Fist of Further Reading: Teleport City

I don't remember exactly when I got on the Teleport City bus, but I do know that when I started to get serious about watching wild genre films from around the globe, its creator, Keith, served as a sage guide and tastemaker. As the provocateur behind TC, he builds amazing websites, writes rich and extensive reviews of everything from films to cocktails, and has probably forgotten about more Turkish superhero films than I could hope to see in my lifetime. He is also the architect of the shadowy Mysterious Order of the Skeleton Suit movement, and science fiction contributor at The Cultural Gutter.

Q: What is a first-time reader most likely to notice about your writing style?
A: Honestly, probably the typos, but I’ve tried to get better with those. Beyond that, I hope it’s enthusiasm and love for the subject matter. Teleport City exists because I get so excited about the movies, the books, whatever it is I might end up writing about. There’s a lot of riffing and “ripping the film a new one” style commentary on film sites, and that sort of thing just doesn’t jibe with my outlook. I’m much happier to celebrate something. Teleport City is basically a big, complicated version of saying, “Man, have you seen this one???”

Q: Which of your posts or ongoing features will give readers the best feel for your site and movie fandom?
A: It would probably come down to either the one-two punch of Shaitani Dracula and Manos: The Hands of Fate (I think of them as two parts of one giant, mind-bending experience), or Danger: Diabolik.

Q: What was the first martial arts movie you remember seeing?
A: I was one of the proverbial “Kungfu Theater” kids in the late 70s, early 80s, and I have no idea what most of the movies were I saw back then. The first I remember specifically, as generic as it is to admit, is Enter the Dragon. Shortly thereafter, it was Revenge of the Ninja on cable television, on one of those nights where I pretended to fall asleep watching TV so I could watch R-rated movies after everyone went to sleep.

Q: Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme, and why?
A: Van Damme, 100%. I actually don’t like Seagal at all. He’s no fun, he takes no risks, his characters are never in any real danger, and he is a major abuser of the “this guy’s good” speech, where the lack of dazzle on the screen is dismissed by having everyone make speeches about how totally bad-ass the main character is. In contrast, Van Damme constantly took roles that, within the confines of action films, pushed him. He was willing to try something different. He was (is) willing to appear vulnerable, defeated, confused, and silly. Seagal never would have made Replicant, or Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, or JCVD.

Q: You've encountered a gang of mean dudes in denim jackets and Zubaz pants in an empty warehouse. You can arm yourself with a samurai sword, nunchucks, a baseball bat, or whatever is in the mystery box (no guns). Which do you choose and why?
A: The mystery box, every time. Between Jackie Chan and Battle Royale, I’ve learned that anything can be a weapon.

Fist of Further Reading: Lost Video Archive

Seth over at Lost Video Archive is truly a god among men. Not only does he write hilarious reviews of hidden-gem genre films, but he also uncovers incredible VHS box art that runs the topical gamut from self-defense to worm fishing techniques to instructional billiards. While I'm sure he's seen more Godfrey Ho films than he might care to admit, his Honky Ninja content demonstrates his acute affection for the chopsocky genre. Don't sleep on his work over at Paracinema either!

Q: What is a first-time reader most likely to notice about your writing style?
A: I’m sarcastic, cynical and probably over think things. Lots of people disagree with my understanding of movies, even the cheap shitty straight-to-video action flicks as somehow political in nature. “It’s just a movie they say” and that’s true if it’s all you want to see but I don’t. I don’t blame people for just wanting to be entertained without all the acute social baggage, but it’s still there whether you try and ignore it or not. I simply think it’s important to check the ID’s before it comes in the mental gate, I have nothing against being entertained by it. In fact I think it’s more entertaining when you can see all the silly (and sometimes insidious) shit these movie-people are trying to pass off as “fantasy.” That’s how I try to write, humorously with an eye towards the political implications. Sometimes it even works!

Q: Which of your posts or ongoing features will give readers the best feel for your site and movie fandom?
A: These questions are tougher than they first appear. I’m most consistently interested in Vietnam movies and movies about ‘Nam vets because I’ve studied late 20th century US politics so much, and so many wonderful explody-shoot-from-the-hip movies came out afterward. Still, I’m pretty fascinated by the buddy-cop thing too…

Q: What was the first martial arts movie you remember seeing?
A: Another tough question, the first thing I can distinctly identify was something with Seagal in it. I remember him dislocating someone’s elbow and that made me sick until I realized it was a fake arm. So I watched it over and over after that, it was funny to watch these people pretend to be mad and hurt each other. It seemed so asinine and childish and I loved it. But I never really got into action flicks beyond the more traditional Chinese wu xiu stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the unintentional humor of a Billy Blanks or Leo Fong picture, but not quite as much as Lo Lieh.

Q: Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme, and why?
A: Even tougher question, maybe the latter because he seems more ‘legitimate’, but the former is such a shill, he’s hard to pass up. Yeah, there it is, Segal because he seems so invested in his persona that I imagine a pretty entertaining conversation. I had a chance to see his blues band a couple of years back, but I passed it up. Regrets, I’ve had a few.

Q: You've encountered a gang of mean dudes in denim jackets and Zubaz pants in an empty warehouse. You can arm yourself with a samurai sword, nunchucks, a baseball bat, or whatever is in the mystery box (no guns). Which do you choose and why?
A: No question about it, the mystery box because it holds the most potential for humor. What if it was empty and I had to fight them off with a wrinkly, soggy cardboard box? Does anyone answer otherwise?

ENTER THE OVERLAP!
Breathing Fire
Expect No Mercy
TC 2000
Tough and Deadly

Ninjavember 2013

During the week of November 18, 2013, Fist of B-List will be sponsoring its first-ever Internet-wide blogathon dedicated to the best and baddest and worst in ninja film: Ninjavember 2013. What do you have to do to participate? Write a review or feature about a ninja film (or films), post it on your blog or website during Ninjavember Week, and send me the link on Facebook or Twitter via a private message (or just email me) so I can add it to the grand roster of participants on a dedicated section of this site. Recycled posts are welcome, but new content is preferred. Use this image in your post! Or don’t! It literally makes no difference, because at the end of the day -- NINJAS!

CONTRIBUTORS

Dementia13 - Enter the Ninja (Portuguese)
Action Movie Fanatix - Ninja Wars / The Hunted / Ninja Cheerleaders / Shogun's Ninja / Duel to the Death
Chuck Norris Ate My Baby - Bionic Ninja  
The Death Rattle - 9 Deaths of the Ninja / Ninja Death
Teleport City - Ninja Mission 

Fist of Further Reading: Kiai Kick

When I want a top shelf bourbon, I go for Woodford Reserve. When I want a good steak, I get something grass-fed. When I'm not drinking bourbon and eating red meat and I want reviews of martial arts films from all over the globe -- from muay thai to taekwondo, from Billy Blanks to Billy Chow -- I go to Kiai Kick. Michael, the writer/filmmaker/martial artist behind the website, not only has an appreciation for a highly technical fight scene but also for the campy fun of pure chopsocky. A recent post portends a small drop-off in activity, but rest assured: there is plenty of content on the site to guide your viewing for months to come.

Q: What is a first-time reader most likely to notice about your writing style?
A: Readers will notice a laid back, informal style. Like if we were sitting on the couch talking about the movie we just saw, but I'm always evolving how I write reviews.

Q: Which of your posts or ongoing features will give readers the best feel for your site and movie fandom?
A: Just going to the reviews or the Kiai-Kick All Stars, where I shine a spotlight on the famous, the infamous, and the esteemed group known as "that guy".

Q: What was the first martial arts movie you remember seeing?
A: Chang Cheh's The Water Margin. The Mountain Brothers and Young Dragon were my first real heroes, super or otherwise. Fav Moment: "Watch out! The Triple Kick of Death!"

Q: Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme, and why?
A: I'll go with ol' JCVD on the one, and for three words: Hard. Target. Mullet. Steven Seagal ain't got the brass ones to make that film, brother.

Q: You've encountered a gang of mean dudes in denim jackets and Zubaz pants in an empty warehouse. You can arm yourself with a samurai sword, nunchucks, a baseball bat, or whatever is in the mystery box (no guns). Which do you choose and why?
A: I won't take anything. My fists of fury are enough. That and taking their own weapons and using it against them. It's both painful AND embarrassing. First guy that comes near me gets a spinning back kick.

ENTER THE OVERLAP!
Heatseeker
China O'Brien
Bloodmoon
American Ninja
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation

Fist of Further Reading: The Death Rattle

This week finds us sharing a glistening, bicep-flexing embrace with Aaron from The Death Rattle and Mill Creeps podcast fame. I've known him for a few years now, and he's been a great advocate for my own writing as well as the work of everyone over at the terrific Gentlemen's Blog to Midnite Cinema. He writes, he podcasts, and I'm pretty sure he's a luchador on the weekends. His bread and butter is horror cinema but he's been known to throw on a denim jacket and some Otomix pants for the occasional martial arts b-movie review too.

Q: What is a first-time reader most likely to notice about your writing style?
A: That I have a tendency to be a bit rambly and take too long to get to the point. I can defend that by saying I try my best to paint a picture for whoever is reading my reviews, not just with words but with screenshots. I have a bad memory, so my blog is to mainly document the movies I watch so I can read my reviews a couple of years down the line and think "Oh, so that's what I thought of that movie!" But, while I'm at it, I try my best to sell people on the movies I cover, for better or worse.

Q: Which of your posts or ongoing features will give readers the best feel for your site and movie fandom?
A: The Top 10 Final Girls list I did with James Gracey of the Behind The Couch blog. I love slasher movies and I love strong female characters in genre films, so yeah. Speaking of Final Girls, I'm also proud of a double-feature review that I wrote of HALLOWEEN 4 and 5. It covers - for the most part - the arc of the Jamie Lloyd character from the HALLOWEEN series.

Q: What was the first martial arts movie you remember seeing?
A: I honestly can't remember. The earliest movie I have memories of that would fall under the Fist of B-List umbrella would be AVENGING FORCE. I remember being drawn to that film because the VHS artwork was really cool, and the guys in masks reminded me of GI JOE characters or something. As far as legit "martial arts" movies, I can't say.

Q: Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme, and why?
A: Both have individual traits that make them stand out from one another to me, but I gotta go with JCVD. He has more movies in his filmography that I consider favorites, and he hasn't become as much of a damaged shell of his former self as Seagal. Plus, he has an amazing ass.

Q: You've encountered a gang of mean dudes in denim jackets and Zubaz pants in an empty warehouse. You can arm yourself with a samurai sword, nunchucks, a baseball bat, or whatever is in the mystery box (no guns). Which do you choose and why?
A: I'd definitely go for the baseball bat. Nunchucks are out of the question because I'd probably cause more damage to myself than my enemies. Samurai swords are intimidating to me, so that wouldn't be my first choice either. Besides, you could do some serious damage with a baseball bat. I'd be like Dikembe Mutombo up in that mug. (He's a baseball player, right?) Oh, and you can bet that I'd be ganking me some of that Zubaz when it's all said and done.

ENTER THE OVERLAP!
L.A. Streetfighters / Low Blow (The Mill Creeps podcast)
American Kickboxer 1
Future Kick
Revenge of the Ninja
Deadbeat at Dawn

Fist of Further Reading: Chuck Norris Ate My Baby

After a long layoff, we're back with another installment of Fist of Further Reading, where we highlight a site, blog, or podcast that has similar cinematic leanings as Fist of B-List. You'll notice I've switched up the format; I'll be throwing five standard questions at the creator(s) and jumping out of the way as they kick the answers back at my head. Up to bat: Matt-suzaka, who runs the excellent genre film blog Chuck Norris Ate My Baby. Matt shares our love of Zubaz, wins Lammy awards, and usually rocks nothing but black silk underwear and a Members Only jacket.

Q: What is a first-time reader most likely to notice about your writing style?
A: I think that depends on what they read. I mostly do movie reviews, so depending on the movie, a review can either be humorous or serious in tone. For the most part, my more serious reviews are focused on characters and/or specific themes that certain movies might convey, whereas my humorous reviews are generally filled with ridiculous observations. However, any of the posts that I do write that aren’t movie review related are usually of a comedic tone, so I suppose that might be the most distinct aspect of my style that a new reader would notice. 

Q: Which of your posts or ongoing features will give readers the best feel for your site and movie fandom?
A: I actually believe the best way to get an idea of both my sense of humor and fandom would be found in my Dumpster Diving for Gold posts, which range from regular written blog posts to video blogs. With these posts/videos I focus on random movie related finds I make such as VHS tapes, DVDs and any other type of cool movie related items that I might come across on my adventures.

As for specific movie reviews that I think best express both my love of movies and my site would be recent-ish reviews for House at the End of the Street and 1978’s Youngblood. House at the End of the Street is definitely a prime example of my more sarcastic/humorous side, whereas Youngblood shows my more serious side. Both, however, are perfect examples of my sexy side.

Q: What was the first martial arts movie you remember seeing?
A: I suppose the key word here is “remember,” as I used to watch a lot of Kung Fu Theater as a kid, but I remember very little outside of some vague imagery of my physical surroundings. With that said, the first martial arts movie that I can confidently say that I remember seeing was one that likely left a memorable mark because of just how special of a film it is, and that would be Enter the Dragon. The impact that Enter the Dragon and especially Bruce Lee had on me at a very young age would create a ripple effect that has carried throughout my entire life. Lee’s influence on me as a film lover, a martial arts enthusiast and person is simply incredible, and I have a distinct feeling I am not alone.

Q: Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme, and why?
A: This is a no brainer for me: it’s JCVD or GTFO. I do love me some Seagal (especially his knack for spotting crime using his Seagal-sense), but I’ve always been a Van Damme guy. Movies like Bloodsport, Double Impact, Kickboxer, and Universal Soldier were staples of my movie watching as a kid. Furthermore,  what he has done with the later half of his career is pretty impressive considering the rocky road he was traveling during the mid-point of his career.

Since making JCVD, in which he faced his demons head on in a career changing confessional scene, Van Damme’s career has really taken a turn for the better. The way he has embraced his age (as opposed to Seagal and his pitch black dye job) and his role as an action star and a personality has really shown in the films he is making now. There’s currently a pretty awesome little renaissance going on in the direct-to-video action market, and JCVD is right there on the front lines leading the troops. Also, black silk underwear. 

Q: You've encountered a gang of mean dudes in denim jackets and Zubaz pants in an empty warehouse. You can arm yourself with a samurai sword, nunchucks, a baseball bat, or whatever is in the mystery box (no guns). Which do you choose and why?
A: This is actually a much tougher decision than it seems, but no matter how long I ponder what weapon would best serve me in a battle against a group of Zubaz wearing punks, I find myself going back to the Samurai sword. I think what makes the Samurai sword such a viable weapon in a warehouse fight is just how much damage it can do to so many different thugs with very little effort on my part. You know, because I’m a master swordsman. A Samurai sword is light, it’s fast and it can cut through almost anything (including those pesky empty cardboard boxes), but most importantly, however, I look fucking hot when I use it, especially when I’m shirtless and covered in cocoa butter scented baby oil.

ENTER THE OVERLAP!
Blackbelt

Enter the Podcast: Loren Avedon and the GGtMC

So, I realize it’s been a while. I haven’t left any voicemails about Bolo Yeung throwing his jacket on the floor. I’ve failed to “Like” your awesome Facebook pictures of Don "The Dragon" Wilson in different silk shirts. I haven’t put on a pair of Zubaz pants in what seems like months. I’m not even sure they fit anymore.

But I’m here now, and I’ve got apologetic flowers in one hand and a three-hour podcast in the other. Approximately 33% is dedicated to The King of the Kickboxers, and 66% is comprised of a truly fantastic interview with screen legend Loren Avedon. It’s my way of saying thanks for hanging in there.

I was lucky enough to hook up with Will and Sam from The Gentlemen’s Guide to Midnite Cinema for Episode 233 and it’s a beast. We do a sprawling review of the aforementioned 1990 Lucas Lowe film, and have a great discussion with its star. If words spelled in all-caps for emphasis still mean something to you, DO NOT MISS this episode.

On the Fist of B-List front, we’ve got all sorts of things in store for the summer. PM Entertainment will be well-represented, the floating virtual reality head of Jalal Merhi is booked for an appearance, and we’ll take another hard look at martial arts actors going Hollywood.

More to come...

See Also: Enter the Interview: Loren Avedon

Fist of Further Reading: Guest Post on Rupert Pupkin Speaks

I was recently awakened from my sleepy, drunken summer stupor by our good friend Rupert Pupkin, who runs the excellent film blog, Rupert Pupkin Speaks and also contributes to The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema. For the better part of the last two months, he's been featuring the cream of the crop in "bad" movie selections from a bevy of film writing heavyweights. Despite my recent disappearance from the Internet, Rupert was kind enough to let me join a very talented and insightful group of writers to contribute to this series. Be sure to check out the whole damn thing.

Don't worry your pretty head, because new shit on Fist of B-List is coming soon. Until then, check out the guest post on a smattering of no good, very bad movies on the most excellent Rupert Pupkin Speaks!

Fist of Further Reading: Super Marcey's Super Website

My freakish and borderline obsessive enthusiasm for the No Retreat, No Surrender trilogy is perhaps eclipsed by only one other film reviewer: the excellence of Oceania, Super Marcey of supermarcey.com. In addition to her Strandbergian leanings, she puts together podcasts, audio commentaries, and even did a rare audio interview with FoBL favorite Loren Avedon. Her website is a great source for film reviews spanning all genres (the Recommendations section turned me onto Red Hill) and she has a tremendous web presence.

Jump Off Posts:
Loren Avedon Interview
No Retreat, No Surrender Audio Commentary
The American Ninja Franchise

Fist of Further Reading: Direct to Video Connoisseur

Direct to Video Connoisseur

I sometimes marvel at the fact we've been able to churn out so many reviews on such a narrow niche genre like Western chopsocky films. Then I look at the Direct to Video Connoisseur blog and his several hundred posts and I feel like a slack-jawed waster. He's well on his way to over a thousand posts; those are Rice/Ripken/Abdul-Jabbar numbers. Active for nearly four years, the DtVC is a great source for coverage of everything from Hauser to Hopper and Lundgren to Dudikoff and everything in between. He also counts FoBL favorites like Cynthia Rothrock and Gary Daniels among the many inductees to the DtVC Hall of Fame. His writing style is punchy but informative, and forgoes a ratings system in lieu of more contextualized opinion. As a bonus, he almost always notes the circumstances under which he acquires his film copies, which is helpful for comparative purposes when you’re about to drop $65 on a factory-sealed DVD of a Jeff Wincott movie.

Jump-Off Post: Van Damme Film Fest

Fist of Further Reading: Comeuppance Reviews

Comeuppance Reviews

Brett and Ty, the guys at Comeuppance Reviews, stick almost exclusively to direct-to-video action movies, a net obviously wide enough to include a ton of martial arts film. They’re pioneers of sorts, having coined the term “punchfighter” to tidily describe “movies about underground bare-knuckle fighting that spectators bet on.” They use a star system (0-4) and their reviews tend to vary in length, which may be directly proportionate to how much enthusiasm (or lack thereof) they have for the subject matter. You can always count on some great one-liners and oddball selections, including a lot of out-of-print stuff; you might get a PM Entertainment flick one week and an old 1970s William Smith actioner the next.

Jump-Off Post: Night of the Kickfighters review

Fist of Further Reading: The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema

The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema

This is the rare podcast for which I'll delay all other music and podcast listening when their episodes drop. Hosted by Big Willie and The Samurai, the GGtMC has a high degree of relistenability and you'll want to keep a notepad nearby to jot down the various names and titles referenced throughout the runtime of each episode. It's a special kind of podcast that features nuanced and sophisticated discussion of film without making the slide towards pretension, while also leaving room for quips about boobs, mustaches, leather pants, and mesh tank tops. If you consider yourself a fan of genre films (or mesh tank tops), I can't recommend it strongly enough.

Jump Off Episodes:

Episode 99: Undefeatable Butthorn - This was the first episode I recall that made me laugh uncontrollably during my morning commute as NYC subway riders watched me nervously and made snide comments. The gents bring in Pickleloaf (co-host of the Silva and Gold podcast) to lay the critical smack down on Godfrey Ho's Undefeatable and the Gary Busey action trash romp Bulletproof. Brace yourself fools!

Episode 136: Super Violators - One of the more action-heavy episodes the Gentlemen have produced. Hilarious reviews of the Strandberg-penned Seasonal Films gem Superfights and the b-grade action opus Parole Violators.

Episode 143: Night Breathing - I'm showing totally blatant bias by plugging an episode that I had the good fortune to program, but they did cover FoBL favorite, Breathing Fire, so it's still relevant. Also features coverage of the terrific psychological thriller Night Warning with Susan Tyrrell and Bo Svenson.

Fist of Further Reading: Exiled from Contentment

Exiled from Contentment

Unlike a lot of sites I like to highlight, I have very little content overlap with Exiled from Contentment. I call him out almost solely because he's one of my favorite film writers to read, whether he's covering Michael Bay movies or a sizzling chop of 1970s genre cinema like Prime Cut. Memories are hazy, but I think I came across EFC initially while performing drunken web searches for Kill Squad or Hard Target or Albert Pyun. Most important, it’s the only blog for which I routinely violate my rule about avoiding posts in excess of 1500 words. EFC has a self-effacing, rant-like style of writing laced with profanity and coated with pure gold and he looks at new and old films alike. Even better, he’s one of many lucky bastards who lives within traveling distance of the Tarantino-owned New Beverly Cinema and his write-ups of their double features are required reading.

Jump-Off Post: Hard Target

Fist of Further Reading: One-Armed Liebster Meets the Five Deadly Blogs

For the past several weeks, I’ve been mulling over ways I might be able to more actively promote blog and site content that I dig. Blogrolls, while succinct, don’t really put recommended reading into context. My efforts to champion the great and relevant work of others who share similar cinematic interests will be a running feature going forward, but a recent development has given me a starting point.

Fist of B-List was called out as a recipient of the Liebster Award by my very good friend, Aaron of The Death Rattle. In addition to his work there, he’s also El Jefe for The Gentlemen’s Blog to Midnite Cinema, so in short, he’s one of the hardest-working dudes in genre film coverage. Be sure to check out his written work as well as his terrific guest appearance on The Gentlemen’s Guide to Midnite Cinema podcast, where he, Big Willie, and the Samurai covered the first two Howling movies. It will put hair on your balls (and probably your back).

Those who receive the Liebster Award are charged with passing on the achievement to five other blogs of their choosing, but each must have less than 200 Followers. There were plenty of folks I wanted to call out for their excellent work, but it seems only blogs that display their Followers gadget are eligible. So here are five that meet both criteria: having less than 200 regular readers, and being awesome on the regular.

The Ninja Squid - An awesome gal who features her art work, perfect screen captures and captions for films, and unbridled love for martial arts and Anthony Wong. A million times, yes.

Ninja Dixon - There’s always room for another blog with “ninja” in the title, especially when it features great writing about genre cinema from around the world.

Video Junkie Strikes Back from Beyond the Grave - Need proof that we’re blogging brothers from another mother? Check out the running Gweilo Dojo feature. Hilarious reviews of some really obscure cinema.

Lone Wolves and Hidden Dragons - The two authors have other blogs as well, but you need look no further for your Asian genre cinema fix.

When the Vietnam War raged... in the Philippines - One of the most unique editorial concepts you’re likely to find in the wide world of genre film blogging, executed to absolute perfection. Fantastic reading.