Mulan, an epic, operatic version of the story, which you can watch on the decidedly non-epic format of YouTube.
More recently there was the action-filled live-action Mulan: Rise of a Warrior in 2009, which looks not dissimilar from the action-filled live-action Mulan Disney was set to release. It's even a tad grittier, with adult themes and even blood.
58 Comments
mycracked
April 5th, 2020 • 05/04/20 • 8:00 am
#4:
"If you've ever wanted to see a spy movie where TV's Uncle Jesse plays James Bond's son"
When I read that sentence I pictured Denver Pyle as a suave James Bond-type character wearing a tuxedo under overalls.
tank
April 5th, 2020 • 05/04/20 • 7:27 am
#1 Supergirl 1984 has it all. Helen Slater perfectly cast. Rapists attacking a flying women wearing Superman's colors - in a world where Superman exists and everyone knows - getting their asses beat...and then they're still confused when she flies away. Really good special effects for the time. A male damsel in distress. A sexy witch with a comedy sidekick. An evil lair located inside a haunted funhouse. Actually seeing the phantom zone. Girl's dorm antics. Some kind of demon that stretches Supergirl like elastic.
Please forgive its failings. It was 1984, everyone was on cocaine and they cut the budget several times, forcing many script rewrites.
megajake
April 5th, 2020 • 05/04/20 • 6:41 am
I have a soft spot for "Supergirl" and not just because Helen Slater is lovely, though I think she looks better in her Linda disguise with brown hair.
I like the first half of the movie, it sets up the character and story quite well, though things do start the fall apart in the second half and the ending is pretty unfulfilling.
The film may be a cheesy as an enchilada, but it's enjoyable.