No Love for Chuck Norris

[JediFonger]

he was in most of Bruce Lee's films.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

At this point, I think most everyone associates Chuck Norris' name with a popular Internet meme (much like being Rickroll'd) than anything noteworthy in his television or movie career; the only difference between him and Rick Astley is that Chuck takes these satirical factoids in stride.

His credentials as a martial artist aside, I would put him on the same plateau as a Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme where acting is concerned, i.e. at times entertaining, but not to be taken seriously. I think there are better martial arts performers than the aforementioned three who also happen to be decent actors that deserve spots in my Blu-ray library.

well said.

[demers_60]

I'd get Invasion USA, Delta Force, Lone Wolf McQuade and Silent Rage.

[goresnet]

Sidekicks was filmed in and around Houston. Several extras were cheerleaders and other kids that I did go to school with. The best part of the movie, for me, was picking out people I knew.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I never understood why people don't like SIdekick so much, it's a fun movie.

Don't get me wrong, there's certainly some funny scenes in it, I'm just not a big fan...however, I do know a couple of people personally who enjoy it...

Originally Posted by TylerDurden

Greatest quote ever! When he beats up the cops everyone was cheering in the theater.

"He's NOT going to Hawaii!"

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

At this point, I think most everyone associates Chuck Norris' name with a popular Internet meme (much like being Rickroll'd) than anything noteworthy in his television or movie career; the only difference between him and Rick Astley is that Chuck takes these satirical factoids in stride.

Great post!

[radagast]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I agree with you on Bruce Lee. I enjoy his movies but they are cheesie and his early death did help bring him up at levels he may never really had if he had remain with us.

Having read much about Bruce Lee, I have to say that he was remarkable in real life. His Chinese films were cheesy because of their production values. Believe it or not, he pushed for them to be better than the average Chinese film. His disatisfaction was one reason why he wanted to do American movies.

He really did have some impressive capabilities as a martial artist, and many others who knew him, including Norris, were in awe of him. Just read what Jhoon Rhee, the 7th degree black belt in TaeKwonDo, who also brought that style to the U.S., said about Lee after he sparred with him once.

Read the book by his widow, and the one by the director of Enter The Dragon.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by radagast

His Chinese films were cheesy because of their production values. Believe it or not, he pushed for them to be better than the average Chinese film. His disatisfaction was one reason why he wanted to do American movies.

I agree about him being unhappy with the quality of Chinese-made films, but basing the overall quality of a production solely on its budget might be taking it a bit far.

Originally Posted by radagast

He really did have some impressive capabilities as a martial artist, and many others who knew him, including Norris, were in awe of him. Just read what Jhoon Rhee, the 7th degree black belt in TaeKwonDo, who also brought that style to the U.S., said about Lee after he sparred with him once.

Not necessarily disagreeing with you here, but the fact of the matter is that there are thousands of martial artists who possess skills similar to (or at least along the lines of) those of Lee, and in many cases greater...and while I certainly don't intend to discredit or disrespect him, I must admit I've always felt his somewhat "legendary" status to have been a little farfetched. I actually prefer the work of his son (Brandon) much more, and only wish that he was still around so he could make "Showdown in Little Tokyo II"...

[Crimson King]

Why was this thread moved to wish lists?

[Member-136960]

Eye For An Eye
Forced Vengeance
Silent Rage
Lone Wolf McQuade
Missing In Action
Invasion USA
Code Of Silence
Missing In Action 2 The Beginning
Braddock Missing In Action 3
The Delta Force
Delta Force 2


I'd buy those in a heartbeat being a big Norris fan & all on individual discs, none of the double feature crap.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by kdo

I agree about him being unhappy with the quality of Chinese-made films, but basing the overall quality of a production solely on its budget might be taking it a bit far.



Not necessarily disagreeing with you here, but the fact of the matter is that there are thousands of martial artists who possess skills similar to (or at least along the lines of) those of Lee, and in many cases greater...and while I certainly don't intend to discredit or disrespect him, I must admit I've always felt his somewhat "legendary" status to have been a little farfetched. I actually prefer the work of his son (Brandon) much more, and only wish that he was still around so he could make "Showdown in Little Tokyo II"...

Like I said, you should read some of what he was able to do. When he was in The Green Hornet, they found that they had to speed up the film, and then slow it down, because he was a blur when doing his techniques. He would do a trick at parties where he would ask who had the quickest reflexes. He would then put a dime in the person's open hand palm up. Lee would put his open hand, palm down over the other person's hand and tell them to close their hand before he could take the dime out. He would then attempt to grab the dime and the person would close their hand. The person would then smile because they could feel the dime in their hand. Lee would smile and ask for his dime back. Then the person would open their hand and be shocked to see a nickel there instead. In other words, Lee was so fast, he took the dime out and dropped a nickel in the other person's hand before they could close their hand. Jhoon Rhee, a 7th Dan in Taekwondo, was asked what it was like to spar with Lee. Rhee just shook his head and said that he couldn't understand how anyone could be so fast.

Lee developed his art by taking useful things from other arts like boxing, fencing, wrestling, etc. That was unheard of in that time. He developed much more efficient techniques than what he was taught in classical Wing Chun and other traditional arts. People in MMA credit Bruce Lee as the father of MMA, because he was eclectic in what influenced his fighting. Lee trained Joe Lewis, Norris and others who went on to become champions. Lee developed new training methods that are used to this day that didn't exist in martial arts schools anywhere at that time. He taught his students how to read their opponents telegraphing their moves. People in different arts like Ed Parker (Kenpo) changed their own arts, for the better, after training with Lee.

I've only skimmed the surface. Like I said, you need to read about him, rather than base your knowledge on his movies alone.

I don't believe for a minute that you can back up your claim that there are thousands who possess similar skills to what Bruce Lee had. And any martial artist who may be great now will, without a doubt, owe much to what Bruce Lee accomplished in improving the martial arts world.

The word "legend" like so many other powerful words in English, has been diluted by misuse. In Lee's case, it fits.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by radagast

Having read much about Bruce Lee, I have to say that he was remarkable in real life. His Chinese films were cheesy because of their production values. Believe it or not, he pushed for them to be better than the average Chinese film. His disatisfaction was one reason why he wanted to do American movies.

He really did have some impressive capabilities as a martial artist, and many others who knew him, including Norris, were in awe of him. Just read what Jhoon Rhee, the 7th degree black belt in TaeKwonDo, who also brought that style to the U.S., said about Lee after he sparred with him once.

Read the book by his widow, and the one by the director of Enter The Dragon.

The comment was not about the man, it was about his movies. If you look at them, they are a bit cheesie. I love them to death and will never get tired of them but they got push up to level that I am sure his death made it possible. People now a days sort of talk about them as if they are a religious experience which is ok I suppose if it make's them happy but if you remain honest, they were cheesie.

The man however is another story but we are not talking about the man. I think we forget this is a movie site and not a social study forum

[kdo]

Originally Posted by radagast

I don't believe for a minute that you can back up your claim that there are thousands who possess similar skills to what Bruce Lee had. And any martial artist who may be great now will, without a doubt, owe much to what Bruce Lee accomplished in improving the martial arts world.

Just so you know, I have read about him (extensively), and I did read his "Tao of Jeet Kune Do." I still hold him in high regard as a martial artist, and as an actor (doing what he did to get into the film industry was no easy task), but your comment about any martial artist who is "great now" owing tribute to Bruce...well, it's a bit "out there" for my tastes...I think people often forget to look back further into history, to a time before guns, technology, and movies, and realize that long before Bruce Lee (for thousands of years), human beings have been experts in the arts of fighting and killing one another. And if you think that Bruce was the first person to integrate all the different forms of fighting, I'd say you need to do some serious history studying and look back to times such as those of the classic Empires (like Rome or Persia for example), Medieval Europe or Japan, to realize just how incredibly skilled and dangerous human warriors were back then (at least in a 1-on-1 hand-to-hand setting). You're talking about people virtually trained from birth to kill with their bare hands and crude weapons, who were unbelievably calloused and tempered, and had physical strength far beyond what most humans possess today (due to the laborious world in which they lived), and they were skilled in many forms of fighting, not just one particular method (sounds a little like JKD to me ). I should also mention that none of these ancient/classic warriors were busy going to college, being movie stars, and making films like Bruce Lee was, and just in that, they spent a heck of a lot more time training than he did. Again, I don't want to discredit Bruce Lee's skills and abilities, they were impressive, I just don't understand all this "fan worship" of him that seems to go around .

[radagast]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

The comment was not about the man, it was about his movies. If you look at them, they are a bit cheesie. I love them to death and will never get tired of them but they got push up to level that I am sure his death made it possible. People now a days sort of talk about them as if they are a religious experience which is ok I suppose if it make's them happy but if you remain honest, they were cheesie.

The man however is another story but we are not talking about the man. I think we forget this is a movie site and not a social study forum

Sure his movies were cheesy, but you have to put them in perspective. The movies made before him were much worse. In his time, Lee's movies were a step up from what had come before. Religious experience? No. But to hear people casually dismiss Lee and say he wasn't unique is ridiculous, and simply doesn't hold up with the evidence. Since this is a video site, go find "How Bruce Lee Changed The World", then come back and talk some more. The best martial artists who got to know him were amazed by him. That alone should say something. But obviously for some people, they know better than the ones who actually KNEW him.

Originally Posted by kdo

Just so you know, I have read about him (extensively), and I did read his "Tao of Jeet Kune Do." I still hold him in high regard as a martial artist, and as an actor (doing what he did to get into the film industry was no easy task), but your comment about any martial artist who is "great now" owing tribute to Bruce...well, it's a bit "out there" for my tastes...I think people often forget to look back further into history, to a time before guns, technology, and movies, and realize that long before Bruce Lee (for thousands of years), human beings have been experts in the arts of fighting and killing one another. And if you think that Bruce was the first person to integrate all the different forms of fighting, I'd say you need to do some serious history studying and look back to times such as those of the classic Empires (like Rome or Persia for example), Medieval Europe or Japan, to realize just how incredibly skilled and dangerous human warriors were back then (at least in a 1-on-1 hand-to-hand setting). You're talking about people virtually trained from birth to kill with their bare hands and crude weapons, who were unbelievably calloused and tempered, and had physical strength far beyond what most humans possess today (due to the laborious world in which they lived), and they were skilled in many forms of fighting, not just one particular method (sounds a little like JKD to me ). I should also mention that none of these ancient/classic warriors were busy going to college, being movie stars, and making films like Bruce Lee was, and just in that, they spent a heck of a lot more time training than he did. Again, I don't want to discredit Bruce Lee's skills and abilities, they were impressive, I just don't understand all this "fan worship" of him that seems to go around .

Obviously the examples I've given mean nothing. Obviously the opinions of other great martial artists who actually KNEW him mean nothing. Lee was obsessive about training and investigating new ideas to incorporate into JKD. He was studying grappling techniques about the time he died. He developed more efficient techniques for speed that no one else was teaching. He developed stances and techniques borrowed from fencing that no one else had thought of, which increased speed and reduced telegraphing moves to an opponent. A lot of this was in the Tao of JKD that you said you read. Before Lee, there were far fewer martial artists who thought being in good physical condition was important to the art. Your statements about ancient warriors misses the point. Kung Fu is an ancient art, but no one seemed to want to question whether there was a better way to do things. Sure there were ancient warriors who were in great condition, or were skilled. But if any ancient warriors came up with innovations that Lee came up with, they were not passed down, so such speculation is pointless. What martial arts master, be it Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinowan, etc, thought of the idea of incorporating fencing stances to improve speed and improve defense? And did anyone else incorporate the fencing technique of riposte in simultaneously blocking and punching before Lee did? Please enlighten me if you know of any.

As a martial artist, he was the perfect combination of physical conditioning, training, speed, and technique. That and his constant search to improve and find new ideas was unusual for his time. Most martial artists and masters simply taught the same thing over and over. Sure there are martial artists NOW who take that same approach. That's why I say they owe much to Lee.

I did not agree at all with his metaphysical beliefs. But as a martial artist, he was one of a kind.

[Chester Lime]

[QUOTE=Guydowood;4599310]

Chuck Norris - after all he fought Bruce Lee in 2 films ]

Chuck Norris only fought Bruce Lee in 1 film,
WAY OF THE DRAGON (RETURN OF THE DRAGON). It was the iconic fight at Romes colliseum.

[Chester Lime]

Will any of those awesome "Total Gym" imfomercials that he did come out on BLU?

[kdo]

Originally Posted by radagast

But if any ancient warriors came up with innovations that Lee came up with, they were not passed down, so such speculation is pointless. What martial arts master, be it Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinowan, etc, thought of the idea of incorporating fencing stances to improve speed and improve defense? And did anyone else incorporate the fencing technique of riposte in simultaneously blocking and punching before Lee did? Please enlighten me if you know of any.

Since Chuck Norris trained all of the ancient warriors in their methods, to say that the skills were not passed down doesn't make much sense ...

As a martial artist, he was the perfect combination of physical conditioning, training, speed, and technique.

Wrong, this statement can only be used to refer to Chuck Norris.

[xaero]

Originally Posted by KaiGusto

I put a Chuck Norris request in the Wishlist area, I would buy anything with the Norris in it. Hes the man!

THIS!

As a huge fan of Mr. Chuck Norris, his workings (martial artist, actor, humanitarian, ...) and what he stands for, I own all of his movies on DVD/other formats and I mean ALL, most of them are widescreen. And yes, don't forget about the complete series "Walker, Texas Ranger" set. <- My favorite of all time (no joke, no sarcasm). It's great! I really enjoy watching his movies and ofc the TV show "Walker, Texas Ranger" from time to time. Some people call it an obsession, I call it a hobby.

Almost every month I check the 'upcoming blu-ray release' lists with a small hope to find any Chuck's movie in those BD lists... still no luck....
Just release any Chuck Norris movie on BD and I'll buy it without any doubts.

But if I must to choose only five movies, though it's very hard to choose for me, here is my list:
# Lone Wolf McQuade
# Forced Vengeance
# Code of Silence
# The Delta Force
# Firewalker / A Force of One

Originally Posted by ForEver Blu

Still hopin that Chuck Norris will be in The Expendbles sequel.


In reguards to my Love for the man....

Oh man, I really hopin' the same.

Originally Posted by radagast

Lee trained Joe Lewis, Norris and others who went on to become champions.

Actually, Chuck Norris was the Karate champion a few years in a row before he met Bruce Lee and they started training together. After that meeting and trainings with Bruce Lee, Mr. Norris had defended the Karate champion title a few more years in a row.

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Can blu-ray even capture Chuck Norris?

I believe blu-ray can do it.
Just look at this (click on image to see the full size):

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

The comment was not about the man, it was about his movies. If you look at them, they are a bit cheesie. I love them to death and will never get tired of them but they got push up to level that I am sure his death made it possible. People now a days sort of talk about them as if they are a religious experience which is ok I suppose if it make's them happy but if you remain honest, they were cheesie.

The man however is another story but we are not talking about the man. I think we forget this is a movie site and not a social study forum

They actually oooze cheddar from the screen as you are watching them. They clearly fall into the "so bad they're good" category and have elevated the "cheese factor" to new heights. That being said - just chalk them up to the guilty pleasure category and be done with it.

Walker, Texas Ranger was also incredibly sappy, cheesy, dorky, etc. But, its GOOD at the same time.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Can blu-ray even capture Chuck Norris?

Originally Posted by xaero

I believe blu-ray can do it.

[xaero]

Originally Posted by kdo

A little strange reaction but oh well...
By the way, that screenshot is from the movie called "Lone Wolf McQuade".