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The first thing you should know about Tran Quoc Bao’s “The Paper Tigers” is that his low-budget kung fu comedy — the heartfelt tale of three arthritic middle-aged Seattle men reuniting to avenge the murdered sifu who mentored them as teenagers — is often just as winning and delightful as you would hope from its premise. Unfolding like , Tran’s debut feature delivers a ton of charm for a kung fu throwback, and kicks a lot of ass for a broad comedy about some old guys relearning how to honor each other and fight for themselves.

If “The Paper Tigers” sags around the middle and loses its focus as it limps towards a finale that doesn’t hit with the force that it should, well, perhaps that’s to be expected from a martial arts movie whose heroes can’t throw a punch without pulling a muscle.

Tran establishes his old-school...

Stars: Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Joziah Lagonoy, Matthew Page, Jae Suh Park, Ken Quitugua, Roger Yuan | Written and Directed by Bao Tran

Essentially The Paper Tigers is a feel-good movie that uses martial arts as a vehicle for a story about finding oneself, re-discovering not only friendships of youth but also one’s self-esteem. In this case self-esteem that comes with martial arts – the quite strength, the feeling a of power that comes from the discipline that one needs to fully learn and be in control of your skills.

As teens, friends Danny (Alain Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan) and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) were inseparable. Loyal disciples to their Sifu, Master Cheung (Roger Yuan), they trained together, fought together and planned to become the next great martial arts masters. Life, as they say, has other plans, and when Danny left to take part in a tournament in Japan,...

It was all the way back in 2009 that we first came across the work of writer-director Bao Tran. The occassion at the time was his short film Bookie - a gorgeously shot period drama with heavy action elements with an electric lead performance from Ken Quitugua who really, really should be a movie star now, please - and we knew we'd come across a major talent. Jump forward a few years and Tran was working as editor on Charlie and Johnny Nguyen's ultimately (and tragically) banned Vietnamese action picture Cho Lon and now he's in the process of launching his own debut feature, The Paper Tigers. A dead-beat dad, an insurance scammer, and an Mma coach find themselves in the middle of a gang...

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It was all the way back in 2007 that we first came across the work of Vietnamese-American director Bao Tran. The occasion at the time was his fabulous short film Bookie, a gorgeous black and white crime drama starring Ken Quitugua as the titular bookie who lays himself on the line for a woman. It was a beautifully directed, beautifully realized piece of work that showcased Quitugua both as a leading man and a screen fighter to such great effect that I've always been surprised that I've always been surprised that he's never really had a 'proper' break through part in the years since.Since making Bookie Tran has gone on to become very in demand as an editor - he cut this year's Foreign Language...

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We've been keeping a close eye on director Dennis Ruel and his indie fight flick Unlucky Stars around these parts for a good while now. And why not? The crowd funded effort boasts an impressive crew of highly skilled martial artists and a devotion to old school techniques that promises a very good time for fight fans.When Peru's Biggest Action Film Star and Jordan's newest rising talent find themselves pursued by a notorious Bookie, a couple of private investigators are forced to choose between their job and their conscience.With martial arts and comedy inspired by the golden era of 80s Hong Kong Action Cinema, "Unlucky Stars" is an exciting action packed ride that pays homage to the greats who paved the way.Dennis Ruel, Ken Quitugua,...

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