Lots of stuff to explore this week! Congrats to the winner of the drawing! (Be sure to e-mail me your address a kmiller.mamj@gmail.com)
Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip Depart Ip Man 3
The Forge Gives Strength to Those in Pain
Leeder and Law Join the Berandal Cast
Fight of the Week: Yo Soy Un Hombre Loco
Details on Swelter and Justice
Keanu Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi is a film that caught me off guard. I didn’t think much of it until I saw the concept trailer and teaser, but things are shaping up to be really interesting. Some new images of the film were released today, and it’s pretty easy to see that there will be a fair share of fighting as well as some crime/mystery mixed in.
I really think this movie is going to take people by surprise, and that’s always a good thing. Don’t forget that Iko Uwais is also said to have a part in the film, and I’m sure there will be plenty of other surprises in store for fans as well.
Source: Film Smash
Well, it looks like last week’s images were only there to hold us over until today. While it’s hard to determine if this is the “official” trailer because the quality is low, there is a Man of Tai Chi trailer that is out. If you want to know what to expect from Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut, click the video below:
I love the idea of seeing a man slowly become a cold-hearted killer, though I’m not sure is Tiger Chen has the acting chops to pull it off. I really like the action that we see (though big starts like Iko Uwais are left out of this trailer) and can’t wait to see how much fighting there is in the film. I hope that the camerawork is good and the choreography holds up, but it looks like the Man of Tai Chi is going to be a force to reckon with.
I look forward to seeing more of what this film has to offer!
I’ve got a lot of great stuff planned, so get ready for that. Let me know what you guys like and what you don’t and I’ll get it all sorted out!
Details on Super Hero’s First Films
Fight of the Week: Choose Your Weapon Level 2
Jackie Winst Best Choreography at HK Film Awards
Distant Shores is Cancelled and Images for Ninja 2
New Trailers for Once Upon a Time In Vietnam and Fists of Legend
It’s been a while since we have heard about Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut film, Man of Tai Chi. The film has a lot of hype surrounding it, and many are clamoring for the latest on this project (including me.) Thankfully, some new images as well as a poster for the film have been released.
For those that don’t know, Man of Tai Chi stars Tiger Chen, a stuntman on the Matrix team. Choreography will be handled by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping, who also worked on the Matrix.
In addition to these stars, you can also expect to see Iko Uwais, Simon Yam, and Karen Mok. Reeves has a lot to prove with his debut film as a director, but his understanding of the industry and genre may prove to be a fresh breath of air for audiences. If you don’t believe me, check out this fantastic camera demo that was created for the film last year.
I think that this movie has a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to see how Hollywood responds to this type of film. Man of Tai Chi comes out later this year, so the wait won’t be too much longer. I can only hope a trailer is headed our way soon.
A lot of cool news for the week, I have no idea why this video is so short. Feel free to let me know how you feel about any of the news I cover, like Iko joining Man of Tai Chi.
Trailer for Champions of the Deep
Clandestine: Your Questions Answered
Chinese Zodiac Coming to Comic Con, and a BTS Video!
I’ve slowly become more and more interested in Man of Tai Chi. From the initial development stages, to the cast and camera rig, it looks like Keanu Reeves is taking all of the right steps. Now, it’s been announced that Iko Uwais is working on the film as well.
I’m not sure how big of a role Uwais will play, but it honestly doesn’t matter. He will have even more appeal to both the US and HK audience, and that’s never a bad thing. I cannot wait to see how they use Uwais in a fight, and the combination of action with the camera rig is going to be insane. Plus, can you imagine Yuen Woo Ping’s choreography with Iko?
Needless to say, I’ve got high hopes for this one.
Source: Twitch
I recently came across the interview with Yuen Woo Ping that was done by the Hollywood Reporter. I won’t post the whole interview, but here are some interesting quotes from the article:
“In the era of Drunken Master, all the fighting you see on screen were genuine fighting; the actors were hitting each other for real, and it really hurt…and injuries sometimes did occur. But that was when most the action actors and stuntmen had authentic martial arts backgrounds. At the same time, as the director and action choreographer, that gave me the most freedom to design action sequences. I could just pull the actor aside if I had a new idea, we could work it out together whether he could pull it off physically or not, or give me his ideas.”
“The reigning action leading men are not getting any younger, so are the stuntmen. It’s very difficult find the next Jackie Chan or Jet Li, and even Donnie Yen isn’t a young man anymore. He’s paid his dues, and finally got his break..The Hong Kong stunt crews are getting too old also, for the physical demand in action films. When the younger generations in Hong Kong are mostly so much more pampered than when I was a kid, who’s going to practice like we did? We basically learned our discipline by getting beat up by our sifu on a daily basis. So, the teams I’ve been working with nowadays are mostly from China.”
I think that Yuen Woo Ping has a point. I’m not saying that the harsh upbringing that people like Yuen Woo Ping, Jackie Chan, and even Jet Li experienced would be acceptable, but it did shape them into the people that they are today. That mentality is gone now, and there are fewer people who are able to do it all. I hope there are still people out there that are capable of stepping up to the plate, and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.
There is a lot more that is covered in the interview, such as how progress has been with Man of Tai Chi. Be sure to read the full interview here
Looks like this week will be the week of info for upcoming movies. Some concept footage for Man of Tai Chi has been released, and it looks amazing. What’ s weird, though, is that the focus is on the camera, not the stars. You’ll see why that’s a good thing after you click on the video though:
Man of Tai Chi Concept Footage
I’m really excited about what’s possible with this camera. As long as the shots are smooth and fluid (and why waste such equipment with choppy editing?) I think this will raise the bar for action films. Not only will Hollywood follow suit, but it can change how Hong Kong does action as well.
I was a little worried about Keanu Reeves, but this has restored my faith in the man. I can’t wait to see some actual footage and what he does with it all!
