Raiders For Victory (1982)

1982 - Raiders For Victory (Kinavesa International)

[Philippines release date 14th January 1982; original title "Mga Hayop Sa Paraiso"]

Director Jun Gallardo Screenplay Humilde "Meek" Roxas Producer K.Y. Lim Cinematography Jun Rasca Music Totoy Nuke

Cast Liz Alindogan, Beth Bautista, Rez Cortez, Marissa del Mar, George Estregan, Rudy Fernandez, Philip Gamboa, Jose Garcia, Jess Lapid Jr, Lito Lapid, Carmi Martin, Conrad Poe, Renato Robles, Bembol Roco, Ruben Rustia, Phillip Salvador, Dante Varona, Ruel Vernal, Ken Watanabe

Eagle Of The Jungle (c.1987)

c.1987 – Eagle Of The Jungle (Sunny Films International)

[Release date unknown, but possibly made around the same time as Dante Varona’s Raging Anger (1987) for Sunny Films; released on Spanish VHS as “El Aguila De La Jungla”]

Director/Story/Screenplay Henry S. Cruz Executive Producer Sunny S. Lim Cinematography Ike Orense Music Rey Valera Editor Nap Montebon Assistant Director Eddie Mac Associate Director Den Montero Sound Effects Rodel Capule Sound Engineer Willie Islao Stillman Billy Ruelo Setting Rudy Morado Makeup Artist Liwayway Zuniga Production Manager Caesar G. Alindogan Assistant Production Manager Ruben Alamanza Field Cashier Nancy C. Alindogan Special Effects Eric Torrente Fight Instructor Eric Robles Wardrobe Ponsing Escobar Schedule Master Jing Delgado Catering Boy Alindogan Catering Inc Utility Boys Hernie de Castro, Inggo Eberica Optical Titles Boy Quilatan Office Manager Baby G. Alindogan Sales Manager Rosendo Mapa Production Secretary Tess Milad Revisor Dennis Estrella Shipper Ariel Estrella

Cast Dante Varona, Jim Dixson, Bruce Thomas, Joe Fischer, Peter Kolloch, Kenneth Bruce, Albert Bronsky, Rob Denny, Frank Campbell, Tony Cooper, Stefan Thoma, Lola Rodriguez, Ernie David, Usman Hassim, Alex Donna, Ben Morro, Eric Robles, Tom Alindogan, Den Montero, Buddy Salvador, Junior Angeles, Alex Nunez, Jing Delgado, Eto Cruz, Thunder Stuntmen, Blue Dragon Stuntmen, Tanay Movie Stuntmen

Raging Anger, The (1987)

1987 – The Raging Anger (Sunny Films International)

[Philippines release date unknown]

Director Dante Varona Writers Fred Navarro, Lito Mena Producers Naty Almanza, Sunny Lim Cinematography Bobby Ongieo Editor Ludy de Jesus Special Effects Gorgonio Ible Production Designer Bert Gayanan

Cast Dante Varona, Rex Lapid, Robert Talabis, Tanya Faye, Danny Rojo, Anthony Faustzmann, Philipp Mann, Ernie Forte, Manny Dora, Misty Vargas, Ernie David

Commander Lawin (1981)

1981 - Commander Lawin (Bathala Productions, distributed by Sunny Films/Davian International Ltd)

[Philippines release date unknown, original title "Renato Solidum…Kumander Lawin"; also released in the Netherlands as "American Commando" ]

Director Eddie Nicart Story/Screenplay Bonnie Paredes Executive Producer Naty A. Almanza Production Manager Baby Alvarez Director of Photography Bhal Dauz Editor Nap Montebon Assistant Director Mando Pangilinan

Cast Dante Varona, Bonafe Estrella, Danny Rojo, Rommel Valdez, Robert Miller, Usman Hassim, Maritess Castillo, Rene Romero, Bobby Oreo, Mando Pangilinan, Dardo Lungsod, Joe “Kaka” Balagtas, Rene Salvador, Bert Cayanan, Rico Mercado, Tom Alindogan, Mike Kirkwood, John Nigger, Digos Anderson, Manny Doria, Ryan Singson

They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong (1978)

1978 - They Call Her...Cleopatra Wong (BAS Film Productions Inc)

[also released as "Cleopatra Wong" (abbreviated international title), "Female Big Boss" (UK video), "Cleopatra Wong: James Bond Du Karate", "Cleopatre La Panthere Du Kung-fu" and "Cleopatra, James Bond du Karaté" (all three titles in France), "Cleopatra Wong - Die Unüberwindliche" (West Germany)]

Director “George Richardson”/Bobby A. Suarez Producer/Story Bobby A. Suarez Romeo N. Galang ScreenplayCinematographers David Hung, Eduardo ‘Baby’ Cabrales Alex ‘Boy’ Pecate Action DirectorEditor David Cheung Production Managers Bonnie Esguerra (Philippines), Sonny Lim, Neo Choon Wah (Singapore), David Hury [Hung?] (Hong Kong)

Cast “Marrie Lee”/Doris Young (Cleopatra Wong), George Estregan, Dante Varona, Johnny Wilson, Kerry Chandler, “Chito”/Franco Guerrero (Ben, Cleo’s boyfriend), Alex Pecate, Philip Gamboa, Bobbie Greenwood, Joaquin Fajardo, Joe Cunanan, Danny Rojo, Jesse Lee, Vic Romero, Steve Havarro, Avel Morado, Bernie Bernardo, Tony Castro, Romy Misa, Joe Canlas, Mark Sherak, Clem Parsons, Robert Mendez, Don Bell, Skip Kriegel, Bill James, Paul Mejares, Buddy Philipps, Robert Mallet, Mike Youngblood, John Stewart, Brian Richmond (Sims), Doreen Quek, Mehar Singh (wrestler), Alice Leong, Puran Singh, Niranjan Singh, Rodney Yee, Lee Kim Kee, Carter Lee, Lim Tian Wah, Sequeena Wong, Jason Chang, Lam Sze Wai, Liu Hok Ming, Lo Keung, Wong Chi Kueng, Wan Yin Jo, Thunderboys Stuntmen, P.I.S. Stuntmen

Cleo Wong herself, MARRIE LEE, reviews the complete set of 15 lobby cards for They Call Her...Cleopatra Wong (1977), directed by Bobby A. Suarez as "George Richardson" [all scans from the personal collection of Marrie Lee, reprinted with her permission]

1 a) A trophy that I collected from this one day shoot at the Yamaha Archey Range in Manila is a beautiful deep bluish bruise on my top left arm, the size of my fist here.

1 b) Clem Parsons, as one of the baddie monks in charge of the nuns in the monastery. Since when do monks and nuns live together?

2) The Bruce Lee wannabe gang leader of the Singapore triads getting a well deserved kick from Cleopatra Wong for bad acting.


3 a) On a plateau in busy HK, a stranger from the people watching the shoots come up to the director to ask for money coz her house is right on one of the flats in the background. This really happened.

3 b) Confident looking Marrie Lee has a tough job of trying not to throw up on this junk. I actually get sea sick on a water bed.

4) The baddies having a last supper as Cleo Wong and gang are just outside the monastery, ready to bust their asses.


5) One of the scenes where the Chief Baddie is checking the quality of the fake currencies. Do you know that the finale at the monastery was actually filmed in four places and then edited to look like in a single location? 1. A real printing press to show fake money printed… 2) A real strawberry jam factory where the jam was produced and packed… 3) A real school where the real nuns were kept prisoners… and 4) The main location Diplomat Hotel which was converted from a former monastery!


6) Cleo Wong and her team trying the access the monastery through the roof. Not a very bright idea as the monastery has numerous doors and windows. Blame it on the scriptwriter.


7) Dante Verona, the aerialist expert, almost couldn’t make up his mind whether to kill with bayonet or ropes. The bayonet wins in the end.


8) George Estregan, the cold blooded killer in the movie. Does anyone spot the resemblance between him and ex-President Joseph Estrada? Yes, they are brothers.


9) And Dante, if the bayonet fails, somersaulting and landing on your enemies help too.


10) One side of the monastery is rebuilt on this facade that was totally bombed and destroyed. Sure looks like the real McCoy...


11) This is the one scene that was to propel me as the only female star to be able to cock a .45 calibre gun single-handedly. Unfortunately on screen, it looks easier than it really was and I tore a chunk off my pinkie practising for it too.


12) Riding a motorbike on this terrain was hard enough, having to shot from two machine guns mounted on the back of bike was near impossible. To shoot straight too was probably asking too much?

13 a) My bruise exercise was repeated in this scene, and to beat the first scene, the bike had to drop on my toes too.

13 b) Even dying, this extra know this importance of showing best side to camera.

14) The helicopter is a REAL helicopter, not a facade, albeit bought from the scrapyard, I suppose.


15) You can’t have only the bad guys dying so we decided to sacrifice Alex Pecate in the finale. Does he know how heavy he was when we had to carry his supposedly dead body down the slopes?


MANY THANKS TO MARRIE LEE FOR SHARING HER MEMORIES!

The Complete Weng Weng filmography: Silakbo (1975)

The Complete WENG WENG filmography (so far)

Many thanks to Simon Santos from Quezon City’s VIDEO 48 whose tireless efforts in researching Philippines cinema has unearthed all of the following Filipino ads, and in the process has confirmed the existence of FOUR forgotten Weng Weng films.

1. Silakbo (1975)

Prima Productions (first screened October 17, 1975)

Director/Writer Manuel Songco Cinematography Rudy Quijano Music Demet Velasquez

Cast Eddie Gutierrez, Lotis Key, Dante Varona, Romy Diaz, Odette Khan, Zandro Zamora, Marie Antoinette, Alberta “Peaches” Rainge, Joe Villafranca, Lita Sandoval, Misty Gallardo, Jun Santos, Veen Rosette, Evelyn Shenna, Kiti-Kiti, Henry Pineda, Vivian Betty, Sheba “Mor” Tatad, Freddie Robles, Lilian Fernando, [uncredited] Weng Weng

Miracles keep falling from the sky... Cora Caballes' agent handed me a list of Weng Weng titles while I was at the ABS/CBN film archives in January 2008, and this one (along with a completely unidentifiable one, "Dugo May Umagos") was a mystery. I remember Weng Weng's brother told me his favourite WW film was "the one with Lotis Key".

Digging through the Archives, I found cast and crew details, and we hit gold: confirmation of the earliest known Weng Weng appearance on film, this time released just after his 18th birthday.

Until we find the movie itself, this is all I can glean of the film's details. From appearances it's a standard Tagalog action film with then-popular stars Eddie Gutierrez, Dante Varona (later in Weng Weng's Agent OO), Lotis Key (girlfriend of Dolphy and star of many comedies AND kung fu films) and Romy Diaz (regular Weng Weng villain).