The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label martial arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label martial arts. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

2013's Top 5 Fight Scenes!


When talking about entertainment two words almost always come up as must have's, sex and violence. Rocky covered the romantic side of things the other day with her 'Top 5 Kisses of 2013', which you can check out here, now it's time for the other side of that one-two punch of sure fire fun. Without further adieu let's get to some gratuitous violence, shall we?

5. Iron Man 3- Iron Man suit fleet VS The Mandarin
Iron Man 3 was not a good film, to be honest it was downright bad when it came to the final development of what was to be Tony Stark's archenemy. Yet, even the crappiest gift can have a pretty bow, and that's what we got at the end of Tony Stark's latest adventure. It's pure visual candy with plenty of easter eggy goodness for comic fans (see: Hulkbuster), it isn't particularly rewarding to the storyline nor does it make much sense in more than one facet but DAMN is it sweet to see the Iron Man squadron of suits come flying to Tony and that, my friends, is what merits a place at the bottom of this list. 


4. Star Trek: Into Darkness- Klingon showdown
While more of a gun battle than a straight up fight there was no way I could leave this scene off the list. Benedict Cumberbatch was already on the fast track to my favorite actors list after seeing Sherlock, but this scene, in which he mows down a squadron of Klingon warriors perfectly illustrates the capabilities of this villain. Extra points for the cool black hooded trenchcoat!

3. The World's End- Bar Fight
It's kind of an odd thing to have a movie show up in both a best fights list and a funniest scenes list. Unfortunately I ran into the same problem that Mae did earlier this week when she included The World's End in her Top 5 funniest scenes of 2013 list, which you can check out here, that problem is that, oddly, there seem to be no clips of these scenes anywhere on the 'net. In any event the fight that puts this awesome flick on my list of best fights comes about 3/4 of the way into the film when the group decides to stop trying to be inconspicuous and take the blanks head on. If you haven't seen this movie get out there and do so now, watching Nick Frost nail a combat roll and the wield two bar stools like a veteran bar ninja is one of the greatest things to happen inside of a theater this year. The best part? It's not done for laughs, the choreography is legit and would not look out of place in something like a remake of Roadhouse (with different actors of course). 

2. GI Joe: Retaliation- Snake Eyes V Storm Shadow 2
Do I really need to explain my reasoning here? These guys are the ultimate ninja warriors, the characters we all wanted to be the most when we were kids...hell even their names are right out of Encyclopedia Badassica. We got to see a lesser version of this ultimate showdown in GI Joe: Rise of Cobra but the battle we get in Retaliation blows that one away. As if that weren't enough we also get Jinx, Snake Eyes protege, and a legion of Storm Shadow trained ninja thrown in the mix.

1. The Grandmaster- Opening Fight Scene
Prior to the release I was prepared to have this movie at the top of every list I do this year, sadly Wong Kar Wai's epic film chronicling the legendary Ip Man fell apart after the first 20 minutes. But you know what? Those first 20 minutes make it worth it. To a true martial arts fan seeing a well choreographed, beautifully show fight scene is no different than anyone else watching a top level ballet. The way Wong Kar Wai captures the flow of movement throughout this entire opening scene make it one of the most breathtaking fight scenes I've seen to date. What really puts it over the top and earns it #1 over Snake Eyes V Storm Shadow is the striking use of black and white and the wonderfully artistic rainfall which both serve to extenuate the beauty of the martial art.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Awesome new clip from martial arts masterpiece, 'The Raid'!


If you want an idea why myself and thousands of others have been going absolutely wild over The Raid(my review here), then this clip will give you a perfect example why. Directed by Gareth Evans and starring silat superstar Iko Uwais, the film is a break neck paced, bone crunching classic, about a SWAT team that takes on a drug lord's heavily guarded stronghold in the heart of the Jakarta slums. Due to hit theaters next month on the 23rd, a sequel is already in the works as well as an American remake...which will probably suck.

Regardless, this clip is pretty badass, with Uwais' character forced to take on four thugs at once and...well, it doesn't work out quite like they expected it to. Check it out below, and if it gets you pumped the way it should then I suggest picking up Evans and Uwais' previous film, Merantau.

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tony Jaa to star in Malaysian fight sequel, 'KL Gangster 2'?


The struggles of Thai martial arts superstar, Tony Jaa, have been documented fairly well here on this site. Frankly, we love Tony Jaa here, and we consider movies like Ong Bak and The Protector to be two genuine classics. Nobody throws an elbow like that guy. But the turmoil surrounding Ong Bak 2 and the nonsensical Ong Bak 3(nearly made my worsts list) sent Jaa scrambling to a monastery to become a monk for a year. Seriously. Well now he's back, and he looks to be ready to reclaim his throne as the best action star on the planet.

Earlier this year we received a shock when Jaa was confirmed to be co-starring in a sequel to The Protector, which we hopefully see some time in 2012. And now comes a rumor that Jaa may be featured in KL Gangster 2, the sequel to one of the most successful Malaysian action flicks. The story centers on two brothers caught up in the seedy criminal underworld, one who finds himself pulled back into the life after trying to get a fresh start. Along with director Syamsul Yusof, the entire cast is expected to return for the story which is being planned as a prequel.


Take this with a grain of salt. Jaa tends to be mercurial with his projects, so let's just wait for something more official before we get too excited. [Yahoo Singapore]

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Trailer Time: The Raid, directed by Gareth Evans


Gareth H. Evans only makes high octane martial arts flicks. Even though he's Welsh, his stock 'n trade are movies using the Indonesian "Silat" style of combat. Razor thin plots used merely as an excuse to jump straight into the ass kicking action, which is a mix of Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa, and the pistol blazing shootouts of John Woo. For a prime example, check out his 2009 flick, Merantau.

The buzz surrounding Evans' latest film, The Raid(also starring Iko Uwais), has been phenomenal coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival, with some proclaiming it the best action film in years. Judging by this balls out, kinetic trailer I can see why. It revolves around a SWAT team raiding a high rise apartment full of armed goons in order to take out a drug lord. If this clip is to be believed it's almost entirely action with very little time to stop and take a breath. True be told it reminds me a lot of District B13, but far more violent.

The film is being packaged now for a US release, with Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda cranking out an updated score. We'll be keeping an eye out for a firm release date, but for now check out the trailer, and hold on to your seats...


Monday, November 30, 2009

1st Look at The Karate Kid!

Some films are never meant to be messed with, remade, tampered with, whatever. I don't consider The Karate Kid quite on that list, but it's close. However, despite my protesting, the remake starring the junior Fresh Prince Jaden Smith(and produced by daddy Will) and martial arts legend Jackie Chan has continued. The film doesn't release until June, 2010 but People Magazine and Sony have released the first shots from the movie. They show Jaden in various training sequences, including one where he does a pretty bomb crane style kick. I gotta give it up to him for that. Word is he trained for 4 months for the role, and it definitely shows. Check out the photos, let us know what you think. Is this new Karate Kid gonna be a disaster or a welcome surprise?

Looks like Jaden might hook up with a little Asian chick, too. Hitch, Jr?