Film Fan Dojo was recently treated to a screen copy of the Nicholas Ortiz film Jugando Con Fuego. The copy was provided courtesy of Deviant Children Productions and R4 Films. We are extremely honored to be given this opportunity to … Continue reading Jugando Con Fuego Starring Robert Samuels | A Movie Review
Robert (Bobby) Samuels and R4 Films set the Indy action and old-school kung fu movie fans on fire with the production of Shadow Fist. The return to Shaw Brothers-style fight scenes in Shadow Fist was a welcome break from the … Continue reading Shadow Fist 2: Axe Gang | An Exclusive Look at Robert Samuels’ Homage Sequel to Shaw Brothers Classics
Layout aka Big Boss from Shanghai Directed by Pao Hsueh-Li (click on poster to view the movie) Starring Chen Kuan Tai,Chiang Tao, Cheng Kang-Yeh, Sally Chen Sha-Li, Hu Chi, Shih Chung-Tien, Chin Kang, Gam Ming, Lung Fong Action director Gam … Continue reading Wu Tang Wednesday | Layout aka Big Boss from Shanghai
By Shannon Roxborough Never mind that there is no historical evidence that he actually existed (a character likely plucked from the pages of Wuxia, or “martial heroes,” novels), the fictional exploits of Shaolin hero Fang Shih-yu are legendary — second … Continue reading The Shaolin Avengers, a Classic Kung Fu Tale of Revenge | A Movie Review
Directed by Dallas Jackson Starring Michael Jai White, Michael Eklund, Gillian White, Maresse Crump, Sabryn Rock, Gary Owen, Anthony Grant, Nakai Takawira, Lyric Justice, Sagine Sémajuste Plot: Former Special forces veteran Jesse Freeman (Michael Jai White) tries to balance his … Continue reading Welcome to Sudden Death | A Review
What happens when a Chinese American young man who always idolized the Italian Mafia and then gets a chance to prove himself to the local Don? If you guessed culturally awkward situations, funny dialogue, a love story, kick-ass fight scenes … Continue reading Made in Chinatown | A Movie Review by Gary Williams
Chinese symbols of longevity, the red-crowned cranes commonly found in China (as well as Japan and Siberia, Russia) are large migratory birds that can live up to 80 years who make their home in wetlands, where they hunt for insects, worms, fish, shrimp, frogs, crabs, snakes and even rodents. So, how did these majestic creatures depicted everywhere from Taoist art to ancient Chinese cultural sites give rise to the kung-fu style bearing their name? According to legend, Southern White Crane Kung-fu was created by a young woman in China’s Fukien Province named Fang Chi Niang, the daughter of Fang Zhong … Continue reading Fukien White Crane | A Kung Fu Style Seemingly Made for the Movies
Northern Shaolin Kung Fu tends to emphasize speed, agility, stamina and flexibility, with much more dynamic footwork than found in its Southern counterparts. From arts primarily focused on self-defense to those now more commonly associated with inner peace, here is … Continue reading Northern Shaolin Kung Fu | An Introduction for Martial Arts Film Fans
By Shannon Roxborough Few who watch action movies are likely to care about the hole-riddled scripts, over-the-top dramatics and formulaic clichés, but quality fight scenes are another matter. For some, like yours truly, they’re a make-it-or-break-it element. There was a … Continue reading From Hollywood Action Films to Hong Kong Kung Fu Movies | When a Fight Scene Is Not a Fight Scene
The Wandering Sage In this periodic column, martial arts enthusiast and old China hand Shannon Roxborough explores the claims depicted in kung-fu cinema, putting them into historical, cultural, philosophical, martial and common-sense context. Blame it on Jet Li and the Shaw Brothers 1982 cult classic film “Shaolin Temple.” No place has exterted a more powerful influence on the martial arts than the Shaolin Temple. Credited as the birthplace of Chinese kung fu and the headquarters of martial monks whose combat feats and heroic exploits have been seared so deeply into the collective consciousness that it’s become difficult to separate … Continue reading The Death of Shaolin, and Decline of the Chinese Martial Arts
The Film Fan Dojo 