“Jumping down is easy. Stepping down is hard.” The stuntperson mantra, Ride On. In the featurette “Behind the Scenes,” writer/director Larry Yang (Adoring) discusses how his first thought went to Jackie Chan when the concept for Ride On arose. The… Read More ›
Since 2020’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, a new animated film within this version of the MK universe has released each year. The first follow-up, Battle of the Realms (2021), is a direct sequel, carrying over the events of Scorpion’s… Read More ›
Before writer/director Ronny Yu would direct the extraordinary Fearless (2006), the hilarious Freddy vs. Jason (2003), and (arguably) franchise rejuvenating Bride of Chucky (1998), Yu released various Hong Kong (HK) pictures, including The Postman Fights Back for Golden Harvest in… Read More ›
The Cine-Men offer up an extraordinary listen with this latest episode as we two are joined by the gracious and knowledgeable Mike Scott of the Action For Everyone podcast to discuss a few of our favorite martial arts films. We… Read More ›
Who doesn’t love a little meta-angle in their entertainment, something that’s willing to poke fun at itself all while telling its own version of the very thing it’s potentially satirizing? We’re talking movies like Hollywood Shuffle (1987), The Player (1992),… Read More ›
It’s 1985, Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury had debuted 13 years prior and 1978’s Game of Death, Lee’s last film, debuted only seven years prior. In that time, however, thanks to repository screenings at New York theaters, martial arts cinema… Read More ›
With the tragic death of Bruce Lee, there was a massive hole left in the martial arts cinema community that led to a genre of exploitation films centered on capturing the essence of Lee through imitation via actors Bruce Li… Read More ›
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back with a new animated adventure after a rocky track record in live-action adaptations. The writing team of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Jeff Rowe attempts to deliver a new take with Teenage Mutant… Read More ›
Originally released as The Assassin, writer/director Kwak Jeong-deok sees their Korean action/adventure project released in the states under the name Night of the Assassin, first put on digital (streamer Hi-YAH!) and then coming available on physical formats in August. Thanks to U.S…. Read More ›
There are some films whose descriptions pique your interest and under-deliver, some which meet expectations, and some which blow your mind (the diamonds in the rough). The 2021 crime comedy Baby Assassins, written and directed by Yûgo Sakamoto, is the… Read More ›
“Hey kid, it ain’t that kind of movie. If people are looking at your hair, we’re all in big trouble.” – Harrison Ford to Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars (1977), as recalled by Hamill Released in 1973,… Read More ›
In the world of martial arts cinema, one of the greats is Hung Kam-bo, known more commonly as Sammo Hung. His resume includes acting, stunt choreography, writing, producing, and directing in films released by Cathay Asia, Bo Bo Films, Shaw… Read More ›
He’s gone head-to-head with Mr. Wick, played motorball with Alita, the Battle Angel, and taken on the one and only Machete. Martial artist, stuntman, and actor Marko Zaror has a solid catalog and only added to it with his latest… Read More ›
In this edition of Meet Me at the Movies: Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning sits down with actor and martial artist Marko Zaror to discuss his latest project, Fist of the Condor. Zaror talks about his creative relationship with director Ernesto… Read More ›
In the world of martial arts action, names like Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Boxer), Gordon Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury), Sammo Hung (Enter the Fat Dragon), Jackie Chan (Drunken Master), and Donnie Yen (Tiger… Read More ›
In the cinematic adventures of Ip Man, the notable real-life Chinese hero, he’s battled fellow masters, Japanese forces, corrupt businessmen, and more. Now, in a new story from director Li Liming, audiences watch as a young Ip Man tries to… Read More ›
Myths, legends, and the stories that form the basis of regional culture are often the basis for artistic interpretation in music, books, and cinema. In America, there’s Lin-Manuel Miranda’s play Hamilton, reimagining the founding fathers as potentially far more honorable… Read More ›
From the titular King of Wuxia, King Hu’s A Touch of Zen is what wuxia cinema is all about. In this groundbreaking entry in the genre, a poor scholar named Gu (Shih Chun) paints the portrait of a mysterious stranger… Read More ›
My first true introduction to Jackie Chan was in the summer of 1995. 15-year-old me witnessed Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) give an enthusiastic speech about the infectious manner Jackie’s films had in the theater. Before presenting him with his lifetime… Read More ›
When people talk about the career of martial artist and actor Jackie Chan, there’s one film that almost everyone mentions because of the incredible stunt work in the climactic battle: Police Story (1985). That film would go on to start… Read More ›