Tag Archives: Martial Arts

The Folklore Behind Invincible Dragon (九龙不败)

21 Nov

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Well GO USA
Now Available on Netflix and DVD

Jin (Max) Zhang is the next Fist of the North Star. Or should that be Crying Freeman? Anime references notwithstanding, he has the good looks to pull off playing either character should they get realized into live action. But in Invincible Dragon, he plays Kowloon, an undercover cop whose lapse in judgement on duty has robbed him of more than just a fiancée. He gets reassigned and stumbles into another crime wave much to the chagrin of his captain.

A psychopath is out on the loose and killing female police officers. Losing his girlfriend is motivation to get him on the case. It’s a cop and MMA showcase of what Zhang can do as a fighter. The punches feel real, especially when his rival, Alexander Sinclair, is played Brazilian mixed martial artist Anderson Silva. They are the highlight. Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bungee cord used in a fight before!

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News Stars are “Vanguard” with Jackie Chan!

19 Nov

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Coming to limited theatres Nov 20, 2020

Please check local listings

After many months of delay because of a certain pandemic, Jackie Chan’s Vanguard‘s world tour lands in North American cinema. Without his name, this film might get missed. This star isn’t as spry. Ultimately, the younger stars in this film are the ones who shine.

Zhang Kaiyuan (艾伦; Lun Ai) and Lei Zhenyu (rising star 杨洋; Yang Yang) are members of Vanguard, a private global security firm providing the best protection to corporations and dignitaries. They thwart attempts to kill Guoli Qin (Jackson Lou), an accountant, but pretty soon, the terrorists target his daughter Fareeda (Ruohan Xu). This group is led by Omar (Eyad Hourani), and his goals are far worse. Everyone gets involved, including Tang Huating (Chan) who is the head of the organization, and that’s when the action gets amped up.

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The Kung Fu Credo Shines in The Paper Tigers

31 Aug

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Playing at Fantasia Digital Film Festival 2020 on Sept 1st, 5:30pm PST. Buy your virtual ticket here. Canadian Residents only.

Making its US debut at 36th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (Sept 24-Oct 31st)

All hail The Paper Tigers! This martial arts comedy shows what three former students–now past their prime–are up to since they stopped practising. When their sifu (Roger Yuan, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny) die under mysterious circumstances, they reunite to figure out what’s going on, and along the way, try to get back their mojo.

While the humour is light, the mystery is heavy. However, the heart and soul of the film belong to those aphorisms you’d take away from after certain films or television. In this case, it’s Kung Fu, the original series.

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In the Hall of the Mountain King with LEGO NInjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

26 Jul

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu | Free online games and video ...By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

Television networks in North America are very behind in keeping pace with the animated LEGO Ninjago property. In Asia, Master of the Mountain, season thirteen of the Masters of Spinjitzu series, is now available. It may well head west, to broadcast in Europe next before crossing the Atlantic for the Americas.

In SDCC@Home’s programming lineup, I hoped the LEGO Company would make some mention. No recent announcements were made since season twelve is now broadcasting in the States. Whatever the reason is for the delay, fans will have to wait or subscribe to  foreign streaming sites to watch this latest chapter.

The series is showing no signs of slowing down. A new direction for the boys (and girl) in red, white, green, blue and black is to see them leave the Ninjago kingdom and explore another. Perhaps this time much further away. They’ve done the trip to other dimensions enough times. These other realms are simply representations of other cultures or are aspects of the paranormal.

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