The Kickboxer Sequels Reviewed

Before recording our Van Damme episode I decided to watch all of the films in the Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Cyborg franchises. Below are my thoughts on all of the Kickboxer sequels. These reviews and more can also be found on our Letterboxd page letterboxd.com/mtfeature

Kickboxer 2: The Road Back

"Kickboxer 2" is a bland movie. It lacks any of the charm of the first movie and while I think Sasha Mitchell is fine in the movie it's hard to match up to what Van Damme had done in the original film. It's also strange that the fights are shot almost completely in slow motion. It kind of drains any potential energy from the scenes. Also shoehorning Tong Po into the story was a mistake. While I appreciate the interest in keeping this within continuity there just wasn't any way the fight between Mitchell and Tong Po was going to be anywhere as good as the fight in the first film. In the end it's really not a poorly made film and I think Pyun is really good at getting the most out of a budget it just lacked any real excitement.

Kickboxer 3: The Art of War

I always say if you're gonna make a direct to video sequel you may as well go as far off the rails as you can and just make an entertaining movie. Kickboxer 3 is a solid attempt to do just that. In this third film Sloane is now in Rio where he befriends two street children. One of them is kidnapped to be sold into slavery so Sloane must take down the entire operation and free the girl. Kickboxer 3 is really not a good movie. Mitchell seems to have slipped into Step by Step mode with his character as he plays him as much less intelligent and more goofy than in the previous film. I also take issue with the fact that Sloane uses guns in this one. It's called Kickboxer. The reason we watch this movie is to see him take out guys with guns using only marital arts. Despite the issues I had it's still much more entertaining than the second film even if it's for the wrong reasons.

Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor

It's kind of like Bloodsport meets Kickboxer. Sasha Mitchell is back again as David Sloan and this time he is recruited out of prison by the DEA to infiltrate Tong Po's mexican fortress which appears to be more of a desert resort. David's wife has also been taken by Tong Po and is being used as a sexual slave on his complex. The only way David can gain access to Po's complex is to take part in a secret tournament between the worlds best fighters. There are many things about Kickboxer 4 that are laughable. For one the original actor who played Tong Po didn't return for the fourth film so they have some other guy with a prosthetic on his forehead which makes him appear to have no eyelids. Maybe the prosthetic blinded his sight so badly that it is also to blame for the fact that Po wouldn't recognize Sloan, a man he fought only a few years earlier and whose family he absolutely loathes. Also, when did Sloan begin working for the DEA? This movie is only 2 years after the last one so did he go to prison the minute he returned from Rio? I guess Pyun decided to just ignore part 3 and do a direct sequel to his original sequel. There's also a few random softcore scenes in this one which feel so out of place I couldn't help but laugh. Basically, this is another bad sequel that is really stupid but also a lot of fun. There are some entertaining fight scenes as well which always help.

Kickboxer 5: The Redemption

So Sloan of the previous 3 sequels is now apparently dead. It could also be that Sasha Mitchell was arrested the same year this film was made for domestic abuse but maybe that's just a coincidence. Anyway, as far as the film goes it's nothing special. Mark Dacascos plays a kickboxer out to avenge his friends death which ultimately brings him to South Africa. I do have to say that the martial arts in this film are much better than anything given in the other sequels so maybe for that reason it could get a slight edge over the others. Of course it's still not a very good movie but is fine as throwaway entertainment.

The Bloodsport Sequels Reviewed

Before recording our Van Damme episode I decided to watch all of the films in the Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Cyborg franchises. Below are my thoughts on all of the Bloodsport sequels. These reviews and more can also be found on our Letterboxd page letterboxd.com/mtfeature

Bloodsport 2

Bloodsport 2 features Daniel Bernhardt as Alex Cardo, a man thrown in prison when he attempts to steal a sword that happens to be the prize given to the winning contender of the kumite. While in prison he is taught the iron fist technique from fellow prison Master Sun played by James Hong. Upon his release Alex enters the Kumite so that he can defeat Damien, a sadistic guard from the prison who pits prisoners against each other in fights to the death.

As expected Bloodsport 2 is a step down from the first film. The only thing that really holds the film together are James Hong and the fights. The competition itself hits all of the same beats as the original right down to a death scene where the judges stand up and turn their backs. Donald Gibb also returns as Ray Jackson in throwaway role as the "comic relief" where he just stands on the sidelines hitting on the sole female competitor. Also, as with the first film, there's some plot lines that could be cut out completely without harming the film but despite its flaws I have to admit I was entertained for the full 90 minutes. While I doubt I'll ever return to it there are worse ways you could throw away an hour and a half.

Bloodsport 3

Wow, can it get any worse than this? This movie has an entire hour of filler "building up" to The Kumite and by the time it finally reaches the third act the viewer will be so bored they won't even care.

Bloodsport 4: Dark Kumite

Maybe it's just because I watched this right after part 3 but I am walking away from this one thinking it's the second best in the franchise. It's the first of the sequels to fully embrace a b-movie vibe with some great over the top performances and a death by pen scene that I didn't expect. The plot sees Cardo back in prison only this time he goes there on purpose to expose some evildoing in the prison. He ends up being forced to participate in the Kumite only in this tournament only one contender walks away alive. As a kid I always thought that's what Bloodsport was until I actually watched it. This one pretty much fulfilled what my childhood brain thought Bloodsport would be and I am grateful for that. Sure, it's all really dumb but it's a surprising amount of fun.

Artsploitation Films is Back!

Artsploitation Films is the distribution company behind some really great and unique genre films including "Toad Road", "Wither", and the fantastically brutal and exploitative "Hidden in the Woods". We are incredibly excited to hear the news of their soon to be announced titles and think many of you are really going to dig them as well. Head on over to www.artsploitationfilms.com and show them some support!

From the Press Release, April 22, 2015
After a hiatus of 16 months, alternative North American film distribution company Artsploitation Films (www.artsploitation.com) has announced its upcoming summer line-up of international films. From the comedic to the horrific; the unsettling to the blood-curdling; and from the erotic to the controversial, the films showcase the best and most innovative genre movies the world has to offer.

The announced selection of 10 titles begins June 9th with the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the German slasher film and film festival favorite DER SAMURAI and features films from 6 different countries. Showcased is a cross-dressing, samurai sword-wielding killer (DER SAMURAI); a middle-class snuff-making suburban couple (THE HOUSE WITH 100 EYES); a group of cub scouts who should not have gone into the woods (CUB); a porno director’s bed-hopping search for his next female star (TRANSGRESSION); a young girl tormented by psycho-sexual dreams (HORSEHEAD); a money-desperate drug dealer who will stop at nothing (DEALER); a kidnapped woman more duplicitous than her abductors (RECKLESS); and, coming this Fall, a severed hand bent on bloody revenge…and bodily reunification (BLOODY KNUCKLES). And there is not a G–rated children’s film in the bunch!

There will be several limited theatrical releases (FEVER and DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES this summer) and most films will go out day and date on DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD. Artsploitation’s founder, Raymond Murray, sums up the company’s acquisitions philosophy as, “We seek entertaining and provocative films that encompass our admittedly left-of-center film esthetic. My goal is to find films that my team and I love but then the hard work begins: connecting each film with its targeted, often quite specialized audience. And remember, hundreds of fictional men, women and children have been killed, kidnapped, tormented, or have had their blood sucked out of them and the least we can do is connect their stories with their future fans.”

Podcast Episode 41

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In Episode 41 we are discussing two indie features starting with a kung-fu mashup "The Order of One: Kung-fu Killing Spree" followed by a micro budget horror film "The Chauffeur". We also discuss what we've been watching, play guess the Razzie winner and more! Enjoy!

Road Show - Hudson Horror March Madness

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In this episode of Midnight Triple Feature Adam and Mike are on the road to Hudson Horror March Madness. We take some time to discuss a few of the movies we've been watching, some news items and offer up a post show discussion on Sleepaway Camp, The Giant Spider Invasion & Blood Beach. Enjoy!

Podcast Episode 40.5

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In this "minisode" of Midnight Triple Feature Mike & Jeff sit down to discuss the found footage horror film "The Taking of Deborah Logan".

Podcast Episode 40

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In episode 40 we celebrate Friday the 13th with a discussion of "The Tommy Jarvis Trilogy" featuring reviews of parts 4, 5 and 6 of the Friday the 13th franchise. While discussion over parts 4 and 6 remain docile and overall agreeable part 5 splits our group pretty decisively forcing one of us to vehemently defend "A New Beginning". We also discuss why Brad Fuller has clearly not seen the original Friday the 13th franchise, the newest Leatherface film, what we've been watching and more! Enjoy!

Podcast Episode 39

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In episode 39 we set our focus on some independently produces features from 2014. First up is "Coherence", a movie that forces us to ask the question, "could I permanently take out an alternate version of myself". Next up is "Honeymoon", a creepy little film that had Adam and Mike revisiting some childhood fears. We round out this threesome with "Starry Eyes", a feature that many critics have praised as one of the best of 2014 but do we agree? We also talk about what we've been watching, remake news and more. Enjoy!