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KFMG Podcast S06 Episode 71: Philip Ng
“I’m a fanboy, basically, that got to make kung fu movies with my idols. It’s pretty cool.” When Philip Ng burst onto the scene in his 2014 leading-man debut, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai – co-starring...
View ArticleThe Deed of Death (2019)
Along with Adrian Teh’s Wira, this film rounds off an impressive year for Malaysian martial arts cinema. A confident if obviously low-budget directorial debut from cinematographer, Areel Abu Bakar,...
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KFMG Podcast S06 Episode 72: Cynthia Rothrock
“We are put on this earth to follow a specific path that is designed for us. Some of us find it, and some of us don’t – and I definitely think I found the path of what I should be doing in this life.”...
View ArticleDynasty Warriors (2021)
Hot on the heels of Mortal Kombat, Double World and Monster Hunter, the much-maligned video game adaptation appears to be enjoying something of a renaissance. This Hong Kong film is based on a...
View ArticleDragon Squad (2005)
Cops and robbers stuff from director Daniel Lee, who really butchers the action with way too much ‘shakey-cam’, crash zooms and quick editing, rendering many of the shootouts as almost unwatchable. And...
View ArticleStar Runner (2003)
This is a real mixed bag; a schmaltzy, soft focus teen romance mixed with a predictable tournament movie. Black Mask director Daniel Lee uses a melancholy acoustic soundtrack and some overwrought...
View ArticleZombie Fight Club (2014)
Tedious Taiwanese zombie flick with a really unpleasant seedy side. The film is split into two parts: the first part rips off The Raid, the second rips off The Walking Dead. In The Raid section, a SWAT...
View ArticleSworn to Justice (1996)
Probably the best of Cynthia Rothrock‘s somewhat patchy American output, she gives a rounded and accomplished performance as Gianna, a distinguished criminal psychiatrist by day and a crime-fighting,...
View ArticleBirth of the Dragon (2016)
In the true Hollywood sense of never letting the truth get in the way of a good story, this embellished Bruce Lee origin film centres around his highly contested real-life fight with Chinese kung fu...
View ArticleBig Brother (2018)
Vibrant drama about Hong Kong’s secondary school education system which is enjoyable if a little saccharine at times a bit all over the place. Donnie Yen makes a neat transition into a straight,...
View ArticleBlack Widow (2021)
It has been 11 years since Scarlett Johansson first made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Russian spy Natasha Romanova, alias Black Widow, notable for being the only woman in the Avengers,...
View ArticleProfile: Max Huang
Date of birth: 22 September 1988 (Nuremberg, Germany) Occupation: Actor, stunt coordinator, fight choreographer. Style: Wushu. Biography: Max Huang is a martial artist, stunt performer and actor. His...
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KFMG Podcast S06 Episode 73: Max Huang
“I want to bring back the spirit of martial arts on the big screen, and I want to remind people of what real martial arts movies are about… it is about the art.” Max Huang‘s turn as Kung Lao – the...
View ArticleNinja in the Dragon’s Den (1982)
A fabulous amalgamation of Chinese and Japanese filmmaking which lifts ideas from the chambara film and adapts it to match the pacing of Hong Kong action cinema, this is a cult classic loved by kung fu...
View ArticleNinja Scroll (1993)
Energetic, visually arresting anime that really took off when it was released on video in America. This is the most hell-bent 90 minutes of your life: highly visceral, influential, and extreme – even...
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KFMG Podcast S06 Episode 74: Brad Martin
“If you don’t have a strong story driving it, then action is just action. You can watch great action all day and not be very excited if there is no story to draw you in.” Brad Martin is one of...
View ArticleProfile: Brad Martin
Date of birth: 14 January 1970 (Sun Valley, Idaho) Occupation: Stunt coordinator, second unit director, action director, stunt performer, actor. Style: Taekwondo Biography: Brad Martin is a stunt...
View ArticleThe Last Mercenary (2021)
Another curious twist in the fascinating latter stages of Van Damme‘s film career – a zany, self-aware French action comedy for Netflix. As the legendary mercenary, Richard Brumère – a high-kicking...
View ArticleJolt (2021)
Kate Beckinsale makes a welcome return to trashy action movies – and for Millennium Films, no less, master purveyors of B-grade, Bulgaria-based gut-punchers. With her glitzy look, shock of blonde hair...
View ArticleSpecial Female Force (2016)
A remake of 1988’s The Inspector Wears Skirts which absolutely nobody was asking for, this version recycles the same central theme of turning amateurs into mercenaries with Jade Leung in the Sibelle Hu...
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