1 comments about Vale Tudo.

1. Let me say the production of this video is top notch. The moves are easily and clearly seen. HOWEVER, this is tournament-style jiu jitsu. 90% of the moves require you to 'pull guard'. This would just be asking for you to get your head kicked in real Vale Tudo/Pride fighting. The title is very misleading. NO STRIKING, minimal takedown training. Like I said, this video show some good tournament style jiu jitsu moves that require 'pulling guard'. I wouldn't recommend 90% of the moves be used in a vale tudo match.

No comments about The Challenge of Master Killer/Invincible Super Guy.

2 comments about Choi Lee Fut: Kung Fu.

1. Cliff Lok stars as a young man who is taken on secretly by a teacher of Choi Lee Fut. Some practicioners have told me that Cliff Lok was not suited for this role and while he is not quite as fluid as some of the greats his form is still terrific and his acrobatics are very good. The movie starts out showing Philip Ko as the evil warlord who takes down a group of rebels and 2 teachers of kung fu survive, one being a monk. Cliff Lok goes to learn from the monk after he has learned all he can from the first teacher. The movie is just above average all the way through with some good comedy. You will recognize the cross-eyed officer form Jackie Chan's 'Young Master'. "Your sword!". He is funny just looking at him. I was rolling on the floor when he had his shirt off and asked Cliff to wipe his sweat off for him.
   
   The best part of the movie is when one of the greatest female fighters ever shows up. Yang Pan Pan just starts tearing up everybody. While the movie is pretty good all the way through, it is not great. Luckily the final fight is outstanding. It starts off with the girl vs.Phillip Ko and then CLiff Lok. Total of about 10 minutes and some great action going on. The end of the fight is billiant. They show the various techniques that Lok is doing subtitled on screen and it is slow-mo for about three minutes. Truly awesome stuff!
   
   Rarescope has given us this movie fully letterboxed and though the picture is faded and there is noticeable damage on the film print it still looks about twice as good as the Groudzero version. The subtitles can be read pretty easily most of the time. The original Mandarin track is the way to go and has GREAT sound quality. The Engish dubbing is fine though the sound quality doesn't compare a lick to the Mandarin.
   
   Special feature included is a Cliff Lok interview and also he is being intervied form the late great director of the movie- Chan Siu-pang. Lok looks amazing even at being at least 50 and gives a very good interview. Rarescope does a good thing in my opinion and has us waiting for part 2 of the interview when they release Lok's 'Best of Shaolin Kung Fu'. I would be lieing if I said I was not ecstatic about that future release.
   
   There is also a small photo gallery form the movie with some black and white pics. There is also the same Rarescope trailers we saw on their first release. I am waiting anyday now to preorder '3 Famous Constables'(which I heard will come out under another name), 'Ninjas in Ancient China', 'and 'Sword of Justice'. Rarescope(BCI) has proven to be one of the best martial arts DVD companies and I eagerly await more and more.



2. I have yet to see a Cliff Lok film that I liked I'm just not impressed with his fighting techniques, althougth the old masters and Philip Ko character give this film some life.

No comments about Practical Combat Application of the Third Set of Military Boxing.

No comments about Extreme Wars "X-1: Hell in Hawaii" (Dan "the Beast" Severn).

1 comments about The Dead and the Deadly.

1. I'm not sure if this was intended as a sequel to 'Encounters of The Spooky Kind'. I enjoyed this film a lot. Basically, it was about Sammo's character trying to avenge the death of one of his friends, played by Wu Ma, who he suspects was murdered.
   There isn't much fighting in this one, compared to the previous film. Sammo has one big fight scene in the middle, and that's pretty much it. But the comedy is hilarious, especially when he's going around town arguing with his ghost friend who no one else can see!
   Lam Ching Ying didn't do any fighting in this film. He pretty much played the same role (Taoist priest) he would go on to play in his Mr Vampire films.
   Overall, a fun movie, even though the ending is sudden - like jumping off some cliff.

1 comments about The Cub Tiger of Kwang Tung.

1. Contrary to popular belief and even in contrast to Jackie Chan and many other sources, "Cub Tiger From Kwang Tung" (aka Little Tiger of Canton) was finished and even had a small release (probably around 1973 or 1974, I currently cannot find exact details) though it was filmed a few years earlier in 1971, done a little before his stunt work in "Fist of Fury". Chan was given an opportunity to star in this movie by his "biggest sister" from his Peking Opera youth whom was now an assistant to a film producer. In Chan's autobiography "I Am Jackie Chan" he has nothing good to say about this experience stating "One night, the director and producer quietly disappeared, taking with them any hope that the movie would be finished." It is not his first film either, he had done several movies as a child actor in the 60s with "Big and Little Wong Tin-Bar" (1962) being his first appearance in a movie. He looks quite young though and slight of build compared to his later appearances.
   
   Jackie Chan (he uses the screen name Chan Yuen Lung using Sammo Hung's old opera name) portrays Hsiao Hu, an adopted precocious martial art youth who has been brought up by a semi-sadistic foster dad (Tien Feng: Fist of Fury, Young Master) and enjoys sparring with his foster sister Hsiao Lam (Shu Pei-Pei) when he is not working for his Uncle Chiang at Chiang Kee Noodles. Hsiao Hu does not know that his real Dad died absorbing Lu Chi's aka 3rd Brother (Kwan Chung) "Leg of Doom" (the move sounds good, does not look that impressive though should be named "Leg of Partial Hurt") so Tien Feng could get away and raise his Hsiao Hu.
   
   Meanwhile, back at the noodle shop, a group of ruffians order a plethora of food, yet refuse to pay. Hu's superior Kung Fu is shown as he destroys them in fighting. Lu Chi just happens to be their boss and this angers him immensely when he finds out. Hu's foster dad is perturbed by his fighting and tortures him with excess work. At first it is just moving extra pails of water, but after another incident (even though he saved his sister) he is forced to put his hands into broken glass (great dad). Later, he forces Hu to "really" fight his foster sister (later in the film though he states that they were made for each other). Of course, Hu's foster dad is only trying to prevent him from using his Kung Fu so he won't be found out by the vengeful Lu Chi (though I do not think this point is ever explicitly said). As in any martial art movie
   
   I can only recommend this for Jackie Chan or martial art movie fanatics for completeness. The editing is quite bad and the story is a bit hard to follow leaving lots of floating plot points. The lifted score (I am pretty sure this is not an original piece) is quite annoying as it is repetitively used. The martial art action is decent though, Jackie Chan looks quite better than everyone else and so the pacing is sometimes off in the fights. The finale works as well as it should though the highpoint of the film is the demonstration of skills during the beginning credits where Chan gets to show off his technique and acrobatic skills (the 70's Jackie films show Chan do more of his Peking Opera background than later films as well as this film shows him pre-eye surgery).
   
   The film quality of the Rarescope R1 edition is quite poor with a cropped picture (shown 2:35:1, but a lot of image is missing), burnt-in subtitles that are occasionally replaced by "other" subtitles when the cropping interferes (and that replacement also has typos and grammar mistakes) and copious amounts of damage. Also, the back cover description has many mistakes with its summation of the plot. The funniest is the combo of "his father has forbidden him ... from learning the martial arts" and "... killed his father many years before." Still it is nice to have available in a non-"Master with Cracked Fingers" version shown close to what it originally was.
   
   The extras are a hodge-podge of trailers, still gallery and a 6-plus minute questionnaire and answer with Jackie Chan. The still gallery is not too bad with what looks like lobby cards and stills from the movie. The Q and A with Jackie Chan is a shaky camcorder print of Jackie being questioned after a showing of "Rumble in the Bronx" (quick talk about the longer HK cut). So this was probably originally filmed around 1997 in the UK (the year it came out in UK) with other clues such as the accents and he talks quickly about future projects: Police Story 5 (probably talking about New Police Story though that would not come out until 2004), a western story (obviously talking about the future "Shanghai Noon" (2000)), a South African story ("Who Am I" (1998)) and about finishing A Nice Guy (later known as "Mr. Nice Guy"; though filming was done in 1997). Not much is learned from this extra other than a quick mention of the "fireman story" that never came about and audiences that are annoying are ubiquitous. Jackie is asked to perform some moves (which he absolutely hates to be asked to do) and he feigns a previous knee injury though later he can be seen bouncing around without any problems.

2 comments about Shotokan Karate Kumite DVD.

1. This dvd is unique because it's perfect to use as you practice. The techniques are divided into short segments. I have it on as I workout; stopping after each technique and working through it. There are 26 different sets of techniques as well as partner drills and footage of sparring. Many of the drills I hadn't experienced before. The techniques are not flashy, but will work in a match. Don't let the Shotokan title fool you, these techniques are usable and applicable in any style. I own several dozen sparring videos and would rate this video as the best because you can use it while you train and is not filled with psychological fluff.



2. I enjoyed this DVD. It contains some fundamental martial arts sparring concepts that can be used by beginners, but which can also be used for more advanced practitioners wishing to really work basic techniques in sparring. I definitely recommend this for martial artists who are just beginning to spar.

1 comments about Bruce Lee/Patrick Storng - 4 DVD Set.

1. I study JKD in Denver. This DVD set is excelent. It is deeper than just technique. It is an education in Bruce Lee's physiology for speed,power and infighting. It also has some nice ideas for training drills. Mr. Strong communicates the ideas well. I love the basic mind set on "none-intention" and "my instinct is to hit him." If you study JKD, you sould get this set. If you don't study JKD, you should get this set.
   I can't wait for more materials from Patrick Strong.

No comments about Best of Shaolin Kung Fu (Sub Sp).