Agreement:85% of 21 voters agree with Prayingmantis888's reviews Gender: Male Age: 38 Location: Taiwan Lists:WISH LIST (5)
Bio: I am an Alaskan living in Taiwan, teaching English in a university and studying Hung Gar. I used to study and later teach 7 Star Praying Mantis as well.
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The Foot Fist Way (product link) Comedy / Martial Arts This mockumentry of a strip mall McDojo-type Taekwondo instructor whose life is falling apart is hysterical. It is full of great quotes and cringe-worthy diatribes by lead actor McBride. For anyone who knows a martial arts instructor who takes themselves way too seriously, this is the film.
2002 (product link) Action/Adventure / Ghost I file this one under "guilty pleasure!" A triumph of hairstyles over evil, with a cheesy but addictive soundtrack. The reasons for how the plot works out in the end are never explained, but it doesn't really matter. The actors pose, deliver their lines with a straight face, toss their hair, and pose some more. Nice cameo by Anya as an evil elemental spirit.
Showdown At The Cotton Mill (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I am feeling charitable and giving this film 3 stars. The editing was criminally bad, entire conversations were missing, and important chunks of fight scenes! On the plus side, it has Chi Kwan-Chun, playing Hu Huiqian as usual. The fight scenes that aren't totally chopped up are good, with Chi demonstrating his signature Hung Gar five animals to good effect. Nothing new in the plot or acting department, but worth a watch.
Flash Gordon [1980] (product link) Science Fiction / Action/Adventure This falls into that "love it or hate it" category. Super unhinged 80's cheese, with a spectacular soundtrack by Queen, beautiful women with bad 80's hair, and special effects that are so bad they're great! Topping it all off is the breathtaking over-acting by some usually decent actors, coupled with a script that will have you rolling off your sofa with peals of laughter. If you want a serious movie, look elsewhere. If you want pure camp to entertain you and some friends late at night, this is the one!
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Soundtrack by Queen, plenty of cheese, and a former James Bond as Prince Baron!
Black Belt (product link) Martial Arts / Drama I heard the hype, I watched the film, and it was awesome! It is always nice to see real experts doing the fighting in a movie. It is even better to see how martial arts can be treated by people who respect them and understand what they are truly about. The morality and symbolism in the movie is as subtle as a brick to the head, but that only emphasizes the message. I am reccomending this to anyone who like martial arts, of any style.
Dreadnaught (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Any movie with the legendary Kwan Tak-Hing in it is worthy of owning. Though this movie suffers from the curse of so many Hong Kong movies--comedy that just doesn't translate well to western culture--the fight scenes are excellent. The plot is standard for a Huang Fei-Hong movie; and the lion dancing scene, though stretching the limits of credibility, is pure entertainment.
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Agreed, any movie with the legendary Kwan Tak-Hing is worth owning!
The Lady Assassin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I usually go more for meat and potatoes kung fu movies, but this sword epic made me sit up and take notice with a decent plot and very tight fight scenes. It didn't surprise me at all to find out this was directed by Liu Jia-Liang, of more standard kung fu movie fame. One of the best wu xia movies Shaw produced in my opinion.
My Young Auntie (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy Any film with Hui Ying-Hong is worth watching, and this is one of her shining moments. There is good and effective comedy and comedy that is painful to watch here, but enough fight scenes to make up for it. Liu Jia-Liang does his usual spectacular job of making the rest of us Hung Gar men look slow, and his fight with Wang Long-Wei is worth watching again and again and again...
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I love your reviews, and I totally agree that Kara Hui is a stunner--as well as my favorite female onscreen martial artist.
The Martial Club (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This film serves vaguely as a sequel to "Challenge of the Masters". It is a top shelf fu flick for three reasons. One: tons and tons of great action, fight scenes galore. Two: Hui Ying-Hong, the most beautiful fu actress in the history of the universe. Three: Wang Long-Wei, the all time heavy gets to be a good and virtuous dude. Any one of the above would be worth the price. The plot and tone are a lot less serious than "Challenge of the Masters", which cost it half a star from me, but it is still in the top tier!
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Agreed, Hui Ying-Hong is on a pedastal with Michelle Yeoh, and Wang Lung-Wei as a good guy must be seen! The fight in the alley was excellent!
Challenge Of The Masters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is my all-time favorite Shaw flick for a few good reasons. Yes, there is less action and blood, but the fight scenes are flawless and tightly choreographed by Pops himself, Liu Jia-Liang. The story focuses on martial virtue and character, which makes it far more appealing than the usual revenge for death/rape/humiliation/etc.. The training scenes are real Hung Gar, no bizarre torture or impossible stunts. I have sat around watching this with both my 7 Star Praying Mantis and Hung Gar shifus dozens of times, and have never tired of it. This is the stuff for traditional practitioners!
Men From The Monastery (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This movie is virtually identical to "Shaolin Avengers", also a notable Shaw epic. Though both movies are great, the fight scenes in "Men From The Monastery" are a little tighter and there is better direction. Even more important is the presence of Chen Kuantai, the Shaw stable's top fighter. The movie is three short stories that are all well known parts of the "Burning of Shaolin" canon. It is a worthy addition to any Shaw library!
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This is one of The Shaw Brother's best productions! Shaolin Avengers is good also, but Men From The Monastery is the original and better of the two!
To those who feel "Shaolin Avengers" is perfect, this is a revelation. Pretty much the same events occur, but Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan Tai and Chi Kuan Chen do it even better than before. Chi Kuan Chen should be better known - he's remarkable.
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