Posted on 01/22/2011 4:10:46 PM PST by West Texas Chuck
I have the most awesome collection of martial arts films of anyone I know. I love this stuff. I own everything from old Kurosawa, Shaw Brothers and a lot of more contemporary stuff. I couldn't even list them all here. My favorites are Japanese Jidaigeki, all that old weird Samurai stuff. I own every Zatoichi film ever made and all the TV episodes I have been able to locate. Shintaro Katsu was a genius and his sense of humor always cracks me up.
I also have some really good modern stuff, "Twilight Samurai" and "The Hidden Blade" and "The Samurai I Loved" are absolute masterpieces, but "Seven Samurai" and "The Hidden Fortress" and all the Miyamoto Musashi stories from the old school are priceless as well. So much unrequited love, so many men that just won't tell the woman how they feel, sounds like my life.
Several of the aforementioned make me cry at the end, I'm a sensitive guy. Chicks dig that.
If you haven't seen it, the Donnie Yen "Ip Man" is just about as good as anything that has ever been put out there. I'm not big on wire-fu but I have a ton of old Jet Li, and I can watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "House of Flying Daggers" with a completely unbiased eye and just have fun. And Jackie Chan, "Drunken Master" is always good for a few laughs.
Yeah, I'm weird, but there is so much honor and solid values in these films that it is inspiring. The Chinese and the Japanese are really quite conservative in a lot of their cinema. They have such unbelievable history and fascinating legends.
As a student of clasic Wing Chun, Donnie Yen fought in traditional style, beautiful.
Along with the samurai-era martial arts movies, I love John Woo and the Chow-Yun Fat collaborations: A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled, etc., and Jackie Chan’s cop dramas and Michelle Yeoh.
You know, I messed up. The scene I was referring to is where Jet walks into the dojo in “Fist of Legend,” not from “Ip Man.” These films start to blur after a while.
Jet taking on all those karateka is awesome. That boy can fight some.
Oh dude, Michelle Yeoh. That is one fine looking woman.
Absolutely!
I love the early Jackie Chan stuff.
Drunken Master (and D.M. II), Young Master, Snake in Eagle Shadow, etc.
Pure, unbridled chop-socky.
Love it!
Actually, I’m a woman, but that’s okay. Yes, she’s quite talented, too. She made a good movie called the Heroic Trio, which I really liked. I’ve seen a few Cynthia Rothrock movies too and those were good. I especially like Kurosawa’s samurai movies.
Chocolate (Fury) circa 2008 (from Thailand, I think) is one you should not miss. Outstanding. Jeeja Yanin did all of her own stunts. That babe rocks. And the story will bring a tear to a guy’s eye.
Netflix ratings gives it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Anyone remember an old movie where there’s this fight and like a massive throwing star that almost looks like a saw blade that gets stuck in the guy’s gut?
I remember watching this on Kung Fu Theater back in the late 1970s on a Friday night. They played all these kinds of movies.
I tend not to comment on the cheesiness of other peoples viewing habits. :)
Agree, that was also an awesome scene.
Ooops, OK RabidRalph, my mistake. Sorry hon ;)
But everything you say is true. Dudette, Kurosawa rocks, that man was the master. So many fine films. “Roshamon” and “Throne of Blood” and especially “Seven Samurai.” That film is legend. And the start for “Magnificent Seven” of course, as well as “The Hidden Fortress” being the inspiration for “Star Wars.” Akira Kurosawa, too bad he and Mifune had their little falling out. Kurosawa made many other films of a non-martial nature, but all are worthy.
Americans (I am one, purely caucasian redneck) have no real feel for all the great Japanese cinema that is out there.
Yer not talking about “Master of the Flying Guillotine” are ya? Might not be, but a possible.
Back in the day we used to watch Action Theater here in N. Texas every Saturday. Lots of good old Kung Fu stuff, and other great fun like “Lone Wolf and Cub.”
Good times my friends.
That might be it. I’ll check around and see if I can verify that.
West Texas Chuck loves martial arts movies. What are some of your favorites? Ping.
Call me weird, but I by far prefer to read the subtitles and listen to the actual Mandarin, or Cantonese or Japanese language tracks. Dunno, I think I’m turning Japanese ;)
I have learned enough Japanese to properly insult my woman’s old Japanese mother. Kunichiwa? Us Gaijin gotta stick it to the Nipponese.
I’m not sure that one is it.
The scene I remember takes place inside a big wooden building. Some kind of bar or tavern. Maybe 5-6 guys are in there together along with 50 other guys and the 5-6 start fighting with the 50. They are taking down the 50 but one by one the 5-6 get their numbers pared down and one of the last ones gets a huge razor throwing disk in his gut. Still keeps going awhile but he goes down.
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