I’ve been writing about martial arts movies for 31 years and have seen 10,000+ films (collected 7000+), and the one thing I’ve discovered is that every film has its moments. Though a movie might not be a game-crashing carnival, if there’s a few instances of glorious genius, then that film is a worthy watch just […]
Martial Arts
Silat Warriors: Deed of Death – One Fight Away From Being a Collector’s Item
Their bodies move like snakes, monkeys, bleloks (South East Asian wading birds) and tigers; supple, mischievous, preening and ripping. I’m referring to the heroes of the Areel Abu Bakar directed Silat Warriors: Deed of Death (aka Geran), brother Ali (Khoharullah Majid) and sister Fatimah (Faiyna Tajudin) who live with their father Nayan. The siblings are […]
NE ZHA: Worthy of Disney/DreamWorks Animation, Yet Distinctly Chinese with Impassioned Chinese Style Action
With a beautifully constructed allegory mirroring William Ernest Henley’s 1875 poem Invictus that asserts, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul,” the record breaking Chinese 3-D animated feature Ne Zha, which is loosely based on a Chinese mythological martial arts legend drawn from the Ming Dynasty novel The […]
EL CAPITAN MARVEL: A Mountainous Movie with Cliffhanger Acclaim and Waterfall Fights
By Drs. Craig and Silvia Reid. Of all the superhero movies I’ve seen as a film critic/fan, through a martial artist and fight choreographer’s eye, what started off as a poorly shot, jumbled, non-linear perfunctory directorial method approach to the first 40-minutes, with fight scenes akin to a local martial arts school putting them together […]
SDAFF 2018: Food, Martial Arts and Whaaat? — Part 2: Brian Hu
By Dr. Craig D. Reid In less than a week, in what USA Today says is one of the Top 10 things to do in San Diego, the 19th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (aka SDAFF 2018), which is the second biggest Asian Film Festival in North America, will be screening 160+ films from […]
BIG BROTHER DONNIE YEN (大師兄): School is in Session, Bullies and Abusers Be Aware
By Dr. Craig D. Reid Donnie Yen’s latest film, Big Brother, is a Hong Kong drama that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school. Sound familiar? It’s a film influenced by To Sir, with Love (1967), which was directed by James Clavell, who is mostly known in Asia for his literary […]