5 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.



5. PRIDE
   CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS 2
   
   
   This was nice little event that Pride held a while back, the intro was funny. The bit with Don Frye and Bas Rutten was pretty funny. Any way the fights were as follows
   
   1.HIROTAKA YOKOI VS JERREL VENETIAAN-this is the classic striker vs. ground guy fight. I didn't think Yokoi would have such an easy fight to start out with; he easily took Jerrel down and gave him some knees. Yokoi basically controlled this fight in the first round he even mounted Jerrel multiple times and threw some nice punches. If not for the bell Yokoi would have won with the arm bar. Basically the same thing happened in round two until Yokoi locked in the arm bar and won the match.4/5
   
   2.KEVIN RANDLEMAN VS KENICHI YAMAMOTO-Randleman came out real aggressive on this fight and took control early on. It stayed on the ground for a while until Kenichi got out only to be knocked back down with a sick left from Kevin. The second round went about the same, and in the third round Kevin gave him a sick knee to the head that knocked Kenichi out.4.5/5
   
   3.MURILO RUA VS RICARDO ARONA-this was a rematch from an earlier fight between the two, apparently they have a grudge to settle. This fight started out crazy with an amazing flying knee, this fight was going back and forth for a while. This fight was great it went from the ground to standing and back again, these two really disliked each other. There were nice moves and counters to each move from the fighters, true meaning of none stop action. The ending of round one was great and leaves you wanting more for the second round. Round two starts with a couple of punches and a hard take down, and then the round looks like the first. Round three starts with a nice kick from Arona and then they clinch up, then the action is just as good as the previous rounds. Arona ends up winning the this fight barely due to judges decistion.5/5
   
   4.HEATH HERRING VS FEDOR EMELIANENKO-fight started with Heath being slammed, and from there we have a match that has the two fighters trading moves on each other. Heath takes some really hard punches that cause him to bleed real bad from under his eye. Heath gets slammed again and controlled by Fedor as soon as they go back at it. Fedor dominates the round until the last minute when Heath gets on top. The fight is stopped after the first round and Fedor is awarded the fight.5/5
   
   5.ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA VS SEMMY SCHILT-this was a pretty good fight that only lasted the first round, about seven minutes to be exact. It went back and forth for a while until Antonio locked in a triangle choke hold for the submission victory.4.5/5
   
   6.WANDERLEI SILVA VS HIROMITSU KANEHARA-this was the championship match of the night, and one of the fights I was looking forward to. This fight started out with a slugfest that led to a kick to the head of H.K., man did it look hard. Every time this fight stood up it looked like the opening seconds all over again until they stopped the fight and Silva retained his title.5/5
   
   7.DON FRYE VS HIDEHIKO YOSHIDA- one of the main events of the evening, and the fight I was looking forward to. At the beginning of the fight it looked as if H.Y. was going to pull off a quick victory until Frye made his way on to the top. But while still in the first Don Frye lost to a killer arm bar, good but short fight.4.5/5
   
   8.KAZUSHI SAKURABA VS GILLES ARSENE-the last fight of the evening that featured everybody's favorite little guy, Sakuraba. Sakuraba pretty much controls this fight threw out the first round, it seems as if this was an easy fight for him. The first round was pretty dull compared to other fights that took place earlier during the evening. The second round was just as uneventful, nothing really happened here that much either, until Sakuraba started punching the guy. The third round ended pretty quickly when Gilles tapped to an arm bar.4/5
   
   9.BONUS FIGHT-KIYOSHI TAMURA VS NOBUHIKO TAKADA-this fight starts out slow with both standing and eventually going into some striking from both. Eventually Takada gets put on his back but is allowed to get back up. Both continue to exchange blows on the feet until Takada gets hit with a low blow, he was down for a while. Eventually when he recovers the fight continues, and Takada takes some nasty leg kicks, then takes Tamura down. The round would end with both standing. The fight ends in the beginning of the second when Takada gets knocked out with a well placed right from Tamura. Takada loses his retirement fight.
   
   Over all a good event, I recommend it to everyone.

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China #1.

1. Jet Li chinese movies are very entertaining. If you don't know this already and like martial arts, get it.



2. Jet Li is Wong Fei-Hung, a Chinese leader, who is also skilled in martial arts. Wong Fei-Hung is seeing the influence of the USA and England in China, and he attempts to learn some things about it in an effort to slow it down, since people he personally knows are enchanted by the allure of advanced technology and gold.
   
   The film is set in the 1900's, as one of the supporting characters uses a first-generation camera for photography. This film is about 20% action, 80% story, so it is not a continuous kung fu fest. Jet Li was in his 20's when he made this film, so if you want to see what he was like before he became a superstar, this film is worth seeing-especially if you consider the low price it typically commands ($7-$10 brand new).



3. I was definitely in the mood for Jet Li, and thus I grabbed "Once Upon a Time in China." The movie is about Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li) a Chinese martial arts expert who protects the Chinese people from the foreignors (British and Americans) invading his land. Fei-Hung starts a militia to help protect the people, and they wind up getting in trouble by fighting with a local mob group. Fei-Hung also runs afoul with the local Magistrate who is kowtowing to the foreignors. Fei-Hung later fights with another martial arts expert, Iron Vest Yim, who wants to start his own Martial Arts school. All the plots come to a climax on the American base, where the Americans shoot at the British and Chinese, while trying to steal Chinese women to bring back to America. Yes, the plot is a bit out there, but the martial arts scenes are outstanding. Especially the final fight scene between Fei-Hung and Iron Vest!
   There is alot of comedy intermixed in the storyline also. One of the funniest scenes, is where a Western camera is brought to Fei-Hungs house, and a picture is to be taken of him, another person and a bird. The camera goes off with a boom, and the bird inside the cage is turned to fried chicken! Pretty hilarious.
   The picture quality is not the greatest for a DVD, but still very watchable. How can you not love the martial arts scenes in this movie?
   There are some extras on the DVD:
   
   * There is a commentary from martial arts reviewer Ric Meyers.
   * 5 movie trailers, including one for "Once upon a time in china"
   * Talent files for Tsui Hark, Jet Li, and Rosamund Kwan. The files were a bit underwhelming, and they did not have a full bio for all of Jet Li's movies.
   The DVD also has 2 versions. The original Theatrical version and the English dubbed version. I watched the cantonese version, with English subtitles which was fine!



4. An Incredible kung fu movie! I recommend it to all martial arts lovers and fans of Jet Li. If one admires good kung fu fighting and interesting plot - this is it! This and the rest 2 parts of the trilogy are the best movies that Jet Li has done! I love it!



5. Despite the martial arts filled story, the movies best scenes are of portrayal of Chinese persecution. It portrayed the hard choices that had to be made to respect your leadership or to follow your need to make it right. In the end, movie is not amazing in contrast to the next Once Upon a Time in China 2, but it is a good movie to watch.

5 comments about The Jet Li Collection.

1. I have not seen this particular collection but I picked it up for my sister for her birthday this year and for her it was great. A little background on her; She's 19 and loves anything Asian, yet she knows about *nothing* about Asian history, what she likes is it's culture now i.e. anime and Dir En Grey and one of her favorite pastimes is checking out Asian men. I, myself, *love* Jet Li films and think he's an amazing Martial Artists so I'm sure I'd love this collection anywhoo but for her she loved it because she thinks Jet Li and the many other Asians in the films were 'hot' and the martial arts in the films are simply a bonus since she enjoys violence also. She told me that and the that she thought the plots were weak but who cares because Asians are hot (She loved The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift so what more can you expect).



2. The Jet Li Collection has a nice interview with Jet Li, interspersed with footage from various film and "Lee-thal Weapon" shows footage of a very young Li Lainjie at wushu competitions.
   
   The two movies that are included in this set are ok. The "Evil Cult" is kind of a standard period kung fu movie, with a reasonably standard plot (and acting skills). It's not as good as some of the classics with Jet Li (Once upon a time in China, Fong Sai Yook etc), but it's ok. Dr Wai is perhaps the more interesting movies as the story line is original and creative, although the action in the movie is very reminiscent of Indianna Jones type scenes. There's not a lot of kung fu, but the up side is there's also not a lot of plasticky hairpieces and rather stilted deliveries. It's also interesting to see Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan interacting on the screen not as Wong Fei Hong and Aunt 13.
   
   The real minus is that Dr Wai, which seemed to have the most potential for being interesting/different, had sound only coming through one speaker and subtitles so blurry you could barely make them out.
   
   For $11.99, it's probably worth it IF you're a Jet Li fan.



3. This collection has poor subtitles, bad video quality, and false representation as to what is on offer, the first two movies are what they claim, where as the 2nd disc contains poor quality documentary on Jet Li, so may be great for a Jet Li fanatic, but not so a Jet Li movie buff!



4. I bought this for my 17 year old brother in law for Christmas. He has become a Jet Li fan because of my influence, so I was more than pleased to add this to his collection. He has enjoyed it thus far.



5. This has 4 movies. You cannot see Dr Wai and the scripture with no words because it looks too blurry. Legend of Kung fu hero is not a movie it's footage of people demonstrating different styles of martial arts but the quality of image is poor. I liked Lee-Thal weapon because here Jet speaks about his career and you learn about him. Evil Cult is OK. I gave it 3 stars because I love Jet Li and I like the part in LEE-THAL WEAPON where they show him in his first movie Shaolin Temple and he looks perfect practicing his martial arts.

4 comments about Pride 34: Kamakazi.

1. PRIDE 34: KAMIKAZE was PRIDE's bow-out as one of the premier MMA organizations in the world. Recently bought out by the rival UFC, its best fighters have been cherry-picked by that organization, its website is now a shill for UFC/WEC propaganda, and it may never host another event. However, during its glory days it was (for my money) the best mixed martial arts organization in the world, and while this was far from its best card, it featured some very entertaining bouts. The lineup was:
   
   Yoshiro Nakao vs. Edson Drago
   Butterbean vs. Zuluzhino
   Makoto Mahimota vs. Zelg Galesic
   Gilbert Yvel vs. Akira Shoji
   Don "the Predator" Frye vs. James Thompson
   Shinya Aoki vs Brian Lo-A-Njoe
   Ricardo Arona vs Sokoudjou
   Kazuyuki Fujita vs Jeff Monson
   
   Some people criticized the card as lacking in big names. Not sure what the hell they're talking about, because Gilbert Yvel, Don Frye, James Thompson, Ricardo Arona, Sokoudjou, Fujita and Monson are all either world-class or in the general vicinity thereof. It's true Frye, a former UFC champion, is long in the tooth, but he and fellow tough-b*stard Thompson conspired to put on the best fight of the night, a brutal slugfest that started during the staredown and went full-speed until the stoppage conclusion.
   
   I hope PRIDE oneday manages to re-emerge in something resembling its old form, but if it doesn't, wars like the afformentioned Frye - Thompson and knockouts like the one that ended Arona - Sokoudjou will make me remember it fondly.



2. Once again, we have a new PRIDE FC DVD released with numerous errors that should have been caught in the early stages of production. Check my review of PRIDE FC Shockwave 2006 to see those errors. Many of the same errors have happened once again as well as ones that are even worse.
   
   The PRIDE 34 show itself is entertaining, but not one of the best ones out there. I wouldn't recommend the event to casual MMA fans, and would only expect hardcore MMA or PRIDE FC fans to pick this one up.
   
   Now we come to the mistakes:
   
   1. Once again, instead of just putting all 8 fights together, they put two of them away in the "Special Features" section of the DVD. It's not that big of a deal, but it's still a whole lot nicer to hit "Play Event" and watch all the fights instead of 6 of them. I still just don't understand the reason to remove matches to a different part of the DVD. They also list one of the two matches put in the "Special Features" on the Fightcard lineup on the back cover and insert. Why is one listed, but not the other?
   
   2. They have miss-spelled TWO fighter's names this time. The first one is very obvious, and is on the back cover as well as the insert. Edson Drago has his name spelled correctly in the Fightcard lineup, but they miss-spell it as "Draggo" in the Special Features. I also believe they miss-spelled it the same way when playing the DVD. The second fighter to have his name miss-spelled is Zelg Galesic. They replace the "L" in his first name with an "I" on the back cover and the insert. It isn't very obvious as some L's can look like I's. His name is correct on the DVD.
   
   3. Why are they listing a match that isn't on the card? Wagner De Conciecao Martins Vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura are listed on the back cover and insert, yet that fight was never on PRIDE 34. In fact, that fight has never happened. Wagner De Conciecao Martins is also known as Zuluzinho which is usually shortened to Zulu. Zulu faced Butterbean who's real name is Eric Esch. Zakuhiro Nakamura isn't on the card and doesn't go by any other names, so why is he listed as facing Zulu? Butterbean Vs. Zuluzinho is listed under the "Special Features" so why couldn't they get that correct on the Fightcard lineup?
   
   NOTE: Kazuhiro Nakamura is also listed as an actor in Amazon's product listing for this item.
   
   4. The insert seems to be where most of the mistakes occur. Most have been mentioned previously. This is where two of the most blatant errors occur. The first is a complete line of text. It's easier to just type it up as it appears.
   
   "This is Shockwave 2006! Featuring top-rated fighters fedor emelianenko, Takanori Gomi, mauricio 'shogun' rua and the highly-anticipated rematch between josh barnett and antonio rodrigo nogueira."
   
   Yes, you read that right! This is not Shockwave 2006, and none of those fighters are even on PRIDE 34. Did you noticed that the names are not capitalized?
   
   5. The second blatant error on the insert is that they list a PRIDE Heavyweight Championship Bout between the champion, Kazuyuki Fujita and the challenger, Jeff Monson. Granted, these two men did fight in the main event, but it was not a PRIDE Heavyweight Championship bout and Kazuyuki Fujita is not the champion.
   
   The big question is who is editing these DVDs? Seriously?! How can there be so many mistakes? I almost feel like these are intentionally done because mistakes like these don't happen twice. I can only hope that the release of PRIDE 33 in July will not have these mistakes as well, but the third time's a charm, right?
   
   At least the event itself, the most important part of the DVD, is intact. That is why people will choose to buy this DVD, with or without the mistakes.



3. Pride 34 consisted of 8 fights all ending in the first round! Like the other reviewer, I don't get why they just didnt put all 8 matches in the main show instead of removing 2 and putting them in the special features. The 6 fight event equals a total of 52 minutes!(Wow thats short compared to the other Pride events) With the other 2 matches, it reached 71 minutes. I believe this has to be one of the shortest Pride events ever. Don't let it fool you though, the pace is set extremely high for every fight and we got to witness the biggest upset of the night and an all out brawl between Thompson and Frye. Reason I gave this dvd 3 stars is because it lacks everything the previous Pride dvd's had(exclude Shockwave 2006) like interviews, fighter entrance highlights and all that good stuff. Its still worth picking up if you are a diehard MMA fan.
   
   Main Event
   Kazuyuki Fujita vs Jeff Monson
   
   Other fights include
   Ricardo Arona vs Sokoudjou
   Makoto Mahimota vs. Zelg Galesic
   Gilbert Yvel vs. Akira Shoji
   Don "The Predator" Frye vs. James Thompson
   Shinya Aoki vs Brian Lo-A-Njoe
   
   Extra fights include
   Yoshiro Nakao vs. Edson Drago
   Butterbean vs. Zuluzhino



4. I'm a huge Pride fan, but this event is horrible. I did enjoy some of it, which is why I gave it 3 stars. But it probably deserves 2 stars. I'll explain. I was at the store trying to decide which Pride event I was going to buy. This DVD had 4 fights I was looking forward to, so I figured that would be good enough. But none of the fights were very good. James Thompson hits like a 270 pound girl in his fight against Don Frye, and Don Frye runs out of gas about 1 minute into the fight. Talk about unprepared, it's a 10 minute first round! To me that is disrespectful to the sport when a guy takes on a fight and he can only throw a few punches before he tires himself out.
   
   Kazuyuki Fujita is one of my favorite fighters, but he's facing a guy named Jeff Monson who is obviously a great wrestler. I don't know anything about him, but you can tell by his body build that he is a wrestler. And I can't help but mention how ugly he is. Wow. Anyways, it is a boring fight. Sad to see Fujita get older, but I still love to watch him fight, even in a boring match like this. It's not that it was completely boring, but you could tell that Monson had no intention of standing up and facing Fujita's heavy hands, so he only tried to take him to the ground. But Fujita could have done more. Maybe I should have just said disappointing fight. That would have summed it up better.
   
   Kazuhiro Nakamura is another one of my favorite fighters, but he doesn't fight. It says he does fight on the back of the DVD, but he doesn't. So now you can see why I was disappointed with this DVD.
   
   The 4th fight I was looking forward to was Ricardo Arona vs Sokoudjou. Sokoudjou came out of nowhere in his first fight and knocked out Noguiera (Minotauro's brother, I think. I am always mixing those guys up). Sokoudjou's fight against Arona ends in similar fashion. I would really like to see Sokoudjou fight more, but I don't know where to see him. Get ready for a rant here, sorry. I don't know where to see any of my favorite fighters anymore. All of my favorite fighers are from Pride. Every time I see a UFC event there's all these bad fighters in the preliminary rounds. The overall quality of fighters is so much lower than Pride. In my opinion of course. I can't even watch the UFC. It's too depressing. I mean where are all of my favorite fighters? Fedor, Gomi, Crocop, Sakurai, Mark Hunt... The only way I can watch Fedor is in these Russian Sambo matches that people post on the net. and thank you so much to those people! He had a nice little fight with his brother not too long ago. Check it out. But there's something that's just not right when watching fedor fight in these Sambo matches. The audience usually has about 15-20 people. That's a little different than 40,000-50,000. he doesn't deserve this. Possibly the greatest fighter, ever, fighting in front of about 20 people.
   
   If you are looking for good Pride Events, then there are plenty that you can get instead of this. All of the Shockwave events, the Bushido tournament and most of the other Bushido events, and of course the Pride volumes 1-5. Each volume has 5 Pride events. Events 1-30. a really great deal. Pride picked up slowly, but when it got going there was no way anyone could stop it. At least that's what I thought.

5 comments about TOP FIGHTER 2.

1. I have been trying to find this DVD for sale for years. Glad to get it in good condition. Took a while for it to be even sent, But I waited for years. The DVD has cool takes that has lead me to looking for a lot of cool movies.



2. This perports to be a view of some of the women in martial arts movies over the past thirty or so years. While some are interesting, most are not. The interview with Michelle Yeoh is a brief light in an otherwise dark space.



3. well done on how they became the best,the training they had,their determination they have what love they have for the martial arts,see them in action,some of the movies they played in.their ranks,the number of styles they know.



4. Great Movie - Great Price!! Thank YOU for making a Great Friend of Mine Very, Very Happy!!



5. This no more than a documentary of women in karate movies. I want to see more of a plot and a cut up piece of 1960 and 1970's karate movies. I have this movie in the most important part of my desk. In the back of my second drawer of my desk.

No comments about Four Swords: Shaw Brothers 4-Disc Collection (Vengeance Is a Golden Blade / The Water Margin / The Wandering Swordsman / Have Sword Will Travel).

5 comments about Legacy of Rage.

1. Legacy Of Rage is a wonderful action thriller with great storytelling and character development, emotionally captivating actors and actresses, a cool sountrack, and explosive gun battles and few but very brutal non-stylistic, white-knuckle fight sequences choregraphed and starring Mang Hoi, and featuring the late-great Brandon Lee who showed such wonderful potential for HK (and perhaps US) action hero stardom.
   
   So buy it already!



2. too depressing. It got me depressed watching Brandon in prison for most of the movie. You have to watch him scrub tiolets and it made me feel sad for Brandon. The gunplay in the movie is so ridiculous that it becomes unbelievable. In some scenes there's five or more guys with machine guns shooting at Brandon and his friend and they can't hit him or his friend from twenty feet away. This is in contrast to his later movies such as 'Rapid Fire' which isn't so insanely done. Only a gun fanatical teenager might enjoy this. For Brandon Lee fans this is well worth having in your action collection, though. Because the movie was made in Asia, the action is way more violent than what I've seen in US films. Although it's very nice to see Brandon bust loose physically when he does. It's just does he have to be in prison for so long? It was a little too sad.
   *spoiler alert* don't read below if you haven't seen the movie
   another thing that was sad was how he is separated from his girlfrined for 8 long years, she gets beaten when he's in prison, he gets out and then gets a job as a garbage man, and then his girlfriend is dead and his reaction is not even to go over to the body but just jump in an expensive speedboat and take off. The movie was very cold and mean.



3. Now while The Crow has been the only worthwhile Brandon Lee movie I have watched, this is certainly # 2. It doesn't really stand out with anything special and is just your average crime drama. But with Ronny Yu at the helm and Bruce Lee's son as the star, he was going to try to make the best action movie ever. It is a decent story and well told, but like I said, nothing really happens. So you may like this if you like seeing a lot of cars blown up and quick one punch and it's over with fights. If you wanna see Brandon Lee playing one of his best roles, this is a must see.
   
   Sound quality and widescreen(16:9) picture is pretty good. No special features though.



4. In a way, this is really a very good HK movie, but in many other ways it is just as lacking. I was actually blown away by how well the story is told. What I was dissapointed with were the little things like horrible dubbing and lame dialouge at times that got rather annoying. To top it all off, an almost embarassing cameo from Bolo and really no martial arts action to speak of. Overall, this is a fine film, it just all depends on what you are expecting to get out of it.
   
   Three main reasons I purchased Legacy was for Brandon Lee, Bolo Yeung, and hopefully to see some amazing martial arts action. I guess I expected some bad dubbing and cheesiness, and oh yes, there's plenty of that here. But what really blew me away was the story. Things start out a little boring, but once the plot gets kicking it is actually quite engaging. You've got Brandon, who is your every day working guy with a girlfriend, and his best buddy Michael, who unknown to Brandon, is just a dirty drug-dealing guy. Michael sets up Brandon for the murder of a rival dealer, and Brandon gets 8 years of time. While in prison, Michael harasses Brandon's girlfriend, who has become pregnant with Brandon's son and is asked to leave the country with an older, yet kind, man who has been infatuated with her. Eight years later, Brandon is set free, and with help of a friend from prison, gets his revenge on Michael, in what is a bloody gun showdown without any martial arts combat whatsoever.
   
   Despite the dubbing, which the excellent story actually covers up after awhile, Brandon seems to deliver a solid performance. It kind of reminded me of his capabilities in The Crow. However, I was hoping for some good kung fu action like in Rapid Fire, but there were only a couple of scenes of quick one two punches and out. Speaking of which, Bolo appears near the beginning of the film and challenges Brandon to a fight in the street. Well, its over as fast as they begin and Bolo doesn't land one punch. Seemed like such a waste for someone as good as Bolo.
   
   To sum it up, you have to go into this film expecting a great story without so much action. I, on the other hand was hoping for some, and all I got was gun fight action. If that's your thing, you will love the last 10 minutes, but for kung fun lovers, this is not the film.



5. This movie was one of the first movies brandon lee had made before his death. This movie goes to show his acting talent and I would say it is very well for brandon lee. I especially like the movie for it's cheezy action and how well brandon acts in front of the camera.. I recommend this for every brandon lee fan..

2 comments about Military Police Combatives.

1. I was skeptical when I purchased this DVD but was not disappointed once it arrived. There are no "bells and whistles" on this hour plus DVD and sometimes I had to rewind and pause the DVD itself to understand the techniques, but this DVD is PACKED with great hand to hand combat stuff! It is worth the $25. I really learned a lot from it and the techniques are simple to learn but realistic at the same time. It is geared for the military but I recommend this DVD to anyone who wants to learn some good self defense moves!



2. If you need great martial arts techniques, Military Police or not, buy this DVD! The sound quality is good (not great) but the techniques are well worth the price. I would expect this DVD to be sold in seperate DVDs for $50 a piece. I think it will benefit anyone who serves in the Army or not. I especially enjoyed the chapter on ground combat.

5 comments about Submerged.

1. I can imagine that one could sell himself out for the money, everybody does so these days, but it is blatantly obvious that money is the only thing Seagal cares about. He doesn't really care what crap you end up when you buy this DVD, as long as money end up in his pockets. However, as 7th Dan Shihan that has thousands of Aikido practiotioners all over the world looking up to him, it appears that he has no shame as well. Forget about all that bs about inner self, japan, martial arts etc, this guy sold his soul to the devil. Vinnie Jones playing bad ass guy and acting on top of that? Yeah righ, my grandma doing pottery scene with Patrick Swayze would look more convincing. What have you learned in Japan Steven for all those years?



2. I've finally seen Submerged on cable. It's a great flick. The director made it much more gritty, fast paced, and geared towards what I assume the young people appreciate today. As with other reviewers, I didn't hear the "dubbed in dialogue" that they were referring to. Also, with all the split screen and flashbacks, it all ties into the story.
   
   Anyway, Steven is a convict that must rescue some Americans and brings in some old friends who are very ba****ss. Lots of action and as always with Mr. Seagal, the moral is, be good, because good is always rewarded and bad punished. It's great!



3. If you're a fan of Steven Seagal then you won't be disappointed. He always knows how to deal with the enemy and he'll do anything to reach his goal. It is too bad that Seagal doesn't use his Martial arts skills as much as he uses weapons most of the time.



4. I enjoyed the blockbuster Steven Seagal was in called Under Siege and I've taken in some films he did here and there after that great film, which was also helped with a cast that included Gary Busey and Tommy Lee Jones.
   
   I could not even finish this movie, it was that bad. The level of special effects were horrible, with presentations that were so false it made me want to poke my finger through the screen to see if my outstretched hand would go right through the paper looking backdrops. Weak characters and a plot that spins around forever without really going anywhere other than down. Seriously, skip this and be selective when looking for a Seagal film anymore because this cheaply made straight to DVD stuff is terrible. I wish Seagal himself would have some pride but considering he probably is not getting any offers, he has to take what he can get. The last major role he had in a great action film was unfortunately when he fell out of that airplane at the beginning of the movie Executive Decision and it obviously has been a free fall ever since. Submerged is cheap low grade filler and is the kind of film you could not give away if you paid someone to take it!



5. Awful can't even describe this DVD Video. A waste of money, if you must see it, rent it.

5 comments about Kathy Smith - Kickboxing Workout.

1. I have a lot of workout videos, but this is the best all around kickboxing video I own. I really toned up great just using this video. It can be used by a beginner or an intermediate and still get great results. They show the proper way to punch and kick, which I don't get on a lot of other videos. I felt very empowered using this video.



2. I'm really surprised and disappointed that so many people gave this video high marks, especially since I bought the video based on those reviews. I rarely contribute comments on videos, but after doing this video for the first time today I was so disappointed I have to comment. It is a great instructional video for the beginner who has never done a kickboxing workout before. But if you are looking for a cardio workout, this is not it. Kathy takes so much time to teach and build up all the components of a move. Then when you finally do the complete move, the number of reps are very low, and you are back to training for the next move. I barely broke a sweat. If you are looking for a great cardio kickboxing workout, buy Power Kicks (Aaron Langford). I'm desperately searching for another great kickboxing video to have some variety, but with Kathy's video I'm disappointed yet again.



3. Important Note for Beginners:
   If you have been working out regularly, and want to get into kickboxing aerobics, start here with Kathy Smith and Keith Cooke. If you are totally out of shape, start with something easier that will help you build some strength and endurance before you get into this DVD. I'd suggest starting with Extreme Makeover Fitness - Weight Loss Workout for Beginners.
   
   **This is a kickboxing AEROBICS video. It is meant to give you a workout that is based upon kickboxing. It's not intended to teach you how to do professional kickboxing. If you want a fun and challenging workout, kickboxing aerobics is a great choice.**
   
   I'm in great shape because of kickboxing aerobics. It's one of the few cardio exercises that really works the whole body at once. It's also empowering and fun.
   
   Few kickboxing aerobic DVDs teach you proper form. This one does. Keith Cooke is a professional with multiple titles, who teaches real kickboxing classes. He is given a side window on your screen throughout the workout. He teaches you proper footing, form and how to execute the drills safely. Kathy Smith does the main aerobics instruction. She offers a few alterations for beginners. She also helps Cooke keep the instruction going at times when he gets too quiet. As a team, these two give you all you need to get started and to practice drills that will help you keep proper form.
   
   
   WHO TO WATCH:
   
   BEGINNERS:
   Watch Kathy Smith. (Watch Keith Cooke when he is given the side windows. He is going to teach you how to execute the punches and kicks properly.) Kathy Smith will show you easier alterations to some of the tougher moves.
   
   INTERMEDIATES:
   Watch Keith Cooke or the female behind him, to the left. (She is introduced as Murmur, dressed in black and white.) Keith and Murmur have almost identical form. While the rest of the instructors tend to be a bit "dancy", these two are no- nonsense boxers. They have a lot of energy and tons of power behind their kicks and punches. Keeping up with Keith's speed will make you sweat, no matter how in shape you are.
   
   
   I don't suggest following the third main instructor (Kelly Roberts). She tends to throw her body awkwardly off balance while kicking and punching. She's very "showy" and doesn't really follow Keith's suggestions for form.
   
   
   HOW TO ADD MORE CHALLENGE:
   
   Use weighted gloves and ankle weights. I use Altus Athletic AWK-PK Pink Walk Kit. While I hate pink, this set of gloves and ankle weights is mostly black with pink trim. However, the price ($19.99 for the set of gloves and ankles all together) is right and quality is good.
   
   Do Keith's "Kickboxing Challenge". If you do the whole 55 minute "kickboxing challenge workout", you'll have Keith's 5 minutes of challenging combos at the end. If you want to do just his 5 minute challenge, you'll find it under the main menu in "choose your own workout".
   
   Double- time the kicks and punches when Kathy slows down to teach beginners the moves. By the time this video loses it's challenge for you, you'll know the moves well enough to get right into doing them at tempo.
   
   
   
   Once you have the moves down, you might want to try some more kickboxing DVDs. Here are some suggestions:
   
   Quickfix - Total Cardio Kick (Beginners. You can do this before Kathy Smith/Keith Cooke. Just know that you won't be taught proper form. Do it only for a fun workout.)
   
   Janis Saffell Kickbox Strike Zone(Easy to Intermediate levels.)
   
   Hard Core Kickbox Circuit (Easy to Harder Intermediate levels.)



4. This is one of the first exercise DVDs I ever purchased (I bought it about 3 years ago) and I really enjoy it still. The workout is a good length and the moves are easy to master. I like all of the bonus features, like being able to add on the advanced combos and the Tai chi session. I also feel like this video gives you a good amount of warm-up and cool-down time with plenty of stretches to avoid injury.
   
   One of the things I really like about the cool-down/leg exercises near the end of the workout is that she does all 4 kicks slowly using a chair for balance. This provides a good cool down while showing you proper form and conditioning your leg muscles so that you will have better kicking form next time you do the workout.
   
   On a side note, Kathy instructs so that you can mirror her (i.e. she punches with her left and tells you to punch with your right) which I have an easier time following than the other way around.



5. This is a worthy addition to any home fitness collection. You begin to feel the burn during the warm-up! You can choose to play the DVD as a 45 minute beginner workout or as a 55 minute challenge. Note: The "challenge" is the 45 minute workout with some supplemental material tacked on the end. Kathy leads the initial 45 minute workout. The challenge material features Keith Cooke (a martial arts champion/expert who appears in numerous Hollywood movies, including Beverly Hills Ninja) demonstrating some very cool moves that you can follow along with. A nice cool-down stretch is included, as is a brief segment of "light toning" that contains moves that will help you put more power behind your kicks and stabilize your core muscles. Also present on the DVD is a short Tai-Chi inspired workout led by one of Kathy's back-up exercisers.
   
   The only drawback is, in my own opinion, that sometimes you stand in place punching for too long. I cool down really fast and standing still punching for very long makes my heart rate creep below my training zone.