Martial Arts Choreography in Merantau
Jun 17, 2009
Merantau has been touted as the next big action film to come out of Southeast Asia and hit the international scene. The Indonesian martial arts feature follows the male protagonist, Yuda, through a journey of discovery. This is all due to an ancient rites-of-passage into adulthood called “Merantau” which all of the Minangkabau community's young men engage in at some point. This time around we take a behind-the-scenes look into some of the fight choreography used in the film. The production video below gives a glimpse of the process and just what goes into the making of some of the eye-catching fight scenes shown in Merantau. ... [more]

Tony Jaa Returns with Ong Bak 3
May 14, 2009
With the success of Ong Bak 2, Tony Jaa’s newest movie Ong Bak 3 is already in production. It is a direct sequel to the darker, grittier Ong Bak 2 and a prequel to mega-successful Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Sia Jiang, president of Sahamongkol Films International, mentioned to Daily Xpress that the film will feature more fights between Thai martial arts actor, Dan Chupong, and Tony Jaa. Chupong started out as a part of the stunt team of martial arts choreographer Panna Rittikrai. He played a minor role in Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior and then went on to leading roles in the 2004 film ... [more]

Martial Arts Video Games Back on the Big Screen
Apr 17, 2009
A few adventurous directors are still trying to find a way to bring popular martial arts video games back to the silver screen. Dead or Alive made the attempt a few years back, and while helmed by Cory Yuen, still got panned by most martial arts enthusiasts and gamers alike. Street Fighter took up the reins earlier this year with Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and found mixed reviews. Still to come? Tekken and Mortal Kombat 3. Tekken is the first to arrive. Set to be a high-octane action movie, the film revolves around a young man, Jin Kazama who seeks revenge on the killer ... [more]