Tag: martial arts

Interview, Movies, Toys2 Comments
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Actions Speak Louder than Words: Henry Golding on Being ‘Snake Eyes’

Keith Chow

Few comic book characters mean more to me than G.I. Joe’s resident Ninja Commando. Created by Larry Hama and based on the Hasbro action figure designs, Snake Eyes wasn’t just my favorite action figure, he unlocked my imagination as a child. A silent warrior with a classified name and background meant that anyone could be beneath that iconic all-black mask. So for years, Snake Eyes looked like me until the comics eventually revealed the man underneath was yet another white-guy-who-happens-to-be-best-Asian.

So in the summer of 2019, when Paramount Pictures announced Henry Golding was going to star in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, I shed a tear for that five year old version of me who will finally get to see his favorite character look like him* onscreen.

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Comics, Movies, Toys

‘Snake Eyes’ Poster Offers a Silent Interlude Before the Trailer

Keith Chow

We are so close to seeing a trailer for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins! To whet our appetites, Paramount has unveiled the first official one-sheet for the film, featuring Henry Golding in all his Ninja Commando splendor against the backdrop of the iconic Arashikage hexagram!

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Interview, Television

Gavin Stenhouse Just May Surprise You on ‘Kung Fu’

Laura Sirikul

Kung Fu’s Gavin Stenhouse knows he’s pretty privileged. 

As the only non-BIPOC person in the predominantly Asian cast on The CW’s Kung Fu, Stenhouse understands the responsibility of being part of this monumental drama — the first Asian American-centered drama on primetime television. Stenhouse has been using his platform to lift up his costars and the writers of the series instead of putting his own input when it comes to the cultural nuances of the Chinese American experience.

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Interview, Movies

From Amazon to Zombie Hunter: Samantha Win Reflects on Her Career

Keith Chow

Samantha Win is blowing up. It’s only May, but it’s already been quite a year for the actress / martial artist / stunt performer / Amazonian warrior / zombie hunter. In March, she wrote, produced, and starred in a genre-bending shortfilm called Unwelcome. She can currently be seen on HBO Max as Euboea in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. On May 14, her latest Snyder-collab, Army of the Dead opens in theaters nationwide — making it Netflix’s widest release ever — before coming to the streamer the following week on May 21.

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Interview, Martial Arts, Movies

NOC Exclusive Interview: ‘The Paper Tigers’ Stars, Alain Uy and Mykel Shannon Jenkins

Patrick Strange

Heyyy! It’s Kuya P back again with another NOC EXCLUSIVE! I recently sat down for a conversation with the stars of The Paper Tigers: Alain Uy & Mykel Shannon Jenkins! The Paper Tigers hits Theaters and On Demand May 7th!

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Interview, Martial Arts, Television1 Comment

On ‘Kung Fu,’ Yvonne Chapman is Making Evil Look Good

Laura Sirikul

When Yvonne Chapman first received the call that she was cast in the reboot of The CW’s Kung Fu, she was over the moon and immediately called her husband and friends. It all happened so quickly for the Calgary native. When Chapman first auditioned for the role of the villainous Zhilan — an ageless Guardian who is determined to collect all the mythical swords that, if in the wrong hands, could destroy the world — she immediately fell in love with the character. 

“The entire time I was like ‘oh man, I really hope I get this,’” Chapman revealed on the phone with The Nerds of Color last week. “I remembered in that time with my friends and my husband that I [had a] feel in my gut. I just felt like it was really right for me. It was just hoping that other people felt the same.”

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Interview, Martial Arts, Streaming, Video Games

NOC Exclusive Interview: ‘Mortal Kombat’ Star Joe Taslim

Patrick Strange

Heyyy! It’s Kuya P back again with another NOC EXCLUSIVE! I was lucky enough to sit down for a quick conversation with Actor, Joe Taslim who will be appearing as Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat premiering in Theaters and HBO Max this Friday!

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Martial Arts, Reviews, Streaming, Video Games2 Comments

NOC Review: ‘Mortal Kombat’ is Not a Flawless Victory

Mike Manalo

It’s ironic that this would be a review I’m covering following Godzilla Vs. Kong because it actually has the opposite problem. It’s great from a POC standpoint. But it’s just not a very good movie, I’m afraid. Yes, it’s my unfortunate responsibility to tell you that Mortal Kombat is a dud. It’s a bland entry to the list of barely passable video game adaptations that would ultimately leave Shang Tsung starving, because it has no real soul to suck from it anyway. While not completely atrocious, it is about as forgettable and lifeless as, say, 2018’s Tomb Raider reboot.

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Marvel, Movies2 Comments

The Who, What, and Why of Marvel’s Epic New Movie, ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Adonis Gonzalez

Well, this is kind of embarrassing. Monday, April 19, was Simu Liu’s birthday, and all I got him was an edible arrangement. In any other instance, that would be a perfectly safe and standard gift, in my opinion. But of course, here comes Marvel in an epic move of one-upmanship with the release of the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings teaser trailer! Though in all fairness, their gift is way more universal than mine.

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Movies, Video Games1 Comment

Get Over Here… and Watch the Opening of ‘Mortal Kombat’

Keith Chow

In anticipation of the film’s theatrical and streaming release on Friday, April 23, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have released the opening seven minutes of Mortal Kombat, the reboot of the famed 1995 adaptation of the legendary fighting game. Watch it below in all its gory glory:

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Marvel, Movies

The ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Teaser Explained

Laura Sirikul

It’s about damn time the Shang-Chi teaser trailer has been revealed and it’s worth the wait. In the video, we finally get a glimpse of Simu Liu as the title character, and of all days, on Liu’s birthday. 

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Marvel, Movies3 Comments

Surprise! New Trailer and Teaser Poster for Marvel Studios’ ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Mike Manalo

Happy Birthday Simu Liu, indeed! In celebration of Shang-Chi’s birthday, Marvel Studios has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and IT FREAKIN ROCKS! My two cents: this is looking to be the best Asian-led action extravaganza of the year! But rather than take my opinion, check out the trailer for yourself!

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Martial Arts, Television

Q&A with the ‘Kung Fu’ Cast and Showrunner

The Nerds of Color

Presented by CAPE and The CW, join the cast of Kung Fu — Olivia Liang, Shannon Dang, Jon Prasida, Kheng Hua Tan, Tzi Ma, and showrunner Christina M. Kim — and The Nerds of Color Editor-in-Chief Keith Chow for a conversation on reclaiming martial arts, shattering stereotypes, and being an Asian American family on primetime TV.

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Martial Arts, Television

‘Kung Fu’ Star Olivia Liang is Fighting on Her Own Terms

Laura Sirikul

When Olivia Liang first hears what outlet I’m from, she tells me that she just got off a panel for Kung Fu moderated by my editor-in-chief, Keith Chow. I asked her how it went and she said it was ‘really good.’ Knowing she’s been doing interviews and panels all day, I told her I’d be quick with my questions. Liang has been doing press non-stop for the past two weeks and doesn’t look to be slowing down as the series is set to premiere on The CW. Fortunately, Liang knows it comes with the territory when you’re starring in a network television series, especially one that is breaking barriers as the first predominantly Asian cast centering around an Asian heroine and her family. 

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Comics, Martial Arts1 Comment

Meet the New Oddjob in 007 Short Film ‘A Kill From The Other Side’

Edward Hong

Almost two years ago, Greg Pak took the reins of rebooting the James Bond 007 comic book series but this time, having a revisionist take on a familiar and iconic villain, first introduced in the 1959 novel Goldfinger: Oddjob. Not only was the reimagined take refreshing and very much needed, the series itself was incredibly well done with the plot moving at a brisk pace, the action fun and invigorating to read, and the rivalry/bickering between James Bond and Oddjob (now known as South Korean secret agent John Lee) extremely entertaining and amusing to read.

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Martial Arts, Star Wars, Streaming, Television1 Comment

Three Characters Lauren Mary Kim Performed Stunts for in ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

Lauren Lola

WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the second season of The Mandalorian.

Lauren Mary Kim, a seasoned stunt actor and martial artist, has been making waves this past year for her work in two Star Wars productions. She did motion capture for the character of Ahsoka Tano in the series finale of The Clone Wars and she doubled for Emily Swallow’s the Armorer in the season one finale of The Mandalorian.

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Martial Arts, Movies, Reviews, Streaming

NRW Review: ‘Debt Collectors (The Debt Collector 2)’

Patrick Strange

The NRW Crew of Robert J. Medina and Steve Escobar review and discuss the Scott Adkins classic film, Debt Collectors (The Debt Collector 2). You can catch Debt Collectors currently streaming on NETFLIX!

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Movies, Reviews, Streaming

‘Mulan’ is a Thoughtful but Clunky Iteration of the Chinese Folktale

Lauren Lola

Mulan is the latest in a growing line of Disney live-action remakes. Based on the 1998 animated feature film of the same name, as well as The Ballad of Mulan, a young woman (Yifei Liu) disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father’s place in the Imperial Army, to protect the country from Northern invaders. Along the way, she comes to terms with realizing her full potential and to not hold back on who she is.

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Interview, Martial Arts, Star Wars, Streaming, Television1 Comment

Lauren Mary Kim on Developing and Performing Stunts for Two ‘Star Wars’ Productions

Lauren Lola

This past year has been a busy one for the Star Wars universe. Aside from the release of the final film of the Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker, there has also been the beginning of the first live-action series, The Mandalorian, released last fall on Disney+, as well as the conclusion of the beloved animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this past spring. For Lauren Mary Kim, a stunt actor who has been working in Hollywood for the past 16 years, she has been involved in the making of both of these Star Wars productions. Continue reading “Lauren Mary Kim on Developing and Performing Stunts for Two ‘Star Wars’ Productions”