Results could be mixed if you paired a bad student with a good teacher. But pair a good student with a bad teacher and the student could make things work out on their own. Tonight’s episode was an exploration into this phenomenon. If there was some method behind Ken Shamrock’s madness, he certainly had not divulged it. Ken gave another pep talk after their team’s recent lost in the middleweight division. Ken was not winning over any fans this season nor was he winning back his team with speeches that failed to motivate. Team Shamrock’s laid-back approach got on the nerves of a few of its members. His team was envious of the intense training and hands-on coaching that had been the modus operandi of Team Ortiz. Tito had been grooming his fighters for a career by showing them the skills, training, discipline and work ethic that a professional fighter needs to succeed. Ken had been focused on keeping his fighters fresh to win this tournament. It was a contrast between a long-term vs. short-term vision. Regardless of whether or not Ken was pushing them, Team Shamrock did not stay stagnant. Every fighter on the team found ways to keep active, whether it was running stairs in the backyard, sprawling and shadow boxing. Who could sleep when the opponent is training hard to bash your head in? Fire Water aka Lip Lubricant Since the UFC reinstated alcoholic beverages in the fighters’ residence for season three, there had been more interesting and revealing conversations. When the contestants had some fire-water in their bellies, their lubricated lips loosened up. A few episodes ago, it was Ed Herman. This time around, Michael Bisping proclaimed freely that he was tired of Team Ortiz and Team Shamrock; that he was only looking out for himself. The sympathetic ears of Team Shamrock fighters shared his sentiments. Michael’s apologies the morning after were merely a drunkard’s remorse that did little to hide his true feelings. The Fight Announcement It looked early on like a vendetta was brewing between Mike Nikels and Michael Bisping. Bisping was annoyed with Nikels impersonating him. Everybody felt that it would be a good fight. However, we have to remember that these people were in a contest. Michael Bisping felt that he could best exploit a match-up against Kristian Rothaermel. Michael was a striker going up against Kristina’s jiu-jitsu grappling skills. The Fight Michael took control of every aspect of this fight. He sprawled beautifully and defended Kristian’s takedown attempts very well. On the second sprawl, Michael realized he was pushed up against the fence and beautifully jumped out into the center of the ring. Every time both fighters stood up from a clinched position, Michael had the presence of mind to let fly heavy punches, elbows and knees. The hard shots stunned Kristian and cut him up on the top of the head and a few other spots. When Kristian was able to keep Michael on the ground, Michael was still the aggressor sending up punishing elbows, and hitting Kristian flush on target. Michael was getting the best of every exchange and it was apparent that Kristian was slowly giving up. On a few occasions, Kristian did not seem willing to get up to resume the fight. Finally, the referee John McCarthy stepped in and stopped the fight when he realized Kristian was not defending himself anymore. Team Ortiz retained control and went up 3 – 1 against Team Shamrock. I wondered what kind of pep talk Ken will have in store for the next episode? An Uninspiring Episode The reality series seemed like it hit the wall as excitement is slowly dwindling away from The Ultimate Fighter 3. The downside to the fast matches was that the filler footages failed to captivate the television audience. Previews for the next episode revealed some sparks between Tito and Ken. Sadly, the most exciting thing this season could be if and when will Tito and Ken slug it out, since Tito had recently pulled out of the July pay-per-view fight against Ken Shamrock due to a recent knee injury. Update: Tito Ortiz recently changed his mind and would like to find Ken Shamrock at UFC 61 Originally Published on April 27, 2006 on .

Episode two of The Ultimate Fighter 3 suffered its largest week-to-week ratings drop in the series’ history. Episode three sought to prove that the blip was not a downward trend by having a great lead-in show, UFC unleashed. UFC unleashed showcased five classic fights of the legendary, Royce Gracie. Ken Shamrock gave his team a break after losing the last battle to enjoy venting their frustration at golf balls on the driving range. There were no lessons to be learnt here; just a show played out for the camera in my opinion. Tito Ortiz played the contrary style by drilling his fighters through a hard cardio workout running the stairs, and doing fireman-carry relays. Tito Ortiz vs. Ed Herman Ed Herman’s story was further developed this episode because Tito realized his mistake of not picking the red-headed fighter. Ed was an experienced fighter who wanted to be on Tito’s team but felt slighted being a late pick of Team Shamrock. In a drunken stupor, Ed boasted that he was the best fighter this season. What ever happened to the saying “action speaks louder than words”? Ed Herman obviously never heard of that quote before. But Ed was not a fighter who could not back up his words. Tito knew this and upped the gamesmanship on Ed Herman. Tito knew that Ed was itching to fight and prove himself. During the fighter selection, Tito deliberately stared down Ed before revealing his choice for Ross Pointon to go up against his middleweight, Kendall Grove. The anguished-look on Ed’s reaction was priceless! A Well-Conceived Alliance Alliances had been attempted in previous seasons, and I had been skeptical that any alliance would work in this reality series. Team Dagger, comprised of Kendall Grove and Solomon Hutcherson, certainly proved me wrong. What an ingenious idea to plant a “mole” in the opposing team, while helping each other to advance in the competition. This alliance worked because the members were from opposing teams! In a competition where you faced off against your opponent, it made sense to have an “inside man” giving you tips on who you should face, and how you should approach the fight. You can be sure that Solomon perceived Ross as a weak target and influenced Kendall to pick Ross this week. Solomon also gave Kendall insights on how Ross liked to fight and what were his weaknesses. It was enjoyable to have my assumptions decimated this episode. Your Ground Game Sucks While Kendall was getting lots of help, Ross was basically left on his own to prepare for the fight. It was not that his team wanted him to fail. Ross was not receptive to his teammates’ input. He had decided to not deviate from his original game plan. Ken Shamrock warned him bluntly that his “ground game sucks.” Ross was a brawler through and through but being one-dimensional could land you in heaps of trouble in the octagon. The middle lull of the show got interesting as we joined Ross on a quest to drop 15 pounds to meet the pre-fight weigh-in requirements with a little over 12 hours left. Ross displayed an eerie calm attitude while his teammates were betting for him to lose the fight. Ross’s tough guy image was validated as he wore a sauna suit, and sweated the weight off in the sauna. We had seen other fighters totally crumble while cutting weight in the past. Ross continued his unorthodox pre-fight routine right after the weigh-in. He immediately bulked back up with sushi, pizza, garlic breads and ice cream; pre-fight food that most fighters conscientiously avoid. Kendall Grove vs. Ross Pointon The tale of the tape gave Kendall the discernable reach advantage, since Kendall was a tall, lanky 6 foot 6 inches. Both fighters meet in the center with Ross delivering cut kicks. The tactic showed that Ross was wary of Kendall’s punching range. After a brief stand-up exchange, Kendall did not mess around and shot-in for the takedown. Ross valiantly stood up many times because he was simply not comfortable being on the ground. At times, Ross looked like a panicky fish out of the water. Kendall was the fisherman that kept Ross in his nets. Kendall held Ross against the fence, scoring takedowns each time Ross stood up. When they were on their feet, Kendall was the aggressor swinging elbows and punches and landing quite a few. However, Ross had a good chin, and a knock out was not in the cards. In the end, Ross’s inexperience with grapplers forced him to expose his back twice to Kendall; who seized the second opportunity and forced Ross to tap out with a rear-naked choke. Team Punishment In Control Team Punishment (Ortiz) was now 2-1 against Team Shamrock. I wondered if Tito would use this to antagonize Ken. Season three fights still have not gone past the first round. Therefore, the producers had to focus a lot more on the private life invasion of the fighters at the residence. The camera man’s quality on this episode were shoddy in some spots; especially the part where Ross was heading out the house to go to the sauna. You have Derek Hoffmann to thank for that! Originally Published on April 21, 2006 on .

I missed episode two but was lucky to catch the re-run tonight prior to this week’s upcoming episode three of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV. Episode two started flying out the gate. On the last review, I wrote about the changes in the fighter selection format. The change meant that it only took a few minutes into the show before we knew who would be the next pair of fighters. Removing the time spent on silly challenges freed up more time for viewers to get to know the fighters and their training regiment. Episode three featured the light-heavyweights as Team Shamrock kept the pressure on Team Punishment by choosing Jesse Forbes to fight Noah Inhofer. Team Punishment (Ortiz) To prepare for the fight, Tito Ortiz gave Noah a basketball training aid to keep his guard up. The basketball played a bigger role later in the show; so much that this episode was named after it. With some clever editing, it looked as if the basketball was gifted prior to the fighter selection. But it did not make any sense for Tito to focus on helping Noah if he did not know about Noah entering the ring that week. Viewers got to appreciate more of Tito Ortiz’s hands-on coaching. But members of Team Punishment did not appreciate the fact that Tito had been giving deaf competitor, Matt Hamill, more attention. Tito even hired Matt a sign-language interpreter who signed 92 words-per-minute to ensure that Matt was not missing any instructional opportunity. Being the father figure that he wanted to be, Tito visited the house and cooked a spaghetti dinner for the team - a first for any Ultimate Fighter coach. I wondered if the fighters cared about a low-carb, high-fiber, high-protein diet, or did they simply eat anything given the amount of energy they expended throughout the trainings. Team Shamrock On the other team, Ken Shamrock decided that it was best for the team to take two days off from training. His philosophy aligned with previous coach, Rich Franklin, who did not believe in over-training prior to fights. However, Ken was the first coach to encourage recovery by doing nothing. Rich Franklin got his team to at least keep active through enjoying other sports. What happened during the days off? And what happened to the basketball? Well, when you have a bunch of testosterone-filled men in a house with nothing to do, pranks ensue. At the fighters’ residence, Jesse Forbes was portrayed as an immature and destructive youth who broke vases by shooting pool cue balls through them. This attribute perfectly raised the tension between Jesse and Noah when Jesse punctured Noah’s basketball with a steak knife. Noah displayed tremendous maturity by turning the other cheek, and not confronting Jesse’s mischief. After the days off, Ken’s coaching became a tug-of-war between the contestants and his “my way or the highway” style. Ken was disappointed that the intensity dropped and pointed the finger to Kalib Starnes’ lack of effort. Kalib defended himself strongly by stating that he did not want to risk injury since he had reached the semi-final round. The Fight On fight day, Noah met Jesse in the octagon while nursing a slight ankle-roll injury. Noah’s pre-fight game plan was not to face Jesse on the ground because of Jesse’s wrestling background. The battle wrote a different story as Jesse quickly took Noah down and worked his way into a dominating side-mount position. Noah was fighting his own fight and not listening to his corner’s instructions. Jesse pushed his advantage, cornering Noah into the fence. While Jesse was working the ground-and-pound game, Noah sneakily heisted his hips, pushed off the fence and scored an arm-bar submission win. I really appreciated the new feature showcased in this episode - the Amp’d Mobile replay. Dana White and the two coaches broke down the final moments of the fight and broke down the elements of the hip-heist that eventually gave Noah the victory. Ken Shamrock “saw it coming” and Tito commented that Jesse had done the worst thing possible when facing an arm-bar - trying to pull away instead of driving towards the opponent to keep his arms bent. This replayed was informative and helped fight fans further their knowledge of the sport. Prelude to Episode Three Team Punishment had wrestled the control of the fight match-ups from Team Shamrock. I look forward to checking out Tito’s strategy in the upcoming episode. Some fans have commented that season three was surpassing season two, but had not lived up to the high bars set by season one. I had a different opinion after watching the first two fights of this season. The fights thus far had not gone past the first rounds because the fighters brought more intensity and were more technically sound. If this trend continues, I expect the semi-final rounds to host the best fights that this realty TV series had offered thus far. This article was also posted at .

Season three of The Ultimate Fighter reality series premiered tonight. Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) is one smart guy. Tweaking the series with feuding coaches, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, may have been the smartest move to spice up the third season after a lackluster season two. Don’t get me wrong! Season two ended on a strong note, but it was too little, too late. The season two DVD’s low sales figures certainly proved this. In the past two seasons, the opposing coaches had been very cordial towards each other. Ken vs. Tito was a legendary rivalry that promised to translate itself onto the television screen again. Like a worrisome parent, Dana made sure to sit both coaches down and appealed to them to leave their personal grudges for an upcoming July pay-per-view event. But it could all be for naught, since the first segment ends with a Shamrock-Ortiz face-to-face stare-down with so much tension in the air, that a knife (or a commercial) could have cut it! The New Blood The new fighters appeared very skilled, and more importantly in shape, during the coaches’ separate evaluations. The evaluations were held jointly in the past, but Ken and Tito could not stand to be around each other’s presence. Tito and Ken evaluated the fighters over the first two days to help them determine who would be drafted onto their teams. On this first look, this season’s contestants seemed like a bunch of levelheaded fun-loving fighters. The UFC had done a better job scouting and filtering who got picked to come on the show and there was an increase in international flavor. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. As Ken Shamrock declared, “[the show] IS about Tito and me”. The new narrow personality focus should do wonders for the show’s ratings. The audience got to see the sides of Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock that are usually reserved for the people who trained with them. Personally, Tito did the better job of winning me over on this episode. The Draft Tito won the coin-flip to pick his team first. After the obligatory verbal stab at beating Ken Shamrock yet again (for the coin-flip), Tito made a surprising first pick with inexperienced deaf fighter, Matt Hamill. The draft then went back and forth with Ken strategically picking fighters he felt would defeat Tito’s choices. The training camp officially started with Tito’s team, Team Punishment, going through strenuous conditioning and sparring to prepare them for their would-be professional careers. Tito displayed a hands-on attitude, boxing and sparring with his fighters. The polar opposite was Ken Shamrock as his brought his “Lion’s Den” philosophy where the strongest survive. Ken’s coaching style was to oversee the contestants’ development. The contrast in coaching styles gained Tito more points in my book. The New Competition Format Dana White proceeded to drop the atom bomb on this season’s competition format. Gone were the silly physical challenges to determine which team would decide the pair of fighters to compete. This decision would rest simply in the fate of a coin toss. The winning team of the fight would retain the decision control of the next fight. The contest also adopts a tournament format to ensure all fighters fought at least one bout before advancing in the competition. The fights had also been shortened to two rounds and one over-time round instead of the previous three rounds. This modification would inspire fighters to go all out and not leave anything to chance. I wonder whether fans of the show will react positively to these changes. I know that many Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans have written in forums and online bulletin boards and these changes had been the result of the UFC listening to its fans. My opinion is that it’s about time that Dana and the UFC made it right! The Opening Fight Back to what this show was based on, the season-opening bout pitted Canadian Kalib Starnes against Mike Stine. Kalib took control right away in the opening minute, scoring a slam, and a full mount. Mike Stine tried rolling Kalib to reverse the bad situation, but Kalib proved too much of a veteran for such a move. With a gentle arm hook under the legs, Kalib leveraged the roll’s momentum and carried himself back on top. Mike could do nothing but duck and wince as Kalib launched punch after punch at Mike’s head. Team Punishment suffered the first setback and would look to wrestle the fight control back in the next episode Will You Submit? It’s finally started again! I really enjoyed blogging about the past 2 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. The reality series was quite unique in its genre because, like The Amazing Race, the contestants were in full control of whether or not they get eliminated. There were no votes, no judges, and alliances made little sense. You fought to stay off elimination. It was as simple as that! I hope you will join me as the season progress and also share your thoughts about each episode! This article was also posted at . Extras!! Now that you’ve read my review of episode 1. Get a feel of how “The World’s Most Dangerous Man”, Ken Shamrock, feels about his involvement in season three!

A warm welcome to Blogcritics.org readers that may be visiting this humble site for part 2 of The Ultimate Fighter 2 season finale. I summarized the show’s action and brought up its shortcomings in part 1 at Blogcritics.org. In this review, I will examine the fights in more detail. Hope you enjoy the anlaysis and share with me your perspectives!

Kenny ‘KenFlo’ Florian vs. Kit ‘Havoc’ Hope When an accomplished striker got pitted against a talented grappler, it promised to be an enjoyable match. During the promotional photos, it was funny to see some unconventional poses with Kit giving Kenny a ‘titty twister’ while Kenny pointed to his elbow, as if saying “watch for it!” In round 1, Kit landed powerful strikes, elbows and rib-crushing knees in the clinch. Kenny’s only hope was to tie up Kit and look for a takedown where he had more advantage. Kit remained strong and was able to stand on his feet through some adequate defense. Inevitably, the first take down occurred with Kenny gaining side mount and transitioned quickly into a full guard. Kit was much stronger than Kenny and was able to work back into a stalemate. Kenny’s mistake was not being patient, working for position to ride up higher on Kit’s body before posturing up. Sitting on Kit’s hip area gave Kit leverage to power up and created space to maneuver. Sometimes, the side mount can be better than the full mount because you can control more of the body. After the second take down, Kenny was more patient and worked until Kit was tired. He than gave it every shot he could and slapped on an arm-bar. Kit tapped out only a split second after bell rang. To correct that lost opportunity, Kenny, like a lion sensing the kill, went after a visibly injured Kit Cope. A rear naked chokehold seconds after the second round began made Kit tap out and awarded the fight to Kenny. Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson vs. Luke ‘The Silent Assassin’ Cummo The first pick vs. the last pick! This was a classic striker vs. grappler match-up again. Luke’s defiant tagline was “I was the last person picked, how do you like me now?” Luke seems ready as he came into the ring in a bushido/swat assassin costume. Prior to the fight however, I lost it listening to Joe ‘Daddy’ proclaim to everyone, “Luke, I’m your father!”. Makes me wonder who gave Joe his nickname, was it the UFC Joe displayed a beautiful Jiu-Jitsu hip toss and got round one rolling, so to speak. Luke wisely controlled Joe’s head and tied him up. Joe powered into a side mount while Luke wisely positioned himself to the middle of the ring. For a while, things looked dangerous as Joe threatened an arm-lock but could not follow through with the idea. The two fighters broke-up when Joe fell back, barely missing an ankle lock. Again, Joe obtained side mount position and Luke pushed away from the fence. Luke was fighting a smart fight and had all his senses with him. Luke had been on the defense thus far as Joe was dropping elbows. Ideally, you would want to be the aggressor in case of a judge’s decision and Luke had to find a way to break out! Luke created space between him and Joe to pull into a half guard. When Joe mounted him, Luke did all the smart things to minimize damage. He hugged Joe tightly to lessen the effects of Joe’s blows. It still did not prevent Joe from landing some heavy elbows. In round 2, Luke’s pinpoint right hand rocked Joe Stevenson. Joe bought time for himself by taking Luke down. In the half-guard, Luke tilted his head away from Joe’s elbow. Joe got a full mount early in the round aand it was bleak for the assassin. Luke hip-heisted out but Joe masterfully got back into a full mount and almost finished with an arm-bar. Luke pulled out and walked away defiantly as if saying “you’re not getting me that easily”. Joe touched hands with Luke out of respect. Both fighters recognized the skill levels of their opponent. It was a great match thus far! Joe seemed to be tired, his activity level decreased. Luke wailed away and managed to get on top but he did not have any advantage on the ground. Joe was sucking air as he was held down by a stronger, more conditioned Luke who. Being of a smaller frame, all Joe had to do was shrimp up and grab Luke’s long legs to generate a stalemate. Luke worked very hard to get shots in but realized the futility and walked away. Joe having recovered slightly while on the ground, he shot in with conviction. Reversal after reversal, but what the judges will remember are those powerful slams that Joe lays down on Luke. I did not agree with the judges’ decision. This fight should have gone to overtime. Nothing was really resolved in 3 rounds, and when the prize is a six-figure contract, it should be up to the fighters to decide the result. I’ve seen championship rounds with less quality action. The look of elation and disappointment sharply written on the respective fighters’ face as the Michael Buffer announced the judges’ decision. Dana White called it the “Stephan Bonner and Forrest Griffith” fight of this year, but only on the ground. Though Dana wasn’t so quick to be generous with a second contract as he did last year. What a shame! The light at the end of the tunnel is that the UFC have fully utilized their leverage with the contestants. Kenny Florian and Nate Quarry are too shining examples. I look forward to seeing both Joe and Luke fight again in a future championship match.

Rashad Evans vs. Brad ‘Hillbilly Heartthrob’ Imes I like both Rashad and Brad. Brad is a like a new-born baby, knowing that he is new to the game, because he had only been doing mixed martial arts for approximately one year. Rashad had character, and had been overlooked by many, yet dominated by none. Rashad was dwarfed by the presence of towering Brad Imes. Initially, Brad used his size and strength effectively through the use of the Muay-Thai clinch, but made awkward knee attempts. Rashad Evans neutralized Brad’s reach advantage with his quickness, he dropped Brad with a flurry of shots ending with a right hook. Though Brad was hurt, Rashad could not finish what he started on the ground. I had been impressed with Brad’s ground game throughout the series. Round 2 is a stand-up affair with both fighters testing each other’s chin. Rashad was still landing his hooks and I feel if Brad was more polished and more compact with his punches and hooks, the story would have been different. Brad’s punches only carry his body weight but not much more power than that. Rashad had knocked down Brad twice by the middle of the third round. The two knockdowns was the key to swaying the judges’ vote for the split decision in favour of Rashad. Diego ‘The Nightmare’ Sanchez vs. Nick Diaz The bad blood between Diego and Diaz came to a head tonight. Like every one of his fights, Diego is super-aggressive, cutting off the ring. Though Diego assumes control on top, he could not do as earlier promised - to easily pass Nick’s guard. Diego misses a few punches that if landed could knock any man out. The two fighters are very comfortable on the ground and tumble out and into each other looking to reverse the advantage. Nick remained at the bottom most of the time, trying to avoid Diego’s powerful punches. Diego had to remain perfect for the next two rounds because every step of the way, Nick threatened to end this fight if Diego slipped up. Second round starts with one of those age-old martial arts lesson. Don’t force yourself to kick high if you cannot! Nick tried to do so and landed flat on his butt. To his credit, Nick was still dangerous as he attempted arm-bars and triangle submissions but Diego was too slippery and strong for that strategy to work. Diego was getting smarter, instead of looking for the knockout blow, he was slowly wearing Nick down with body shots. An audience stirring knee and full mount opportunity was lost to Nick’s half guard leaving the second round with no resolution. Nick cuts Diego coming out of the corners. Looking tired, Diego had to try three times before successfully shooting in for the takedown. Blood from the cuts decorated both fighters’ bodies like medals of Honor. However, the cuts were not going to stop the fight this late in the fight though, and it has not been a stand-up fight where cuts would matter. Diego wins the decision leaving Nick Diaz unsatisfied and still disgruntled. Can anyone already see the grudge match in the future?

They say people are attracted to reality television series just to see the people and the losers suffer. Is it funny? Most of the time, it is somber and non-humourous. Why not make it funny? Well, let’s hear it for Kenny and Spenny! The TV series Kenny vs. Spenny is chock full of laughs and is a great half-hour of entertainment before you have to resign yourself to bed to start a new work week. The series played for one season on CBC, but has now found a home right after Trailer Park Boys (another secret pleasure of mine) on Showcase at 9pm EST, on Sundays. As a fan, I would certainly encourage everbody to watch the mayhem and hiliarity that ensues. I’ve written a review of it on BlogCritics to bring some exposure to it (Check it out here!). Season 1 of the Kenny vs. Spenny DVD is out now, released since October 25th. Buy the DVD for that friend or teenager in your household for Christmas! I also came across Kenny Hotz’s personal blog on MSN MySpace. Check out this devilish comedy genius!

I missed blogging 2 episodes previously for my ongoing series about The Ultimate Fighter 2 on BlogCritics. The series is fast drawing to a close. If you are a fan of contact sports, martial arts or fighting events, be sure to check out this awesome reality series Monday Nights at 11pm on SpikeTV. Re-runs also run throughout the week on the channel. For now, you can click on the link below to check out my latest live blog of episode 10 as I was watching the show. BlogCritics » TV Review: Ultimate Fighter 2 - Episode 10

A tremendous monday night line-up pit SpikeTV’s Ultimate Fight Night against USA network’s WWE Monday Night Raw. I admit that I flipped through the channels and stayed mostly on Raw, but there was no tearing me away from SpikeTV when The Ultimate Fighter 2 began. After the obligatory recap of the last episode, it was distrubing to see Matt Hughes’ reaction to a team victory, cathartic to see Jorge Grugel leave the competition and comical to see Jason Von Flue freak out over receiving stitches. This almost reminded me of my first time stitching up a cut on my hand. But I cannot blame him, the position of those cuts and under eyes would freak me out too if I knew that’s where they had to sew me up! The RightGuard Challenge hosted by Randy Couture was inappropriately titled “last man standing”, when it is, essentially, heavyweight mud wrestling. By now the challenges are decidedly geared towards grapplers and wrestlers. I’d like to see future challenges focus more on other aspects of fighting arts, maybe a competition geared towards muay thai? Once again, we see sore loser Matt Hughes emerge after the challenge competition. Team Hughes, with the exception of Joe Stevenson, visibly do not care much for Matt’s views. Matt’s attitude is starting to get on my nerves. I don’t mind a coach who drives the team hard, but to not respect one of your fighters who won a fight for your team certainly shows his true character. No matter how he tries to excuse himself for dismissing Jason so easily for giving up a welterweight, I feel Matt is not worthy for my respect as a coach. Matt has already decided that he himself is the ultimate fighter and this is the Matt Hughes show. Matt wants to win; not for developing his fighters, but for himself.

A match of David vs Goliath was drawn up as the elimination match - Seth Petruzelli vs Dan Christianson. Though it was an obvious size mismatch, the card was more even than expected. Seth was the smaller fighter but is definitely more skilled at striking. He had better timing, distancing and reaction. Dan Christianson was bleeding from the nose after the opening skirmish. It would have been hard for him to breathe. Seth’s quickness did not prevent an inadvertent low blow from stunning him. And just before the 2nd round, he got hit again with another low blow. It’s not fun to be hit down there, and I was cringing from imagining the pain that Seth was experiencing. Seth was still controlling the fight, putting his hand out to measure distance, letting Dan rush in and countering nicely to land some hits. Both fighters wanted a stand-up fight. I was hearing more useful corner coaching from Rich Franklin, telling Seth how to position himself. However, Dan’s high kick landed cleanly to drop Seth to the ground. Seth recovered into a close guard position. Perhaps Seth was stunned, but I felt that he wanted to stand up and simply held onto Dan to force the referee’s break. Seth returned the favour immediately with a beautiful spinning heel kick that brought Dan to his knees. Seth gets more aggressive with a take down but could not get an advantage in the half guard. The round was hard to score as both fighters were caught with kicks that hurt them and both fighters recovered adequately. Overall, I felt that Seth was still leading the fight going into the third round. Seth was constantly switching stance, kicking and punch from either side. He caught Dan’s leg as he rushed in and was on top of a closed guard. Now usually, such a position is good for offense. However, the size mismatch was so big that being on top might have been more exhausting for Seth. Seth may have felt that he was ahead on points and remain passive to end the third round. There was no question that Seth was the aggressor and controlled the fight. He was awarded the win with a unanimous decision. After all is said and done, it will be interesting to see how Ultimate Fighter 2 ratings along with the new TNA Impact Wrestling will hold up against WWE’s Monday Night Raw. Monday is fast becoming my favourite television night! Also at BlogCritics.

I missed the last episode of The Ultimate Fighter 2, so I’m not perfect! It’s not going to stop me from getting back into the octagon, so to speak. I got caught up very quickly with the showboating controversy from Rashad’s win during the last episode. I have to agree with Matt Hughes on his view; having only watched the highlights of the fight, I knew it was not a fight I would like to watch. Where Randy Couture and Chuck Lidell’s coaching methods were not the focus of last season, Ultimate Fighter 2 has been making up for this oversight this season. There are more stories about the contrasting styles of Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin. We get to see Rich chill out by the pool with his team. Matt opts to put his team through the paces to “make up for Tom’s lack of effort” in the last episode. Couture devises another relatable challenge called Scarecrow. The challenge was for a welterweight to revolve as many times as possible around a heavyweight’s body without touching the ground. The welterweights had to hug and stay tight to the heavyweight. It was explained that this drill is derived from Jiu-Jitsu training. The first sign true strategy implemented was Rich Franklin allowing Team Hughes to expand all their welterweights’ energy to achieve an amazing 204 revolutions in 2 hours. Team Franklin then proceeded to forfeit the challenge in order to keep their welterweights fresh for the fight. What a genius move on the part of Rich Franklin! There was some controversy about Matt allowing Joe Stevenson to taunt Jorge while he was doing the scarecrow challenge. I feel that Joe’s taunting wasn’t necessarily at the same level as Rashad’s showboating, but it was not sportsmanlike nevertheless. Doing what Rashad did in the ring is really disrespectful in the arena of a fight. Performing an individual challenge has always involved quibs from opposing teams but nobody has done what Rashad did, ever since I started watching fighting competitions (well…maybe boxer Nasim Hamed). “He’s not great in the practice room, but when it comes out on the ring, I think he will do fine.” This Matt Hughes’ statement proves that he was basically feeding Jason Von Flue to the lions. He could not be more candid when he stated that “if he were to chance losing a fighter, he would chance losing Jason”. Honestly, I do not want to be coached by such a trainer. It was a disgusting show of competitiveness taken over the edge. There was then really no point to Matt wanting to winning the challenge competition. I gained more respect for how Jason Von Flue handled this challenge. He does realize that he wouldn’t be deserving of a UFC contract if he did not meet Jorge in the ring. Going into the fight, Jason was a decidedly a big underdog to win the match.

The bell rang. The fighters exchanged a few stand-up blows, when Jason shot in for a take down. Jorge reversed away from the cage to end up in a netural side mount. Jason stood up as Jorge gave too much space shifting for a better position. Jason was starting to bleed over the right eye, got hurt with a few Jorge flurries and back pedaled. Jorge climbed his back to drag him down to the floor for a rear choke attempt. Jason Von Flue showed much heart toughing out the clock to last the round. Jorge seems to allow himself to be pushed to the ground to trap Jason, who muscled out of a triangle choke attempt. When they stood up again, Jason got more confident and really did well landing a few clean kicks and punches on Jorge. I was really surprised because I saw the mouth piece fly out of Jorge ’s mouth earlier, but the referee did not stop the fight until 1 minute later. Jorge did not fight a smart fight. He was the visible agressor with submission attempts on the ground, but chose to fight a stand up fight. Jorge would rather, in his words, “please the crowd”. Eventually, the stand up scrap ended with Jorge’s knee buckling, landing on his back. Jason’s height and reach advantage helped him land clean shots while he was standing over Jorge guard. They said Jorge was a six year pro in Muay Thai but he was not able to defend against simple clinches and knee attempts in the stand up. At the end of the second round, I figured Jason was leading the score cards slightly though the first round went to Jorge. Jorge remarked that his bad knee popped twice. This was turning out to be a different fight than I imagined. The X Factor was the heart that Jason Von Flue displayed to compensate for his skill. Fists were flying in the third round. Jorge’s smaller frame was a big disadvantage. His punches were no longer powerful and he was still getting hit with clean shots to the face and knees to the body; sometimes knees to the head. With one minute left in the fight, I felt Jason would win the decision. Jorge attempted a late flurry, but his punches were not hurting Jason. The turning point of the fight occured when Jason realized that in the clinch position, he was able to dictate the fight by controlling Jorge. His size and strength allowed him to control the head, and whenever the head goes, the body will follow. Unfortunately, we will never know how a 100% Jorge will fare in the octagon, he lost the eventual judges’ decision. I do have to question Jorge’s credentials, it’s not how long in years you’ve been doing something that makes you an expert, but how many hours. You can be a pilot for 10 years but how many flight hours have you logged? I may be bold in questioning Jorge’s credentials, but he certainly did not act like a Thai fighter in that octagon - he was not able to defend the clinch. Jorge’s various attempts at armbars and chokes on the ground were not that of a jiu-jitsu black belt’s caliber. I have long preached that belts only mean you were able to pass tests. Congratulations to Jason Von Flue for proving all the doubters wrong - including his coach and myself. Now that the Jorge saga for the welterweight divison is over, I only have to look forward to seeing my dark horse pick, Luke Cuomo making it all the way to the end. Also at BlogCritics

The previews have been running all week on SpikeTV. Was Jorge finally getting into the ring? The teaser showed some controversy boiling around Jorge but chances are that audience will be dissappointed. Jorge seems to be one the more skilled and feared fighters in the competition with experience to back him up. As episode 4 began, I waited with eagar anticipation.

The show starts with more hi-jinx within the fighters’ house. More characters are built and reviewed for the show. We see the child within Joe Stevenson and the various ways he’s tried to keep himself preoccupied with fun. I liked Jorge even more as I see his discussion with Marcus and Anthony, assuming the leadership role and expanding on the team player mentality that he showed in episode 2. After paying the bills with commercials, I have a feeling the show is setting up the Jorge drama but emphasizing Jorge’s tendency to not back from challenges. He also unveals “the alliance” with Marcus and Anthony. I’m not sure how much benefit gamesmanship will bring to a competition such as The Ultimate Fighter. The fight is really in the ring, and no fighter thus far has decided to chosen the easy way out. The only chance for strategy is banter, trash talk in the house since team challenges offer limited control for a strategist. The Randy Couture challenge becomes yet another morale boosting story for Team Franklin and Jorge Grugel. If you haven’t noticed a pattern yet, episode four is fast becoming the Jorge show. The challenge is called ‘hangman’ - a version of everybody’s familiar children’s playground game of ‘king of the monkey bars’. Jorge fights off Joe in a wonderfully edited episode, since these two fighters have been the focus of the show thus far. The winning team gets to choose which pair of fighters get to fight. Dana White is much more vocal this season than less season and offers the fighter his advice about how to ‘win’ this game, by really focusing on who you can pick off in the opposing team. Dana is advocating that the winning teams find the weakest link and exploit it. Marcus, the best striker on Team Franklin, will be matched up against Joe. Joe is the best grappler on Team Hughes. We later find out that Joe’s background also includes boxing. My prediction prior to the fight was for the short, compact Joe to be able bring the fight to the ground and win a decision or submission. However, don’t count Marcus out, he claims to have held back his skills as a strategic move and hasn’t shown his grappling skills. Either way, the fight promises to be a quality, good old classic matchup of the strikre vs the grappler. Watching Marcus walk into the ring in his kilt reminds me of a scene from the movie, The Great White Hype. Both fighters come out of their corners tentative and get involved in a long feeling out process. Joe initiates the first single leg shoot and picks up Marcus for a spectacular slam. Marcus emerges in a half guard but Joe quickly improves his position to a side mount and starts dealing elbows. Marcus tried very hard to create space to possibly escape the side mount but was simply outmatched on the ground by Joe’s experience. With on hand trapped between Joe’s legs, Marcus was unable to intelligently defend against the barrage of elbows and the referee had to stop the fight. So there you have at, Marcus’s involvement in the alliance is short-lived and we see an impressive take down match from Joe Stevenson. Look forward to more on-going mind games between Matt Hughes and Jorge. But am I the only one not looking forward to seeing the fighters prance around in the next episode (courtesy of the previews) in their tighty-whitey undies? Urrgh. Also at BlogCritics

It’s time for the heavyweights to slap leather! I noted in my last review that the heavyweights this season seem to be more skilled than I expected, and this episode will confirm what I observed so briefly in the first two episodes. You can see my read my previous review to catch up on what has happened. Like every reality TV series, the obligatory re-cap of the last episode started the show. The much talked-about Melvin shin-cap delivered to Josh Burkman seemed to have done more than previously reviewed. Josh Burkman had broken his left arm while partialy blocking the shin kick to the face. During the previews running all week, it was terribly obvious that Josh had to leave through injury to allow the the mentioned “new bloods” to step into the picture. In reality, Josh did leave because of his broken arm. The adrenalin during the fight allowed a tough guy like him to continue but it’s the correct decision to have him leave the competition. I look forward to seeing Josh fight in the undercards for the show’s finale.

The comic relief portion of the show was provided by Rob MacDonald’s constant whining and complaining about his shoulder injury. As a Canadian myself, I would have gladly rooted for Rob, a Mississauga native, to win the competition. But Dana White is right, you don’t let others know you have an injury/weakness. This is especially true when you’re in a competition and you live with your opponents. It was funny to take in the various reactions by teammates and opponents alike whenever Rob chimed in about his pain. Jason Von Flue was the new alternate showing up to replace Josh Burkman. He has the potential to be this season’s Chris Leben. He has a swagger about him, and isn’t afraid to talk it up with his childlish John Cena impressions. Jason was certainly in low regard with coach Matt Hughes. Matt put Jason through the conditioning circuits that the other fighters have done in the first episode. The lack of heart was apparent as Jason transforms from a guy flipping off the treadmill, to a drama queen who made sure everybody knows that he’s not in shape and is prone to quitting. I do not foresee much more TV time for skinny Jason, but I’m forced to wonder what they do with him at Chuck Lidell’s camp. The series producers decided to draw more division between the two teams of Hughes and Franklin. Team Franklin was pegged as the Team Clean while Team Hughes were the lazy members of Team Dirty. Well, what’s the use of making teams if there were not competition; and what good is competition if there’s no differences to create a rivalry! I always watch such segments wondering whether there was any producer influence to spice things up. Whether this will continue in future episodes remains to be seen. When the heavyweight competition came, I was again impressed by Randy Couture’s challenge. Having heavyweights do their best impersonations of water polo players, staying head-up in the water while collectively holding a giant flag up, was simply genius. Though Randy’s competitions are short in length, they really review the weaknesses in the fighters and what a masterful conditioning coach is the ageless wonder, the supernatural Randy Couture. The choice to determine the fight was left to Team Hughes again as Rashard lost the challenge for Team Franklin. Rashard is easily the least conditioned of the heavyweights, but Team Hughes surprised me by pitting ‘injured’ Rob against another injured heavyweight Brad Imes. Rich Franklin thinks Rob is simply talking up his injury to create an illusion. Something different from last season was that the audience were able to get a glimpse of the personal coaching sessions between the coaches and the designated fighters. If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Brad to win the fight, simply because of the incessant complains from Rob. Matt is visibly annoyed by Rob’s attitude and he is correct in enlightening us that Rob is a hurt fighter, rather than an injured fighter. I liked that analogy and there is a difference. It is true that Brad was the last heavyweight picked, and that Rob may be more skilled. But I was visioning a slobber-knocker of a fight and cowboy Brad was my man. When the bell rang, Brad’s towering presence was not a factor since the fighters willing went to the ground quickly. Rob started with a couple of controlling positions on the top but did no work to score hits, go for submissions or improve his position. On his second run at Brad, Rob did not show much skill as he did nothing while struggling for a side mount. Brad was able to heist up and attempt his ground and pound. An opportunity came when Rob had Brad in a guillotine but could not hold on. Rob attributed this deficiency due to his shoulder injury. However, I don’t see any excuses possible when Brad very slowly positioned himself for a triangle choke. As the choke was slapped on, there were still ways to defend or relief the pressure since Rob was still on his feet. However, Rob sank backwards to his knees, essentially giving up and quickly tapping out. Finally, the insight this episode provided me is about perspectives. Matt was visibly dissappointed and felt that Rob took the loss as a way out of his injury situation while Rob felt that he had accomplished something by fighting through his injury. Also at BlogCritics.

I fully anticipated season two of The Ultimate Fighter to continue where season one left off. After two episodes, I have to conclude that it’s not a dissappointment in general, and there were enough high-lights and low-lights to warrant a review. Ongoing, I hope to review each new episode of The Ultimate Fighter, which you can catch on SpikeTV at 11pm EST, and the various re-runs that will air on this self proclaimed Men’s Network. You can also find more information at UFC.TV and the official Ultimate Fighter website First of all, it would be fair to say that I’m a mixed martial arts fan, but I am not a hardcore fanatic. Some fans out there would probably know better the history of the contestants through their on-going struggles to reach the major leagues. The UFC is regarded as the professional league of mixed martial arts in North American. It should be noted that there are many other leagues out there such as Pride Fight and King Of Pancrase. Season one helped the UFC discover their poster boys, Stephan Bonner and Forrest Griffin. At first glance, season two contestants look to be poised to produce more up and coming stars. They looked tough and skilled with a few exceptions (whom we will discuss later), but overall, the quality looks to be better than season one. This quality was not apparent in the first episode but delivered in the second episode. Not unlike season one, the introductory episode is muddled with controversy. For the first time in the reality TV series, not one but two contestants quit on their own freewill. Eli Joslin complained that he could not stand the pressure of being sequestered and filmed. Looking at the way he fared in the physical conditioning testing, I feel he was simply psyched out by his own realization of his deficiences. Kenny Stevens is truly the weakest link of the contestants so I applaud the coaches for calling him out. What a pansy! To quit the contest because he felt he could not make weight is a coward’s way. If I cannot make weight, then I would want the weigh in decide my fate. I would not quit with only a few hours before the weigh in, always to regret not giving my all. Kerry Schall was also an unfortunate injury bowout. He did not seem to be in shape anyways. But ultimate fighting is a sport that knows no boundaries. That’s the beauty of this sport! I have always appreciated the science, techniques, training, dedication and determination of the fighters. An unorthodox looking fighter such as Luke Cummo may truly prove to be the Diego Sanchez - the most skilled fighter from season one. Luke Cummo was the last pick during team selection, mostly because of his looks and physical condition. The comparison to Diego is very apt. Both were considered to be spiritual, eccentric individuals and Luke certainly has skills and instincts that may outstrip his peers. He single handly took out two opposing team members to help his team win the team challenge. He is my darkhorse pick for the welterweights!

I don’t have a pick for the heavyweights as yet until more layers are peeled off in future episodes. I am generally not a fan of heavyweights because many of them rely on brute strength more so than the other weight classes, but this season’s crop of heavyweights look to be technically sound. It was a sight to see Dana White, the president of UFC, lecture the fighters on the reason why they are here; and even more funny when Melvin Guillard used his fear of fighters leaving as a prank. Melvin was also the most recently eliminated fighter but he did so with an outstanding effort in the ring. His fight against Josh Burkman ranks right up there as one of the best fights during the regular show airings of the reality series. Melvin looked aggressive during training and was my pick going into the fight. However, Josh did not let ego get in the way and executed his game plan perfectly. Josh was the better man on the ground, and though Melvin is as slippery as a slithering snake, Josh reduced Melvin’s aggression to a whimper by constantly taking the fight to the mats; controlling the tempo, scoring hits and points. The turning point may be when Melvin swung at Josh, only to meet fist to elbow, breaking his hand. Ouch! Let’s take a look at the coaches, Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes. Both coaches are already prolific at their young age. But their age certainly shows through this season; especially when contrasted with the maturity of Randy Couture and Chuck Lidell from season one. I look forward to seeing Matt put the fighters through their paces. Matt is a great coach with an unwavering discipline for excellence. The opposing coach, Rich Franklin, is talent incarnate, and has proven himself time and again. Whether Rich can impart any of his skills to the fighters will be revealed in future episodes. Both coaches cannot stand not giving 100%, and will let the fighters know what’s really on their mind. I love their no nosense attitude. The one big improvement I want to comment on is the involvement of Randy Couture as the advisor/consultant for the team challenges. I found season one’s team challenges to be quite lame with the exception of one challenge where team members had to work together while tethered to retrieve flags. From the challenge in the second episode and the previews of future challenges, the first noticable difference is the importance of team work and the integration of fighting techniques into the challenges. Season one challenges were reduces mostly into conditioning races. Though conditioning is an important concept, I find such contest formats to be boring to watch. The house interaction has thus far been tame, perhaps due to the troubles caused by Chris Leben in season one. Melvin’s occasional quibs were really the only stories thus far. There are signs of more conflicts happening, so look forward to seeing more controversy and good fights! This has been a lengthy review, though really a quick summary of two episodes thus far. I hope fight fans out there will share their perspective with us! Who are your picks thus far? What are your thoughts on the coaches and the team challenges? And though there’s still a long way to go, how would you compare this season thus far to season one? Who would win if we pit season one fighters with these new, hungry warriors? One thing’s for sure, SpikeTV has a winner of a reality TV series with The Ultimate Fighter: Season 2! Also at BlogCritics.

A study of martial arts in the movies is a subject that may too short for a 2 hour television special. The result however ends up as an insightful look at many martial art films that may not have yet been enjoyed by the North American majority. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this special aired 9pm EST on SpikeTV, the “Television for Men” channel. I caught the show a few minutes into the program, while they were doing the segment on Bruce Lee’s impact for martial arts in films. The topic moved towards David Carradine’s contribution via his television series Kung Fu. The profile shifts to the prolific trio of Samo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao as they revive Hong Kong action cinema to its glory. Jet Li was discussed, as were women’s contribution to action cinema such as Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh. The real surprise of this special was its attention to the directors. Many legendary directors were interviewed and profiled. The roster includes Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ang Lee, Cory Yuen. There were specific film studies too, using Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the muse. Contrasting John Woo’s gun slinging action to those of traditional martial arts was something I also enjoyed. The pace of the special was fast, but I appreciated the fact that some parts were dealt with more in depth, such as the tribute to Bruce Lee. I very much appreciate the director profiles and feel that the Western world really needs to see these talented directors’ early works. I would recommend Tsui Hark’s A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow 2. John Woo’s The Killer and Hardboiled. Also see the prolific trio perform in Meals on Wheels. Some topics were obviously absent from the program. Whether it’s good or bad really depends on your perspective. I loved the fact that they did not include The Karate Kid, which by the way did re-invigorate the martial arts industry. I also liked that they did not talk about over-rated stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Billy Blanks and any other walking commercial martial art ‘diva’ as I like to call them. My reason for not wanting to see them is the fact that they approached martial arts through the perspective of the almighty dollar. Whereas the many people interviewed and profiled on this show geniunely loved their craft. However, it is noted that Steven Segal did appear in one of the interviews. I did wish to that there should have been a profile on Brandon Lee, even if his tragic career was short-lived. His image appeared in the David Carradine segment through his various appearances on ‘Kung Fu. I wonder how many fans recognized Brandon and yearn for the next segment to be about him like I did. I was very happy though that they made several comparisons on the Western influence on asian martial arts films and vice versa. Where else can you see James Cagney do judo throws and Frank Sinatra busting through tables. This special was very creative in terms of content. I’ve seen many martial arts documentary and this special was quite apart from the rest in its delivery and choice of material. A few thing would have made the show better. For one, I don’t think Samuel L. Jackson did a good job with the hosting. I agree with the choice, but not his performance. He should not have done that rendition of the word “Wu Xia” towards the end of the show. It just looked silly and only shows that he doesn’t know how the word is truly used. The video montage flashed through many films that the special did not show up. It was a nice political way to pay homage to those films. You see Van Damme, Ralph Machio and Seagal and other American movies. This was a simple attempt to squeeze in as much as possible. I wonder how all those Xyience commercials, targetted at mixed martial arts enthusiasts, will pan out. There is a gap between MMA fans and traditional martial arts fans. Besides the special was decidedly pro-Asian, as many perspectives and films were picked out from the asian film markets. This is where I feel SpikeTV was gutsy in doing what they wanted to do, and not necessary based on what’s popular in the mainstream. Kudos for that! In closing, 2 hours was simply too short. SpikeTV, make this concept into a season of profiles like A&E’s Biography or the Ken Burns Jazz series. I would love to watch and buy something like that! Also at BlogCritics!

My first foray into the brillant world of director Akira Kurosawa left me with a better understanding of his legacy. So many have said so much about his brillance that I felt incomplete as a movie buff to not have not yet seen any of his works. Kagemusha tells the story of an era where rival Japanese samurai clans fought to unify their control of feudal Japan. The historical aspects of the film provide the eye candy while at the centre of it is an intricate study of the humans dealing with illusion and reality. Lord Shingen, leader of the Takeda clan, was mortally wounded on a campaign to take a rival castle. Before his death, he ordered that his death be kept a secret to allow his clan to consolidate power and protect his clan’s territory. Shingen had found and groomed a common thief, who happened to look exactly like him, to be his kagemusha (meaning ’shadow warrior’). The kagemusha has never filled in for the lord for such an extended time. The film centres around the internal and external struggles of this pretense. The film moves at a slow pace, but is masterfully approached in many different perspectives. Shingen’s enemies struggle to find out the truth about the condition of the true lord. Shingen’s general have to find a way to use, accept and cover for the imposter’s shortcomings. The thief, who was only spared his life due to his resemblance to the lord, now has to perform the uneviable illusion. The kagemusha, having an entirely opposite personality to the lord, has to resolve within himself whether he can pretend to be another person for the next 3 years. Kagemusha is not to be mistaken simply as a samurai movie, but a war movie where we get to study the generals on both sides of the conflicts. It was interesting to discover the emerging Western influence of the era. The war scenes are also well arranged and sure to please the more discerning war movie fans. The characters are well developed as we get to know the motivation and plights of all that are involved in the stories. Kurosawa spend a lot of time peeling away the layers of the Takeda clan enemies and gave us a deeper glimpse into their thoughts and actions. The switch and transformation of the kagemusha into lord Shingen captivates the audience with its attention to even the smallest detail. Every scene in the movie is so merticulously organized and well thought that I was in awe in the gorgeous imagery and artful direction of Kurosawa. For example, may reviews have remakred upon the first scene of the movie, where lord Shingen and his brother discussed about the capture of the thief and would-be Kagemusha. You see 3 figures sitting in candlelight, with the 2 brothers placed at a different level than the thief, drawing attention to the differences between their personality and class. The candle light casting shadows on the wall, heralding the shadow warrior’s becoming. This is a very famous scene that is so simplistic but yet so meaningful. I don’t want to go into too many details about the movie’s defining points. Suffice to say that essays can be written, and I’m sure have been written about the making of this movie. I’ve heard many good things about other Kurosawa films, such as Seven Samurai and the critically acclaimed Ran. Many critics have commented on Kurosawa’s use of Kagemusha as a warm up to his epic, Ran. The making of Kagemusha was particularly hard for Kurosawa as he could not secure the financial backing from Japan, and had to seek Western help in friends like Francis Ford Coppola and Geroge Lucas who served as executive producers. Kagemusha brought Kurosawa back to prominence as Japan’s greatest director, and though it is usually not considered one of his more famous works, it did allow him to follow through and execute Ran. Next on my list, will be to see Ran followed by other prolific Kurosawa works such as Ikiru, and the Seven Samurai. I highly recommend anybody who have not seen this artist’s vision to immediatley do so! Kagemusha is a recommended build up starter for the uninitiated as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was perfection from beginning to end.

Also at BlogCritics

What is BlogCritics? The idea was to have a collective place to put reviews of popular culture items. I figured that from time to time, you will see my reviews of movies, music, videos, news and political issues on VinceChan.net. It seemed like a great fit for what I already like to do. Reciprocity is good will. I love to contribute in any way, shape or form, but I would be lying if I said that I don’t like the idea of expanding this website’s exposure through the community. The community is what really captured me. I enjoy reading and appreciating the many different varieties of blogs out there. BlogCritics is definitely one of the best executed plan to bring bloggers together. I stumbled onto BlogCritics because I had an idea to do a critic or review of other blogs. Perhaps a site design critic, or a psycho-analysis perhaps of the author(s) - a satire of sorts. Well, I’m not abandoning the idea yet, since I still haven’t found a site that is doing exactly what I envision. If anybody is reading this post, and is interested in helping me develop this plan. Do let me know!