- published: 18 Feb 2008
- views: 6230506
Sensei (先生?) is a Japanese word that is literally translated as "person born before another". In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher", and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority. The word is also used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill: accomplished puppeteers, novelists, musicians, and artists for example are addressed in this way.
The two characters that make up the term can be directly translated as "born before" and implies one who teaches based on wisdom from age and experience.
The word prefaced by the adjective 大, pronounced "dai" (or "ō"), which means "great" or "large", is often translated "grand master". This compound term, "dai-sensei", is sometimes used to refer to the top sensei in a particular school or tradition, particularly within the iemoto system. For a more senior member of a group who has not achieved the level of sensei, the term senpai (先輩?) is used – note the common use of 先 "before"; in martial arts, this is particularly used for the most senior non-sensei member.
Steven Frederic Seagal (born April 10, 1952) is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an Aikido dojo in Japan.
He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made his film debut in 1988 in Above the Law. By 1991, he had starred in three successful films, and would go on to achieve greater fame in Under Siege (1992), where he played Navy SEALs counter-terrorist expert Casey Ryback. However both On Deadly Ground (1994, which he directed) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) did poorly in theaters. During the later half of the 90s, he starred in three more theatrical films and a direct-to-video The Patriot. Aside from Exit Wounds (2001) and Half Past Dead (2002), his career shifted almost entirely to direct-to-video films (often low budget productions and shot in Europe or Asia). Between 1998 to 2009, he appeared in a total of 22 of these. At the age of 59, he returned to the big screen as Torrez in the 2010 film Machete. As of 2011, he's currently busy with the third season of his reality show Steven Seagal: Lawman.
Actors: David Cohen (actor), Kenneth Hampton (composer), Evelyn Jimenez (actress), Izzy Martinez (actor), Buddy Howard (actor), Geretta Geretta (actress), Geovanni Molina (writer), Geovanni Molina (producer), Geovanni Molina (director), Gisselle Legere (actress), Geovanni Molina (actor), Joseph Velez (actor), Veronica Viruet Simpson (actress), Sharon Pfeiffer (actress), Dave Gregory (actor),
Genres: Horror,Actors: Lloyd Kaufman (actor), Michael Herz (producer), Lloyd Kaufman (producer), Lloyd Kaufman (actor), John Tamburro (miscellaneous crew), Brent Neale (actor), Steven Kostanski (director), Adam Brooks (writer), Adam Brooks (editor), Adam Brooks (producer), Adam Brooks (actor), Steven Kostanski (writer), Steven Kostanski (actor), Adam Brooks (director), Jeremy Gillespie (composer),
Plot: Ahab, a man obsessed with exacting a brutal, violent revenge on the man who murdered his dad, joins John, an eager priest, and Twink, a hot-headed street hustler, on an epic quest to find and defeat this mythical monster known as Chris Fuchman AKA The Father's Day Killer.
Keywords: abortion-joke, ambiguous-ending, apostrophe-in-title, beheading, berries, black-bra, black-bra-and-panties, black-panties, blind-priest, brief-female-frontal-nudityActors: Jonny Lewis (actor), Charley Rossman (actor), Michael Glover (producer), Michael Glover (director), Michael Glover (actor), Michael Glover (editor), Michael Glover (writer), Fred Beshid (miscellaneous crew), Fred Beshid (actor), Michelle Gillette (actress), Fred Beshid (producer), Jim Petersmith (actor), Robyn Rosenkrantz (producer), Robyn Rosenkrantz (actress), Lucius Bryant (actor),
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Daisuke Ban (actor), Michael Ng (actor), Aaron Yamasato (editor), Aaron Yamasato (producer), Aaron Yamasato (writer), Aaron Yamasato (director), Paul Booth (producer), Anderson Le (writer), Anderson Le (producer), Alicia Michioka (actress), Ian Hirokawa (writer), Ian Hirokawa (producer), Stephanie Sanchez (actress), Leroy Bartlett (actor), Colleen Fujioka (actress),
Genres: Action,Actors: Jamisin Matthews (actor), Jamisin Matthews (composer), Yoshi Ando (actor), Kristen van Dernoot (actress), Jason S. Kim (producer), David Walrod (actor), Jason S. Kim (director), Jason S. Kim (editor), Izumi (actress),
Plot: A man is mugged and beaten by two young women who take the money from his wallet. A friend stops beside the beaten man, who's prone on the sidewalk; the passerby hands him the business card for Brokeback Karate. He enrolls, but at first he's a poor student. His sensei emphasizes pelvic thrusts. Will this mentoring lead to any changes in our man's life? What about the muggers?
Genres: Comedy, Short,Actors: Yôji Yamada (director), Colleen Clinkenbeard (actress), Isao Tomita (composer), Kaori Momoi (actress), Takashi Sasano (actor), Yôji Yamada (writer), Nenji Kobayashi (actor), Christopher Sabat (actor), Christopher Sabat (actor), Ken Ogata (actor), Mike McFarland (actor), Christopher Sabat (actor), Tokie Hidari (actress), Justin Cook (actor), Yasuo Daichi (actor),
Plot: Shinnojo, a low level samurai, lives with his pretty, dutiful and loyal wife Kayo. He has come to find his position in a castle as a food-taster for a feudal lord to be boring and pointless, and talks about opening a kendo school open to boys of all castes where he can teach the use of the sword. Before he can act on his dream he becomes ill with a fever after tasting some sashimi made from shell fish, but an investigation reveals that the poisoning was not due to a human conspiracy, but a poor choice of food out of season. After three days he awakes but finds that the toxin from the food has blinded him. Kayo is summoned by Shinnojo's family to explain how the couple will survive. His uncle laments that he no longer knows anybody with influence in the castle, and asks Kayo if she knows of anybody. She relates how Toya Shimada, the chief duty officer in the castle and a samurai of high rank, offered to help and they tell her to act upon his offer of assistance. A message from the castle brings the good news that Shinnojo's stipend of rice will remain the same, and for life but his aunt tells him that Kayo was seen with another man. He has Tohuhei, his faithful servant, follow her. Kayo notices that she is being followed, and although Tokuhei offers to cover for her, she reveals to Shinnojo that Shimada offered to help but with a price, shown when he forced himself upon her. He then solicited two additional trysts by threatening to tell Shinnojo about the first. An enraged Shinnojo divorces her and orders her out of his house. When it is revealed to him that Shimada had nothing to do with maintaining his stipend, but that it came out of gratitude from the lord of the clan himself, Shinnojo seeks to renew his skill with the sword as a blind man to avenge the dishonor of Kayo. Through Tokuhei he sends a message to Shimada to set up a duel, with the additional message to not underestimate him. The two samurai meet at the stables near the river to decide their destinies.
Keywords: based-on-novel, being-followed, jidai-geki, samurai, warriorActors: Titus Y.H. Chong (miscellaneous crew), Daisuke Ban (actor), Michael Ng (actor), Aaron Yamasato (producer), Aaron Yamasato (director), Aaron Yamasato (editor), Aaron Yamasato (producer), Aaron Yamasato (writer), Anderson Le (producer), Anderson Le (writer), Alicia Michioka (actress), Ian Hirokawa (producer), Ian Hirokawa (writer), Leroy Bartlett (actor), Leroy Bartlett (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy,Actors: Neal Naito (actor), Paul A. Hicks (editor), Paul A. Hicks (writer), Paul A. Hicks (actor), Paul A. Hicks (producer), Mark Wyrick (actor), Ali Saam (actor), Sonny Sison (actor), Hector Hank (actor), Charlie E. Schmidt (actor), Troy Mittleider (actor), Kristin Denehy (actress), Dollar Tan (actor), Aasha Davis (actress), Monica Garcia (actress),
Plot: James is a man in search of acceptance, friendship, love, an understanding landlord and most of all... a break. In a meeting with a man that could make his career as an action hero, James reminisces on the nine months of training and personal trials that went into the production of his screen test.
Genres: Comedy, Short,Actors: Harry Alan Towers (producer), Les Weldon (writer), Trevor Short (producer), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Hristo Shopov (actor), Harry Alan Towers (writer), Avi Lerner (producer), Danny Dimbort (producer), Gary Daniels (actor), Danny Lerner (producer), Gary Howsam (producer), Gary Howsam (producer), Itzhak Finzi (actor), David Varod (producer), Krasimira Karachorova (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: When reporter Steve Roberts acts on a call from his good friend, Dr. Charlie Venco, urging him to leave Seattle and report on a hot scientific story in Bulgaria, he ends up in a world of disappearance, death and deception. It begins with Dr. Venco's suspicious death and funeral where he meets Alexa Campos, a beautiful associate of the doctor's. A romantic liaison between Alexa and Steve is thwarted by local thugs and military police who are all after the meddlesome Roberts. Roberts discovers what he should not - that the supposed blood research is in fact the development of a 100% addictive drug "Blue Mist" - and that Charlie was in on the whole deal with the Russian Mob. Roberts and Alexa must find a way out: their only hope being some pretty quick thinking and the best martial arts to ever hit Bulgaria.
Keywords: bulgaria, funeral, independent-film, journalist, organized-crime, police, russian-mafia, sofia-bulgaria, zoo