Quickie Review: TAI CHI HERO (2012)

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.

Having just seen and reviewed TAI CHI ZERO, I was psyched and ready to pop my theatrical screener of TAI CHI HERO (obtained from the generous folks at Well Go USA) into my Blu-ray player. When we left our main characters, Lu Chan was lying helpless in a semi-coma after aiding in the defeat of the misguided Fang Zi Jing.

Unable to defend himself in any sense, its up to Master Chen and his daughter Yu Niang to plead on Lu Chan's behalf, as he stands accused of stealing Chen-style kung-fu. Nothing seems to change the mind of the village council who prepare to make it impossible for Yang to practice kung-fu ever again.... by severing his tendons with a fig bucking sword!

Luckily Yu Niang steps in and declares that she will marry the lovably moronic Lu Chan; by making him family, he will have technically broken no sacred laws! The two are quickly wed, only to have their wedding crashed by Zai Yang, Yi Niang's older brother, and his mute Japanese wife. Zai Yang's arrival kicks off yet another plot to  peacefully clear out Chen Village by acting on the superstitious beliefs of the villagers. Naturally the plan doesn't quite work out, leading to another invasion by the misguided Fang Zi Jing, who shows up with an army and a half dozen cannons.

Will the fully trained Lu Chan (now seemingly healed of his "Three Blossoms of the Crown" and no longer an idiot), his wife Yu Niang, and his father-in-law, Grand Master Chen, be able to foil another violent attack on the peace-loving village? Will Western military technology and training trump ancient martial arts wisdom? Will aid come from an unexpected source? Or will Fang finally triumph and have his revenge against the people he blames for the death of his lover? Well.... all I can tell you is that this movie is set up for  yet another sequel, and I greatly welcome it!

TAI CHI HERO is a much tonally different movie from the first one; it's definitely a more serious film. In the first movie, Lu Chan was none too bright and constantly getting his butt kicked. You really wanted him to succeed, but at the same time you couldn't help but enjoy his failures. In this film, he's attained his quest for the most part, healed himself, and is now really.... dull. He's totally calm, cool, collected, serene, and not in danger of randomly going into "demon mode" or dying from his affliction. Now he's just a two-dimensional good guy that makes me want to yawn.

Luckily the wayward villains of this film keep things going. Stephen Fung (Fang Zi Yang) yet again turns in a good performance as Fang Zi Jing. With his career decimated, his honor in question, and the women he loved now dead, Fang is in a pretty dark place in his life and it shows. Using the knowledge that Lu Chan was once a part of the Divine Truth Cult (a rebel sect that fought against the imperial troops of China), Fang manages to gather himself an army and some big guns. He then marches on Chen Village in force to "arrest" Lu Chan and those that aided and abetted him in the destruction of TROY NO.1, which caused the accidental death of his lover.

Then there's Zai Yang, who is only trying to scare off the locals with an ancient prophecy, partially because he has a chip on his shoulder (daddy issues), but mainly because he wants to find a peaceable solution to getting a railroad through the village. He provides us with a character we can relate to, as he left Chen Village in his youth to make his way in the world. Rather than stay home and learn martial arts (which he was never very good at), he leaves to be his own man and become an inventor. This didn't sit well with his father, Grand Master Chen, and it provides for a bit of tension whenever the two of them share the screen.

All in all, I enjoyed TAI CHI HERO, but didn't like it as much as the previous film. It's got a few cool twists, great action sequences, and has a very talented cast. Though the hero has sadly become rather boring, its the other characters in the film that keep things interesting and moving forward. And once the smoke clears during the climactic struggle at the gates of Chen Village during the final act, the film teases us with a really cool setup for the intended third part of this Tai Chi trilogy! (Spoiler: As the film fades to black, we get a very brief look at a STEAMPUNK-THEMED SKULL FORTRESS!)

Though it lacks the fun and energy of the first film, TAI CHI HERO is still a really solid martial arts flick that delivers the goods, and promises us some big things in the next installment. It's definitely worth a look and worthy of:

THREE AND-A-HALF 'RADS'

TAI CHI HERO had a brief theatrical engagement this past weekend in select cities (anyone out there lucky enough to see it?), and is heading to DVD and Blu-ray on July 2nd!

PRE-ORDER THE DVD FROM AMAZON.COM!
PRE-ORDER THE BLU-RAY FROM AMAZON.COM!

Blu-ray Review: TAI CHI ZERO (2012)

MOVIE REVIEW: With TAI CHI HERO getting a limited theatrical release this weekend, I wanted to make sure I saw it's predecessor first. Luckily TAI CHI ZERO is relatively cheap on Blu-ray (around ten to twelve bucks), so I bought myself a copy and sat down to watch myself a good ole fashioned kung-fu flick. What I got instead was a crazy martial arts movie chock full of steampunk technology and video game references. It's like a Chinese Scott Pilgrim vs. the World!

The film centers on Yang Lu Chan, a young man who was born with a strange deformity. He has a small horn growing out of his forehead, and whenever it is struck, he goes into "demon mode" and demolishes anyone that stands in his way. Unfortunately for Yang, every time this is done, it gives him a brain aneurism and his little "horn" changes color. If it is struck enough times, his "forehead-pinky" will turn black and he will die.

To cure himself, Yang is told that Chen-style kung-fu will do the trick, so he heads out to the distant and isolated Chen Village to find a teacher. However, Chen-style is not taught to outsiders (for reasons discovered in the next film), but Yang remains determined to learn the forbidden fighting style. Though no one directly teaches him, Yang has the ability to memorize and mimic the movements made by each person he fights. (Kind of like Marvel's "Taskmaster," or the autistic girl from "Chocolate.") With every loss to the common villagers (including women and children), Yang is inadvertently gaining the knowledge he has come for.

Yang's martial arts "training" is soon interrupted when a former resident of Chen village named Fang Zi Jing, arrives to clear a path for an oncoming railroad. Fang attempts to do so peacefully at first, but when he fails, he returns to the gates of Chen Village in a giant steam-powered death machine! Will Fang destroy the village before Yang Lu Chan fully learns the secrets of Chen-style kung-fu? Will someone rise to the occasion and fight off the steampunk invaders? Looks like you'll have to rent or buy it to find out!

TAI CHI ZERO is a surprisingly fun action film that has interesting characters, cool kung-fu battles, full-size steampunk-inspired machines (they actually built "TROY NO. 1" to scale!), romance (got to have something for the ladies), and a great (and rather eclectic) soundtrack. It's a movie that tries to put a fresh spin on all the classic tai chi films that have come before it, and it totally succeeds. It's also funny as hell at times (I particularly like the sequence where Yang tries to repeatedly sneak back into Chen Village after getting booted out) because our hero isn't all that bright, plus his frequent "what the hell?" reactions to the implausible events he witnesses totally mirrors the audience's.

And Yang is a great character because he's one you can root for. He's an idiot to be sure, but he's tenacious and has an unbreakable spirit. He can die at any moment because of his "horn" (referred to as "Three Blossoms on the Crown"), and his mother's dying wish was that he become the best at martial arts, therefore failure is not an option for this guy. And when he finally manages to best one of the villagers using the skills he learned from getting trounced time after time, you feel as vindicated as he does.

Conversely there's Fang, who is only slightly less of a black sheep in the villagers' eyes than Yang is. He grew up in the village, but he never learned Chen-style and has a love for technology and Western culture (and women). Fang's considered a wimp and gets no respect from his peers, which is why he resorts to threats of violence and destruction. But he doesn't truly become a bad guy until his machinations get someone he loves killed. That event flips a switch and makes him the tragic villain of this tale.

I could go on and on about TAI CHI ZERO, but I'll cut myself off here and assure you once again that it's a great movie! I had a blast watching it, and highly recommend it to all you action/kung-fu movie fans out there. TAI CHI ZERO hit all the right notes with me, and though I've already seen it twice, I'm ready and willing to give it another viewing already. I really enjoyed this movie and I'm more than happy to give it:

FOUR 'RADS'

BLU-RAY REVIEW

The Packaging: TAI CHI ZERO comes in a standard Blu-ray case with cardboard slipcover. The cover art (seen above) is OK; definitely more exciting that the majority of the Chinese and international posters that were released for the film.

Audio & Video: TAI CHI ZERO is featured in 1080p HD in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the movie looks fantastic, which is not a total surprise since it was released last year. The disc offers up Mandarin Chinese and English dubbed audio tracks both available in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby Digital 2.0. I watched the film in its original language with English subs, and I have no complaints. I have yet to try out the English dubbed version, which I avoided since I despise most dubbed foreign films. All in all though, the audio and video presentation here is damned near perfect.

The Extras: There's not much to get excited about here. The disc has a handful of cool trailers for the film (rather effective ones too if I may say so; they make me want to watch TAI CHI ZERO again), a music video for a Chinese rap/rock song called "The Stand" (watch it HERE), and a short six-minute behind the scenes featurette.

Final Ruling:  The audio and video presentation of the film is pristine, but the disc is lacking in the extras department. Maybe I'm just super spoiled by companies like Shout!/Scream Factory, but I expected a bit more effort from Well Go USA. A few more in-depth cast & crew interviews, or a few featurettes about the making of the film and the fight choreography would have been very much appreciated. Still, this is a rather inexpensive Blu-ray, and the movie is certainly worth a look, so I suppose I shouldn't judge this disc too harshly, especially since the movie looks and sounds so good. You're getting off easy this time Well Go USA, because I'm giving your TAI CHI HERO Blu-ray:

THREE 'RADS'

TAI CHI ZERO is available on DVD & Blu-ray wherever discs are sold. It's sequel, TAI CHI HERO will be available on DVD & Blu-ray on July 23rd, and is currently playing in select theaters across the country!

ORDER TAI CHI ZERO ON DVD FROM AMAZON.COM!
ORDER TAI CHI ZERO ON BLU-RAY FROM AMAZON.COM!

Tai Chi Hero coming to select theaters on April 26th!

I missed out on TAI CHI ZERO (buy it or rent it from Amazon.com) but it is definitely on my radar. It looks to be a cool martial arts flick that takes place in a steampunk universe, and apparently it did pretty well because the sequel, TAI CHI HERO is on its way to select U.S. theaters on April 26th, courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment.

SYNOPSIS: Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master…and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family.

 It’s only a formality, though – she is the teacher, and he is the student – and that suits Lu Chan just fine, as the mutant horn on his head gives him incredible kung-fu power, but leaves him dumber each time, and closer to death. Chen Village still stands in the shadow of danger. A prodigal brother returns, Lu Chan’s presence invokes a curse on the town, and Yuniang’s scorned fiancée has an appetite for revenge, as well as some new partners in crime.

The second in a trilogy from the creators of IP MAN and DETECTIVE DEE, and featuring action directed by the legendary Sammo Hung, TAI CHI HERO is a full-on, steampunk-infused, video game-influenced kung fu throwdown that will knock you out of your seat.

Wait what? It's a trilogy?! Man I need to scope these flicks out for myself and prep for the third one! Check out the trailer below for TAI CHI HERO to get psyched up for some kung-fu/steampunk insanity!


As stated earlier, this film is getting a limited release on April 26th. Here is a list of theaters that will be showing the film that weekend:

Los Angeles, CA - AMC Atlantic Time Square (450 N. Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park)
New York, NY - AMC EMPIRE 25
San Francisco, CA - AMC Metreon 16, AMC Cupertino Square 16
Honolulu, HI - Pearlridge West 16
Toronto, Canada - Cineplex Odeon Yonge and Dundas Cinemas
Vancouver, Canada - Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas

If more screenings are announced, I'll be sure to update this post. For more info on TAI CHI HERO, visit the official website!

Quickie Review: Sins of the Dragon (2012)

It's been a while since I've delved into the world of low-budget filmmaking, and I have to admit, a lot has changed over the years. I recall getting VHS tapes of shot-on-video horror films in the mail just over a decade ago. (Showing my age a bit.) Then the VHS tapes were replaced by DVDs (and DVD-Rs), and then Blu-ray discs, but now it seems digital streaming and downloading  is beginning to reign supreme. And it's just not the format that's changing; it's the quality of the productions too!

With film going digital and the equipment to make films being super affordable these days, the kids of yesteryear that shot homemade kung-fu flicks in their backyard with a bulky VHS camcorder, have been replaced with young aspiring filmmakers armed with handycams and digital editing equipment! It's a startling change and definitely one for the better in my opinion.

Which leads me to SINS OF THE DRAGON, a cool kung-fu throwback that pays homage to classic Shaw Bros. fare. Filmed entirely in the woods with a small cast, (much like Ryuhei Kitamura's breakout film VERSUS), SINS OF THE DRAGON is an obvious labor of love for editor/co-star/director/writer Joey Corpora, that often belies it's miniscule budget.

The film begins when the main villain Caligo (the half-hockey-masked swordsman in the film's poster) kills one of the "Four Dragons," aging martial arts masters that were blessed with supernatural powers. By killing them, Caligo gains their powers and becomes an even more potent assassin. However, Caligo's thirst for power has gained him a stalwart foe, namely young Cunri. (Who kind of resembles Ken from Capcom's Street Fighter games now that I think of it.) Cunri was a child when Caligo wiped out his village and murdered his family, causing the orphaned child to take up martial arts training in his quest for revenge.

Joining Cunri on his journey is his war-fan wielding pal Kaia, who is far less bloodthirsty, but more than capable of taking care of herself. Along the way they battle Caligo's numerous, yet mainly useless ninjas (i.e. cannon fodder), and an odd trio of idiotic comic-relief bandits that enjoy eating piss and beans. (Yeah, I'm still scratching my head over that one. Hahaha.) The film eventually boils down to a ninja massacre that leads  to the final showdown between Cunri and Caligo, where truths are revealed, old wounds are healed, and new ones are opened.

SINS OF THE DRAGON runs just under a half-hour, though I've got the feeling that it used to be a bit longer. (Note: According to Joey Corpora, the original cut was at roughly 53 minutes, but was edited down for film festival screenings.) Most of the story is quickly told through exposition (you never get to see Caligo attack Cunri's village or battle it out with two of the other "Four Dragons"), which means that most of the film is made up of kung-fu action! The bulk of the fight choreography in this flick is very well done, with the stars pulling off some crazy moves and stunts. Though there are a few moments where the actors hesitate a bit before delivering a blow, the majority of the fight choreography is fast-paced and almost seamless. (A lot of this is due in part to the editing, which is top notch.)

Kaia and Cunri are about to put a hurtin' on some ninjas!

There is a lot to like in SINS OF THE DRAGON, but there's one glaring thing that didn't quite work for me: The three bandits that capture Kaia. I understand that they are there to a.) provide some laughs and b.) provide a moment where Cunri and Kaia make amends after an argument, but they stall the movie as soon as they show up on the screen. I didn't find them particularly funny, and though they manage to capture Kaia,  I could see her easily escaping from them without Cunri's aid. Truthfully I think it would have made more sense for her to be captured by Caligo and his minions, which would have given our hero even more reason to seek out and destroy his arch-nemesis. Seeing as how the film was heavily trimmed for festival screenings (including scenes where Cunri crosses paths with Sozen), I'm kind of surprised that the halfwit bandits survived the cut; their presence is totally unnecessary.

Despite my misgivings about said characters, I have to say that this is a solid little action flick that rises above its meager budget. (At times it feels like you're watching a demo reel for some up and coming martial artists, but that is no way a bad thing. Just look at Tony Jaa in ONG-BAK; that movie kicks some serious ass but is essentially a glorified demo reel for the rising martial arts star.) SINS OF THE DRAGON runs at a brisk pace, showcases some awesome kung-fu action, and pays tribute to the Shaw Bros.' films of yore with awesomely cheesy sound effects and watery arterial spray! It's an impressive start for first-time director Joey Corpora, and I very much look forward to seeing what else he and his companions pull off in the future, especially if they scrape together a much larger budget.

I enjoyed SINS OF THE DRAGON and gladly give it:

THREE AND-A-HALF 'RADS'

For more info about SINS OF THE DRAGON, visit the Platypus Underground website, and check out the film's IMDB page! And while you're at it, give the trailer a look-see below!

Cheeziest Fight Scene Ever?!

This is a clip from a Cynthia Rothrock flick called "Undefeatable" and features caucasian actors in mortal combat. Lots of screaming and shirt ripping going on here!



HAHAHAHA! The final one-liner there is awesome. "Yeah. SEE YA!" I'm going to be headed to Scranton soon to spend time with my girlfriend ... well a bit. She has bowling tonight so I'm gonna be watching some FOOTBALL! (<--- John Madden voice) The Big Blue Wrecking Crew are taking on the Green, Gay Fudge Packers for the right to be in this year's Superbowl. Here's hoping the Giants manage to pull off another victory!