More about Mark Decascos his official website: http://www.dacascos.com/ his martial arts movies: China Strike Force (2000) (Hong Kong: English title) Kickboxer 5 (1995) (TV) .... Matt Reeves Crying Freeman (1995) American Samurai (1993) (V) Double Dragon (1993) Street Fighters (1993) Mark's martial art heritage: Al Dacascos, his father and first sifu, whom still teaches at Dacascos Kung Fu in Portland Oregon. Al Dacascos is the originator and founder of his own style of martial arts known as WUN HOP KUEN DO, which has Chinese and Filipino influences. Malia Bernal, Mark's stepmother, was Mark's second Sifu. She was also the first female to grace the cover of "Black Belt" magazine. At 17, Mark studied with Sifu, Muo-Hui Shen in Taiwan. Muo-Hui Shen then taught Chin-Na and Shui Jiao (Chinese Judo). Mark also studied Capoeira with Amen Santo's, who played his teacher in the movie, "Only the Strong."

Visit Brotherhood of the Wolf Official Website Reported by Kuan-Lin "Connie" Wang It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a martial arts movie that had an intriguing and interesting storyline (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon aside). Such is the case with Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups), a surprisingly good French martial arts film. Set in the 18th century and loosely based on the French legend, "Beast of Gevaudon," Brotherhood follows scientist, philosopher and overall renaissance man, Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel le Bihan) in the hunt to find the beast who is terrorizing the French countryside. He is aided by his blood brother, Mani (martial arts sensation Mark Dacascos), a Mohawk Iroquois Indian shaman who saved Fronsac's life in the Americas. Fronsac is assisted (or is he hindered?) by the beautiful travelling courtesan, Sylvia (Monica Belluci from Malena), but his heart lies with Marianne Morangias (Emilie Dequenne), an aristocrat whose is unaware where her family’s true ties lie. An outcast with the French aristocracy, Mani keeps to himself, but is highly aware of the good and evil lurking around him through his intense connection to the animals and nature. It is this instinct that helps to track down the beast. Directed by Christopher Gans and written by Gans and Stephane Cabel, the film doesn’t use martial arts to tell the story, but instead to enhance it. The fight sequences are few, but plentiful for the eye, spaced just far enough apart from each to keep the audience interested. The opening fight sequence (the one seen in trailers) was probably the worst as it was one (Mani) against many with the many unrealistically fighting him one at a time, instead of charging him at once. Dacascos truly is poetry in motion with his mastery of the martial arts. With his graceful fluid motion and aesthetic lines, he is certainly a pleasure to watch. Of course, for the ladies in the audience, it is even much more of a pleasure to see Dacascos wardrobed in little more than a loincloth and war paint during his final hunt for the beast, although a bit stereotypical for the character. Sorry, ladies, he's happily married, but we can look, right? Look for Dacascos in the upcoming films, Scorcher with Rutger Hauer and The Adventurer, another Gans and Cabel film. Fight choreographer, Phillip Kwok (whose work on John Woo's Hard Boiled is why Gans sought Kwok for the job) takes into account the weapons and culture of 18th century France. While the fights make use of a variety of kicks (including multiple roundhouse and spin kicks), the handwork is restrained in this film, limited only to the weapons of the time. While I enjoy the multi-angle stop-motion effect (made popular in The Matrix) in martial arts films (it really allows the viewer to see the high-speed martial arts action in more detail), this film overuses it. Overuses it to the point where I'm convinced the movie would easily have been under two hours if the techniques were used sparingly. Instead, the film tops off at two hours and twenty minutes. There are too many instances to count where the methods could have been forfeited for the sake of time. One of the more interesting aspects of the film is its website at www.brotherhoodofthewolf.net. The site not only includes the usual trailers, cast bios, and e-cards, but also includes IPix downloads of the set and the Brotherhood Challenge which allows you to "fight" with an opponent via e-mail. Plausibility aside (How did an 18th century Iroqouis Indian learn martial arts? Mani sounds like a Samoan name, not Indian, but who am I to argue?), the overall film was not only compelling but also a visual delight. It’s a film I’m willing to see again. That, in itself, says a lot! ADDITIONAL LINKS: See the trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/brotherhoodofthewolf.html

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