A charming ninja-western with clown armies and training montages.
584351
I decided to watch this movie to wash the horrible taste of World War Z out of my mouth, figuring it would be a bad-good movie.  I can't say how pleasantly surprised I am.

The Warriors Way is, as other reviews will point out, highly stylized.  It doesn't lean too hard on any one gimmick, and many of the visuals benefit a great deal from being more artistic than straight action.  The plot is somewhat thin, but that's not the draw; the performances and writing are both incredibly charming.  The leads play well together, and - in what I expected to be a rather cheesy movie - the film goes out of its way to waltz around stereotypes and predictable writing.

I can't say how many times I hyena-laughed, but it was always with the film and not at it.  This has instantly become one of my favorite movies.  Well-executed, beautiful, and just plain charming.
3686137
*I received a review copy of this film in exchange for an honest review

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of watching ninja movies with my little brother.  We couldn't get enough of those masked assassins, and we devoured every title we could find.  Over the course of our ninja phase, we probably watched well over 30 titles.  But even so, one actors name quickly stood out:  Sho Kosugi.  For us, he was the real deal, and we had no problems believing he was truly a ninja.  Come to find out, Kosugi really IS a ninja and has studied many forms of the art.  As such, his films are classified by some (myself included) as classics of the martial arts genre.  PRAY FOR DEATH is one of these iconic titles, and I enjoyed it as much today as I did when I was a kid.

When looking at films like this, you have to remember:  these paved the way for modern-day classics, such as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, IRON MONKEY, and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS.  As such, some of the action may seem a bit relaxed when compared to these recent hits.  This is by no means a negative for me, but I feel I have to warn you in advance; some folks expect modern-day action in older films.

PRAY FOR DEATH is shot very well and looks great onscreen.  The Blu-ray transfer looks amazing, and the picture is a testament to HD quality.  Likewise, the sound is top-notch.  You cant ask for much more from an 80s-film update.

The acting in PRAY FOR DEATH is good for a film of this nature.  Some action films have wooden performers who either overact to the point of hilarity or cannot act to save their lives.  This film boasts a nice cast, particularly Kosugi himself, who I always found to be a fairly credible actor.

But the action is the biggest winner for me in this movie.  Chocked full of martial arts mayhem, theres a lot to enjoy.  The fight scenes are fun, and so is the gore.  I had forgotten just how much carnage we get, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The special effects look good, and theres quite a few of them.

Arrow and MVD have another hit on their hands with PRAY FOR DEATH, and I highly recommend it.  Existing fans of the 80s ninja-craze will be nostalgic, while newcomers will find plenty to enjoy here as well.  The film is available now, so make a note to grab it.
4871376
This review is an excerpt from my book "Killer B's: The 237 Best Movies On Video You've (Probably) Never Seen," which is available as an ebook on Amazon. If you enjoy this review, there are 236 more like it in the book (plus a whole lot more). Check it out!

THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR: Joe Mondragon's (Vennera) dusty beanfield is dying of thirst. Suddenly, water begins flowing into it. Too bad it's just a leak: the water belongs to the Divine Land Development Co., the conglomerate that's tearing down most of Milagro to erect the biggest condo/golf course/recreation area in all of New Mexico. Joe's tiny plot of inherited property is the only piece they don't own--yet.

The accidental irrigation polarizes the town--and the state government, which wants Joe stopped, but without any publicity that might focus attention on the shady development deal. They certainly don't want Joe turned into a folk hero. So they send in boogeyman Montana (Walken), who masterminds a series of dirty tricks, which only aggravates the situation; as it escalates and everyone grows edgier, the shopkeeper does brisk business in bullets. It'll take a big sacrifice to solve this, Coyote Angel (Carricart) advises. But what sacrifice is big enough? A road grader? A pig? The field? A neighbor's life?

"I know a lost cause when I see one," reluctant activist Bloom (Heard) informs quixotic homegal Ruby (Braga). But "Milagro" is Spanish for "miracle," and that's exactly what the lethargic residents require. If the development deal proceeds, skyrocketing taxes will force the poverty-stricken local folk to sell out and move, spelling death for their quirky little community. Stubborn Joe's got huevos, however--and his aged neighbor Amarante (Riquelme, in the film's best performance), who walks between two worlds, has the spirit of Coyote Angel on their side.

Picaresque, whimsical, brimming with truly magical magical realism, this amusing fable is filled with gorgeous photography, and there's a twinkle in the eye of every frame. It provides both smiles and out-loud laughs in abundance, excellent ensemble acting, sweet insight into human nature and its foibles, and some delightfully clich-breaking defusing of tense situations.
2187660
This martial arts import from Indonesia is guaranteed to satisfy those who enjoy a good knuckle crunching, knife slashing, body tossing, blood spurting adrenalin rush.  The plot as it were, involves a 20 man S.W.A.T. team in Jakarta who has a covert mission to take out a narcotics cartel located in a rundown tenement high rise.  It doesn't go well as the drug boss has a man on the inside and has anticipated the raid.

What follows is the violent exchange between the good guys and the bad guys and it lasts about 95 minutes once they get going.  Every conceivable object is used as a weapon ranging from automatic rifles to light bulbs.  In many respects, the film is nothing new.  Grunts and groans with every punch permeate the film from beginning to end.  The bad guys usually only attack one at a time rather than in swarms.  And when they have the numbers advantage they don't have guns.

Yet, some of this can be forgiven as the quarters are tight, usually in hallways.  The actors involved are also pretty good.  They seem believable.  Sure they are strong and tough but they also fear the unknown and the consequences.  I'm not saying see the film for the acting, but hey it's something different.  The filmmaking itself is also first rate.  Welsh director Gareth Evans knows what he's doing and the fight choreography and stunts are as good as you'll see.  I'm guessing the medical tent on the set was pretty full most of the time.

This Blu ray transfer comes in with a 1080p resolution and a 1.78:1 aspect ratio.  Frankly it is a bit disappointing watched on my screen.  Even with the stark, dark photograpy the picture doesn't have much life to it.  There a bland texture on both the exterior and interior scenes.  The color is washed out.  I didn't see this in a theater so it's hard to determine if this should have been expected.  The audio is a bit better with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in both English and Indonesian.  While not perfect, the bullets do seem to be coming from everywhere and the music is clear and defined.  Viewers can also choose from 2 different music tracks while watching the film which is a bit unusual.
2128445
The plot was cool and separating it into vignettes was as well. Wasn't quite the mindless action animation I might have been looking for but it was good.
1435215
This is the 5th video volume of a 5 volume instructional video series on Nihon Jujutsu by Norm Belsterling.  This last volume is titled "Throwing Techniques."

This volume 5 is more interesting and fun to watch than the previous 4 volumes because Norm demonstrates many of the techniques covered in all the volumes of the series in a rapid free form defense against a series of surprise attacks between various instructional demonstrations of this volume.

Norm begins instruction in this video by demonstrating a "trap block" used to trap an opponents leg which is held in place or drawn up and back while your forward arm presses the opponent's upper body back and down.  Often this whole move is done with a 45 degree or 180 degree turn.  It has the effect of quickly taking down or throwing an opponent who is kicking you.  If done quickly by a strong individual it has the effect of turning the kicker upside down back upon his head and shoulders.  a variation of this technique is demonstrated in some Karate katas such as Heian Godan or Pinan Godan although most karate students don't know what the move really represents.  Most karate students think that the move is to block a high strike coming from behind a low strike or kick coming from the front thanks to Masatoshi Nakayama's misinterpretation of the technique.  Some karate students think that the move represents a grabbing of a male's genitals and then yanking them up and back above the shoulders and head.

Norm Belsterling demonstrates some unarmed defensive techniques against various types of knife attacks by an assailant.  He defends against a knife attack by an attacker using an over head ice-pick grip, a forward thrusting attack of the blade, a forward and upward attack against a knife that was held low and hidden and against slashing attacks.  All techniques used to defend against the knife attacks have already been covered in this video series.

Norm demonstrates "arm-winding sacrifice throw" and a "body sweep throw" against punching attacks.

There is a seven minute summary review of all techniques demonstrated in this volume toward the end.

This video is 55 minutes of instruction.  It's a pretty good instructional video series.  Many books and videos on martial arts have something demonstrated that leaves the buyer or the student dissatisfide because of poor or unrealistic instruction perhaps of a technique that a student realizes which will not work.  Those problems don't exist in this series.

I'm satisfied with each volume of the series.

The titles of the complete series are as follows:

Nihon Jujutsu Volume 1 Subtitled "Joint Locks & Submissions"

Nihon Jujutsu Volume 2 Subtitled "Throwing Techniques"

Nihon Jujutsu Volume 3 Subtitled "Chokes"

Nihon Jujutsu Volume 4 Subtitled "Ground Fighting"

Nihon Jujutsu Volume 5 Subtitled "Throwing Techniques"

All of the volumes of this video series are still available on DVD here on Amazon.com
2960408
Reading some of the other posters, I'm not 100% surprised if some content was edited out, which I haven't seen.  Beyond that, the storyline is entertaining, and the fighting styles are heavily "wire-fu" but very inventive anyway.

If you are looking for solid "wire-fu" action, this film will meet and exceed those expectations handily.
4563713
Since this is in Shonen Jump, my son asked for the first volumes and he got this for his birthday last year.  I try to read what he reads so we can talk about it and I want to be versed in the popular titles.  This series started way back in the golden age of the '90s so has a lot of typical manga elements from that period.  Exaggerated emotions, especially.  This used to bother me, but I've read so much now, that I find it fun and nostalgic to read '90s stuff.  This omnibus contains Vol. 1: Uzumaki Naruto, Vol. 2: The Worst Client, and Vol. 3: Dreams.  I was in love with the book by the end of the first volume as  I took to the characters right away and this ninja title hadn't been anything like I thought it would be.  The three main characters are great, even though each has a stereotypical type.  Throughout the three volumes Naruto changes the most.  He starts off as an immature kid, annoying at times, just wanting and assuming he will be the best, biggest hero ever by the end of his training.  Well, during the next two volumes, he gets a dose of reality and matures quite a lot that as we enter Vol. 4 we are going to find a different Naruto.  The plot revolves around their training to become ninjas, which they complete and then their special training under a master and they begin going out on missions with him while being trained in high level ninja arts at the same time.  They've taken a mission to protect a man as he goes home but find that he hasn't told them the whole truth and that a mafia type guy is really after him.  Battles ensue.  Sasuke's character's background is revealed and some of the mystery about him is lifted.  Now the ninjas find out that other assassins have been sent out to kill them (or is it just their master).  Battling with a super cool Ninja, Zabuza, is great stuff.  I liked this beginning very much. The plot is simple and easy to understand; the characters are likable; the villains fun; and good humour for an all around enjoyable entertaining read.
3684620
Black cat is a fun and entertaining series.it's a mix of the best of trigun,cowboy beebop and jing king of bandits.it has its serious moments and it's funny moments which makes for a great well rounded series.
 Black cat is about a sweeper(bounty hunter)that has no luck and is always hungry(reminds me of vash from trigun) he needs up finding a girl that is in need of his help big time.this is also a S.A.V.E series anime so your getting the whole series for a great price.there's a total of 4 dvds in the case and it's the size of a regular dvd so it won't take up a lot of space on your movie shelf.all in all this is a great series that should appeal to a lot of anime fans.if you enjoyed trigun,cowboy beebop and jing king of bandits this is for you.
4766361
Connoisseurs of kung-fu will appreciate the uniqueness of this clever movie in a class all by itself.  True martial arts masters make difficult moves appear effortless and, in their hands, anything can become a weapon.
3902614
This is a great Korean made ninja themed movie.  It takes place in the 19th century America.  The costumes and sets were well done and the acting was good.
4765980
The "scenery" is very entertaining.  The fight sequences are fun to watch, but a little contrived.  It's worth the watching, especially if you're into wire stunts and bouncing boobies.
3905195
This is a lot like a summer popcorn movie, for the most part. The movie has a very heavy focus on it's visuals and action sequences, which are very excellently done. Of course, with people on staff like Katsuhiro Otomo and Hirotsugu Kawasaki you'll always have to expect this. In Akira, Otomo said that he liked to keep everything in motion. He never wanted to use any sort of still frames for any reason. For Spriggan, you get the same thing. The animation is almost constantly fluid and rarely, if never, gets stiff or jittery like most anime. There's some really nice scenes of CG, espacially with the scenes that take place inside the ark. It's steller and seamless at the same time (like the excellent CG in Princess Mononoke). The fight scenes are so wonderfully choreographed and storyboarded out, that Spriggan's action is a class in it's own. Take all of the fight scenes in Ninja Scroll, X, Ghost in the Shell, and Battle Angel and then put them into fast forward and you have Spriggan. Yes, they're all THAT GOOD!
As far as visuals and action sequences are concerned, this movie has it all.
The movie's audio is excellent. Considering this is a fairly recent anime, it's sound design is incredible. I espcially like how the echoes and distorted SFX were handled inside the ark sequences. The video transer is also very nice. Lots early scenes in the film are shown in very dark colors and the transfer handles them wonderfully. The backrounds are beautifully rendered and the character animation comes off very crisp and clear. The only problem with it is that once the scenes mostly take place inside the ark, there is a fair amount of grain on the characters. It isn't too distracting though. It also gives the film more of a cinematic feel.
Spriggan is something that really and truly excels at what it's trying to be, and that's an action flick with western based legends and religious ideas mixed into it. Sure the story runs a little thin at times and character development is kinda nil, but it's slight lack of depth makes it even more fun to watch. It does present some interesting ideas as well (like saying that Noah's Ark was a weather controlling device and a starter of life). It won't exactly put your brain on overdrive like Ghost in the Shell of Serial Experiments Lain, but it will make you think a little bit after the credits roll.
Lots of anime fans I know bash on this film because of it's lack of plot and character development. Why can't they all just sit down and enjoy a film that is just a simple piece of action and fun? Where have all their roots gone?
The film's soundtrack is also excellent with mixes of Turkish chants, atmospheric instrumentals, and electronic drum-beats. The most impressive track, though, is the movie's ending them which is an experimental techno song performed by Saju and sung in Mandarin (a rare find in anime). If you need a reason to buy the soundtrack, listen to this song. I swear it will move you to buy the soundtrack. It did for me.
Whether I watched this film in Japanese, English, or with commentary by the ADR directors, I got a different experience everytime.
Spriggan is a highly enjoyable film that will never gather dust on my shelf, and most likely not on yours.
2586847
A couple classic B-movies, and a couple of decent giggles.

I bought this mainly for "The Arena," as I remember it from when I was a kid as a movie version of the NES "Street Fighter 20XX."  It has much better creature effects than I expected.

The other three are entertaining, but Arena is the standout.
1327371
Wendy Garrett's town has gone to the pits because a ruthless gang known as "The Wild Bunch" has set their eyes on robbing the town bank, even if it means killing what's left of the inhabitants in a homage to Road Warrior, except in Gun Sword, the leader of the gang has a mecha, called an "armor" to threaten the citizens. Enter a strange tuxedoed man named Van who also owns an armor and a sword with strange powers. He's too busy pursuing his own troubles hunting down a killer known as "Claw" and doesn't want to stop to help the town. Or does he? Especially when Wendy says she'll marry him if he'll help! They do have something in common because Wendy's missing brother was last seen with Claw. So they'll join forces, well, Wendy doesn't have any force except her brother's gun which she carries more for sentimental value than any expertise with the weapon. The two will get into all kinds of trouble as they continue their search across Endless Illusion and meet interesting people like the information expert Carmen99, a girl so buxom that she enters a room before she does, if you know what I mean. The 99 stands for her bust size!

Gun Sword is another entry into the wanna-be Japanese Western that started with Cowboy Bebop and continues with shows like Samurai Gun. But it works partially, because the mysterious loner who comes riding into town bringing justice with his gun is an American idea. The characters are appealing in a limited way and seem to have a lot going on under the surface which is shown to good effect by some of the quieter scenes. The music and the villains are a little overwrought and silly at times but that's no surprise because the stories were written by Hideyuki Kurata, who also wrote Read or Die, which had very eccentric bad guys. While the show is entertaining, you feel as you've already seen bits and pieces of it in another anime, but it's still early on in its run, so I'll reserve judgement. The animation at least is above par.

Extras: Gun X Sword-San Ep. 1&2-- two short episodes featuring cgi hand puppets of some of the show's characters in comedy bits which are quite funny. Clean openings/endings. TV Commercial collection. Art Gallery.
4675130
This along with the Red, Blue & White movie morphers look amazing. Hopefully we get a Ninja Coin set.
3670893
I loved this show based in the comic books of Monkey Punch. It follows the adventures of master thief Lupin the Third nephew of the French Arsene Lupin and his gang composed by Goemon Ishikawa a master samurai and Deitsuke Jigen a cold blooded gunman. Sometimes joins to the band Fujiko Mine a bussom beautiful lady expert in conning and also thieving. Where the most valuable or expensive treasure or antique is Lupin the Third and his gang trying to rob it. The Dvd has 5 episodes that are in order as they originally broadcasted with the preview and even the commercials break. The series are well translated and the voices of the dubbers are quite similar to original japanese. The only flaw in this Dvd is that the English subtitles are the translation of the Japanese version not the English dubbed version. Sound and picture quality are more than average. I will wait for next volume.