The Martial Arts Mania Podcast

We are back with a brand new review for you guys! This time around, we are taking a look at Scott Adkins’ latest feat, the martial arts adventure film- ‘Prisoner of War’. Brilliantly helmed by long time genre favorite and previous Adkins co-star Louis Mandylor, this film checks all the boxes on what we want to see in our martial arts cinema. With breathtaking visuals, hard-hitting fight scenes, and some incredible camerawork, this is no doubt one of Scott Adkins best movies yet! Listen in as we break down why we enjoyed this movie so much, and why we can’t WAIT for the next collaboration between Mandylor and Adkins! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We are back with an AWESOME new episode for you guys. We are tackling a tough one this time around, by officially declaring our top 5 masters of Kung Fu Cinema! This was no easy task, as the student/teacher dynamic is commonplace within Kung Fu cinema, and narrowing it down to just 5 entries was difficult to say the least! Also, our usual synchronization is out the window this time around, as our lists are COMPLETELY different! We’ve of course got some of the classics you expect, but also some genius picks that are going to take you by surprise! Want to know who exactly? Well, you’ll just have to tune in to find out! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We are back with a brand new episode for you guys, and this time around we are taking a look at David Mamet’s highly underrated martial arts masterpiece- Redbelt. A combination of multiple genres and filmmaking styles, this Neo-noir / Neo-chambara film is a must-see for any martial arts film aficionado. And what do we mean by our newly coined “Neo-chambara”? Well, you will just have to tune in to find out! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We are back with a brand new series of episodes for you guys! This is our first edition of “Martial Arts Movies that you Probably Haven’t Seen but Should”! Some of these entries will be mainstream films that we have discovered A LOT of people surprisingly haven’t seen, some will be obscure flicks that most of you most likely have never heard of, and some will just be films we feel have perhaps slipped through the cracks in the densely populated world of martial arts cinema. We are excited to share this new series of episodes with you guys and who knows, maybe you will find a new favorite film amongst some of these! You can listen to The Martial Arts Mania Podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We are back with a brand new “listacle” for you guys… Our Top 5 “Old School” Kung Fu Stars! Listen in as we go over what exactly “old school Kung Fu” means, the criteria it took to qualify, and who made the cut! You can listen to The Martial Arts Mania Podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week we are taking a look at a Hong Kong action classic- Eastern Condors! Directed by and starring the legendary Sammo Hung, this wartime, martial arts thriller is one of the most unique and technically well executed entries in Hung’s extensive filmography. With some phenomenal cinematography, an overall visually stunning aesthetic, and absolutely mind-blowing martial arts sequences, this film has a little bit of something for everyone. Listen in as we break down why you should watch this film, what we love so much about it, and surprisingly enough… what we DON’T like about it! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week Gavin and I are discussing our EPIC weekend we just had, which included multiple film screenings, some GREAT food (and not so great 😆) and of course…. DRAGONFEST! Listen in as we break down our Zatoichi screening, our fun-filled day hanging out with some awesome folks at Dragonfest, and finally, the INCREDIBLE ‘A Better Tomorrow’ triple screening with a special introduction by the legend himself- John Woo! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This time around we are taking a look at the newest entry in the John Wick Franchise, 'Ballerina'! We recorded this episode about two months ago, so we apologize about the delay, but hopefully you still enjoy this deep dive we take on the latest offering from the absolutely INSANbE world of John Wick! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We’re back! And this time around, we are taking a look at one of the most eccentric straight-to-video martial arts entries of the 1990’s- Bloodmatch! Directed by the one and only Albert Pyun, the mastermind behind such genre classics as Cyborg and Nemesis, this slightly erratic neo-noir martial arts mystery is an ambitious entry in a stream of sometimes narratively derivative films of the era. With some an incredible martial arts scenes, unique visuals, and an overall dreamlike aesthetic, ‘Bloodmatch’ is an ambitious endeavor that tries its best to create a surreal action mystery for viewers. Does it succeed? You’ll have to check out the episode to find out! ALSO- we’ve got some big news for you guys about a certain event we will be attending next month!!!! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week, we are tackling the newest entry in the long-running Karate Kid franchise- ‘Karate Kid: Legends’. It’s two worlds colliding, as the long-established “Miyagi” universe crosses over with Jackie Chan’s “Mr. Han” universe, in a collaboration that has some major hits, but some major misses as well. Listen in as we break down what we liked about this entry, what left us wanting more, and our thoughts on the possible future of the Karate Kid franchise! You can listen to The Martial Arts Mania Podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week we are taking a look at ‘The Prosecutor’- a Hong Kong legal thriller with a Kung Fu twist! Starring AND directed by martial arts maestro Donnie Yen, this action extravaganza has a little bit of something for everyone. Great performances from a strong cast? Check✅ A compelling story of good overcoming equal? Check✅ And most importantly of all… a bunch of KICK-ASS fight scenes?! Double Check✅ ✅ Listen in as we break down this extremely fun film, what we loved so much about it, and why it leaves us excited for the future of Donnie Yen! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

New episode alert! This week, Gavin and I have another great entry in our fan favorite ‘Kung Fu Comfort Films’ series! Per usual, we are looking at films we go back to time and time again! Whether it is for nostalgia, background noise, or we just straight up need a Kung Fu fix, these movies always deliver in the best kind of way! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week we are taking a look at the Japanese action extravaganza ‘Re:Born’! Starring genre favorite Tak Sakaguchi, this psychological martial arts thriller delivers nonstop martial arts action! A combination of Tak’s unique “wave” style, along with some insanely hard-hitting kicks and punches, ‘Re:Born’ delivers on all fronts, including having a 45 minute long action finale! Listen in as we breakdown what makes this film so entertaining, what sets it apart from other films in Tak’s filmography, and what we hope to see from him in the future! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This time around, we are taking a look at one of our favorite straight to video films, ‘City of Fear’! Starring martial arts legend and kicking maestro Gary Daniels, this early 2000’s action flick is a step above the rest! With stellar Hong Kong style fight scenes, and a Neo-noir plot ripped straight out of classic Hollywood cinema, this entry into the vast world of straight to video action cinema delivers in all of the right ways! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This time around, we are taking a look at the brand new Netflix film ‘Havoc’! From the genius mind of Gareth Evans comes another incredible entry into the world of hard-hitting, balls to the wall action cinema! Listen in as we break down this absolutely insane adrenaline rush, what we liked so much about it, and why it desperately needs to get SOME sort of theatrical release! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We’re back and we’ve got a brand new episode for you, hot off the press! Listen in as we break down another epic double Kung Fu screening at the New Beverly Cinema, this time featuring dynamic super kicker John Liu! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

We are back with a short and sweet episode this week, with a very special guest, our very own sensei, Peter ‘Sugarfoot’ Cunningham! This time around, we are paying tribute to our dear friend and a man sensei considered a brother, Richard Norton. Listen in as sensei talks about how they first met, the special relationship the two had, and some of his fondest memories with his dear friend “Richie”. Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

This week, Gavin and I have another great entry in our fan favorite ‘Kung Fu Comfort Films’ series! Per usual, we are looking at films we go back to time and time again! Whether it is for nostalgia, background noise, or we just straight up need a Kung Fu fix, these movies always deliver in the best kind of way! Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!

The world works in awfully strange ways sometimes. We had been having a blast recording our episodes on the Lucky Stars series, and we were looking forward to discussing the final film of the initial trilogy, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars, for a multitude of reasons. Amongst those, are the stellar action scenes found throughout the film, particularly the finale, in which a trio of deadly assassins take on our lovable bunch of misfits in an epic throwdown! One of the most memorable aspects of this extremely hard-hitting and kinetic sequence is the battle between the legendary Sammo Hung and martial arts maestro Richard Norton. We were scheduled to record on Saturday, but work related events postponed our recording by a couple of days. Little did we know, that within that time frame, our mate Richard would suddenly pass away. Shocked, devastated, and utterly confused by the news, we initially decided to postpone our episode until a later point in time. Upon much reflection though, we ultimately came to the conclusion that we should move forward with the episode. Listen in as we breakdown why we enjoy this film so much, the similarities and differences between it and its predecessors, and our future plans for paying tribute to the wonderful human being that was Richard Norton. Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy.

This week, we are taking a look at the second film in the Lucky Stars series, appropriately titled, ‘My Lucky Stars’! An early example of what can be considered a “requel”, this film acts primarily as a reboot of the series, taking an almost identical formula from the first one, with most of the same cast returning, an ups the stakes with even crazier action, international locales, and zany comedy scenarios that are definitely not as family friendly as the first film’s! Listen in as we break down this action classic, that cranks the martial arts mayhem up to an 11, while simultaneously taking the humor in a whole new, and far less innocent direction. Don’t forget to subscribe, download, like, and share with your friends! Thanks again for your continued support and we hope you enjoy!