20 bucks says Eddie takes it.

I totally dig The Patriot.  It has its flaws and gets a bit formulaic towards the end, but some good characters all around and it doesn't play it safe, to be sure.

Going off the AFI list...

1) Raging Bull
2) High Noon
3) Rebel Without A Cause
4) American Graffitti (never all the way through)
5) Easy RIder

Funny you should mention Human Weapon, as my friend and 10th Planet teammate Jason Chambers is the host of that.  i cut together his highlight reel.

Keep in mind that that is a TV show and therefore the host is not supposed to win.

To answer your previous question, its not so much a matter of we've found the only two arts that work.  That's not the case.  Plenty of BJJ and MT guys lose all the time in MMA competition. 

What happened in 1993 when the UFC came into existence was peel back the layers of the Martial Artists who failed to evolve.  BJJ and MT both stress the importance of live sparring and adapting the techniques as time changes.  Jiu Jitsu has been around for over a thousand years.  But it was the changes made by Mitsuo Maeda who taught his art to Helio and Carlos Gracie sr, who then made their own changes, that made the art unique. 

Traditional Muay Thai is not very effective when it came to their pumnching techniques.  But as they became aware of western boxing, they started incorporating punches that europeans and americans used, and layered it with their kicks, knees, and elbows.  Those arts evolved and constantly challenged themselves through live practice.  In 1993, not many traditional martial artists sparred with any frequency.  It had become a racket of, "Well my technique is too dangerous to be sparred with.  It would do serious damage, so you have to take my word for it."  If you hear ANYBODY say that to you, laugh in their face and walk away, because they're full of shit.

SO yes, early on, BJJ dominated the UFC (see Royce, Renzo, and Rickson Gracie).  But then american Wrestlers realized the advantage of being on control of the takedown and were extremely successful for a while (see Mark Coleman, Kevin Randlemen).  Then Kickboxers were able to learn some takedown defense, and exploited holes in the wrestlers stand up game (see Maurice Smith, Bas Rutten).  Then around 1998 everybody realized...oh shit....you have to be competent in everything, and specialize in one thing.  That's when the sport got interesting.

What I love seeing is when traditional martial artists don't abandon their native art but adapt it.  Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida has a foundation in traditional Shotokan Karate that his father taught him.  He's also very good in BJJ, Muay Thai and Sumo.  He uses those arts to enhance and supplement his base art of Karate and the end result is something very unique and effective.  He's 16-1 as a fighter, which is impressive.  The main thing though...he spars realistically as do all fighters these days.  As you must if you want to really learn.  And I say this as someone who used to bare fist punch Makiwara boards, kick trees to toughen my shins, sit Zazen under waterfalls, and would spend an hour doing the Tai Chi long form everyday.  I've been down that road.  It's very rewarding on a lot of levels.  Just not for a practical application of combat.

I would love nothing more for someone to supplement Kung Fu, train it hard, and make it effective (there are some claims that people are doing this with Wing Chun currently).  I would LOVE THAT.  Sadly, I don't think its going to happen anytime soon.

If you come at a dude with Seven Star Praying Mantis, it won't be much of a fight.

It pains me to say this....but most Kung Fu is not applicable for real self defense.  And I say this as a Black Sash in Kung Fu.  Let me put it to you this way.  Say you wanted to learn to defend yourself and you wanted to take up Boxing.  So you go into a boxing gym, and the first thing they tell you is stand with bot arms by your waist and your fists pointed upward, turn of the century style.  You'd laugh as you walk out of the place, and you'd be right to do so because that shit doesn't work anymore. 

There was a time when it worked because thats all people knew.  But as a society develops, so does its fighting techniques.  Kung Fu, while steeped in culture and often times beauty, was developed hundreds of years ago, and based on how people fought at that time in that part of the world.  We in the western world tend to romanticize it and ascribe a near supernatural aspect to it, but at the end of the day, its a series of prostrations that don't add up to this time period in this part of the world.

I'm not saying its worthless or never works.  I don't believe in absolutes, but I do believe in percentages.  If I throw a left hook that is properly timed and executed , it'll at least do some damage over half the time.  But if I try a mantis claw grab into a lop sau bil jee.... the percentage of that working is far less.  I try a pluck needle wristlock takedown, it'll work 15% of the time.  My chances go up significantly if I try a double leg takedown or even an Uchi Mata from Judo. 

So if you've got a hankering for some Crouching Tiger, by all means, go crazy.  If you want to learn how to fight...I can't in good faith recommend that.

Ive talked to a few people close to production and what I've come to understand is this.

While the fans have always been about the mystery, the Producers were far more interested in the characters.  The final image of the show, Damon Lindelof has had planned since the Pilot. 

*SPOILERS*

He knew Jack was going to die in the end sacrificing himself so the others could be safe.  His journey was that of finding purpose and redemption.   He knew what the island could do.  He knew what effects it had on people, he knew about Jacob, Smokey, all of that, from the beginning.

What was more modular, was the answer to the question, "The island is a ______."  That interested them the least as storytellers.  I'm not unsympathetic to this view.  I grew up watching a lot of Hitchcock and he was of a similar mind.  In North by Northwest, you never find out what James Mason does that made him a bad guy, you just know he is.  In Notorius you never know what that black powder is, you just know its bad.  That's how they saw the island.

Now here I have to be careful.....through circumstances I found out a bit more than I should and Ill try to give a satisfying answer to this without going to specific.

At one point, around season 4-5 they had a very definitive answer as to what the island was.  They drop hints at this throughout season 5.  As they are breaking season 6's story, they realize that where they want to take these characters, and how they want to end their story, it doesn't really match up well with this explanation of the island that they had been using internally.

I cannot be much more specific, but Ill say this.  The explanation of the island was originally much more hard sci-fi.  In the last season though you realize that with what Jacob's mother tells them, coupled with the reveal of the flash sideways, that it is much more mystical/spiritual in nature.  This is where they wanted to go, and this is why they couldn't just come out and say, "The island is  ______."  They never revealed too much in seasons 1-5, because they wanted to give themselves the freedom to change as needed.

But think about it.  Massive pocket of energy.  Electromagnetic in nature.  Time altering properties.  The smoke monster makes almost mechanical sounds.  You can draw your own conclusions.

"Shadow of a Doubt," 1943.  One of my top 3 favorite Hitchcock films.  It's like a noir in a suburb and its rad.  Joeseph Cotton is at his best here. 

"Empire of the Sun," 1987.  Probably my favorite Spielberg movie after Jaws and Close Encounters.  A teenage Christian Bale in a WWII POW tale. 

"The Ice Storm," 1997.  This was my favorite movie of that year and one of my top 5 of the decade that spawned it.  Amazing performances from just about everyone who is in it (still Katie Holmes best acting role).  I liked Ang Lee before but became a huge nut after seeing this.

Um, dude, YOU'RE the one harping about dong, not me.  I made a comment on how the visuals in the film ALMOST are taken straight from the book.  Yes there is some male nudity.  It's been years since I read it so I may have forgotten a dong or two amongst Frank Millers seemingly endless colleciton of it.  Hell, in "Elektra Lives Again," every other panel is Bullseye's flacid dong flapping about).

Oh hey there, just saw this.

I would recommend think outside of this notion of styles.  Traditional Styles are a byproduct of geography, sociology, weapons technology of that era, and other factors that aren't as relevant these days.  Instead of engaging in a debate of Tae Kwon Do vs Wing Chun, I would say approach this from a forensic standpoint. 

There are three ranges of unarmed, hand to hand combat.  Striking, clinching, and grappling.  Some arts address all three, others specialize in one or two.  I would say do some research, try a few classes based on what you have in your area, and pursue the one that fits your personality and your body type first.  Once you've gained some skill, try to supplement it with an art that's outside of what you've been doing.

STRIKING
Any art where punches and kicks are the primary methods of attack, usually at range of full extension.  A pure striking art would be something like Western boxing, most Karate styles, most Kung Fu styles (particularly Northern Shaolin styles), Savate, western Kickboxing. 

CLINCH
These are styles that either have an emphasis or at least serious attention paid to the close range, stand up fighting.  There are very few pure clinch styles, but rather arts that use the clinch as a means to either deliver strikes at short range, or initiate a takedown and a subsequent ground grappling exchange.  Among these arts would be Greco-Roman Wrestling (leading to a takedown), Judo (takedown), Muay Thai Kickboxing (heavy emphasis on knees and elbows), Sambo (takedown), and Dumog, (strikes, takedown).

GRAPPLING
A grappling style is essentially a variation on wrestling.  For some grappling styles, the goal is to pin or immobilize an opponent, for others the goal is to beat an opponent with strikes, and for others the goal is to finish an opponent with a submission hold (choke, joint manipulation).  Freestyle wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Catch Wrestling, Sambo, and Judo all have a strong ne-waza (ground grappling) element.

In my humble opinion....you need all three.  You can neither properly defend yourself nor explore your Martial potential without exploring in varying degree all three aspects.  Kyle, you are a big guy who has spent several hundred hours lifting other big guys.  I'm not recommending Savate.  I would say play to your strengths and try either Judo or Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.  You'll do more standing and throwing in Judo, and more mat work and submission holds in BJJ.  I love both, but have been doing BJJ for 10 years now for a reason.  Its a bit more comprehensive and a bit more, well, fun, in my opinion.  Ive seen guys in real time successfully defend themselves from an attack with nothing but Jiu Jitsu. 

If you really, REALLY, just want to hit something, I would try Muay Thai or a really old school, hard style Karate.  Maybe Kyokushin-kai or Uechi Ryu.  Youll punch more things in Muay Thai, but youll do a lot of kicking as well.  Kyoukushin, is one of the few modern Karate schools that stress the importance of live sparring.  I would agree.  A martial arts school that doesnt spend at least some time sparring is sort of wasting your time.  WIth that in mind, Wing Chun Kung Fu isn't horrible either.

If you want to roll onto a movie set as fast as possible, Kung Fu is still the standard bearer.  Northern Shaolin styles tend to be flashier.  Wushu schools are fairly common as well.  Capoeira looks damned pretty and if you at 300 pounds could pull off a quexada to armada and au combo, that would be pretty sick.

That said, if you're looking for a good workout and something thats more about stillness and peace, I would heartily recommend an internal art.  Something like Tai Chi, Pa Kua, Hsing-I, or certain souther Shaolin styles.

My journey has been an unusual one.  I started doing Yang style Tai Chi Chuan when I was 14 and within a year I was co enrolled in our schools Jing Mu Kung Fu classes.  I got my black sash in 3 years and during that time I took as many seminars and camps as possible.  I tried a little capoeira, eskrima, and Pa Kua.  I fought professionally at 18 in this thing called the Shidokan out in Chicago.  I trained in my native style, as well as lots of Jeet Kune Do....and subsequently got my ass knocked out in the 1st round by the previous years winner.  I reevaluated a lot, and after the Army I started training in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I haven't REALLY looked back since.  Ive been very fortunate to train the last 7 years at a popular MMA school here in LA, and I've gotten to roll with tons of my heroes and they've all completely destroyed me.  Ive won a couple tournaments here and there but I feel like my real strength is as a teacher. 

I trained Amy Earhart for Return of Pink Five and as soon as a certain someone finishes a certain spacebridge battle, you'll see what I mean.

While I'm certainly flattered by the request,  weekly would be a bit much, firstly, and secondly, while I do hold a black sash in Jing Mu, its been probably 10 years since I transitioned from that to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.  While I feel Im competant at what I do, I train with some very wonderfully skilled folk who put my skills to shame and kick my ass routinely.  They have online presences that I would direct you toward.

With that said, I have a long gestating DIF blog post about fight choreography as well as a desire to film some kind of short film thats just one big fight.  Ill give a heads up if/when either of those go up. 

I'm also open to ideas if you want to see me to do something resembling ass-kickery.

Kyle, I am totally aware of what you're saying.  I gew up watching pro-wrestling, and yes there is a smidge of over lap in the history of modern MMA development with Pro Wrestlings Carny rules.  I also went to college with Matt Morgan, so I'm well aware.

And yes, MMA is in a much better position now than it was just 4 years ago.  But lotsa guys on the bottom row of MMA are still making 2grand to show and 2 to win at the UFC.  Lets say you roll in, lose the fight and get hurt.  Not only have you only made 2 grand to pay your team, but now you cant train for god knows how long.  Sure, there are sponsorships and guys can make money on the seminar circuit, but it can be rough going if you're not in the show, as it were.