Finishing The Game: The Search For A New Bruce Lee

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: October 5, 2007

DVD Release Date: May 20, 2008

Plot 411: After the death of Bruce Lee, a production company tries to find an actor to finish the film.

Review: This movie will be freakin' hilarious if you grew up during the hype of kung fu mania in the U.S. (aka the 1970s). It shoots like a documentary following the casting process of a company trying to find a body double for the late Bruce Lee. The mission is to find an actor to replace him and finish his movie Game Of Death. From the clothes and hair to the messed up sync between audio and visual when actors are talking, this movie spoofs the best of the worst about those '70s kung fu flicks. There's even a dude with a fu man chu. I mean, how could they not include that? The best part of the movie is all the Asian actors - Dustin Nguyen, James Franco, Leonardo Nam, Sung Kang and Roger Fan. Even MC Hammer and Ron Jeremy make a cameo!

Watch It: For a nod nod, wink wink at everything that was awesomely bad about the '70s.

Skip It: If one time through was enough for you.

Ong Bak 2

Rating:R

Movie Release Date: December 4, 2008 (Thailand) / October 23, 2009 (USA)

DVD Release Date: February 2, 2010

Plot 411: An orphan learns the art of thieves and ventures on a journey of revenge.

Review: Tony Jaa stars as Tien, an orphan who is taken in by a gang of thieves when his parents are killed. He learns different styles of martial arts and after passing several tests is announced as the clan's successor. However, he is ill at ease knowing his parents' murderers are still out there and goes to seek his revenge. Like the first Ong Bak film, this one is action packed with tons of awesome martial arts sequences. There are great exhibitions of skill by Jaa and the other actors. If you like fight scenes, there are definitely some memorable action sequences and kill scenes. I mean, the film kicks off with a croc vs. human fight. What can get any better than that? Unlike the last film though, this one seems to have a better plot. It seemed more compelling, even though we all know the action is the focus of these types of movies. One thing to remember before going into this one is that it has nothing to do with the original film as far as plot is concerned. It's a completely different story with new characters.

Watch It: If you're a fan of kick-butt action movies.

Skip It: You like the more traditional Chinese kung fu movies. This one doesn't have the same fantasy elements (like the flying through the air or fighting across the bamboo forests).

Robin-B-Hood / Bo bui gai wak

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: September 28, 2006 (South Korea)

DVD Release Date: December 26, 2007 (USA)

Plot 411: Burglars fall upon hard times and resort to kidnapping a child only to fall in love with the baby and become better men.

Review: In this hilarious comedy, Jackie Chan plays Thongs, a gambling addict and part of a trio of burglars. His cohorts include Octopus (Louis Koo), a lady's man despite being married and expecting a child, and the Landlord (Michael Hui), the brains behind the operations. Thongs and Octopus are really good at what they do, but they have reservations when their recent job involves kidnapping the infant son of wealthy parents. When the Landlord is arrested, Thongs and Octopus must babysit the kid until they can hand him over to their contact. During this time, the two burglars grow attached to the baby. Their time spent with him changes them for life. It makes them reevaluate their motivations and aspirations. This is a typical Jackie Chan flick so expect good laughs and tight martial arts sequences. There were so many instances that made me wonder just how amazing the choreography and martial arts talent was. The situations that Thongs and Octopus found themselves in had me crying because I was laughing so hard.

Watch It: For a memorable nipple shot.

Skip It: Because said nipple shot could be damaging for life.

Shaolin Soccer / Siu lam juk kau

Rating: PG13

Movie Release Date: July 12, 2001 (Hong Kong) / April 2, 2004 (USA)

DVD Release Date: January 18, 2005

Plot 411: Sing, a Shaolin monk, tries various methods to instill the virtues of Shaolin kung fu into people's lives and is only successful when he combines it with soccer.

Review: Sing (Stephen Chow) wants to promote Shaolin kung fu in this modern age for its spiritual and physical benefits. However, it doesn't take no matter what method he tries. When he meets a former soccer star Fung (Ng Man Tai), they decide to reunite Sing's brothers to form a team and win the China Super Cup. Because of the Cup's popularity, people will be exposed to the kung fu and will more likely enbrace it. Sing's brothers are reluctant to play soccer but after much needling, they agree. This was a fun, kung fu movie set in modern times. The kung fu skills that were used looked very traditional, but they were applied in contemporary ways. It's a unique twist on martial arts. Chow is great in these comedic roles and is able to bring in a new audience. Some of the action is unbelievable (literally), but like most kung fu films you must suspend your belief to fully enjoy them. I liked how each of the brothers mastered a skill individually and used them as a team to win. It reflects the different schools of martial arts and how each form complements the others.

Watch It: If you enjoyed Chow in Kung Fu Hustle.

Skip It: If you prefer more traditional wushu action.

Seven Swords (Chat Gim)

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: July 29, 2005 (China)

DVD Release Date: January 16, 2007

Plot 411: Seven master swordsmen join forces to protect a village from a merciless general.

Review: With a recent ban on the practice of martial arts offering ample bounty, Fire-Wind (Sun Honglei) and his men ravage villages in the name of the new ruling. He kills men, women and children even if they aren't trained to fight. Opposing him is Fu Qingzhu (Liu Jialiang), a former executioner who is trying to make up for his sins. He gathers several other great fighters and together they attempt to protect a village of innocents. This movie echoed Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven. It combined the creativity of Chinese martial arts with the mastery of swordplay. As with most period Chinese action films, this one contained a lot of great stunts, acrobatics and wire work. There were also a decent amount of CGI - some looked more realistic than others. The English subtitles were done with a British accent, so I assume they might've been done in Hong Kong. The dub didn't match the subtitles so that was a little distracting. Other than that, this was an enjoyable action-filled movie.

Watch It: For high-flying action and sword fights.

Skip It: If you usually enjoy a good love story thrown into the mix. This one was pretty weak.

The Corruptor

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: February 11, 1999 (Hong Kong) / March 12, 1999 (USA)

DVD Release Date: September 14, 1999

Plot 411: A green cop joins the Asian Gang Unit to stop the trafficking of humans and drugs but finds out that he might be in over his head.

Review: This is a gritty action thriller set in the heart of Chinatown where illegal immigrants, prostitution and drugs abound. Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg) joins a unit led by Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) when a feud between two Asian gangs makes headlines. He quickly learns that problems within Chinatown are deeper than they appear and it is no longer easy to determine who is good and who is bad. The themes in this movie are probably out of the normal scope for the general public but are no doubt serious problems in many cities. The criminal underworld is only thinly veiled at best, which leaves you to question how far cops will go in order to enforce the law. Even good law enforcement is susceptible to bribes and corruptions when they must pick the lesser of two evils. The movie excellently portrays how the legal and illegal live side-by-side and, in some cases, must work together for both to succeed. The movie is fast-paced with lots of action sequences (gun fights) and special effects (car chase and explosion). Chow and Wahlberg are good in their roles as teacher/student.

Watch It: If you enjoy tough-guy movies with some whoop ass on the side.

Skip It: If you think this movie will pull any punches. At one point it was NC-17 but was re-cut for the R rating.

Trailer:

Bulletproof Monk

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: April 16, 2003

DVD Release Date: September 15, 2003

Plot 411: An immortal monk must find a successor to protect a scroll that is the key to unlimited power.

Review: This was a pretty good movie if you don't take offense to commercialized Buddhism and martial arts. Basically a monk with no name (Chow Yun-Fat) has protected a magical scroll for 60 years from a power-hungry Nazi set on world domination. The monk is in search for a new protector and meets a pick-pocketing thief (Seann William Scott) who just might fit the bill. When you throw in a mafia princess (Jaime King) leading a double life, you've got yourself a unique plot. Scott doesn't use this film to deviate from his tried and true comedic slacker roles. However, the obnoxious characters he normally plays is tempered with a good heart in this one. (I'm still waiting for this guy to mature and play some dramatic roles. But, at this rate, that might take a lifetime of waiting. Have you seen Role Models?) There are several hand-to-hand battles between the good and bad guys, but it's nothing we've never seen before. In fact, for the most part, this movie looks and feels like it's just another mass-produced action/comedy flick. Except for some wire work, most of the effects aren't really great. The makeup could use some work as well.

Watch It: For Hollywood's attempt to commandeer and contemporize Asian martial arts movies or if you like Chow Yun Fat.

Skip It: Because it doesn't bring anything new to the genre and just seems like an attempt by Hollywood to make money.

Trailer:

The Promise

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: December 15, 2005 (Hong Kong) / May 5, 2006 (USA)

DVD Release Date: December 19, 2006

Plot 411: A beautiful woman cursed to never fall in love, a case of mistaken identity and the war for power and success combine in this Chinese film.

Review: I honestly don't even know where to start. This movie had it all - war, a curse, kung fu, magic, true love, destiny, honor, betrayal and the list goes on. I can definitely say that only the Chinese can do it like this. At first I was a little thrown by the CGI because it made the film seem sort of cartoonish. I questioned whether or not it was supposed to have a graphic novel feel, especially when there were beautiful nature scenes to contrast with the obvious CGI bits. However, I realized that everything worked together if you took a step back and looked at the bigger picture. The brilliant colors, the ultra-focused eye of the camera, the almost-telemundo way the music would swell, the outrageously beautiful costumes - this was all part of the effect of the entire movie. I especially loved the overly dramatic love affair, the pull between true love and one's duty. This thinking, to me, seems so typically Asian that I don't think a Western film could capture all the nuances and really do it justice.

Watch It: If a) you enjoy the kung fu films where the characters can fly; b) love a good old-fashioned love story; or c) have an artistic eye.

Skip It: If a) you need your subtitles to match word-for-word with what the character says; b) are disturbed by CGI effects that are almost to the point of being cheesy; or c) get distracted when the voices don't match the characters' looks (I swear Sean Connery was doing the voice of Kunlun, the slave character. If that's not weird enough, everyone has a British accent . . . although I suppose if this film is coming out of Hong Kong that'd be right, huh?)

Trailer: