No comments about Night Master.

No comments about Wudang Zhenwu Stick Movement.

5 comments about The Ultimate Fighting Championship: Ultimate Brazil.

1. Ultimate Brazil has only one fight that isn't that good. The rest are all very exciting. I liked watching Frank Shamrock fight. Pedro Rizzo and Vitor Belfort are also very impressive. If you like watching fights with intense grappling, you will like Ultimate Brazil. If you prefer more of a kickboxing type fight, you will like Ultimate Brazil. This would be a great event to get people to like UFC.



2. From it's beginning, the UFC has ushered in great fighters from Brazil. From Royce Gracie to Vitor Belfort, Brazil has provided the MMA scene with skilled individuals who changed the fighting world. This particular UFC would take place in Brazil, and would prove to be one of the most exciting cards to date.

   The card was different from the get go. No tournaments meant no injuries, and subs. Individual fights just like a regular fight card would go. The truth is that todays fighters are far more skilled than ones of 5+ years ago, and we see more effort used in the opening rounds of tournaments thus more injuries occur. The first fight was between local product Ebeneezer Braga and Jeremy Horn. The fight would wind up being fast and exciting, with an incredible choke. Fight 2 would see Tsyoshi Kosaka battle Pete Williams,in a pancrase style of fight. Neither fighter wanted to hit each other while on the ground, but a few exchanges were made on their feet. The third fight would determine the UFC's first lightweight champion as Pat Miletich would battle Mikey Burnett. The fight would go the distance with a close decision. Really any fighter could have won this fight.

   The last 3 fights would be the best fights and alone worth the tape itself. First Vitor Belfort would fight against fellow country-man Vanderlai Silva. Belfort had not been the same since his early fights, this was to be his time to show the world he was back. Vanderlai Silva was new to the UFC, but not to the MMA scene. He earned the fight after beating Mike Van Arsdale in a Brazilian event. This fight will blow you away! The following fight would pit "Tank" Abbott against Pedro Rizzo. Abbott was back to fight another Brazilian fighter and hopefully beat another one again. This time he went up against a smarter, tougher, and better fighter in Pedro Rizzo. This would mark the last we see of ol' Tank as he left MMA to join the WCW(PRO Wrestling). Finally he went were he truly belonged: The Circus. The main event would pit Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock against the only person ever to beat him in a MMA fight. John Lober, a journeyman fighter actually beat Shamrock in his first MMA fight. While Shamrock was the favorite, this was a great way to finally put his only blemish away for good. Shamrock would display kicks, punches, and superior conditioning in this exciting fight.

   The Brazilian crowd was rowdy, but not rude. They respect the fighters and the fight itself.




3. From the previous reviews I thought this tape would blow me away. I end up expecting too much. Horn fight is good and furious while the fight between TK and William is ok, since both men (I heard it was an agreement between the 2 fighters) did not strike on the ground, it is mainly a ground grappling match, which is ok for me.
   What I don't like is the fight between Miletich and Burnett. It is a extremely defensive fight by Miletich and it bore me to death, he spent 15 mins holding on to Mikey shorts or pulling him to the guard. I have no doubt he is a very good fighter judging from his defensive play in the guard, I just don't think a champ should win that way.
   Pedro Rizzo fight is good but I was never impressed with Tank technique anyway, his asset is his agressiveness and heavy punch but he is too one dimensional for the Rock.
   Frank Shamrock fights is ok but I don't think it was his best performance.
   I will give it a 4 stars but I don't think it is as good as some recent Pride show, e.g. Pride 10



4. I just reciently purchased this video it is for most of the part a great video. One of my favorite fights was the Burnett fight he is a great fighter. There are alot of great fights except the pat miletich fights i really for the most part hate his fights but reciently his has been alright. The suprising main event was great even though it was very short. This video is well wourth the money.



5. YOU MUST WACTH IT DON'T MISS IT

5 comments about Romeo Must Die [UMD for PSP].

1. I was surprised I enjoyed much of this since martial arts movies are okay but nothing I really get into often. Jet Li plays the only likable character in this Asians vs. Blacks gang story.
   
   Some of the stunts were tremendous. Some were so over-the-top, so unbelievable that they were funny. The movie certainly isn't one to be taken seriously.
   
   The wild action scenes, fairly involving story and nice colors and interesting sound track all make this movie a cut above the normal martial arts fare. The excellent surround sound and sharp picture make it a good one for DVD.



2. Jet Li plays en ex-cop who went to prison in Hong Kong for crimes his father committed. The father and younger brother move to the U.S. and continue with their criminal enterprises. Their main competition comes from a black family headed by Delroy Lindo. When Li's brother is killed, he breaks out of prison and comes to the U.S. to find out who did it. He meets Delroy Lindo's daughter who is the only one in the family not involved in the family business. She helps Li investigate who killed his brother. Along the way, her brother also gets killed and their are people in both organizations who are not as loyal as their bosses believe.
   
   Romeo Must Die was an enjoyable movie. The story moves along at a decent pace and Jet Li and Aaliyah have good chemistry together. There were some excellent fights with imaginative use of items at hand. I especially liked a fight Li was having with a woman. Deciding he couldn't hit a woman, he used Aaliyah's body to throw the punches and kicks.



3. This is one Jet Li movie I believe could've been better if Li was the villian and Russell Wong was the lead!
   Try as they will, Jet and Aaliyah did not have the chemistry to pull off a believable romance, not too mention, they didn't even look good together. Handsome Russell Wong, on the otherhand, could've easily pulled off a realistic romance with the beautiful Aaliyah.(RIP)



4. As an Aaliyah FAN (1979-2001), ROMEO MUST DIE was an stepping stone for Miss. Aaliyah.. GOOD MOVIE



5. Nothing spectacular to add, just that the movie is fun to watch... especially Jet Li's fight scenes. Also a tribute to Aaliya - she showed promise. Plot was pretty tried and true - acting average to good. Fight scenes, not overly realistic but lots of fun!
   
   If you missed out on this movie somehow... I recommend!
   
   All the best,
   
   Jay

No comments about Eku Bo.

5 comments about The Secrets of the Warrior's Power: Kung Fu.

1. Ancient Chinese martial arts are revealed in this important documentary that is always intriguing and never pandering. A well-conceived discussion with excellent commentary from noted scholar David Bannon, Ph.D. and interviews of some of the finest LEGITIMATE kung fu masters alive. A rare look into the real world of Kung fu from those who know it best!



2. INSTEAD OF SHOWING SOME OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE TO AMERICA,THEY SHOULD HAVE GONE TO CHINA TO INTERVIEW CHINESE MASTERS.THERE ARE PLENTY OF STYLES IN CHINA THAT THEY CAN SHOW BUT NOT.
   DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS DVD.YOU WON'T FIND SO MUCH INFORMATION (EXCEPT IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING OF MARTIAL ARTS)



3. The DVD wasn't made correctly. I have an all region DVD player and the DVD kept stopping every couple of seconds.



4. Being a Shaolin Student in the NYC Metro area, I found this movie very informative and worth watching more than once. My Sifu is a Kung Fu brother of one of the monks featured and I found the similarities between the two of them quite interesting. ALSO, parts of this are narrated by David Race Bannon. IF you don't know who he is, you should check out his autobiographical account of the time he spent working for Interpol. The name of his book is "Race Against Evil" not for the weak hearted.
   
   If you buy this movie and have a clue about the martial arts world you'll not be sorry.



5. The reason why I gave this 4 out of 5 stars is that it is deceived me. It states Grandmaster Pan practices a technique (Bodhidhrama called "linking energy" ) I flew in to Canada from South America to learn this from the master. He and his assistant Dianne (who wrote up these great stories about him in Kung Fu magazine) told me they would teach Chi kung. They asked that I bring a partner. So I did.
   I walked into the class full of energy and life. I mentioned how grateful I was to meet him and learn this special chi kung skill that I flew form over seas and even brought my girlfriend to learn. The 4 hour class were spent on watching him show off his stretching ability (it is impressive but do I need to pay for this?), then listening to him tell stories of how great he is ( example, how Billy banks is scared of him) Then we did some basic kicks and punches that you learn from any half ass wannabe kung fu school. Then class was over. I asked about the chi kung that was on the video that it claimed he practiced and said he would teach me.. He "said" its garbage, don't worry about it" I asked about his students in the video. He said "I don't know them, the producers of the video brought them in and they pretended to be my students" I asked about the white guy with the pony tail on his head. Both of you looked like you had a special connection between student and teacher. He said "no, it was all staged".
   I was asked about the next class. I mentioned I had no more money and that I spent it all to fly all the way to Canada form South America and to bring over my girlfriend because you requested a partner. Grand MAster Pan then said "the next class is starting soon. If you don't have any more money you have to leave now" In shock and broken hearted I started walking out the door as requested but I was able at the last second to turn around and barley put the words together. In a soft and stuttering voice I asked ""linking energy chi kung? It was in the video...what happened ?" He gave me this look like he was going to kill me and he raised his iron fist in the air like he was going to hit me . Now I was even in more shock. Not only was I lied to by him and his assistant , but he was now physically threatening me to get out. I was in fear, stuttering, my heart broken and in the pit of my stomach :(
   My girlfriend squeezed my hand and said I know your dream has just come crashing down but we have to leave now. Let's go !
   So I left and for the next two days I ran over the sequence of event from that day in my head. I asked myself where did I go wrong.? Did I misunderstand something? It's not possible that a video like this would make things up and then have a kung fu legend go along with to make more money, is it? I asked my girlfriend these questions too. She confirmed that the answers to these questions was yes.
   This video was very inspirational l for me, but on the Grandmaster Pan footage I can say they definitely stretched the truth. Maybe they did it also for the other parts of the video. I would wouldn't doubt it. Every once in a while I see this type of behavior in humans and it always blows me away. It's hard for me to understand how we put money above people and community to achieve our own shallow and greedy ambitions. Is it so hard to see that we are all interconnected? and what we do effects the other and continues into a chain effect? I forgive Grandmaster Pan for scamming me, because I know his greed causes him to suffer in great ways to blind him form seeing this. I forgive the producers of this video who went out of their way to do the exact same thing. I still feel a little sad about the whole thing but I learned a great lesson about life here. I hope you can learn from my mistakes :) All the best to you !!!

5 comments about Double Vision.

1. Double Vision was Taiwan's most expensive production ever (at just over a million bucks) and directed by Chen Kuo-fu, who did the wonderfully quirky The Personals. This is basically a clone of Se7en with a supernatural twist and a marketable Hollywood almost-star David Morse. Sadly, all that effort only goes to prove that Taiwan is just as capable of making soulless cinematic knockoffs as well as Hollywood. This film combines a muddled script filled with cring-inducing dialogues, plus indecisive direction and mostly stiff acting into a mess with a high production value. It tried very hard to be very moody, but only ends up being manipulative and unsubtle. Worst of all is that awful ending, with its sappy message spelled out literally for all audience to see. Argh, it makes me embarrassed to be a Taiwanese ex-pat. Truth be told, the story is actually kind of interesting, and the film could have been somewhat enjoyable if it wasn't executed without any care for plausibility and so much care for melodrama. BTW, can someone tell me how David Morse can walk into a room and dig up the precise piece of evidence without knowing where to look?



2. First off, it's obvious that David Morse was just brought in to broaden Double Vision's international appeal but his presence doesn't take away from the intensity and mystery of the film. In truth, the involvement of the FBI is kind of irrelevant (you'll get a feeling it's just added upon).
   
   The real star here is Tony Leung (the other one, not the Infernal Affairs/Hero Tony Leung). His portrayal of a troubled Foreign Services officer is compelling, and his tortured performance really drives the movie.
   
   It's basically X-Files, mixed with an Eastern-style Seven and a temple massacre that predated Kill Bill, Double Vision is an enjoyable thriller with moody cinematography and excellent production values.
   
   The deliberate pacing is perfect for this type of genre. It builds up the creepiness factor, while fully realizing the conflicts of Tony Leung's character.
   
   Although the end is not as tight as the first 3/4s of the movie, Double Vision is a thriller worthy of purchase.



3. Well if I'd ever had the illusion that Asian horror films were inherently superior, Double Vision set me straight. It was an interesting way to kill an evening, I'll grant you, but only just.
   
   Plot summary: a series of bizarre deaths in Taiwan baffle local investigators, so an American FBI agent Kevin Richter (David Morse) is called in to solve the murders. He's the topmost serial killer expert in the field, but even he cannot explain the seemingly supernatural circumstances surrounding the crime scenes. For example In one case a businessman froze to death in his office - in the middle of a heatwave; the mistress of a prominent official telephones the fire department and is later found burned to death - with no sign of a fire in her apartment. Richter's partner, a local cop, has less trouble believing that something supernatural is behind them, and on that angle he persuades him to investigate a local cult. They discover increasingly disturbing evidence that there are demonic forces at work in Taiwan.
   
   My big letdown with this film started when I realized that the story was very slowly paced and not nearly as creepy as the trailer would have led me to believe. It's clear that the director is going for an atmospheric buildup in a tradition similar to that of Ringu; it just doesn't pay off well. Another sore point for me was the way that Richter's relationship with his Taiwanese partner was sketched in halfheartedly, as if it was something conventionally expected in a "cop buddy" flick , but not important enough to take more than a whirl at. The usual clichés apply there, like the American being overly blunt and disrespectful, the local trying to reign in his embarrassing partner. Finally, the explanation for all the mystery seems a little bit trite compared to what my imagination was conjuring throughout the film. Trust me, you'll be disappointed.
   
   With good production values and a stellar setup, Double Vision is a study in unfulfilled potential. It wasn't badly done, but fans of Ju-On and Ringu should steer clear.
   -Andrea, aka Merribelle



4. For those viewers looking to enter the world of subtitled horror so as to enjoy the vast array of offerings from Asia, Spain, South America, France and increasingly places like Scandinavia, Russia and so on, "Double Vision" is a great place to start, being filmed partly in Taiwanese and partly in English. And oh yes, I almost forgot: it's also among Asia's best offerings.
   
   "Double Vision" starts out as a first-rate police thriller with supernatural overtones and gradually transforms into a first rate metaphysical horror movie with suspense movie/crime movie elements, all the while maintaing a strong and expertly-done tone of drama. A series of murders is being committed in a Taiwanese city, the victims having no apparant link, and the ways they've been killed having only one thing in common: they should, logically, be impossible.
   
   An American expert in particularly difficult-to-solve crimes (David Morse, of "The Green Mile" and "Hearts In Atlantis") is brought in to partner with Taiwan cop Tony Leung Ka Fai (of "Three....Extremes" {aka "Saam Gaang Yi"} and current Asian hit "The Myth") who's haunted both by some past on-the-job trauma and the tremendous strain it's put on his family life. Morse's character is a man who, although friendly, seems to have few attachments in his personal life, and watching him become friends with Ka Fai's character, and close to people he meets through his new temporary partner, is a glue that really brings the film together, really brings all the characters to life, and really makes you care what happens to them.
   
   There is little hint in the first half of the movie of what unexpected turns the investigation is going to take, so I'll refrain from discussing it here. But it gets weird, cryptic, and it's something you really have to watch closely to catch everything. Highly, highly recommended.



5. `Double Vision' is an interesting mixture of Taiwanese culture and occult thriller. The basic story goes like Thomas Harris novels, with a series of gory deaths in the city of Taipei, but there is another, more familiar aspect in `Double Vision' so-called buddy-buddy cop drama.
   
   The film's star is Tony Leung Ka Fai ("L'Amant") playing Taiwanese police detective Huang Huo-tu tormented by his bitter past. Huang Huo-tu investigates strange cases of deaths in Taipei. The corpses are all unnatural - one of them looks as if frozen, and another burnt, although the rooms where they were found are all intact. One FBI agent Kevin Richter (David Morse, "The Green Mile") flies to Taiwan to help the investigatation of the local police about the bizarre deaths, but the truths turn out much more astonishing than standard thrillers.
   
   `Double Vision' poses more questions and mysteries than it can explain in its two-hour running time. Though FBI profiler appears, the film's strength does not lie in his scientific methods to analyze the mysterious case. Actually I still am not sure if an FBI agent would be really sent to Taiwan even in his capacity as advisor, and also David Morse's slightly bland acting fails to convince us of the situation.
   
   In fact, the merit of `Double Vision' can be found in its Taiwanese culture, especially its blend of the bureaucratic system of the modern police and the religious background including Taoism which has a long history. One (probably) fictional sect of Taoists plays an important role in the film, of which logics are not always clear to us in spite of the film's well-presented dark tone. The pace is always good, and you seldom get boring while seeing some surprises, but as the film reaches its conclusion, it tries to show too many things at the same time. And though the film's creepy occult elements have considerable appeal, the relations between the two cops look strangely like those of Hollywood films.
   
   `Double Vision' is most appealing when it uses its cultural backdrop to the full, in order to set up the mysteries. The film's best part is its overtones and occult mysteries that refuse to be solved in a simple and normal way. And like any other thriller, when it is solved, it leaves holes in the logics that preceded the conclusion. Or maybe I am missing something in its logics. I don't know. For all (or because of) still unanswered mysteries, the film is worth watching.

5 comments about Killer Army.

1. The Venoms... the mere mention of the name will send any kung fu fan into a tirade about their awesome skill and unbeleivable fight choreography. They were indeed super human beings and I beleive that no one has been able to match their god like abilities to this day. Chang Cheh, who directs all the venoms flicks, does a wonderful job once again and I guarantee you will be consecutively amazed to the point where you will utter profanities whenever a fight scene occurs. And man are there ever tons of fight scenes! I recommend every Chang Cheh film I've seen and this one especially delivers, packed to the brim with kung fu goodness that has yet to be surpassed.



2. Killer Army was the very first movie starring the Venoms that I have seen and taped as a child back in 1984. Sadly, my taped from television version, along with other Venoms movies, was stolen back in '87. But during those three years that I had the taped version, I cannot say exactly how many times I watched Killer Army. It was my favorite and still is. I was delighted when I was able to find another copy last year. It's not on DVD but I can understand what people are complaining about with the DVD version. The editing problems aren't limited to DVD, my VHS version is also cut up and edited, not to mention the audio bloopers. It saddens me to see that after such great fights, the end of the better ones are cut out copmletely. This was probably to... Well, to tell the truth I really don't know why. I mean, the television version from the old days showed it all, so why not the newer versions?

   Now when I view the movie I have to rely on my memory to finish off the ending fight scenes that they fail to show. It's my only way of making sense of it. For example, the move that the older blood brother Wong Chu (played by Kuo Chui) executed to kill the four spearmen during the final showdown was removed completely. Normally I wouldn't include a spoiler by revealing scenes or outcomes. But what I'm about to write isn't even shown in the contemporary version anyway. This is just an insight to help with understanding what actually occured in the film. I still strongly recommend Killer Army for any kung fu movie enthusiast.

   From what I recall, after being thrown in the air by the four spearmen, Wong Chu started flipping uncontrollably. In slow motion he was almost killed by the rebel leader Chan, or King Spear(played by Lu Feng). While Wong Chu was in trouble, King Spear jumped up in the air to strike at him with his spear. But the younger blood brother Yu Han San (played by Chiang Sheng) jumped in the air and put himself in the way only to be fatally wounded by King Spear instead. As the two blood brothers were falling back down Yu Han San caught the sharp spears of the four spearmen in his shield and held them in place. Wong Chu finally landed from the flip in front of the four men who happened to all be in a line. With one quick swing of his three-way nunchucks, Wong Chu killed all four men by breaking their faces (bap, bap, bap, bap). In the contemporary version you might hear the sounds of this incredible scene, but it's like those four just disappeared. Next, Wong Chu jumped back up to meet with King Spear who had already flipped and jumped back in the air. Wong Chu blocked the blow of his spear, and the now fatally wounded Yu Han San jumped up as well with is last burst of energy to successfully remove the spear from the rebel leader's hands, then landed flat on his back. What follows after all of that is shown.
   
   People who didn't get a chance to see the original wouldn't have a clue about what really happened to the second blood brother Chin Chan Ping in the movie (played by Lo Meng). It would be too easy for someone who is not familiar with the original version to quickly determine this movie as making no sense. That's disappointing because this movie is actually very good. I wonder if there are versions being sold out there today with the scenes not removed? If anyone knows of any I would appreciate your time in writing about it in a review. My only problem other than the editing of Killer Army is that Lu Feng's mastery in wielding weapons was displayed briefly and limited to one fight during the movie. His potential wasn't fully showcased like it was in Shaolin Rescuers (aka, Avenging Warriors of Shaolin), or in The Destroyers (aka, Magnificent Ruffians), two more must haves.

   I would have gladly given the movie a five star rating. Only because it's Killer Army did I give it a four star rating due to the editing foul-ups. Yet, I do still recommend Killer Army for anyone interested in a good well plotted kung fu movie.




3. Killer Army was the very first movie starring the Venoms that I have seen and taped as a child back in 1984. Sadly, my taped from television version, along with other Venoms movies, was stolen back in '87. But during those three years that I had the taped version, I cannot say exactly how many times I watched Killer Army. It was my favorite and still is. I was delighted when I was able to find another copy last year. It's not on DVD but I can understand what people are complaining about with the DVD version. The editing problems aren't limited to DVD, my VHS version is also cut up and edited, not to mention the audio bloopers. It saddens me to see that after such great fights, the end of the better ones are cut out copmletely. This was probably to... Well, to tell the truth I really don't know why. I mean, the television version from the old days showed it all, so why not the newer versions?

   Now when I view the movie I have to rely on my memory to finish off the ending fight scenes that they fail to show. It's my only way of making sense of it. For example, the move that the older blood brother Wong Chu (played by Kuo Chui) executed to kill the four spearmen during the final showdown was removed completely. Normally I wouldn't include a spoiler by revealing scenes or outcomes. But what I'm about to write isn't even shown in the contemporary version anyway. This is just an insight to help with understanding what actually occured in the film. I still strongly recommend Killer Army for any kung fu movie enthusiast.

   From what I recall, after being thrown in the air by the four spearmen, Wong Chu started flipping uncontrollably. In slow motion he was almost killed by The rebel leader Chan, or King Spear(played by Lu Feng). While Wong Chu was in trouble, King Spear jumped up in the air to strike at him with his spear. But the younger blood brother Yu Han San (played by Chiang Sheng) jumped in the air and put himself in the way only to be fatally wounded by King Spear instead. As the two blood brothers were falling back down Yu Han San caught the sharp spears of the four spearmen in his shield and held them in place. Wong Chu finally landed from the flip in front of the four men who happened to all be in a line. With one quick swing of his three-way nunchucks, Wong Chu killed all four men by breaking their faces (bap, bap, bap, bap). In the contemporary version you might hear the sounds of this incredible scene, but it's like those four just disappeared. Next, Wong Chu jumped back up to meet with King Spear who had already flipped and jumped back in the air. Wong Chu blocked the blow of his spear, and the now fatally wounded Yu Han San jumped up as well with is last burst of energy to successfully remove the spear from the rebel leader's hands, then landed flat on his back. What follows after all of that is shown.
   
   People who didn't get a chance to see the original wouldn't have a clue about what really happened to the second blood brother Chin Chan Ping in the movie (played by Lo Meng). It would be too easy for someone who is not familiar with the original version to quickly determine this movie as making no sense. That's disappointing because this movie is actually very good. I wonder if there are versions being sold out there today with the scenes not removed? If anyone knows of any I would appreciate your time in writing about it in a review. My only problem other than the editing of Killer Army is that Lu Feng's mastery in wielding weapons was displayed briefly and limited to one fight during the movie. His potential wasn't fully showcased like it was in Shaolin Rescuers, or in The Destroyers (aka, Magnificent Ruffians), two more must haves.

   I would have gladly given the movie a five star rating. Only because it's Killer Army did I give it a four star rating due to the editing foul-ups. Yet, I do still recommend Killer Army for anyone interested in a good well plotted kung fu movie.




4. Plain and simple, the venoms are great. In this movie the fight sequences are excellent, timing is insane. The movie is a bit choped down, but it's still great.



5. There is no question this is a 4 star performace,,,however, this is my synopsis on this flick: Definately another tough performance from the venom crew,,and I can't seemed to get enough of them. However, it's starting to feel like if you've seen one it's like you've seen them all. I have watched almost all the venom flicks, approximately 11 thus far,,and they now seemed like the same old thing to me,,which apparently is getting profoundly boaring aswell. For example in all the plots, usually the same guys are friends, and every-time the same one dude (Lo Meng, The Toad) ends up getting killed ,,,,with the exception, Return of The 5 Deadly Venom AKA Crippled Avengers. Respectively,,,I also though the DVD transfer on this one was is kinda poor,,even the audio I find to be poorly transitioned!!

5 comments about Rebellious Reign.

1. I have never heard of jimmy lee and still don't recognize him except very faintly. What I found out is that he can seriously fight. He made norman chu look like a joke and this is one of chu's better performances. It also has the first bad guy at the start of the greatest fight in movie history in return to the 36th chamber. He also was the 2 kids teacher in hell'z windstaff, john liu's teacher in fighting ace, and the iron vest teacher in the little known classic My young auntie. Yeong-mun kwon is his name and you have seen his super kicking abilities in many movies.
   
   Now if anybody saw my review on killer constable(sadly a.k.a. lightining kung fu), then some of you hand to hand junkies were probably like, this dude doesn't know fu. Not true, I do know it, and it was the story and grittieness that made that movie great. And it was also a nice swordplay movie. Well I would compare this with killer constable. Not near as dark and a story that has potential but doesn't explore all of it's options like a real movie. But this is kung fu and if the action's good, I'm willing to forgive lots of mistakes. But this movie has almost none. It has wonderful music, tends to be overdone, but good ORIGINAL score. Good royalty themes, with ming patriots of course.
   
   Now to the action. Blazinly fast. I have to say that this is truly one of the greatest kung fu movies ever. It shows you what it is all about at the start. A young guy has to get tested before he leaves the shaolin temple, and man do they go at it. Next up, go and become a high ranking official so that you can help to restore the ming dynasty. So this young guy(jimmy lee) is watching a brawl and with the 14th prince standing next to him, he shows that he doesn't care about high ranking people and will put anybody in their place. So the 4th prince shows up to see what is going on and his bodyguard doesn't like this kids braid at all. He comes close to the prince and there is a reason I set up super kicker Yeong-mun Kwan. This is by far his best movie ever and really gets a chance to shine. All of the people you think are going to fight never really have that spectacualre battle you are expecting. But that's just because I thought the korean superkicker was going to have one of his ordinary henchmen roles, but he gets to put on more of a disppay then I have seen IN ALL OF HIS MOVIES COMBINED. Now this guy doesn't rank anywhere near Hwang Jang Lee, but in power he blows Hwang out, only shen chan I would put as a better kicker than both Hwang and this korean guy.
   
   So like I said, the ending is pretty unexpected. But I would have to say the end is in the vein of killer constable. In terms of heroic deeds and drama, it doesn't compare, but I have to say that the final fight scene is truly one of the greatest all out war scenes of all time. Only movies like shaolin strikes back comes close to a war of kung fu like this does.
   
   This is released by video asia and I have to say it is a really good release. The picture is kind of shaky which is kind of distracting, and teh picture is kind of faded. But overall, I will only rank south shaolin master as a better video asia release then this. It is full screened, but don't worry, you are actually not missing too much. Of course you will miss some thogh, but luckily the director kept pretty much everthing happening in the middle of the scene, it is only the war scene where it would have been nice to see all the great detail that was being put into that. No special features, but very good sound quality, good picture, and a video asia dvd that actually works, I hate that company, but have to recommend this to anyone who is a fan of good cinema.
   
   FAVORITE PART OF THE MOVIE:
   
   Jimmy lee meets norman chu(4th prince)and doesn't know that he is royalty. Norman takes him to his mansion. Jimmy seems worried, norman says don't worry. The main guy under the emperor says,to 4th prince "what happened to those 8 monks the emperor sent to you?" "They would not stand in line for me, so I killed them". Jimmy standing next to him almost has like an involintary puking moment but manages to pull himself together and kneel down to norman and say that he respects him still without showing that he like just left the shaolin temple after learning all he needed to. It was a good, not great acting moment where jimmy neede to keep his cool so that he could get his high ranking position. Once things evolve(too fast), the story gets weaker, but the fu gets stronger and stonger, and I honestly thought my tv was going to explode at the end of this movie.



2. After reading what my Amazon collague (Morgoth Dude) had to say about this flick,,,I must amit my curiosity grew immensely. I went out and purchased it, "Rebellious Reign". Respectively, I equally agreed with him,,,this movie I though was extremely powerful. It has been some time I've watched a kung fu flick, with such a powerful story base, the acting was convincingly good and the fights scenes fast paced and amazing. I have never heard of Jimmy Lee,,however, he reminds me of 'Chang Shan",,the villian from Shaolin vs Lama, the same villian from "Shaolin temple Strikes Back". As I was watching this flick, I found myself really, really interested in the story aswell,,,very, very, very powerful stuff. I said before,,I will say it again,,this flick is Tough, Tough, Tough!!! This flick is definately a Hidden gem, don't be fooled by any negativity,,, it is a must see!!



3. The previous reviews for this film were accurate this is a powerful movie it contains a decent plot and first class fight choragraphy, I was surprised to see Norman Chu in only one fight scene considering his fighting capabilties. I highly recommend this movie great action the ending is a little over the top but well worth it.



4. This movie named Rebellious Reign it has very good action and hands,feet combat,but the ending of this movie was very disappointing. The main actor did not get to confront the Villan in Kung fu combat. This is why this movie is not very good in the end of it.Rebellious Reign



5. Upon receipt of his doctorate in Kung Fu with a minor in Ming Dynasty Restoration, a man (Jimmy Lee) becomes "friends" with the ambitious 4th prince, son of the dying king. The prince is worried that his brother, the 14th prince, will be named the successor to his father's throne. Jimmy agrees to help him swipe his dad's will and change 14th to 4th, and in exchange, when he is king, the 4th prince will allow Jimmy to head up the army. Unbeknownst to the 4th prince, Jimmy is a rebel who has a coup d'etat waiting to end the repressive monarchy. But not before some spontaneous moustaches.
   
   Though far from flawless, this film is pretty sweet. The fights are tip-top for an old school flick and the story is good and takes itself seriously. I was not familiar with any of the actors but they all do a good job. This movie should be in widescreen but the picture quality is excellent for a non-remastered DVD. It is English-dubbed only and the volume of the voices will often fluctuate at key moments in the story. I compensated by turning the sound up. It also starts out with interesting music and opening credits, but at dramatic moments, the score is lifted from Disney's "The Black Hole". Almost loses half a star for a less than satisfactory ending, but it's kinda different and still entertaining.
   
   1980

1 comments about Mastering Aikido - 5 Vol Set.

1. OK, here's my disclaimer-- I do not practice aikido, so I am not that great a judge of it. What I am is a martial artist with over 20 years of experience, in several other arts, most notably and most recently internal kung fu styles. In fact, my interest in aikido comes from a book "Aikido-- The Dynamic Sphere" that I was very much enjoying, particularly for many of the similarities in principles that it had with internal kung fu. Alas, that book was stolen from my car, and will have to wait for my review on Amazon.com until I get a new copy and finish it.
   
   In the meantime, I got these DVDs as a gift. I thought it important to review them because the info here on the Amazon website about them is pretty limited, and you should know what you are getting for your $130.
   
   The first two DVDs are "King of Aikido Vols. 1 and 2". You can buy these separately at Amazon.com, so don't buy both! These are 60 minute DVDs showing old black and white film of O-Sensei, the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. Some of it is grainy, but much is of surprisingly good quality. There is some video of O-Sensei meditating, walking, but much of it is aikido. O-Sensei is very impressive, effortlessly tossing around his students/assistants in impressive fashion. Graceful, like he was born doing it. In fact, it was this effortless power that attracted me to look into aikido in the first place. These are not instructional DVDs. Just O-Sensei doing his thing. If you are an experienced aikido practitioner, you *may* be able to glean insights from this, but I cannot, other than to say that O-Sensei is very impressive at what he does. There is no narrative, just music, not even O-Sensei speaking in Japanese and therefore some of his comments possibly somewhat accessible if you can get ahold of an interpreter. You just get to see him move. In addition to bare-handed aikido, you get to see him defending sword vs. sword, knife vs. sword, and hand vs. sword. These are more about timing and positioning and the kenjutsu technique than anything special. O-Sensei is also seeing doing drills with sword and bo staff-- again, nothing special in my opinion. But the empty-hand demos are impressive.
   
   The other three volumes are actually instructional DVDs in "Shuyokan Ryu Aikido". The instructor is Soke David Dye, 10th Dan. So if warning bells are not sounding in your head, then let me ring them. Yes, Shuyokan Ryu appears to be a new style that Mr. Dye founded. It is, per Mr. Dye, a style that combines various other Japanese systems that he has trained in, including Shotokan Karate, a form of Jujitsu, Aikido, and Judo. If you are not suspicious of new systems, with the head instructor the self-appointed "10th Dan" and founder of the system, then you should be. These DVDs teach fundamental aikido techniques from this multi-disciplinary modern system.
   
   That being said, Mr. Dye does appear competent in aikido. He certainly is not as smooth as O-Sensei, and his technique is not effortless, despite being a larger man throwing around what are for the most part smaller students/assistants. Still, the techniques are fairly seamlessly done, and quite effective-looking, and Mr. Dye seems sincere in his intent, as well as being a clear speaker and a good overall instructor.
   
   Vol. 1 is techniques of Kotegaeshi (reverse hand), essentially about 20 variations on a technique that involves a hyper-supination wrist lock to throw technique.
   
   Vol. 2 is on shihonage (all-direction throw) and iminage (entering throw), essentially variations on two technques that I would describe as a linear clothesline and a one-armed overhand throw down.
   
   Vol. 3 is defenses against clubs, knives, and guns. Mr. Dye does comment on the philosphical decision one has to make regarding enacting these defenses depending on the situations, and the techniques appear to have a decent chance of succeeding if one is competent in them. Mr. Dye is also an experienced law enforcement officer, and is good about discussing legal ramifications of using various levels of force even in self-defense situations, as well as the less than obvious health hazards of a knife fight (hepatities and HIV, for example).
   
   Each of these three DVDs is only about 30 minutes, unfortunately, and Vol.s 2 and 3 repeat sections on falling/rolling. However, the rest is well-edited, and efficiently presented, and he covers a pretty good amount of aikido in the timeframe I described. Each of these three DVDs concludes with about 15 minutes of advertising, the most impressive is George Alexander (who directs these aikido DVDs but does not teach them) doing a Crane-style karate kata (possibly Okinawan) that is one of the few karate kata that appears to have some elements of kung fu in them that I have seen (one other I have seen by Fumio Demura).
   
   Anyway, all in all, these DVDs are probably par for the cost-- it breaks down to $25 each, and in a world where many instructional martial arts DVDs will cost you $35-$50 each, these are probably worth what you get, but nothing more.
   
   Regards, keep practicing, and good luck with your efforts!