Movie Preview: King of Fighters

I love kung-fu movies. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. There is something about a well done martial arts movie that just draws in fans by the boatloads. I mean Jean Claude Van Damme is anything but Oscar material, yet one good movie (Bloodsport) made him a star.

But that's when a martial arts movie is done well. Then there are those movies that stand out for being different (by American standards) with stars we are just dying to see more of. Movies of this type include the well done Ong Bak (and Ong Bak 2) and Chocolate (Thai film).

King of Fighters doesn't fall into any of those categories. It is in the realm of films like Mortal Kombat: Annilhation, Street Fighter, and all the other video game to movie conversions. In other words this is a movie not worth seeing.



The first thing I know will shock you is that this is a $12 million film. That wouldn't be so bad except it looks like a low budget quickie film. I would sooner expect this quality to come from a SyFy Channel "original" film than a major motion picture.

Obviously most of the money probably wasn't spent on the look of the film. And the writing appears to be equally as thin. This style of conversion film rarely cares about plot, or logic. They just need to get from one fight to another, which can still be worth watching if the fighting is good. It's not.

Ray Park is hands down a respected martial artist. His name may not be the most familiar, but his most famous role is. Darth Maul. Yep, this is him (he also was Toad in the first X-Men movie).

Will Yun Lee has respectable martial arts movie skill. He's been in Elektra (the lead bad guy), the short lived televison show Thief (which was quite good), and several other films and movies. He will also be the in the upcoming Red Dawn remake.

Maggie Q is perhaps easiest of the films stars to recognize. She was featured as part of the IMF team in Mission Impossible III. She was the "crazy kicking chick" that beat the crap out of Bruce Willis (till he dropped a SUV on her) in Live Free or Die Hard. She is indeed interesting to watch.

Given the talent of this film you might expect that the movie would be good. But then there are the minor issues of plot, scenery, lot's of CGI and special effects. Put a diamond into crap and you won't notice it shine.

Either the director, movie studio, and whatever other exec involved wanted to lower the expectations (which the movie trailer does in spades) or the film is what I believe it is. It's a shame because I like the cast. But I won't spend $20 to have a bad time. I suggest you don't either.

David Carradine - 72 - remebered

To hear of the death of anyone that you know is always a tragedy. There is always sadness in knowing someone you saw will never be seen again. When that person is an entertainer, there is still that same feeling even though we don’t truly know that person. Such is the case with David Carradine.



David Carradine, born John Arthur Carradine, was 72 years old. That is a full life for anyone. Yet in watching him in movies, commercials and hearing his voice in various media, you just thought he was far younger. He was someone that you would never have thought had died, let alone killed himself.

In fact I have grave reservations about the circumstances of his death. It seems incredibly odd to me that a 72 year old man, that was seemingly in good health, had success in his profession, and was well-respected, would suddenly kill himself. Even is his fame and success are not factored in, it is rare to hear of someone of that age committing suicide while still in good health. Even more rare when the person in question is actively involved in their job at the time. hopefully there will be a real and informative investigation by the Thai police, but I doubt it.

But putting aside my doubts of the declared suicide, David Carridine was quite an actor. He was in over 100 films, had multiple television commercial credits, and was even involved with kids cartoons and television programs.

The range of work includes popular favorites like: Charmed, Danny Phantom, Death Race 2000 (which was remade starring Jason Statham), King of the Hill, Cannonball, Kung Fu, Kill Bill, Alias, Crank: High Voltage, and my favorite of his work – Circle of Iron.

In total David Carridine was in 100 films over 45 years. He was nominated for 4 Golden Globes, and an Emmy throughout his career, winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor. He has numerous memorable characters and leading roles. He normally portrayed an image of calm thoughtful action – even for his bad guy roles.

And I should mention his passion for the martial arts. Inspired by his very popular 1970’s television show Kung Fu, Carradine had become an avid proponent of martial arts. He became accomplished in Tai chi and Qi Gong.

Overall the man was diversified and unique. He has a fan base from children today going back to the 70’s. He was an entertainer who was more concerned about working than personal fame. And his loss is shocking both in the manner and the fact it was so unexpected.

My condolences to the Carradine family, and friends.