The Man with the Iron Fists

A tribute to martial arts?

2012 didn't seem to be the greatest year for film making, or for martial arts flicks anyways. We had the amazing Avengers film and, my personal favorite The Dark Knight Rises. Both films had something in common: professional producers, directors, writers and actors, something today's entry lacks deeply. When I heard of "The Man with the Iron Fists" I thought it would be fair to give it a try. Specially after having watched a very promising trailer. However, to make good movies you not only need good actors and a budget, you're definitely most welcomed to have talented writers, producers and directors, so yeah today's entry is about one of the films you shouldn't bother watching, unless you're a complete RZA fan, something I think most martial arts fans are not. So I rate "the Man with the Iron Fists" zero stars, and I'm sorry for Lucy Liu & Russell Crowe who I guess did their best for the movie to enter into the world of martial arts classics.

I provided this rating based on the fact that I would not see this movie a second time, would not recommend it to a friend, and did not take anything away from it other than the thought that Quentin Tarantino must have been high when he agreed to lend his name out for it.

RZA plays the man with the iron fists role.

the Fighting sequences are very good.

I saw this movie because of my love for martial arts flicks, and I usually give all of them a chance. What I expected to see was some decent fight choreography back-dropped with a sick soundtrack, perhaps some old school stuff like in the Tarantino/Rodriguez flicks, but no, it was all hip-hop baesed only. I wasn't surprised though, since the RZA belongs to the hip-hop genre and if you don't remember the RZA did some music for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill blockbuster. Now from what I recall on the soundtrack part, it just did not deliver. And I know that RZA could have incorporated a couple tracks that would have lined this film up nice. Some that could have been included were; Da Mystery of Chessboxin', Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuttin ta F*** Wit, and pretty much anything from the 36 Chambers album. The fight scenes were mediocre until only near the end to which I decided I would suck it up and just watch the rest of the movie. The first scene of the film actually made me angry because the fight scene was chopped up (which I hate), and the track they used in the background (actually from the 36 Chambers album) just didn't fit right!

 a Cowboy in a martial arts flick?

The Lions clan.

Other things that were disappointing, other than Bautista from WWE showing up, was the weak script and amateurish plot. The dialogue was horrible (see quote from above) and the plot was...well there wasn't really a plot at all. I walked out of the movie asking myself/trying to remember what the story was really about. I'm not sure if it was because I was blown away by RZA's acting or because I was too busy trying to figure out why Russell Crowe was in the movie at all.

The set and costume design were the only things I thought were good about the movie. And the effort to create something visually appealing did not go unnoticed. But its all about the story and characters, which were both lacking aside from Lucy Liu's bit. Wait I think I just remembered what the movie was about...yeah it's pretty weak. Perhaps, we can blame it to the constant unnecesary homage environment the movie sets from start to finish. You don't need to be a deep connoisseur of martial arts films as to discover the many references quoted in this film. Paying homage it's not a problem of course. The problem is most of what the film tries to deliver as refreshing new is nothing but yawning old. There are no interesting new things to discover in this film. There was one particular scene where Luci Liu fights that couldn't help to be a obvious Kill Bill reference, besides the fighting sequences aren't as cool as they look in the movie trailer.

Lucy Liu reprises her martial arts role.

Hey, this is a hot lady.

If Quentin Tarantino had more involvement/any involvement at all in this movie it might have been quite possibly something spectacular. But then RZA would have probably not been in it. Hey when is Kill Bill Vol 3 coming out anyways? I guess we'd have to settle our Tarantino thirst with "Django Unchained"

Here is the movie trailer: 

Wreck it Ralph!

Arcade nostalgia has never looked better.

The trailer alone, garnered much buzz for Disney's latest 3D adventure. Seeing some of'the great video game villains of all time assembled in one room was just too good to be true. The hype was elevated to even greater heights given its ubiquitous presence at San Diego Comic Con. In the back of mind I kept thinking, "THEY'RE GONNA WRECK IT!"

Thankfully, the movie succeeds in creating a heartfelt tribute to the golden era of the 80's arcade, decorated here and there with familiar cameos that are both nostalgic and laugh out loud hilarious. The actual video game characters and their respective worlds don't play as big a role in the movie as I imagined. My wishful, nerdy brain hoped Ralph would be jumping through pipes in Mushroom Kingdom, riding horseback through Hyrule and blasting away at baddies alongside Mega Man and who knows who else. This didn't happen, and may have to do with the price of buying the rights to some of these iconic images. But the new world Disney Animation Studios created is rich with surprises, and rivals that of Monstropolis, Toy Story, and the Kingdom of Far and Far Away. 

Fix it Jerry Jr.

We all want to be the hero.

Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by the incomparable John C. Reilly) is the Donkey Kong to Fix-It Felix, Jr.'s Mario in a fictional 80's arcade game. The game itself is believable enough to have existed during the era. Ralph, along with other villains in various games throughout the ages, share the same plight of feeling under-appreciated by gamers and other citizens of the video game world.

The breaking point for Ralph was the 30th Anniversary for the "Fix-it Felix, Jr." arcade. To commemorate the event, Felix throws a party in the penthouse of the game's high-rise apartment complex, a party that Ralph wasn't invited to. (The DJ of this party offered another cameo I really wasn't expecting and left me in awe of this tribute to electronic art.) 

Bad guys theraphy.

What sets Ralph apart from all the other villains is that he is determined to actually do something about the unfortunate role of "Bad Guy" he was programmed to assume. He intends to jump to different arcades in order to become a hero in another game. This act of invading a game other than your own is mysteriously referred to as "Going Turbo" by the other inhabitants of the video game world. It's considered taboo, especially since it runs the risk of permanent death: dying outside your own game makes it impossible to regenerate.

After a series of unfortunate events, Ralph eventually crash lands into Sugar Rush, a cross between the worlds of Candy Land and Mario Kart. There he befriends the adorable Vanellope (voiced by the lovely Sarah Silverman), who like Ralph is seen as an outcast in her game. In her case, she is considered a freak due to her tendency to glitch out. To Vanellope, racing runs deep within her code, but the only thing stopping her is the candy land's ruler the Candy King, who is adamant on keeping her out of the race.

Those were the days.

Old school gaming.

Ralph's spontaneous hero's journey spells trouble for the rest of the video game world. Due to Ralph's disappearance, the "Fix-it Felix, Jr." game is in danger of being unplugged, leaving Felix with the hefty responsibility of retrieving his clumsy counterpart. Ralph's brief stint in a Halo-esque game called "Hero's Duty" is also a big nuisance to the foxy Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch). She must now track down and exterminate a Cybug that Ralph mistakenly helped escape from the game. If the bug goes viral, it could destroy every game in Mr. Litwak's entire arcade for good.

The video game setting offers awesome moments of creativity for the Disney animators, from the way the characters are drawn and animated, to the way their lives are portrayed outside of their own game. The voice talent is also really impressive across the board. While the movie isn't the all-out Smash Brothers brawl many were expecting, the movie comes with loads of surprises that are sure to delight and entertain a wide audience, gamers and non-gamers alike.

How about a bukkake party Chun Li?

Q Bert!

The movie could not have come at a better time. People who grew up during the era of the arcade are now starting to have families of their own, and are very likely to laugh along with the children they bring to the theaters. This same video game generation also witnessed the Disney Renaissance of the early 90's: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King. With Wreck-It Ralph destined to be an instant classic, following the success of the equally impressive Tangled, we are in for a new Disney Renaissance for a whole new generation.

Note: Get there early enough for an excellent animated short, and stay to watch the credits roll if you haven't yet satisfied your nerdy gamer fix. 

Here is the awesome movie trailer and, happy new year dudes!!!!!! 

Street Fighter (the original arcade game)

Yes, Ryu looks a bit different.

Ever since December is thought to be the ultimate festivities month, I spent some time away from our humble blog, not because I was hiding like some of those ridiculous preppers out there who were looking forward for the end of the world(!),You know,  I just had too much business to take care of in my real boring life.

Checking the stats from my blog I can definitely tell, that I should continue to review porn parodies, but since December is family rated month I thought I could review a classic videogame instead. So enter Street Fighter (ストリートファイタ) a 1987 average arcade game developed by the now world famous Capcom gaming company. Street Fighter was the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series. While it did not achieve the same worldwide popularity as its sequel Street Fighter II when it was first released, the original Street Fighter introduced some of the conventions made standard in later games, such as the six button controls and the use of command based special techniques.

Gameplay

The player competes in a series of one-on-one matches against a series of computer-controlled opponents or in a single match against another player, a groundbreaking gameplay idea in those days anyways.  Each match consists of three rounds in which the player must defeat an opponent in less than 30 seconds. If a match ends before a fighter is knocked out, then the fighter with the greater amount of energy left will be declared the round's winner. The player must win two rounds in order to defeat the opponent and proceed to the next battle. If the third round ends in a tie, then the computer-controlled opponent will win by default or both players will lose. During the single-player mode, the player can continue after losing and fight against the opponent they lost the match to. Likewise, a second player can interrupt a single-player match and challenge the first player to a new match.

Ryu dyed his hair red in the first instalment of the SF saga.

Unique  six button pad

In the deluxe version of the arcade game, the player's controls consist of a standard eight-way joystick, and two large, unique mechatronic pads for punches and kicks that returned an analog value depending on how hard the player actuated the control. An alternate version was released that replaces the two punching pads with an array of six attack buttons, three punch buttons and three kick buttons of different speed and strength (Light, Medium and Heavy), another groundbreaking idea back then. 

Special secret moves

The player uses the joystick to move towards or away from an opponent, as well to jump, crouch and defend against an opponent's attacks. By using the attack buttons/pads in combination with the joystick, the player can perform a variety of attacks from a standing, jumping or crouching positions. There's also three special techniques which can only be performed by inputting a specific series of joystick and button inputs. These techniques are the once called "Psycho Fire" (Universally known today as the 波動拳 Hadōken, "Surge Fist"), the "Dragon Punch" (昇龍拳 Shoryūken, "Rising Dragon Fist") and the "Hurricane Kick" (竜巻旋風脚 Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku, "Tornado Whirlwind Kick"). Unlike the subsequent Street Fighter sequels and other later fighting games, the specific commands for these special moves are not given in the arcade game's instruction card, which instead encouraged the player to discover these techniques on their own.

The fireball originally known as "Psycho Fire"

Gallery of heroes & rogues

The first player takes control of a Japanese martial artist named Ryu, who competes in an international martial arts tournament to prove his strength. The second player takes control of Ryu's former training partner and rival Ken, who challenges Ryu in the game's 2-player matches. Normally the player takes control of Ryu in the single-player mode, however, if the player controlling Ken defeats Ryu in a 2-player match, then the winning player will play the remainder of the game as Ken. The difference between the two characters are aesthetic, as both of them have the same basic moves and special techniques. At this point, you didn't have the chance of choosing your character freely, so it will take a little longer for the Street Fighter franchise to allow you to play with different characters.

The single-player mode consists of a series of battles against ten opponents from five different nations. At the beginning of the game, the player can choose the country where their first match will take place: the available choices are Japan or the US, as well as China or England (depending on the game's configuration). The player will then proceed to fight against two fighters from the chosen country before proceeding to the next country. In addition to the regular battles, there also two types of bonus games which player can play for additional points: a brick-breaking bonus game and a table breaking bonus game. After defeating the initial eight characters, the player will travel to Thailand to fight against the final two opponents.

Enter Geki the ninja assasin.

The first eight computer-controlled opponents are: from Japan, Retsu, an expelled Shorinji Kempo instructor and Geki, a claw-wielding descendant of a ninja; from the United States, Joe, an underground full-contact karate champion and Mike, a former heavyweight boxer who once killed an opponent in the ring; from China, Lee, an expert in Chinese boxing and Gen, an elderly professional killer who has developed his own assassination art; and from England, Birdie, a tall bouncer who uses a combination of wrestling and boxing techniques and Eagle, a well-dressed bodyguard of a wealthy family who uses Kali sticks. After the first eight challengers are defeated, the player is taken to Thailand for the final two adversaries: Adon, a deadly Muay Thai master, and his mentor Sagat, the reputed "Emperor of Muay Thai" and the game's final opponent.

In case you are wondering what is Street Fighter's story about, I would simply say it is merely about a martial arts tournament where every character aims to become the number one fighter worldwide and that's it. There are neither background stories for each character, nor vendetta style stories for the two playable characters (Ryu & Ken) I guess back then the story mode concept wasn't even a concept in arcade gaming or developers didn't care about that either.

Bonus game!

Development

Street Fighter was produced and directed by Takashi Nishiyama (who is credited as "Piston Takashi" in the game) and planned by Hiroshi Matsumoto (credited as "Finish Hiroshi"), who both previously worked on the overhead beat 'em up Avengers. The two men would leave Capcom after the production of the game and were employed by SNK, developing most of their fighting game series (including Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting). The duo would later work for Dimps and work on Street Fighter IV with Capcom. Keiji Inafune, best known for his artwork in Capcom's Mega Man franchise, got his start at the company by designing and illustrating the character portraits in Street Fighter. Nishiyama drew several inspirations for developing the original gameplay of Street Fighter from martial art styles he was practicing at the time.

Ryu V/S Ken

Connoisseur gameplay experience

Playing Street Fighter today would be a certified mess or at least some pain in the arse. However, if you happen to be an old school connoisseur like yours truly, you can definitely have fun with this 80's arcade fighting game. I can still remember the first time I got my hands into it at one of the many arcade centers I used to go in the 80's. The game wasn't an instant hit, I didn't see crowded rows of people eagerly waiting for their chance to play Street Fighter. In fact, I think it was an average game that most of the people from those days didn't quite well understand, I mean the game was hard, you had a lot of difficulties trying to get the special moves, while the CPU enemy didn't seem to have trouble at all smashing you with their own special moves. Even now, if you get to play it through the MAME 32 emulator you'll see how difficult it is to get the character to do what you actually want him to do in no time, so I guess that's why nobody really became an instant fan of the game, you know, with a limited coins budget you gotta make sure you can spend more than 10 minutes in front of the arcade machine. 

Sagat, the final boss.

 
After my not so entertaining experience playing it, the game was replaced and nobody got the chance to play it ever. Of course, that is until Street Fighter II, a game that set the standard bar of gaming way high above the clouds, in fact the original Street Fighter game became a lot more popular after everyone was into Street Fighter II.

And that's it for today fellas! hope you have a wonderful christmas dinner! next time we'll meet again to review one of the most hilarious porn parodies of them all: Sex Fighter 2!.

Stay tuned and enjoy this Street Fighter gameplay video for those were the days sake!