A few related blogs

i am always looking for the newest updates on upcoming martial arts movies. Searching around on the Internet recently for martial arts movies, I found a few blogs that are of interest, and of a similar subject matter to this one. These are some of the sources where I get my news about the latest in the martial arts film world.

The first is one of the largest and most venerable martial arts film blogs on the Internet. "Kung Fu Cinema" (http://www.kungfucinema.com/) is a website that constantly has updates about such films. Although the title refers to "Kung Fu" movies, the subjects are not limited to films about Chinese kung fu. Many posts are about the latest projects out of Thailand - most notably those of Tony Jaa and his contemporaries - as well as news about new American martial arts films (such as the upcoming Street Fighter movie the Legend of Chun Li). The blog is a very informative one, and is a bastion of reviews and news - almost like the Associated Press or Reuters of martial arts movies.

Another, similarly titled blog is "Kung Fu Cult Cinema" (http://www.kfccinema.com/). Unlike "Kung Fu Cinema," this blog is more true to its title and does report mostly on Chinese films. Posts include information about new US DVD releases of Chinese movies, as well as news and reviews about new films. Much of the information here is about non-martial arts Chinese films as well, which helps the reader get a larger picture of the Chinese/ Hong Kong movie scene in general -although the diversity of martial arts covered here is less so than in "Kung Fu Cinema."

Lastly, I recently came across an interesting blog called "It's All About WUSHU styles" (http://wushu-styles.blogspot.com/). This is an interesting little blog about various styles of empty hand fighting, weapons and techniques in modern Chinese wushu. Modern wushu - for those of you who may not know - is a form of martial arts exhibition sport from China, which emphasizes athleticism, speed, flexibility and beauty. Jet Li is perhaps one of the most famous progenitors of modern wushu. Of course, this blog is interesting to me because I myself practice modern wushu extensively. As for the blog's author, "Josive," English may not be this fellow's first language, but there is plenty of interesting information. Some of it is very general, but the blog covers many of the more obscure weapons to come out of China, and is worth a look.

All 3 blogs are excellent sources to keep in touch with martial arts and what's happening on the kung fu movie scene. As always, I will try to take the most recent news and add my own spin on things and analyze what this means for what's next.

"Kung Fu Fridays" blog profile

A blog I just took notice recently is "Kung fu Fridays," (http://kungfufridays.blogspot.com/) a funny and informative chronicle of Chinese cinema – with an emphasis on Kung Fu films – plus a healthy dose of general wackiness thrown in for good measure. It has a technorati authority of 28 and a rank of 213,791. The writer is Colin, hailing from Canada, who is a fan of obscure movies – including but not limited to Kung Fu flicks – who runs an independent film distribution company specializing in offbeat titles. In many ways it is the type of position that gives great authority in a field such as Kung Fu movies: professional enough to know certain facets of the business, but independent enough to still be a diehard fan. Posts are made at a frequency of about several per week, another aspect that shows dedication and a love of the genre.


The posts cover a wide range of topics, from new Kung Fu movies, to older ones and rare or obscure finds. There are also many posts which aren’t even about Kung Fu films – rather strange posters or memorabilia the blogger has picked up recently – but it serves to add to the quirky and alternative feel of the blog. One of the more interesting posts was of an old ad for Kodak film prominently featuring Kung Fu. The post can be found at http://kungfufridays.blogspot.com/2009/01/slash-kick-chop-violence-galore.html and the tagline is “Slash! Kick! Chop! Violence galore!” – which is, according to the ad the type of action contained in the series Kung Fu with David Carradine. It is interesting to see this old representation of Chinese martial arts, prominently displayed even so long ago. It helps reiterate that in the film world, Kung Fu is seen as one of the most cinematic of the martial arts.


On the more modern side, there is another post compiling several semi-recent commercials called “Brand Name Punching” (http://kungfufridays.blogspot.com/2008/11/brand-name-punching.html). One commercial from Thailand features Muay Thai superstar Tony Jaa in a Mitsubishi ad, while two other ads show Donnie Yen – a martial artist who is nearing the latter portion of his film career, but is nonetheless reinvigorating Hong Kong choreography right now.


These kind of posts give us a sense of the past and present development of kung fu/ martial arts in the media. I myself can relate to this blog in that it provides new news about events in martial arts film world (an example being a post detailing new Criterion Collection DVDs of Hong Kong films), yet at the same time it also provides a background to what Kung Fu films were like in the 70s and 80s: zany and exploitative, and loads of fun. The blog has a personal touch (some of the posts relate to the author’s own life and business), and the somewhat esoteric subject matter makes the readership likely to be comprised mostly of obscure or cult movie fans. Posts are not always long on writing, but usually graphic intensive – with many Youtube videos to boot.


The blog is not really a scholarly or academic one. It is more of a fan blog, but written by someone who has experience in the industry and is a lover of Kung Fu and retro movies. My blog will not be concentrated quite so much on the old school, retro Kung Fu films, but rather on the newest developments in the Asian martial arts styles on film. Many of the movies detailed in "Kung Fu Fridays" are the history, the backdrop to every martial arts movie made today. Yet at the same time the exciting fusion of modern martial arts concepts like dynamic Wushu, hard hitting Muay Thai and a new level of acrobatics is changing the field. Still the spirit of my blog and "Kung Fu Fridays" is the same: a love for martial arts and cinema, a love which grows even more when combined. An excellent quote that is on the main page of the blog exemplifies this point of view. The quote is one I have never heard before, but is by renowned director Werner Herzog and really demonstrates the way I myself feel about martial arts movies as well. “Someone like Jean-Luc Godard is for me intellectual counterfeit money when compared to a good kung fu film”

First Post!

Hello and welcome to the first post in Asian Martial Arts Cinema Trends! In this blog I will explore the latest trends in Martial Arts/ Action cinema not only from East Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan but also from Southeast Asian Countries such as Thailand and Vietnam which are gaining more and more ground in the international market every day.

The Martial Arts film genre is one that is widely established in Asia, and it is the style of Action and Choreography in these films which is widely imitated all over the world today. Now is an exciting time for Martial Arts films. As the older stars of the genre including Jackie Chan and Jet Li begin to transition to different roles, there is a new movement to find young talent to fill the gap left behind by legends of the past. This puts focus not only on young stars from Mainland China and Hong Kong, but to styles of Martial Arts from countries such as Vietnam and Thailand which are new to many moviegoers. Also, the ever growing popularity of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has begun to exert its influence on choreographers not only in the US but in Asian countries as well. This gives rise not only to a diverse output but also to a global search for new talent not seen since the death of Bruce Lee.

In this blog I am able to draw on my own experience in Martial Arts, as well as my knowledge of different Martial Arts from around the world and how they are utilized in film. As a former film student, I am able to apply a critical lens not only to the cinematic techniques used by Asian filmmakers but also to the developing trends in Martial Arts movies. The Martial arts and Action genre is an exciting one with a long tradition in Asia. This diverse continent has produced films which influence not only their onscreen counterparts but popular culture in general as well as the audiences who watch them across the world. In this blog I will not just include the latest Martial Arts movie news, but examine new trends out of Asia which will continue to influence not only Martial Arts but all genres of film today.