Taekwondo gets showcased in The Kick

The review of Thai/Korean co-production ''The Kick'' is live now on site ,Directed by Prachya Pinkaew ( Ong Bak / Chocolate) ,the Story surrounds a Korean family living in Bangkok who just happen to be Taekwondo experts .Film also stars Jeeja Yanin (Chocolate / Raging Pheonix) and Petchtai Wongkamlao ( Ong Bak/The Bodyguard 1+2) ,new star Taejoo looks like one to watch as he spins about on screen.

The Kick

Click here for Review

Classic N64 SUMO game 64 Ozumo - review soon

Copyright :Bottom Up -1997

Just received a Classic Japanese N64 game , 64 Ozumo came out in 1997 ,though it was thought to be mediocre at the time a sequel was released in 1999. Just got to get my head round the Japanese  text and I'll be fine.

Street Fighter models

If your into Street Fighter (like we are) then I'm sure  your  be wanting to get your hands on these collectable figurines of the fighters , available from retailers ,like Forbidden Planet,specialist game stores and of course online sites and eBay of course if  your after a rare discontinued model.

The Girls are all  here !

Remy and Akuma look awesome

Olympic Battles and Korean film fest

It's all go at K.I.T.G. we have had some great reviews up on site with coverage of the Hong Kong 15 Film Festival in July , reviews of the classic One Armed Swordsman ,White Vengeance are up on site now. We also did another double header looking at Shaw Brothers classic ''14 Amazons and it's recent remake by Frankie Chan , Legendary Amazons, visit the site to see if the classic has stood the test of time or if the remake has knocked it for six.

Not many events happening at the moment ,other then the Olympics, by now the Olympics have come and gone ,but the Para- Olympics have just started ,so please visit our page (which is still in the compiling stage ) to see results for the Boxing,Wrestling,Taekwondo,Judo  and hopefully the Para-Olympic Judo to.

Arsen Galstyan goes for Gold in the 2012 Olympic Judo competition 

New Films coming over the next few weeks include a KOREAN fest with War of Arrows and Sword with no Name ,both on Bluray. Also look out for a special feature on Korean Director Ryoo Seung-Wan as we look at four of his films including ''Crying Fist'' and ''City of Violence''.

There's new music to from Boa and Miss A to. Game wise our feature on one of the most important games ever from a Martial arts point of view ,but also from the point of it's scope and what it achieved at the time of it's release in 2000  and how people are still talking about it today, YES ''SHENMUE '' is our feature game this month.

Shenmue truly is a Magnificent game

US cover for SHENMUE

So there you go a full house and there's still more news to come ,I've probably left something out ,so keppa eye on Kick'em in the Ghoulies.com for the full lowdown and some great pictures in the photo galleries and more!

MCM Expo,New films, and Hong Kong Film Festival

Yes i decided to update the blogger site ,so since last update we have of course attended the MCM eXpo in May, the show was good and fell on the hottest three days of the year. With a hall full of games to play ,stars of TV and Film appearing ,with Sunday playing Host to Film Star Danny DeVito ,who entertained the crowd with his many stories.

New reviews on site have been quite rounded in that we have covered some great films from around the Far East.

Our review of ''Inseparable '' with Daniel Wu and Kevin Spacey went live a couple of weeks back, and after receiving the full uncut version of Taiwanese epic ''SEEDIQ BALE'' ,our review went live a few days ago showcasing the Terracotta Far East Film Festival screening and the full version on DVD.

Seediq Bale aka Warriors of the Rainbow

Iko Uwais in The Raid.

Also our review of the Gareth Edawards film''The Raid '' went live to after catching up with the film. The star Iko Uwais looks set to be the next big martial arts star ,but then i have been saying that since seeing ''Merantu'' 18 months back. Though everyone has been saying here have you seen the Raid ,the guys amazing. So for all you out there tellin me ,get this ''I TOLD YOU FIRST ''.

Plus we also looked at the new Tsui Hark remake of  his 1992 film ''New Dragon Gate'' ,yes we reviewed the 2D version of ''The Flying Swords of Dragon GATE 3D''  with Jet Li in the lead role.

Tsui Hark returns to Wuxia and Jet Li comes along for the Ride.

As i type we are in the middle of covering the recently announced HK15 Film Festival in London. ,for more details visit our sites calendar page where you can find the info on the festival that runs until the 14th of July at the Odeon Covent Garden in Londons Shaftsbury Avenue. More news on this shortly when we do a review of the show.

The Festival runs from the 2nd July till the 14th July 2012

MCM eXpo kicks of on the 25th of May

Looking forward as always on K.I.T.G. the next event we will be at is the MCM eXpo in May at London's Excel Centre ,it runs from Friday the 25th of May till the end on Sunday Evening .Last year was the first MCM we had covered and really did not know what to expect. 

Where really geared up for this year ,and will get a good overview of the games and stars at the event, and of course the many people who turn up in Cosplay to brighten up the event.

Thing is with these events ,money is easily spent with the many wonderful stalls selling ,Media ,Apparel,Trinkets and Novelia  . 

Looking forward to this one Big Time.And then we get to do it all again in October when the event returns for it's winter show. 

Click here for MCM site

The next show in their calender  after London in May is in Manchester on the 21st of July.,Can't see us slapping to Manchester though ,bit far for a day trip.Especially if your in Cosplay..Any way they don't let warlords on Trains.

But the MCM group put these shows on across the country there was one recently in Birmingham in March and the Midlands in February. So where ever you are you can get to one of their shows.

Disaster strikes Birmingham,the Martial arts show

Yes this weekend is the weekend Martial arts in the UK took a blow, It's with sad regret that i report of the lackluster professionalism at this years Martial arts show, After the canceled MMA show, it seems the knock on effect took it's toll ,as the moment we arrived things  seemed dodgy. 

Signing up for seminars was the first inkling. the staff had no proper list for seminars and no schedules,with a overly long wait for what was a short queue  ,one staff member who obviously new what was going on about who was there,was speaking to another, I overheard her say,it don't matter let them wait it won't make a difference . 

Yes i was able to book a seminar ,with a guest who was not actually at the show. so when my seminar time came ,there was no one to take it, i must admit i had found out before hand that my chosen candidate for instruction ,Mr Cassonova Wong was not here. But many people did not know who and who where not there. 

This young girl started the show last year,Last year she came unstuck in her routine,she was the same this year

All very well,but i was bored of this by the end of the day

For starters the appearance of the place and set up was shabby ,with empty stalls,and the event was smaller then ;last year ,the area used for training and seminars last year was a closed off piece of the hall, The seminars where located around by the stage by the restaurant,with no privacy like last year, i thought this is not good! Silvio Simac and Bill Wallace where doing seminars on mats  which where in some places held together with duck tape. and Mr Wallace had to contend with a crowd and people exiting the restaurant..

Not professional at all. There was also a lack of performers as many performers where doing 3 or 4 sets each ,i would see someone performing Akido and think that was OK, then move on to the next mat or stage to see who would be up ,and hey it's the same guys from the last stage..

I think i saw the Shaolin Monks on the main stage 3 or 4 times. i only watched them once, but as the place was so small you could see who was where.

Kung Fu forms,this guy was quite good.It was nice to watch.

I actually feel sorry for the families that traveled to the show ,to meet the stars ,that where not there, who had paid there money in good faith and where offered ,as one friend of mine (who was performing there) A local market of haphazard stalls.

In fact when it was time for my friends troupe to perform (he was a little nervous being on stage ) they had actually forgot about their slot and had closed off the event till one piped up and said what about us. Professional all the way -NOT.

At one stage they had roped in a member from STEPS, who had visited the show ,  to have a interview on stage. The only thing keeping many men at bay was the Miss Galaxy competition,but then females in Bra's Bikini's and doing workouts and strutting their stuff on stage pleases any man.

But after you had seen them repeatedly,you start to wonder am i in the right show.

There are many other things ,some which i discovered  at the show,  things i can not divulge as i have been asked not to quote,things that would rock the martial world.

But one things for sure my trust and respect for the show and it's organizers  took a mighty blow yesterday and one i think it won't recover from. 

My advice to all MMA show ticket holders ,is get your money back as the show was cancelled ,don't wait to be let down again.For us Martial arts show ticket holders ,we just have to write it off as a bad day.

On a lighter note* it was a good day for K.I.T.G. as i was able to make new friends ,and discover a old one.Plus it looks like i will be doing another feature on a famous martial artist soon.

Also i will be posting some pictures of the show on here ,on the main sites photo gallery and on Facebook page for the site.

Just because the show was a shambles ,it did NOT mean the performers that did turn up where not up to scratch ,they did there best ,but with a dwindling crowd there showcase was not seen by large numbers. I will post the pictures  on the main sites photo gallery so anyone featured can copy the picture for their own use.

This is The Snake

Telling it like it is!

American Kenpo ,these guys where one of the highlights for me

I watched them for quite a while

Brought back memeries of my time with Jeff Speakman in Germany.