The movie is one massive build up. From the moment we see our girl sitting in her apartment staring holes through the phone waiting for the call--only to learn she has a guy tied up in a laundry bag in the background--to the climax, this movie is filmmaking gold. It also scores big points from me because I have a phobia for needles, which is good because I like it when a movie gets under your skin and tortures you, because well, it's a movie, and a horror movie at that, which is exactly what movies should be.

This was my first Takashi Miike movie (my second was "Ichi", kinda' a tone shift there), and I've been a big fan of his ever since. He knows how to make one hell of a good movie, and this is probably his finest in terms of raw, jagged, nerve-shredding terror.

Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker should have earned him an Oscar nomination at the time, however screen academy officials were stodgy then as they are now. Any actor could wear clown make up and any stuntman could wear a bat costume. What made this movie good was the performances of Keaton and Nicholson. Keaton was an excellent Bruce Wayne, portraying him as an eccentric man with hidden psychological problems stemming from his parents' death. Nicholson of course will always be the Joker! His performance of a psycho gangster to an incurable mad man was outstanding.

Though some may think this movie is dated. I say Tim Burton's depiction of Gotham and its characters are forever frozen in a timeless world to be viewed over and over!

Maybe it's me--maybe I just get sick of new movies being cranked out the butthole to only reveal the same old shit. The stories and conceptions for today's kung fu films are soooooo worn out that this could have been an unintentional remake of a movie from the 70's or 80's; but who knows, really. To be perfectly honest, I think you're just looking for any excuse to give films like this any credibility when in truth you are in a state of denial.

The kung fu action was okay. JUST OKAY! I'll always have issues with wirework unless it fits with a film's level of insanity and/or absurdity, like "Tai Chi Master" or "Iron Monkey". But with a film like "Fearless" that's supposed to be consistent and well told (HA!), no wirework is required. It does not work. As far as the movements of the actors go, it feels a bit sloppy, but overall it's...eh, nice.

Probably the main reason why I didn't like this film is because of Jet Li. He is just not a convincing bad-ass. His martial art skills are 99% consummate but his screen presence is just weak. He's just a sissy Mary. The only films I've ever liked with him were "Tai Chi Master", "Fist Of Legend", "Martial Arts Of Shaolin", and for some odd reason "My Father Is A Hero". And perhaps "Once Upon A Time In China" 1-3, only because I like Tsui Hark films.

If you liked this film, fine. I don't care. But in the words of a great reviewer: "Nothing special here." It's just another everyday ordinary kung fu movie. Whoopee-do. Now I await your inflictions with elation.

AND THE ACTING WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!

Eastwood gives possibly his most searing performance as a crotchety old man who seems to be losing his grip on everything that holds meaning to him, and yet continues to hold on tight in the face of inevitability. He's a war veteran who's seen and done horrible things in the name of god and country and simply wants to live out the rest of his life in peace and dignity. But the world around him just doesn't seem willing to do everything his way. And that's where his blood really boils.

He's unapologetically racist and unbending in his world view. And he's none too pleased when a family of Asian immigrants moves in next door to him, with their smelly food and strange customs, and their seeming involvement with a small time local gang. But after a strange series of events, he is forced to look past the prejudiced facades he's erected around them and see them for who they are: fellow humans. And it's not long before his life becomes intertwined with theirs, to an amazing degree.

This is my favorite Eastwood performance, and one of my very favorite of his films as director as well. His constant simmering and relentless glares of pure disdain fly off the screen, making you at once afraid of, repulsed by, and sympathetic towards this broken old man who is just trying to stay true to a code which has worn sorely out of adjustment from years of reclusion and hard-line extremism. Yet as this character evolves, we get to see the best of both his old and new selves, as his particular powers are put to use towards good ends rather than bad. It's almost as if this man were a phoenix who burned his own soul to the ground, only to rise up from the rubble in a powerful selfless ascension.

You'll have to see it for yourself to judge. But do make sure you see it.

Considering most people have seen this film, I'll make it brief...

Ah yes, "Hellraiser". No other movie I can think of that could combine sodomy and hell and make it look so creepy, gross, and credulous. This film is far beyond sick.

I liked "Hellraiser" for its sickening ambience, creative characters, twisted gore, and conception. The film did feel a wee bit made-for-TV-ish, but it's not enough to bring it down.

And Hollywood will be remaking this film and it will suck pickles. Goddamn it!

To think I was all excited to assimilate "House of 1,000 Corpses" 'cause considering Rob's reputation as a horror film buff, you'd think it be grand and epic. Years go by as Rob's movie is rejected constantly by film studio distributors for this film's supposed graphic violence. Well after two or so years it was finally released, and after watching this crap, I finally understand why this film was rejected. This film was rejected 'cause, well, IT SUCKED!!!! COMPLETELY OVERRATED PILE OF CRAP!!!!

Where the film fails logically is in its direction. It is exactly like an Oliver Stone film which is shot in many aspects and in many different forms and you can't even tell what the hell is going on. The story is nonsensical. It's just a bunch of hillbillies torturing stupid brat teens. It's just--urgh, this film just sucks.

Words can't describe it, this film is abysmal and only people who want to have buttsex with Rob Zombie will like it.

I get the sense that the filmmakers wanted to immediately capitalize on the success of "The Machine Girl" and forgot to present a sensible story, as much of it seems kinda' mashed together and unorganized. Another vital piece of the puzzle that is missing is the charm and the kinda' wink-wink approach to gory filmmaking that was seen in "The Machine Girl".

With that said, I still believe "Tokyo Gore Police" is not a serious film, aside from a few scenes used to push the story of Ruka's (Eihi Shina) father being murdered. Although Ruka dosen't speak much and never cracks a smile, her level of destruction is so absurd that the director is obviously looking for laughs. There is no way some of these scenes could have any purpose other than being purposely over the top. One example is when Ruka runs her car through a pile of bodies that were obviously mannequins. Another is when the police chief gets his legs cut off as his knees spew so much blood he takes off in the air as if he's wearing a jet pack, spinning around and getting chopped to bits even more.

My favorite aspect of the film was all the public service announcements and commercials that were thrown in at random to act as a break from all the gory nonsense. Of course, they were also violent, but many of them were very funny. The best one was definitely the "Wrist Cutter G". I may be a little sick, but somehow the director convinced me that three Japanese girls parading around with cute little wrist-cutting devices resembling a Nickelodeon commercial is hilarious, resulting in my rewinding it several times. The young schoolgirls assured us that wrist-cutting is cute, stylish, and blood starts to taste good. Who thinks up this crap?

It seems that "Tokyo Gore Police" is the product of the successful "The Machine Girl" flick, as the filmmakers decide they needed to up the blood, guts, and bizareness to an even higher level but unfortunately lost some of the charm with a unpolished, sometimes incoherent plot.

Recommended for people that like films that are gory for the sake of being gory, like me! And remember, more gore is on its way! Great, thanks!

The movie kicks off with a ridiculous sequence where "Bruce Lee" (whose gravestone was apparently bought at the same 99 cent store where you can get this DVD) being brought back to life via a lightning strike -- displayed, of course, via grainy stock footage. Apparently, zombie Bruce goes off to play pai gow poker, since we never see him again. The star here is Bruce K.L. Lea (real name Jun Chong) playing a guy named Wong, who heads to Los Angeles to meet up with one of the guys he used to run a school with. His former partner turns out to be dead, and Wong now has a series of racial stereotypes after him. Dragging a semi-cute and ditzy sidekick along for the ride, Wong sets out to find the "shocking" truth about who killed his friend.

The sidekick is played Debby Tebora, credited here as Deborah Chaplin -- I guess no one involved with this crud wanted their names attached. In fact, it was actually rumored at one point that the film was helmed by Italian horror director Umberto Lenzi. Nope, it's actually Doo-Yong Lee, a Korean director who surprisingly had a fairly respectable career in Asia before and since this cinematic turd. The same cannot be said for the rest of the cast and crew, many of which have this as their sole credit on IMDB. Maybe they were all buddies of Doo-Yong's who got drunk on soju, wrote the script on cocktail napkins, borrowed someone's super-8 camera, and set about to make the worst Brucepolitation flick ever. At least that's what the end results make it seem like.

Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave is the sort of movie that's fun for about the first ten minutes while you quaff a beer and make fun of its' shortcomings. But then, after the first terrible attempt at putting a fight scene on-screen hits your eyeballs like an acid wash, the stark realization hits you that you have eighty more minutes of this garbage to sit through, and no amount of liquor will be able to numb the pain. Even the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 troupe, who have made a career out of making trash like Manos: The Hands of Fate at least somewhat enjoyable, would be hard-pressed to wring any sort of enjoyment out of this failed production. From start to finish, Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave is simply one of the worst movies this reviewer has ever had the displeasure of sitting through. Do your brain (and sanity) a favor and don't waste your time or money with this cinematic turd.

This film is exactly what I have been waiting for. It's about time that a realistic, honest and unapologetic film about superheroes has come to light. Nothing comes close to the thematic elements incorporated in this movie. The characters are unique and iconic. The fight choreography is well done and it's funny to think about how mainstream martial arts have become in big budget Hollywood flicks. The sad part is most Americans don't realize how mainstream martial arts have become within our own society. "The Matrix" trilogy, "Lethal Weapon 4" (yes, I still carry the torch for that flick and you can eat my ass if you ain't feelin' me), "The Transporter", and now "Watchmen" are all basically martial arts movies. Don't agree? Then ask yourself this: what is the core type of action that fuels each one these films? Hmmm. Interesting.

I'm going to be a good monkey and not kick you cats any spoilers, but I will tell you what I can. The story is brilliant and fairly plausible. The fights are very enjoyable, especially considering how schlocky and mundane American style fight choreography can be. Some noticeable changes from the graphic novel are present, but I don't want to get too specific because like I said I'm trying to keep this spoiler-free. Next to "Sin City" this is the best comic book movie adaption in existance. "Watchmen" covers many social, moral, philosophical and realistic concepts that are rarely acknowleged in films of this genre.

Don't know who the fascinatingly tenacious and uncompromising character of Rorschach is? Ever seen a realistic portrayal of superheroes? Do you know what Malin Akerman looks like naked? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you might want to give this a chance. You should also definitely be sure to watch the director's cut. It's three hours of the best movie viewing that I have ever experienced.

Oh crap, I got to be somewhere. Sorry to cut out but I'll be at you. Peace.

The martial arts and acting were very strong, even though the Japanese and Chinese swordsmen (Norman Chu, Damian Lau) were given superhuman abilities as the wirework got a little excessive. For reasons unknown, the director decided to add some weird moments that sometimes seemed out of place from the story of the two chivalrous warriors and the ulterior motives of this decade's tournament. Some of these include a talking parrot, tunneling ninjas, a female ninja that can make her clothes explode off her body, and more ninjas on kites.

"Duel to the Death" also managed to grab a CAT 2B rating, which is above the normal rating of films from this genre. The reasons for this are probably the naked ninja and the large amount of blood and dismemberment. In fact, "Duel to the Death" is a very violent movie that features decapitations and many shredded body parts.

I also found "Duel to the Death" to have some of the most beautiful locations, lighting, and backgrounds I have seen from this era. It may take multiple viewings to notice, but this is a gorgeous film.

As the abbot said to the naked ninja, "Buddha's name be praised".

Highly recommended!

"Duel To The Death" is a very nice movie. It has lots of swordplay action, utilizing a lot of acrobatics, trampling shit, wire fu, and straight combat. Another thing to consider is the movie's excellent score. I loved the main theme song, which is quite euphonious, along with other music that fit well with the film. The effects were a bit silly but fun, especially the giant 20-foot ninja or the glider ninjas and exploding dummies which I didn't even think they tried to make look real. Cinematography, blah blah blah, GREAT!

However there are a couple of reasons why I gave this film a 4 out of 5. First off, the wire fu. They didn't use quite as much as some people might think throughout the film, but the final fight was a bit too retarded. Sure there are great moments in this particular fight sequence, but the over-used effects of them flying about was too much. Second is some slow pacing and a few futile scenes--scenes like the manly woman fighter who was getting in touch with her feminine side or any crapping slight infatuation scenes which were stupid and repulsive. I HATE LOVE SCENES! THEY FLAT-OUT SUCK! :)

Overall, a schizophrenic wuxia pian ninja movie with a lot of action, great music, one naked woman (booooooo), decent story, and funny effects. Not recommended to wire fu fans.

The way the fights are choreographed was brilliant. I mean, a film like this can prove that special effects can work significantly well, primitively, rather than through CGI or any other lazy, factitious garbage that afflicts the thought-process of today's film culture (or at least mine). I loved it all, from the stealth and magic fights to the traditional kung fu. Beauteous.

I loved a lot of the characters in the film mainly based upon how they look. Gordon Liu obviously was the coolest, especially when he had his fight scene with Lau Kar Leung. It's that kind of appeal that turns me onto these kind of films in terms of costuming, character and personality, and not just with kung fu action in general.

The story and concept would be considered ordinary by some, depending on how long you've been exposed to kung fu films. The story is about the Ching Government sending some magician fighters to kill a deserter (Lau Kar Leung), fearing that he might expose the falsities of Chinese magic being utilized against foreign weapons to the Emperor. The story is really quite good.

In conclusion: aside from "8 Diagram Pole Fighter", this is the best film Lau Kar Leung has ever directed. Highest recommendations.

I somewhat enjoy all the magic stuff, hidden weapons, and ninjaesque trickery on display. But it just becomes too much. I mean, all the cloak and dagger, smoke and mirrors, secret identity, voodoo dolls stuff just becomes tiresome to me after a while. Some of it is of course needed in a movie about the boxer cults. But a little less David Copperfield and a little more straight up fu would have gone a long way.

Then there are the scenes with Fu Sheng. I am admittedly not his biggest fan, but have enjoyed his efforts in several films. I don't here. Every scene with him seems completely pointless and tacked on and is a real pain to get through. I could really have done without his character here. Also, the whole girl "disguised" as a guy gag, that is so prevalent, yet never believable, in so many kung fu flicks, is another annoyance of mine. Kara Hui as a man! What are these people, blind?

All the fights and weapons displays from the Lau brothers are of course a joy to watch, all culminating in a final showdown that can only be described as classic weapons galore. I realize that this is high level stuff, and the Laus' understanding of these weapons and proficiency with them is astounding. But I'm just not that into weapons fighting. So even though I appreciate the high skill level and fast, fluid choreo work, I'm just a little bored after a while.

I just have to face it. I have given this movie every chance in the book but always come to the same conclusion: this may be a great movie, it's just not for me.

Today on the menu we will be revisiting the third "Once Upon A Time In China", or as many of us think of it, the last OUATIC movie with street cred. After this one Vincent Zhao (aka Chui Man Chuk) took center stage as the great master Wong. He did an excellent job but the series seemed to lose its spark. This film was the last one with that spark. While it was dramatically less amazing than the two that preceded it, this one still manages to entertain and thrill while maintaining its overall feel and mythology.

This movie also features the introduction of one of my favorite OUATIC characters, Clubfoot, who is played by the highly skilled and severely underappreciated Xiong Xin Xin. That man is a beast and he brings sick amounts of intensity and vigor to the role of Clubfoot. I would have to say that an argument could be made that from the third movie on, Xiong Xin Xin was carrying the whole project on his back.

As my homegirl, Cinema!, stated in her review, the lion dances are beautiful, vicious and fun to watch, but the downside (like some other reviewers have stated) is that we wind up missing out on an intense one-on-one square-off like the first and second film. In the end of the first we get Jet Li vs. Wang Yu: legendary. In the second we get Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen: way sick. In the third we get: stiffed. That's not right, folks. If you got a good recipe that everyone can enjoy, you probably shouldn't tamper with the spices.

But despite a drop in various qualities and too much cousin courting, this film is still completely crucial in my eyes. Let's face it, all of the "Once Upon A Time In China" movies rock and this one is no different. Complete the collection and take in the struggle for China's independence and the adventures of legendary warriors. Or you can wait for the next big budget, trendy Hollywood fanboy fu drivel. Oooo, my friends and coworkers seem pretty excited about this movie called "Fighting". I saw a trailer and apparently these people I know are tools. It looks lame.

Stick with the quality classics that come directly from Asia and buy them here. Nobody paid me to write that, so I'm probably not blowin' smoke. Take care of what you can and make plans for all the other stuff. Be safe, folks. Peace.

I will say this as nicely as I can: THIS IS THE FILM THAT DEFINED KUNG FU FILMS AS WE SEE THEM TODAY! It's all about who got there first and it certainly WASN'T your precious Bruce Lee. No, no, no! It was Jimmy Wang Yu. Granted, I will admit that Bruce Lee was the one who implemented real martial arts in film, but he DID NOT start this. He did not convert Wuxin Pein into Kung Fu and I will fight to the death (literally) to prove that my superior logic overcomes weak and fragile stupidity. IN YOUR FACE! :)

Anyways, now that I'm over my male PMS (if that even exists), "The Chinese Boxer" is awesome. Lots of boxing and internal bleeding with a simple yet fun story. The fights were excellent. And yes, I know how you people want to justify your silly little comments over the idea that Jimmy doesn't know shit about kung fu, that he just swings his arms around like a tool. Plus comparing him to some un-credible director or actor. Well, you are consummately wrong. Jimmy is a brawler. He just beats people to death and I think it wonderful. His screen presence is bad-ass and you will cry knowing how wrong you truly are.

Not Jimmy's best film, but still it kicks ass and I'll say it again: CHINESE BOXER DEFINES ALL KUNG FU FILMS OF TODAY! Now if you'll excuse me, I must assimilate my retard pills!

Much like "Inside" and "Haute Tension", this movie is almost too much to watch. Taking liberally from "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and then throwing in a healthy dose of "Ilsa: She-Wolf Of The SS"; mainly because, hell, if you are going the distance, throw some Nazis in too. I think the inclusion of the Nazis was a bit of a statement from the director in relation to current French politics, which take up the credit sequence.

Every death in this movie is two steps over the top, which, if you are a gore hound, will be a treat. Unlike "Hostel", where the torture felt controlled, this is completely out of control with bolt cutters, enough guns to make Rambo blush with envy, knives, pigs--this movie out-Hostels "Hostel", which really isn't difficult. All you need is one character we care about and voila, you have a better movie.

I can really see where people won't like this, a bit heavy on the "Texas Chain Saw Massacre", but pound for pound this rivals any film for the sheer about of blood, guts, and creatively brutal deaths.