5 comments about Sunset Tai Chi (YMAA) DVD.

1. If you didn't know it by now, all products coming from YMAA are absolutely first class. This is no exception. Mr. Rones has obviously inherited a true understanding of taiji from Yang Jwing Ming.



2. This DVD contains a seated version that is very stimulating, but easy enough to do while I'm going through chemotherapy. It's thorough and it's interesting. It helps tremendously with the anxiety I go through during the treatment periods.
   
   Easy to follow and geared to different levels. You simply do a gentler version and gradually increase your effort until you reach a gentle but vigorous workout.
   
   This workout has helped keep me positive. I'm not sitting back doing nothing during my healing process. And the results are obvious in how I feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.
   
   There is also the main standing version which I plan to learn when I'm ready.



3. Ramel Rones is definitely an expert and does a great job. Sunset Tai Chi focuses on relaxation techniques which includes breathing. This is a great DVD!



4. ÜBER 30 JAHRE PRAKTIZIERE ICH JETZT KUNG FU HEILGYMNASTIK, ABER MIT DIESEM TAI CHI BUCH SUNSET UND SUNRISE BIN ICH MEHR ALS ZUFRIEDEN, DA MEINE ERGEBNISSE FANTASTISCH SIND! DANKE AN RAMEL RONES FÜR SEINE TOLLE ARBEIT!
   WAS MICH BETRIFFT, ENDECKE ICH IMMER WIEDER ZUSAMMENHÄNGE ZWISCHEN DEN SPORTARTEN! KAUFE AUCH NOCH PATTERN!
   
   GOOD LUCK RAMEL RONES!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!



5. I have had this DVD for 2 weeks and I love it. I have only been doing the exercises in order to build up confidence in my ability to do each movement before I try to put it all together. Some times I do them sitting down so I am just concentrating on the hand movements. The different views really helps to see just how each exercise is done. I also love the way the narrator tells you want the movements are doing to your body.
   
   One note of caution. If you are out of shape like I am, don't do as many repetitions as Ramel does in the beginning. Pace yourself.

No comments about The Karate Kid / The Karate Kid, Part II Boxed Set [Blu-ray].

5 comments about The Karate Kid II.

1. The Karate Kid Part II is no way as memorable as the orginial but at least it's not unwatchable like Part III. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita have always had this natural chemistry - you can tell they were really good friends on camera and off. Some of the acting from the supporting cast is just plain awful and the pace of the film is rather slow. So-so sequel - stick to the orginial.



2. Daniel Larusso travels with Mr. Miagi to Oki Nawa in Japan in order to check on his father, who is very ill. When they return, they are received by Sato, who wants to fight with Mr. Miago in order to defend his honor. He got dishonoured when Miyagi fell in live with his girlfriend before he decided to escape to the US. On the other side, his nephew Chozan is bullying Daniel all the time. He is such a great Karate fighter.
   
   Great movie!
   
   I like it because it represents the real purpose of Karate, which is self defence.
   There are no tournaments to compete in. It's about surviving.
   The only thing I think could have been done to improve the movie was to give Daniel actual Karate lessons before making this movie. His moves are not convincing at all. They are weak and incorrect sometimes. People who do martial arts could immediately recognize the flaws in his techniques. Johny from Part 1 and Chozan from Part II are way better than him, in which Daniel surprisingly still managed to defeat them.
   
   Anyway, the Karate Kid could easily be one of the best movies of our times.



3. The Karate Kid Part II continues the story of Daniel(Ralph Macchio) and Miyagi(the late Pat Morita) as they travel to Japan to help out Miyagi's old girlfriend and her niece(Tamlyn Tomita from The Joy Luck Club), however, they are confronted by Miyagi's old foe Sato and his nephew and Daniel's new enemy, Chozen. The martial arts sequences were great to watch as well as the romance scene with Daniel and Tomita's character. The theme song of the film "For The Glory Of Love" became a big hit in 1987 and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music Score. This is the best of all the Karate Kid series.



4. It's summer, Daniel just broke up with his girlfriend and was told by his mother that her job needs her to move to Fresno for the summer which Daniel doesn't like. Mr. Miyagi was going to let Daniel stay with him until he receives a letter from Okinawa telling him that his father is dying. So Miyagi leaves to go there and Daniel joins him. Miyagi tells Daniel that the reason he left Okinawa was because his best friend, Sato whose family is the most affluent in Okinawa, was promised Yukie whose the girl Miyagi loved. So Miyagi asks her to run away with him and when Sato learned of this, he challenged Miyagi to a fight to the death. So Miyagi left. Upon arriving Miyagi discovers Sato still wants to fight him and his nephew and best student Chozen has it out for Daniel. This movie is set in the beautiful backdrop of Okinawa, and the scenery is also beautiful. I recommend viewing both The Karate Kid, and the sequel to at least get the full effect.



5. "The Karate Kid Part II" is a big exception to the rule regarding mediocre sequels to outstanding original movies. Returning actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita are allowed to go even deeper into their respective characters, and the result is a very rich screenplay which gives as much or more weight to Mr. Morita's Miyagi as it does to Mr. Macchio's Daniel Larusso.
   
   The film focuses on a trip to Okinawa for Daniel and Miyagi which serves as a pilgrimmage for Miyagi to visit his dying father, mentioned briefly but memorably in the first movie. Additionally, Miyagi rekindles an old romance which had been ended by a covetous blood feud also involving Miyagi's best childhood friend that was his original reason for leaving his native country. Daniel, in turn, falls in love with the older woman's beautiful young niece Kumiko, played by Tamlyn Tomita(currently seen on NBC TV's "Heroes" in a recurring role as Hiro Nakamura's mother). In so doing, he incurs the wrath of a vengeful young martial arts expert named Chozen, who covets Kumiko for himself.
   
   Also featuring beautiful outdoor scenery, a great soundtrack and a tense script which realistically depicts long-simmering hatreds as well as many variations of respect and love, "The Karate Kid Part II" is a brilliant sequel and movie that should officially be accorded the classic status it deserves.

5 comments about Rescue Me - The Complete Third Season.

1. I love this show. But season 3 and 4 have still not been released in Europe. And it doesn't look likely this will happen any time soon. So when I read somewhere online reviews that this R1 dvd does play in R2 players I was so happy. The good news is ... it does. The bad news (for my deaf husband) is that there are no subtitles even though it says so in the description of the dvd. I was very pleased with the way Amazon handled it. But sad that I can not watch the show with my husband. Hopefully it will become available with subtitles soon. I adore the show! I love Dennis! One of the best shows around.



2. when i bought season 3 it hit me this is the best show i have ever seen.
   rich characters, excellent acting, amazing casts, great music, and stories on topic's which only this show can do. tommy's dad's birthday
   party laughed to tears, crazy maggie in full force, sean and maggie dating. susan sarandon and marisa tomei 2 of my fave actresses in the same season. alicia (susan sarandon) i knew she was up to something.
   great character. loved when tommie and marisa tomei's character started
   dating to make janet and marisa's ex jealous. the episode where they went
   to the restaraunt and marisa tomei wanted to make sure the nosy waitress
   taylor dayne (one of my fave singers) was hilarious. this episode was so
   great. sad to see tommie's brother die,but sad to see conner die, i know all these deaths are for tommie's sake of being more of a mess. this is
   when sheila started annoying me she is too clingy, bossy, and makes tommie
   a weak man. i will admit tommie and janet ate one of the best couples
   ever the chemistry is amazing. this season is the best in my opinion
   it still has comedy yet well thought out drama.



3. I've been a fan of this show since it first came on. I can't tell if they've junped the shark yet because they keep throwing curves in the plot. The characters have great dialog in the firehouse and that will keep you laughing.



4. This is an excellent series. Too many toxic homosexuals in series, but I guess that is true portrayal of NY City.



5. i purchased rescue me, 3rd season as a gift and it came wrapped in celephane. when it was opened just recently, (in front of me) they discovered that the very first disc of the season was missing. the seller needs to make this right, as it was sold with the understanding that all discs were accounted for and in good condition, and was 'new'.

5 comments about King Boxer (aka 'Five Fingers Of Death').

1. It must be hard for young people today to imagine the impact this film had on movie goers when it played for weeks in theaters and took people's breath away as this was the first martial arts film to come from overseas.
   The title Five Fingers Of Death was what Warner Bros. named it when they released it before creating their own Enter The Dragon with Bruce Lee. This film was released before any of Lee's Chinese films which were touted as featuring "real Kung-Fu", implying all others like King Boxer were not true martial arts. I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan but King Boxer is still a masterpiece that still delivers. It holds a special place in my mind and others, I'm sure, for introducing american audiences to what was then a new form of action film that initially attracted everyone. I originally saw this with my Dad who was so blown away he took us to see it several times. He dragged my mom to see it even though she covered her eyes through half the film. The flood of films released from China right after this one were endless, many bad, but some very good. Oddly enough I can't remember any more coming from Warner other than their own homegrown Enter The Dragon. King Boxer deserves a place in any film fan's collection. It introduced a whole new genre of film that still thrives.



2. One of the Shaw Brothers Studios most well-known films, King Boxer was an international success that helped instigate the kung fu craze of the '70s. It opens with an old master (Wen Chung Ku) attacked in an alley. He fends off the fighters, but decides he isn't strong enough to travel to a martial arts school to learn the Iron Fist (also called Iron Palm) fighting technique. He sends his pupil and son-in-law Chao Chi-Hao (Lo Lieh) instead. When Chao arrives at the school, he finds the students and teachers in preparation for the All China Tournament. They fear that if their archrivals win the competition they will rule with cruelty. Chao, the clumsy rookie, must start at the lowest rung of the school's ladder and work his way up. Meanwhile Ming Dung Shun (Tin Fung), master of the "bad" school has hired Chen Lang (Gam Hei Chu), a tough mercenary, and two Japanese ronins to kill or maim the "good" school's best fighters. In one of these fights Chao's hands are broken and it seems as if he will not be able to fight again. Chao redoubles his efforts to overcome his injury and learn the Iron Fist technique. Mastery of the technique is indicated by a "whooo-hee whooo-hee" sound effect and a quick zoom to the fighter's glowing hands. Chao's old master is also attacked and killed by these fighters and his daughter/Chao's girlfriend Yin Yin (Ping Wang) flees to tell him the bad news. Chao fights his way to the All China Tournament, and prepares to take on Ming Dung Shun and his cohorts. In the United State, the film is more commonly known as Five Fingers of Death, the more exploitative title given to it by Warner Brothers. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide



3. This movie is widely regarded as the first classic, spectacular international martial arts movie sensation. It is also considered by many as the film that started it all. From Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers, the founding father of kung fu films, comes the groundbreraking cult movie KING BOXER (Five Fingers of Death). Required viewing for Cinephiles and martial arts fan alike, KING BOXER took world audiences by storm with the tale of a young martial artist who battles his way into a national tournament, in the name of love, honor, and revenge. His journey from young fighter in training to master of the Iron Fist delves deep into mythic kung fu lore and is laced with explosive action and dazzling fight sequences.



4. King Boxer aka the five fingers of death has a story that pretty much every kung fu flick has, little farmer boy learns to be a bad @$$ fighter, and gets revenge for something. However, the action in this movie holds up surprisingly well, and though the story was obvious, this movie found a way to keep me interested in the characters. Many have told me this movie is the grand father of modern kung fu movies. I can see that, as it feels more fresh and original than 99% of most kung fu movies, and clearly seems to have inspired a slew of immitators. Even Kill Bill uses certain music excerpts from this.
   
   Overall, this is a great movie that is simply awesome to watch. In a genre which seems to try and top it self with more violence and stunts with each film, I was amazed that this movie held up so well, and continued to entertain. Highly recomended.



5. This movie was the first major release of a kung fu movie in the states. As a collector of martial arts movies this, I consider, was a needed addition. Beware however that while it is a very good transfer to the DVD format it has been overly edited. Specifically the primitive visual effects of the original release were removed. For this I was disappointed, because I was not able to show my young son how far special effects have advanced in the three decades since.

5 comments about F Troop: The Complete Second Season.

1. I found out that my boyfriend's favorite "old" show was F Troop. I knew I'd find it on Amazon, not only did I find them....I got them at an AWESOME price!! He was SO excited about them, and we watched both seasons...beginning to end!!



2. Hilarious! My three children (ages 9, 12,& 14)have been thoroughly enjoying these episodes along with my husband and me! Just plain fun!



3. This old TV show is too funny, you can watch it over and over and still laugh as you watch it.



4. The screwball comedy F Troop may never be considered a great classic, but it is great fun. Ken Berry is the bumbling captian in
   charge of Fort Courage Kansas. He and his band of idiots and misfits are all that stand between Kansas and the indians. But lucky
   for Kansas the indians are almost as dumb and cowardly as the boys in blue.
   It`s great fun for all ages.



5. I purchased season 1 and after watching it, I just had to get season 2.
   So much better than the stuff that is on TV right now. Light-hearted and perfect for the entire family.

5 comments about Simplified Tai chi Chuan with Applications (YMAA).

1. Tai Chi is a difficult process to learn and I first started with an extremely slow and verbal lesson on another DVD. On this DVD no explanation of the the 24 steps is given when you practice the moves. He runs through the 24 moves two times in the forward position and then one time in the rear position. I've been doing these moves about 4-5 times a week for 5-6 weeks and have made slow progress. It would be best to start with a DVD like I did which was David Dorian-Ross.



2. Good video to learn the technique. I especially like the fact that he faces away to help you learn it in the right direction. Would be enhanced with a mirror for him to face. Also think it is great for an intermediate tai chi practitioner. Beginners may have trouble learning the movements.



3. This provides the history of Tai Chi along with detailed instructions and views. Excellent choice for a beginner.



4. This is an great video for the practicing or aspiring martial artist who is interested in learning more about the history and benefits of Tai Chi. The DVD provides an ideal format for individual instruction, using short, well-labeled chapters that include each of the various postures presented at a comfortable, learnable pace. Master Liang is an exceptional teacher who provides perfect presentation of the 24 postures in appropriate detail, at a variety of angles, including specifice inhale/exhale points throughout the form. Of particular value is his solo presentation of each posture, followed by the self-defense presentation countering an attacker. For those who want more, also included is the longer 48 posture form. A must-have to complete your library!



5. Although I don't think this DVD is for the absolute beginner, it does offer a good introduction to some of the history of TaiChi, as well as give very good examples of the 24 and 48 pasture forms. I found the rear view images hard to follow until I decided to watch them over and over several times without trying to follow along. This had the added benefit of helping me to 'feel' the movements more than just intellectualize them. I also found the martial applications very informative. This may be titled "Simplified" but it would be very valuable for the intermediate student as well.

5 comments about Best of the Best.

1. The movie is pretty typical of early 90s and follows the same formula as Rocky type movies. It's a bit Cheesy and times and the main actors (other that the Asian guy) are not really martial artists and it sort of shows.
   
   Never the less it is entertaining.



2. I enjoy this movie very much, the actors are very good, it gets a little sad at the end of the movie, when the Korean fighter comes to say how sorry he is about the other fighter brother, and offered himself as a brother to the other fighter.
   
   But all in all a very good movie.



3. The movie is about an American Karate national team who are training hard to fight the Korean Tae Kwon Do national team in Korea. The Korean team is very strong and fierce, and the American team needs to be well prepared for them. They train hard and they develop their mindset for this big challenge.
   
   The story might seem like a straightforward and simple one, however the action is quite amazing. If the viewer is into martial arts, he/she will certainly fall in love with this movie.
   
   This movie is like the martial arts version of "Rocky".
   
   Chuck Liddell said that this is one of his favorite martial arts movies, I can see why.



4. Karate, the ancient martial art and modern international sport is a contest of body, mind and spirit where often the toughest competition is against yourself. Alex Grady (Eric Roberts), an Oregon wender and widowed father of a Five-year-old son is chosen for the United States National Karate Team. He finds himself in the company of Tommy Lee (Philip Rhee), a soft-spoken Karate instructor; Travis Buckley (Christopher Penn), an urban cowboy with an attitude; Virgil Keller (John Dye), a New England Buddhist; Sonny Grasso (David Agresta), a gregarious Italian from Detroit and coach Frank Kouzo (James Earl Jones), a hardened veteran of high-powered Karate competition. It's a team with rough edges and problems that must be resolved if they're to win the international competition in Seoul, Korea. The team's corporate sponsor brings in an unorthodox trainer, Catherine Wade (Sally Kirkland), to teach the men focus their minds and bodies. During the three month training period, Wade, a stunning body trained in Eastern Philosophy as well as martial arts, tangles with Couzo over his approach to winning at all costs. What follows is a battle where each competitor attempts to defeat the opposition and become the Best of the Best.



5. This movie had a profound effect on me in my youth. Eric Roberts gives an Academy Award Winning performance supported by the Great James Earl Jones. "A Team Is Not A Team If YOU DONT GIVE A DAMN!"

5 comments about The Karate Kid (Special Edition).

1. The Karate Kid was great in the '80s when I saw it in the theater and it is still great. My whole family loves the movie (and that's saying something because there are a lot of us). All the kids love it, and their ages range from 22 yrs to 5 yrs. My wife and I still thinks it's terrific!



2. bought this for my grandchildren.. they loved it
   and had no problems with it!



3. This is a loose present day adaption based upon a life experience of Jesus Christ. Ralph Macchio plays the lead supported by Pat Morita and the charismatic William Zabka. This was overall a decent movie. I, however, found the film to be abstruse in certain areas and more often than not straying far from it's Biblical origin. Fans of the Bible story may not care for this movie. I took it for what it was including its flaws and enjoyed it.



4. With apologies to Bruce Lee's family, whose martial arts films remain the standard for the realistic presentation of martial arts in the movies, this 1984 classic stands as the definitive melding of the martial arts with mass entertainment value.
   
   Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and also featuring Elisabeth Shue, "The Karate Kid" presents one of the most touching explications of the mentor-student relationship ever committed to film. Opening en medias res as Daniel Larusso and his mother Lucille are leaving New Jersey to travel to California, the script absolutely massages the storytelling possibilities and conflicts of picking up one's life, and having to find a way to start over in a new place. Mr. Macchio gives a realistic performance as he grapples with the forced change his mother's job move to California brings on him, also contending with an attraction to a young woman seemingly out of his league(played by Elisabeth Shue) and the jealous beatings of her malevolent martial artist ex-boyfriend.
   
   All of this brings Daniel into contact with a wise Asian handyman called Mr. Miyagi, wonderfully played by the late Pat Morita. It is the growth of their onscreen relationship, as well as the visible chemistry between Macchio and Morita that makes this film stand apart from one million other lesser martial arts films asserting machismo at the expense of storytelling. Although it is realistically impossible to teach someone the totality of martial arts Daniel learns from painting houses, fences, and doing like work, this portion of the script is largely comedic. Additionally, it very effectively fleshes out a father-son dynamic for Daniel and Miyagi which had been missing from each of their lives.
   
   The movie spawned three sequels and countless imitators. Go back to the original source and discover (or re-discover) what makes "The Karate Kid" such a special movie.



5. Daniel and his mother move from New Jersy to California. She has a wonderful new job but Daniel discovers that a dark haired Italian boy with a Jersey accent doesn't fit into the blond surfer crowd, especially when he tries to date one of their girl friends. Daniel manages to talk his way out of some fights but is finally cornered by several who belong to the same karate school. As Daniel is passing out from the beating he sees Miyagi, the elderly gardner leap into the fray and save him by outfighting a half dozen teenagers. Miyagi and Daniel find the real motivator behind the boys' violent attitude is the their karate teacher. Miyagi promises to teach Daniel to fight and arranges a fight at a karate contest some months off. When his training begins, Daniel can't understand what he is being shown. Miyagi seems more interested in having Daniel paint fences and wax cars than teaching him Karate. "The Karate Kid" has to be appreciated for its nostalgia trip back to "better times." For that reason alone, this movie is a classic. I highly recommend this movie.

5 comments about The Karate Kid Collection (Four Film Set).

1. It takes me back to the 80's watching The Karate kid, when martial arts was all the rage (fashion) it is a good family film which holds something for everyone, laughter suspense and the thrill of what good old Mr Miagi will show young Daniel how to defeat his enemies. Awesome family fun, go and watch it



2. I ordered this 4 DVD set for my grandchildren because they had never seen or heard of The Karate Kid. The service from Amazon.com was great; they were delivered within 2 days and the DVD's are first rate and great quality. I would definitely recommend this product.



3. Great set of movies! Nice to have the whole collection all in one place. My boys love it-they are 12 and 5 years old. Can't pass up a classic.



4. The whole family loved part 1, and part 2 was even pretty good. But, the whole experience will be ruined if you watch part 3. Part 3 is ridiculously awful. The villains are so extremely evil, it's very unsettling to watch. You keep waiting for something good to happen, but it never does, until that last 3 seconds of the movie.. BUT, that doesn't even come close to fixing the extreme dilemma. The team of villains, lead by an infinitely rich psychopath, end up with even more reason (not that they ever really had any reason in the first place) to continue torturing Daniel. If you want to feel good after the movie, then stop after part 1 or 2. Part 3 will leave you wishing for a part 4 where ALL of the evil predators get mauled to death by lions.



5. I bought the box set because my son is studying karate. We watched one each night for four nights and enjoyed all of them.