5 comments about The Order.

1. This movie is about a man whose father is an acheoligist or something and travels to Isreal to search for some kings treasure. He ends up kidnapped and Vanne Damme goes to Isreal to find his father, and along the way runs into some trouble with the locol mob, the corrupted police & Religous cults, all while getting involved with a female police officer who cannot resist Vanne Dammes natural charms - cough - gets paid to do what the script says.
   
   The acting is not great, Vanne Damma plays the same ol' charactor he usualy does. Nothing different or uniueqe about his charactor; neat, knows how to fight, is real assure of himself, and can not be beaton one on one.
   
   No one seems to convince me they are Muslim or Isrealian, there American & Engish accent slip through too often over a very bad attempt at trying to sound like there supposed to be. But still, the overall movie isnt that bad if you like a movie where theres action, fighting, and Vanne Damme as the predicatable hero like in every other movie he does.
   
   It's ok, i'd suggest renting it, i dont think i'd wanna keep it or watch it again, but you might like it if you like what Vanne Damme usualy does. If not, it's nothing different, same charactor worked into a modified plot.



2. The Order sheds light on a religious sect dating back to the Crusades. Having survived throughout the centuries, it aims at fulfilling a prophecy, which would plunge mankind into a third world war...
   In short, the acting and the dialogues are extremely weak (Van Damme and Charlton Heston really disappoint with their performances!), while the plot and the setting, are actually very good, therefore, the potential for a great movie was definitely there if only the actors and writers could... act and write!
   As for the rating, if you're going to have it rated R at least give it the sex and/or the violence. If not, give it the proper rating i.e. PG-13.
   Overall, far from being a masterpiece, it just might provide for an evening's entertainment if in a really silly mood and/or intoxicated. 1½ Stars
   If Van Damme movies is what you had in mind, check out the Legionnaire and Timecop.



3. The plot line is thin but the action is great. Sofia Milos was great in this film.



4. Well, first of all the viewers of this movie should not take it seriously. It's not that type of movie. Its more of a campy/spunky type action film. Yeah, it is a lot like Indiana Jones, and isn't Van Dammes best, but still has many high points to it. If you want Van Dammes best acting DON'T start here; go watch In Hell, Wake of Death, Lionheart, or maybe Timecop for that. For his action/martial arts skills this isn't a bad place to go. It has quite a few good action scenes in it. Van Damme is always cool as hell and has some good lines. The ending is also pretty good as well. With the ending you get Van Dammes best kick(jumps and glides) out of all his movies he has ever done, even at his older age. The movie as a whole isn't nowhere near as bad as a lot of people think. It's just another action film that Van Damme fans and MAYBE action fans should love. But like I said its NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.



5. A light film made all the more watchable by the presence of the actress Sofia Milos. Her presence is stimulating.

5 comments about UFC Ultimate Knockouts, Vol. 4.

1. I just picked this up at the store for $10 and I thought it was a great deal....but that was until I got home and looked at the listing of fights. I own every UFC dvd that is currently available, just picked up UFC 58 along with this dvd, and I was hoping this dvd would contain alot of the prelim fights that haven't been shown on Unleashed or on UFC on Demand. Instead, it's the greatest KO's from UFC 47 - TUF Finale 1. Here's the list of fights:
   
   - Mike Kyle vs. Wes Sims (UFC 47)
   - Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler (UFC 47)
   - Andre Arlovski vs. Cabbage (UFC 47)
   - Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz (UFC 47)
   - GSP vs. Jay Heiron (UFC 48)
   - Frank Trigg vs. Dennis Hallman (UFC 48)
   - Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thomson (UFC 49)
   - Justin Eilers vs. Mike Kyle (UFC 49)
   - David Terrell vs. Matt Lindland (UFC 49)
   - Chuck Liddell vs. Vernon White (UFC 49)
   - Joe Riggs vs. Joe Doerksen (UFC 49)
   - Travis Lutter vs. Marvin Eastman (UFC 50)
   - Frank Trigg vs. Renato Verissimo (UFC 50)
   - Nick Diaz vs. Drew Fickett (UFC 51)
   - Mike Kyle vs. James Irvin (UFC 51)
   - Paul Buentello vs. Justin Eilers (UFC 51)
   - Evan Tanner vs. David Terrell (UFC 51)
   - Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Rafferty (TUF 1 Finale)
   - Mike Swick vs. Alex Shoenauer (TUF 1 Finale)
   - Nate Quarry vs. Lodune Sincaid (TUF 1 Finale)
   - Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Sanford (TUF 1 Finale)
   - Chris Leben vs. Jason Thacker (TUF 1 Finale)
   
   If I didn't own UFC's 39 - 58 and TUF season 1 on dvd, I wouldn't mind. But I ended up getting highlights of all the dvd's I currently own. The dvd is only 75 minutes long as well, so it'll be best to just wait for this to come on Spike TV the same way they aired Ultimate Knockouts 3, which was a disappointment as well.
   
   They could've at least had:
   
   - Mike Swick vs. Gideon Ray (Ultimate Fight Night 1)
   - Brandon Vera vs. Fabiano Scherner (Ultimate Fight Night 2)
   - Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves (Ultimate Fight Night 5)
   - Thiago Alves vs. Derrick Noble (UFC 59)
   - Spencer Fisher vs. Aaron Riley (Ultimate Fight Night 3)
   - Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman (UFC 60)
   
   Some of these fights have been shown on Unleashed, but are more rare than the "already available" fights that they have on Ultimate Knockouts 4
   
   If you don't have any of the UFC dvd's, then yeah, get it if you like KO's. If you have the said dvd's, stay away at all cost



2. I got this DVD very excited about seeing some great knockouts but when I watched it all it is a glorified UFC DVD of some crappy fights... You can see all these on Spike TV instead of paying for it.. UFC has really sold out releasing these types of DVDs just to make a buck, they just don't seem to care about entertainment anymore.... Be careful with this one



3. This dvd was supposed to be released a while ago, but it was one of many that got hung up because of the problems the UFC had with their distributer. So all of these highlights are from 2 years ago. Anything current will have to wait until Knockouts 5 gets released. That being said, it is a shame that they do not put pre-lim(dark) fights on the dvd. I watch every UFC event, so I have seen all of these fights. It's a nice highlight package, but it holds nothing new for me. I also wish they would put at least a small section for Ultimate Submissions. There have been some great finishes that did not involve a fist, knee or elbow. The disc is only 75 minutes long, so they could put 15 minutes or so of submissions to fill it up. If you buy all of the event dvds, then I recommend skipping this. Nothing new on this one.



4. Love the UFC! I really like watching these guys just brawling and swinging for the fences. Gotta love the knock out. Nothing says, "What's UP!" like a skull shaking blow to the head! Put it on next time you have a party and watch the crowd form around your TV. Some of these shots make you cringe and jump up and down. Enjoy!



5. Man, there are some tough reviews up for this DVD. Whatever disappointments these viewers had, I have to say that this is definitely better than one star. OK, I admit what they say: the fights are all available on UFC DVDs, and this will probably be aired for free on Spike TV (if it hasn't been already). To answer the first point, people who don't own many UFC DVDs or are more casual fans will still enjoy this very much. I even have quite a few MMA DVDs, but sometimes I don't feel like watching whole matches, I want them to get right to it, especially if there are a lot of people watching together and having a drink or two! To the second point, I don't mind that it's been or will be aired for free - the disc isn't very expensive and I'd rather be able to watch it when I want. And in the end, there are quite a few entertaining knockouts to feast your eyes on. Not the calibre of Pride's "Hardcore Knockouts Volume 1", mind you (check that out if you're interested in this type of thing), but still good. So four stars... well maybe three and a half, but I'll round up to balance out some of the other reviews.

5 comments about The Prodigal Son.

1. back in the early 1980's high speed action was 1st introduced and the one who took advantage of it was sammo hung who directed this epic masterpiece and yuen woo ping and others converted over as well. this movie shows the speed, rhythm, power and grace of wing chun kung with absolutely NO WIRE AND ROPE STUNTS. its stars yuen biao, sammo hung, lam ching ying, peter chan lung, frankie chan, lee hoi sang, wei pai, and james tien along with dick wei and chung fat. now lam ching ying steals the show and yuen biao anf frankie chan performed exceptionally well, but yuen biao did a poor job of faking his kung fu because its obvious he's a master at his craft haha. fox releases of hong kong action films are the best up to date. digitally remastered sound and picture with cantonese and english audio and subtitles. so pick this up it is like i said a definite epic masterpiece.



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



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



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



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

5 comments about Circle of Iron.

1. A classic of Zen Philosophy. A bit far-fetched, but nevertheless entertaining and funny.



2. It's been at least 20 years now since I first watched Circle of Iron as a teenager with a keen interest in the martial arts. A friend and I rented it from the local video store. We didn't really know what we were in for, only that it had been written by Bruce Lee and starred David Carradine of Kung Fu fame. I'm sure I didn't grasp nearly as much of what Lee intended to express back then. I think I get it a bit better now.
   
   I'll be honest. By modern standards (and probably even those of that time, I would think), the fight scenes are rather poor. They are a bit overdramatized, the camera work isn't very good, and the general athleticism demonstrated is average. The sound effects are pretty typical of the era, meaning really bad by today's standard. If you can look past that, though, you may actually find yourself enjoying the film.
   
   Overall, the cinematography reminds me a lot of the Conan films, though I don't think they same folks were involved in the shooting. I happen to like those movies, even if they were clunky in places, so take that for what it's worth.
   
   If you like movies that make you think, then you will probably get something quite worthwhile out of Circle of Iron. Lee's intent was to explore and display elements of Zen philosophy and the film certainly does that. How much it keeps to Lee's intentions (from the original The Silent Flute script), I have no idea, but there's at least enough of it to make viewing a pleasantly thought-provoking experience. And there's a bit of comedy tossed in as well. :-)



3. The quality of the media was excellent and the content was also excellent. I recommend this dvd to anyone who views life as a spiritual journey.



4. It's hard to kill a horse with a flute--The Blind man
   
   Circle of Iron (or the Silent Flute) is an acting tout de Force for actor David Carradine. This is not KUNG FU the movie. This film he plays four different roles in Cord (the seeker's) Journey. The character of the Blind man, in my opinion, reminds me of Master Po from the Kung Fu TV show
   
   The script originally was written by James (Our Man Flint) Colburn, Bruce (Enter The Dragon) Lee and Stirling (In the Heat of the Night, Route 66) Silliphant. On the DVD, you can read their original script in a DVD-ROM format. Lee was to play Cord, In my opinion, I wish he had
   
   This mythical tale is a journey and quest for both the actors and the viewers alike. It is a challedge to watch and think about. Combining martial art ideals with Zen styling will leave the viewer either intrigued of baffled---or both!
   
   They say a film is as good as its weakest link, Jeff Cooper is buffed for this role as Cord. However in my opinion, he has limited acting chops to handle the role is his solo scenes, including the romantic scene with Erica Creer. Thank goodness, for most of the film , he is flanked by cameos by veteran actors Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowell and Eli Wallach, who helps move to the story until Carradine character shows up again.
   
   This film was Director Richard Moore solo film effort and it shows in someways. His audio commentary track is interesting and gives insights into the film unknown to many other than film buffs
   
   This 30 year old film is still good today to enjoy
   Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD



5. A project conceived by Bruce Lee and James Coburn. Carradine appears in a number of different parts -- in that aspect it reminds me of Kirk Douglas in the LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER. Quirky, odd with a lead who couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. For those who collect such things.

5 comments about Shaolin Kung Fu Fundamental Training DVD (YMAA) Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.

1. Kung Fu means 'Time / Energy'. Literally, something which takes time and energy to achieve.
   
   In this video, Dr. Yang teaches the necessary body conditioning for Shaolin Kung Fu, starting with stretching for the entire body, both standing and sitting. Some of it is very intense, difficult stuff which needs to be patiently trained for 6 months.
   
   During the fundamental stances Master Yang explains some of the applications, and really corrects the posture of his students demonstrating. He teaches with a great sense of humor, with a very humble manner, but offers so much information for each technique.
   
   The Punches are shown in a classroom situation, with corrections and applications, and are also shown by students hitting a heavy bag. There is a great variety of techniques, which give an excellent foundation for further study.
   Very fun and serious video!
   
   Thank you Master Yang for keeping the classical martial arts of Shaolin Temple alive and well. This fundamental training is rigorous and gives a lot of insight into other, more 'modern' styles. Very practical, powerful techniques.



2. This dvd is loaded with information. I suspect I will be learning, refering to and benefitting from its contents for years to come.Dr Yang appears as a very learned Sifu and as I have recently begun the practice of Kung Fu at a school in Michigan (TCMA/ Berkley) this was bought as a tool to use at home. I am totally pleased and am glad I own this. Thanks to Sifu Yang for taking the time to do what he does which is pass on valuable and rare kung fu knowledge. I do feel that a beginner buying this DVD would be able to increase his/her awareness and make progress in kung fu even if there was not a school to attend though it is reccommended. I am looking forward to it all.



3. This is an excellent video that covers the basics. Dr. Yang is an excellent instructor.



4. This DVD came quickly and was in perfect condition. It is clear and easy to follow along with. The participants are people of all different sizes, shapes, ages and skill levels. I recommend you buy the Shaolin Kung Fu Fundamental Training DVD. You won't be dissappointed.



5. Dear readers,
   
   I have elected to give Yang Jwing Ming and his fundamentals dvd a 5 star rating, the answer is simple. He has given much of his time to preserve the arts throughout his life and his dedication to the arts itself is glorious and such an impact on the viewer of this dvd is noticeable. His students are also looking rather good, he does not show off his best students or scruitinize between older and younger students. A wide range of ages demonstrate techniques, stretching and sets all at different levels of ability. Quite simply, such knowledge and insight that began some three thousand years ago is now presented to the viewer and is theirs to keep on dvd forever. Much thanks to Dr. Yang Jwing Ming and all his efforts to preserve the arts.

5 comments about Robin B Hood.

1. From an American point of view, this movie is confusing, disconnected, and a bit melodramatic. But this isn't an American movie. Jackie Chan is Taiwanese. This is that type of movie. Watching this movie as a foreign film is quite enjoyable. A little strange, but fun!



2. I did not enjoy the previous effort of a Benny Chan directed Jackie Chan film in "New Police Story" that I was definitely worried about a "Three Men and a Baby" inspired effort. The result was mixed, but going in with low expectations I was pleasantly surprised. "Rob-B-Hood" (US release name is a bizarre name change to "Robin-B-Hood" though in this movie there is no stealing from the rich to give to the poor; neither title is very good) is the third film in the collaboration between Benny Chan and Jackie Chan and Benny's first attempt at a comedic action film. While this film was successful in Asia it was not theatrically released in North America and most of Europe.
   
   Jackie Chan and Louis Koo Tin-Lok star as mediocre bad guys Thongs and Octopus. Jackie Chan tired of stereotypical nice guy roles wanted to play a criminal, though his character Thongs is a burglar and compulsive gambler, the "good guy" nature of his character comes through quite clearly and his performance does not veer far from most of Jackie's previous personae. This role is a good step in broadening his experience as an actor. Octopus is a married womanizer who works with Thongs. He married very young to Pak Yin (the terminally cute Charlene Choi) and is doing his best to woo wealthy young women while avoiding his wife. Thongs and Octopus both work under the guidance of the Landlord (Michael Hui) a conservative criminal who hoards his theft while the other two spend their "earnings".
   
   The Landlord has had his loot stolen by another criminal (he suspects everyone after this) so he allows himself to get contracted to a nefarious case to kidnap a baby for seven million dollars and give the infant to the possible grandfather to test if the baby is his sons (the son is dead and currently frozen in a very expensive decorated freezer). Thongs and Octopus both need the money so they acquiesce and help the Landlord with the felony. Of course, Thongs and Octopus, through a partially botched kidnapping attempt, are forced to take care of the cute defecating infant until they can reestablish getting the kid to who hired them. And, of course, they get attached to the baby (I cannot believe the baby got nominated for Hong Kong Film Award's Best New Performer category).
   
   Some of the negatives of this film include the ill-defined female characters (it seems they would have been better characterization in the original three-hour workprint, but that meant a whole lot more exposition); especially Gao Yuan-Yuan's Melody character who I had trouble figuring out what her relationship with Thongs was the first time I watched this. Some of the baby poop jokes were overdone as well as some of the infant's scenes in general (reportedly the child was an enfant terrible on the set; delaying shooting and helping push the film over budget). There is only so much you can do with a babbling, spitting, crying child with flatulence. Yuen Biao's Inspector Steve Mok character is definitely underused (as well as Michael Hui), though at least he gets more than a cameo in this film. And then there is the horrible overuse of Pepsi advertising including one scene where Jackie slides down a pole revealing the largest Pepsi graffiti I have ever seen.
   
   I did end up liking this film though. There is a certain congenial innocence with the lead characters that works well in this comedic action hybrid. In most Jackie Chan movies there are little stunts that sometimes seem as throwaways but are quite dangerous and are done with Keatonesque ease. In this movie Jackie slides down a staircase column and props himself up with ease at the end. If he fell on the wrong side he could have been seriously injured, but since it is so effortlessly it seems so simple. Jackie Chan has used more wires in his stunts and it definitely shows in this film, but I do not fault him for it, since his body cannot handle the punishment like it used to. The stunt where he jumps from air conditioner to air conditioner to the bottom of the street is impressive (even if a wire was used) and his and Louis Koo's stunts in the amusement park owned by the grandfather (location was Ocean Park) were quite good. In fact Jackie was said to be impressed of Koo who was willing to do many of his own stunts in the movie.
   
   There could have been more fighting in this movie but there is a good scene in the apartment of Jackie between Jackie, Yuen Biao, Ken Lo and more. It is inspired by a similar scene in Project A (this is also mentioned in the Benny Chan commentary), but still pleasant. While there are many faults in this film and I think that many action purists will not like this film, I found much that was enjoyable from the comedy to the action and stunts. Now please Jackie no more movies with babies.
   
   ***½/*****
   
   The extras on the Dragon Dynasty DVD are quite good though they have stupendously stupid names. The best is a 39 minute interview with Jackie Chan named "Crashing the Hood." In this he talks about how he wanted to be more serious as an actor and how he wanted to play more of a bad guy (this would be repeated on most of the extras) and how he had trouble passing the script through China. He talks about how he wants to work with more of his Peking school brothers (Sammo Hung and Yuen Wah) and some of his experiences with Michael Hui on "Cannonball Run." He even talks about his changing belief in CGI, how he channeled his Mom's stroke into this character and his non-use of storyboarding. He does make a mistake stating that this is his first main bad guy role (that would be "Killer Meteors" (1977) plus he did a couple of "thug" roles even earlier in his career). The most telling quote is when he states "I control the whole movie" dispelling any notion of the director as auteur for this film especially since this movie is produced by Jackie's company JCE Movies Limited.
   
   "The Hand That Mocks The Cradle" is a 16 minute interview with Benny Chan that repeats much of what is in the commentary except that he does state that Jackie Chan micromanages much less now then he did when he first directed him in "Who Am I." "Baby Boomer: A featurette with costar Conroy Chan" (14m) is interesting because of so much of what Conroy actually does. He is an X-Games promoter, was an electrical engineer in college, is a rap group member and has an Australian accent. However, he has a small role in the film. "Playtime for Adults: On the Site of Robin B. Hood" (22m) and "Robin-B-Hood: An Original Making Of" (22m) are typical "making of" fare that were originally (along with the director's commentary) put out on the R3 release. Luckily those two features have scenes of Yuen Biao being interviewed.
   
   Now where are the deleted scenes?
   
   The audio commentary by Benny Chan (with two interviewers who do not state their names), which was ported over from the R3 disc, is informative if not a bit dry. The Dragon Dynasty cover has a mistake in advertising stating that Bey Logan is on the commentary. He is not -- to the condemnation of some and to the happiness of others. Benny Chan talks much about how many scenes were cut (the work print of the film was three hours long; though he states he prefers the shorter version; thank goodness) and that most of the cut scenes were non-action. He also talks about some of the influence of Project A and Winners and Sinners. It was the first comedy for Benny Chan and Benny talked about how the baby was very difficult - this was echoed in much of the extras. Most of the commentary was scene-by-scene discussing where the missing scenes were, who some of the cameo actors are and his personal feelings on several scenes such as his struggling with the rationale of the "shocking" scene toward the end.



3. I got to this review page searching for when this movie was really made.
   
   I considered JC's action scenes in Rush Hour III as an indication he was ready for the "Over-the-Hill Gang", and told myself Robin B Hood was dragged out of a Taiwan vault.
   
   But I was sucked in by the hype on the box, and it did live up to it. The action scenes are reminiscent of earlier films, and it was good to see it was made recently.
   
   Confusing? Absolutely, especially in the first half. Thongs, Landlord and Octopus' characters in the early action scenes segue not at all into some of the other first-half "personal" scenes. I had to rewind to connect Octopus to the early action scenes with the later scenes of him being a total jerk to his wife. Is this that guy we saw earlier, dear?
   
   But, I agree with another reviewer: this is not an American film. Maybe we are too used to characters and plots that follow steps 1,2 and 3.
   
   In the end, I think the plot and character relationships were resolved satisfactorily. Not perhaps to the standard of a professional thriller, but definitely beyond the expectations of a B-action movie.



4. The great, unbeatable, real life actionman Jackie Chan is ageing. This of course is not new or shocking information, but it is true. Therefore he has shifted focus a bit in his new film, "Robin B Hood" (for which the English name in China interestingly enough was 'Rob-B-Hood', which to my ears at least sounds a bit better). Although he still fights and leaps and such, it is no longer the main act. The comedy takes over, and I must say, quite succesfully.
   
   There is one big problem with this though. While action and leaping around is universally understood, humour varies from one end of the world to another, and I think that there is a bit of that going on here. If you understand Chinese and Chinese culture and or cinema history, you will probably see more funny things in this film than if you don't. There are still plenty of things that are easily recognized as humourous, but many of the references and a lot of the dialogue is better if you speak Chinese. Nothing surprising about that really.
   
   I think there are enough leaping and figthing (and a visit from Yuan Biao) to keep genre fans happy, and enough humour to keep anyone else satisfied. In short: I think it is a good film. Highly recommendable.



5. After regaining some of the ground he lost in Hollywood with his last couple of Hong Kong films, Jackie Chan takes a big step backwards with the overlong Rob-B-Hood, a downmarket three bad men and a baby romp that offers limp gay jokes, comic relief mental illness, family bonding and child endangerment for all the family. There is one fairly good action sequence at the halfway point as well as a neat stunt that sees him jumping down a building via the air conditioning units, but you definitely get the feeling that Chan's no longer pushing himself but is just doing what he knows he can still do while Yuen Biao is mostly wasted in a nothing bit part. He's made worse, but that's hardly a recommendation.
   
   Dragon Dynasty's 2-disc set the theatrical version with audio commentary. There's also a variety of interviews and featurettes, but the film is such heavy going you quite possibly won't want to spend any longer on it once you've seen it.

5 comments about District B13 [HD DVD].

1. This is a great odd couple buddy action movie, without giving too much away it is taking the real world State Sponsored Terrorism ideas with an Escape from New York meets Ong Bak flavor.
   
   It is the not too distant future, tough cop Leito's sister is kidnapped after he destroyed a gangs drugs.
   The city of Paris is divided into districts and separated by barriers to keep the lower class out of the rich elite districts.
   The police just received orders to move out of his district because it has become a lost cause.
   With Leito's sister being now held by the Psychotic gang leader and himself in jail for killing his superior, Damien a by the book elite police squadron officer is introduced. Damien's mission is to convince Leito he will help him find his sister while his main objective is to find a stolen nuclear weapon set to explode in the next 24 hours.
   
   I also recommend Nightmare City 2035 (2007) hard to find but great.
   Search for these DVD titles on Amazon, here are some documented real world examples of State Sponsored Terror.
   Terrorstorm: 2nd Edition (2007)
   Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement



2. An average movie. Parts of the physical action scenes were quite entertaining and some good humour, but large sections of the movie were relatively stiff, some-what contrived & predictable. Certainly not as cutting edge as what you would expect when seeing Luc Besson's name attached to it.



3. Luc Besson is one of my favorite directors, but when it comes to the lower budgeted films where he just produces, they've been VERY hit and miss. Given that, when I discovered this I wasn't expecting much, just another mediocre futuristic French actioner. However, I'm glad my expectations were exceeded because this was probably one of the most exciting action films I've seen in the past few years, with some mind-blowing acrobatic stunts and fight sets. The opening chase scene alone is worth the price of admission. The story about a nuke gone missing is fairly standard, but has some nice social relevance in this case and the story involves intertwining the two nimble main protagonists in a fairly believable joint effort. Bottom line: this is a damn cool movie!



4. For anybody looking for a good martial arts with mix of gun blazing and incredible stunts, this movie will offer all the ingredients. The PQ is top notch and AQ is almost as good as the video. This movie should be in your list if your looking for a good action film with a twist of futuristic setting.



5. This movie caught me by suprise. It's great! I only wish that the blu ray disc version used subtitles and was not dubbed.

2 comments about Human Weapon - Hand to Hand Military Combat (History Channel).

1. This is a DVD from the History Channel series, "Human Weapon." In it, the hosts explore Krav Maga and the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. This DVD is lower in price compared to the individual episodes from the History Channel web site, plus you get two episodes instead of one.
   
   Though individual episodes are available cheaply from iTunes or Amazon's Unbox, they can be hard to download without a broadband connection. For fans of the series, culture or martial arts in general, this is a must-have DVD.



2. Amazon sells this dvd as special package with Human Weapon season 1 but actually the season one already contains the episodes about krav maga and usmc martial art .
   Beside of that if you just want soem of the best episodes of HW get this dvd .Techniques shown are realistic and battle field proven.

4 comments about Solo Training.

1. I've acquired around 60 martial arts videos and DVDs in the past five years and this DVD immediately ranks at the top. Like he does in all of his books, Christensen gives you more than what you paid for. He gives you lots of ways to train your punches and kicks in this DVD and exercises with weights that work your techniques specifically. But along with this, you get lots of helpful tips on making your techniques more effective and more street oriented. He's been training for 40 years and is very fast.
   Christensen has other DVDs that you can only get on his site, and I plan to get them.



2. Most martial artists I know really enjoy training in the dojo but very few truly like training alone. Not only is there no one to help them practice, but there is also no one to help motivate them. Regardless, while tandem drills (e.g., bunkai, kumite, randori) are pretty much impossible to do on your own, some things are best practiced outside of a formal class setting, especially where you need to focus on improving deficiencies that may not be shared with the rest of the group. I always encourage my students to practice a little each day regardless of whether they have attended a formal class or not. If you really want to make rapid progress in your own martial skills, you need to be able to effectively train on your own.
   
   A common complaint that my new students relate to me is that they are afraid to train outside of class for fear of learning things incorrectly. They think that unlearning bad habits is far worse than doing nothing at all so they do not practice on their own. Believe me; with this fine DVD even rank beginners can immediately begin working out on their own. Every technique is thoroughly explained and demonstrated. The production quality is excellent. For the experienced practitioner there is nothing truly earth shattering here, yet the solid practical advice and excellent drills will really improve your workout routine too.
   
   Christensen is not only a very high-ranking karate instructor, but also a retired police officer as well. His real-world experience shines through, making this video more than just a mundane workout tape. I particularly like the seated kicks and other drills designed to simulate real-life encounters where you may need to respond to an ambush-style attack without benefit of a proper stance or good footing. Other topics include techniques using the hands, forearms, elbows, and foot, hand and foot combinations, and a whole lot more. Christensen not only demonstrates a variety of useful techniques, but he also outlines them into sequences that can be used to create 30 to 60 minute workouts that will help you build speed, accuracy, and power for any martial art. Despite the DVD's title, there are a few tandem drills presented as well. There are also some really cool mannaquin bag (e.g., Body Opponent Bag) drills. If you don't own one, you can skip those sections but BOBs are well worth buying if you can afford one, a great complement to your training regimen.
   
   This video is an outstanding supplement to Sensei Christensen's excellent book of the same name, demonstrating numerous techniques and drills that will help you get the most out of your solo training. Very highly recommended.
   
   Lawrence Kane
   Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction



3. Loren Christensen teaches a wealth of practical self-defense moves that can be used in the most common everyday situations. For those who want to add some weight resistance training to their workout, there's a great section on dumbbell exercises that help to improve muscle strength and speed. He's an intense instructor who gets the viewer quickly motivated!!



4. Here is a DVD by someone who has lived the life of a martial artist in the most practical sense. His credentials speak for themselves. I was amused that Amazon's Editorial Review headlined a paragraph with "About the Actor". This man is no actor but lived and breathed the part. He carries this passion forward into his books and onto this DVD.
   
   A practicing martial artist can benefit greatly from going to a facility (dojang in my case) and watch and listen. But to be a great martial artist one must practice at home, by themselves, and without distractions. The DVD is well organized and provides several examples of application. I also appreciated the session using dumbbell exercises which I have now incorporated into my own workout.
   
   With the exception of a few minutes of poorly recorded audio (when Lauren was being inteviewed) the viewing quality is excellent.
   
   I would highly recommend this. Lauren has inspired me to increase my own solo kicking routing although I have not yet reached 800 per workout.

4 comments about Pride Fighting Championships: Championship Chaos II.

1. If you want another great event check out the first Championship Chaos show. It features some of the greatest and historic fights in the history of Pride. Including two of Pride's first ever championship fights. The heavyweight championship fight between Heath Herring and "Minotauro" Nogueira is among the greatest fights of all time, and definately in my top 10 list.
   
   On this card however, there are also some very good fights. If you know about the Brazilian Top Team vs Chute Boxe rivalry, this card features a fight between two young guns from both teams in Ricardo Arona and Murilo Rua, with a lot of rivalry happening between them. This being only the second fight between both teams on the big stage of Pride, it foreshadows an intense competitiveness between the teams. Not only are both teams from different cities in Brazil, they also take Pride in their own styles of fighting. Brazilian Top Team being mainly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Chute Boxe being primarily Muay Thai.
   
   If you buy this DVD you'll also get a very historic retirement fight you wouldn't have seen on ppv in America. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Nobuhiko Takada. Takada is one of the most famous faces in Japan and is the most popular pro-wrestler over there. This marks his retirement from pro-wrestling and fighting.
   
   A couple of other very intense and aggressive fights include Fedor Emelianenko vs Heath Herring, and Wanderlei Silva vs Hiromitsu Kanehara. Fedor is the current heavyweight champion of Pride, and you can see why in this fight as he puts on a nonstop ground and pound clinic.
   
   The famous judoka Hidehiko Yoshida also makes his debut under MMA rules in this event as he faces the most famous American fighter, Don Frye. If you're a fan of MMA you shouldn't hesitate to get this, and if you're not this would be a decent introduction to the sport.



2. Another quality event by Pride. Fedor arrives on the scene with his destruction of Heath Herring.



3. This is one bad dude! Fantastic event that is well worth the time to watch.



4. November 24, 2002
   Tokyo, Japan
   
   Hirotaka Yokoi vs. Jerrell Venitiaan:
   Yokoi is a submission fighter, while Venitiaan is a striker. It is obvious that Yokoi wants to take the fight to the ground and Venitiaan wants to keep it standing. Venitiaan is taken down immediately, so things don't look good for him from the outset. Yokoi controls him and continually passes his guard with ease. Yokoi even mounts Venitiaan a number of times in the first round. Venitiaan does not fight a smart fight.
   
   Kevin "The Monster" Randleman vs. Kenichi Yamamoto:
   Randleman makes the pre-fight statement that he was sick in his last fight, which he obviously lost, hence the excuse. For this fight, however, he claims to be 100%. Randleman controls the fight on the ground, even making submission attempts throughout the round. Bas Rutten makes the observation that this looks like a new Kevin Randleman. He has dropped some weight and he indeed looks to be a different fighter. The fight briefly goes to the feet and Randleman drops Yamamoto. It appears that Yamamoto is outclassed on the ground and standing... there's not much left for him to attempt.
   
   Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Ricardo Arona:
   These two want at each other badly. They both speak of the lack of respect the other has and how they are going to teach the other a lesson. By the time they are staring across the ring at each other, the air is electric. Rua opens with a high-flying knee. Arona almost catches him in mid-air... The action is frenzied in his high-energy fight. Arona gets a few takedowns, yet Rua appears to be the busier fighter. It is a very close fight. It ultimately goes to a decision and the winner will obviously have his sights set on Wanderlei Silva.
   
   Heath "Texas Crazy Horse" Herring vs. Emelianenko Fedor:
   I don't think anyone expected to see what they saw in this fight. Let me just say that in this fight, we witness a dominating force that changes the Pride heavyweight division... Amazing! This is a must-see. The winner gets to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the title.
   
   Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Semmy Schilt:
   Nogueira again has his work cut out for him, facing a much larger opponent. He makes many attempts and after much struggle, finally gets Schilt down on the ground. After this, we all know what happens next.
   
   Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs. Hirokitsu Kanehara:
   Silva flurries early, landing good shots on Kanehara. Kanehara goes down under the pressure of the assault. He gets up, they exchange again with the same result - he goes down again. This one ends in a mercy stoppage.
   
   Don "The Predator" Frye vs. Hidehiko Yoshida:
   This is a decent fight, but you probably won't care for the outcome. I miss the young Don Frye.
   
   Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Gilles Arsene:
   Sakuraba controls the flow of the fight, although it's not all that exciting. It drags on until the 3rd round, when we finally see a submission applied to end it.
   
   This is what I like about Pride Fighting: you get to see all of the stars each time out. One of the only criticisms I have of the UFC is that on most fight cards, you get one really good matchup (maybe 2, occassionally) and a bunch of up-and-comers fighting for recognition. In Pride, I see nearly all of the big names on every fight card. Championship Chaos 2 is another amazing and exciting event. I highly recommend it.