All of the Bruce Lee movies (although Enter the Dragon is my absolute favorite) Once Upon A Time In China series (best Jet Li martial arts movies) Drunken Master series (best Jackie Chan martial arts movies) 18 Bronze Men and Tai Chi (just because my dad is the director)
What's your point? I'm not disputing that, not at all. (Didn't much like the new Karate kid either). It's the same reason why X Factor and other 'reality' TV shows are popular, they promote the idea that you can win and succeed with minimal to no effort, an idea that is frankly appalling. If other people like that (and let's face it, lots do) that's fine, I don't. IMO, especially with Martial Arts, there is no 'talent' without practice.
Awesome! Bah! His training took probably three days. Neo: "I know Kung Fu." Tikngat "Diew lei lo mo! You and your 34.50$ training. Be a man!" Btw, that's the standard underdog story. Of course a lot of people would love it. Remember once some Italian trained with some chickens then went to beat a black heavy weight champion. What do you think of Rocky then?
That neither Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky and Dragons Forever, nor Operation Condor: Armor of God or Supercop have been mentioned yet is unacceptable. Also The Big Brawl.
I really like the Karate Kid (the original, the new one lacks something) because the implication is he is trained over almost a year intensively and enters the competition as an underdog. With Rocky he is selected merely because of his name 'The Italian Stallion' and from a starting point of a semi professional trains like a madman for the fight whereas Apollo Creed is content to cruise. It's a film about Balboa's journey, which is filled with sacrifice, toil and self belief. Underdog stories? I like these films, they say that with hard work and effort you can achieve your goals. Even Disneys Hercule's is an underdog story, he starts off as a Zero and in the space of a montage buffs up and becomes a strapping young man, if not quite a hero. Whereas Kung Fu Panda, he cannot do Kung Fu. His entire montage is him getting beat, until he discovers his 'talent' is eating, which somehow is enough to enable him to be good enough to face Tai Lung, who should have been the first to appreciate what the Dragon Scroll meant. I get it, people are jumping on me because I dare to disagree with their opinion, but I'm not saying you're a chump if you like KFP, if you like it, good for you, I'm just saying why I don't. Since when did expressing a personal opinion become a crime around here? Edit And the Matrix neatly sidesteps this issue because Spoiler nothing is real... *gasp*
No-one's mentioned Gallants yet, so I will! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallants_(film) It's a nice throwback to old-school HK cinema ... Teddy Robin, 陈观泰 and 梁小龙 are a hoot to watch. There's nothing fantastically groundbreaking about the story (and in fact, I think simplicity is often best for a martial arts flick) but it's well executed and heartwarming. One thing; the focus isn't purely on super kickass martial arts although the choreography is more than adequate. I really enjoyed this one.
Both Ip Man films are pretty incredible Enter the Dragon The Chinese Connection Big Boss Game of Death All the Fong Sai Yuk movies Unleashed Hero Fearless Fist of Legend Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon House of Flying Daggers Riki Oh So many others I can't think of right now.
Ohhh. I understand what you're saying since the beginning. I'm merely curious to how that line of thinking ticks. It's not a crime, believe me, especially when you stand in the opposite direction. I actually agree with you in some cases.
Wow, I had no idea this thread was in here! Cool! This is like my favourite thing in the world! THREAD NECROMANCY! Nobody has mentioned Tsui Hark's THE BLADE (1995) yet? Dang. And hey, to keep it current... THE RAID 2. Holy crap. Just insane. zmog
Sleeping in SPECIAL ID? I hope that's just you... I haven't seen it yet, and I want it to be good! zmog
At least it wasn't as cheesy as Kickboxer where there is the scene that he's drunk off his lard, yet miraculously regains his mental and physical prowess to the point of making Jet Li look like a chump
Which ones... in SPECIAL ID? Donnie Yen, Colin Chou, and Andy On? Andy On was pretty laughable in Black Mask 2, but that whole movie was completely ridiculous, so it might not be his fault. All worthy performers, but if you like martial arts movies, there's a whole world beyond those three names. I love Van Damme. He's like martial arts movies with training wheels. Half of his screen presence is made of Belgian cheese, and the rest of it is butt-shots and slow-motion spin kicks... but it's part of his charm. For me, the top Van Dammes are Bloodsport, Hard Target, Double Team, Knock Off, and JCVD (in which he plays himself). It's important to note that the first 4 are super-cheese, and the last is a drama that pokes fun at the cheesiness of his career. zmog
There are two more I'd add to that list: the original Universal Soldier and a little known ditty called Legionnaire
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Fist of Fury Way of The Dragon Enter The Dragon The Young Master Spiritual Kung Fu Wheels on Meals Armour of God Rumble In The Bronx Mr. Nice Guy Bloodsport Enter The Ninja Revenge of The Ninja Mr. Vampire The Raid The Raid 2 Fist of Legend The One Kiss of The Dragon Ong Bak Ip Man Unleashed Fearless Kung Fu Hustle The Forbidden Kingdom