Daxtreme
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Posts posted by Daxtreme
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1 minute ago, Blankments said:
Y'know, even barring my bias against it, I still think this was a bad idea for releasing on Memorial Day. We've been trained to associate Star Wars with Christmas these past few years; honestly, entering my movie theater to buy tickets to Deadpool 2 in 90 degree weather and seeing a Star Wars movie as an option was weird as fuck
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#42
Jean-Claude Van Damme vs Bolo Yeung
Bloodsport (1988)
USA
Directed by: Newt Arnold
Fight Choreography: Frank Dux
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres
Box office: $11,806,119 domestic
Synopsis: Follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.
My rating for this movie: ★★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
Pretty much one of the most famous martial artists in the world, Jean-Claude Van Damme simply cannot be ignored when making a list such as this.
This movie shouldn't work, but it did for me. I mean, the first 10 minutes are atrocious, the choreography isn't anything too spectacular either, but once they get to Hong Kong the movie is so... homely. I wanted to stay and snug myself in the movie, unseen among the spectators, and just watch...
Watch Jean-Claude split his way to higher consciousness...
Watch the awesome villain cleave into people's faces for no real reason...
Watch every movie cliché being projected in front of my eyes and yet, not caring!
But above all, listen to the groovy soundtrack during the tournament which gives this movie its unique vibe and atmosphere.
JCVD's form is pretty much perfect in this.
What this fight sequence's all about
This sequence isn't known for the flashiness of its choreography (mainly because of the over-use of slow-mo), but it's a legendary fight that's beautifully edited and put together. It's the culmination of everything that came before in the movie, and puts the focus, rightfully so, on Jean-Claude Van Damme's kicks, which are godly.
Also based on true events, which makes it all the more impactful.
Jean-Claude Van Damme is amazing has been a source of inspiration for martial artists worldwide for decades, and this movie and sequence are part of the reason why.
Sequence:
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I must say, even though I kinda suspected a lot of people would be turned off by a Solo movie, this is still quite a surprise.
I didn't expect that much rejection, especially on the overseas front.
We'll see how it plays out, it may yet have decent legs even if the opening is deflated.
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Updated 2nd post with the list so far and honorable mentions!
More entries to come later today!
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It's in times like these that you realize how good Kevin Feige actually is. He really knows what people want, before they do. He's been playing the long game since the beginning.
Seems to me like Lucasfilm is just throwing stuff at the wall right now.
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#43
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris
The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Hong Kong (Cantonese & Mandarin)
Directed by: Bruce Lee
Fight Choreography: Bruce Lee
Starring: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris
Worldwide Box office - $10,500,000 ($5,200,000 domestic)
Synopsis: A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
My rating for this movie: ★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
The Way of the Dragon is the second to last movie starring Bruce Lee, and is mostly remembered because of the final fight.
It's also Bruce Lee's last Chinese-language film. It was quite popular worldwide as $10.5M in 1972 for a martial arts movie is pretty good!
What this fight's all about
I mean, this is a fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. Direction is fairly standard (Bruce Lee wasn't a great director in my opinion) but this fight will always be remembered for what it is: a duel between legends, hence why it's showing up in this list.
Chuck Norris knew Bruce Lee since the 60's, and allegedly sparred with him from midnight to 7 in the morning when he first met him, almost missing his flight.
From that sparring session spawned this movie as Bruce Lee was so impressed he wanted to fight Chuck Norris in a later Hong Kong movie, which he did.
The rest is history.
Sequence:
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So with our last entry tonight we're gonna have our first person with a missed prediction at the #1 placement.
Who's gonna have that privilege?
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1 minute ago, grim22 said:
Boba Fett and Obi EWan movies on the way
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Disney created a Christmas tradition of going to see a Star Wars movie during Christmas and pretty much had the holiday to themselves until Avatar sequels arrived... and then just went on and switched that up for no good reason?
People embraced that new tradition, don't ruin it!
They struck gold and then decided it wasn't meant to be?
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#44
Robert De Niro vs Johnny Barnes
Raging Bull (1980)
USA
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Fight Choreography: Al Silvani, Martin Scorsese, Jimmy Nickerson
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Box office: $23,383,987 domestic
Synopsis: Emotionally self-destructive boxer, Jake La Motta's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring destroys his life outside it.
My rating for this movie: ★★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
Apparently Robert De Niro was so good at boxing he could have made a career out of it! Watching this, I can see why.
This is Martin Scorsese's classic and Robert De Niro in yet again another haunting performance. The movie was nominated for 8 oscars including Best Picture and won 2, acting for Robert De Niro and Best Film Editing (fully deserved).
However, upon release Martin Scorsese allegedly feared for his career as the box office was a disappointing $23.3M on an $18M budget. Luckily, the numerous awards the movie gained didn't hurt his career one bit.
Here's a lovely review of this movie by @Sam in here:
On 5/25/2014 at 9:16 PM, Sam said:DeNiro's performance is undoubtedly the movie, but I also love Joe Pesci lot in this.I think it's a great movie, one of Scorsese's bests. Gripping and honest, with great acting performances all around.There are many good and memorable scenes in the movie, but my favorite gotta be the ending scene when Jake was doing his monologue and pep talking before going on stage. The manner, the delivery of lines are perfect. Robert DeNiro is really a one of a kind actor.
What this fight's all about
"You never got me down, Ray!"
This sequence is just so brutal. The cinematic technique and finesse employed by Martin Scorsese elevate this fight to another level. It's one of the prime examples in this top of how much the framing, directing, cinematography, editing, and sound mixing matter to a fight!
It helps that you can easily follow what's happening on screen.
The end product is what ultimately matters the most, and this fight delivers on that front. Beautiful direct, raw choreography.
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Lucasfilm going into the week-end
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I'll be back later today for more entries, including the first American entry in this list!
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#45
Gordon Liu vs Lieh Lo
Fists and Guts (1979)
Hong Kong (Cantonese & Mandarin)
Directed by: Chia Yung Liu
Fight Choreography: Chia Yung Liu, Chia-Liang Liu
Starring: Lieh Lo, Gordon Liu
Box office - N/A, I'd say under The Avengers would a good estimate
Synopsis: Gordon Liu stars in this Kung Fu comedy as an undercover Shaolin Monk. While searching for a fugitive who has wronged the order, the Master (Liu) uncovers a scheme to steal the priceless Jade Buddha. But in order for him to stop the theft, he must fight his way through a labyrinth of booby traps and powerful opponents first!
My rating for this movie: ★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
This is an old school martial arts film produced by the Shaw Brothers, one of the most famous martial arts films studio. As of today, there are 65 ratings on IMDb for this movie (and one of them is mine!).
To say this movie is unknown in the West would be an understatement. As such, box office information for it is pretty much nonexistent.
Gordon Liu and Lieh Lo are both renowned martial arts legend from the 1970's, so this movie was kinda popular in China at the time for sure.
What this fight sequence's all about
Gordon Liu and Lieh Lo headbutting mini punching bags that fall from the sky as they fight? Count me in!
This entry is more in a "traditional" genre of kung fu fighting, and thus, I feel like I should explain a bit what that means.
Traditional fighting refers to pretty much all the Chinese Kung Fu movies made before the Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan era (~1983 and onwards), while modern fighting can be found in all action movies made since then, including movies made today, worldwide.
What the modern approach and the traditional approach to fighting have in common is that they're both choreographed, obviously. The differences, though, are numerous.
The modern approach seeks to mostly hide that choreography by making the fights seem more realistic through interactions with objects, varying pace, shorter sequences, and often more brutal results -- like stuntmen getting knocked around. This is by far the most popular one.
The traditional approach, however, seeks to let the fighters showcase and openly perform that choreography a lot more. What results is the choreography being way more obvious to the eye, and the moves being visibly telegraphed and often being performed by the actors in a sort of alternating "rhythm"... like dancing!
Obviously not everyone likes both styles of fighting since they're so different in their execution and feel.
So if you're curious to see what a traditional fight sequence looks like, feel free to watch the video below, from this movie:
If it's not your cup of tea, that's alright. It's obviously not for everyone! Just know that it's been part of Chinese movie culture for decades (well before even that movie came out).
Chinese cinema kinda developed and did its thing on its own, which is what I admire about it the most.
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@JamesCameronScholar Yuen Biao is incredibly underrated.
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Next up is a movie with about 65 ratings on IMDb
Not too popular, I suppose
Don't worry, there will be popular movies on this list too!
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#46
JeeJa Yanin - Final fight sequence
Chocolate (2008)
Thailand
Directed by: Prachya Pinkaew
Fight Choreography: Panna Rittikrai, Taworn Tonapan, Weerapon Poomatfon
Starring: JeeJa Yanin
Worldwide Box office - $3,179,014 ($14,000 domestic!)
Synopsis: An autistic girl with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.
My rating for this movie: ★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
$14,000 domestic. Respectable opening week-end of $11,180 in 7 theaters, but then faced a huge 80.5% drop in its 2nd week-end. Bad word of mouth?
In Asia though, the movie was a lot more popular where it grossed 3 million dollars. Great comeback!
So this movie is about an autistic Thai girl who goes around collecting money various people owe her ill mother. Being autistic, the only thing she's really good at besides screaming is, of course, martial arts (Muay-Thai), which she learns via watching movies from fellow Thai legend Tony Jaa (later featured in this list)! How could that possibly work as a movie?
Well, it kinda does because the director commits to the themes of his story, which was very interesting to see. This movie is, without a doubt, quite unique, as you may have guessed from the synopsis.
What this fight sequence's all about
The real stars of this sequence are every single member of the stunt team. At some point you just go like "this absolutely cannot be possible, this is either CGI or this guy must be in the hospital right now" and then you watch the bonus features in the end credits and yup, he's in the hospital... but they got the take! They had to tell JeeJa Yanin to pull her punches eventually because she kept sending people to the hospital, one after another.
This movie's production definitely couldn't have happened anywhere near Hollywood.
You see so much crazy stuff in Asian action movies, that's why I love them!
Sadly, no link to YouTube because the final sequence is being removed every time someone uploads it. The gif above will have to do. The sequence is about 10 minutes long.
Choreographed by legend Panna Rittikrai (RIP) who was a mentor to Tony Jaa.
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#47
Jet Li vs 4 champions | Ending tournament sequence
Fearless (2006)
Hong Kong/China (Mandarin)
Directed by: Ronny Yu
Fight Choreography: Yuen Woo-Ping
Starring: Jet Li, Sun Li, Yong Dong
Worldwide Box office - $68,072,848 ($24,633,730 domestic)
Synopsis: A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.
My rating for this movie: ★★★★
My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★
First of all, I would definitely recommend watching the Director's Cut of this movie, it's way better. And Michelle Yeoh also has an extended cameo role in that cut (stay until the end of the credits!), and who doesn't love more Michelle Yeoh?
If that name doesn't ring a bell, it will, soon
So we're starting this list with Jet Li's Fearless, one of the few Chinese movies in this top that were
1. released in the US
2. actually grossed millions of US dollars in worldwide box office.
This is progressively gonna become more of a rarity with Chinese movies going forward. With $24.6M in domestic gross, Fearless was definitely popular in the West.
Here's a review by Audrey Karloff I enjoyed reading on letterboxd:
QuoteThe more I watch this, the more I love it (the extended version in particular). Jet Li meant this to be his last martial arts film, which accomplished two things: first, it led him and his team to fill the movie with the drama and emotional depth that his movies often lack, possibly to prove he had the chops for a dramatic career to follow; second, he pulled out all the stops on the action. If I ever sit down and list his top ten fight scenes, at least three of them are in this movie. It's very close to a perfect action film.
What this fight sequence's all about
Clocking in at around 13 minutes, easily what sets it apart is that it's very cinematic and... dramatic! It's that long because it's a tournament, where Jet Li has to fight people one after the other.
Fearless truly is a movie that anyone can enjoy, not just martial arts fans. It's a movie with historical context that's got something to say, and without revealing too much about it, this sequence is an awesome and fulfilling way to finish the movie. For once, Jet Li actually gives a good performance too, he isn't only there for the fighting. It helps that he's speaking in his native Mandarin here instead of being dubbed over in Cantonese by random voice actors as was the custom during his Hong Kong years.
The sequence features lots of different fighting styles like boxing, spear work, sword fighting, Japanese karate vs kung fu, etc. Lots of variety, and very well directed. Lovely!
About 30 minutes into this movie, there's another great sequence where Jet Li takes on just about anyone who challenges him that could have made this top as well. Great stuff.
Jet Li is famous for a reason!
Unfortunately, the scene is too long for YouTube (no one uploaded it in its entirety), so I suggest you watch the full movie. It's good, up there especially for a martial arts flick!
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It's too tricky with guns duels honestly.
I did pretty much the same thing as most people doing a top fight sequences do: it has to mostly be a "fight" as in, close quarter.
It can have a few bullets shot here and there but the focus should be on people fighting, either with their fists or weapons in close quarter.
You can't lose by guessing anyway. Either you win BOT gold or your situation doesn't change
That's also why you guys have until the top 25 starts. You'll be able to see a bit what kind of fights will go in this top first!
Starting the top soon
@Pandamia! I tagged you actually but the tag disappeared?
Maybe the same happened with That One Guy? I made my tags a while ago and maybe it bugs with people who change their names.
In my file I have:
@Critically Acclaimed Panda
Before grey ghost, and yet it disappeared
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Getting a bit late so I'm gonna start the countdown tomorrow!
Should have time for at least 5 entries or so.
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Other Honorable Mentions
Fists of the White Lotus (1980)
Directed by: Lieh Lo
Starring: Gordon Liu, Lieh Lo
Fight Choreography: Chia-Liang Liu
Smoothest disarm I've ever seen.
If you were ever wondering where the character of Pai Mei in Kill Bill (played by Gordon Liu) originated from
(this guy):
well it comes from this movie, played by Lieh Lo... who fights with Gordon Liu! The circle is complete!
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The Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
Directed by: Cheh Chang
Fight Choreography: Ting Leung, Feng Lu, Robert Tai
The opening scene to this movie is simultaneously hilarious and unsettling. I'm not sure how that's even possible! It's hilarious because some of the special effects are unintentionally bad, but when a child gets both his arms cut off in gruesome fashion, then it becomes quite unsettling.
Then you kinda feel bad about laughing 5 seconds earlier.
Then you feel weird.
Behold:
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Buster Keaton
The grandfather of all movie fight choreography.
Here's an example of a funny fight scene he conjured:
Buster Keaton is featured as an honorable mention and not part of this top only because my knowledge of his work is too limited... for the time being. I intend on educating myself on his movies soon enough. It came to my attention only fairly recently that Jackie Chan basically cites him as the direct inspiration for his work. Say no more Jackie Chan, you piqued my interest!
Expect some Jackie Chan sequences in this top, in case that wasn't obvious.
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And last but not least...
The Mortal Kombat Theme Song
I think nothing pumps you up more for a fighting movie than hearing this song right as it starts. Absolutely brilliant soundtrack!
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And now we're ready to go.
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Just now, That One Guy said:
tfw so many people get tagged but you don’t
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Honorable Mention
Come Drink With Me (1966)
Hong Kong (Mandarin)
Directed by: King Hu
Fight Choreography: Ying-Chieh Han
Starring: Pei-Pei Chang
Box office: N/A
Synopsis: A group of bandits kidnaps the governor's son and demands their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange.
If you're interested in King Hu's filmography, I would recommend watching A Touch of Zen (1971) instead, a 3-hours wuxia epic that won the Cannes Palme d'Or back then and was recently restored to blu-ray. It looks sensational. Hauntingly beautiful. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Chinese filmmakers of all-time.
As for this movie, it paved the way for what martial arts/action sequences would later become. It's an important movie in the history of fight choreography, since in a way, we wouldn't have the later, totally kick-ass Hong Kong action movies we got without this one.
It stars Pei-Pei Chang in one of the earliest female action kick-ass roles in Chinese cinema that's highly reminiscent of Meiko Kaji in Lady Snowblood, the movie that inspired Kill Bill (Got to see that one via recommendation from Tele!)
Watching everyone think she's a man, and then realizing their mistake after the reveal is quite funny. Pei-Pei Chang would later be cast in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as a direct nod to this movie. In fact, a few sequences in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are callbacks to this movie, like the bar fight.
An action movie that's 52-years old has bound to look ridiculous in some sequences. Watch this with an open mind.
One thing though -- the period piece set design and on-location filming of gorgeous Chinese lush forests is quite the sight to see.
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And a few Honorable Mentions before we begin!
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What better way to start this off than with...
Bonus: The worst Martial Arts movie I've ever seen
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
USA
Directed by: John R. Leonetti
Fight Choreography: I'm think I'm doing them a favor not mentioning their name here.
Starring: Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, James Remar
Worldwide Box office: $51,376,861 (domestic: $35,927,406)
Synopsis: A group of martial arts warriors have only six days to save the Earth from an extra-dimensional invasion.
My rating for this movie: ★
Mortal Kombat (1995) grossed $122,195,920 worldwide on a $20M budget, and thus was a considerable success with audiences. It's also become quite the cult classic as it's a fun but flawed flick brimming with heart and cool moments. I like Mortal Kombat, it's awesome!
This one is different though.
Terrible dialogue, terrible story, probably top 5 worst CGI of all-time, actors being replaced, and most of all, terrible fight direction... what went right in this movie?
Answer: Nothing.
Except, well, if you're a fan of "So bad it's good" movies, then you can't go wrong with this one! Pop some beer, recline your chair, and enjoy, because that's the only way I'd consider watching this movie.
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Tagging some regulars who might be interested.
After all, guess wisely and be awarded a free 1-month BOT Gold account!!
@Telemachos @Nova @MrPink @grim22 @Porthos @Isle of Pasta @DeeCee @WrathOfHan @commendable @Jandrew @Cmasterclay @AndyLL @franfar @Mattrek @Water Bottle @#ED @Chewy @4815162342 @CJohn @EmpireCity @Empire @Fancyarcher @filmlover @TalismanRing @Blankments @Jack Nevada @Proxima Olive @ecstasy @kayumanggi @Sam @The Futurist @Noctis @Dexter of Suburbia @redfirebird2008 @RichWS @ddddeeee @K1stpierre @Ozymandias @a2knet @druv10 @Jay Hollywood @The Stingray @MovieMan89 @Lordmandeep @Claire of Themyscira @tribefan695 @DAJK @Gopher @Spidey Freak @Jake Gittes @A Roc in Time @chasmmi @Vanilla @Impact @Totem @Master Scottb @JJ-8 @SchumacherFTW @Tower @tawasal @captainwondyful @JamesCameronScholar @Premium George @slambros @Tree @75Live @MrGamer @misafeco @Thematrixfilm @UNDERDOG @Goffe @Dexter @Rorschach @angeldelmito @MrWhite @xxoo @narniadis @ThiagoMaia
@grey ghost @Kalo @Water Bottle @titanic2187 @Jason @CoolEric258 @Chaz @RandomCat @Jayhawk @Johnny Tran @ProtoMan @xequalsy @DAR @Amadeus @Wrath @vc2002 @John Marston @Ethan Hunt @TwoMisfits @fabiopazzo2 @ZattMurdock @Rebeccas @Hunt for the Wilderpasta @terrestrial
Tagging some additional regulars in the China forums whom I think could be interested in such a top, since Chinese movies will be well represented in here:
@HouseOfTheSun @fmpro @NCsoft @feasby007 @firedeep @ymblcza @Deep Wang @ZeeSoh @Gavin Feng @Valonqar @Zakiyyah6 @TigerPaw @Litio @bangbingchan @RRA @Barnack @Jaybee @stephanos13 @peludo @efialtes76 @POTUS @justvision @fastclock
Feel free to tag other members if you think they would enjoy this list
It should end up in the Speakeasy eventually so be sure to follow or drop by in there if this top seems interesting to you!
I might have went overboard with the tags -- if I tagged you and you're not interested, feel free to simply ignore this thread
(I think you'll enjoy it though)
Tonight I'll try to find some time to get started with the honorable mentions and other side mentions before we begin!
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HAN SOLO MEMORIAL (day weekend) THREAD | Solo Flops Domestically with 83M/101M weekend. Spectacularly Bombs Overseas with 65M weekend.
in Numbers and Data
Posted
There's only so much you can do with always the same setting
Which is why they have to switch it up big time if they want to steer the ship