MartialArtsNomad.com » Movie Reviews

Warrior now out in the Theatres

admin — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:28:13 +0000

Tommy Conlon returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. Meanwhile, his estranged brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family after being suspended from his day job. When Brendan’s unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2hr 19min‎‎ – Rated PG‎‎ – Action/Adventure/Drama‎‎ – English‎
Director: Gavin O’Connor – Cast: Jennifer Morrison, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Kurt Angle, Kevin Dunn, Bryan Callen, Joel Edgerton, Jake McLaughlin, Frank Grillo, Liam Ferguson

Muay Thai Chaiya (2007)

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:58:26 +0000

muay thai chaya

Muay Thai Chaiya is a Thai martial arts movie set in the lives of 3 brothers, Pow, Piek, and Samaw, as they move from their home in a boxing camp in a small village to the big city. We see them grow up and experience life together, move from village to the big city, where they vow to stick together but are pulled apart by the forces of their lives. This is a great fighting movie upon the large scale backdrop of the three brothers’ lives. There is blood, Muay Thai, fighting, living, drama, illegal fights, corruption of the big city, love, betrayal, murder, ugliness, sacrifice, loss, action, tradition and for each of them the pain and challenges they must overcome. In the end, its the fighting spirit of Muay Thai Chaiya that brings them through.

I found other reviews of this film elsewhere, on movieexclusive.com and twitchfilm.net but I dont think the reviewers really understood the film. Stefan Shih of movieexclusive.com called Muay Thai Chaya ‘…a mixed bag approach that couldnt decide what it wants to be…’ and said further, ‘The storyline too is pretty weak…”. Mack at twitchfilm.net said that the movie was “…ripped right out of pages of a Hong Kong filmmaking handbook”. I might not have seen the movie if I had to rely on those reviews. But I am glad I did see it. Sure to some degree these movies are going to be gone over with the same broad brush as an asian martial arts movie, for sure. But I am surprised that neither of those authors picked up on the deeper dramatic backdrop in the story. The story this movie leans upon is that great russian epic, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. In that work, there are brothers with different temperments who traverse lifes experience by different paths, and have everything tested along the way. Maybe to some its a stretch but I can see the connection. And the backdrop for this action movie rests on that premise. If other critics didnt like the balance struck in the movie between fighting and drama, perhaps they didnt consider that this is a Thai movie made for a Thai audience, and that balance of sentimentality works for that kind of audience. Ong Bak and The Protector also have their moments of pure sentimentality. Such moments are usually set ups for action, where we become sympathetic with the main character, and then we are committed to them through their combat. Muay Thai Chaya reaches deeper into the lives of three brothers to show the heart of the Thai fighting spirit.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Muay Thai Chaya (2007), Cathay-Keris Films, Starring: Kongkait Komesiri, Akara Amarttayakul, Sonthaya Chitmanee, Don Ferguson, Saengthong Gate-Uthong, Prawit Kittichantheera, (the lovely) Phreeta Kongpetch, Samart Payakarun, and Thawatchai Phanpakdee.

Chocolate – Muay Thai Girl Kicks Em Down

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:37:01 +0000

Chocolate (“ช็อคโกแลต”)

Click here to view the embedded video.

We have a new angle on martial arts movies from the makers of Ong Bak, with Chocolate, a Muay Thai movie, with a female lead. Taekwondo expert Jeeja Yanin trained for 2 years to prepare for the part.

The movie is about an autistic girl with lightning reflexes and a talent for martial arts, whose skills come alive when she has to collect debts for her mother’s operations. Lots of action in this one. Her kicks are top notch. Make sure you watch the out takes during the credits to see how real the punishment on set was for this production.

More on Jeeja Yanin at: http://www.bkmagazine.com/feature/q-yanin-vismitananda

Torrent: http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/51033152/chocolate?tab=summary