It’s been a crazy week for me, but a fun one. Lots of great stuff to catch up on. Now, I gotta start getting ready for my little trip! Next week will be the old-school filming, sorry in advance!
New Poster and BTS for Once Upon a Time in Vietnam
Donnie Yen to Star in Crouching Tiger Sequel?
Fight of the Week: Joshua Kieser Fight Scene
Trailers for Switch and Fist of Legend
Stallone Turns Down Segal for Expendables 3
Crouching Tiger Sequel Gets a Director?
There have been reports online that a new director has been announced for the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In case you are w0ndering who that is, it’s David Thwaites. I’m sure everyone is doing a collective “what?” right now, and that’s pretty much what I did.
Thwaites was the producer of movies like Black Swan, Robocop, and Shanghai. But what has he directed? Well, nothing that I can find. This has been so puzzling for me, why would anyone want to leave the directing duties for such a powerful film in the hands of someone who has never directed? I’m all about showcasing new talent, but this seems like a very risky move.
It was stated earlier in the week that Donnie Yen is thinking about starring in the sequel, but rumors are also spreading that Fan Bingbing will play Michelle Yeoh’s daughter as well.
While I’m curious about the news regarding this film, it’s got a lot more question marks surrounding it when compared to exclamation marks. I’ll be watching this one with a cautious eye.
What do you guys think about this?
Source: City on Fire
The sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a long road ahead of it. Both Ang Lee and Ronny Yu have turned down the chance to direct the film, and it’s still unclear who will be starring in the film. Word has come across that Michelle Yeoh will be returning, and now there are talks of Donnie Yen playing a star role as well.
People have approached Donnie about this offer, and he’s rather stunned that word has gotten out so quickly.
Here’s his response:
“I would certainly consider carefully, but there are two things that I am concerned about: firstly, my schedule for the year is really packed, and secondly, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is considered a classic so I feel pressured if I were to act in its sequel.”
I feel like the word “packed” is an understatement. Yen is still filming the Iceman Cometh 3D and needs to work on Ip Man 3D. Plus, he’ll be promoting Special Identity and who knows what other films he has booked for the year. I’d be curious to see how Yen fits into the story, but I’m not too sure we can count him in just yet. I agree with his statement about pressure, though. Anyone who signs on will be feeling that pressure. Hopefully it’s worth it.
Would you guys watch the sequel if it had Yeoh and Yen in it? Who would you want to see in the cast?
Source: MSN.com
It’s been a crazy week, but a lot of stuff to check out. Don’t miss a thing!
New Trailer for the Borderland
Gordon Liu Reported Missing (UPDATE!)
Background info
Police Story 3, also known as Supercop, brought Jackie back into the shoes of Chan Ka-Kui. Chan stepped down from the director’s role, handing the reigns to Stanley Tong, but added a lot more to the film itself. With bigger-scale action and Michelle Yeoh showing off that women can be just as awesome, a lot was riding on this film. Was this Supercop strong enough to cross into the international market while pleasing older fans as well?
Story/Characters
While the other two stories weren’t as plot-heavy, the third entry added a little more in the writing department. There aren’t any real twists and turns, but the idea of Chan working undercover added another layer to the story that wasn’t present in the others. The story works well enough to get the ball rolling and leads to the later action sequences efficiently. It should also be noted that some versions of Supercop don’t have the tie-ins to the franchise because it was released as a standalone film, so you might not see as much when watching the US version, for example. (Fun fact: it’s also the first Chinese film to let Chan use his actual voice.)
The characters in Supercop are exactly what you expect. Jackie and Maggie Cheung reprise their roles while Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Wah play new additions. The interactions between Chan and Yeoh seem genuine and always have a comical conclusion. I felt like all of the characters were welcome additions, and it was great seeing the returning characters in their cameos as well.
Action/Choreography
When it comes to action, Supercop is one of the best. I say that talking about the total package, and not just the fighting. The fighting is very good and solid, but it’s the stunts that knock this movie out of the park. Seeing Jackie dangle off a rope ladder from a helicopter is still breathtaking to this day. Very few guys would even agree to do something like that, ever. Of course, don’t count Michelle out either. This fearless lady landed a motorcycle on a moving train, even though she had never driven one before. If you like the straightforward fight sequences, this movie won’t be as impressive, but action fans should have more than enough to smile about.
Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?
Compared to the other Police Story films, Supercop doesn’t rate as highly for me. Maybe it’s the bigger budget and explosions, but I like the smaller-scale stunts like the pole slide or fight in the fireworks factory from the other films. That being said, this is a very respectable addition to the franchise and doesn’t do anything really wrong. Chan and Yeoh work great together and there is enough to please junkies everywhere. I wish there was a little more fighting in it, but it’s still a fun film that everyone should watch.
Watch it
(Get the HK Version if you can, the US ones are the Dimension film cut ones.)
Police Story III DVD (HK Version)
Police Story III Blu-Ray (HK Version)
Supercop Two-Disc Ultimate Edition DVD (US Version)
There was a LOT to talk about, so feel free to look around!
New Trailer for the Grandmasters
Andy On Speaks About Special Identity
Fight of the Week: The Messenger
More Berandal Cast Members Revealed
32nd HK Film Award Nominations
Shaine and Nick Podcast Now Up!
Police Story 2013 Finishes Filming
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Review
Images of Donnie Yen from Iceman Cometh 3D
Background info
Based on Du Lu Wang’s pentalogy, director Ang Lee chose the 4th book to create a film off of. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had a very tough time getting started, since several different cast members declined roles while others had to be replaced. The film featured a still-newcomer at the time (Zhang Ziyi) and paired her up with veterans in the action genre. With Yuen Woo-Ping choreographing the action, did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have what it needed to impress the audience? More importantly, does it deserve all of the praise it has received?
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Trailer
Story/Characters
One of the biggest elements to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the story. While simplistic in nature, it is layered enough to be enjoyable without boring. The basic premise revolves around a stolen sword, but what the object symbolizes for each person reveals a much more personal narrative. There are some aspects of the story that could have been shortened for the sake of time, but the narrative never strays too far or tries to become something it isn’t.
The reason why the basic plot works is because of all the character interactions that go on in the film. You have two seasoned warriors with a lifetime of experiences and a naive young girl who wants more than what she has. It’s these elements that help create the dynamic narrative that has become Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Even though some scenes may not make sense, it’s grounded well enough that it doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience. I feel like all of the actors were good choices and perfect fits for their roles.
Action/Choreography
Some watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon because of Ang Lee and the story, while others watched it for Yuen Woo-Ping and the action. I don’t think that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was Yuen Woo-Ping’s best work by any means, but I can see why some are captivated by it. I’ve used this description before, but this movie is a movie with martial arts in it, not a martial arts movie. The fights are created to look elegant, not necessarily exciting. Some fights look good, but make no real sense. If you don’t like wirework, you won’t like the fights. It’s that simple.
Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a good movie, but not a great one. It’s a film that just happened to stand out more than others, and gave the actors opportunities in other countries they otherwise would not have had. While I feel that other movies do a better job with a similar style, I’m not trying to discredit this film in any way. If you’ve never seen it or it’s been a while, watch this movie again and see what messages you learn from it. I know that I got a lot more out of it this time than when I watched it back in high school just looking for a good fight. With deep characters and beautiful scenery, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is easily worth a watch.
Watch it
Crazy week, but next will be crazier! Don’t miss the podcast and new feature on Tuesday! Until then, check out the following articles.
Ask Eric Jacobus What’s on Your Mind
Trailer for Fist of Legend and News on Ip Man the Musical
International Trailer for Journey to the West
Images for Ninja 2, 47 Ronin, the Iceman Cometh, and the Huntresses
Back in 2000, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon took the world by storm. Even those that weren’t action junkies knew of the title, and it introduced a new type of action to many.
Well, it seems like the movie is now getting a sequel. The Weinstein company has the rights to the sequel and will be shooting the film in China this May. The film is apparently going to be directed by Ronny Yu, not Ang Lee, and was written by Forbidden Kingdom scribe John Fusco. The narrative will follow the fifth book in the series of novels, which is titled Silver Vase, Iron Knight.
Fusco has talked about how this story will affect new viewers:
“This introduces a new generation of star-crossed lovers, and a new series of antagonists in a battle of good and evil. It has a Knights Errant quality. There is an alternate universe in the books, a martial forest that exists alongside the real world, full of wandering sword fighters, medicine men, defrocked priests, poets, sorcerers and Shaolin renegades. It’s so vast and rich, and I found characters from the second and third books in the series to create a most interesting stew while being as true to the source material as I could be.”
Before I forget, it is rumored that Yuen Woo-Ping will be handling the action, though none of the key characters have been announced as reprising their roles.
So, what do you guys think? I honestly didn’t like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that much when it initially came out. That being said, it seems strange to have a sequel where none of the crew is coming back (besides Yuen Woo-Ping.) Do you really think that there is something to be valued here, or was it Ang Lee’s touch that made this movie so great?
I want to go ahead an apologize for the camerawork on this one. I was trying to make a conscious decision to lift the camera up higher to stay in frame, but I guess I was tilting it up too much. I don’t have a front facing scree, so I apologize for the bad framework. I’ll be better next time!
Female Expendables on the Way?
Tai Chi 0 + Hip Hop = This (UPDATED)
A Trailer and Some Clips for Blood Money
