Dragons Forever is a 1988 action/comedy martial arts movie from Hong Kong. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung, which is one of the great names in the world, by the way. If I were named Sam, I would identify as Sammo in a Hong Kong minute. Jackie Chan also appears in the film.
The story centers on a fishery that is revealed to be the home office for a drug kingpin. The ruse was probably derailed when nobody complained about the smell. When I was a kid, we had a menhaden plant down the coast that stank to high heaven when the wind was right. We called it the fish factory, even though we knew there were no fish being produced there.
The fishery sues a chemical company for polluting the water, the chemists send in a lawyer and his criminal buddies to try and dig up some dirt on the fish guys, and they discover the drug ring. Oh, and the drug kingpin is a martial arts expert. It had to happen. It would be a pretty dull courtroom drama if it didn't.
No Shaoxing or Tiger bone wine for me, thanks. I would cook with Shaoxing, if I could find it anywhere. Let's pair a Washington state Riesling with Dragons Forever. Winemaker Charles Smith makes Kung Fu Girl, and it will pair well with all the Chinese takeout and Jackie Chan movies you can manage. It should run you about $12.
From 1961, Valley of the Dragons is a black-and-white sci-fi done on the cheap, just how we like our sci-fi. This flick is based on some Jules Verne material and was made from stock footage used in 1940's One Million B.C. In fact, TFH Chief Guru Joe Dante explains that Valley of the Dragons is "60-percent footage from other films, all of which are better than this one." Ed Wood must have been green with envy.
Two guys get swept from earth by a passing comet and deposited in what appears to be prehistoric time. I particularly like the dinosaurs, noted in the title as dragons. The one that's actually an armadillo is my super fave.
The guys adapt quickly to their new surroundings and spend some time battling large insects that look like plush toys you might win at a county fair here on Earth. They also meet and fall in love with a couple of prehistoric cave babes. What with the easily defeatable bugs and the lusty ladies in this place, they decide to sit tight and wait for another comet to come around as their ticket home. Looking good, Hector. Feeling good, Denning.
The wine made in Paso Robles at the Ancient Peaks Winery has the dust of another era on it. The oyster shells in the vineyards are remnants of a time when the land was a seabed. Their 2021 Whole Cluster Syrah is described as "out of this world." Fitting for a sci-fi. $60.
Here's more comedic action from Hong Kong. Way of the Dragon came out in 1972, starring Bruce Lee. It was originally released in the US as Return of the Dragon. Oddly, Lee's next film was Enter the Dragon. That makes it sound like they were released out of order, but I don’t think that's the case. What does it matter, anyway? Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee.
Lee not only starred in but also directed this film. It was his first time in the director's chair, and he died not even a year after its release. Lee's character is in Rome, where he helps a restaurant owner who is being harassed by gangsters. Chuck Norris makes an appearance as a badass hired by the mob boss. The mob needed to hire a badass? A blond one? From Oklahoma? No. Norris fans can be satisfied that their hero offers no mercy and accepts none, either.
Luigi Baudana makes a wine in the Langhe region of Italy that he calls Dragon. It's the symbol of courage, he explains, and that's what it took to design a field blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Nascetta, and Riesling. You can get it by bravely plunking down $25.
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