No comments about Kajukenbo.

No comments about Day of the Panther.

2 comments about Bruce's Deadly Fingers.

1. Years ago after watching several bruce li films, I discovered bruce le with this movie and is one of my favorites for three reasons, le has the bruce lee physique and is the best fighter out of all the imitators. Bolo(bad guy cameo), lo lieh, chan wai man, and james nam(with 2 numchucks) also show their stuff in the many fights. The dubbing and other goofiness further intensifies the entertainment value. The fighting used in this film is real kung fu (like shaw brothers shaolin films) not like bruce lee. The dvd anamorphic WS picture is good, and no problems with mono english audio (good on the sound system).



2. Every movie I see Bruce "Le" in has absolutely zero budget, crappy kung fu, and terrible acting from "Le". But this movie is a bit different. The story is terrible, but everything else is pretty good. A great soundtrack, cool 70's outfits, an AWESOME cast, and good fights. What else do you ask for in a kung fu movie? This is without a doubt in my mind the best fight choreography that Bruce Le has ever been involved with. The cast also includes Cheung Lik, Chan Wai Man, Kong Do, Chu Chi Ling, Nora Miao, Leung Siu Wa (villain from Kung Fu Massacre), and a great cameo fight from Bolo Yeung. And there's a bunch of recognizable actors who play thugs/extras in the movie, like Lam Ching Ying and Chien Yuet San. The story's not really worth going over. Bruce Le is looking for some kung fu book, and it's gonna take him the whole movie to find it. It's a bore, but the fights are what makes it worth watching.
   
   3/5
   
   
   The VCI DVD is letterboxed and the picture quality is quite good. And the English dub sounds good. Unfortunately, it looks like there is a little bit of gore cut out at the end. Then again, the people who made the movie could be at fault, and maybe nobody has ever seen an uncut version. It's a mystery to me.

No comments about Knock Out & Power Kicking!.

1 comments about My Name Called Bruce.

1. My Name Called Bruce is a film that starts off slowly with alot of talking. More talking than fighting. Also, some clips end abruptly and a new clips begin very quickly. One fight scene starts in a restaurant and then, suddenly, the backround changes to the outside of the restaurant.
   Despite those mistakes, the movie does manage to deliver a very powerful ending with Bruce in an impressive final fight scene.
   Bruce Le is cut and very athletic. The female cop is also athletic and skilled in the martial arts as well.
   Overall, this is not one of Bruce Le's most action packed movies. On the other hand, I would recommend this movie just for the final fight scene in which Bruce Le uses the "Crane" style against his oppenent as well as other styles of martial arts mixed together.
   For the spectacular ending, I rate this movie with 5 stars-
   
   Fast fact, Bruce Le's real name is Huang Kin Lung.

2 comments about Death Duel of the Mantis.

1. This is a very engaging movie. The story itself is alright. It's about an orphan named Xiao Hai, played by Ting Wa-Chung, who is raised by a crime boss played by Lung Fei, and begins to learn the Chicken fist when he falls for a girl who is a mantis fist expert, played by Kam Yin-Fei.

   The reason to get this film is the fight coreography. While it kind of looks undercranked, it's not obvious, unlike some of those Alexander Lo Rei 'Ninja' films during the 80's. And the treat is watching Kam Yin-Fei. She is AWESOME. Not only does she have a lot of power, reminiscent of Michelle Yeoh's on-screen fighting, but she's also very acrobatic. She does as many flips and leg sweeps as the lead character Xiao. Xiao is not a very sympathetic character, but he is a great on-screen fighter and verry acrobatic. He does multiple flips in one spot, not unlike Li Yi Min in some of his films. Lung Fei is also great, but there is some body doubling when his character does some flips.
   The downside of this DVD is the picture quality. It is full screen and looks like it was taken from a VHS source. I also had a problem with the sound effects during the fight scenes, but I think that was more a fault of the original makers of the films. Some of the body blows, for instance, had the same sound effect as the 'slap' sound made when one guy blocks a hit with his arms. You realize how important proper sound effects are to making a fight work in a kung fu film.
   The special features are interesting, but nothing special. Gordon Liu's interview isn't very enlightening. It's rather distracting that the voice doing the translating only picks out every other sentence (it's like he only had one shot at translating), he translates for both the interviewer AND Liu, and in his British accent, he sometimes throws in British terms, like 'bloke'. The demonstration of Hung Gar is interesting, but is more for show than actual learning value.
   Overall, the film deserves a 5. The fight coreography is well paced and top notch. And watch for the girl. It's a wonder why she didn't do any other kung fu films of note. She could have been another Moon Lee or Michelle Yeoh if she was doing her thing in the late 80's. 'Death Duel Of Mantis' - a film you shouldn't pass up on.




2. This is just another ordinary kung fu flick. It starts out interesting with a young orphan who has been raised by gangsters. The leader of the gang is Lung Fei and after the kid learns his chicken style, he is now the gang's top henchman. After meeting a mantis master who has a score to settle with Lung Fei, the young man has to decide whether or not to remain a gangster. He loves the mantis teacher's daughter, but he also loves Lung Fei as a father figure.
   
   The story itself is pretty boring, but Lung Fei shows to be a good actor. The main star's love interest is not a good actress, but she has some very good fighting skills. The plot definitely had potential, and while the movie is not too cheesy, the story just isn't done very well.
   
   The reason to get this movie is for Lung Fei. This is definitely one of his best performances and while the chicken style is usually used comically, Lung Fei doesn't play around!
   
   The star of the movie is not bad. His acting is beyond awful but he is not a bad fighter and his acrobatics are the only reason he is worth watching.
   
   Not a good movie, but not bad for die hard fans of the genre.
   
   2.5/5
   
   DVD from Videoasia has very bad picture quality, but it's still watchable, for me at least. The DVD works, at least Videoasia got that part right on this release. If you are new to Videoasia movies, then always expect the worst.

1 comments about Practical Aiki-do , Vol 2 by Robert Koga.

1. Every DVD in this series is really good. The best controlling techniques for law enforcement and security personel that I'm aware of.

5 comments about The Sword.

1. This is one of the best sword fighting movie ever made (1980) and is characterized as the new wave martial arts movie.
   The story goes as a new swordsman tries to gain recognition by challenging the best swordsman. At the end he finally achieved his goal and became the best sword fighter, but he also paid with a big price in doing so. You might lose more than what you wishing for!
   Patrick Tam only directed a few movie in his career and this one is definitely his best work. The action sequence is one of the best. Fast & bloody and yet graceful. The story is exciting with nice fashionable costumes and a few beautiful women to delight the scene. A must have for sword fighting movie collector.
   I am not sure about this DVD. The one I have is a VCD and the picture is scratched and hasn't been restored.



2. I saw this movie years ago. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoy it now.
   
   This movie is about two swordsmen. One obsessed with fame, the other obsessed with possessions. Fate brought them together, and it did not end well for either one them. Oh yeah, being their wife, friend or lover sucked too. I suppose you can see this movie as a metaphor of life. People obsessed with fame and money often cannibalize their personal relationships.
   
   The fight scenes are decently, but the actors in this movie are no Jet Li. So if you want great action sequences, you will be slightly disappointed.
   
   The quality of the video and audio of this DVD are terrible. Well, it is better than nothing I guess.



3. On the surface, this would appear to be a typical wuxia pan (Chinese
   martial arts adventure) film from the early 70's. What's interesting
   here (or maybe not) is that this story is actually a prequel to the
   classic 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. That movie was actually
   based on the third part of three part story written in China many,
   many, many years ago. This film is based on the first part of that
   novel, and introduces the characters later played in CTHD by Chow-
   Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. It also chronicles the making of the
   great sword known in CTHD as the 'Green Destiny' (though it is not
   refered to by that name in this film) The protaginists names are
   different here as well, though I don't know if they were changed
   for this film or for CTHD. Since this was made sveral years before,
   I'm inclined to believe this one is closer to the original Chinese
   text. You needn't be familiar with CTHD to enjoy this film however.
   Despite the era in which it was made, it is gorgeously shot and the
   action scenes are quite wonderful. (And dig that shot of the guy who
   gets split in half down the middle by the titular weapon!) Enjoy!



4. A long time collector of A class martial art films this one ranks among the top, I search all over the internet and stores coast to coast and overseas for the best in martial art films and this is a gem. This film has a good story the acting is well done and outstanding sword fighting, I'm also a fan of Norman Chu he plays the villian in this film. The price that I paid for this movie on amazon was a big gift when you consider what lesser quality films are asking.



5. 'The Sword' is a swordplay drama with thrilling action, a nice space age type of soundtrack and great cinematography. Nothing compares to seeing a sword in Adam cheng's hand. Lee Hoi San, Eddy Ko, and Norman Chu also star and all do very good work, but Adam Cheng is truly a magical performer. The directing and acting is also superb and this is one of my personal favorite movies. Many moments are just so grinningly satisfying such as seeing Cheng's face when he learns that his childhood sweetheart now has a husband. And Norman Chu will make you think he must be a bad guy in real life coming across so menacing and heartless on screen.
   
   Adam Cheng stars as a master swordsman who is looking for another master swordsman who he wants to challenge, but he gets caught up in an another swordsman's plot to gain 2 evil and powerful swords for himself. The one plotting to kill him and get the swords is his childhood sweetheart's husband (Norman Chu). It all leads to a final battle that is posibly the greatest sword fight ever filmed. It gets pretty dark and has very graphic violence at times. The ending absolutely has to be seen. This is somewhat of a remake of Jimmy Wang Yu's Crash Masters: The Sword (1971) made 9 years earlier, except much more exciting and just a better overall movie.
   
   4.5/5
   
   Sound and picture quality on the Deltamac DVD are good and the subtitles are well written.

No comments about Grand Collection of "Swordsman II & III" (2 Disc Set).

3 comments about The Empress Dowager.

1. This director made two movies of this title (in English translation). This is the 1989 "Xi tai hou" with actors Lui Xiao Qing, Gong Li (in a supporting role), Chen Dao Ming, and Li Yan. It has Mandarin and Cantonese soundtracks, with subtitles in English (though with lots of typos and literal translations).
   
   I am not Chinese, only a newer student of China culture and history. The DVD is not as high quality as I am used to, some scratches on the film in parts. But I am happy to have bought it and to have seen it. The story is well told, I think, in a more Chinese way -- which I appreciate. This applies to the writing and directing. The acting is quite good, from any perspective. The film is short at 94 minutes but packs a lot of content, with beautiful traditional costume, decor, achitecture, storytelling, song, allusions to BeiJing Opera, and history and cultural practices of many sorts. I was familiar with Gong Li, from better known films she has done, Chinese and United States. Here her role is a supporting role, but still a significant one.
   
   The relationships between the Empress Dowagers (mothers of the emperor), and the young Emperor and his new wife, as well as the court intrigue among the others in the royal court were intriguing and held my interest.
   
   I felt it was a beautiful film, though somewhat foreign to me in its style and culture. I appreciate it for teaching me much in a short time, in an enjoyable way, with such beauty and poetry.



2. This is an interesting movie if you want to understand the cruelty the Empress Dowager served to the people in her court. The broken romance of the Emperor and a servant of the Empress was good. However, some of the scenes in the movie didn't make sense, and the subtitles didn't either. So unless you can speak Mandarin, there are some parts of the movie that definitely leave you saying, "huh?" Also, the movie, and the history books don't seem to agree on some a few points, so I am assuming the director took liberties to base the movie loosely on the life of the Empress Dowager. The movie only covered about seven or so years of her life, so if you really want to know about her life, consult a history book - not this movie.



3. This movie is the second part of a three part series of DVDs and VCDs. The first part of the story, Chui Lian Ting Zheng, tells the early part of the story, the death of the Xian Feng Emperor and the struggle for the two Dowager Empresses to take power.
   
   The second part of the story, this DVD, Xi Tai Hou, tells the story of the death of Tong Zhi, the son of Ci Xi, the Western Dowager Empress.
   
   The third part of the story, Yi Dai Yao Hou, is the remainder of the story of CiXi, her murder of the Eastern Dowager Empress and the adoption of GuangXu and her own death.
   
   This movie was shot in the Chinese palaces and gives a better tour of the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the hunting lodge in Chengde and the Sea Palaces, than any documentary usually does.