El Testigo (The Witness, 2011)

Jose vs Thugs: 3.75/5


Jose vs Gil: 2.5/5


Jose vs Detective Suarez: 2.25/5


Market Fight: 3.5/5


Gil vs Thugs: 3.25/5


Jose/Cristina vs Thugs: 2.25/5


Jose vs Gil: 3.25/5



Solid action throughout. Gil Sanabria carries himself very well. He's smaller than Jose but more imposing. He's a real badass in this movie. Jose has the beats down of a prototypical action hero. The Jackie Chan influence is big in this movie, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is from 2011 and having seen the stuff this team has done since, they've gotten even better. There's not a bad fight in it.

The action is good and well laid out, I just wish this movie did a little more to distinguish itself from other modern martial arts movies. There are a couple of nice turns in the plot, but it is a pretty straight forward movie. This is this team's first feature, so it's good that they got all the basics down. There's just nothing that really stands out, for me. The fights range from good to very good.

I wanted more from that end fight too, since my favorite aspect of the movie is Gil's inferiority complex towards Jose. I feel like they really made me want to see them fight and then didn't give that fight enough time.

Also, the girl that plays Cristina, Melissa Serrano, is stunningly gorgeous. I think this is my first review where I ever mentioned that about a leading lady, which tells you how gorgeous she is. I was distracted at times.

I'm partial towards this movie also because I am Puerto Rican, and how many Puerto Rican martial arts films are there? No seriously, are there more? If there are, link me. Not joking. I want more.

Recommended.

Slug Streets Scrappers 4 (2014)

Peaches vs Knuckles: 2.75/5

Buster vs Slugger Squad Fabulous: 2.75/5

Bruiser vs Knuckles: 3.5/5

Peaches vs Buster: 3.25/5

Bruiser vs Revered One: 3.5/5


I liked this final installment. I wish the finale had gone a bit longer, but they did a good job of making it feel epic in a short amount of time. They also didn't have access to a lot of their cast frm earlier installments, and they made it work. Not as good as Part 3, or even Part 2 I would say, but a solid end to the series. Recommended.

Slug Street Scrappers 2 (2012)

Ryuken vs Slugger Squad: 3.25/5

Knuckles vs Billy Broker: 2.75/5

Bruiser vs Venom: 3/5

Bruiser vs Ryuken: 3.75/5

Peaches vs Shizuka: 1.75/5


Good short film. The fighting is varied and the story progresses. Shaun Charney and Micah Brock are both great. And we get to see them fight each other, here. Recommended.

From Man to Man Vol. 2 (2013)

Brendon vs Vonzell: 4.75/5

One of the best fights of 2013, and one of the greatest fights I've ever seen. The fluidity and intricacy of the sequences are phenomenal. Love love love it.

Mario Warfare Part 3 (2013)

DK vs Peach: 2.75/5


Liked this episode, more about backstory than anything. Brian Lee's a talented guy. He uses some cool, lucha libre style moves even while in that costume.

I was confused by the tone of the fight scene though.  I spent the whole fight worried about Princess Peach's safety but meanwhile the fight almost looked comical. So that dissonance took away from it, for me. Good storytelling episode, though.

Mario Warfare Part 2 (2013)

Mario vs Shy Guys: 2.5/5

Mario vs Hammer Bros.: 3/5


Good action in this. Establishes Mario's character nicely, even though we all know he's the hero anyway. Plus Mario uses a cool hammer combo on one of the brothers at the end. Solid stuff all around.

Mario Warfare Part 1 (2012)

Toad vs Bill: 3.5/5


My first gun-kata review! Yay. Good chorerography and fluid performance. Main gripe is it didn't feel varied enough. Enjoyed the humor element they mixed in as well, though. Also, Mario Warfare as a series is terrific. There's tons of action besides just the fights I'll be reviewing. Check it out.