On Saturday nights from 2 to 30 April, get your kicks in front of the TV with these fun Hong Kong chop-socky flicks: The Chinese Boxer, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Vengeance and The Boxer from Shantung.

There are even more fights and fists on the menu in the supremely entertaining series, CMLL Presents: Arena Mexico, in which Lucha Libre professional wrestling takes centre stage, and TKO Major League MMA, which showcases some of the most memorable KOs and wipe-outs in boxing and other sports.

And for the man who has everything except the answers to life’s burning questions – such as how to cook a piece of salmon on a bikini babe’s behind – there’s the second season of Manswers, which continues on Sony Max this month.

Series

CMLL Presents: Arena Mexico
Thursdays at 21:00
Masked, costumed men flying through the air and executing gasp-inducing moves... no, it’s not a superhero movie, but the flamboyantly entertaining professional wrestling spectacle known as Lucha Libre (which means 'free fighting' in Spanish).
Trust the Mexicans to come up with a style of wrestling that doesn’t skimp on thrills and spills, colour and craziness, flashy threads and hot-blooded attitude. These bouts, staged at the impressive Arena Mexico in Mexico City, feature a more high-flying style of wrestling than the more commonly known US version.

In this series you’ll witness the luchadores’ aerial acrobatics in between quick-fire manoeuvres and moves, pulling out all the stops to subdue their opponent and tear off his mask. Some play by the rules, some don’t – but the excitement factor is always intense. Tune in to find out why Lucha Libre is among the most popular live sporting events in Mexico outside soccer, and is catching on around the world.

TKO Major League MMA
Thursdays at 22:00
Boxing bad boy, Mike Tyson, may be a controversial figure, but few can dispute the power of that left hook. In this series, you’ll witness some of the most spectacular knockouts in the sporting world – including 25 of Iron Mike’s best KOs.

But it’s not just the boxing ring that sees blood-and-guts knockouts – witness a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter taking a pummelling, a brutal collision during a soccer game, excruciating cage fights, hockey game punch-ups and much more.
While you’re cringing in sympathy with the blows and poundings these athletes have to face, be grateful that it’s you safely on the couch and them taking a beating!

Manswers – Season 2
Wednesday, 13 April at 23:00
Continues: Weekdays at 23:00
This is definitely one for those with a Y chromosome! Manswers is unapologetically men-focused, and asks all those burning questions that guys around the lie awake at night, wondering about. Such as: What’s the hardest day of the year to score with a babe? How many elevator farts would it take to kill you? How can a toilet save a man’s life?

And there’s many more similarly irreverent – but, heaven forbid, never irrelevant – questions that you know you’ve been dying to ask, but have always thought may be considered socially unacceptable. This series is extremely tongue in cheek and often below the belt, but is great for a harmless giggle and even better for supplying you with tidbits of trivia to impress your mates with around the braai!

Movies

The Chinese Boxer
Date: Saturday, 2 April at 21:00
With the dramatic tagline, 'See the sweeping hand of death strike without mercy!', you know you’re in for an action-packed ride with this classic Shaw brothers movie made in the Hong Kong martial-arts tradition. Jimmy Wang Yu (Master of the Flying Guillotine, Dragon Flies) stars as a fighter who sets out to take revenge on those who killed his family and friends. It’s all about honour, retribution and kick-ass martial arts – an entertaining mishmash of kung-fu and other styles. Directed by Jimmy Wang Yu (1970).

Disciples of the 36th Chamber
Date: Saturday, 9 April at 21:00
Another action-packed Shaw brothers fight-fest, starring Hou Hsiao (Iron Monkey, Return to the 36th Chamber) as an arrogant and headstrong young martial arts fighter who gets into trouble and seeks refuge in a Shaolin temple. However, he is no match for Master San Te (Chia Hui Liu – Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2), who is adept at overpowering his younger disciples in matters of both body and mind. Directed by Chia-Liang Liu (1985).

Mad Monkey Kung Fu
Date: Saturday, 16 April at 21:00
The third Hong Kong martial arts movie in Sony Max’s arsenal this month, this one tells of a kung fu master (Chia Liang-Liu – Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2) whose hands are crippled by a villainous pimp. He is forced to become a lowly street entertainer, performing with his beloved trained monkey, until he meets a kind-hearted petty thief (Hsiao Hou – Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Return to the 36th Chamber) and starts training him in the art of monkey-boxing. Directed by Chia Liang-Liu (1979).

Vengeance
Date: Saturday, 23 April at 21:00
The winner of two awards at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in 1970 – for Best Actor (David Chiang – Once Upon a Time in China II, Dynasty of Blood) and Best Director (Chang Che) – this Shaw brothers classic is one of the period’s most acclaimed films in the Hong Kong martial arts stable. Set in Peking in the 1920s, this period film sees the brother of a slain opera performer taking on the crime bosses who caused his death. Great fight scenes abound in this well-made gangster thriller. Directed by Chang Che (1970).

The Boxer from Shantung
Date: Saturday, 30 April at 21:00
The final kung-fu classic for the month stars David Chiang (Once Upon a Time in China II, Vengeance) and Chen Kuan Tai (Crippled Avengers, The Flying Guillotine). It tells of a poverty-stricken boxer who leaves his hometown to seek his fortune in the big city – Shanghai. However, once there he is drawn into a world of corruption and gang warfare, and has to fight to regain his honour. Directed by Chang Che (1972).