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| HONG KONG FU-EEE! |
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Thanks to my interest
in Xena, I discovered Hong Kong action films.
Many of the Xena action sequences were based on scenes from Hong
Kong movies. And what started as a simple curiosity to see the movies
that Xena "borrowed" from has turned into a full-blown hobby.
To me, watching martial arts movies is like watching a ballet, only with
a few more gallons of blood and broken bones. When Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon took the movie world by storm, everyone else
discovered what I've known for years. Look at how many movies and tv shows
are using martial arts in their fight scenes now (not to mention hiring
the Hong Kong fight choreographers to stage them!) Director Quentin Tarantino has been a
long-time HK movie fan and had enough Hollywood clout to make his own salute
to the movies he loves with the brilliant Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2. Add top HK director
John Woo and stars like Chow Yun Fat & Jet Li now making American
movies, and I'm in Kung Fu heaven!!! |
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As every
good Xenist knows, Xena's transformation from bad to good was inspired
by the visually breathtaking Hong Kong sword-and-sorcery film The Bride
With White Hair, starring Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung. It's
a must-see! Another great Brigitte Lin flick is Dragon's Inn
(a/k/a New Dragon's Inn), featuring a delightful performance by
Maggie Cheung. It's kind of a Sweeney Todd-meets-Key Largo plot
set in old China (and you thought my script ideas were weird...) |
| Alas, Brigitte has retired,
but who better to fill her high-kicking shoes than Michelle Yeoh? American
audiences got a glimpse of her talents in the James Bond pic Tomorrow
Never Dies. But if you really want to see Michelle in
all her glory, trot down to the local video store for The Heroic Trio,
The Executioners (Heroic Trio II), and Wing Chun. Heroic
Trio features the incredible HK triumverate of Michelle, Maggie Cheung
and Anita Mui, and is great fun. Wing Chun's "I'll bet
you can't touch the tofu" scene is one of the most amazing and amusing
fight scenes on film. |
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Chow Yun
Fat has been called the God of Actors. He made his terrific American film
debut in The Replacement Killers, and followed it up in The
Corruptor. He even managed to wipe out any memories of Yul Brynner
as the King of Siam in the new film version of Anna and the King.
To see the work that made him an international star, check out Hard-Boiled,
The Killer, A Better Tomorrow and A Bullet in the Head. |
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TIGER
rules!
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And speaking
of Chow and Michelle, they teamed up in the phenomenal Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon! CTHD is only the 3rd foreign film
in Oscar history to receive nominations for both Best Pic and Best Foreign
Film, as well as the first Foreign Language film to receive double-digit
Oscar noms (10!). On March 19, 2001, CTHD broke the $100 Million
mark in the US market, becoming the first Asian AND first foreign-language
film to do that! I actually met one of the film's stars, Cheng Pei Pei, which
was a huge thrill. This flick's an absolute must-see, even if you've never been a fan
of Hong Kong movies. Here's a partial
list of awards:
Best Picture of the Year - LA Film Critics Association
Best Foreign Film, Best Director (Ang Lee) - Golden Globes
Best Director - Director's Guild of America
Best Foreign Film, Best Director, Best Music, Best Costume Design -
British Academy of Film (Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi received noms
for actress and supporting actress - and SHOULD have won, dammit!)
Best Supporting Actress (Zhang Ziyi) - Independent Spirit Awards
Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Art
Direction - Academy Awards (10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture
and Best Director, which it SHOULD have won - CTHD and Ang Lee
were robbed!)
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| Another icon
of HK action flicks is the amazing Jet Li. Not only is he easy on
the eyes, he's incredibly fast on his feet! He really made his presence
felt in his American feature film debut in Lethal Weapon 4. According
to co-star Mel Gibson, Jet's moves were
too fast for our humble American cameras. We bet Mel didn't play any
of his infamous on-set practical jokes on this guy! Following his LW4 debut,
an earlier HK action flick starring Jet, Black Mask, was released
as a first-run U.S. feature and hit Number One at the box office its opening
weekend—a first for any HK film! But the best news of all is that Jet's
epic film Hero--made in 2002 and nominated for a Best Foreign Film
that year (and should have won!)--has now been released in the US and it broke
records, opening at Number One at the box office!!! It's an incredible
film and a must see for everyone. It rivals Crouching Tiger in its
breath-taking cinematography, brilliant performances (acting- and martial
arts-wise) and epic story-telling. Be
sure to check out Jet's gorgeous website, Jet
Li! |
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And let's
not forget the king of Hong Kong action/comedy, Jackie
Chan. Don't worry about the plots, just sit back and enjoy the
death-defying action scenes (Try to guess which ones sent Jackie to
the hospital). Jackie is finally seeing solid success in American made films,
with the hit movies Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2 and Shanghai Noon, which continue
Jackie's formula of playing a lovable fish out of water. These films provide
lots of laughs and great action scenes, and are permanent fixtures in my
own video library. |
| Tai
Seng Video has lots of HK movies (many of them
letterboxed and subtitled, which is the only way to go) and some
'way cool posters and t-shirts. They are THE source! |
| The
Hong Kong Movie Database is an amazing resource. It features a
searchable database of thousands of HK movies with reliable credits and
plot summaries, and features incisive reviews by fans who love the genre.
Indispensable! |
| The
Hong Kong Film Top Ten Box Office Home Page provides statistics and
breaking news on the Hong Kong film industry. |
| If
you are looking for more martial arts information, check out Bushido
Online Martial Arts site, an online encyclodedia of martial arts, and
The Dragon's List, the
premiere martial arts e-zine. |
| There are also some
great book resources such as "Sex and Zen and a Bullet in the Head,"
"Hong Kong Babylon" and Jackie Chan's autobiography.
I have them in my library so add them to yours! |
| Get tons of great HK movies and CDs online at Sensasian.com.
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