Archive for kung fu

Movie review: The Man with the Iron Fists

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , , , on 11/02/2012 by Taylor Holt

Stars: Russel Crowe, Lucy Lui, RZA, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, Jamie Chung, Cung Le

Rated R for bloody violence, strong sexuality, language and brief drug use, Running time 96 minutes, Action/Adventure

Compare to: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Kung fu Hustle (2004)

Taking a cue from old kung-fu films he’s been inspired by for years, rapper RZA has finally made his own. While no stranger to film, he’s mostly been onscreen in a supporting role and on a couple occasions, done the soundtrack. This time he’s not only starring, rapping and writing, he’s also directing. Regardless of how bad the movie might have been, I’ve got to give him credit based on those responsibilities alone.

Is it good though? Is a blatant ode to old school kung-fu movies good enough for your time and money? If you liked what you saw in the trailer at all, run to this one. Continue reading →

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Movie Review: The Raid: Redemption

Posted in Reviews! with tags , , , , on 04/21/2012 by Taylor Holt

Stars: Iko Uwais, Donni Alamsyah, Ray Sahetapy, Yayan Ruhian

Rated R for Pervasive violence and language, subtitled. Running time 101 minutes, Action/Adventure

Plays like: Ong-Bak (2003), District B-13 (2004)

I remember watching Jackie Chan movies nonstop when I was a kid and thinking, “Why didn’t I hear of this before?” Now I know that a big issue with people and foreign films, regardless of how much fighting and how little dialogue is in them, can have a hard time coexisting. Because in most cases, people don’t want to read. That’s all well and fine, but it’s their fault that they’re missing out on a truly great martial arts film that’s a awesome as it is violent. Continue reading →

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