In Our Prime 이상한 나라의 수학자 (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for In Our Prime, starring Choi Min-Sik and Kim Dong-Hwi. The movie is described as:

Ji-Woo is a high school student struggling with math who ends up asking for help with it from a school security guard, Hak-Sung. Reluctantly, Hak-Sung (who has a secret past) helps Ji-Woo, and a bond is formed. Ji-Woo's math proficiency expands, but trouble mounts at his high school...

Being terrible at math myself, I am actually pretty intrigued by this movie. I am also a big fan of Choi Min-Sik, so I have to see this! It comes out  March 9, 2022 in South Korea. Hopefully it will get an international release as well!

 

Underground Monster (地底怪物) 2022 - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Underground Monster, coming out on February 25, 2022! Here is a description of the movie: 

Constant dumping of toxic waste in an isolated town causes an underground cave dweller to mutate into a monster. A construction team working near the area accidentally disturb it, causing the monster to attack! 

I must say, that description doesn't really describe what's happening in the trailer! Still, it looks pretty interesting!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Street Fighter: Beginnings End

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a fight based on Street Fighter! Since Street Fighter 6 was unveiled this past week, it reminded me of this scene done by the Thousand Pounds crew! I loved this scene when it came out! I think it was the first video I was able to play on my Wii back then (man, getting YouTube to work on the Wii was a pain). This fight scene was the best live action Street Fighter fight scene ever filmed until Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist came out. It was so cool to see Ryu and Ken's moves being done in real life (and not just their special and super moves). If you didn't know, I am a huge Street Fighter fan. Anyways, enjoy!

Dust and Ashes 축복의 집 (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Dust and Ashes, coming out in South Korea on February 24, 2022. The plot is described like this: 25 year old Hae-su is planning her mother's funeral, who died suspiciously. Dealing with people's questions and stares, her anxiety worsens, and she begins her secret plan... The film stars  AN So-yo, and is directed by PARK Hee-kwon. This trailer is mysterious, and I will admit, I'm intrigued. I really want to see this movie!

 

The Red Sparrow (朱雀战纪,) chinese sci-fi action Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for The Red Sparrow! This is not the Jennifer Lawrence movie! I can't find any information on this movie, but man, it looks awesome! Hoping this one comes out internationally! It comes out later this year!

Fight Scene Friday - Fight!!! Brenden Hour & Jimmy Chhiu vs. Jeremy Marinas - Training Day (practice fight)

 I was so busy writing a review that I almost forgot that today is Fight Scene Friday™! Today's scene comes from the Eighty-Seven Eleven Action Design Group, starring Jeremy Marinas (the guy fighting solo), Brenden Huor (guy in red pants), and Jimmy Chhiu (guy with masculine chin). The scene was directed by Manny Manzanares of the Lazy Brown Productions group. I am a huge fan of Manny's choreography and fight scenes. His fights flow so well, and they are hard-hitting. This scene blew my mind back when I first saw it in 2014, and it's still great to me now! I also love the Above The Law/Righting Wrongs theme playing during the credits/outtakes. That song rules, as does the movie! Without further ado...check out the scene!

 

Drive (1997) - A Review

 

This movie lives up to the hype!

Drive is an American action/martial arts movie released in 1997 that stars Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison, Brittany Murphy, John Pyper-Ferguson, Tracey Walter, Sanaa Latham and Masayo Kato. Steve Wang directed Drive, with Koichi Sakamoto in charge of fight choreography and stunts.

In Drive, Marc Dacascos plays Toby Wong, a man who is on the run from the Chinese government because he has a bio-engine that they implanted in his chest. This bio-engine gives him enhanced strength, speed, reaction time, and keeps his adrenaline high during action. Toby arrives in America on a cargo ship and is met with a crew of business suited bad guys! He fights them off in spectacular fashion and escapes. Vic Madison (played by John Pyper-Ferguson) and his main lackey (played by Tracey Walter) vow to capture Toby no matter what!

Mark Dacascos is the MAN in Drive!

 Toby makes his way to a bar, where Malik Brody (played by Kadeem Hardison) is working on his next big song. Malik is out of work and is separated from his wife (played by Sanaa Latham) and daughter. He at least has a friend in the bartender. Vic takes Malik as a hostage, but Toby turns the tables on him! The police arrive, and Vic acts like he was victimized by Toby, so Toby takes Malik as a hostage to escape! Despite this rather traumatizing  way of meeting, Toby and Malik become friends...eventually.

In Malik's sweet car, Toby tells him that he is not going to hurt him, and that he needs to get to Los Angeles. Malik refuses at first, but changes his mind after hearing that Toby will pay him half of the 5 million dollars he will get for selling the bio-engine to a corporation there. From here, a fun, fight-filled road trip happens. When Toby proves too difficult to capture, the Chinese government send in an Advanced Model (played by Masayo Kato) to deal with him.

Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison have great chemistry!

Drive is one of those movies I heard about for decades, but was never able to watch. My friends and family all watched it before I did in the 90's, telling me how great it was. I could never catch it when it came on HBO or Showtime back then. It wasn't even available at my local video rental store! At most, I caught the motel scene once. As of this writing, Drive is available to watch for free on Tubi, Pluto TV On Demand, and YouTube in America. A remastered Director's Cut blu-ray was released in America last year (which I am planning to buy), and will be released later this year in Europe. The version I watched was the edited version first released in 1997. So, did it live up to the hype? It sure did!

The plot isn't complicated, but that doesn't matter when the fight scenes are this good! Also, this movie is really funny! I didn't expect it to be this funny! Kadeem Hardison is hilarious in this! Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison have great chemistry together. Kadeem Hardison's Malik is quite the ladies magnet! Even Mark Dacascos has some funny lines in this! There are also homages and shout outs to Hong Kong movies, and a certain director and movie star (now legend)!

Brittany Murphy is very funny in this! My crush on her is reignited!

Brittany Murphy is so great in this. She plays Deliverance Bodine, a motel owner who is a bit of a wild child. She has a thing for Malik and just wants to party. When the bad guys come to the motel, she doesn't hesitate to save Toby and Malik in certain instances. Her absolute glee in shooting a machine gun is cute, not going to lie. Brittany Murphy is so funny in her scenes, and the whole motel segment of the movie is lifted higher because of her performance. I will say, you can see some of Luanne Platter (who she voiced in King Of The Hill) in her performance in Drive. I had a crush on Brittany Murphy back in the day, and it was reignited after seeing this movie!

The fight scenes are fast and hard-hitting! They do not disappoint!

There are four main fight scenes in Drive, and they are all awesome! The first fight scene on the ship happens at the beginning of the movie, and it shows how Toby is a fighting dynamo. Mark Dacascos performs every move with with precision and grace. He is really great in this, and it sucks that he is so underrated as an action star. In the quarry fight scene, Toby and Malik are handcuffed together, so Toby uses the environment and the thugs themselves to defend himself and Malik. It is reminiscent of Jackie Chan in Project A: Part II.  The motel scene involves fighting in close quarters, as Toby fights in a motel room and a car garage. Toby uses a bed to do some cool acrobatic moves. Brittany Murphy gets in on the fun in this scene as well. The final fight scene is at a night club, and Toby has to fight off Vic Madison and his thugs, along with the Advanced Model. Toby goes all out in this scene, but the Advanced Model is a bit too much for him. He has to dig deep within himself to beat the Advanced Model. Malik also has to fight Vic, who uses a very hateful weapon on him.

Koichi Sakamoto was the fight choreographer, and he did an excellent job showcasing Mark Dacascos' skill. All the fight scenes are different from each other, so you won't get bored by them. The fight scenes are Hong Kong-style, and they hit fast and hard. Why Sakamoto was never hired for big Hollywood productions, I'll never know. You may know Koichi Sakamoto as the action choreographer and executive producer for Power Rangers (starting in season three, one of the worst seasons along with Zeo in regards to lack of fight scenes, Turbo was where the action got back on track) and other Super Sentai shows. It is cool to see Koichi go all out with his choreography in this!

I highly recommend watching Drive if you enjoy martial arts movies or action movies in general. It moves at a fast pace, and it is really funny. The fight scenes are plenty and turbo charged! It even stars Tracey Walter (who you may remember as Joker's lackey Bob in Batman 1989) as a lackey to Vic! This is one of  Mark Dacascos' best movies, and his chemistry with Kadeem Hardison is fun to watch. Now I need to watch the Director's Cut, as there are a lot of character building scenes cut in the version I watched for this review. The final fight scene against the Advanced Model is also longer in the Director's Cut. Whichever version you are able to see, you won't be disappointed!

Reviewed by David Williams

Man's Creed (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Man's Creed! It stars Simon Yam, Zhang Lanxin, Kenneth Tsang, and Sabrina Qiu. The movie is directed by Richard Lin, and it comes out February 25th, 2022. Unfortunately, I can't find any information on the plot of the movie, but from what's shown in the trailer, it looks really cool!

(The trailer is not subtitled unfortunately. Enjoy the sights and sounds!)

[Fight Scene Friday!] Jay vs Tarell - Kung Fu Practice Fight

 On Fridays I will be sharing my favorite fight scenes and short films. For the first Fight Scene Friday™, check out this practice fight from the Team Red Pro crew! I like the choreography a lot in this, and of course, the music amps up the action. I can't explain to you the rush I felt when I first heard 'Mystikal Fever' during the final fight scene in Kiss Of The Dragon when I watched it in the movie theater. Anyways, this fight scene is so good! Jay Kwon and Tarell Kota Bullock have some serious skills, and the choreography by Kwon, Bullock, and Jerry Quill rules! Check it out!

(Language warning)

Kung Fu Jungle A.K.A. Kung Fu Killer (2014) - A Review

 

Kung Fu Jungle is really good!

Kung Fu Jungle (also known as Kung Fu Killer) is a Hong Kong action/martial arts movie released in 2014. The movie stars Donnie Yen, Wang Baoqiang, Charlie Yeung, Michelle Bai Bing, Fan Siu-Wong, and Xing Yu. There are also numerous cameos of martial arts movie actors, directors, and writers in this! The movie was directed by Teddy Chan, with Donnie Yen as action director.

In Kung Fu Jungle, Donnie Yen plays Hahou Mo, a master martial artist and police self defense instructor who is in jail for accidentally killing a man in a martial arts duel. A serial killer (played by Wang Baoquiang) is on the loose, targeting retired martial artists. Hahou contacts the police, saying he knows who the next victims will be. The lead inspector, Luk Yuen-Sum (played by the incredible Charlie Yeung), is hesitant to trust Hahou. Things change when one of the people named by Hahou as the possible next victim dies. Inspector Luk says if Hahou is successful in helping the police find the killer and the possible next victims, he will be released early from his prison sentence. From there, the case gets personal as we find out Hahou's significant other is a target! There are a lot of awesome fights and twists and turns that lead to the final showdown!

I've had this movie on Blu-Ray for years, and it's only now that I realize how great it is! I was in college when I first bought it, so when I watched it back then, I was usually doing homework at the same time. I missed a lot of stuff in my previous viewings. The story is a bit simple, but when the action is as great as it is in Kung Fu Jungle, that's not a problem. There is a bit of mystery and intrigue over the motivations of Hahou and the killer. Charlie Yeung as the lead inspector is great as well. She's tough, but fair.

The fight scenes are great in this! All of them are different from each other, so you won't be lacking in options for favorite fight scene! Donnie Yen really has only three fight scenes in this one, and they are all unique. Hahou has a huge fight in prison, and in another scene he disarms the police as he tries to escape. The final fight scene takes place on a highway, with cars and semi-trailer trucks passing by. Hahou and the killer have to avoid each other's attacks and the vehicles in this fight! Yes, some of the vehicles are CGI, but Donnie Yen and Wang Baoqiang go hard in this fight!

The rest of the fight scenes involve Wang Baoqiang as the killer. He is an incredible martial artist, and his skill really shines in Kung Fu Jungle. For spoiler reasons, I can't say why he's so good, but trust me: Wang Baoqiang is a bad a**! The killer shows off his skills against his many opponents, including Xing Yu in a fight in an art studio and Fan Siu-Wong in a fight on a movie set. 

This movie is a tribute to Hong Kong's martial arts movies, and the legends who made them, both in front of and behind the scenes. You see a poster of The Big Boss (starring Bruce Lee) in one scene. In another scene, Drunken Master (starring Jackie Chan and Yuen Siu-tien) is playing on a TV! There are so many cameos in Kung Fu Jungle: Xing Yu (Flashpoint, Ip Man, and Wrath Of Vajra), Fan Siu-Wong (Above The Law/Righting Wrongs, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, Ip Man I and II), David Chiang (Shaw Brothers legend), Kirk Wong (director of Crime Story), Billy Chan (The Big Boss, Fists of Fury, and Prodigal Son),  Tony Leung Siu-hung (director of Superfights and Bloodmoon), Mang Hoi (Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain, Yes, Madam! and is a legend for dating Cynthia Rothrock), and Raymond Chow (founder of Goldent Harvest) among many, many others! Raymond Chow is my favorite cameo, by the way!

If you like martial arts movies, especially Hong Kong martial arts movies, then I highly recommend Kung Fu Jungle! It is a modern martial arts movie with great action and a nice bit of nostalgia. It's always fun to see Donnie Yen in action as well! Check it out!

The Blu-Ray I watched for the review.

Back of the Blu-Ray case.

The Blu-Ray disc. Cool artwork!

Reviewed by David Williams

Sifu - Official Live Action Short Film Trailer

 Check out the live action trailer for the Sifu video game coming out on the Playstation 4 and Playstation 5! The creators of the game say they were inspired by martial arts movies when making the game, so I really want to try out  Sifu some day (I would need a PS5 first of all). Sifu comes out February 8, 2022!

Twisting Tiger (2022): First 5 Minutes - Teaser

 Check out the first five minutes of Twisting Tiger, the latest short film from Team Red Pro! It is directed by Joseph Le, and the Martial Club guys are involved with the action design as well. This looks very promising! I can't wait to watch the whole thing!

The official synopsis: After committing to a life of zen, a Black Shaolin Disciple with PTSD must break his vow of nonviolence and save his students from a bloodthirsty Asian gang.

(Language warning!)