5 comments about Invincible.

1. I love corny action movies. They're a guilty pleasure of mine. This, however, went beyond bad. I have never seen a worse movie. Normally, in a good action flick, the dialogue is bad, the plot is lacking, but the action is amazing. In this movie, the dialogue was so bad that my friend and I were gaping at each other in astonishment, the plot was ludicrous and the action was pathetic.
   
   Let's start with the dialogue. Os (Billy Zane) kept waxing poetic, spouting utter nonesense for hours. It was supposed to sound deep. It sounded contrived and fake. There was no emotion to back up his words. What emotion any character tried to show us seemed out of place, fake and there was rarely reasons that they felt anything. Os once is crying with joy. We have no idea why, but it happens.
   
   The plot is very typical. I must admit, I was not expecting wonders here and I was not surprised. It's the same old shtick about how four people must band together to save the world with their magic powers from big bad guys with nefarious evil magic. In itself, this lack of originality wouldn't matter if the acting, dialogue and action were better.
   
   I was really, really disappointed when it came to the action scenes. There was way too much slow motion. When used sparingly and artfully, slow motion can be beautiful. When half the movie is like this, you just want to fastforward through the whole thing. When it wasn't slow mo, it was a strobe effect where everything was cutting and restarting. It was awful and confusing. It also didn't let us see the actor's movement. The moves that we did see were of poor quality and irrealistic.
   
   Other things I didn't like were the very predictable ending and the terrible wig that Billy Zane is wearing in the beginning. It was more frightening than the bad guys. Actually, that wig probably could have been the bad guy. The movie might have been more enterttaining.



2. I want to bring everyone's attention to the people who made this movie, Jet Li and Mel Gibson. A Buddhist, and the director of The Passion of the Christ.
   
   THIS IS NOT AN ACTION MOVIE! Sorry to say, people, but this is far from what you are going to want if you want an action movie. It is Circle of Iron/The Silent Flute for a new generation. It is not just about kicking the crap out of everyone in their way. It is a philisoophical movie.
   
   Four people who showed the traits of four of the five universal elements [fire, air, water, metal, and void], ended up being the only way to undo the end of the world. That doesn't even sound like a good action movie plot...but then again, that is the point!
   
   All those who want an action movie, get something else. All those who want a good, deep look into Eastern Philosophy, and an even deeper look into themselves...get this movie. Watch this movie time and again. No matter how many times you watch it, you will find something new in it.



3. I'm not a fan of martial arts movies except for old Bruce Lee movies. While at my local video store, I saw this DVD on sale for cheap. What caught my eye was BILLY ZANE!!!! He was the only reason I bought this movie. Had he not been the lead character in it, I would have never bought this movie. I give the movie 2 stars but BILLY ZANE and his performance 5 stars!!!!! Although executive produced by Mel Gibson along with Jet Li, unless you are a die hard martial arts/The Matrix fan, I wouldn't advise watching this movie unless like me, you want to see it only for Billy Zane! He was pretty good at martial arts and played the character of Os very well. He trains a group of students to take on his enemy ( Slate ) and save the world. Each student possesses special powers and all work together to do battle against the Shadowmen. The goal is to save mankind. Good special effects. Again, a good movie for martial arts/fantasy movie fans.



4. So many of the things said in this movie are of a zen nature. I liked the idea of the worst of the worst becoming the best of the best. Billy Zane must have really enjoyed making this movie (pilot). I'm sorry that it didn't make it as a TV serial. The martial arts are shown in many different forms. It's just a fun movie to watch.



5. I feel duped into this movie. For some reason I heard "martial arts" and "invincible" and thought this might actually be a great martial arts movie... Ooh, god did I regret this one.
   
   Being on a martial arts kick lately, I've seen such great movies as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, Forbidden Kingdom, Hero, Iron Monkey, etc. I don't know why I thought this might be able to join those other movies in terms of style, art direction or substance.
   
   This is made-for-TV nonsense, pure and simple. Might be right for some, but definitely NOT my cup of tea.
   
   The dialogue is utterly inane in parts. The lead character seems to not give much of a darn about what's going on in the movie. I mean, at one point he ends up giving a "serious" monologue while riding randomly around the screen on a bicycle in front of his "disciples." Complete tripe.
   
   The ending didn't really resolve anything.
   
   The "White Warrior" has no back story for us to give a darn about, and seems to have only been thrown in as a plot device to start the story and end the story.
   
   I agree with one of the other reviewers that this ended up being a bad rip off of the Power Rangers... Albeit one of the good guys was already killed off before the movie ever started. But that doesn't seem to make any difference in the grand scheme of things. 4 good guys, 5 good guys, what's the difference? In this movie, none, apparently. Everyone seems pretty apathetic about the fact that 1 out of the 5 is already DOA (kind of like the movie).
   
   I'd say that if you want to see good martial arts, you should pick up some of the asian cinema listed above. I thought most of that stuff was pretty good.
   
   If you need a cure for insomnia, pick up this snooze-fest. I literally fell asleep on 3 different watchings of this movie. I'd like to think it was because I was tired from staying up too late the night before. But, I honestly think it was just the movie putting me to sleep. ;o] Not good.

3 comments about The Empress Dowager.

1. This director made two movies of this title (in English translation). This is the 1989 "Xi tai hou" with actors Lui Xiao Qing, Gong Li (in a supporting role), Chen Dao Ming, and Li Yan. It has Mandarin and Cantonese soundtracks, with subtitles in English (though with lots of typos and literal translations).
   
   I am not Chinese, only a newer student of China culture and history. The DVD is not as high quality as I am used to, some scratches on the film in parts. But I am happy to have bought it and to have seen it. The story is well told, I think, in a more Chinese way -- which I appreciate. This applies to the writing and directing. The acting is quite good, from any perspective. The film is short at 94 minutes but packs a lot of content, with beautiful traditional costume, decor, achitecture, storytelling, song, allusions to BeiJing Opera, and history and cultural practices of many sorts. I was familiar with Gong Li, from better known films she has done, Chinese and United States. Here her role is a supporting role, but still a significant one.
   
   The relationships between the Empress Dowagers (mothers of the emperor), and the young Emperor and his new wife, as well as the court intrigue among the others in the royal court were intriguing and held my interest.
   
   I felt it was a beautiful film, though somewhat foreign to me in its style and culture. I appreciate it for teaching me much in a short time, in an enjoyable way, with such beauty and poetry.



2. This is an interesting movie if you want to understand the cruelty the Empress Dowager served to the people in her court. The broken romance of the Emperor and a servant of the Empress was good. However, some of the scenes in the movie didn't make sense, and the subtitles didn't either. So unless you can speak Mandarin, there are some parts of the movie that definitely leave you saying, "huh?" Also, the movie, and the history books don't seem to agree on some a few points, so I am assuming the director took liberties to base the movie loosely on the life of the Empress Dowager. The movie only covered about seven or so years of her life, so if you really want to know about her life, consult a history book - not this movie.



3. This movie is the second part of a three part series of DVDs and VCDs. The first part of the story, Chui Lian Ting Zheng, tells the early part of the story, the death of the Xian Feng Emperor and the struggle for the two Dowager Empresses to take power.
   
   The second part of the story, this DVD, Xi Tai Hou, tells the story of the death of Tong Zhi, the son of Ci Xi, the Western Dowager Empress.
   
   The third part of the story, Yi Dai Yao Hou, is the remainder of the story of CiXi, her murder of the Eastern Dowager Empress and the adoption of GuangXu and her own death.
   
   This movie was shot in the Chinese palaces and gives a better tour of the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the hunting lodge in Chengde and the Sea Palaces, than any documentary usually does.

2 comments about Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 49 and 50: Unfinished Business/The War of '04.

1. I purchased this DVD for my gay son. I know he likes it because he specifically requested it, and it has his favorite wrestling guys in it. It's way beyond me how anyone can stand this stuff, but wrestling has lots of fans.



2. I bought this for the Couture/Belfort fight. Big mistake. The fight gets stopped due to an accidental cut to Randy's eye. There, I just saved you 20$.

5 comments about Gen-X Cops.

1. "Gen X Cops" isn't quite your average Hong Kong action movie, adopting instead the look of a low budget Hollywood summer flick. A trio of young cops with an attitude tail gangsters all while looking pretty damn cool at it. Jack (Nic Tse), Match (Stephen Fung), and Alien (alien-like Sam Lee) find themselves kicked out of police academy only to be picked up by Officer Chan (Eric Tsang), himself on the outs with his unsympathetic superiors. Chan wants their help on a dangerous undercover mission, one involving gang bosses, gang betrayals, and rocket fuel (??) They're joined by Y2K (Grace Yip) whose sole purpose it seems is to be the tough girl of the group. Everyone's got a little something to prove and set out to get a little respect. Balletic gunfights, questionable English, and the explosion of a Hong Kong landmark ensue.

   The formulaic plot satisfies for the most part and makes sense in that action movie sort of way. Nothing is too over-the-top, equaling harmless fun for all. Clearly no one is taking themselves too seriously, and director Benny Chan was smart in throwing in a healthy dose of humor. The end result is a slick, satisfying 1 1/2 hour reality break.

   The cast consists mostly of young talents but the older actors turn in some scene stealing performances as well. Francis Ng, who owns every role he takes, stands out as gang boss Lok. He possesses an intensity that keeps his character believable without giving into parody. (Beware Jackie Chan fans; he produced the movie and only appears for a one minute cameo at the end.)

   The DVD extras won't disappoint either. In addition to the Coming Attractions, the Special Features include cast and credit info, a production diary, a film magic sequence exhibiting storyboards and special effects, a Making Of, additional footage, and trailers and TV spots. There are Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks with traditional, simplified, and English subtitles. There is also a great in-depth commentary (w/ subtitles) from the cast and crew. Unfortunately some of the special features do not have subtitles, though you won't miss much. Another drawback is the overall sound quality of the Cantonese track, which is uneven at best.




2. 
   GEN-X COPS (Te Jing Xin Ren Lei, 1999)
   
   Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
   [Filmed with uncredited anamorphic lenses]
   DVD soundtracks: Dolby 5.1 / Dolby 2.0 stereo
   Theatrical soundtrack: Dolby Digital
   
   Jackie Chan co-produced this routine blockbuster as a showcase for some of Hong Kong's hottest new teen stars, including Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, Stephen Fung Tak-lun, Daniel Wu Yin-cho and comic relief Sam Lee Chan-sam. The convoluted storyline posits Tse, Fung and Lee as a trio of rebellious young cops, recruited as undercover agents by police commander Eric Tsang Chi-wai to investigate the shady business dealings between low-level Triad underling Wu and a Japanese crime lord (Toru Nakamura) who has seized a shipment of deadly explosives for nefarious purposes, prompting a sequence of betrayals and counter-betrayals amongst members of the opposing criminal factions, until events reach an explosive climax during a showdown at the newly-opened Hong Kong Convention Center.
   
   Veteran director Benny Chan Muk-sing (A MOMENT OF ROMANCE, NEW POLICE STORY) marshals proceedings into a cohesive whole, though the movie fizzles badly after a dynamic opening sequence before rallying again somewhere around the halfway mark. The action scenes are staged and executed with all the breathless abandon one expects from HK cinema, but many of them unfold so quickly, it's often difficult to know who's doing what to whom, or even why, and crucial plot points are sometimes lost along the way. Few of the actors emerge with any credit, though Nakamura is admirably solemn as an English-speaking Japanese villain who clings to old-fashioned notions of truth and righteousness in a world where such virtues no longer have currency. The young leads are OK (Wu's transition from beleaguered second-in-command to ruthless hard man is surprisingly convincing), while Tsang spends much of his screen time trading insults with his younger, slicker police counterpart (Moses Chan Ho).
   
   Stand-out set-pieces include a breathtaking skydive from the roof of a high-rise building, and the climactic scenes at the Hong Kong Convention Center which utilize ambitious visual effects supervised by a US effects team, headed by Oscar-winner Joe Viskocil (INDEPENDENCE DAY, APOLLO 13). Sensitive viewers may be irritated by some xenophobic comments directed toward the Japanese villains, and there's a couple of dialogue exchanges which play directly to bigoted attitudes about gay men, but the offence is fleeting, if unnecessary. Ultimately, this big budget fluff - designed to compete with a flood of Hollywood blockbusters dominating the HK box-office - amounts to little more than a feel-good fantasy thriller, as slick and hollow as the very films it seeks to emulate. A huge success on its home turf, the film spawned an inevitable sequel, GEN-Y COPS (2000).



3. I rented this on blockbuster and this has got to be the WORST movie I have seen all of 2005. Watching this movie reminded me of why I should stay away from Hong Kong movies. Eric Tsang Chi-wai reminds me why I should hate the idiot, despite his good acting on Infernal Affairs. The guy is a moron and this movie is moronic.
   
   NOTHING makes sense whatsoever and everything looks staged and fake. I like action but this movie was just plain DUMB because the dialogue was retarded and nothing was believable.
   
   Please save your money and watch something else instead.



4. I watched this one a few years back and still own it on DVD along with the sequel Gen Y Cops.
   
   I primarily bought this as Stephen Fung and Nicholas Tse were in it after seeing them together in the film 2002. I then saw this movie of them together and decided to buy Gen x Cops on DVD.
   
   This is a fun movie to watch and there is really no need for subtitles half the movie is in English anyway. I know most of it is in Cantonese, a little Japanese, but the majority is English.
   
   The cast line is excellent with most of the big stars in hong kong securing fantastic characters within the story, stars such as , Toru Nakamura, Francis Ng, Sam Lee, Daniel Wu, Eric Tsang and Terrence Yin
   
   If you love Hong Kong action movies with lots of fight sequences then you will love this movie as it has it all. Comedy, a little romance and the dumb witty Tsang at his best. Why does he always get cast as the stereotypical clown I wonder. But needless to say he plays it well.
   
   Tse and Fung are like the hong kong version of Ant and Dec, they always seem to pop up in the same movie. I can name at least 8. But these 2 are meant to be together they make a fantastic acting pair.
   
   They play a pair of rookie cops who team up with the annoying Sam Lee and Grace Yip to fight a crime organization by any means possible.
   
   The antics and the obstacles they come across are both laughable and serious.
   
   One scene sticks in my head from the entire movie is a scene when Sam Lee is being given wording from Grace Yip in order to make conversation in Japanese to distract the Japanese guard resulting in insulting the Guards mother, poor Lee is beaten thus providing the distraction they need, Now that was funny.
   
   The whole movie brings about the aspect that not all Hong Kong movies are all about Kicking butt in the old fashioned way of Martial Arts movies. Hong kong can do serious comedies too you know, and this movie provides it.
   
   If you are looking for a laugh this will bring a tear to your eye in a laughable way.
   
   Its fun to watch and well worth checking out more films by Tse and Fung.
   
   I'd give this movie a rating of 9 out of Ten for comedy
   
   10 out of 10 for the acting talents from Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fung and Torú Nakamura



5. There's action, suspense, and it's even sad when the Lieutenant dies, more like bittersweet. I have to watch this movie in the English Dub because I can't follow the subtitles that fast. It's a good movie, and though the kid cop thing has been done and done again, this movie is enjoyable. And Tohru Nakamura as the bad guy...fan me please... The characters are quickly developed, the scripting, however close to the original is well done, and the dialogue sometimes kills me. I rented this movie, and then bought it I liked it so much. i have yet to find anyone who really hates this movie. Most of my friends who have watched it or borrowed it give it 3 or 4 stars. All in all, it's worth renting to see at least once.

3 comments about That Man Bolt (Soul Showcase).

1. I thought this movie was preety good. Fred did a great job with his charater Jefferson Bolt,and the story board was as good as his former 70's movies' like hell up in harlem, and black Ceaser. If your a Fred Willaimson fan, then this is difinitely one of his movie's you should add to your collection.



2. In case you're unaware, blaxploitation is defined as `a genre of American film of the 1970s featuring African-American actors in lead roles and often having antiestablishment plots, frequently criticized for stereotypical characterization and glorification of violence. While African-American filmmakers were substantially involved in making early movies in this genre, their participation in subsequent productions was minimal.' MGM releases their films of this genre under the guise of `Soul Cinema'. Universal, who released this DVD, did so under the header `Soul Showcase'...both seem a little pretentious, as it's all blaxploitation to me (and everyone else), regardless how much they try to fancy it up. That Man Bolt (1973) features two directors in Henry Levin (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and David Lowell Rich (The Concorde: Airport '79) and stars a relative staple of the genre in former Oakland Raiders / Kansas City Chiefs football star Fred `The Hammer' Williamson (Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Three the Hard Way) as the title character, Jefferson Bolt. Also appearing is the portly Byron Webster (The Poseidon Adventure, The Nude Bomb), Miko Mayama (The Hawaiians), and Teresa Graves (Vampira).
   
   As the film begins, we see Bolt in a Macao prison, practicing what appears to be some form of martial arts (in real life Williamson does possess black belts in Kenpo, Shotokan Karate, and Tae-Kwon-Do) sans his shirt so we can all get a good look at his sweaty, naked torso. Turns out he was falsely imprisoned by charges trumped up by a mysterious Englishman, and now said Englishman has afforded his release on the stipulation that Bolt, who makes a living as a highly paid professional courier, take on a job involving the transportation of $1,000,000 to Mexico City, which he does, begrudgingly. Arriving in Los Angeles (I guess there were no direct flights to Mexico City from Hong Kong), he gets attacked in the men's room by three assailants, but given he has a black belt in karate, he makes short work of these guys. A clue leads him to Las Vegas, and there he learns the money is fake, along with getting his love interest, who sings in a lounge, killed as more people try to retrieve the dough. It's personal now as Bolt is determined to get revenge on those responsible, with the trail leading back to where he started, in Hong Kong (watch for the scene in the Hong Kong fireworks factory...is there a film out there that includes a fireworks factory that doesn't have it blowing up at some point?). He does eventually learn the truth, but that may cost him as his dogged determination has lead to someone putting a contract out on his life, a contract to be fulfilled by a deadly assassin named Spider. Survival seems slim, given the power behind the machinations to which Bolt is but a pawn, but they messed with the wrong brother, and Bolt's about to bring their world down around their ears.
   
   While watching this film, I couldn't help feel the filmmakers were trying to emulate the popular Bond films with the character of Bolt (Heck, they even have the same initials Jefferson Bolt - James Bond). Bolt is passed off as a former captain of U.S. Special forces, graduate of Cal Tech and M.I.T. with a master's degree in physics (?), and a black belt in martial arts. He's a worldly traveler, and you know all the women want him (mainly because it's written that way). The main difference is the character of Bolt works outside the system, rather than for some government agency. While you're watching this film, think about all the Bond films you've seen, and pick out the similarities, especially in terms of the main villain and his remote island base. I don't know, maybe the hope was to create a franchise similar to the Bond series (or just cash in on it with a one shot), and they might have been successful if not for one thing (okay, maybe a few things), Williamson can't act. Oh, he can say his lines, but don't expect much else. The man's performance is about as wooden as they come, and he's not helped by the lame script. And what is up with the plot? Here we've got a relatively simple story, and they've gone and jumbled it up to the point the audience has little idea what's going on in terms of specifics until nearly the end, when a huge steaming load of exposition is required to straighten everything out, causing the film to run way too long. The film has a few positives, though. There's plenty of hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, car chases (is it possible to have a car chase in LA without it going into the LA aqueduct system? I guess not), explosions, sexy women (no nudity, though, which is strange as that's usually a given in these types of films, but then the Bond film also didn't have nudity, either), and a few really good bloodless kill sequences (hence the R rating) featuring various people getting their necks punctured various accoutrements including a jagged piece of mirror, an ice pick, and an acupuncture needle. Another missing element that's common in many films of the genre are the hyper bigoted Caucasian characters slinging all kinds of racial slurs aimed at the African American characters, so that when The Man bites it at the end, there's definite justification for his demise, usually in particularly brutal fashion. I didn't mind the lack of this, and it seems to go in line with my initial theory of creating a Bond-like franchise in that they probably wanted wider appeal, so they eased up on a number of aspects blaxploitation films are generally know for...one thing I really enjoyed was the scenes shot on location. There's a great deal of footage featuring Hong Kong, its' countryside, and its' harbors.
   
   The anamorphic widescreen (1:85.1) picture is clear and crisp, with decent Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no extras.
   
   Cookieman108



3. Fred the Hammer Williamson is man of the hour. He is a courier and basicallyan international troubleshooter. Lots of action.

4 comments about Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists.

1. Stars;Wang Tao & Chaing Li and also Lo Lieh
   Great Kung Fu a must for all classic Kung Fu Fans.



2. FATAL NEEDLES VS. FATAL FISTS (1980) is a worthy effort that marks the fourth collaboration between star Wong Tao and Taiwan-based director Lee Tso Nam, who'd previously teamed for THE HOT, THE COOL AND THE VICIOUS, EAGLE'S CLAW and CHALLENGE OF DEATH. It has fewer fight scenes than usual, but compensates with a stronger storyline and a much more intense performance from Wong Tao.

   The plotline may seem familiar to western fans since it takes the standard formula of the gunfighter hanging up his guns until he's inevitably provoked back into action and transposes it to the kung fu genre. Here Wong plays a constable who'd caused the death of his partner in a battle with the notorious Four Devils and, after wandering the countryside drunkenly, takes up a new identity and a new job in a faraway town. He is so committed to nonviolence that he allows himself to be beaten and stabbed and derided as a coward when he refuses to stand up to a group of bandits taking over the town to ensure the security of their opium route. Only one new friend sticks by him through thick and thin and when that friend is brutally beaten, only then does our hero intervene.

   The chief villain is played by Chang Yi, also the villain in EAGLE'S CLAW and CHALLENGE OF DEATH, among many other kung fu films of the era. Chang uses the needles of the title in a clever acupuncture-style kung fu maneuver that hero Wong finds tough to beat. Chang's chief henchman is another great kung fu opponent, Tommy Lee (aka Kam Ming), who also directed the fights for this film. Overall, this may not be as consistently imaginative and exciting as the star-director team's earlier collaborations, but it still offers enough good scenes to please even the most jaded kung fu buffs.




3. Pretty okay movie - I must say! The plot was there and pretty easy to follow. The fighting scenes - not bad at all. There's always a white haired villan in most Kung Fu movies you have to get rid off. Well, this is one of these movies. The last fighting scene could have been much longer though. Come on, you know the last fighting scene is the climax of it all and it has to summarize everything. Overall, I've seen a lot worst. See my other reviews. Perhaps you'll know which ones not to waste your time on.



4. Fatal Needles Fatal Fists is a fun movie that is of the Kung Fu Theater/Black Belt Theater/Shaw Brothers era. This is one of my favorites of the genre. Wang Tao is great is his role as Chin Chai/Meng Hu. Chang Yi is once again in his familiar role of evil master which he plays so well. It is actually hard to recognize him in later films without the wig and sometimes moustache. Tommy Lee who I believe is also the action director has a great supporting role as Chen Piao, Chang Yi's disciple. His role is played with such charisma and is a great compliment to his two subbordinate henchman. The action is great and serves the story. I really like the movies of this genre that make the characters larger than life, and Fatal Needles Fatal Fists does just that. It may not have the bodget and production of later Jackie Chan or Jet Li movies, but if you're into this genre, this is a great flick. The english dubbing has so much character in the voices too. It's comical sometimes, but not in a bad way. One item of disappointment is that there used to be scene in the version that was originally broadcast that has Chang Yi's character, Chung Tung, entering the brothel where one of his henchmen says "This is our master Chung Tung and he's from Mongolia. he likes everything the Best! The best food, and the best wine!" The lady of the house, who was Wang Tao's character's boss for a short while immediately says "You're welcome, welcome!" I don't remember much else from this scene, or any other scene from the originally broadcasted version that is missing, but I know that many of these films were not stored, catalogued or archived like most major motion pictures for future release. I miss this scene because I like how in most of these movies, rather than ordering a chicken or tofu and rice when they walk into a restaurant, most of the guys simply say bring me some food and some wine, or bring me your best food and best wine. In short, brings back memories but also holds up today on its own too. If you're expecgting Bruce Lee or a Matrix/Jet Li type of film, that it is not, but you can still like it for what it is and like the more polished films as well.

5 comments about Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.

1. Jackie Chan who was in this movie very good with is Kung Fu Skills in the action seens.



2. This movie is a classic Jackie Chan movie. I was extremely disappointed to find out it was a pirated copy! Shame on Amazon for selling it!



3. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow 1978 - 5/5
   Cast: Jackie Chan, Simon Yuen Sui Tin, Hwang Jang Lee, Roy Horan
   Director: Yuen Woo Ping
   Producer: Chen Chuan
   Writer: Ng See-Yuen (producer of Drunken Master)
   
   Everyone smokes Opium-(a brownish gummy extract from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy that contains several highly addictive narcotic alkaloid substances, for example, morphine and codeine.) The Beggar so(Simon Yuen Sui Tin) Which is Yuen Woo Ping Father smokes it. Jackie Chans Master at his schools smokes it, as well as People on the street. Well the script written was based on the story created by Jackie Chan is good. It's so good in facts it's probable, in my opinion ,better than the other famous collaboration between Yuen Woo Ping and Jackie Chan(Drunken Master). The movie starts with Jackie Chan knowing nothing about kung Fu. He was the clean up boy in his master school of martial arts. One day he's walking and helps in old man escape from a fight. This old man is the legendary Simon Yuen Sui Tin who is the last surviving expert of the Snake Fist Style of Kung Fu. The master of the other style ,Eagles Claw, wants to kill all the remaining members of Snake Fist style. After stating that he has all ready killed 3,000 members he kills another, until there's only one left. Simon Yuen Sui Tin teaches the style to Jackie. This is a quote from Jackie Chan about his favorite lines in the movie "My favorite lines in the movie comes when I am using my newly learned snake fist against my opponent : my character shouts "I'm a poisonous snake" then gives him a quick punch to the groin and says :"That's called finding the snake."
   
   Well Jackie figures out how to combine a fighting style beggar so taught him and a style he witness his cat using. In which he sees his cat fighting a cobra. It was a real cat fighting a real cobra! He names it Snake fist in Cats paw. The old master doesn't like it so they change it to Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. Hence the Title.



4. I've purchase and received this movie twice and when i insert the movie in my dvd it's not the right movie that's playing. It's some person having a concert. Is anyone else having this problem, shame on Amazon for distributing illegal dvd copies and selling it to customers.



5. NOTE - THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OF THE MOVIE BUT A WARNING THAT WHAT AMAZON IS SHIPPING IS AN INCREDIBLY CHEAP AND OBVIOUS BOOTLEG.
   
   Seriously. I figured the few people who had reported this were kooks, but they're not - this *is* a bootleg, and a terrible one at that. You can find better bootlegs on streetcorners in NY. The cover is obviously photocopied, and the disc itself is a DVD-R that comes conveniently pre-scratched. Worse than that, though, is the fact that this is *obviously* a rip of a VHS tape that was poorly transferred and completely uncropped. I'll be filing a complaint with Amazon.

5 comments about Aragami: The Raging God of Battle.

1. The movie is about an almost invincible aragami wanting to end his life in a duel to the death. Most of the movie there are two guys talking across from one another. If you have ADD don't watch this movie, but if you love a well writen samurai movie with the best duel in samurai cinema history pick this one up.



2. Originally, I found out about this movie after watching 2LDK a couple pf months ago and found out about this challenge. I thought it was an interesting concept and would like to see how some of today's American directors could tackle such a project. Although I liked 2LDK, Aragami was simply the better movie. At times, the style and dialog (or lack of) reminded me of something Tarantino would do.
   
   The very basic plot is that Aragami (Masaya Kato), who, incidentally, is the God of Battle, challenges a samurai (Takao Osawa) to a fight to the death. Aragami is tired of living and can not commit suicide nor die of old age or other natural causes. He must be killed in battle, as he is the God of Battle. He immortalizes the samurai by feeding him his deceased friend's liver and the fight is on.
   
   Surprisingly, this basic plot did not seem to drag on for too long and was just about the right length to establish the two main characters. Unlike most other movies this one lacks a clear antagonist the two leads are described as men of honor each with his own unique personality and at times, the dialog was humorous. While making the impact of the fight between them even more effective as both characters are likable. Kitamura's decision to keep the battle for the final part of the film proves to be a correct one, as tension builds up between the two leads with each and every revelation, setting their motivation for what's coming.
   
   "Aragami: The Raging God of Battle" It's not a fully blown action film instead its simple plodded. I enjoyed this film very much and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys samurai movies.



3. Shortly after I started on this whole "Asian ZFilm" addition I now have, I purchased Aragami knowing nothing of the director, the actors, the so called "director's bet" to film it ion less than a week. Basically I had no preconceived notions about this movie.
   
   I can tell you without any doubt in my mind that this is one of the greatest films I have ever seen, domestic or foreign.
   
   After seeing the movie 3 times now, I just found out it was only 80 minutes long. I am so sucked into the world inside Aragami's temple that time seems to stop.
   
   I could go on and on. Basically, add this movie to your collection.



4. As to why i loved this movie so much! Their is only 1 setting in the entire movie but the acting/action/scripting were just too awesome, i dont understand it at all!



5. Aragami is what I wish all "art" films or "experimental" films could be like. And the world would be a better place for it.
   
   Okay, for the three people in the world who have found this film but haven't actually heard the backstory, here's the short version: 2 Japanese directors place a bet with one another about who can make a better film in 7 days, 1 location, 3 actors, and 1 has to die. "Aragami" is one-half of that bet (the other being "2LDK"--IMO, "Aragami" wins).
   
   It's important to have a little context when seeing this as it'll make you appreciate it all that much more. Now that we've dealt with the peripheral nonsense, let's get into the good stuff.
   
   "Aragami" is a movie that gets better and better as it goes along. You really have to watch the whole thing to appreciate it (and please ignore the [other reviewer] on this page who referenced the running time at over 2 hours--the film clocks in at 80 minutes--the last 30 being mostly action--unless he has some super, uncut, "only guy in the known universe to have it" version that we missed out on). This film will deliver, but it takes some patience.
   
   After 50 minutes I started thinking, "Okay, the premise is cool and I like what they're doing here. But this is a Ryuhei Kitamura film, when do I get to start witnessing some broken sternums and whatnot?" The answer, at just about the 50-minute mark. Once it gets going it doesn't look back. You get the trademark Kitamura style. At that point, the film starts hovering around the 4-star level. By the time you see the final scene you'll be grinning ear-to-ear and realizing just how awesome this movie really is. The payoff is well worth it (especially for Kitamura fans, ever more so for "Versus" fans).
   
   I've done you a favor. Knowing when the action kicks in, now you can sit back and enjoy the story unfolding knowing exactly what you're getting (and when). As for the story, read the summary. The acting is very tight. The story is cool. The action is very, very well done. And it all plays out well given the constraints of the bet.
   
   This movie should play well for those Kitamura fans, fans of "cult" style action flicks, those with some artistic sensibilities looking for something a little different. Although I wouldn't recommend this as an entrance into the Kitamura world. Check out "Ultimate Versus" first. If you dig it, then go out and pick this up. And, it gets better with subsequent viewings, too. Enjoy.

5 comments about Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 69: Shoot Out.

1. For those who were lucky to see the event live, I envy you. This event definately stands out from the past few as it had it all. It had knockouts, a darce choke, pillow fist punches from the mount, a leg lock, comedy on the microphone, and most importantly: the biggest upset in UFC history.
   
   If there was a time for the saying "anything can happen in MMA", Matt Serra (11-1 underdog) proved it with his dynamite fists and knocking off and out George St. Pierre. Remember, George St. Pierre was just about to start his legacy with title defenses and most likely become the greatest welterweight in the post-Hughes era. But all that was derailed as Serra walked away with the win and the gold.
   
   Who still believes in the saying "nice guys finish last"?



2. - Breaks in between rounds are cut
   
   - No prefight/postfight interview, except main event
   
   - No replay of the KO... or analysis of something in slomo.
   
   - No victory celebration from the winning fighter... everything is cut.
   
   - Main Menu setup looks extremely cheap starting from UFC 69.
   
   Honestly, I don't understand... usually the tendencies are, that the quality of a product gets better with time. Clearly not the case with UFC DVDs. The last DVD that has prefight/postfight interviews to my knowledge, was UFC 54, and people made a huge deal about it. Obviously whoever's in charge of DVDs, doesn't care about the feedback...
   
   On the flipside, if you get a WWE DVD, you get the entire event front to back. Nothing is cut out. All the promos, pyros, entrances, postfight BS, everything is left in there. If you haven't watched pro wrestling in a while, it's like you're watching it LIVE. Not the case with UFC DVDs. The only incentive to buy these DVDs now, is for the prelims. From now, I'm just gonna burn the events on DVD.



3. Luke Cummo vs. Josh Haynes, Marcus Davis vs. Pete Spratt, Thales Leites vs. Pete Sell, Heath Herring vs. Brad Imes, Kendall Grove vs. Alan Belcher,
   Yushin Okami vs. Mike Swick, Leonard Garcia vs. Roger Huerta, Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez, Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Serra. This was a pretty decent lineup. A lot of good matches. Sure some were mismatches, but there is a big upset on the card, so anything can happen in the cage. Even the one sided matches are entertaining because of the mma clinics the superior fighters put on. A couple of nice submissions and knockouts really round out the card. The Koscheck/Sanchez match is a huge letdown, but the Huerta/Garcia match more than makes up for it. The dvd itself though is not put together well. As they have done before, the UFC has cut out all pre and post fight interviews save for the main event. They have also cut out the minute break in between rounds. A lot of interesting commentary happens then as well as a good look at each fighter and their corners. I don't know why they do this on some of their dvd's and not others. It really only saves them about 15 minutes total for the event. If they are going to release the event, then release it as a whole and not edited.



4. One of the many reasons that make MMA a great sport is how quickly things can change and the fact that favorites can go down in a jiffy. In this sense, UFC 69 was a great event, with several great fights and a couple of surprises. However, there are two things that gave me mixed feelings towards this DVD. First, there are a couple of undercard fights that are not good at all, and even more surprisingly, the fight between Sanchez and Koscheck, which I expected to be one of the best in the event, was one of the worst fights I have seen in the sport. The other aspect that I did not like is that since the producers wanted to include nine fights in the DVD, and most of them were lengthy, something had to give. They decided to eliminate most of the usual interviews, the breaks between rounds, and even limit the replays and presentation of the fighters. In my case, I would have preferred to see one less of the undercard fights and get all the previous elements. I can understand that some people may disagree and prefer the fights, so those will be happy with the decision.
   
   As to the fights themselves, there are four that I can point out as outstanding. In Sell vs. Leites, the winner of the fight puts on a clinic of Ju-Jitsu, ground and pound, and submission defense. Grove vs. Belcher starts out the main card with some amazing striking and a beautiful submission to decide the bout. Huerta vs. Garcia is a fight with lots of action, striking with fists and feet, ground and pound, you name it. Finally, the main fight of the night is electrifying, not only because of its technical aspects, but also due to the energy level of the gladiators and the crowd.
   
   To sum it all up, there are some great fights here, but the overall quality of the DVD is damaged by some of the bouts and by the poor decision-making by the producers.



5. For those who haven't seen it, I won't spoil it here. This card features a fight that could have been fixed. Hopefully this won't be MMA's first steps toward copying the crooked boxing world.

5 comments about Supercop.

1. This arguably one of his best! Incredible! Haven't seen a Kung-fu movie this good since Legend of the Druken Master or even Twin Warriors!



2. This movie is a bit different than the 'typical' Jackie Chan movie. It has IMO a more solid and more sincere story than the other movies.
   Especially the first part of the movie playing in mainland China is different. In this part, Michelle Yeoh as Chinese officer is a bit overdone, however the prison break is a really remarkable piece of JC cinema. The following part of the movie features a resort type adventure with typical 'early JC' slapstick components. The last part of the movie plays in Malaysia and contains non-stop action, which some never seen before stunts including a bike ride on a train plus a helicopter landing on the same train.
   All in all a very entertaining JC movie, featuring different Asian locations and a high tension, super action sequence at the end. Watching the 'making of' is also recommended because it really shows the difficulties to perform the stunt sequences for this movie. The only drawback of this movie are some overdone and a bit ridicoulos slapstick scenes. I can recommend this movie for JC fans who want to watch a slightly different JC movie than usual.



3. Basically the 3rd movie in the Police Story series (First Strike is the 4th and last), Supercop has very little connections to the 1st 2 Poilce Story movies, which were very closely related. Jackie Chan returns as Kevin Chan, and his girlfriend Mei is still played by Maggie Cheung. I have seen Supercop numerous time, and each time its like watching it for the 1st. The story is better than many Chan films, and the action and stunts are easily amongst the best.
   
   The story, takes itself a little more seriously than some Chan films, say compared to Mr. Nice Guy or Rumble in The Bronx. The humor is more of a minum because of that, but there's still a funny couple good moments. I think the plot is interesting and suspensful, taking advantage of Kevin Chan playing an undercover agent throughout the movie. His sidekick, or should I say boss, throughout the film is played by Michelle Yeoh, also undercover along side him, and gives an equally great performance in the film. The dubbing is far better than most films, and if you prefer Jackie Chan's own English voice, he provied his own dub in Supercop.
   
   The action is used sparingly throughout the beginning of the film, making everything run a little slow. But the movie begins to progress more and more nicely throughout. The finale is huge. 15 minutes of straight all out action from fights to some of, if not, the best stunts ever done. Chan jums on and hangs from a helicopter ladder over the city, and Michelle Yeoh hangs off the side of a van for dear life and steers a motorcyle right up ontop a moving train. Its all real and its must see.
   
   Fan or no fan of Jackie Chan, this is just an all out great movie. No its not recognized as a masterpiece, but in a slightly smaller world this is A++ entertainment.



4. Maybe I'm bias... of course with the 2 Miss Malaysias - the ravishing Datuk Michelle Yeoh (that's a Malaysian Dame equivalent) and Ms Samantha Schubert and the KL skyline well 5 Stars. Malaysia Boleh!



5. In this great action film, Jackie Chan plays an undercover Hong Kong cop with attitude. He's sent to Communist China on a joint operation to break a drug smuggling ring. The chief cop he's supposed to work with is a gorgeous young woman (Michelle Khan). She mistakes his breezy attitude for softness and he has to duke it out with the martial arts instructor of the Beijing police academy.
   
   The dubbing is simply awful but that's part of the fun. The two cops stage a prison break for the brother of the drug lord they are out to get and manage to infiltrate the criminal gang. The plot takes us through most of the countries of Southeast Asia and the stunts get more and more hair-raising. The American edition is only 91 minutes long, but I'm sure only the dull explanatory stuff has been cut.