The Bruce Lee Nokia video

I have no doubt that many more people than I think have seen this video before, but for those of you who have not just like me it will be a treat.

I was watching a special called How Bruce Lee Changed The World. It was a really cool program about the impact that Bruce Lee was able to have with only 4 films made before his highly untimely death in the 70's. His reach continues even to this day, in martial arts movies, sports, video games, music and more.

One of the things touched upon is how Lee is so well known that his image is still a symbol for innumerable products across the globe. One such take on Lee, and his abilities (he was so fast that he was slowed down in his films so people could believe the action they were watching) comes in the form of playing ping pong with nunchuku.



What that has to do with a cell phone I do not know. But I just think its a very cool homage to Bruce Lee. And I have no doubt that he could have done this with ease.

Movies to see before you die

There is nothing quite like a list of something to get the blood boiling. When that list happens to be of movies, and is called the 100 movies to see before you die, well you can imagine I was like a moth to a flame.

This Yahoo list is pretty good though. In fact I have seen 74 out of the full 100. When it comes to lists of great movies, I normally have far more issue with some of the choices. But this list is very much on the mark.

But they did get a few wrong.

Like Princess Monoke. A very good anime film. But not something you must see before death. I'd substitute that with Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Both are dazzling in the story and art. Far more compelling anime.

They touched on martial arts films, including Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon. A true classic. But not the only style of martial arts film worthy of viewing. For a story that is completely different yet deep in thought and martial arts try Circle of Iron as an addition to your top 100 list.

I have to be excited about this list as they included one of my favorite films, and one that most people never heard of. M. That is a classic and groundbreaking. It may be old and sub-titled, but it is powerful cinema and that's what matters.

The list leaves out The Princess Bride, which I think is great on a comedic and swashbuckling level. And they did not include a universal classic The Adventures of Robin Hood. How can they not have Errol Flynn's most renown role.

Still the list does have Blazing Saddles and Do The Right Thing. Something I'm glad to see as films starring Black actors or directors normally seem to not exist in these kinds of lists.

Though they ignored Malcolm X, by Spike Lee. There is a reason why this was Denzel Washington's first Oscar nominated role (which he was robbed of), and why the movie itself was robbed of an Oscar Award. Once you see it I think you will agree.

I like that the list includes: the original 12 Angry Men, Alien, Apocalypes Now, Blade Runner, Bridge on the River Kwai, Die Hard, Dr. Strangelove, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, the original King Kong (one of the first films I ever saw and remember to this day), Groundhog Day, It's a Wonderful Life, Lawrence of Arabia, M.A.S.H. (yes it was a movie long before it was a television show), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Animal House, Nosferatu (second film I recall ever seeing), Schindler's List, Seven Samurai, Some Like It Hot, Star Wars (the first of the series in 1977), To Kill A Mockingbird, and Usual Suspects. I find them all to be essential films that everyone should see at least once.

Also included in that list of core movies (besides the others I mentioned above) that everyone should see is Being There. A Peter Sellers film unlike anything he did before it. This is comedy of a cerebral nature yet enjoyable just to watch and eat popcorn with.

Overall this list is very good. One of the better lists to come out of Yahoo. But it isn't perfect. At least to me. And I think if you take the time to compare the movies I would add to the list, you'll see how much better it becomes in total.

DVD Review: Chocolate (Thai movie)

Sometimes you can watch a movie and know that you are watching a star. The presence and ability just stands out and you cannot help but be awed. While this happens occasionally in dramas and comedies, it is rare in an action film. But when it does you know it.

Bruce Lee was such an actor. Jackie Chan is that caliber of actor. Around the world there are many others that hope to be grouped with these men, to be held in the same degree of immortality. But that rarely happens.

I just finished watching a DVD, Chocolate, and I think I have seen a star that may well be able to be mentioned along with those 2 mega-entertainers. Jeeja Yanin (or Yanin Vismistananda, I’m not sure which is the correct version of her name). If you don’t recognize the name, I think you will in time. And she is a woman.

Chocolate is by no means a chick flick. At least by U.S. standards anyway. It is directed by Prachya Pinkaew who created the Thai sensation Ong-Bak. While Tony Jaa gained an audience here in the states, I think Yanin will surpass that with ease.



The movie is not like a traditional American action film. It’s not because of the dubbing, nor the sub-titles (both are options – in Spanish, Thai, and English). There is a plot, which happens to make sense and is pretty decent.

The movie starts with a Romeo and Juliet romance of a Japanese Yakuza (Masashi) and a Thai mob boss (Number 8) girlfriend (Zin), in Thailand. This obviously leads to a confrontation. But to prevent the worst from happening Zin asks that Masashi go back to Japan and never see her again.

He does as she wishes, even though he later finds out she was pregnant with his child. The child is a daughter, named Zen, that seems to be a high order autistic. We learn as the girl grows she has lightning reflexes, and photographic reflexes as well. Meaning she can watch Ong-Bak (nice plug) on television and/or watch the Muay Thai school across her yard and reproduce the moves flawlessly, though faster.

Eventually Zin builds a routine and picks up a stray boy to raise along with her daughter. As they reach their teens Zin becomes ill with an undisclosed illness – though it appears to be similar to cancer. The cost of the medication is enormous and requires several visits to the hospital, when there is money available. It is during the first of these visits that the kids find an old mob book of debts. The kids not knowing why money is owed to Zin decide to collect the money and use it for her medication.

Now I won’t tell you much more about what ensues, other than in the process of collecting the money we learn the full extent of Zen’s ability. And it is stunning.

She is as fast as Lee, as flexible as Chan, and uses the same style of fighting as Jaa. She is a whirlwind of power and precision. Yet always maintaining the innocence of a child not quite understanding all the implications of her actions. She wants her mom to be better and nothing will stop her in that quest.

The plot is semi-dark and bittersweet, and thus the apt name of Chocolate. The direction keeps you involved, interested, and perhaps only slightly bored for about 4 or 5 minutes. I wish several martial arts movies made here in the U.S. had the same intensity.

Now if you are a fan of the wire-fu that Jet Li employs you will be disappointed. Yanin is all about real moves. And as is seen in the film’s end and making of extras on the DVD, she gets hurt. Though many of the extras are far worse off.

Yanin is a tough woman, especially for her age (now 24 I believe). She works hurt, and is quite adept in her martial arts ability. The other key fighters in the film are equally as good. Which really allows you to be immersed in what happens. And you really care about the plot too.

Stephen Segal wishes his films made as much sense. Van Damme dreams of being as good. And any rapper who thinks he is really tough would be laughable standing in a scene with Yanin.

Honestly, you could go out and spend $30 to see a film out right now – and be completely disappointed just before you forget the entire film you saw. Or you could buy this DVD and really enjoy some quality martial arts action.

If you are a fan of the genre you will thank me. If you aren’t a fan, this will likely make you one.

The Joker - an example of speculating and not collecting

Do you recall back in the day when you would play with a 3 inch Yoda doll that was part of your Star Wars collection? I’m talking about the toys based on the original movie, before they paid attention to which chapter they represented. They were fun and cool and everyone wanted a Darth Vader or Boba Fett (which came out before the second movie as I recall).

Perhaps you were more interested in the G.I. Joe dolls. Each stood about 6” tall and some had special abilities like ‘karate action’ or an ‘eagle eye’ or simply a 'fuzzy' beard. Again this is before the cartoon series that spawned a new version of toys, a mere 3” tall.

If you do recall these toys, or others like them, with joy in your heart don’t search on eBay. The prices these then-modestly priced items go for now will astound most. But some want to search around for the latest in the Batman: Dark Knight series of toys, or the X-Men, Hulk, Spiderman and so on. They should choose carefully.

There are hordes of would be collectors buying up the various items each movie spawns, hoping that one of their purchases will one day broker their dream vacation. A great example of this is the current craze for all goods that are the Joker, bearing a likeness to Heath Ledger. Honestly I think such pursuits are a waste.

Collecting generally happens either because of a rarity of an item, it’s representation of a significant event in time, age, or it’s value as an item of fond memories – even if those memories are second or third hand. That’s why you can sell a good condition Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham first edition book for several thousand dollars. Or why certain stamps are priceless. The same can be said of the above mentioned Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and various coin collections. There is a value that can stand the test of time.

But today there is a rush based on minor activities and passing curiosity. Not unlike the comic book craze in the late 1980’s that caused comic book prices to rise dramatically, and then all but the older, rarer books to have that value nearly evaporate within a year or 2.

Heath Ledger is dead. It is a shame. But he did not die, say like Bruce Lee – at the top of his career, rising in legend and acclaim, in the middle of filming what might have been a classic film. Mr. Ledger died of a drug overdose that he gave himself. No mystery or glamour to it. His death was no Marilyn Monroe event. He was no mega-star. Thus there is no significant event that can survive time.

Thus anyone hoarding the Joker toys is making a massive bet that Ledger will be remembered in an historic manner in 5 years, thus giving a value to their collected items. I’m sure they are also hoping that the millions of other items produced before his death, and more than a few after, will all wind up in the trash as little Jonnie or Jane grow up. But considering many of the Joker items, and Batman as well, were snapped up by hopeful collectors (or speculators might be better to describe them) the chances are slim for rarity. Thus the hope of selling an item in the future to die-hard Heath Ledger fans diminishes.

Since the Joker items have just come out along with the movie, age is something that won’t happen for another decade or more. And considering the trend of Hollywood to ‘revision’ older successful films, it’s highly likely that by the time any item today becomes a fond memory of a middle- or later aged adult, there will be at least one more version of Batman corralling bad guys on either a small or big screen.

So overall the chances of a Heath Ledger Joker item becoming a collectible of worth are unlikely. Now I don’t say this to diminish the memory of Heath Ledger, but this is the most recent and dramatic point that can be made right now.

Collecting is not speculation. It should not be done with the hope of a reward in the future. That kind of wait-and-sell is best suited for the stock market, and your odds are far better there. Collecting should be done for the sheer joy of it.

I recently sold a few of my Magic The Gathering cards. I owned them from my time in California (in the early 1990’s) when I started to play the game and collect the cards after I had broken my leg in a motorcycle accident. I had no idea what the value was then, and even less now. But when I sold them – clearing away some things as I moved into a new house – I found out that just 3 of my cards alone were worth $200. That was more than I had spent on the whole collection. And I honestly had a hard time selling them.

I think that is the real value of a collection. The emotion it provides the buyer, and holds for the seller. If you start a collection for any other reason than that, you’re probably wasting your money and time.