Tag: Martial Arts

That’s No Kung Fu “Panda Plan” When Jackie Chan is Involved. At Least the Fun is Amped Up!

When Jackie Chan has a Panda Plan, that’s all fans need to know with this movie now playing at select theatres near you.

Panda Plan Movie PosterWell GO USA

Quite often, the roles Jackie Chan plays are not unique. He hasn’t played some notorious gangster or a bad guy yet. As far as I know, he’s been a random thug, but these were uncredited roles. In his latest, Panda Plan (熊猫计划), he’s simply being himself much like in the cartoon, Jackie Chan Adventures. Since it really is this animated series brought to real life, minus the grandfather and kid side-kick. The only difference is that in this toon, he’s an archaeologist with connections with a secret agency and in this film, he’s an actor/stuntman. Although most of the scenes with the cub are CGI, I bought into the illusion since to have a real one on set would bring out the activists.

The humour is classic; the stunts are over the top, and the situations he ends up in are gonzo! Hu Hu is the star of a local zoo and this cutie pie steals the show (even though most of the scenes are digital). His caretaker is Xiao Zhu (Shi Ce) and although she doesn’t quite get the screen time she deserves, thankfully she isn’t forgotten.

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Steve Wang and an Amazing 40 Years in the Makeup Effects Industry. Reflections on the Film That Defined His Career: Kung Fu Rascals

Not everyone will be aware that Steve Wang’s career as a master creature effects artist is approaching 40 years!

Kung Fu Rascals Blu-ray
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Steve Wang’s behind-the-scenes credits are vast, and to talk to him about the work that got him recognized as an award-winning creature creator and master FX artist was an absolute pleasure. He grew up watching shows like Ultraman, Super Sentai along with many Japanese monster movies which would later influence his creations.

One movie that helped him get recognized in Hollywood was Kung Fu Rascals, which was very DIY, funded out of his own pocket when studio support faded, and it’s now finally getting a Blu-ray treatment from Visual Vengeance, a subsidiary of Wild Eye Releasing.

This film emerged in the early 90s when the tokusatsu genre was truly getting a foothold in North America. Before then, martial arts films with stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were all the rage. Fans wanted more, the style that transitioned out of one decade to another certainly influenced this filmmaker. He loved all those classics and they certainly had an influence on his style.

And to know more about where he came from, I had the opportunity to talk to him.

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Recognising The Film Master’s The Crippled Masters During Disability Pride Month

Hint: Lawrence Carter-Long’s essay on The Crippled Masters is required reading to truly appreciate why this film exists. The booklet provides a proper backdrop on how this project came about.

The Crippled Masters by Film Masters
Now availiable for purchase on Amazon USA

The Film Masters have moved on from examining vintage horror pieces to martial arts! In The Crippled Masters, what’s presented is a film many fans of this genre may well overlook; This movie features two genuinely handicapped martial artists: Shun Chung-Chuen (Two Crippled Heroes) and Thomas Hong Chiu-Ming (Fighting Life) who prove that two people working together as one can kick a lot of asses!

In the story, Lin Chang Cao (Mu Chuan Chen) is a cruel crime lord who ordered the dismemberment of Tang and Lee Ho’s limbs. The former lost his legs and the other their arms. It’s a good way to explain why these two became the way they are, and although Ho is not willing to let this loss let him down, he’s determined to live on. Tang, on the other hand, feels ready to face an untimely death. At first, they are hostile to each other at the shelter they find, but when they realise it’s a home to another cripple, the three better be friends! By sheer luck, The Old Man (Jackie Conn) they meet is a master of a distinct style of martial art, and he’s willing to teach these youths how to harmonise.

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Unboxing The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection and Why He’s Still The King!

All we as fans can do is look back at the good, bad, and ugly about the phenomenon as Bruceploitation. Thankfully it was short-lived.

The Game of Clones Bruceploitation Collection Vol 1
Available to pre-order on Amazon USA

Severin Films
Release Date: June 25,. 2024

Bruce Lee is simply a legend! Although I wasn’t even born when the movies he made played at cinemas, I did find his works broadcasted on television. Also, because Bruceploitation was everywhere, I wondered how could a studio even advertise a work when I knew he was dead! Thankfully the release of The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol 1 helped answer all my questions, even though I had to wait more than thirty years to arrive. As a kid, I was scratching my head!

When I found films at a mom-and-pop video rental store in Chinatown that claimed to be new, I laughed. I at least knew the likeness was not perfect. But for the operation bootlegging everything they could get their hands on, they didn’t care. It was business as the love for Lee was still big; and even my local television stations were showing dubbed versions which I ate up like being at the movies on a Saturday night.

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Enter the Clones of Bruce (Lee) and the Crazy Phenomenon known as Bruceploitation

Everyone loves Bruce, and no we are not talking about Campbell. Enter the Clones of Bruce (Lee) examines why this person is much more beloved and why an industry was born after his death.

Enter the Clones of Bruce Movie PosterHeaded to Digital Platforms on April 30 & Blu-ray on May 21, 2024

Severin Films and Alamo Drafthouse will soon be playing the award-winning documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce not only on the big screen, but also small. For the former, there will be special screenings beginning April 12th in Los Angeles. In addition–and direct from Hong Kong–legendary Bruce clone Bruce Le will make rare personal appearances at screenings in Los Angles (4/12-14), San Francisco (4/16), Austin (4/18) and New York City (4/20-21). At these shows will also include screenings of Le/Bruceploitation classics that include The Dragon Lives Again, Enter The Game of Death, Ninja Strikes Back And The Challenge of The Tiger.

On May 21st, Bruceploitation will also get globally unleashed with the Blu-ray releases of Enter The Clones of Bruce, along with Severin’s unprecedented The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Volume 1, a 7-disc collection presenting 12 of the very best–and frequently very bizarre–films starring Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, Bruce Liang and more, all restored for the first time ever from original elements. Games of Clones also includes Enter the Clones of Bruce, along with hours of specially produced extras and featurettes.

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When One Percent Warrior is Unstoppable and Fights Back A Hundred-Fold!

One cool aspect about One Percent Warrior concerns its willingness to get meta, and poke fun at itself regarding this industry.

One-Percent Warrior. Blu-ray Casejpg
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Well GO USA

Although I’ve seen this type of story in comedic takes on what an actor wants to change up about his life, One Percent Warrior (1%er ワンパーセンター) is very different. Here, filmmaker Yūdai Yamaguchi crafted a concept that lets fans of martial arts films learn about what keeps some fighters going. Tak Sakaguchi is not simply out to relive his glory days.

As Takuma Toshiro, the passion lies in what makes an actor an actor, and a fighter at his prime. No, it’s about how one channels his chi, but it’s in what being a martial arts action star represents. While this talent is making a new movie in an abandoned factory, things get difficult when two gangs interrupt the process! They are in search of hidden loot.

Suddenly, these actors, directors, and production crew have to rely on their skills and good ol’ fashioned cowboy diplomacy in order to survive! Unlike the comedy Die Hart, we’re not supposed to know what is faked or not. When lives are in danger, it’s up to Tak to save the day!

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