documentary

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CHINESE HERCULES: THE BOLO YEUNG STORY Unleashes trailer ahead of release in 2025

Yang Sze, better known as Bolo Yeung, has become one of the most iconic villains martial arts cinema has ever produced. Having shared the screen with martial arts icons such as Bruce Lee or Jean Claude Van Damme, taking part in two of the most iconic films of the genre such as Enter the Dragon or Bloodsport. however, the he former Hong Kong bodybuilding champion film career wasn´t limited to those two classics and managed to spawned a prolific career or more than forty years by his own right most of the times taking advantage of his menacing physic to play the villain that the hero always had to defeat, however, he not always was the villain, and later on his career he was granted the chance to have some leading roles in productions such as the the Shootfighter duology, or films such as Ironheart. Despite of his antagonist cinematic […]

THE FINAL GAME OF DEATH Review: A trip back in time through the unreleased footage Bruce Lee left behind

Mike Garcia

Last year, fans of the little dragon were delighted with the magnificent 4K UHD/Blu-ray box set released by ARROW covering Bruce Lee´s iconic films for Golden Harvest. However, one of the highlights of the boxset was undoubtedly the documentary, “The Final Game of Death”, a 223-minute documentary that speculates on what Bruce Lee‘s vision on his unfinished project, “The Game of Death”, could have been. Summoning all two hours of footage left that was stored in the archives of Golden Harvest, including never seen before footage, as countless of outtakes, outdoors filming or the log fight scene, following the trend that previous documentaries as “A warrior’s journey” or the Japanese “G.O.D” already did years ago, but this time, having the footage restored in top quality, also assembling a new montage including a newly filmed credits scene and introduction that reimaginates what it could have been. The documentary drags the viewer […]

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MR.MCMAHON Review: Vince McMahon faces his character, Mr.McMahon, in a documentary where fiction and reallity collides seeking for the truth

Mike Garcia

Vince McMahon has always been a peculiar figure hard to distinguish from the character he played on television from the man who hid behind all that facade, however, his success as entrepreneur cannot go unnoticed. Following his father´s footsteps Vince took the reins of the Proffesional Wrestling organization then called WWF, turning a regional business into a multi-global phenonemon that generates billions of dollars and has captivated worldwide audiences for more than forty years, trespassing the boundaries of sport and entertainment, This 6 episodes Netfllix documentary, chronicles the reign of McMahon from its origins as his father subordinate, until taking the reins of the company breaking all the established boundaries, changing the Wrestling landscape forever. Unveiling his ability to create characters that became icons, not looking away from his problems with justice, including the accusations that incriminates him of sexual misconduct and traffic. Throughout interviews with McMahon, -after the late […]

ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE Review: An Integral Vertebra In The Backbone Of Kung Fu Cinema

Shaun Williams

It is my firm belief that every martial arts cinema fan eventually comes to a certain fork in the road. It’s at this fork that they must take one of two paths: the path to Bruceploitation or the path of Bruceploitation ignorance. Many will take the path of ignorance. I did. All those years ago when I picked up a copy of Fist of Fury 2 thinking I was going to watch Bruce Lee once again display his magnificent physical prowess. Instead, I got Bruce Li. I was incredulous. It was there I faced my fork and I rapidly headed down the path that was as far away from Bruceploitation as one can be. I lived peacefully with this decision for around twenty-five years. Until someone in the online kung fu cinema community convinced me to watch Bruce Li’s magnum opus, Dynamo. I was awakened. Enlightened, even. Fast forward to […]

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SLY Review: Reflections on Life and Legacy

Mike Garcia

Some stars transcends the boundaries of their craft to become something that goes beyond fame or stardom, and Sylvester Stallone, by his own right, is one of those men who were granted the status of legend or myth. 50 years of career, 2 iconic characters and three succesful sagas, are the avail of a legendary career that turned him into a megastar and an icon for different generations. However, this new Netflix documentary directed by Thom Zimni, don´t rely on the easy path of just making a mundane restrospective of his career celebrating his incredible legacy, but becomes into a moving reflection by the star on his lfe and legacy, not just only reflecting about his success, but also looking back at his past mistakes, and the price he had to pay to make his impossible dreams come true. Stallone relates his own story supported by friends, family and Hollywood […]

SANMAO: THE DESERT BRIDE: Discovering The Fascinating Woman Behind the Fascinating Writer

Mike Garcia

Despite of being mostly an unknown in the west, in the 70´s, a young Chinese girl named Chen Ping, under the pen name of Sanmao, that she adopted from a beloved comic-book character in china, captivated the hearts of a whole generation of Chinese readers, with her writings about her semi-autobiographical daily experiences in the Sahara with her Spanish husband, Jose, to whom she baptised for her chinese readers with name of Hexi. Her books and writings about her life abroad and specially her love story with Jose, conquered the imagination of her readers. A love story that began with her first stay in Spain, when they met for their first time, and the exotic beauty of the young girl, mesmerized Jose, who at at hat time was just a young 15-year old teenage kid, while she was already in her 20´s. But the age difference was never an issue […]

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IRIS CHANG: THE RAPE OF NANKING: Scars Filled with Hope, Healing Wounds From the Past

Mike Garcia

The rape of Nanjing, is one of the darkest atrocities in recent history, a happening that´s been denied by some ultra nationalist groups and was forgotten in the west history books for a very long time… December 13th is the Nanjing massacre memorial, to commemorate such a tragic happening, I´ve decided to write about this moving long feature documentary from 2007, that revolves around Iris Chang, an enthusiastic Asian-American young writer, author of the best seller book, “The Rape of Nanking“, a work that brought to light to western readers the horrors that the Japanese Imperial Army commited during their invassion of the city in 1937. The makers of the feature, combined Chang´s real footage from TV appearances, with dramatizations of passages from her life in which she´s wonderfully portrayed by the gorgeous Olivia Cheng, displaying on the screen the reasons and motivations Iris had to expose to the world […]

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MORE THAN MIYAGI: THE PAT MORITA STORY Review: The Lights and Shadows of the Man Behind the Pop Culture Icon

Mike Garcia

in 1984, Pat Morita reached cinema immortality with his unforgettable performance in the classic “The Karate Kid”, as the enigmatic karate master, Miyagi. Performance that not only gave him an oscar nomination as best supporting actor, but also turned him into an icon of American pop culture. A blessing that was a curse on disguise, because the role that made him famous, also pigeonholed him in a type of role from which he could never escape… This moving documentary, traces the lights and shadows of his life, in an autobiographical journey through revealing recordings that Morita left before his passing, that take us through a journey that starts in a Japanese internment camp, where Morita relates his first years of life being a disable kid in a poor family, to his youth wrapped in poverty, until reaching the adulthood, where he felt the call of showbusiness, first becoming a […]

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THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER Review: Ruins of an Ancient Civilization

Mike Garcia

I’ve never liked blockbuster type of videostores. I found them completely soulless big businesses in which there was only room for countless of copies of big studio films, and barely no real human touch since workers there were employees McDonald’s or Burger King’s type… I´ve always prefered small videostores, where you could find all types of films from all over the world, and the owners were film lovers that could always give you advice what to rent. However, the last Blockbuster that survives on this dark age of streaming platforms, seems to be closer to those small renting shops than what Blockbuster once actually was… This nostalgic documentary, throws back to a not so long ago ancient civilization where the world was ruled by videostores and Blockbuster monopolized the market… The documentary goes deep into the origins of videostores and gives the audience an insight look of the rise and […]

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STALLONE: FRANK, THAT IS Review: Something else than just Rocky´s brother

Mike Garcia

It must be really frustrating that everything you do in life is overshadowed by your mega popular brother, but actually, Frank Stallone can’t really complain, because in all probability without Sylvester, we wouldn’t even be talking about him right now… So, in all likelihood, being aware of that, and knowing that nobody besides himself is going to vindicate his art, Frank has produced this wonderful autobiographical documentary in which with the help of many popular friends, including his mom and his super famous brother, he relates with all sincerity and humbleness, his struggling story with all his lights and many shadows, but overall with the priceless optimism that all those who never give up their dreams, taking all life’s hits keeping always moving forward can only do, cause as all you already know, that’s how winning is done!!! The feature documentary directed by Derek Wayne Johnson, who previously directed the […]

JAPAN CUTS Review: SEIJO STORY – 60 Years of making films, a love story devoted to art

Mike Garcia

In 2020, Nobuhiko Obayashi left us, leaving behind an important legacy as one of the most renowned independent japanese filmmakers in Japan movie industry. This honest documentary follows the veteran filmmaker during the production and post production of his cinematic testament, “labyrinth of cinema” (That can be also enjoyed in Japanese cuts online festival) but most importantly goes deep into the love story between the director and his wife and producer Kyoko Hanyu, who met in 1959 as students in Seijo university in Tokyo, falling in love, getting married and devoting their life to cinema for over 60 years, until the death of the Japanese filmmaker. The story is told through the eyes of the couple, while the directors, Isshin Inudo and Eiki Takahasi, follow them showing some old footage from their first 8mm works and travelling with them to the location of some of their old movies, including interviews […]

IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS Review: An Historical, Open-Ended Saga That Will Have You Clenching Your Fists For More

Lee B. Golden III

Look in almost any kung fu or martial arts cinema library or archive, and you’re bound to find a documentary of some kind. It helps, however, that there are as many documentaries on the genre as there are, delivered over the years with the last several generations sharing their own respective interpretations on the cinematic art of stunt performance, fisticuffs and stylish whoopass. What works with director Serge Ou’s offering in Iron Fists And Kung Fu Kicks, is that it takes things just a little bit further in the long run. Essential footage from classic Shaw titles like Come Drink With Me, The Chinese Boxer, Five Fingers Of Death and Shaolin Challenges Ninja are showcased as examples of how Sir Run Run Shaw’s famed company embraced certain creative trends, whereas comparatively, Golden Harvest serviced a more global calling in terms of talent for its annual film output, hiring the likes […]

TROY’S TEAM ACTION CLASS: A Spotlight For One Of Asia’s Brightest

Lee B. Golden III

It’s always a funny thing when people ask me what my thoughts are about certain selections I add to the Hit List or films I give positive reviews on – funny because for one, reviews should speak for themselves. The same especially goes for the former, really, in that usually if I see a video that I like and I like it enough to put in the energy to write something about it, it’s normally because I liked it. ? With another year well into its circuitry and film festivals abound, I’ve adequately applied this mindset in my coverage of Troy’s Team, led by multifaceted stunt performer, trainer, actor and filmmaker Troy Sandford. His independent webseries, The Challenger, was an amply entertaining sampler that showcases what he and his crew are capabable of, and since I began discussing Sandford in 2016, I’m honestly hoping that having worked and trained with […]

I AM THE WHITE TIGER: Kung Fu Cinema Legend Mark Houghton’s New Doc Lands A Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Among the cadre of longstanding kung fu thesps and experts of the last fifty years, martial arts master, ex-stuntman and Hung Gar successor Mark Houghton’s story is certainly one of interest. From traversing the world of martial arts starting at the age of 14 to battling life and death scenarios both on-screen and off, he’s since become one of the foremost figures in martial arts film and sport – his posterity further sustained in Lei Chiu’s new documentary, I Am The White Tiger, which has already circulated festivals aplenty with numerous awards and accolades in its wake. Stuntman, action director, and martial arts legend Mark Houghton tells his story of his martial arts journey, breaking into the Hong Kong film industry, his struggle with injuries and depression, and the promise he made his teacher, the legendary filmmaker Lau Kar Leung. Houghton, whose nominal film credits have seen him work among […]

THE CAGE FIGHTER: Jeff Unay’s New Underdog MMA Doc Gets A Riveting New Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Visual effects wizard Jeff Unay (Hellboy, The Adventures Of Tintin) is taking his career into a new direction as of late, seeing his way ringside with an interest in cinema verité with the life and times of beleagured MMA fighter Joe Carman. Such is the subject now the center of Unay’s The Cage Fighter, a fresh new documentary readying for a February 2 release from IFC Films’s Sundance Selects shingle. When life hits him hard, Joe Carman punches back. Newly 40, Joe juggles long hours working in a boiler room, an ongoing custody battle, his wife’s chronic illness, and the demands of raising four girls. The one place he finds release is in the ring, where he competes in the bruising sport of mixed martial arts. Despite the promise he made to his family to stop fighting, Joe continues to train secretly, determined to prove that he can keep up with […]

CONCRETE AND CRASHPADS: STUNTS IN NEW YORK Makes Its Landing On Amazon Prime And Vimeo

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmakers Matthew Kaplowitz and stuntman Stephen Koepfer’s Concrete and Crashpads: Stunts In New York earned several nods for more than a year during its festival life in up to ten public screening events. Having proven its appeal accordingly and eventually finding availability at Ultraflix, consumers with access to On-Demand services at Amazon Prime and Vimeo can now enjoy their introductory look into New York City’s urban stunt jungle whose inhabitants share accolades and credits in work as seen in televison shows and films like the John Wick franchise, Gotham and many more. “Concrete and Crashpads – Stunts in New York” is a documentary short film that offers a glimpse into the invisible world of New York’s booming stunt community. The life of a stunt performer is lived in the shadows, without fanfare or recognition. This film peeks into the lives of some of the men and women who put their […]

Review: GIRL FIGHT: A MUAY THAI STORY Casts A Ringside Glimmer Of Truth Beyond Victory And Defeat

Lee B. Golden III

It was late last year that I was introduced to the work of documentarian and filmmaker Matthew Kaplowitz (a.k.a. The Fight Nerd) who at one point drew an interest in New York City’s stunt community surrounding the inner workings of Stephen Koepfer at Breakfall Studios. That pivot resulted into research offering a 30-minute glimpse into the life and effort of stunt performers along the northeast in what became Concrete And Crashpads: Stunts In New York, which was feasible for me since I largely cover movies from an angle focused on the world of stunt performance…whereas sports is a different ball park for me. I don’t normally watch competitive mixed martial arts fights on TV – not usually interested although I dabble from time to time just to say that I watched a sport; My father is an absolute football fan and when the season starts, an alien armada could […]

Review: CONCRETE AND CRASHPADS: STUNTS IN NEW YORK Welcomes You To The Urban Stunt Jungle

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve been covering stunt performers off and on for about eight years – three of them most prolifically here at Film Combat Syndicate. As a fan, been following stunt performers since about 2004 or 2005 when I became keen on the growing number of homemade kung fu movies being shared on forums and independent stunt team pages before YouTube was born and it’s been a blast seeing how some of these folks have evolved since then. That said, if there is one thing that I am proud to have observed in all these years, it is that once in a while, you will find more and more people who work in journalism, as well as stunts, covering the stunt industry in all its efforts in film, stage and TV. New York City has proven especially viable here with its own pockets of communities and people working together to create, build […]

HONG KONG SUPERSTARS Gets An Online Resurrection From Its Editor

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker and documentarian Chris Ducker has had his share of hurdles over the course of time it took to present the world with one of his earliest efforts in catering to fans of Asian cinema, Hong Kong Superstars. Alas, it’s taken fifteen years before anyone would be allowed to view the interviews Ducker and his team hosted for the ambitious video magazine back between 1999 and 2000, and thankfully, Ducker and editor Lee Mason have taken it upon themselves to share their long-awaited labor of love with the world. Hong Kong Superstars was a fan magazine from the UK focusing on Hong Kong Cinema and edited by Chris Ducker. The video magazine was modeled on what Eastern Heroes had done by branching out into making videos. Eastern Heroes were actually set to release the Hong Kong Superstars video in 2001 under the title of ‘Cinema of Vengeance 2’. For unknown […]

Want A Bruceploitation Documentary? A Celebrity Stage Event? Nickolas Nielsen Is Making Either Of These Happen!

Lee B. Golden III

You can certainly imagine the challenges faced by studios more than forty years ago who were desperate to find the “next Bruce Lee”… literally. The search for lookalikes who could echo the famed martial arts action star’s image became top priority for filmmakers and producers following the 32-year old actor’s and Jeet Kune Do founder’s untimely death in 1973, and it has spawned many films resulting in an era dubbled notably as “Bruceploitation”. The era still remains as a cult phenomenon among fans alike with a multitude of performers, (a few of whom have passed away in the years since) who’ve become famous for their portrayals of the actor in some iteration, including Bruce Li, Bruce Le, and Dragon Lee (a.k.a. Moon Kyong-seok) and despite previous documentaries, it’s a phenomenon that still drives questions from those curious to hear the real stories and answers. Well, as of just a few […]