Movie Review: The Final Master

When I approached watching The Final Master, I was unsure of what to expect. Based on the trailer I saw the action was going to feature weapons and be primarily based on Wing Chun. It also boasted being from the writer of The Grandmaster. The film also appeared to be set in a similar time frame of The Grandmaster and the Ip Man films. It is true, The Final Master is set in the 1930’s, just prior to the start of World War II. I was excited to see the action, however, that was tempered by my expectation of period based drama. You see, those are not particular favorites of mine, period dramas. I have found the martial arts ones, in particular, tend to lose me along the way as I wait for the next fight.

Event Recap: Exhumed Films Presents - 3-Dementia!

If you know me, you know my love for genre films and the Hudson Horror Show. Even if you don’t know me, there is a good chance that you still know this about me. While Hudson Horror may be local genre marathon saviors they are hardly the only game around. There is a group based out of Philadelphia, PA, called Exhumed Films that has been in the game for twenty years, delivering all manner of genre movie marathons, all from 35mm prints. On July 16, 2017, the group put on what may be the most unique show they have ever had. The show was called 3-Dementia and, you guessed it, was comprised entirely of 3-D films. It also happened to be the first Philadelphia set show of theirs that I have attended.

Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

I remember when the first Rush Hour film came out, it was way back in 1998. Jackie Chan was on a run of action films that was raising his international recognition (Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop, First Strike, Operation Condor) and Chris Tucker was a rising star following Friday, Money Talks, and The Fifth Element, so it seemed like a good idea to combine the fleet feet of Chan with the fast tongue of Tucker. I have to admit, I really liked that first film, the second two. Granted it has been some years since I have revisited them. Now, for some reason I decided to revisit part 3, and it has not aged well. I’m not sure I really liked it the first time around back in 2007.

Outcast Interview: Ben Dukes of Karate Kill

Kurando Mitsutake’s martial arts actioner, ‘Karate Kill’ will be released on US DVD and Blu-ray on July 18, 2017.

The film centers around a Karate master who trawls the mean streets of L.A. in search of his missing sister. The cast includes “entertainer” Ben Dukes, who spoke to us for an exclusive yak about the film recently.

Movie Review: Karate Kill

Sometimes I long for the action movies of yesteryear. You remember, the action films that were not always preoccupied with global scale plots and an overabundance of CG effects. This is what makes films like the John Wick series so welcome. Those are films that keep the focus on the execution and entertainment value. If you dig into independent cinema,you can find what you are looking for, even if it does take awhile. The movie in question here is Karate Kill. Described as Tarantino meets Cannon, it is at apt description. The film sits firmly in the revenge action/exploitation corner of the universe.

Movie Review: Kickboxer - Vengeance

Way back in 1989 Jean Claude Van Damme was a rising star. He had already shown audiences his considerable screen presence and charisma in Bloodsport and Cyborg. His followup was Kickboxer, an action revenge flick that saw Van Damme head to Bangkok to avenge the brutal death of his brother at the hands of underground fight champion, Tong Po. That film proved to be a hit a spawned a number of sequels. Now, we are faced with a reboot of the franchise. Why? I could not say. Even stranger is that it was sent the direct to video route and is a decidedly lackluster outing.

Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Last summer Michael Bay produced a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. It was not all that good, albeit not as bad as I was expecting it to be. Still, watching it made me nostalgic for original live-action Turtle movie way back in 1990. It came a year after Batman, which I believe is the movie that cemented my love of movies, but that is a discussion for another time. The Turtles came to the big screen with plenty of hype and anticipation and I was ready for it. I loved the movie as a young teenager and surprisingly, I still love it now, and I do not think it is purely for nostalgic purposes.

Movie Review: Bloodsport

There was a time (probably ongoing in some circles) when everything was an either/or decision. Coke or Pepsi. Star Wars or Star Trek. Superman or Batman. Jason or Freddy. Schwarzenegger or Stallone. Seagal or Van Damme. It is this last one that brings us to today. You see, sometimes when you make a choice you dismiss the output of the other almost out of hand. That is what I did with Van Damme, I was a Seagal guy. This dismissal of many Van Damme films has led me to discover, so many years later, that I never saw Bloodsport. I have no idea how I got this far in life without seeing this classic mini-masterpiece of martial arts cinema.

Trailer Alert: Man with the Iron Fists - Sting of the Scorpion

Wow. I cannot say I ever expected to see this appear, but I am happy to see it, although it does not look to be as much fun as the first. Man with the Iron Fists was a lot of fun and despite being a dud at the box office has apparently found its fan base. It was a movie the was directed by, written by, and starring RZA, who clearly did his martial arts homework with how everything was depicted (the guy knows his kung fu movies). This second film RZA on the screen and as co-writer, directing duties have been handed to Roel Reine (Death Race 2/3, 12 Rounds 2).

Movie Review: American Ninja

In the 1980's ninja flicks were big business. It did not matter if you were a legit martial artist or not, if you looked like someone who could do it, someone would put you in a movie. The Cannon Group took advantage of this fact and churned out a series of ninja movies throughout the 80's. After making a pair of Sho Kosugi classics (Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja), they shifted gears and turned State-side for their lead. This resulted in the original “classic” in American Ninja starring Michael Dudikoff. A movie with a star featuring little actual martial arts experience, but able to fake it well enough for a mainstream film. Dudikoff has since trained in a number of martial arts.

Movie Review: Ru lai shen zhang (1982)

As I stumbled from the theater into the early hours of the night, I was stunned, dumbfounded, confused, and delighted. Reeling from the events that had just been witnessed by mine own eyes. Not in recent memory do I recall being privy to such an excursion into fantasy-fu as this. Swirling colors, blinding lights, costumed dragon things, acid spitting tumors, spinning knives and more intricate familial relations than you can shake a sword at. This movie is like nothing I have been ever asked to comprehend before. I am sure I will cross paths with it or its kind again, I can only hope that I am a little more prepared for it then. Of course, there is no way I could have been prepared for this.

Movie Review: Brick Mansions

It was maybe a month ago, maybe two, that I was sitting in a theater getting ready to watch some mover or other when I first saw the trailer for Brick Mansions. The first thing I noticed was Paul Walker, this is the last film he completed before his untimely death. The second thing that I noticed was just how familiar the whole thing seemed... Walled off ghetto, a ruthless crime boss, a pairing of cop and criminal, and a bomb. Oh yes, there was the whole parkour thing as well. Then the credit block came up at the end and everything clicked.

Movie Review: The Raid 2

Two years ago The Raid: Redemption popped onto my radar seemingly out of nowhere. The movie was light on plot and heavy on the action. It was a combination that worked extraordinarily well. Sometimes. A tag line that sums up the movie is a good thing. In this case it told is: "1 Ruthless Crime Lord, 20 Elite Cops, 30 Floors of Chaos." That is all you need. It was essentially one big action scene, and it did not disappoint. Now, we are faced with The Raid 2. Is it possible for this to live up to the original? Can we be fortunate enough to not see a rehash of what we have already seen? The answer is an emphatic yes!

Movie Review: Revenge of the Ninja

There are times when I regret not getting into movies at a younger age. It's no ones fault, my parents were not big movie buffs and I would not have known where to begin. At the same time, there is no telling if my tastes would have developed properly at that young of an age. The good thing is that I did eventually discover the glory of the movies and my tastes are developing, coming into their own, and allowing me to discover and thoroughly enjoy movies such as Revenge of the Ninja, which show I need to expand further and see more Sho Kosugi movies.

Blu-ray Review: Ninja II - Shadow of a Tear

A few years ago I reviewed a copy of Undisputed III. Now, I had never seen the first two, although I did know that the first one starred Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames. The sequel brought in a new director (Isaac Florentine) and stars (Michael Jai White and Scott Adkins). The third one (the only one I have seen) retained the second's director and one of its stars (Adkins). What I saw in that movie blew me away, Scott Adkins is a beast and Florentine knows how to make low budget action! Knowing this, I eagerly checked out Ninja (2010), another teaming of the two. While it did not excite me as much, it cemented their place as people to watch in my mind. Now we have Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear.

Blu-ray Review: Man of Tai Chi

In the years in between Keanu Reeves last big screen appearance in The Day the Earth Stood Still, he has taken the time to try his hand behind the camera. The result is a Hong Kong/American co-production called Man of Tai Chi. It is a traditional martial arts tale set in a modern world and shows that Reeves was paying attention when he was on all those movie sets. It is a competently directed and very entertaining martial arts yarn. Reeves also shows respect for the martial arts by allowing the fights to be seen and not just chopped into music video style bites. It also helps that he reunites with his Matrix choreographer, the legendary Yuen Woo Ping.

Movie Review: The Five Deadly Venoms

I am far from an authority on old school kung fu movies (well, add in new school kung fu and movies in general), but I know when I see something I like. So, I felt like watching some martial arts and I wanted to be something a little to the old/classic side. This led me to my Blu-ray copy of The Five Deadly Venoms. Now, if you like martial arts, your face probably lit up at that title. If you didn't, you just don't know and you owe it to yourself to get yourself a copy, maybe some beer and pizza, and make a might of it. It is one of those movies that is just truly worth spending a couple of hours with.

Movie Review: Man of Tai Chi

It is had to believe I has been five years since we have seen anything significant from Keanu Reeves. The last time we saw him on the big screen was back in 2008 with that terrible remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I know Keanu isn't exactly a great actor, but I have always liked him, so I was particularly happy to see the trailer for 47 Ronin last month, then this happened. I was scanning the list of movies opening locally and I came across one called Man of Tai Chi, which just happens to be directed by one Keanu Reeves.

Movie Review: The Grandmaster (2013)

It sure feels like a lot of movies have been made about Ip Man lately. I am used to martial arts films about Wong Fei Hung. In any case, The Grandmaster from auteur Wong Kar Wai is the latest, and likely most anticipated as it has been in and around production for the better part of the decade. In the meantime, it was beaten to theaters by a pair of Donnie Yen/Wilson Yip pairings covering the life of the man who famously became Bruce Lee's teacher. This latest feature is also the most traditionally arty and is quite beautiful and poetic.

Movie Review: Bamboo Gods and Iron Men

I think I may have just seen the ultimate red herring movie. No, it is not a movie about a fish, it has a fantastic dodge. The focus of the movie turns out to be a complete nothing. Think of it like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Do you remember what was in it or of it really even mattered? That is exactly what is going on here. Well, it has that and the fact that it is a wonderful mash up of blaxploitation and kungfusploitation. The movie is the oft forgotten gem Bamboo Gods and Iron Men. No, the title doesn't really describe the movie, but it certainly is catchy, right?