The Martial Arts Wire: News & Discussion & Forums

Movie: New Action Flick "TAKEN" with Liam Neelsen

2009-01-07T02:58:00.000-08:00

Okay.

So I just finished watching TAKEN, the new action flick with Liam Neelsen. (it wasn't a bootleg copy, I sware!) and it's definitely one I'm going to watch again... in the theaters.

Really the movie can be summaries into two words. "FUCK YEAH! It's got some sweet martial arts, reckless shootouts, a little bit of the bond/borne kind of stuff. Actually if you mixed Bond with Borne & put them in "Man on Fire"(Denzel Washington)then you have "Taken".

It's got some really great emotional tags, the plot is basically an ex-special ops guy or "preventer" gives up his job to build a relationship with his 17 year old daughter (who looks about 22, in fact i could have sworn they switched actors between the beggining and the end there.) she goes to Paris with her cousin and is maker and taken by human traffickers. She happens to be talking to her dad while they come in and take her cousin and then her, so that makes things really a lot more intense. He's actually sitting there on the phone as it's happening. Totally fucked up. But great way to do it. What ensues after that is a deeply enraged man doing what he does best as he has 96 hours to find his daughter, the window in which it's still possible to find such abductions.

The martial arts in in are actually passable, quite realistic and Liam Neeson executes them well. Nothing too fancy, were not talking Ong Bak here or anything. But more of the borne/bond style. Believable if somewhat circumstantial. It makes you wonder if the only way to stay alive if you have a job that is like this is to be super lucky, every fucken day. Like. Getting handcuffed to weak pipes and that sort of thing.

You can see they really took a page out of the book of Man on Fire. But hey, it worked at it was great. Fuck yeah! I think the trafficking & kidnapping thing really gives a lot of weight to a movie like this. I felt more emotion in this movie than I ever have in all of the Bond or Borne movie combined. Though not as much as Man on Fire or the movie Human Traffic.

But still as an action film. Liam Neeson did great. A+ it made you care, and it was cool. Not a dull moment in the movie. Good job!! We need more movies like this.

Check out the trailer:

Just Awesome: Making Jujitsu look cool

2009-01-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

This guy has some skillz. Suprisingly he doesn't have much weight behind him, which makes it so he can pull off some pretty cool looking moves like the flying arm bar. Which looks insane. I wouldn't complain if I could pull off half the moves he does as well as him ;)

Incredible Martial Arts - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Beijing Olympic Medalist to Fight in UFC

2009-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Satoshi Ishii Begins Negoiations To Fight In The UFC
From a UFC press release:

Ishii, who won the gold medal in the men's over 100-kilogram event at the Beijing Olympics, arrived in Las Vegas on Christmas day to experience UFC 92. Over the next two days, Mr. Ishii toured Las Vegas and visited various MMA gyms, including the UFC Training Center and Xtreme Couture, where he trained and sparred with Randy "The Natural" Couture.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ishii decided that he wished to start his MMA career in the United States, and that his dream was to fight in the UFC. He made his choice to negotiate with UFC last night after watching UFC 92.

"I was impressed with the training programs here in Las Vegas and the UFC event," said Mr. Ishii. "I am looking forward to working with the UFC and to developing my mixed martial arts skills."

"Satoshi Ishii has the potential to be very successful in mixed martial arts," said Dana White, UFC President. "We can't wait to start working with Mr. Ishii, we look forward to helping him with his training, his career, and his eventual debut in a professional fight."

Video - Martial Art of Jujitsu - Part 1

2009-01-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

Introduction to Wushu Video

2009-01-01T03:30:00.000-08:00

A video I found on Wushu. If your here you probably already know what Wushu it is, if not watch this video ;)

Rashad Evans is the real deal, plus more random thoughts from UFC 92

2009-01-01T03:00:00.001-08:00

Random thoughts following Saturday night's UFC 92, a spectacular way for Ultimate Fighting Championship to cap off what will likely be the biggest year in pay-per-view history .

Read full story from The StarPhoenix

2nd 'Ultimate Fight Champ' Slaying

2008-12-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

Sunday Dec 28

2ND 'Ultimate Fight' Slaying

An Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed-martial-arts star was found shot to death yesterday in his Idaho home - the second of the sport's pugilists to be murdered in a week, authorities said yesterday.

Read the full story from New York Post

Boise MMA fighter shot to death in Nampa home

2008-12-27T02:50:00.000-08:00

Boise mixed martial arts fighter and former Iowa State football player Justin Eilers was shot to death at a home in Nampa on Thursday night.

Eilers, 30, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, Canyon County Coroner Vicki DeGeus-Morris said. James Robert Malec, 48, of Nampa, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder late Thursday, according to the Canyon County Sheriff's Office...

..."He once fought for the heavyweight championship of the world. He did a lot of community work with us, refereeing and judging. He was a good guy, a really good guy,'' said Kasey Thompson of Eagle-based Knockout Promotions, which promotes the MMA shows at Qwest Arena....

Read Full Story from Idaho Entertainment