4 comments about World of Drunken Master.

1. The cast of The Mystery Of Chess Boxing and Seven Grandmasters (Jack Long, Lee Yi Min, Mark Long) returns for another great non-stop kung fu flick. If you have seen the two previously mentioned films then you know that this movie will be nothing short of awesome. It is one fight after the next displaying many different styles, but mostly the mastery of drunken boxing. It also ranks side by side with both of Yuen Woo Ping's films, Drunken Master and Dance of the Drunk Mantis. Briefly, the story is of the northern and southern masters of drunken boxing, Beggar Su(Lee Yi Min) and Fan Ta Pei(Jack Long), being reunited after 30 years and recalling their meeting and training of the drunken style. Most of the film is a flashback of when they were young.
   
   Jack Long and Lee Yi Min are amazing as always, performing with great style and speed. Throw in a final fight scene with Mark Long, the Ghostface Killer in The Mystery of Chess Boxing, and this movie could not get much better. There is as much, if not more, drunken style performed here than in any other film I've seen. Although, it does lack a little of the style that is in Yuen Woo Ping's directed performances(Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang Lee).
   
   As for the DVD itself, the picture is full screen but filmed well enough to not cut off much of what is in the scene. The film quality is average for an old school kung fu movie that is not digitally remastered. At least it doesn't claim to be remastered like nearly all others that really are not. The audio is english dubbed only and again is average.
   
   I recommend this movie to any martial arts collection, and also The Mystery Of Chess Boxing and Seven Grandmasters. If you like one, you'll like the others.



2. This is definitely having as part of your collection if your a MA fan. The other reviewer did a good job of telling the story.
   
   The only reason I gave this movie a 4 was because the flashback scene lasts WAY too long, and the final fights are way too cut-up. The really good fights have about a cut a second, it's pretty sad. If it didn't have all the cuts, I would have to give it a 5/5 even with the bad storyline.
   
   Also- the version of this movie that I have is from Tai Seng and is a VERY good picture widesceened and with dual languages.



3. I expected a lot more from the hype,,,but still worth the watch. Great addition for the collection.



4. The director and cast of "7 Grandmasters" try and tackle Drunken Boxing in this amazingly dumb, yet dumbly amazing movie. The film begins with a voice-over prologue that sees Simon Yuen practicing on the beach as Beggar Su, the character he made famous in "Drunken Master". Then, off he goes, never to be seen again.
   
   After some pretty sweet opening credits, we forward to Jack Long as Fan Ta Pei, and a couple of challengers for HIS drunken style. Then, in a flashback that takes up the bulk of the film's length: Fan Ta Pei (Mr. Long again, sans beard) is a young hooligan, in cahoots with Li Yi Min as the young Beggar Su. They get into some trouble, and somehow end up learning the drunken style from some cool dude that beats people up with his pipe; then both of the young men fall for the master's niece. Then we forward again to their reunion, a revelation, and the finale, featuring Mark "Ghostface Killer" Long.
   
   Now for the one thing I neglected to mention in the previous paragraph... the fights: There are lots of 'em. LOTS of 'em. They start well and keep getting better. I debated on the rating, because it's so silly, but I really enjoyed watching this. With this many fights at this high a level, some great acrobatics and sound-effects, it's an old-school fan's dream.
   
   Part of Ground Zero's "Eastern Heroes" collection, the full-screen presentation is a bit of a disappointment, but it doesn't lose a lot of picture, and the quality is quite good for not being remastered. Night shots leave something to be desired, but there's not a lot of them. All in all, I'd have to recommend it. In fact, I can't wait to watch it again. English dubbed.
   
   1979. aka: "Drunken Dragon"

5 comments about Invincible Pole Fighter.

1. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is definitely one of the best of all-time. Its in my top 5. The pole fighting in this movie is spectacular. My favorite scene is when Gordon Liu fights the shaolin monk to complete his training. The choreography is amazing. $$$ well spend. You must buy this movie. It is Gordon Liu at his best.



2. This was a very good movie, but it is not the greatest shaw brothers film. Other SB films have had better story lines and Fight sequences. If you enjoy Gorden Liu then by all means purchase this film. The movie has a decent plot and very good action (especialy the final fight). You wont be mad that you have it in your collection.



3. Love classic Kung Fu. Big fan of Gordon Liu. Good oldschool flick.



4. What can I say? This is the quintessential kung fu film, and if you ask me it should be on EVERYONE'S top 10 list. I'm not going to say it is the greatest of all time....but it very well may be. Not only do you have a dark, emotional tale starring an all-star Shaw Brothers cast, but you also have a film directed by the greatest kung fu filmmaker of all time, Lau Kar Leung (Liu Chia Liang). In "8 Diagram Pole Fighter" (Invincible Pole Fighter), he directed both the greatest pole fight of all time(Gordon Lui vs. Phillip Ko Fei) and one of the most brutal, over the top final fights in all of kung fu history. Do yourself a favor though and don't buy this version. Instead, buy an all-region DVD player and pick up Celestial's beutiful, remastered version. It is well worth the money.



5. 
   Brilliant.
   
   OK, I will tell you more, but there is really not much more that needs to be said. This is a unique movie. It starts off with a very serious Lily Li getting a message in her thoughts that only 6 out of her 7 sons will return from a battle with some Mongolians. Instead, only brother #6 returns(Fu Sheng). He comes back insane after seeing all of his brothers die. It was a bit disturbing for me as well. Hsiao Ho, Lau Kar Wing, Wong Yue and 2 other Yang brothers all bite the dust before the movie ever really starts. Luckily, Yang #5 (Gordon Liu) makes it out alive and goes to study at Shaolin Temple. That is all I will tell about the story, you just have to experience it for yourself. A true Shaw Brothers classic. The use of sets only may turn some people off, but they are beautiful sets and any Shaws fan will not have a problem with this. Also, if you love hand to hand, there is a slight chance you will not like this wonderful movie. It is all pole fighting, no hand to hand. Only get this if you want to see some of the best stick work ever. Even Lily Li gets about 2 minutes to show off. And just like a lot of Lau kar Leung's other films, this is a true Shaolin movie, and the Shaolin pole techniques are on full display. Their skills in pole fighting is a big reason why the Emperor favored them and why Shaolin became what it is today.
   
   If you liked '36th Chamber of Shaolin', this is a must have in your collection. Not as many training scenes, but some awesome Gordon Liu action.
   
   No doubt one of the greatest casts ever including Johnny Wang Lung Wei as one of the villains. You need good villains in kung fu movies and luckily Lung Wei is in it. The other 2 main baddies are acceptable. Also starring is Kara Hui and Philip Kao Fei in a very memorable role.
   
   Even though this movie had to be drasticly changed because of Fu Sheng's death during the time of filming, it is amazingly still a masterpiece in just about every way.
   
   Another one of the last Shaw films, and another one of the very best. Sad to see they had to close up when they had all of these megastars on hand to make great movies like this.
   
   One more note- I was not expecting this high of a death total in a Lau Kar Leung movie. He usually stays away from the violence. Well, "usually" is the key word here because I counted well over a 100 total deaths (you have to watch very close). The poles get very bloody. :)
   
   Another masterpiece from Master Lau. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this. 4.5/5
   
   
   As for the different versions of this movie-, I have the bootleg Red Sun version. I would recommend waiting for either Image or Dragon Dynasty to release this. There is no doubt they will. You can also get the Crash Cinema version which is sadly presented in full screen. IVL has this remastered and Red Sun obviously just stole their remastered print. That is the only way I can come up with a reason for Red Sun having it remastered. They steal their prints DIRECTLY from the IVL versions. Most of them at least. If it's not stolen from Celestial, it is probably not remastered. If people do not know about Red Sun being a bootlegging company, then DO NOT SUPPORT THEM ANYMORE. Just so you know, supporting bootleggers like Red Sun DESTROYS ANY chances for a legitimate American movie release. If you don't believe me or wish to find out more info on what I am talking about, just ask. I would be more than happy to comment on how Red Sun is absolutely heartless and tries to ruin martial arts movies for true fans. I am a true fan, and I find their DVDs disgusting. I hope that everyone realizes this.

5 comments about Ultimate Fighting Championship 9.

1. This installment of the UFC received a lot of press mostly due to Michigans' attempt to cancel the show a few weeks before the show. A lot of the earlier UFC's were used as "proof" of it's violent nature. While the event went on as planned, a few rules were placed just before showtime. First off, open handed strikes had to be used, and pressure point strikes were disallowed. I think only a few fighters used open-handed strikes, while every fighter did heed the pressure point rule. The show was a change from the previous 9, no tournament but a fight card format. It proved to be a winning formula as every fight was entertaining, except for the Superfight. An inspirational performance by Mark Shultz and an unbelievable fight between Don Frye and Amaury Bitetti highlighted this show. But it was the Superfight that absolutely angered the crowd, and embarrassed all fans and supporters of the sport. Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn basically slapped each other for 20+ minutes, until they finally hit the mat for the last 5 minutes. While there was strategy involved, it's very hard to defend the lack of effort by each fighter. The most disappointing fight ever; worse than any work or ground war. I try not to ruin a review by giving the results, but this is the exception. With all the media surrounding this card, the Superfight may have calmed the good-doer's and politicians, I guess that's a good thing.



2. The first bout-style UFC, with no tournament. Some fairly good fights, with Frye-Bitteti being the best. The superfight between Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn ranks in my top 3 'Worst Fights Ever'. Just pathetic. I'd advise you to stop the tape before it starts, but it's like a car-wreck; it's so horrible, you just have to watch. On the other hand, there's usually some blood at a good car-wreck.



3. This video will make you think two things; 1.The U.F.C is a joke! 2.Larry, Curly, and Moe govern the state of michigan for making such stupid rules!



4. This tape was not that bad.Don Frye shows why he is the predator.
   the superfight is what brought this UFC down for me.It should have been called the superflop.Anyways.Rent to watch the first few matches,but stop before the superfight.



5. bad matchups, poor superfight, and a good reason to go back to the superfight format.

1 comments about The Warrior aka Musa.

1. I really enjoyed this movie. It was very exciting and the fighting scenes were very authentic and not like some kung fu movies where everyone is flying from tree to tree. The acting was superb and the story line was interesting and believable. The costumes appeared to be very well thought out and added to the fierce fighting warriors of that time. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy ancient China's wars between its neighbors.

3 comments about Yaji and Kita - The Midnight Pilgrims.

1. Three years ago I read Ikku Jippensha's novel Hizakurige, or Shank's Mare, for one of my Japanese history classes. I comparison to some of the other books in the class the long tale of Yaji and Kita was quite entertaining if a bit long. During the Edo period townsmen and rich farmers were able to travel more freely so there was a demand for travel guides. Therefore a number of guides for inns, sites of interest, teahouses, etc. began to appear. Unlike many of the writers, Ikku Jippensha took it upon himself to create a "guide" that was also a quite comedic story. It was in this miasma of budding plebian literature and tourism that Yajirobei and Kitahachi, Yaji and Kita for short, were born. Consisting of passages in which the protagonists mock samurai, hit on girls, and tour the sites along to Tokaido Road Shank's Mare is an entertaining read not only for Japanese literature, but for those who just enjoy humorous literature as well.
   
   Now warp to the year 2005 and put the rapscallion duo of Yaji and Kita into the hands of director Kankuro Kudo. Still dressed in townsmen attire, Kita sports a bleached topknot and has a heroin addiction. Concerned about the health of his friend and lover, there are hints that Yaji and Kita were lovers in some of Jippensha's later stories, Yaji forces his drugged up friend that he needs to go to Ise in order to clean up, so they hop upon Yaji's motorcycle and make their way to Ise. They almost reach their destination when a police officer makes them return to Edo and hike along the Tokaido road to reach their destination.
   
   Like the novel, Yaji and Kita stop at a number of inns, but instead of detailed information concerning the food of each inn, the viewer is treated to middle-aged women being accosted by the God of Laughs, a girl whose singing is so bad Mt. Fuji hazes over, a gaggle of school girls, including one ganguro, who are the fan club of a mafia boss, King Arthur, a bartender and his wife who has become half mushroom, etc. Obviously the film ranges from the comedic to the outright bizarre. At some points it is so bizarre that suspension of disbelief is destroyed. However, the comedic effects of the film are able to draw one back in and make it worthwhile to sit through the two hour plus film.
   
   Definitely not for the prude, there is one scene in which Yaji stretches Kita's nut sack a few feet and then bites it and the ending theme is a song titled "I Want to be Your F*ck" by the Zazen Boys, Yaji and Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims is definitely good for a few laughs and even more "Oh my God" moments.



2. At first sight Japanese comedy "Yaji and Kita - The Midnight Pilgrims" looks like a curious mixture of "Easy Rider"-like buddy movie and costume drama of the Edo Period, but the fact is the film is based on Japan's cult comic books by Shiriagari Kotobuki. This boldly-conceived film is full of crazy ideas reflecting its source materials, but the comic books is also inspired by Japanese classic novel "Tokai Dochuu Hiza Kurige" written by Juppensha Ikku from 1802.
   
   The film centers on two main characters of the original best selling novel of Edo Period - two ordinary males Yaji (Tomoya Nagase) and Kita (Shichinosuke Nakamura). Kita is a drug-addict living in Edo (today's Tokyo), who is in love with married man Yaji. To these men arrives a DM advertising resorts in Ise, holy place 300 miles from Edo. Yes, of course, the film's basic premise is spoof.
   
   Like the original comics and book, the entire film is very episodic. On the way to Ise the two guys meet people at several post stations and they are mostly very strange people. Sometimes the film intentionally disregards the chronology as Yaji and Kita have their original songs released, which becomes a local smash hit. At one place the film is so self-conscious that its story becomes sort of meta-fiction with Kita watching his own movie in theater! Call it silly, clever or whatever you like it, but the film has surely originality.
   
   Writer and first-time director Kankurou Kudo, however, seems often carried away by his own wild imagination. As you expect, the film's humor heavily relies too much on the puns and Japanese pop culture references with numerous cameos of Japanese actors, but what is most regrettable is that Kudo didn't take enough time for character development. Both actors are good as hopped-up Kita and spirited Yaji, but the story of their love and friendship is not allowed to develop sufficiently in the wildly imaginative but too muddled second half.
   
   Interestingly the film received mixed reviews in Japan from general viewers. Some praised director Kudo's rich ideas while others disliked his unrestrained use of it. Some find his imagination amazing while others thought it rather detracts from the characters' appeal. Kankurou Kudo has been already famous and praised for his works as screenwriter and the brilliance of his writing (if not totally) is undeniable even here, but perhaps the film would have been different with another director who is not afraid of cutting some of the scenes.
   
   Not for everyone's taste like any comedy with motorcycle riders in kimono, the film is really something unique and unusual. Even I, a Japanese, found this one so.
   
   (DVD jacket is a bit misleading: they travel to Ise on foot, just like any other ordinary men living in the 19th century Japan. The film is bold, but not that bold as to let them ride ALL through the film's story.)



3. Two samurai lovers (Tomoya Nagase and Shichinosuke Nakamura) head for the Ise Shrine so that one of them may be cured of his heroin addiction. This bizarre film is so surreal that it nearly defies description, leaping through various time periods at will and presenting a phantasmagoric gallery of imaginative oddities. The only constants running throughout the film are the devotion of the two lovers and the harrowing depiction of the hell of addiction. This is definitely not a film for everyone, but I was consistently entertained by the confident brazenness of writer/director Kankuro Kudo and his talented cast. There are episodes of head-scratching weirdness, laugh out loud moments, and even some sequences that are oddly moving. I was particularly impressed by Itsuji Itao as the sad comedian Naniwa Hotto (whose entire schtick appears to consist of proclaiming things to be "hot") and Yumi Shimizu as the worst singer in the world.

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

No comments about X Training with Randy Couture Volume 2.

No comments about Ultimate Death Trance (Deluxe Edition).

No comments about Rope-dart.

1 comments about Taiji Saber Classical Yang Style.

1. The Taiji Saber DVD has a bonus section of an 8 minute lecture on Taiji Saber by Master Yang, Jwing Ming. He explains how there are four major weapons learned in Chinese Martial Arts, those being the saber, spear, sword and staff. Traditionally the saber was the first short weapon a student would study. The saber has the most basic skills and once learned, the other weapons become much easier to learn. The other short weapons share 60 to 70 % of the saber techniques, as related by Master Yang.
   
   Master Yang relates an old saying that goes
   100 days for bare hand
   1000 days for spear
   10,000 days for sword
   
   This DVD is a demonstration of Taiji Saber. It is not an instructional DVD in the usual manner of DVDs being released by YMAA. A student should have a good grasp and execution of the bare hands form of Taijiquan prior to studying the Saber form. If a student is already well versed in the bare hands form, the Saber form is not a difficult form to learn.
   
   When one learns Taijiquan, usually there is no initial knowledge of the movements and techniques inherent to Taijiquan, consequently it can be difficult for the beginning student. Once a strong foundation is established in Taijiquan, the Saber form merely adds to the Taijiquan form and students more quickly grasp the art compared to when they first began their studies of Taijiquan.
   
   Following the lecture Master Yang demonstrates the form, which has a lot of similarities to both the Yang Long Form as well as the Yang Sword Form. He displays an obvious grasp of the form as he goes through the movements.
   
   Master Yang and three other students, including his daughter Kathy, then demonstrate Taiji Saber Qigong. All three of the students have been seen in many of Master Yang's DVDs and video tapes. Prior to this DVD I did not realize that one of the students was Master Yang's daughter. I had seen her in previous tapes and always felt that she was very talented.
   Various stances are then shown, horse stance, mountain climbing stance, four six stance and three others.
   
   The stances are shown as they appear in the form, with the movements leading up to and following the stance demonstrated by the three students and Master Yang. There is no talking or subtitles, the forms and stances are demonstrated only.
   Taiji Saber fundamental practices/techniques are then demonstrated in the same manner.
   
   The song of Taiji Saber is then shown in Chinese, with Master Yang reciting the poem in his native language. Below are shown subtitles with the meaning in English.
   
   The list of the thirty two postures of the Taiji Saber form are then shown in English and Chinese.
   
   The form is then demonstrated a second time by Master Yang, with subtitles appearing that list the name of the corresponding posture being demonstrated.
   
   The form is then demonstrated by Kathy Yang, Master Yang's daughter. I must say, she has one of the lowest stances of everyone that appears on the DVD. It is interesting to see the slight differences between the various demonstrators. Each of them brings something unique to the form.
   Then Master Yang and Vadas Milhaly, who also directs the DVD, demonstrate two person applications of the Saber.
   
   The posture is first shown in order from the form, and then the application is demonstrated by Master Yang and Vadas Milhaly. Very important information if you want to practice the form accurately and with meaning.
   
   This is an excellent demo DVD of the Taiji Saber form. I do miss the usual teaching sections provided in YMAA productions. However, as competent skill in the bare hands Taijiquan form is almost a prerequisite, a qualified student should be able to learn a lot from using this DVD and putting in a lot of practice. Ideally, find a teacher locally and use the DVD to supplement your studies.