Farewell to one of the most interesting, impressive, and admirable boxers in the history of the sport. In tribute, here's a good short documentary on Big George: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zfpIkEylSg
Martial Arts
Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
1. I came down with another cold this week and ended up staying home from yesterday. As I told a colleague the other day, my body is just not used to being around all these little germ factories all the time. 2. If I could work my will, there would be a moratorium on making … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
1. Made it through my second week of teaching. I'm still finding it extremely draining, and it's a struggle to get the kids to start discussing stuff in most of the classes (my one 12th grade class is the best in that regard, but alas is the shortest one). But it's something, and I've at … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: School, Carrolls, and Sword Fight
Knight of Hope
Just found this short film and highly recommend it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vYFFx4whoE (Content warning: violence and a very heavy opening scene involving an off-screen rape) This one really shows just how formidable a knight in armor could be. He's not invincible by a long shot, but you've got basically a football player who has practiced close-quarters combat … Continue reading Knight of Hope
George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer
In 1994, an aging, slow, well-past-his-prime George Foreman challenged Heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, a fighter twenty years his junior. The result was the following fight (it's rather long, but should be watched in its entirety for the full impact) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v-R-JVl5TY&t=2433s
Writing Historical Characters
The film Cinderella Man came up on the Castalia House blog the other day. The film, just so we’re all clear, is the story of James Braddock, a slightly-over-the-hill boxer during the Great Depression whose career had seemed over, until he suddenly returned to the ring with a series of stunning victories, culminating in him … Continue reading Writing Historical Characters
To the Death
A friend put me on to the below video: a fresh take on the lightsaber concept, applied to an original setting and done with some really quite excellent swordsmanship (apparently they had an expert consulting on it). Especial kudos to them for emphasizing how vital distance is in sword fighting, something that most movie sword … Continue reading To the Death
Just Because It’s Cool: Donnie Yen vs. Mike Tyson
I found this clip of a fight scene in Yip Man 3 pitting Donnie Yen as the titular (historical) Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man against Mike Tyson as...well, basically just Mike Tyson. There's some kind of plot going on (I haven't seen the film), but the important thing is that we get to see two … Continue reading Just Because It’s Cool: Donnie Yen vs. Mike Tyson
Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Video Game movies seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Which is rather ironic, given the state of the film industry in general. 2019 gave us Detective Pikachu, a light-hearted, fun, and generally well-received take on one of the biggest gaming franchises out there, being essentially a family adventure-comedy … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Serpent's Den 