New kids in FoShan: Look! It's plane, it's a bird! Alas, it's a sword...

In history of flying and aviation many great people left their marks throughout the ages, from the uneasy start to the modern day experiements in improving mankind's transportation and bringing us closer to technological perfection.

 In history of martial arts movies a particular sub-genre is aiming towards new hights, presenting fantasy myths and legends (and powerful love element too) where good & bad are in constant clash and strive for air superiority - wu xia pian movies combine different segments wrapped in ethereal cloth, floating gracefully in thin air, thus defying gravity and laws of physics with such ease, that made it believable. It most certanly gives to "I believe I can fly" a new meaning... 

To me this genre was (and still is) full of unrealistic display and exagerrated human emotion, no matter how pure and clean they were supposed to be. And here it is the last seen effort in that direction, given to me by Tsui Hark in collaboration with Jet Li & Fan Siu Wong - Flying Swords of Dragon Gate...

The Raid - a Gareth Evans/Iko Uwais experience

Maybe I should've put this here a long time ago, due to the nature of it, however after its American premiere this movie is heading to UK where it would have an exclusive screening date at May 18th.

 I would like to popularise this by spreading the word through my article - providing some trailers too, to make all the fans of martial arts movies a glimpse of what is coming next. 

After Merantau put Iko and Gareth on the world martial arts movies map, with The Raid I think they've made a solid statement that will be followed by many others. Good luck to all involved in filming this entertainment.

On to trailers - the original, the one for the american audience and a brief scene from the movie. Enjoy!

 

Happy Birthday Jackie Chan!

Today one of the most famous martial arts movies star is turning 58 - Chan The Man is getting older and wiser, as he point out some time ago that "Chinese Zodiac" will be his last action movie. 

Anyway, he proved to be quite versatile actor, starring in both drama and action movies with decent success (Shinjuku Incident & Little Big Soldier for example). 

I would like to wish him plenty of health, lots of happiness, discovering new talents for the martial arts scene and not to go off camera too soon. 

Happy Birthday!!! Kung hei!!!

 58 is just a number and not something which might worry Mr. Chan, however with a career so active and demanding, he would most certanly need lots of HP (health points), to achieve more accomplishments in the RPG called Life.

Don't worry, be happy and sing in the rain...

Martial arts Station reborn with a kick

Greetings to all my readers - after a brief consideration and serious thinking (my brain still hurts from the enormous activity) I decided to make some changes here. 

From now on I'll post not only reviews of new and old in martial arts cinema, but some interesting news and trailers of the most recent in martial arts world. Some different titles when a new and old review is coming up. 

For the new ones - New Kids in FoShan, for the old ones - Retro Fu, and for the news - Strike a news. 

Hope that these changes are for the better and my blog will become colourful and refreshing for all fans throughout the world. 

Peace. Over and out.

Fighter in the Wind

At the tail-end of World War II, Choi Bae-dal is a young Korean man who longs to be able to fly fighter planes. Stowing away to Japan in order to join their air force, Bae-dal's first experience of the country is when a con-man tries to steal his funds. Bae-dal discovers that the man is a fellow Korean called Chun-bae (Jung Tae Woo), who has survived the harsh treatment of Koreans in Japan by turning to petty crime. With their different motives: Bae-dal driven by desire for action & Chun-bae needing to escape from some gangsters, the Koreans stow away in a van to the air force training camp.