Feature: Top Fight Scenes Vol 1
Leon Nicholson takes a look at some of the best fight scenes in cinema in the first of a new feature for FMV Magazine. Whether it’s The Bride taking on the Crazy 88′s or the one-on-one final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith; action movies need the obligatory fight scene to reinforce the conflict in a movie as well as to add an extra flavour of thrills and excitement. As you will discover, there are many obvious omissions from this selection.... Read More
Eastern Spotlight: The Lost Bladesman
Eastern Spotlight continues with Leon Nicholson taking a look at The Lost Bladesman starring Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. It would be fair to say that Donnie Yen has long been in the shadow of stars such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. This is unfortunate because even though he is a big name in his own right, he is deserving of far more accolades. Over the last few years however, he has justifiably, and not before time, risen to prominence. The Ip Man films;... Read More
Cinema Review: The Expendables 2
Leon Nicholson takes a look at action flick The Expendables 2, starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. For those who are unaware, The Expendables is an action movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren, focusing on a group of elite A-Team like mercenaries hired to overthrow a dictator in the small island of Vilena. The movie featured many other action stars including the brilliant Jet Li, Terry Crews, Randy Couture,... Read More
Eastern Spotlight: Ying Xiong (Hero)
Eastern Spotlight continues with Leon Nicholson taking a look at Yimou Zhang’s Hero, starring Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Hero is a prime example of how Chinese martial arts films have evolved dramatically over the last 30-40 years. With the old skool Shaw Brothers movies and the swiftly produced films of Golden Harvest that have entertained a generation, now unfortunately looking a tad dated, it was up to the ‘new wave’ of martial arts films to... Read More
Opinion: Are Martial Arts Movies Taken Less Seriously Than Other Film Genres?
Leon Nicholson takes a look at the martial arts genre and the reasons why these movies seem to be much maligned. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of martial arts movie fans out there; people who love and breathe the genre. These are the individuals who, more than likely, were brought up on a staple diet of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jimmy Wang Yu and became lovers of everything Shaw Bros. and Golden Harvest – all this during the ‘Golden... Read More
Eastern Spotlight: One-Armed Boxer (1971)
Continuing the series focusing on the Martial Arts genre, Leon Nicholson takes a look at One-Armed Boxer; one of Jimmy Wang Yu’s most popular movies. As one of the pioneers of what is now referred to as ‘Old Skool Kung Fu movies’, Jimmy Wang Yu was a highly regarded actor/director in the industry. His name may not be as instantly recognisable as the Bruce Lee’s, Jackie Chan’s and the Jet Li’s of the world but during the 1960s and early... Read More
Eastern Spotlight: Drunken Master
Introducing the first in a new series focusing on the Martial Arts genre, Leon Nicholson explains how his love for Martial Arts movies first came about as well as taking a look at the heroes, the villains, the Old Skool and modern movies; the popular, the rare and the classics. The memories are a tad hazy but it was moment that nonetheless stood out for me. The year – I’m unsure, but the effect it had on me – pure excitement. It was in the... Read More
