[Fight Scene Friday] DRUNKEN FIST VS GANGSTERS! | 醉拳 DRUNKEN HOODLUM

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week's fight scene comes from the Dragoons Prevail team! It's about a homeless guy using drunken fist style against a bunch of jerky hoodlums! Check it out!

[Fight Scene Friday] 港風無敵 HONG KONG STYLE FOREVER (1985)

On this Fight Scene Friday™, we have the latest short film from the Andy Long Stunt team! Here is the synopsis:

 Two Kung Fu film fans, Andy and Sefa, have travelled to Hong Kong to visit the birthplace of Martial Arts Films. They have managed to catch up with HK stuntman Rodney Wong on one of his last nights before moving forever to Australia. Rodney has lost fate in the future of HK action cinema but Andy & Sefa will try to convince him how important it is for the young generation of HK Stuntmen to carry on the legacy of Martial Arts films made in Hong Kong.

This is a nice tribute/homage to 80s Hong Kong action movies, and the music from Above The Law/Righting Wrongs (1986) is a nice touch, too! Check it out! It is really good to see there are people out there trying to keep the 80s Hong Kong fight choreography style alive.

 

[Fight Scene Friday] JACKIE CHAN STYLE Playground Fight

 Fight Scene Friday™ returns, and this week's scene is inspired by Jackie Chan! Here is the synopsis from the Description: "Hilarious action-comedy playground fight inspired by the signature Jackie Chan style. Omar Zaki is being pursued because of a special briefcase he has. Can he use his fighting skills to prevent the briefcase from being captured?"

The choreography is really good in this, and they captured the spirit of a Jackie Chan fight scene really well. Check it out, you won't regret it!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Shawn v Alex: Shawn of Justice

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week we have another reunion between The Stunt People forum members. This one has a lot of inside jokes, plus the action is really good! Check it out! Shawn Bernal is still a beast!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Team Internet Presents: Surprise Visit

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this time Jay meets up with some friends in Las Vegas! It is good to see these guys doing a fight scene together again! I used to watch their videos (that they did together and separately) on the Stunt People message board, YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and anywhere else they were posted. I miss those days! It is good to see most everyone from the Stunt People message board have some success in the movie/video game making industry! Check this scene out, it's short but sweet!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Turtle Wave - Civil War (Ip Man 3 Parody)

 On this Fight Scene Friday™, we have an homage to Ip Man 3 (2015) from the Turtle Wave crew. In this scene, an MMA fighter proves he can still be a screen fighter. Some nice choreography and comedy in this one! Check it out!

 

Baby Assassins (2021) - Movie Review

 

Baby Assassins is a really funny, yet violent, movie!

Baby Assassins (also known as  Baby Valkyrie , Baby Walküre, and Beibi Warukyure)  is an action comedy film released in Japan in 2021 that stars  Izawa Saori, Takaishi Akari, Mone Akitani, Yasukaze Motomiya, Uekiya Satoshi, and Mimoto Masanori. It was written and directed by Sakamoto Yugo, with Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the fight scenes.

Perfect shot of Mahiro's (left) and Chisato's (right) personalities.

In Baby Assassins, Fukagawa Mahiro (played by Izawa Saori) and Sugimoto Chisato (played by Takaishi Akari) are two young women about to graduate from high school... who are also assassins. The assassin agency they work for tells them they must get part-time jobs after they graduate (to not arouse suspicion of where their income is coming from), and arranges for the both of them to live in an apartment together. Things go fine between Mahiro and Chisato at first, but things get tense between them later. Mahiro is more of an introvert, while Chisato is an extrovert. They both have trouble finding and holding jobs. Then they get mixed up with a Yakuza family, and their lives become even more complicated! Can Mahiro and Chisato get on the same page and deal with the Yakuza together?

The Yakuza family having a heartwarming gun lesson.

 Baby Assassins had a lot of hype when it came out in 2021, with many people raving about the action scenes in it. With Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the action (he did the awesome fight scenes in Hydra, 2019), my expectations were pretty high for this movie. Did this movie live up to the hype? For me, it totally did!

First off, there are only two major fight scenes, one at the beginning and one at the end of the movie. A lot of people who did not enjoy this movie expected more action, so please have your expectations in check. Even though the movie isn't full of action, there is a lot of violence (involving guns mainly), and the violence can get pretty brutal. To me, the best thing about Baby Assassins is the characters. Mahiro and Chisato have great personalities, and they play off each other so well. Their relationship evolves throughout the movie, and you can see where both characters are coming from (point of view-wise) Some of the situations they get in are hilarious. It is interesting to see these two young women trying to live a normal life in Japan while also being ruthless assassins. This movie is very funny! Despite the comedy, there is a sense of danger throughout, especially involving the Yakuza family. These characters are horrible people, but even they have some comedic scenes. The Yakuza father, Hamaoka Ippei (played by Yasukaze Motomiya) is especially cruel and irredeemable.

You've got to watch the fight scenes in Baby Assassins!

The action in Baby Assassins is awesome! Sonomura Kensuke really went all out with his choreography in this movie. The fighting is fast, hard-hitting, and relentless. The fights involve knives, guns, punches, kicks, and throws. Izawa Saori (Mahiro) is a stunt woman-turned actress, and she does the most intricate fighting in the movie. She is really good! I hope we see her in more starring roles in action movies. The final fight is the best fight, where Mahiro fights a Yakuza enforcer in a duel to the death. Really great stuff in this one; I don't want to spoil it, but it is a must-see fight scene. Though this movie doesn't have a lot of action, the action it does have is top-notch! 

In conclusion, Baby Assassins is a fun, creative, incredibly violent comedy that I highly suggest watching. I know comedy is highly subjective, but I think this movie is really funny (especially if you understand current Japanese culture). If you don't like the comedy, stay for the action. A lot of creative stuff happens in the fights, and the fights are highly enjoyable. Besides all that, there is a message about friendship, understanding, and mental health throughout. Check this movie out, it's amazing!

Baby Assassins movie trailer (be careful, it basically spoils the whole movie):

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] White Elephant Battle Royale

 It's the Fight Scene Friday™ before Christmas, and this year's fight scene is a short film released by Jabronie Pictures! In this one, we see how stunt people celebrate Christmas! This short film was done in 48 hours, and it is impressive how good it came out! Having worked on short films myself, I know how long things take to set up, and how long (sometimes) it takes to get the perfect take, so kudos to everyone on this crew!

I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] HOW TO DEFEAT THE NUN

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and we're down to our final Spooky Season fight scene! This week's scene has the Martial Club showing us how to defeat The Nun. You can bet I took some notes! Check it out!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] DADDY ISSUES - Anime Style Action Comedy

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week's scene is a collaboration between Lorenz Hideyoshi and the Team Red Pro crew! This is an anime-influenced fight scene, mixed with that Hong Kong style. Check it out, this fight scene rocks!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Kung Fool at School

 After having no internet for three weeks, Fight Scene Friday™ is back! This week's scene is a close-quarter fight scene from Martial Club and Shaun Charney. Very cool to see Martial Club and Shaun Charney back before they became big, again. Really cool stuff in this one! Check it out!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Do the Damn Thing: The Andy Long Experience (2010)

 For this week's Fight Scene Friday™, we see the time Andy Long met Jay in America. Let's just say, their plans don't end up working out... This was one of my favorite scenes back in the day; it was so funny to me. The action was great as well, with lots of creative choreography and great comedy. Check it out!

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) - Official Trailer

 Here is the official trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the latest Ninja Turtles movie coming out! Here is the synopsis:

After years of being sheltered from the surface world in the sewers of New York City, four Turtle brothers set out on a quest to be accepted as normal teenagers through acts of heroism. With the aid of their human friend April O'Neil, the brothers' biggest challenge puts them in the crosshairs of a mysterious crime syndicate and an army of mutants.

I... I don't know how I feel about this one. It is cool that the Turtles are voiced by actual teenagers, and it is very cool that Jackie Chan is the voice of Splinter... but I'm not liking the visual style (I am not a fan of CGI in general, though I did like TMNT that came out in 2007). I will have to see it for myself. This does look a lot better than those Michael Bay Ninja Turtles movies, though (I am assuming, I refuse to watch those ones). I am a huge Ninja Turtles fan since the cartoon show in the 80s, so I gotta see if they did my guys justice. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem comes out August 2, 2023.

 

HIDDEN STRIKE (2023) - OFFICIAL TRAILER

 The official trailer for Hidden Strike, starring Jackie Chan and John Cena has finally appeared online! The movie finished filming five years ago, and it's finally coming out this year. Here is the synopsis:

When a China-run oil refinery is attacked in Mosul, Iraq, a Chinese private security contractor (Chan) is called in to extract the oil workers. He learns, however, that the attackers’ real plan is to steal a fortune in oil, and teams up with an American former Marine (Cena) to stop them.

After all the trouble and controversy, it's good that Hidden Strike is coming out. No official release date yet, but some are saying it's coming out July 7, 2023...in Turkey. I think this movie looks entertaining; let's hope it is!

[Fight Scene Friday] Comic Con Brawl: Jay vs. Shaun

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is one of the earliest fight scenes I ever saw Fernando 'Jay' Huerto in. Watching this really brings back memories of me looking for indy fight scenes, and how to make them. This fight scene may be a little rough around the edges, but it is still entertaining. Jay and Shaun Finney make great rivals/opponents! Check it out!

Ping Pong Playa (2007) - A Review

 

Ping Pong Playa is quite the hilarious movie!

Ping Pong Playa is a sports comedy movie released in the United States in 2007 and stars Jimmy Tsai, Khary Payton, Andrew Vo, Jim Lau, Elizabeth Sung, Roger Fan, Kevin Chung, Javin Reid, Smith Cho, Peter Paige, Scott Lowell, and Stephnie Weir. The movie was co-written by Jessica Yu with Jimmy Tsai, and directed by Jessica Yu.

Jimmy Tsai plays C-Dub (Chris Wang). Dude can talk some trash!

In Ping Pong Playa, Jimmy Tsai plays Christopher Wang (though he prefers to go by C-Dub), a young man in his twenties who still lives at home with his parents. His dream is to become a big time NBA (basketball) player. He thinks very highly of his skills and routinely beats little kids in basketball games at the park. His friend, JP Money (played by Khary Payton) has more ambitious goals and is working toward them (he is even studying how to speak Chinese). JP likes and believes in Chris, but he feels Chris needs to realize where his basketball skills are actually at.

When Chris's brother, Michael (played by Roger Fan)  and mom (played by Elizabeth Sung) get injured in a minor car accident, he has to take over teaching his mom's ping pong class. Being a slacker, Chris does not take this very seriously, but the young students Felix (played by Andrew Vo), William (played by Kevin Chung), and Prabaka (played by Javin Reid) really look up to him. It turns out that the annual ping pong tournament is coming up, and Chris's parents want him to enter it. The tournament is how Chris's parents make their money: Michael enters and wins the tournament, which makes people want to learn how to play ping pong from the tournament winner's mother and buy sports goods at the tournament winner's father's store. Chris is really not into this, until some racist ping pong players (played by Peter Paige and Scott Lowell) entered in the tournament start trying to steal the ping pong students from his mom's class. Chris begins to take things seriously and trains with his father (played by Jim Lau) and his ping pong students to get ready. Can Chris get serious enough about his future and win the tournament?

C-Dub is a hero to his ping pong class.

Ping Pong Playa is a really funny sports movie! Though this is basically a family comedy, there is a bit of an edge to it (profanity is censored using funny sound effects, though). Chris is a guy that talks like a gangsta and doesn't really take anything seriously. He has no pressing motivation, though he wants to become a famous NBA player, and wants to get with Felix's older sister, Jennifer (played by the incredible Smith Cho). Even though he is kind of a jerk, he is still very likeable. Jimmy Tsai kills it in this role. When Chris realizes the stakes at hand and starts taking things seriously, you root him on. He comes to find out that being in this tournament is all about him and how he handles things, not about winning. There is a lot of funny shenanigans in this, and the little kids in this movie are great. In fact, all the actors in this movie are great. Though the story might be a little cliched, it is still really fun and entertaining to go through.

C-Dub is quite good at ping pong!

I highly recommend watching Ping Pong Playa. It is a slice of life sports comedy showing the life of an Asian-American man in his 20s living in southern California in the late 2000s. The movie is very funny without being offensive or corny. This is a pretty good movie for the whole family, but there are some edgy jokes in here. The actors are great, the story is interesting, it's actually funny, and the whole movie is entertaining. What more could you want? Check Ping Pong Playa out, it's really underrated and it's really good!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] DV2

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week's fight scene is an homage to Jackie Chan's Armor Of God (1986) from Andy Long and the Mag-Fighters crew! I really enjoyed this one! That 80s Jackie Chan Hong Kong flavor is in full effect here. There's even a little nod to Wheels On Meals (1984). I of course appreciate the music from Armor Of God used here as well. I wish movies like this were still made nowadays. Anyways, check it out!

 

Future Cops (1993) - A Review

 

The infamous Hong Kong take on the Street Fighter characters.

Future Cops is a fantasy comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1993 and stars Andy Lau, Simon Yam, Jacky Cheung, Dicky Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Ekin Cheng, Billy Chow, Charlie Yeung, Andy Hui, Aaron Kwok, Ken Lo, and Richard Ng. It was written and directed by Wong Jing, with action directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung. Future Cops features characters based on the video game characters in Street Fighter II.

Dicky Cheung as Chan Tai-hung (left), Andy Hui as Kei-on the bully (right).

In the future, The General (M. Bison, played by Ken Lo) is imprisoned for trying to take over the world. His henchmen, Kent (Ken, played by Ekin Cheng), Thai King (Sagat, played by Billy Chow), and Toyota (E. Honda, played by William Duen) decide to go back in time to 1993 to brainwash the judge that convicted their leader. The Future Cops get wind of the criminals' plans in a battle with them and tell their superior, who sends them to 1993 to protect the future judge. Lung (Ryu, played by Aaron Kwok) stays behind because he is their superior's brother-in-law .

Ti Man (Vega, played by Andy Lau), Broom Man (Guile, played by Jacky Cheung), and Sing (Dhalsim, played by Simon Yam) arrive in 1993 to find that the future judge, Chan Tai Hung (played by Dicky Cheung) is a bit of a loser. He is still in high school, even though he is 28 years old, still lives at home with his mom and sister, and is constantly bullied by everyone at his school. Learning this, they help him stand up to his bullies and become more of a success in school.

As you can imagine, Chan Tai Hung starts evolving as a person, even becoming successful with his crush, Choy Nei (played by Charlie Yeung). Ti Man becomes involved with Tai Hung's sister, Chun May (you can guess who she becomes, played by Chingmy Yau), and Broom Man gets involved with Tai Hung's bully's girlfriend (played by Winnie Lau). Eventually, the bad guys make their presence known, and take over the school. It's up to the Future Cops to level up and stop the General from taking over the world...

The Street Fighters... I mean Future Cops. Yes, that is Simon Yam as Dhalsim (far left) and Jacky Cheung as Guile (far right).

I had heard of Future Cops back in the day after finding out the director of City Hunter (1993) made a 'Street Fighter II' movie. I could never find much information about it, but I saw the odd movie still and trailer here and there. I finally found it on my favorite DVD online store and ordered it (paid for it and everything). It's been close to 20 years and I still haven't gotten it in the mail! As you can imagine, trying to find and watch this movie has been quite the struggle. I finally found the whole movie online, and I watched it. Did it live up to my expectations?

It did not. The director, Wong Jing, is known for making wacky, silly comedies that you either love or hate. I've seen City Hunter (which I liked at first... now I find it too silly) and Last Hero In China (1993, only really liked the action in that one), so I was expecting some zaniness, but... this is just too wacky for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of funny scenes, but there is a lot of annoying things in it, too. It also doesn't help that there are only three action scenes in this movie (and much like the Jean-Claude Van Damme Street Fighter movie, most of the actors don't have martial arts skills). The Street Fighter fight scene in City Hunter is better than all of the fight scenes in Future Cops. It also bothers me that all these grown adult men are pursuing relationships with teenage high school girls.

Despite all of that, there are some good performances in this. Andy Lau is good as the sensitive Vega. Dicky Cheung is likable (for the most part) as the bullied future judge, though he says some horrible things to the people that are laughing at him (it's really messed up). Andy Hui as the main bully is great (as is his hairstyle). It's always great when Charlie Yeung shows up in a movie (though she just plays the love interest). Chingmy Yau is the best thing in this movie; she is just so funny. Richard Ng is in this as well, and of course he's hilarious! There is also an homage to a classic video game that was pretty unexpected!

Ken Lo as M. Bison is an inspired choice. Ken and E. Honda are his henchmen.

As stated above, there are only three main action scenes in Future Cops. Inspired by Street Fighter II: Turbo (I assume), the fights are super sped up with special moves galore. You'll see Hadokens, Spinning Bird Kicks, Hurricane Kicks, Yoga Flames, Sonic Booms, and more. Sound effects from the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom version of Street Fighter II are used in the fight scenes, at least. Despite all that, I can't say the fights were actually good or exciting. They are over the top, but not in a good way. Really disappointing. Some may like the fights, though!

So, do I recommend Future Cops? I would say no, unless you are that much of a Street Fighter fan that you have to consume every type of Street Fighter media. You may also like it if you are looking for a wacky and insane over the top type of movie. As I've said in other reviews: humor is subjective. What's funny to me may not be funny to you, and vice versa. Otherwise, steer clear. This movie is a clear case of cashing in on a phenomenon, without actually paying for the license. I was looking forward to this movie for years, and it broke my heart when I finally watched it. It's not the end of the world. There are three excellent Street Fighter movies in existence (two anime, one live action), so I can watch those for my Street Fighter movie fix. If you still decide to watch Future Cops, go into it with expectations for a crazy comedy and not for an awesome action movie based on a video game.

Reviewed by David Williams

Arahan (2004) - A Review

 

This Korean comedy kicks butt!

Arahan is a martial arts/fantasy/comedy movie released in South Korea in 2004 and stars Ryoo Seung-bum, Yoon So-yi, Ahn Sung-ki, Jung Doo-hong, Yoon Joo-sang, Kim Ji-young, and Ahn Gil-kang. Arahan was directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, with fight choreography by Jung Doo-hong.

Ryoo Seung-bum as Sang-hwan (in the middle). He is such a dork in this!

In Arahan, Ryoo Seung-bum plays Sang-hwan, a dorky, less than graceful rookie police officer who wants to do the right thing in his job. One day, he chases after a robber escaping on a motorcycle, but gets injured by Wi-jin (played by Yoon So-yi), a skilled martial artist, after she throws an errant Palm Blast at him. She takes Sang-hwan to her house, where her father Ja-woon (played by Ahn Sung-ki), a Tao master and the other masters use acupuncture needles to revive him and release his chi. After he recovers, he immediately shows signs that he could be the person the Tao masters are looking for to be the inspiration for martial artists around the world and become the Maruchi. The Tao masters and Wi-jin begin training him in martial arts.

Meanwhile, an old man is found meditating behind a subway wall. He escapes, and starts taking out the Tao masters who are helping Sang-hwan. This old master, Heug-woon (played by Jung Doo-hong), is looking for the key, which he suspects the Tao masters are hiding. He wants the key to restore order in the world. Sang-hwan and Wi-jin are the only ones who can stand up to him, but they are not on the same page, and Sang-hwan may not even be emotionally or mentally ready for this battle...

Yoon So-yi as Wi-jin (left) and Sang-hwan.They have great, awkward chemistry together.

Arahan is another movie I heard about in the early 2000s, and I always looked for it in my local video store but could never find it. I forgot about it eventually, but I found it on a streaming site recently, and the name came back to me. So, did Arahan live up to the hype? I would say, definitely! This movie is very enjoyable with awesome action. It is mainly a comedy, very similar to Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer or Kung Fu Hustle. It also reminded me of the classic 80s Hong Kong martial arts comedies. As you can imagine, I enjoyed the comedy very much (though, comedy is subjective, so you may not find it funny). The comedy is very silly, and I appreciated the references to Power Rangers, My Lucky Stars, and Dragon Ball. Was not expecting those getting shout outs! Though there is a lot of comedy in Arahan, it does get serious towards the end, when our heroes face their biggest challenge. The back story is very interesting and gives a reason for the conflict.

Ryoo Seung-bum is hilarious as Sang-hwan. He plays the well-meaning dork so effectively. Even though he seems weak and useless, he is a good guy. He gets beat up and humiliated for doing his job dealing with a gang. He goes through some harsh training, which he does not seem to be benefiting from (until he does). Sang-hwan is very easy to root for. Yoon So-yi as Wi-jin is great as well. She is a very strong and determined young woman woman, and she is very skilled in the martial arts. She has no time for Sang-hwan's foolishness. She understands the danger the world is in when Heug-woon returns, and is hard on Sang-hwan for not taking it seriously. Sang-hwan and Wi-jin are great in their scenes together. Finally, Jung Doo-hong as Heug-woon is one menacing villain. He doesn't say much, but he doesn't have to when he's defeating the Tao masters like they're nothing. You may feel a little sympathy for his character...but not much.

The action in Arahan is really good!

There are two main fight scenes in Arahan, and they are really good! The first fight scene is when we finally see how good Sang-hwan has become. The fight is fast and hard-hitting. It is very much influenced by the Hong Kong fight scenes of the 80s. Ryoo Seung-bum seems to be an actual martial artist, and he really gets to show his stuff in that fight scene. The end fight is more of an epic battle, with a lot of wire-work and special effects. It's a hard-hitting fight that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Jung Doo-hong is unstoppable in this fight! The other action in this movie are in short little bursts, and in the training sequences. Though there are only two fights, they are worth waiting for.

When I watched Arahan, I did not know what to expect. What I ended up watching was a hilarious martial arts action movie that I recommend to anyone that loves comedy, martial arts, or Asian cinema. Though this movie was released in 2004, it seems very modern. The CGI is actually pretty good, too. The plot is interesting, the comedy is funny, and the action is fun. What's not to like? Check out Arahan, it's a jolly good time!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] Dude, Not My Car! (Brandon Lee vs Steven Ebora) Action Comedy Short

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week's scene comes from the Team Red Pro crew! It stars Brandon Lee, Steven Ebora, and Daniel Son. This scene was directed and choreographed by Joseph Le, with additional choreography by Brandon Lee, Steven Ebora, and Jackie Tran. The action in this one is fast and furious! Check it out!