# Are there any movies that you recommend to your students?



## fnorfurfoot (Jun 11, 2006)

Are there any movies that have a message or display your art that you recomment to your students? 

Personally, I suggest watching The Perfect Weapon to the adults and parents of my students, seeing as that movie is an advertisement for Kenpo.  An entertaining movie with a good martial arts moral is Joe Somebody.


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## MA-Caver (Jun 11, 2006)

fnorfurfoot said:
			
		

> Are there any movies that have a message or display your art that you recomment to your students?
> 
> Personally, I suggest watching The Perfect Weapon to the adults and parents of my students, seeing as that movie is an advertisement for Kenpo.  An entertaining movie with a good martial arts moral is Joe Somebody.



Hard to find that one it is... but a good 'un.


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## evenflow1121 (Jun 11, 2006)

I recommend the perfect weapon but for the techniques.  Personally I thought the plot was lame, but the techniques are done very well.


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## HKphooey (Jun 12, 2006)

evenflow1121 said:
			
		

> I recommend the perfect weapon but for the techniques. Personally I thought the plot was lame, but the techniques are done very well.


 
Same here.  Some parts got a little "cheesey" (but that sums up pretty much the martial arts genre )

I tell the students to try to recognize the techniques throughout the movie.


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## OUMoose (Jun 12, 2006)

You mean "Bloodsport" and Berry Gordy's "The Last Dragon" aren't good to show people interested in martial arts?  crap...


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## evenflow1121 (Jun 12, 2006)

OUMoose said:
			
		

> You mean "Bloodsport" and Berry Gordy's "The Last Dragon" aren't good to show people interested in martial arts? crap...


 
I want to glow like Leeroy.


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## OUMoose (Jun 13, 2006)

evenflow1121 said:
			
		

> I want to glow like Leeroy.


Bah... Red Glow > Golden Glow... SHO'NUFF!!


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## matt.m (Jun 13, 2006)

Nah, I have always thought that MA movies were for entertainment not for teaching.  The fight scenes in a majority of the movies are so unrealistic it is pathetic.


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## fnorfurfoot (Jun 13, 2006)

I agree that most MA movies have unrealistic fight scenes.  Even though his movies are campy, I have a couple of my students watch Jeff Speakman's movies.  Then I ask them to name as many techniques as they can remember seeing him perform.


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## Grenadier (Jun 14, 2006)

matt.m said:
			
		

> Nah, I have always thought that MA movies were for entertainment not for teaching. The fight scenes in a majority of the movies are so unrealistic it is pathetic.


 
What he said...

Basically, I look at the movies for entertainment, especially the ones in the action genre.  

There are a some that I recommend, some for the entertainment value, others if just to give some folks a glimpse into other martial arts:

1) Only the Strong - Yes, yes, I realize the Capoeira performed in this movie isn't quite what the norm really is, but at least Capoeira finally got its own movie!   

2) Best of the Best - Just the original one.  Do NOT watch any of the sequels.  Some exposure to the art of Tae Kwon Do, even if they did make that movie overly nationalistic.  Then again, I may be biased with my "nationalistic" statement, since I have Korean blood flowing through my veins.  It's also kind of funny seeing none other than Hee Il Cho playing the role of the coach of the Korean team.  

3) Fist of Legend - Jet Li stars in this remake of "Fists of Fury."  I know that most people call it "The Chinese Connection," but I prefer the original name.    At least this one was a lot less anti-Japanese than the original.

4) Two Champions of Shaolin - While the plot wasn't too good, and the voice dubbing was terrible, the action scenes were worth it, especially the final fight, where Kow single-handedly takes on almost all of the Shaolin guys at one time, and where Hu (using a metal hanbo) takes on the three deadly Yuen brothers (each using a bo in synchronicity).  The choreography was painstakingly done, and I applaud the actors for being able to sustain long sequences of fighting moves before the camera broke away.  You just don't see that anymore in today's flicks.

5) Enter the Dragon - Not much need be said about this, but at least Bruce Lee finally speaks in English, and the acting wasn't too bad at all.  That, plus you can really see the freaky speed of Bruce Lee.  Oh, and also seeing Jackie Chan play the role of one of the guards that Lee breaks the neck of, during the fight in the opium processing plant, while showing an evil smile.  

There are others, but I'll switch gears now, and give a list of movies I tell my students NEVER to rent:

1) Any of the Best of the Best series after the original.  Things just went downhill, and it's painful to see Phillip Rhee trying his hand at being more of an acting character.  

2) Gymkata - Just...  plain...  awful...  The sad thing is, that Kurt Thomas and co. honestly tried to make this a serious movie.  It's only redeeming quality (and a dubious one at that) is the fact that we can all laugh along at the movie (not with it).  

3) Any movie where Yang Sze (aka Bolo Yeung) is the lead character.  Don't get me wrong, he's an imposing bad guy, and one of the nicest people you could ever meet in real life, but he's not main character material.  

4) Street Fighter, the movie - Jean Claude Van Damme as Guile?  Come on...  It was even sadder to see one of my more favorite actors, Raul Julia, get stuck in that terrible role as Bison.  

5) Game of Death - The beginning of "Bruceploitation."  I don't know what was worse; the attempt at splicing in clips from the other Bruce Lee movies in order to fill some space, or the terrible dubbing of Bruce Li's voice onto the very few Bruce Lee fights (such as against Dan Inosanto).  

Anyways, that's all I can think of at this time, since I'm about to fall asleep at my keyboard.  Good night to all.


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## Jonathan Randall (Jun 14, 2006)

"To Live and Die in LA" has a realistic and vicious street fighting scene in it. Recommended.


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## Brian King (Jun 14, 2006)

Just out on limited release Peaceful Warrior

http://www.seattleweekly.com/film/0622/peaceful.php

I enjoyed the book and enjoyed the movie, something that is not always guarenteed.

See you on the floor soon
Friends
Brian King


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## hapki68 (Jun 15, 2006)

This questions is easy:

"The Shining"

... cause Jack N shows us how to use an axe to defend yourself against your skinny wife and untrustworthy kid.


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