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Reviews
Shao Lin tong zi gong (1983)
praise be to gung fu techniques
this is for the action.not acting.i know people make fun of the "praise be to buddah" thing but seriously though.the fighting techniques are to be appreciated and maybe even studied if your into martial arts.these monks devote their entire lives to this supreme regimen and style that they incorporate.the weapons fighting is classical ancient style.just like in the ancient battles of the far east. i was mesmerized and i admit to having a few laughs but it was'nt in laughing at the movie.it was rather the type that i do at seeing something so awesome it astounds me to the point of laughing. it was extremely serious.not an upbeat type of flick that you'd expect in the karate kid tradition.no charasmatic characters either. the acting of course is going to seem subpar to many but this is what it's really about when it comes to hard core martial artistry.it's not about having all this plot and drama.i know this explanation is cliche but this is the shaw brothers/wu tang series.it's about all out no nonsense and no show off cry babies.these intricit techniques are to be appreciated and learned from.this is'nt about learning to be an actor.it's more about learning to be a real warrior. rating. 8/10.
The Truman Show (1998)
truman show
okay.i just seen this recently.a couple of weeks ago and it apparently did not leave a lasting impression on me.it is not a memorable jim carrey movie.it is mediocre at best.not a memorable classic like the mask and ace ventura series.it is rather a spinoff of comedian goes to drama documentary style projects that are not meant to leave lasting or meaningful impacts of memorable sorts. the men in the control room are not convincing in their roles and they are not to be known in fond terms of myself as a viewer of this barely mediocre jim carrey project.especially at the end where the guy with the glasses acts like he's a god and starts almost appearing that way as we hear his voice being broadcast towards carey's character(truman) and proceeds with his unforgettable line of,"well,why dont you say something now,truman?say something goddammit! i hated that part.he reminded me of the typical sinister puppetmaster mindset of the very flawed corporate self righteous scum of the country.that guy really needed a swift kick by jet li into his stupid ugly mug if i must say so myself. anyway.i guess it had it's points but basically very much more towards being a forgetable and flawed project highlighted by stupid godwannabee characters like that stupid jerk with the glasses at the end. i liked carrey's response to that jerk though.the way he kept his cool and proceeded with his exploited life so gracefully and sportsmanly as he did was poetry in motion if i must say so myself. for it's points(carrey's usual versatile acting abilities)which resonated and made up for the wannabee jerks and had a redeeming quality in itself,i give this one a 6.0/10.0 if you like to see jerks put in they're place and are able to overlook flawfull acting and truly unmeaningfull attributes of a good film then give it a try,i guess. peace out.
Bloodsport (1988)
bloodsport
a great breakthrough for jean claude.the music lends a helping hand also in getting the viewer in the mood for some intense full contact action.van damme(frank dux)is an army guy who enters the underground type kumite and becomes friends with ogre(from revenge of the nerds).they participate in the awesome kumite event and are matched with all sorts of stylists and characters.forrest whittaker's in it too as an agent type guy,teamed up with another agent who's kind of dorky but that's all good.the action in this one outweighs the flaws in acting.the story is good and the plot is decent.the action though,which for me is what it's all about really holds up strong even against these newer flix like matrix and crouching tiger hidden dragon. jean claude's only 27 years old in this one and he looks even younger.he's like the epitome of the description of the baby faced assasin.ogre from the nerds seems to be the best actor in this one so take that to consideration.in other words,the acting's really not all bad at all.give this flick a chance even if you seen it years ago and have temporarily wiped it out of you're memory bank.it will refresh you over and over again.it is unquestionably one of the most upbeat and enthusiastic martial arts films of all time.it ranks right alongside the karate kid,only the strong,best of the best,sidekicks and street fighter as being one of the most notoriously enthusiastic and upbeat martial arts flix of all time. of course it would'nt be bloodsport without bolo yeung(chong li)who's the kumite champion when dux and his pal first enter the competition.chong li and dux dominate,ogre does well enough to face chong li but is badly defeated by him and thus dux sets out to avenge his friend who finds himself bedridden with injuries from the chong li match. dux then qualifies to battle chong li and we see a masterfully choreographed fight scene that will endure for ages to come.not even the fight scene van damme has with tong po in kickboxer matches this showdown.i could watch it till i pass out.it's highly memorable. it's really cool how van damme(dux)recollects his training with the master at the beginning of the flick to enable himself to bounce back against the odds and overcome his adversary.anybody who criticizes this flick is perhaps offended by it's content or something like that. i thought it was highly invigorating,upbeat and enthralling to say the least.this is van damme in his prime and should'nt be missed or dissed.my rating.a 9.0/10 for it's flawless action and motivating vibe. it would've scored a 10 if they'rd been a few more fight scenes.i just could'nt get enough after that music started energizing me.
Circle of Iron (1978)
circle of iron
this is a mystically inclined adventurous journey of the meaning to life having purpose and fullfillment based on helping one another find the way to enlightenment,which the teacher(the blind man),and the student/venturer of meaning(cord)do. they use their opposite individualities to conjure up a unique and unforgettable partnership,which eventually becomes a true friendship at the end which is the result of understanding each other better and allowing each other's contrasting views to coincide to develop into the unique zenforce/fighting team that they become. the scenic background is a desert based atmosphere,whether it's israel or palestine.this type of setting coupled with the compelling music make this a landscape monument for the uniquely inclined deeper striver of zen/buddhism and enlightenment. like other's on imdb have mentioned,this is not a typical bloodsport,kickboxer or streetfighter type of flick.it's a picture that illustrates and exemplifies a deeper meaning to the journey one has with fullfilling they're search for martial arts based enlightenment. must be seen several times to really understand.unless you're a good listener and attentive viewer you wont appreciate it enough the first time you check it out.that's why i recommend that you watch it at least twice.once for yourself and the other time with a friend. for it's creativity and deeper meaning of martial arts based enlightenment i give this one a 9/10 rating.
Murimsa budaehaeng (1982)
quite spectacular
this one's obviously quite underrated.i bought it back in 1990 and i'd have thought there would've been more reviews on this kung fu cult classic.obviously it has'nt gotten enough exposure.i've watched the whole thing plenty of times.at least 3 or 4 times allready and i wish soon that i'll have the opportunity to let someone else enjoy this unforgettable thrilling rollercoaster ride of a kick ass flick that it truly is.no doubt.you gotta see it to believe it.the scenes are truly memorable and they play in you're head years after you've seen it. freaky as that sounds.i think that it's benefitted myself for my lasting interest in preserving myself to hopefully become like that ultimate fighting machine old guy dude towards the end.what a dramatic conclusion that was.he takes on 3 of the heroes and almost beats them all.it's really unbelievable.that dude's got to be at least 60 something and he fights with incredible proficiency ,power and unforgettable speed! totally riveting and entertaining to say the least. a classic kung fu powerhouse,masterpiece.10/10,for sure.
ps-certainly a groundbreaker and a must see for any type of martial arts fan.
The Cable Guy (1996)
mighty swell flick.and hilarious too!
yeah.this was quite hilarious.the medievel knights scene,the party with the kareokee,the disappointing realization over eggs the next morning,the basketball game and especially and definetely my favorite part,the absolutely hilarious bathroom scene where carey(chip douglass)kicks the crap out of owen wilson,who plays the cocky boyfriend of steve's temporarily seperated girlfriend.that scene really takes the cake in pure hilarious rollicking roll on the floor laughter.the way he's got that moustache and sunglasses,he looks like freddie mercury trying to be the equalizer.if that's not hilariously funny i dont know what is. the scene with steven,his girlfriend,the parents and chip in the livingroom playing the possibly offensive to some viewers game,is just there to add even more humor variety to this masterpiece of comedy expertise.ben stiller did his thing with the directing and jim carey put on a performance well worthy of an oscar. my rating is a 9.0/10 only because the ending could've been better,which some of the imdb commenters mentioned about.
Only the Strong (1993)
nice breakthrough flick.
this flick is the type of movie that is timeless and will continue to inspire many generations of martial art's movie fans like myself to explore and venture into new territory.this hit of a flick does just that as it intrigues jackie chan,jet li,vann damme,steven seagal and don the dragon wilson fans like myself.
i've ventured into alot of different style exploitations and this one(capoeira)definetely has my respect for it's grace,athleticism,finesse,and most of all it's upbeat enthusiasm.i can hardly believe that myself,a longtime practitioner and martial arts movie buff first saw this flick on hbo in 1996 and was'nt particularly enthralled by it back then,but guess what?i really decided to watch it(the whole thing and not just in bits and parts while i was doing other stuff on the side,like cooking and reading like i apparently did back in 1996.like i said,this time i gave it a chance and i really became enthralled, fascinated and rejuvenated from watching this very underrated breakthrough masterpiece of a martial arts classic that it obviously deserves to be.
in other words,and putting it rather bluntly and frankly,check this flick out,please.give it the chance it deserves.you won't be disappointed.the only thing that disappoints me is that they haven't made a sequel for it yet and it's been out for 9 years.how freaky is that?
my rating?definetely a strong 8.5.the music video is really cool too.
Si wang ta (1980)
tower of death
i first seen this unique flick in 1988 and was impressed especially with the final fight scene with bobby lo and the evil chin ku.they're rivalry transferred into kung fu action made it one of the most impressive fight scenes that i've ever seen.i've seen many kung fu flicks.all of vann damme's,chuck norris'es,and practically all of everybody else's.oh yeah,all of bruce lee's flix at least 10 times apiece.but like i was saying,of all that i've watched,this one has some extreme groundbreaking stuff.i could hardly believe my eyes when i first saw it and upon purchasing it last year i was eager to let my guests check it out for themselves.everyone else that's seen it has been equally impressed,especially with the final fight scene.
the rest of the movie has it's flaws but they actually ironically contridict themselves into some genuine classic unintentional 70's style kung fu humor.(i know the flix from 1981 by the way)
aside from the flaws in acting and plot,this nevertheless stands firm as at least a well done project in the action fighting sense of the term project.yeah.i guess that basically sums it up.it's a bit more of a unique project of action fighting more than it is a genuine action flick.
in conclusion of my point,i give the flick a 10/10in the fighting action department,a 7/10 for it's unintentional humor,and a 3/10 for storyline,acting and plot.that would probably amount to an overall rating of a 6.5/10,i'd say.which means it just barely passes overall.
but once again i emphasize,the fighting mastery is unforgettable and leaves a lasting impact on martial art's enthusiast's and practitioners alike.