Blu-ray Review “Man of Tai Chi”

Actors: Keanu Reeves, Simon Yam, Michael Chan, Karen Mok, Tiger Hu Chen
Directors: Keanu Reeves
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Run Time: 105 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When I saw that Keanu was stepping behind the camera for the first time, I was really interested. Combine that with fact that it is a kung-fu and count me in. The film is quite fast paced and very well done with impressive martial arts. I also enjoyed that Keanu was in the film but it wasn’t his show only. Tiger Chen is a great lead and carries the film well. If you like martial arts films, I would definitely recommend checking this out. It is set in modern day yet has this very classic martial arts feel and high respect for the art of Tai Chi. I hope that Keanu has more plans for directing in the future, since this guy really has a knack for this. Aside from this, you are also going to want to check out his next film “47 Ronin”, being released Christmas Day. I will be first in line!

Official Premise: Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut in this explosive marital arts drama that reunites him with legendary Matrix Trilogy fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping and stuntman Tiger Chen. Reeves stars as the wealthy owner of a Beijing underground fight club who recruits a humble Tai Chi student (Chen) to his closed-circuit battles. But when the young man is seduced by money and power, it will trigger a war between the Hong Kong police, the world’s deadliest combatants, and a peaceful spiritual discipline turned lethal new fighting style.

“Man of Tai Chi” comes with a great 1080p high definition transfer. It is sharp and clear and works well with the action. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which also amps up the action and compliments the music throughout as well, which is techo and bass heavy but works very well with the film. In terms of special features, there is not much here. I was impressed that we have an audio commentary with Keanu Reeves and Tiger Chen. It is a quite informative and interesting and if you enjoyed the film then you should enjoy this track. Lastly there is a short featurette with “The Making of Man of Tai Chi” with focuses on the production from every angle.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, chi, man, review, tai

Film Review “Man of Tai Chi”

Directed by: Keanu Reeves
Starring: Tiger Chen, Keanu Reeves, Karen Mok, Simon Yam, Iko Uwais
Distributed by: Radius TWC
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 105 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

If you have ever seen the Celebrity Jeopardy skits on “Saturday Night Live”, then you will be laughing along with me with Keanu Reeves saying “I know Kung Fu!” Classic! Keanu Reeves though deserves more respect than he gets. This guy really takes his craft seriously and put a lot of time and effort into this film, which also marks his directorial debut. I had a blast watching this. It was fast paced and very well done with impressive martial arts. I also enjoyed that Keanu was in the film but it wasn’t his show only. Tiger Chen is a great lead and carries the film well.

Set in modern Beijing, the film follows the spiritual journey of a young martial artist Tiger Chen, who is the sole student of his elderly master’s Ling Kong Tai Chi style. When Donaka Mark (Keanu Reeves) finds out about Tiger’s style in fighting he recruits him to compete in a highly lucrative underworld fight club. While trying to prove the martial effectiveness of the style in Donaka’s fighting ring, he is put up against some very brutal opponents with no rules combat. As the fights intensifies, so does his will to survive.

I have to say that “Man of Tai Chi” is a ballsy first go at directing for Reeves. It has been in the works for a while with pre-production starting back in 2008. The film is also not an easy sell to mainstream audiences since it was filmed multilingual with English, Mandarin and Cantonese languages. Currently the film is available to watch on VOD and will be released in theaters on November 1st. I have a feeling that this film will not be getting a huge release but it has been getting some great reviews and hopefully word of mouth will spread to get this film the audience that it deserves.

If you like martial arts films, I would definitely recommend checking this out. It is set in modern day yet has this very classic martial arts feel and high respect for the art of Tai Chi. I hope that Keanu has more plans for directing in the future, since this guy really has a knack for this. Aside from this, you are also going to want to check out his next film “47 Ronin”, being released Christmas Day, which is an fantasy action film depicting a fictional account of the forty-seven ronin and set in 18th-century Japan. I will be first in line!

 

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: chi, film, man, review, tai

Film Review “Tai Chi Hero”

Director: Stephen Fung
Starring: Jayden Yuan, Angelababy, Eddie Peng, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Peter Stormare, Daniel Wu
Distributed by: Well-Go Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 100 minutes

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

When I read about a kung-fu movie that infused both martial arts with steampunk, I was very interested.  Then I saw the film “Tai Chi Zero” and was not really blown away but not disappointed either.  “Tai Chi Hero” is the second film in a trilogy from the creators of “Ip Man” and “Detective Dee”, which are two of my favorites. This film is a real disappointment and an all around waste of time. I honestly do not think that I have ever been this bored watching a martial arts film. It was shot back-to-back with the film film and I think that they really gave all the attention to the first child in the series and forgot about the second one.  There is little to no action in the film and the story is not interesting at all.  The first one wasn’t amazing but this film makes it shine.

Official Premise: Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master…and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family. It’s only a formality, though – she is the teacher, and he is the student – and that suits Lu Chan just fine, as the mutant horn on his head gives him incredible kung-fu power, but leaves him dumber each time, and closer to death. Chen Village still stands in the shadow of danger. A prodigal brother returns, Lu Chan’s presence invokes a curse on the town, and Yuniang’s scorned fiancée has an appetite for revenge, as well as some new partners in crime.

The best thing about this film is that it features its martial arts are directed by Sammo Hung.  He is such a legend when it comes to martial arts.  But with this film, the charm just isn’t there. His work is matched with beauty and a certain zen feel but neither is present here. The first film had some amazing martial arts and visual effects with this film they just seemed like they blew their whole budget on the first film and struggled to piece this one together.  Also it has a strange appearance from American actor Peter Stormare (“Fargo”). Lastly the film like “Tai Chi Zero” was shot in 3D, but is not being released in 3D here in the U.S.  There is not much in this film anyway, besides added depth, that would have benefited from this but the plane scenes cool have been cool. So unless you absolutely love the first film and need to see this sequel, then I would suggest passing for sure.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: chi, film, hero, review, tai
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