The Reel Deal on Chuck Liddell

Hi everyone, today we're looking at Chuck Liddell, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, who takes on the former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin this Saturday in Vancouver. The main event of UFC 115, Liddell was supposed to fight fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Tito Ortiz, but Ortiz was forced to drop out of bout for unknown reasons.

So how does this new match up suit the Iceman? Not well. Coming off of more than a year hiatus, Liddell will be facing a much younger fighter, and a former title holder at that. Looking at his last few fights, it really seems as if Liddell's best years are behind him. In his last fight, he was Knocked Out by current 205 pound champion Mauricio Shogun Rua in the first round.

Before that, he suffered KO defeats at the hands of Rashad Evans and Quinton Rampage Jackson. It seems like the Knockout artist we came to know and love is now being beaten at his own game. As his speed and power seem to fade, he was unable to finish off a struggling Wanderlei Silva back in 2007, and even lost to journeyman fighter Keith Jardine by Split Decision.

While everyone hopes for the Old Chuck to return to the cage, I fear that an Old Chuck is all we're going to get this saturday. Rich Franklin is a remarkably well-rounded fighter, and is famous for his unparallelled physical conditioning. While Franklin hasn't demonstrated the KO power to finish off top tier opponents, against an aging Hall of Famer, the fight is his to lose.

I predict Rich Franklin will beat Chuck Liddell by Unanimous Decision based on superiour offensive volume and physical conditioning.

Movie Review: Flash Point

Dou Fo Sin

“Flash Point” or “City With No Mercy”

Hong Kong, 2007

Genre: Crime Drama

88 minutes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0992911/

Donnie Yen returns as a hard-nosed cop, bent on taking down a dangerous gang of Vietnamese smugglers. With his partner undercover within their organization, the ties of friendship and loyalty are tested as the gang hunt down the mole.

Last week we looked at SPL, the first collaboration between director Wilson Yip and action star Donnie Yen. Originally intended to be a spin-off from SPL, Flash Point was later changed to be a stand-alone film due to copyright issues. With much of the same team working on this film, it would be easy to assume that it would live up to its predecessor. However, this is not the case. While the fight choreography and the action sequences definitely surpass the already high bar set by 2005’s SPL, the other elements that made the first film so great were sorely overlooked.

Yen plays a carbon copy of his character from SPL, a by-the-books investigator with unbelievably strong fighting skills. Whereas in the previous film he was an outsider taking over an established team, however, in Flash Point he’s already heading an investigation against a trio of Vietnamese brothers. The villains, like Sammo Hung’s character, also have a tragic backstory, as they try to assert themselves in the criminal underworld, all while taking care of their senile mother. This is where the film begins to fall apart. While acted fairly well in comparison to other fight films, Flash Point’s plot becomes overly complicated in its attempts to give every supporting character some element of tragedy. Contrived and melodramatic, it takes itself far too seriously as it progresses towards the action-packed climax. By the end of the movie, it becomes apparent that the characters are simply fighting for the sake of fighting, having lost any sense of reason or motivation. If this was a simpler film, this would have been fine, but as it was, the ending becomes clichéd and overdrawn.

It must be said, however, that the fights themselves are absolutely fantastic. Yen demonstrates every bit of his athleticism and agility in his action scenes, utilizing an even larger repertoire of martial arts styles than he did in SPL. The final scene between him and Collin Chou is lengthy and impressive, a full eight minutes of hard-hitting, gut-busting, and bone-breaking action. It is and rightly should be hailed as Donnie Yen’s finest choreography to date, using a cinematically beautiful combination of kung fu, kickboxing, and submission grappling. While the film as a whole probably won’t last as an exemplary piece of film-making, Flash Point is still worth picking up just for the chance to see a suplex in a kung fu movie.

Movie Review: SPL

Sha Po Lang

SPL or “Kill Zone”

Hong Kong, 2005

Genre: Crime Drama

93 minutes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478024/

Donnie Yen stars in this police thriller as a new inspector on the force, taking over a retiring officer’s squad. However, not all is as it seems, as he watches the case against the city’s biggest mob boss start to fall apart.

SPL, or “Kill Zone” in America, is hands down one of my favorite films of all time. Full of underhand deals and mystery, Wilson Yip directs a masterpiece of drama and intrigue. Like a Greek tragedy, the cast of characters all have their own flaws, all of which contribute to their own ends. In addition to Donnie Yen, SPL boasts an all-star cast, including Hong Kong veterans Simon Yam and Sammo Hung, and rising action star Jacky Wu Jing.

Not a typical kung fu movie by any stretch, Yen directs a fantastic series of action sequences throughout the film. The first two acts of the film are without of any real fight scenes, but instead use gun fights and chase sequences. Still, by the end of the film, the final fights are well worth the wait. Exhibiting absolutely stunning choreography in his fights against Wu Jing and Sammo Hung, Yen demonstrates his multiple martial arts influences, drawing from non-traditional movie styles like Judo, Wrestling, and BJJ. Yen even admits on the DVD that a great deal of the choreography was inspired by the UFC.

Action aside, the film is a deep and engaging exploration of the themes of fatherhood and how the lives on both sides of the law affect it. From endearment and adoration to estrangement and indifference, SPL runs the gamut of father-child relationships. Like any good tragedy, the flaws of the human condition are explored and exposed for what they are. The film is absolutely amazing in this regard, full of strong symbolism and powerful performances by the cast. Really, the action is secondary to the merits of the film itself, an added bonus to an already gorgeous piece of cinema.

There are a hundred reasons to go track down this movie, and I can’t think of one why you shouldn’t. With great work in both the acting and the action, a moving story, and beautiful photography, SPL needs to be staple viewing material for any fight film fan. Even five years and stacks of other movies later, I can still say that this is one of the best in the genre and best in the industry. If you can find a copy of SPL at your local video store, it is absolutely imperative that you pick this up and give it a viewing.

Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery Review

...in quotables.

*End of Round One Bell*

F. Shamrock: I liked it.

(beat)

M. Ranallo: ...yeah.

G. Johnson: You'll see the gator clap, or the gator crawl, if Jacare wins.

M. Ranallo: Maybe we'll even see a gator roll!

(crickets)

A. Arlovski: My game plan is pretty simple--fight. hard.

M. Ranallo: I think it's time for [Arlovski] to throw a flying knee.

F. Shamrock: To be the man, you've gotta beat the man.

M. Ranallo: (howls) Oooooohh!!

F. Shamrock: [Overeem's] hair folicles have muscles!

A. Overeem: [Fedor's] management declined me. Respect to Brett Rogers for stepping up to fight--like a man.

Movie Review: The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Joheunnom, Nabbeunnom, Isanghannom

“The Good, The Bad, The Weird”

Korea, 2008

Genre: Historical, Western

130 minutes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0901487/

When a hapless train thief stumbles across an invaluable treasure map, he finds himself mixed up in a fight for his life with some of the most dangerous gunslingers of the wild East.

Set in the barren desert of Japanese-controlled Manchuria, “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” exemplifies the high-octane, pulp-action style of cinema coming out of South Korea lately. Blending Western gun fights, slapstick comedy, and a strong nationalistic message, this film is non-stop entertainment from start to finish. With a driving, upbeat soundtrack and a colorful cast of characters, I can say without a doubt that this is the frontier of action cinema right now.

The film can’t really be discussed without bringing up the political themes brought up in the story. To truly understand the movie’s plot, characters, and message, there needs to be some historical context. During the 1930s, just prior to World War II, Imperial Japan controlled much of northern Asia, including Korea and the Chinese province of Manchuria. With Korea struggling for independence, times were hard for many that lived under Japanese rule, and fled elsewhere to start new lives. There is still much resentment against the Japanese people in Korea and China, and so the Imperial army is often cast as a convenient antagonist in historical films. Sometimes, such as in Jet Li’s “Fearless,” efforts are made to show that not all Japanese were villains during this time, but there is no such effort made in this movie.

Still, possible anti-Japanese themes aside, it can’t be denied that this film was a hit with Korean and international audiences alike. Centered on the hilarious antics of Song Kang-ho (whom you may recognize from “The Host”), the movie keeps you going back and forth between uproarious laughter and pulse-pounding action. Thankfully, director Kim Ji-woon turned to a variety of practical pyrotechnics and special effects for the bulk of the film, a crucial detail that definitely had a hand in bringing the acting performances to the next level.

Depending on the cut you see, your mileage may vary with what you get out of the movie. You might see just another fun action flic, a great romp through the Gobi desert with horses and six-shooters and explosions. I can assure you that “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” is so much more than that, and truly deserves a place on your shelf as a staple of action-comedy cinema.

"WEC" 48: Aldo vs. Faber

This is what fight of the night looks like:

Source: http://middleeasy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2043

UFC 112