No comments about LEGENDARY SOFT JUDO™.

1 comments about Iron Vest Qigong.

1. As a taiji/neigong bum of twenty plus years, having studied in Taipei and the states with some wonderful teachers, I first heard about this neigong set about eight years ago in a book on taiji. The author claimed the set imparted the ability to withstand enormous blows, and that it provided real power. The catch--there's usually a catch--the author wouldn't reveal the exercises. They were only for his "inside the door" students. Fair enough, or maybe not. But that's his right.
   
   Cut to several years later, when he kindly put me on to a student of his in the states, who began to teach me the exercises, then stopped. I subsequently found a wonderful teacher in the same style who learned the exercises from his father, and who taught me the complete set. Took about a year. It wasn't cheap but I wasn't too worried about the money. A guy's gotta have his hobbies, right?
   
   Then through chance I saw this title and downloaded the book out of curiosity. Lo and behold, it's the sacred set! Sure, there are some minor differences--Keen sequences a few exercises differently, but only a few, and he has somewhat different arm positions on two of the exercises. But if you learned the set from this DVD, you'd get the same benefits as you would from learning it from a teacher. Keen could have included a bit more about increasing the shocks the body is being offered but no doubt he was afraid of being sued.
   
   The demos are clear, this is easy to learn in this format, and while his book is good, the DVD gives you the exercises more clearly. If I'd had this eight years ago, I would have saved a lot of time and money. Though I also met great teachers and don't regret the chase.
   
   If you want to put power into your taiji, develop the ability to withstand punishment, and improve your health, and if you're willing to work--hard--this is a good DVD to use.

4 comments about Wado Ryu Karate's Hirinori Otsuka - d.

1. This dvd was awful and I don't advise buying it. The video quality was poor and in the last part when master otsuka was runnin kata it was so dark you couldn't see.If Master Otsuka was alive he would flip.



2. The video footage is never amazing on this dvd, but the partnerworks at the beginning is of good enough quality to see what Ohtsuka is doing and is very nice to see. It shows the advanced footworks and kumite tactics of Wado ryu well. This video is let down by the poor quality of the final section of the video where sections of a number of kata are shown ,but none in very good quality. i would recommend this video for any experienced practictioners of Wado ryu, its lack of basics, good kata sections or explainataions means it is not particlarly suitable for anyone who does not already have a good knowledge of Wado ryu basics and kata



3. Another piece of unadulterated garbage from Masterline Productions, poorly produced from multi-generational copies of sub-standard 8mm film created by hand-held cameras. The fact that it is even advertised for sale confirms the saying, wrongly attributed to P. T. Barnum as it happens that, "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"
   J. Edwards, Video Reviewer,
   Classical Fighting Arts magazine



4. The introduction is terrible. The content that you can actually see is mediocre at best and the end is so poor you can barley see anything. You can see well enough to tell that the Kata are not complete. Probable due to the fact that the cut out portions were even worse...
   
   Do not buy this product! Based on this video alone I would never purchase anything from masterline video or risingsunproductions again! Otsuka would not approve!

1 comments about Nihon Jujitsu by Norm Belsterling Volume 5.

1. This is the 5th video volume of a 5 volume instructional video series on Nihon Jujutsu by Norm Belsterling. This last volume is titled "Throwing Techniques."
   
   This volume 5 is more interesting and fun to watch than the previous 4 volumes because Norm demonstrates many of the techniques covered in all the volumes of the series in a rapid free form defense against a series of surprise attacks between various instructional demonstrations of this volume.
   
   Norm begins instruction in this video by demonstrating a "trap block" used to trap an opponents leg which is held in place or drawn up and back while your forward arm presses the opponent's upper body back and down. Often this whole move is done with a 45 degree or 180 degree turn. It has the effect of quickly taking down or throwing an opponent who is kicking you. If done quickly by a strong individual it has the effect of turning the kicker upside down back upon his head and shoulders. a variation of this technique is demonstrated in some Karate katas such as Heian Godan or Pinan Godan although most karate students don't know what the move really represents. Most karate students think that the move is to block a high strike coming from behind a low strike or kick coming from the front thanks to Masatoshi Nakayama's misinterpretation of the technique. Some karate students think that the move represents a grabbing of a male's genitals and then yanking them up and back above the shoulders and head.
   
   Norm Belsterling demonstrates some unarmed defensive techniques against various types of knife attacks by an assailant. He defends against a knife attack by an attacker using an over head ice-pick grip, a forward thrusting attack of the blade, a forward and upward attack against a knife that was held low and hidden and against slashing attacks. All techniques used to defend against the knife attacks have already been covered in this video series.
   
   Norm demonstrates "arm-winding sacrifice throw" and a "body sweep throw" against punching attacks.
   
   There is a seven minute summary review of all techniques demonstrated in this volume toward the end.
   
   This video is 55 minutes of instruction. It's a pretty good instructional video series. Many books and videos on martial arts have something demonstrated that leaves the buyer or the student dissatisfide because of poor or unrealistic instruction perhaps of a technique that a student realizes which will not work. Those problems don't exist in this series.
   I'm satisfied with each volume of the series.
   
   The titles of the complete series are as follows:
   
   Nihon Jujitsu by Norm Belsterling Volume 1 Subtitled "Joint Locks & Submissions"
   Nihon Jujitsu by Norm Belsterling Volume 2 Subtitled "Throwing Techniques"
   Nihon Jujutsu Volume 3 Subtitled "Chokes"
   Nihon Jujutsu Volume 4 Subtitled "Ground Fighting"
   Nihon Jujutsu Volume 5 Subtitled "Throwing Techniques"

5 comments about Nine Demons.

1. Please, never buy this movie from anyone at any price! It actually hurt to try and sit through this one. It has to be one of the top 10 worst kung-fu movies ever made. I really should not have given it the one star. This is shameful stuff. And I actually like the main actor in other movies. But this is just nasty. -7 stars.



2. This movie is awful. I am a huge fan of Tien-chi Cheng's performance in Chinese Super Ninjas and decided to look into another one of his films. The story, effects, and acting are terrible in this movie. While this is not totally uncommon in this genre, there is no humor to be found here. If you are looking for a classic, weapons-filled, martial arts flick, try Chinese Super Ninjas instead.



3. Please be aware that this film is a complete waste of both your time and money. I was trying to be subjective but I cant bring myself to mislead a true kung-fu fan, especially a fan of the "Venoms" troupe. The film in short is about a guy whose father was killed, gets magical powers from the devil, and then takes revenge. Pretty common theme other than the magical powers,silly gorish effects,and the incoherent plot. Complete waste !!!!!!!!!



4. From beginning to end this movie is hands down one of the most insane kung fu movies I've ever seen. Much more akin to films like "Versus" than "The Five Deadly Venoms," this film has everything but the proverbial kitchen sink thrown into it. On the surface it's a pretty standard revenge film - father gets murdered, son goes on rampage - but that is only the skeleton on which the true substance of this crazy, horror, kung fu fest takes flesh. Wild kung fu/wire fu fights, demonic vampire child acrobats, flying blood sucking skulls, the devil, a guillotine, a whore with a heart of gold, exploding bodies, romance, intrigue, sacrifice, tests of loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, an exorcism, and even a moral - you should never kill anyone...unless they're really bad, and even then don't do it with powers you got from making a deal with the devil - all go into making this film the treat that it is.
   
   If, like me, you love your kung fu movies for more than just the fighting...if you like them just a bit over the top (or a lot over the top)...and if you aren't a kung fu snob, then this movie is for you!



5. This movie is the worst I have seen from the great director Cheh Chang. This movie has it all funky disco lights, vampire kids. I guess every great director is entitled to a stinker or two. I kind of liked the movie in till the end. And that's what killed the movie. And to make it worst the lead of the movie name is Joey. Joey in a Chinese movie seemed kind of silly. This movie is more watch able if you had a few drinks.

1 comments about Advantage: Flicks with Kicks.

1. What a great deal rarescope has put together here. I wanted to get the word out on this 10-pack since it's so cheap. I will give each movie a rating followed by a brief comment.
   
   
   
   SHOWDOWN AT THE COTTONMILL 4.5/5- one of the best indy flicks I've ever seen. Chi Kuan Chun is amazing in this, and Dorian Tan's footwork is some of the best he's ever done. And it's very rare to see Dorian Tan as a villain. So way to go Rarescope! Anyone who owns the only previously known version of this movie knows how truly great this DVD is.
   
   FACE BEHIND THE MASK 4/5- an allstar cast in this wuxia. Good fights, cool weapons, and a pretty good story. You can't go wrong.
   
   SHAOLIN VS NINJA 3.5/5- ninja craziness from Robert Tai. Very intricate choreography in all of the fights.
   
   SHAOLIN VS TAI CHI 3.5/5- decent movie with a great final fight.
   
   DREAM SWORD 3.5/5- kind of a confusing wuxia, but really cool action with Lung Fei handling an axe to perfection.
   
   THE LOST SWORDSHIP 3.5/5- not some of the best action you will ever see, but still pretty good. The best thing about this movie is the story and the comedy. Very good overall movie.
   
   NINJAS AND DRAGONS 3/5- if you like a little bit of weird with your kung fu, this is for you. Other than the weirdness this movie is average at best. It gets bonus points for the midget and witch duo.
   
   SWORD NAMED REVENGE 1.5/5- if you can figure out the story in this movie, you should win an award or something.
   
   CHINESE GODFATHER 1.5/5- I don't think I have ever seen a worse movie with Chan Wai Man in the lead role. I couldn't help but feel sorry for everyone involved.
   
   DUEL OF KARATE 1.5/5- ugh, only watch this to get a few laughs from the main villain flying around like Superman. The fights are extremely weak.
   
   
   
   
   Picture quality is fine on all the movies, just don't expect it to be really good. All movies are widescreen, and all are letterboxed or pretty close to it, expect for Dream Sword which has the least amount of picture out of the 10 movies.

No comments about Dragon Strikes Back.

1 comments about Ninja Six.

1. I would give this a 4/5 but it gets a point off becasue they put this thing in a DVD case that should hold 2 DVD's max. All the discs are just stacked right on top of eachother. So I had put them all in individual cd cases. Thanks a lot Tai Seng for trying to ruin my DVD's as quickly as possible. Well anyway, I had to get this thing to see Ninja in the USA and Ninja in the Deadly Trap and I was not dissapointed. I will go aherad and rank these movies because 4 of them are really close.
   
   #1-NINJA HUNTER-Shaolin Student-"Shaolin and Wudang are family, there is no reason for us to fight". Wudang Master-"You said Shaolin before you said Wudang". Ninja Hunter is one of the greatest kung fu moves ever. It has great action, a ton of it, a ton of huge kung fu stars, and it is just so much fun! When you see Jack Long pumping womens breasts to master the Yin-Yang style, you will defintely know what kind of movie you are getting into. Also watch out for zombie kung fu. 4/5
   
   #2-NINJA VS. SHAOLIN GUARDS-this is a non stop kung fu ride. I think there is like 15 or so fight scenes in this and some are pretty long. An evil Shaolin monk(Eagle Han) has decided to help the new government to take over Shaolin. You will see him give one of the greatest martial arts displays ever in the opening sequence. After Han disposes of the old Shaolin Chief, 4 students flee with the Golden Sutra, written by Damo himself and are making for Tibet. Without the Sutra, Eagle Han's plan to fully take over Shaolin will not be complete. On their trip, they literally don't stop fighting for more than 2 minutes at a time. A town of dead people suddenly come alive and fight them. They stay at a place where a ton of coffins are. No other place to stay but of course about 30 people jump out of the coffins for a huge battle. Then of course we have a guy who puts Legalos from Lord of the Rings to shame and is an excellent enemy to say the least. Action director of this movie Robert Tai has a great cameo jumping out of a snowman for a suprise attack. Just look for the tall guy in blue with a blue headband and the biggest nose you have ever seen. Robert Tai is impossible to miss. Not to be missed is a good female high kicker who's big breasts are her secret weapon. Then before the final duel between Eagle Han and Alexander Lo Rei at the end, ninjas show up! They provide another great fight scene and though they are not really explained why they are there, good ninja fights are a welcome addition to any movie. 3.5/5
   
   #3-NINJA IN THE USA-being a huge Lo Rei and Chang Shan fan, I have seen this movie the most times out of any others in the collection and I just can't stop watching the insane action going on with the villian and hero from Shaolin vs. Lama teaming up in this.
   
   Now the movie is decent at best but with Eugene Thomas back as one of Lo Rei's regular screen partners and my favorite kung fu actor ever-Chang Shan, this ends up being very enjoyable. The action is not quite as good overall as Lo Rei's 'Super Ninja', but it is a better movie and has a couple of great brutal matches that compete with any Lo Rei film. Look for the match in the boxing ring where he has to go up against 3 people.
   He pulls out a kick that Donnie Yen must have seen.
   
   So the story starts out with a guy named Tiger being released from jail after his ninja killed all of the witnesses. With no witnesses, he is out out of jail but Chang Shan( villian in Shaolin vs. Lama) shows up as a cop and says that he is investigating this case. Next we get a plot that is beyond unbelievable where Lo Rei is getting married and right before he is about to drive off on his honeymoon, a guy who is being chased hides a film cannister in Lo Rei's things. Before Lo Rei can get some lovin from his new wife she sees this film and it is of Tiger doing bad things. It just so happens that Tiger is owed a big debt from Lo Rei and Chang Shan because he saved them in Vietnam when they were little kids so they can't just turn him in. After a couple of bumps in the road in the story Lo Rei's girlfriend is kidnapped and he needs to go and save her. The final fight was surprisingly good and Tiger who is a muscualar white guy played by b movie actor George Nicholas has some good moves. His stunt doubling is done pretty well though the action overall just doesn't live up to most other Lo Rei films. Oh well, I can't really complain since I found another movie with my favorite guy-Chang Shan in it. Only reason that is a big deal to me is because this is only the 7th movie I have seen where he has an actual role! It is a fun movie with action from start to finish and it even rips off 'The Octogan' quite a bit with the whole ninja camp thing at the end. 3.5/5
   
   #4-NINJA IN THE DEADLY TRAP-this is an independent production featuring the 3 most acrobatic venoms-Phillip Kwok, Lu Feng, and Chiang Sheng. These 3 actually studied Taiwanese opera together and set out to find work as actors together also. So it is evry fitting for Kwok's one and only directorial job would feature 2 of his best friends. Also along for the ride is superstar Yusuaki Kuratu, though he only throws down for the final fight. Overall it is a pretty boring movie with some great action sequences. Kwok's entrance at the 40 minute mark is as good as the movie gets though a couple of other fights come close to matching it. Commentary from Ric Myers and Bobby Samuels is somewhat enjoyable. 3.5/5
   
   #5-NINJA VS BRUCE LEE-though the movie doesn't even come close to live up to it's name, it is still watchable, once. I mean they couldn't have put in like 1 ninja? Cameos by a coule big kung fu stars, good action choreography, and a female karate cop who dishes out some of the mvoies best moves helped me get through this entire flick without having to fastforward. 1.5/5
   
   NINJA SV NINJA-this movie is not worth talking about or even giving a ratign for it. It is a spliced job that Godfrey Ho couldn't have messed up this badly. 0/5
   
   All of these movies are full screened though Ninja Hunter comes from a quality print and Ninja in the Deadly Trap's picture quality is above average. Again, it comes in a crappy case that may make you mad that you bought this. But I got this for $[...] brand new and it is still a VERY good deal.

5 comments about Drunken Master 2.

1. As said in the title, Jackie Chan movies require a specific taste in acting and dialogue. That being said, this movie still is awesome. Jackie Chan is a god, and could take on Bruce Lee AND Chuck Norris. This movie is only trumped by the prequel.



2. This movie is one of the few I showcase to friends when they talk about how much they love Jackie Chan. I often follow that statement up with, "Well, have you seen this.." I do love this movie and for every Jackie Chan fan, its one of the movies you need to watch. When my VHS version 'died', I got a copy of this version to find... f***in A, they dubbed it, and dubbed it horribly I might add. I really don't understand why you would want to lobotomize a film like this, or any film for that matter with D-list vocal talent... So my rating is for this dvd release of Drunken Master II, a 5 star movie otherwise destroyed by the stupid dubs. And though that won't matter to most of you, for some it will mean enough to keep many from even thinking about purchasing this release, and that is who this review is for.



3. Jackie Chan returns in top form with his drunken art. Without a doubt the highlight of this film is seeing Jackie in action. But I found the film stale in some areas. Most notably with the characters. Outside of Jackie, I really didn't care for any of them.
   
   The action scenes are very good and they're plenty. But this time around the characters were very uninteresting to me. The lead villian in this one could never match Thunderfoot from the original. If only more screen time was given to the lead villian. I would appreciate this movie more.
   
   In anycase, this is a good film to check out if you're a fan of Jackie. But personally I watch this one the least and I haven't seen it for years until today. I would give it a 3.5.



4. I know it's sacrilege to suggest that a cut-down, dubbed DVD is superior in any way to the original. But in this case it does have its advantages. This film (originally titled Drunken Master 2) is JC's best Kung Fu choreography you'll find. This version is shorter than the Hong Kong version, has only dubbing, and replaces the original score. But being as this is such a fantastic fighting film, the watered-down format makes it more palatable to the casual viewer. You'll have no subtitles to read (and at least Jackie dubs his own voice), all the action is preserved (you only lose some bits of the story), and you get the cleanest picture available. For any die-hard fans I, of course, recommend getting the uncut original. Now, onto the movie itself.
   
   Jackie Chan has a pretty broad spectrum to his work. Some films are all about the big stunts, some are about the action sequences, some are funny. This film is all about the fight sequences.
   
   Hands down this is Jackie's best kung fu choreography. It was done by Ming-Sing Wong (aka Sam Wong), who also choreographed Jackie's other fighting masterpiece "Who Am I?". While WAI does boast some impressive fights with some huge stunts, DM2 is pure fighting. The Drunken Boxing style really allows Jackie to show his skill and creativity inside of the kung fu arena. This film really lets you see just how good Jackie is. Here, he shows he can hold his own against his contemporaries like Jet and Donnie (back in the day that is, at least).
   
   The story is a little silly: things get set in motion because of some missing ginseng getting mixed up with a royal seal and some British imperialists. Same kind of thing as "Once Upon a Time in China" (since Jackie and Jet are playing the same character of Wong Fei Hong, it's not surprising). Only here, it's a bit more comedic than the Tsui Hark fare. But it doesn't matter. The interplay between Jackie and the late, great Anita Mui as his mother is priceless. The comedic element to this film really does add some depth, so you're not just sitting by watching the clock until someone starts punching someone else in the face.
   
   You really could spend a semester studying why this movie is simply one of the greatest action films of all time. Even those who don't want to read subtitles and prefer their action with lots of explosions and CG will love this. Look, if you haven't seen it, stop reading and just click the button to add this to your shopping cart, select the fastest shipping you can afford, and just sit back and watch in amazement.



5. Jackie Chan truly delivers a spectacular performance. In the final battle scene Jackie takes it to the extreme.
   
   This movie will surely become a classic in the martial art genre, in the pure tradition of the Bruce Lee style.

No comments about The Octagon [UMD for PSP].