kung fu

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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: PART TWO – An Interview With Andy Le

Last month’s online shortfilm release, The Challenger, should serve as an exact reminder that there are people in the world – filmmakers who have an ardent love and respect for the craft to keep the martial arts genre alive. After all, it’s played a huge role in the lives of many people, and if that weren’t true, the genre wouldn’t have had the impact and global appeal it did in more than fifty years. Director Bao Tran knew this prior to working among the likes of Hong Kong film legend Corey Yuen Kwai and action stars like Johnny Tri Nguyen as of late. To that effect, I think it’s quite fortuitous that actor, martial artist and competitive tricker, stuntman, choreographer and master in the making, Martial Club’s own Andy Le, knew this too, and to see such like-minds collaborate to achieve something as solid and inspiring as a shortfilm preamble […]

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Besson And Hoene Head For WARRIOR'S GATE Next Month!

Within the last few years following Luc Besson’s co-production partnering of EuropaCorp with Shanghai-based Fundemental Films for a slate of English-language films, its package also included a fantasy martial arts film titled Warrior’s Gate. Scant info has been granted for the latter, but thankfully things are about to change as production finally begins next month in lieu of current events at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival. THR reports that helmer Matthias Hoene is directing this, his second feature since winning acclaim with the 2012 action horror romp, Cockneys Vs Zombies. Rising star Uriah Shelton, Flowers Of War actress Ni Ni and Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao (Black And White 1 & 2) are joining the $48 million dollar French-Chinese co-production with a script by Besson and Robert Mark Karmen which centers on teenager who gets magically transported to China where he ultimately trains in kung fu in order to save […]

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Bring The Glow To Your City For The 30th Anniversary Of Berry Gordy’s THE LAST DRAGON

Cult martial arts film star Taimak Guarriello is still in touch with his fanbase decades after gaining the spotlight with the Berry Gordy-produced 1985 neon-laden fantasy action kung fu classic, The Last Dragon. The film is still subject to massive expo and comic-con appeal with a surge in energy that still draws crowds to this day, even at its roots in New York City where the actor has appeared among other favorites stars at the Urban Action Showcase & Expo, and now, the movement continues to bring the glow to your city. A new contest is now underway and the first city to sell 300 tickets (or reach the goal of $12,000) will be chosen to get a star-studded screening of its own with photo-ops with Taimak and much more. The contest will end on March 2, 2015, just three weeks before the celebration commemorating the 30th anniversary of the […]

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Watch The Stylish New Teaser For Australian Martial Arts Feature, THE CHALLENGE LETTER

Not a lot of kung fu instructors take an interest in acting or screenfighting. As for those who do, it’s always appealing when you find that number of such people who are keen on expanding their craft to such a field, and impressively so. Such is the case with martial arts instructor Sifu Robert Chen of Chang Sing Tong Kung Fu Academy in Australia where he is now in the midst of his latest foray into feature length martial arts action with their current production, The Challenge Letter. An untitled teaser released back in November prior to getting an official branded teaser as of earlier this month, and while the plot is unknown at this point in time, the footage itself is nothing short of amazing, scored with a great montage of Chinese, Japanese and Brazilian fighting styles among others likening a bit to tones similar to hits such as […]

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The New Shortfilm Teaser For ASCENDED MASTERS Reveals The Son Of God In Training

Director Jela Oba Okpara is currently working on transitioning his latest desert martial arts thriller, The Last Girl into a feature film. The details are under wraps, some of which will hopefully come to light soon enough. In the meantime, Okpara‘s newest endeavor from his Spectacle Pictures banner is now available for viewing in the form of the new shortfilm trailer for Ascended Masters, a conceptualized story centered on the unwritten pages of Jesus Christ’s life between the ages of 12 and 30, entertaining the idea of a possible existence of a “kung fu Jesus” so to speak. Nick Denbeigh stars as “Yeshua” along with Oscar Perez as the wandering monk “Siddhartha”, with action sequences designed by Chibi. Ascended Masters is expected to arrive before the year is out, so in the meantime, check out the trailer below addition to a small gallery of stills and BTS pics courtesy of […]

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Wong Fei-Hung Kung Fu Reboot Epic RISE OF THE LEGEND Brandishes A New Poster

Wong Fei-Hung Kung Fu Reboot Epic RISE OF THE LEGEND Brandishes A New Poster

If you’ve been paying any attention in the past few months, you may have already seen the recent glimpses of Nightfall helmer Roy Chow‘s newest venture with the forthcoming biopictoral origin reboot, Rise Of The Legend. It’s a cinematic revamp of the classic story of the legendary and once-living martial arts master and healer, Wong Fei-Hung, whose life has become the very subject of decades of kung fu cinema greatness, most prominently in the eyes of martial arts action stylings of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo Ping’s and the late Lau Kar-Leung and Kwan Tak Hing. The newest reinvention now finds actor Eddie Peng (Tai Chi Zero, Tai Chi Hero, Unbeatable) next in line to fill the shoes of the legendary no-shadow kicking hero from a script by Fearless scribe Christine To, and action director Corey Yuen (Fong Sai Yuk 1 and 2, The Transporter Trilogy). […]

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RISE OF THE LEGEND Gets New Poster Art And A Kick-Ass Teaser!

RISE OF THE LEGEND Gets New Poster Art And A Kick-Ass Teaser!

Following Universal Pictures’s participation as co-producers and international rights holders with Edko Films Ltd. for director Roy Chow‘s Rise Of The Legend, the film is now poised for a November premiere in China and has an exquisite new teaser and promo art this week. Written by Christina To, the new film is a origin-based re-observation of the classic kung fu hero, Wong Fei-Hung, in a story that focuses on Wong’s younger years as a gangster before becoming iconic martial arts master and healer he became known for. The film also marks the latest of challenges for actor Eddie Peng, after starring in last year’s MMA feature drama, Unbeatable. Peng‘s lack of genuine training was an issue among the longstanding Wong Fei-Hung faithfuls mostly familiar with previous stars like Jet Li, late actor Kwan Tak-Hing, and others in previous movies. Suffice it to say, Peng took the challenge head on with […]

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Could The Late LAU KAR-LEUNG Get His Own Movie?

The past year saw a grave loss of a few notable, memorable and iconic film figures of the martial arts and film industry as a whole, including the passing of action cinema arbiter and late kung fu cinema legend Lau Kar-Leung. Before passing away on June 25 last year at the age of 78, the late master Lau earned his acclaim in part through the shared legacy of his kung fu lineage through his father’s training under Wong Fei-Hung disciple Lam Sai-wing. In the following years, this would ultimately take his own training from the age of seven into a lucrative career as a teacher, a stuntman and rising film figure through Shaw Brothers studios in the 1960’s and 70’s, and evidently it didn’t stop there. These articles of Lau‘s stellar history in the world of kung fu cinema could be part of what is now being formulated for a […]

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It Exists! THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS 2: THE STING OF THE SCORPION Is Coming Soon!

It’s been a couple of years since actor, writer and musician RZA presented filmgoers with his latest directorial debut, the 2012 flick, Quentin Tarantino Presents: The Man With The Iron Fists. The film drew mixed reactions but also received enough attention to warrant a conversation about a hopeful sequel once rumored as The Man With The Iron Fists 2: The Sting Of The Scorpion. That was late last year, and now, Impact has broken the news confirming the existence of the aforementioned sequel shot in Thailand, and title, which sees RZA providing the script as well as reprising his role as The Blacksmith for Death Race 2 and 3 helmer Roel Reine sitting in the director’s seat. The remainder of the cast is a mixed bag of old and new faces, which include actor Dustin Nguyen and Man Of Tai Chi actor Ocean Hou, along with actors Cary Tagawa, Carl […]

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[UPDATED] RISE OF THE LEGEND Shares New Ink With Pick Up From Universal

The latest cinematic telling of the life and legend of martial arts master and healer Wong Fei-Hung has some new production and distribution participants in its midst with news that the folks Universal Pictures International are joining in as co-producers and majority international rights holders of director Roy Chow‘s new film, Rise Of The Legend. The new film stars Unbeatable lead, actor Eddie Peng in the title role, whose image can be now seen in the newest sales banner courtesy of Deadline: The film is produced by Bill Kong with a script by Christina To, featuring Peng who follows in the footsteps of previous martial arts cinema icons and written Chinese novels dating back to the 1930’s. The lead actor is joined by co-star and producer Sammo Hung, with Wang Luodan, Jing Boran, Wong Cho Lam and SPL 2 co-star Zhang Jin, in addition to actor Tony Leung Ka-fai and […]

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Indiegogo Alert: Help Fund The New American Kung Fu Feature SHAOLIN WING CHUN: A NEW BEGINNING

Artists from virtually all walks of life continue to thrive on social media to gain a foothold of potential online fans to garner an audience. And with Indiegogo being one of the most useful and beneficial means to do so, this movement continues to remain prolific for filmmakers, especially those fond of martial arts action cinema. Such is the case with independent filmmaker and producer Roderick Powell who is looking to take his craft to what’s being designated as a “Shaw Brothers-style” cinematic love letter to action star Donnie Yen’s trendsetting 2008/2010 performance as Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the form of Shaolin Wing Chun: A New Beginning. And accordingly, writer and producer Erik Bernard has taken to a new Indiegogo campaign video for their new project to help fund their newest creation and continue to bring martial arts action cinema to life. The official Indiegogo platform for the […]

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The Ends Must Justify The Means In David Clevenger's STANDING GROUND

Indie filmmaker, actor and martial artist David Clevenger has come a long way from starting out in 2002 with a faith-based repetoire of low-budget action films under his production banner, Shepherd King Productions in Illinois within the Quad Cities where he has become most prolific ever since. Twelve years later, Clevenger has now finished his fifth feature, Standing Ground, which will finally make its debut with three screenings at the Adler Theater in Daveport, Iowa this Saturday. Filmed for $5,000 between Tampa Bay, Florida and within the Quad-Cities, the film represents a lesser-Christian themed project for Clevenger who stars as a martial arts teacher forced to come to grips with violating his own moral code if it can save his daughters life. That said, the film will aim to construct a darkly-toned character-driven tale with a positive message. And of course, the milk and cookies of it all will be […]

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Get Your Old-School Chop Socky On With IRON FIST TV!

With the popularity of sites like Crackle and Netflix providing online streaming services with a variety of quality TV and film content, what better way to tap into those consumers than launch an online network targeted specifically to a certain niche? Well, the guys at Mill Creek Entertainment may have an answer to that, reaching out to 35mm Kung Fu and Tokusatsu cinephiles everywhere with the latest in online martial arts cinema entertainment, Iron Fist TV. Knock yourself out with our colossal assortment of martial arts genre films and TV shows from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Full of high-flyin’ fun and hard-kickin’ humor, IronFistTV offers a massive variety of the strangest evildoers, coolest champions and out-of-this-world mutants on one fiercely awesome streaming channel! The channel is also available on Roku, and you can sign-up for an ad-supported free membership, or subscribe ad-free for $4.99 per month. To learn […]

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Growing Pains Pack A Punch In The New Indiegogo Promo For Webseries, FIGHTER'S HIGH

Nearly ten years in the making, independent filmmaker Chris Ryons is about to apply a fresh new vision to a webseries concept he has been developing since his his early years in film. That series earned its first application by 2007 in the form of Fighter’s High, an action comedy project that centers on a generation of teenagers that thrive in martial arts as a preamble to entering high school. The series is taking a different creative direction since 2007, but its origins come collectively on behalf of Ryons‘s influences over the years, namely his 20-year long love for martial arts in all its aspects, filmmakers like Chang Cheh and Yudai Yamaguchi, and the kung fu and Tokusatsu genres, and tournament fighting video games in general. “I always kicked around this joke about the original Power Rangers and how it seemed being a martial artist was a pre-requisite to get […]

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BAMCinématek Presents – ALL HAIL THE KING: The Films Of King Hu This Summer!

Kung fu cinema fans in New York City will be getting some more screentime thanks to the kind folks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music where BAMcinématek will be hosting a new retrospective on the work of late legendary award-winning film auteur, King Hu. Known for adhering to the music and fluidity of his faved Beijing operas he loved while growing up, Hu’s credentials include over three decades in the industry in set and costume design, as well serving as actor, producer, writer and award-winning filmmaker. Further details can be read in the followng press release from the academy, including the official announcement, days and dates, and titles to be showcased. For more information, visit the official website. From Friday, June 6 through Tuesday, June 17, BAMcinématek presents All Hail the King: The Films of King Hu, a 15-film tribute to the Chinese cinematic titan. Master of the martial arts […]

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China Goes 3D For Its Next Kung Fu Feature, SHAOLIN TEMPLE

China Goes 3D For Its Next Kung Fu Feature, SHAOLIN TEMPLE

From L to R: Shaolin Abbot Shi Yongxin and cartoonist Tsai Chih Chung at a press conference at a shaolin temple in Henan Province in China over the weekend. It’s not everyday that we learn about a kung fu film being made that is set in the world of animation. We can officially count today out following a press conference at a Shaolin temple in China’s Henan Province that a new 85-minute 3D-animated kung fu feature is in the works titled Shaolin Temple (with no relation to the 3D remake of the Jet Li classic that was announced back in January). The director behind this new project is none other than Tsai Chih Chung, an award-winning Taiwanese cartoomistauthor of satire and cartoonist with a distinct knack for interpreting ancient Chinese philosophy in his body of work. Tsai began drafting a script for the film in 2006, with a story that […]

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THE SWORD MASTER Director Responds To Fans About Casting

Following up on the previous report regarding the latest concept image for director Derek Yee‘s new film, The Sword Master, Yee recently took to social media to set the record straight regarding some reported backlash over the casting of his new film. The film was finally announced last year with film auteur Tsui Hark attached as producer for a 3D rendering of the Shaw Brothers remake based on a classic novel that inspired the 1977 film, Death Duel. “If a collaboration between Tsui Hark and I still need big stars to get you to waste your time and spend your money on a ticket, then we might as well pack up, go home, drink whiskey and shoot the breeze,” Yee posted on his Sina Weibo account. “It doesn’t matter who’s acting in the film. Tsui Hark and I are the top stars of the film!”. Written by Yee and Hark […]

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Go For The Kill: An Interview With KUNG FU FEMMES Producer And Director Tony Laudati

It was back about a few months ago that Film Combat Syndicate wound up in touch with independent filmmaker and martial arts enthusiast Tony Laudati, best known for his prolific involvement in his enduring labor of love, Kung Fu Femmes. If you are new to this project right now just as I was earlier this year, a simple click to the official YouTube channel will show you up to eight years of content that illustrates just how what was once a concept lagging on paper has blossomed into a longstanding successful cult phenomenon, featuring a variety of physically gifted and talented athletic females. Point in fact, it is was so impressive that it even caught our own Scott Wiley’s attention back when he interviewed actress, stuntwoman, martial artist and Thousand Pounds Action Company member Amy Johnston, who can also be seen in a few of the webisodes now available on […]

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Subway Cinema/NYAFF Presents: OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST 2014!

New York City residents lucky enough to have three full days off this week can now share in the joy and wonderment to be experienced at this month’s Old School Kung Fu Fest to be held at the Anthology Film Archive. Now in its second year, the events will be hosted by Subway Cinema and The New York Asian Film Festival in conjunction with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and The Korea Society, with a total of nine films, guest speakers and an artists’ poster exhibit paying tribute to legendary late great kung fu cinema auteur Lau Kar-Leung. Here are the list of all nine films, comprised of eight public titles with trailers in between, and a secret film to be announced midway through the festival, which lasts from April 18 through April 20. THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (aka MASTER KILLER)  少林卅六房 (1978, 119 minutes, 35mm, with […]

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Every Hero Has A Beginning In The Latest Promo Image For RISE OF A LEGEND!

There are a few classic kung fu movies that are poised to return as remakes, namely director Roy Chow‘s forthcoming reimagining of prolific kung fu master and healer, Wong Fei Hung in the new film, Rise Of The Legend. And on the heels of the film’s recent unveiling at this year’s Hong Kong FilMart, we now have a new promotional image for the upcoming film, this time featuring Unbeatable co-star, lead actor Eddie Ping in the classic role, which you can look at below. Other previous versions have earned their own historical acclaim far and wide in the past century, with names such as Kwan Tak Hing, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Angie Tsang, so Chow‘s version will undoubtedly be a testament to see if a newer version can deliver the goods in a unique way offers a fresher vision for a new generation of kung fu fans. The promo […]

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