Chi

 

 (wikipedia)

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE 10 RINGS-2021-Watch this unintentionally funny talk fest at your risk. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu, a Canadian actor born in China) is reunited with his estranged father Wenwu (Tony Leung) and his bug up her ass sister Xialing (Menger Zhang). Dad wants to find the land of Ta Lo where his wife is. Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery (The Mandarin in IRON MAN 3) acts like he just stepped out of a Monty Python skit. Shang has an annoying female friend Katy (Awkwafina) who provides gravel voiced bon mots (not). The actress who used to look like Michelle Yeoh is his aunt, the guardian of Ta Lo. 

Much of it seems to be an apology for having Asian stereotypes in other films. The director Destin Daniel Cretton (from Hawaii) must have known what he was doing as this was a colossal hit. He's said to be filming a new Spider-Man movie at the time of this writing.

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Serious but Funny...??

JIANG HU-THE TRIAD ZONE-2000-Tony Leung plays a Hong Kong Triad boss in this kind of unusual but entertaining action film. It’s a comedy/drama satire with some seriously violent overtones. Leung is Jim Yam, a mob boss who’s frequently shot at. He has a wife (Sandra Ng) and mistress (San-san Lee) and most of the situations are played for laughs despite the violence. Things take a weird turn though when Anthony Wong shows up playing Master Kwan, an ancient god who saves Jim’s life! Though at times the story becomes very serious it always returns to comedy. Eric Tsang plays Jim’s jailed ex-bodyguard in a poignant scene. Director Dante Lam somehow makes it work and provides a very good shoot-out in a flower shop.

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Fight Me!

The '90's seemed a popular decade for sub-standard direct to video martial arts movies starring Chuck Norris wannabes, has-beens and never was-ers.

Black belt Michael Worth who had starred in the TV show ACAPULCO H.E.A.T. and later performed stunts in the big budgeted BATMAN FOREVER heads the cast of FISTS OF IRON, an 1995 production from director Richard Munchkin (who should have followed the yellow brick road into another profession). Worth stars as Dan, an auto mechanic who seems to know a little bit about fighting but always gets beat up. Jenilee Harrison (who in better times had co-starred in the popular TV shows DALLAS and THREE'S COMPANY) is his love interest. Dan gets involved with some illegal fights put on by a rich gangster (Marshall Teague). After Matthias Hues kills his obnoxious friend, Dan wants revenge. Alcoholic Sam Jones and his Japanese friend (Eric Lee) decide to help him. You know the rest! Boring fights, talk, wise cracks, nonsense, all leading up to the inevitable showdown where despite all odds Dan whips big Hues' ass. Worth actually studied martial arts under Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do pal Dan Insanto. Well, I knew it wasn't acting!

Although Van Damme and Seagal were probably the main inspiration for much of the direct to video martial arts mania that was sprung upon the tape viewing public in the 1990's, Pay Per View events like the wildly successful UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) were also to blame!

SUPERFIGHTS from 1995 features a dork named Brandon Gaines as a dork named Jack, an incredibly dull fuckwad who wants to be a fighter in "The Superfights", wrestling like martial arts battles. Jack studies some kind of self defense but should actually be hit in the head with a brick. An old man asks him "Are you a complete moron?". A resounding "YES" can be the only reponse from the viewer! After getting beat up by the old man, Jack saves his grand-daughter (Faye Yu) from a mugging and goes to train to be a superfighter. This cliche' ridden, "Rocky" inspired story has terrible acting but some good fights. Director Tony Leung was also the fight co-ordinator (one out of two ain't bad I guess) and Keith Valtali (from NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER) was a co-producer and appears as the main villain. Too bad their leading man was a dick. Filmed in Harrisburg, Pa., if anyone cares.....

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