recent purchases

[jethro]

When you are close to finishing your Zatoichi collection, you are going to run into a problem. If I remember correctly, there was one not released in the US.

Bangkok Knockout is really, really bad. But it does have a lot of action.

Picked up Never Back Down 2 at Wal Mart. ok movie. Every scene with Jai White is good, but the rest of the movie, including the fights, is just ok.

Golden Swallow just came out. If you find it let me know where you got it.

[Jimbo]

I've already run into a problem collection Zatoichis. There are a few of them that are no longer available, or only available at some ridiculous price. I should have started collecting them much sooner.

I'm not surprised that Bangkok Knockout is bad. Hopefully the action is good, though.

I'll keep an eye out for Golden Swallow.

[Jimbo]

Golden Swallow.

Killer Clans.

The Blood Brothers.

The Avenging Eagle.

Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire.

Zatoichi #'s 9 and 13.

I actually ordered these through Barnes and Noble. Of course, the Zatoichi films are great. Number 9 may be my favorite of the ones I've seen up to now. But even the lesser of the original Zatoichi films are still better than most.

Golden Swallow is good; the only issue I have is that the picture isn't as clear as in some of the Celestial Shaw releases. Some scenes are pretty blurry. I don't know if it was originally filmed that way or not. But it was still beautifully shot. It's one of those films I'd never seen before now. The cover art, like the Executioners from Shaolin back cover art, has Jimmy Wang Yu's head superimposed -- too largely -- onto the body of a Japanese swordsman sheathing a katana. As much as I hate to say it, Dragon Dynasty really should get some advice on Shaw Bros cover art from Red Sun.

One little thing I'll mention is you can spot David Chiang, very briefly, as an extra in a scene with Cheng Pei-pei near the latter part of the film. I know that he was a child actor years before Golden Swallow's year of release (1968), but perhaps this was his first appearance in a Chang Cheh film(?).

[Jimbo]

Troll Hunter.

Little Big Soldier.

Troll Hunter is a recent Norwegian film, made in the 'mocumentary' style. My opinion of many such films varies, because some have made me nauseous with the motion of someone running with the video camera. Parts of this one *might* have done that if I'd seen it in a theater, but watching it on DVD hasn't. The FX are pretty good, and I like the premise; three college students follow along and try to document a mysterious man who turns out to be Norway's only troll hunter. There are probably more comparisions to Cloverfield than to Blair Witch Project, except that this film lacks the apocalyptic aspect, and it's a much more low-key film. The Norwegian countryside is beautiful as well. 7/10.

Little Big Soldier is pretty good, as new Jackie films go. I will say that his China films lack the fun factor that his Hong Kong films had. That could also be because he was in his prime then, but I tend to think it's more the stories and 'feel' of the films. 6/10.

[Jimbo]

The Kid From Kwangtung (KFK).

This was released by Bonzai/Red Sun, but the quality is excellent, for a bootleg release. In fact, it's on a par with the legitimate Shaw/Celestial releases by Dragon Dynasty, Media Blasters, etc. There were no 'hitches' or any 'tiling' on this DVD, and it has working options for languages, subs, etc., which some early Bonzai/Red Sun releases claimed to have, but didn't.

I would definitely prefer a 'legitimate' release, but since there seems to be no rush by the official companies to release some (lots) of the Shaws, this will be fine until it sees an 'official' release, if it ever does. Many Shaw Bros movies have been officially released on DVD, many of them excellent. But also, lots of mediocre to bad Shaws have been released, whereas many good, or at least more entertaining/marketable Shaws remain in limbo. Although the story is pretty typical and much of KFK's comedy is a bit lame, I've wanted to own it for its fight scenes since I first saw it almost 30 years ago. It's still my favorite Hwang Jang-Lee performance.

9/10 (for the fights).

[Jimbo]

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

I wouldn't have gotten this if I hadn't had a discount on it, but IMO it's better than I expected. The cinematography and the general acting are very good, and some of the fights are excellent. The pacing is good, so it never really becomes boring. Oddly enough, when it played in a local multi-plex theater that often plays the new, limited-release Chinese movies, it only played a couple of days before being pulled. Whereas, most of them last at least a week or two (Ip Man 2 lasted three or four weeks). I'm betting the trailer made people think it's a Kato/Green Hornet ripoff.

**slight spoiler**

I was surprisingly disappointed by the very last fight. The showdown between Chen Zhen and the Japanese general was built up throughout the film, and it started out great, but I had expected a bit more, considering the quality of the fights ... esp. at the very beginning of the movie. The fight turns 180 degrees way too quickly and feels a bit anti-climactic because of that, IMO.

**spoiler off**

I would rate this probably at 7/10.

[Jimbo]

The Art of High-Impact Kicking.

The material on this DVD was originally filmed in 1981 in Hong Kong, and features Hwang Jang-Lee. Although the first few minutes start out with a movie-style fight scene, the rest is pure instruction in the principles and execution of Hwang's kicking style.

Although at first glance, many of his kicks don't look much different from classical Taekwondo kicks (i.e., pre-Olympic-style TKD), there are some subtle differences. Hwang Jang-Lee (HJL) utilizes the circle principle, which others also use, but in some of the kicks, such as his side kick, it makes a subtle difference. His level of execution is impeccable.

HJL covers 8 basic kicks (front, roundhouse, side, hook, inside crescent, outside crescent, twist, and hammer {or axe} kicks). With each kick, he covers several variations relating to footwork, front/rear positions, etc., etc. As you watch, it becomes clear that HJL has incredible power, coordination and control in his kicks. You can also see that he doesn't emphasize overly-high kicks, such as near-vertical side kicks, or anything much over normal head-height. Unlike most instructors, HJL also did not believe in static stretching exercises, preferring instead leg swings and kicking itself to develop the necessary flexibility.

In a 1983 issue of Black Belt magazine, his American student in HK, Roy Horan, related the story that HJL began his training in Korea when he observed a group of men practicing TKD in a field. When he approached his parents about wanting to join the group, they refused. Not to be deterred, HJL swiped a pair of his father's old pajamas for his first uniform, spied on the TKD group, then would go off by himself to practice when he saw. Essentially, he was self-trained until years later, when a friend was able to sneak him into a Ji Do Kwan black belt test, which he passed easily, after which he was selected to help teach the ROK military. He went to Vietnam (1966-'68) as a member of South Korea's Tiger Division, during which time he helped instruct both South Vietnamese and American forces in TKD. Also during this time, he had a few instances of using his kicking skills in real-life encounters, in addition to wartime combat experiences.

Needless to say, HJL was not "just a movie guy."

Although the general set-up of the DVD (which, obviously, was originally a VHS tape) may look dated, HJL's execution and many of his ideas are not. Each and every kick he covers, even some kicks that for most are not considered power kicks (such as the lead-leg roundhouse kick), are thrown with nasty-looking power and intent.

Near the end is a section where he demonstrates some combinations on a "dummy" opponent. Some of them look workable, but some are not practical for actual fighting/sparring, such as his trademark jumping triple kicks, some of which are extremely difficult and done from a standing jump. These are to show how he did them, and for level of difficulty/personal satisfaction. Also remember that certain complex moves, like HJL's spinning roundhouse kick, may have worked for him, but probably would not for most MAists.

Picture is full-screen and, although not 'high-def,' the quality is good. Overall, I give this a very good rating. 9/10.