No comments about The Fifty-four Form of Yang-style Taiji Sword.

No comments about Japanese Weapons: Jo Jitsu.

2 comments about Azumi.

1. Azumi comes to us from the same great director of Versus. What's interesting is that the 'Uncut' version is listed at 128 minutes, while this version clocks in at 142 minutes, like most of the import versions of this film. Either way, this is the longer, original version as the director intended. The English dub is great, audio and picture are great quality. The only drawback is it comes with zero extras. There is a menu option for 'Special Features', but when you click it a graphic appears asking you to insert the second disc. And, since this is only a single disc volume, you may scratch your head for a few minutes, as I did.
   
   Basic breakdown, group of assassins (good guys) heads out to do what they do. Naturally, the people on the receiving end of said assassinations (bad guys) are somewhat reluctant to the idea. This means the two groups spend 2+ hours trying to outdo one another. There, of course, are little twists and turns and introductions of peripheral characters. But the most important thing to note is that the action is about as plentiful as it can be. Probably no more than 7 minutes goes by before someone pulls out their sword and starts swinging.
   
   For those familiar with Kitamura, this film bears his trademarks. For those who aren't, his films would be most likened to Sam Raimi (Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, the Quick and the Dead), cult/Indie flicks with style and over-the-top gore and violence, all done with a hint of comedy and melodrama (read: what mainstream audiences consider movies for dorks and people that dress up and go to Comic-Con). You still get that 'indie' feel to the action and the dialogue, mixed with a very slick and stylish choreography. While most of the action is sword fighting, it is not Crouching Tiger or Hero. This isn't a Chinese movie with lots of one on one battles. Most of the action consists of a few people mowing down many with one clean strike after another. It's fast and furious and fun.
   
   The film is definitely on a bigger budget than Versus was. Yes, there's a lot of forest-running again. But now, we're treated to a few sets here and there. The costumes of the main characters are definitely of the "anime-come-to-life" variety. They strike me as what it would be like to see something like Naruto or Inuyasha or Ninja Scroll turned into a live-action film. But despite having a bigger budget and a more talented cast, it is still a true Kitamura film (that, of course, is a good thing). You'll even see your favorite Versus characters make appearances throughout.
   
   Like Versus, if you're averse to somewhat over the top action, acting, and gore, mixed with a fairly simple story line, this ain't your thing. This movie doesn't take itself too seriously and it never tries to be anything other than what it is: an awesome action movie. There are definitely those that will be thrown by what seems like a group of young kids in cartoony costumes engaging in some serious violence and gore (all done with superior style and grace throughout). Hey, what can I say? I love this stuff.



2. It has good fighting scenes. There are some interesting points in the plot. It's based on a comic book.
   
   I love Azumi 2 too even though it's not as good as part 1.

2 comments about Goju Ryu Karate Technical Series Vol 2.

1. As practising Goju Ryu practioners, my husband and I found these DVD's invaluable. Highly recommended to anyone who wishes to further their growth in karate.



2. I very much enjoy this DVD! It is a clear, detailed explanation of how and why to practice Sanchin kata. Also, S. Higaonna explains in detail, with safety cautions, how to help a student train in this kata. This would not be a good substitute for a live instructor if you are beginning training, but it is a fabulous clarification. The instructing techniques are consistent with what I experienced in Okinawa, Japan. This DVD inspires me to train more!

3 comments about Extreme Fighting: Banned in New York!.

1. Battlecade:Extreme Fighting1=Extreme Fighting1. Buy the one thats cheaper since they are the same DVD.

   Mr, T gives some enterviews. Ralph Gracie is a pitbull, Zinoviev fights well. No fights of the Pride FC level but good to see other fighters in Bare nuckle cage match.




2. I ordered this thinking Mr. T was going to be fighting, didn't read it closer. I am a huge fan of UFC fighting and have several of their PPV DVD's, so didn't occur to me to read. Anyway this one Mr. T was simply a commontator and was in the locker room. His role was minimal. Fights were short, and not well set up.



3. No Mr. T does not fight, he just gives inane commentary. A few good fighters and decent production value. The commentating is a bit annoying since they don't seem all that knowledgeable about the sport. The fights are not set up well, but there are a few nice matches. Pick this one up cheap, otherwise stick to the UFC and Pride.

2 comments about Jackie Chan: 5 Hard Hitting Movies.

1. Hold on to your seats because the master of martial arts from my generation just punched another hole in one! I wouldn't recommend getting this if you're hoping for a movie with a great love story or dynamic acting. This is simply Jackie Chan doing what he does best: creative, witty, and very unique action. As always, Jackie does his own stunts in everything (as hard as that is to believe) and packs a serious punch! Two thumbs up.



2. Be aware that these five films were made in Jackie's early career, when he had low budgets and little creative control.

   This DVD set is recommended only for the die-hard Jackie Chan fan, to complete one's collection. He is in his top athletic ability in his youth, though. So the action scenes are interesting to watch.

   Here are my comments, with IMDB ratings:

   Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu (5.8/10) painfully bad silly comedy.
   To Kill With Intrigue (4.8/10) formulaic revenge plot.
   The Killer Meteors (4.4/10) Jackie is the villain!
   New Fist Of Fury (5.5/10) a remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" / "The Chinese Connection."
   Spiritual Kung Fu (5.7/10) actually kind of humorous.

No comments about Taijiquan: Chen Style Lao Jia Yi L.

1 comments about Shotokan Karate Vol. III.

1. It is totally awesome to be able to see these famous shotokan masters that are now deceased. It is truly a beautiful artform. I have really learned alot. I highly recommend this dvd!

5 comments about The Fearless Hyena Part 2.

1. It seems that the movie makers used lots of footage from the first movie, making the story choppy and incomplete. Apparently the studio that owns the film rights tried to cash in on first Fearless Hyena movie's success. The real story: The Lo Wei monstrosity. Jackie had just started filming this movie before moving to Golden Harvest. Lo Wei was quite bitter and even got the Triads involved. Jimmy Wang Wu got Jackie out of trouble so Jackie did two favors for Jimmy, making Fantasy Mission Force and Island of Fire. Lo Wei was very bitter over this entire situation so a couple of years later he put together Fearless Hyena 2 from the little filmed footage that he had, outtakes from Fearless Hyena, and new scenes that they shot using a Jackie Chan look-a-like. All of this nonsense is why I don't like this movie that well. It does have Jackie in it and didn't turn out that increadably bad so I'll give Lo Wei that credit. But none for trying to cash in on Jackie's name. A real disappointment in many fans opinions. Go see the first one... and you shouldn't waste your time with this one. With that said... you may feel stupid buying the Fearless Hyena double-video pack. Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware).



2. The story's about these 2 brothers who get together top avenge the murder of their father. The usual.



3. TWO CLANS FEUD AND A YOUNG MARTIAL ARTIST [JACKIE CHAN] IS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ORIGINAL MOVIE, BUT, THIS MOVIE SUCKS! IT'S TOO SLOW, TOO BORING, AND IT'S EASY TO WANNA FALL ASLEEP WHILE WATCHING IT. WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE TO KEEP THIS AWFUL MOVIE. BEING THAT I BOUGHT THIS AS PART OF A TRIPLE FEATURE MARTIAL ARTS DVD THAT ALSO HAS ''THE IMAGE OF BRUCE LEE'' [ANOTHER HORRIBLE MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE] AND ''BLOODFIGHT''. DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE MONEY OR THE TIME.



4. In cinema, regardless of country, there is a tendency to try to capitalize on the success of a film by remaking it Ad Nauseam. The most common approach is the sequel. Generally sequels will never perform as well as the original (there are exceptions such as Godfather and Drunken Master). When the star of the original film will not appear in the sequel this is normally a recipe for disaster. However, this does not compare to when the lead actor leaves during production (either through death or other problems) yet they continue on with the project trying to complete it. This happened with atrocities such as Trail of Pink Panther and Game of Death when they employed such fraudulent techniques as splicing in old footage, using body doubles while mixing with the original material to create an Ed Woodian style of film. This would also happen with Fearless Hyena II.
   
   With the success of Fearless Hyena there was obviously going to be a sequel. Jackie Chan decided to leave for the greener pastures of Golden Harvest during the early filming of movie. Now instead of quitting production, Lo Wei obtained the rights to produce this film, part of the infamous bargaining agreement between the Triads, Jackie, Lo and Wang Yu and employed the use of old footage, body doubles and mixed this with the already completed footage.
   
   This "sequel" borrows the same premise as the original and tries to follow the same format. Heaven and Earth (Yam Sai-kwoon aka Yen Shi-Kwan who was also the original nemesis in the first film and Kwan Yung Moon), wearing capes to appear villainous and silly, are tracking down all members of the Yin-Yang clan to exterminate them to prove that they have the greatest Kung Fu. Notice that they fight a young James Tien though later in the film he will age considerably. If you take note of every continuity error, or where the Jackie Chan footage comes from, you will probably have more fun watching this film.
   
   We are then introduced to a nude Jackie Chan getting fish, putting snakes down his pants and killing chickens. These introductory scenes of Lung are courtesy of the previous Lo Wei film Spiritual Kung Fu. Like in the first film Lung's guardian (the ubiquitous James Tien) wants him to get a job. This leads to one of the best scenes in the film that is actually left over from the first Fearless Hyena (I am not sure how much extra scenes were originally cut from the first film, but I've read at least an hour or more though I do not know how much still exists). Lung asks to get a job from Jaws Four (a great part from Dean Shek) in a restaurant and results are similar from his previous job with the other brother (a quadruplet) the coffin salesman. This scene is also infamous because of the post dubbing insults that were added against Jackie like - "Look at your ugly face. Small eyes and a big nose. You(r) hair is even longer than a goddamn monkey" and "That goddam long-haired hippie".
   
   Then we are introduced to the lazy son of Chan Chi Pei (Chan Wai-Lau as the Unicorn in the first film) Ah Tung who does have an interesting Rube Goldberg device that was done before Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Brazil (could they have copied this film? :-) Probably not). He is a disappointment to his father (though he has good inventor skills) and has a weak knowledge of Kung Fu. He is also friends with a local malcontent named Frog (Hon Gwok-Choi). Frog is the comic relief in the film (and we all know what happens to the comic relief in a Hong Kong film).
   
   The plot is vary familiar once you have the introductions of the characters and especially if you have seen Fearless Hyena. Jackie is going to take revenge along with his new found friend (who are they going to take revenge for, well I will not spoil that if it is not obvious). This leads to a shoddy finale that has new scenes filmed mixed with the climax of Fearless Hyena. There is no comparison to the awesome finale of the first film.
   
   After watching this movie for the first time I felt it was OK. After subsequent views I disliked it more and more. The biggest problem is the piecemeal approach to this movie. The doubles they used did not look like Jackie and did not move like Jackie (though the one in the beard was a decent fighter). Obviously Lo and Chan Chuen (the director) did not care about continuity and made lots and lots of mistakes in editing. For (another) example there is a good fire stunt in the film until they cut away and show the stunt man in complete protective garb ruining the decent scene. Oh and when they were not taking music from Raiders of the Lost Ark they were using a horrid electronic soundtrack.
   
   The pluses of this film are the contraptions that Lazy Tung creates and several scenes with the real Jackie, especially the scene with Dean Shek and the out-of-place betting scene involving turning a shirt inside out. Though even the new scenes Jackie does not appear to "giving it all" and sometimes appears to be out-of-place. Though some of that is because those scenes are from different films.
   
   I have a couple of R1 versions of this film. I have one of the full-screen prints (there are many of these out there) and the Columbia version. The full-screen print should definitely be avoided in favor of the Columbia version. This has a great transfer, Cantonese dialog option and looks quite good for this mediocre film. The worst attribute is the ever present malady that afflicts most Hong Kong R1 films - dubtitles.



5. "The Fearless Hyena II" is another of Jackie Chan's pre-"Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" films, and is as such in a bad shape from the start. Story wise there's nothing new or interesting to get (as if you'd expect that), and the same goes for the acting and the action really. The fights are choreographed in the same way that all other kung fu movies of the time were: not very good. And that's basically it. Fighting's not good, so the movie fails to deliver, in a sense. Only interesting bit is, that Jackie is spelled Jacky in the credits.
   
   Get it if you collect or are a hardcore JC fan. Otherwise leave it be.

5 comments about The Prodigal Son.

1. The first time i watched this flick i thought it was sorry and gave it 1 star but after seeing all the good reviews i decided to check it again and it looked like a different movie. The fight scenes are awesome. I wish they had a lasted a little longer. This is a great movie and a collectors item maybe a little overrated but still worth buying. I guess i didn't really watch it the first time



2. "Prodigal Son" has the absolute best authentic Wing Chun fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The movie starts off kinda slow and the Cantonese Opera scenes will probably turn off many viewers, however, if you can get past the first half of the movie it gets much better. Basically, when Sammo Hung appears in the movie and the training starts - that's when it gets worth watching. Overall, I would say the movie has some good fight scenes and some decent comedy, but Kung Fu students, particularly Wing Chun practitioners, will probably enjoy this movie more than others.



3. A definite must for any kung-fu flik afficianado. One of the few movies that display Wing Chun in action, and hilarious to boot. If you're not up for buying the DVD, Amazon also has the option to download the movie for $4.



4. Someone owes me an apology because I didn't see this sooner. Probably the white man. I've been in to kung fu for years and had never seen this until yesterday. What up with that? Out of all of Sammo's ground-breaking films, I've never even seen this in a store. I've seen "Iron-Fisted Monk" and "Warriors Two" in the store, but not "The Prodigal Son"? That makes no sense at all. While I like the other two, this one blows them away. It's by no means perfect, but what is?
   
   This movie wastes little time. Yuen Biao is the self-proclaimed town champion, not knowing that all his opponents are bought off by his old man. After getting his tail kicked by a cross-dressing, eyebrowless opera star (Lam Ching Ying, who's excellent), he begs the man to teach him real Wing Chun. The man declines, of course, so Biao joins the opera for the sake of persistence. After the opera troupe is wiped out by hired goons, Lam takes Biao home to teach him, with the aid of Lam's brother (Sammo Hung, who directed and is pretty amazing himself).
   
   The story is really nothing great, but the fight scenes totally are. Absolutely magnificent. You feel every hit, even every block. And talk about fast. The widescreen digital remastering job and optional English dub only makes it that much better. Some things did bother me; like how the slaughter of about 20 dudes seems like no big deal; and how Sammo isn't in this long enough, and doesn't really fight anybody. Those complaints aside, this flick rocks and is a crucial addition to any kung fu collection.
   
   1982. aka: Pull No Punches



5. Sammo Hung Kam-Bo's first film on Wing Chun and one of its important experts Leung Jan was the exquisite treatise named Warriors Two (1978). His second movie, The Prodigal Son (1981), would be a much more box-office successful and less didactic prequel to that film and would be his biggest hit until his next movie Carry on Pickpocket (1982). It should be noted that Sammo's importance to the action and martial art genre cannot be overstated and his 1980s directed efforts are still some of the supreme examples of Hong Kong entertainment. This movie is one of his best and among several of the Golden Harvest produced action classics that I have seen many, many times.
   
   In Warriors Two, the important Wing Chun practitioner Leung Jan was an elder gentleman brilliantly played by Leung Kar-Yan. He is now portrayed by Yuen Biao (Knockabout, Project A) as a protected somewhat spoilt kid whose hubris is directly related to the fact that he has won all his fights, unbeknownst to him though they were thrown. He keeps on his fraudulent winning ways until he tries to fight the brilliant and effeminate Peking opera female impersonator star Leung Yee-Tai (Lam Ching Ying: Mr. Vampire (1985), Painted Faces (1988)) who stars as Lotus Poon, is a master in Wing Chun and unwilling to take a bribe. This defeat along with the realization that all his wins were faked (and the help of another defeat by two "mole" people) leads him to seek a sifu in Leung Yee-Tai. He refuses and Leung Jan has his dad buy the opera so he can take a job there and hopefully get Yee-Tai to acquiesce.
   
   Meanwhile, Ngai Fei (played by the composer Frankie Chan Fan-Kei in his second acting performance) the son of royalty sees Yee-Tai fight and feels he must challenge him to a battle. This is analogous to the earlier story of Leung Jan; both are prodigal sons, except that Ngai Fei can actually fight. This leads to an awesome fight on a junk between Ngai and Yee-Tai that is interrupted by Yee-Tai's asthma attack. Ngai being honorable will not take advantage of his sick opponent. However, his two of his cronies employed by Ngai's father are not so exemplary. They see Yee-Tai as a threat and later try to off him in an overly violent attack by hired ninja-like assassins. This is one of the few scenes in the film where compared to the tone of the film was a bit excessive (though still quite cool).
   
   To escape from these assassins and to allow Yee-Tai to heal, they go to Yee-Tai's Wing Chun brother Wong Wah Bo's (director Sammo Hung) house where he is not teaching his overweight daughter Twiggy (Ho Wai-Han) how to fight he is doing calligraphy (one of the funniest and impossible to describe scenes; also shows his interest in this art form analogous to the calligraphy fighting scene in The Magnificent Butcher (1979)). He is a master of the long distance form (masculine) of Wing Chun while his comrade Yee-Tai knows only close fighting. Leung Jan must get both of these masters to teach him so he can become a stalwart in martial arts and take part in the ubiquitous training scenes.
   
   As normal in biographic cinema, Sammo Hung takes some dramatic license in its portrayal of these real-life characters (which he also did in Warriors Two). Leung Yee-Tai and Wong Wah Bo did in fact teach Leung Jan. Leung Yee Tai was in fact in an opera troupe "Red Junk" (also known as the King Fa Wui Goon troupe) and was known for his "Six-and-a-half point Long Pole" technique which was not addressed in this film. Leung Yee-Tai was known for playing a female lead (female players were illegal at this time) which his portrayer Lam Ching Ying also did under the tutelage of sifu Fan Fok-Fa. This helps in his authentic display and wonderful performance. Possibly his best, though he will always be known for being the thick eye-browed priest in Mr. Vampire and he has mentioned his favorite is in Painted Faces. While the history of Wing Chun is somewhat sketchy and anecdotal, the time period for this movie takes place around the 1850s.
   
   Hong Kong action film expert Bey Logan has named this as his favorite martial art film and it is hard to disagree. While there are a few moments of brutality that seem out-of-place and many of the fights make you wish they were longer, it is a thoroughly satisfying film. Two of the fights: with Lam Ching Ying fighting Frankie Chan and Yuen Biao fighting Frankie Chan are worth watching several times. The finale is quite brutal and fits the Wing Chun mantra of "If an opponent is hurt, go for his wounds" quite well. The action is brilliant, fast paced and fits the theme of the movie quite well with gorgeous displays of Wing Chun and other styles. The plot actually helps the film instead of being inconsequential or a distraction. It is also an exquisite looking film with cinematographer Ricky Lau Koon-Wai (director of Mr. Vampire and many more kyonsi films) doing a superb job. There are also the descriptive backstage Peking opera scenes and the Cantonese comedy which works almost seamless with the action helps make this movie a most enjoyable experience. In fact it is one of my favorite martial art movies (cannot choose one though) and one I would recommend to convert others on to this genre.
   
   I have the Fortune Star/Fox release which is uncut, has a good transfer but no extras except trailers. The biggest plus is that there are no dubtitles. However, the spelling and grammar can be atrocious at times (or quite hilarious) like "5There aren't" and "he's fate as a pig". It does not include the original mono release and the remix can sound quite bad at times. Here is another example of an R1 release Hong Kong release that does not match the Hong Kong Legends R2 release for extras. The HKL version has a Bey Logan commentary and other extras (I cannot comment on them since I do not own it).