Hello! My name is Gary Williams and I am the caretaker of the Film Fan Dojo. Let me share with you what the dojo aims to achieve:
This blog is dedicated to the actors, stuntmen, movie studios, producers, and directors of the martial arts film genre. The focus of this blog will be tributes, reviews, and analysis of the kung fu and marrtial arts movies, as well as other films featuring martial-style fight scenes, from the 1970’s to the current era.
My first memory of watching a kung fu movie is in 1978 on a local Detroit TV station. The name of the film was The Savage Five (starring Ti Lung, David Chang, Chen Kuan Tai, Wu Chung, and Li Hsiu Hsien); what impressed me was the brotherhood, heroics, and the kung fu action in the film. I was hooked! I wanted to be like my kung fu movie heroes. Later on in life, I discovered the richness and diversity within the martial arts film world.
Through my love for the movies, I came to discover the world of traditional martial arts. I began training in Kenpo Karate at age 15. Over the course of the next 30 years, I also studied Ninpo Taijutsu (Soke Hatsumi lineage), Wing Chun Kung Fu and Capoeira (which I received the rank of Contra-mestre or assistant master).
I hope to show the love I have for martial arts cinema as well as provide background on the stars, studios, and directors that have created this beautiful film genre. And have a little fun along the way.