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jyu

12-30-2005, 12:09 AM

Hi all,

I just want to share with you all that Jet Li's new Kung Fu film will be out in Jan 06.

Preview can be seen here:

http://movie.91.com/Modules/../Video/2005/12/26/Film31088_5093f845-06de-4caa-9817-2b8b8b256775_z.wmv

Jet Li's play the role of 霍元甲 (Fok Yeun Gap) a martial artists that really existed in the late Qing Dynasty I believe.

Hope you all enjoy.

Kristoffer

12-30-2005, 11:42 AM

hope it's worth seeing

mickey

12-30-2005, 03:13 PM

Hello jyu,

Thank you for sharing. I hope they show the Mizhong technique.

mickey

RAYNYSC

01-03-2006, 04:28 PM

I hear it's supposed to be Jet Li's last kung fu movie.

GeneChing

01-03-2006, 04:53 PM

did you hear that here? (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37638) :cool:

Kristoffer

01-04-2006, 04:41 AM

hope he does tekken

GeneChing

01-09-2006, 11:28 AM

Anyone see it? Any reviews yet?

GeneChing

01-09-2006, 05:06 PM

Looks like they pushed it back until Jan 26th (http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2006/1/9/movies/13049258&sec=movies). I'll ask again in two weeks. BTW, the official website is up (http://www.fearlessthemovie.com).

SimonM

01-09-2006, 07:40 PM

Ah Sweet!

Guys just remember this: yes - the trailer does say that this will be Jet's last film - but how many times has Jackie Chan announced "no more gong fu films" these last two decades and yet "The Myth" was full of fight sequences.

GreenCloudCLF

01-17-2006, 03:59 PM

http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=5713

ngokfei

01-28-2006, 06:27 PM

this site, even though in chinese has some good stills and short clips of the movie.

Anticipating its arrival in the US> We all know that means VCD from Chinatown, will be quite a while til it appears on the big screen here.

http://ent.sina.com.cn/f/huoyuanjia/index.shtml

SanHeChuan

01-29-2006, 02:20 PM

Bloodsport with weapons...Looks **** cool:cool:

SifuAbel

01-29-2006, 07:48 PM

Links for those of us without chinese language kits, please.

Lohanhero

01-30-2006, 01:12 AM

or you could try here, such a shame this will be his last "life with martial arts" type movie. but i look forward to his new focus of "life with buddhisim" within movies.

http://www.fearlessthemovie.com/

anton

01-30-2006, 03:12 AM

Looks pretty good! BTW does anyone here practice My Jhong Law Horn (mízōng luóhàn)?

SimonM

02-06-2006, 04:21 AM

Fearless rocks! It is a short movie but it was well worth the 8 RMB that the DVD cost me.

For a real skitzo experience watch Fearless and Fist of Legend back-to-back!

jethro

02-16-2006, 08:02 PM

Anyone Know

poorboy

02-16-2006, 08:36 PM

If anybody in china see's this movie could you please write a review on it. thanks

GeneChing

02-28-2006, 03:50 PM

This film is a classic kung fu flick akin to OUATIC and Fong Sai Yuk, only with post-Hero/CTHD production values. There's some great fights, but the best stuff happens early making the final fight anticlimactic - same problem with Jackie Chans' Myth (http://www.martialartsmart.net/dvd10086.html), actually. Jet turns in a fine performance, both acting and action. The version I saw had only Chinese subtitles, but I think I figured out most of the plot rather easily. It's a simple plot, and I'm very familiar with the following "fist" movies (Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend) as well as the history, so I knew exactly how it was going to end.

Rogue Pictures (http://www.roguepictures.net/home.html), same people that brought us Unleashed and Brokeback Mountain, are handling Fearless. Our Tiger Claw Foundation (http://www.tigerclawfoundation.org) worked with them for Unleashed. They've contacted me about it - their rep mentioned a possible August date for US release.

jethro

02-28-2006, 04:31 PM

I have also heard of an August release date. But with important things like this it could take awhile to bring it over. I just don;t get why we can't get it faster, I mean are they trying to make it an 80min. release like Iron Monkey, Iron Monkey might not have been cut down too much, but I heard this movie was already chopped up before it's first release, so I hope that we get the right version like we did with HERO and House Of Flying Daggers.

I know the story is based on the character that Beardy played in LEgend of a Fighter. I hope it is better than that, I am not a big fan of Jet Li's the Legend, but I hope this movie can at least be as good as the classic woo-ping brought us in 1982.

doug maverick

03-01-2006, 01:10 PM

you guys should know that if you want to know the release date of a gung fu movie in the us you have to go to:

http://www.kungfucinema.com

BTW. august is the slated release date for fearless there planning on putting it in more theaters then hero.

GeneChing

03-01-2006, 02:21 PM

I just got the press packet from Rogue. They are looking at an August 4th release date at this time.

Hero was distributed by Miramax, released to 2,175 theaters in the USA ($18,004,319 opening weekend). Fearless, like Unleashed, is through Rogue. Unleashed was released to 1,962 theaters ($10,900,901 opening weekend).

The Chinese title is Huo Yuan Jia, the founder of Chin Woo, one of the most venerated organizations in CMA. Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend, Legend of a Fighter are all based upon this story.

RAYNYSC

03-01-2006, 04:25 PM

For those of you who live in the N.Y. you can pick a copy of the movie on 14th street there's a DVD outlet store right off 6th ave. The copy isn't the best that you can find but you can sit though it lol.

GeneChing

03-01-2006, 05:00 PM

I missed your question above. I dabbled in mizong, but didn't learn the whole form and I don't remember now what little I was shown. In fact, I'm the fall guy on the cover of the yanqing mizong video (http://www.martialartsmart.net/prtc010.html) that we produced. We had a thread going on that some time back, but I cannot remember which forum it was in.

qiphlow

03-08-2006, 12:30 PM

anyone hear of a release date for fearless w/ jet li? is it available in the chinese dvd stores?

jethro

03-08-2006, 04:07 PM

anyone hear of a release date for fearless w/ jet li? is it available in the chinese dvd stores?

kungfucinema.com says august, let's hope so. ;)

GreenCloudCLF

03-09-2006, 08:48 AM

August 6th or 8th in the US theatres.

Rumor has it Mandarin unsubtitled copies are available in NYC and SF Chinatown...

GeneChing

03-09-2006, 10:41 AM

We've gone over all this on this thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40138) It's still on the first page of this forum. The answers are out there but you have to look.

Lokhopkuen

03-12-2006, 12:06 PM

I just finished watching it and I loved the story.

The fight scenes are awesome and it caused me to reflect on a deep personal level.

Sad,

deep,

inspiring......

peace

jethro

03-13-2006, 03:12 PM

I APPRECIATE NOBODY REALLY GIVING THE MOVIE AWAY, SO THAT WHEN I WATCH IT IF AND WHEN IT COMES HERE, I WILL BE WATCHING A 100% NEW MOVIE.

HOPE IT LIVES UP TO THE HIGH REVIEWS EVERYONE HAS GIVEN IT.:rolleyes:

hasayfu

03-16-2006, 05:13 PM

Just watched this movie and I agree with Gene. Started out like Fong Sai Yuk with what seems like Jet just reliving the character. Once it hits the village it gets good story wise. Lots of philosophy to go along with the action.

Won't give too much away but as been said, if you know anything about huo, you know how this story is going to go. Still nice to see it played out. I think Jet and crew did a great job.

I thought the final fight scene was good. It was a good mix of things and did not lose anything by the earlier scenes. At least he didn't recycle choreography like Donnie did in Sha Po Lang (which was another good movie)

SimonM

03-16-2006, 08:02 PM

What movie did the SPL coreography come from than?

Scott R. Brown

03-17-2006, 12:57 AM

My wife saw it last week in the Philippines and said it is a great movie!!!!!! She is trying to find a DvD of it for me for our anniversary next month (if she can find it)!

Shaolinlueb

03-17-2006, 11:28 AM

My wife saw it last week in the Philippines and said it is a great movie!!!!!! She is trying to find a DvD of it for me for our anniversary next month (if she can find it)!

there are a ton on ebay.

hasayfu

03-17-2006, 02:53 PM

Simon, not to derail this thread too much but The final fight scene in SPL was basically the same fight scene that Donnie had earlier in the movie. The sequence is slightly different and now you have Sammo doing stuff but it had this dejavu feeling

SimonM

03-17-2006, 05:38 PM

ok, wasn't paying attention

GeneChing

04-12-2006, 09:21 AM

I just heard from Focus Features. The US release date has been pushed back again. No one knows when exactly yet.

jethro

04-12-2006, 11:02 AM

I just heard from Focus Features. The US release date has been pushed back again. No one knows when exactly yet.

just, just, god dammmitt:mad:

GeneChing

04-13-2006, 09:12 AM

Word is that Fearless is now scheduled for a 4th quarter release. I'll update if I hear more.

PangQuan

05-02-2006, 12:36 PM

Im not the biggest jet li fan, but this movie is great. good action, nice story, but a little sad.

if you were a fan of Fist of Legend, then you will certainly enjoy this flick.

check it out.

jethro

05-02-2006, 02:03 PM

hopefully it comes here in the next year.

Hey gene, I have seen half of tai chi master(2004) and I thought wu started in like 96, this guy looks like he's 17 or 18 in this movie!!!!!!, or t.v. show. It is not as good as I expected, but hopefully the end will leave me smiling. Jacky hasn't shown off his stuff yet completely, but billy chow is scary even for a cheap looking t.v show.:D (but you don't beat the scenery in this movie).

qiphlow

05-02-2006, 03:39 PM

i've seen all of tai chi master (2004): liked the fights, story got old pretty quick.
if you havent already, check out tai chi II with jacky wu--also good fights, story is a little more bearable. yuen wo ping's choreograph is da shizznit!

jethro

05-02-2006, 04:43 PM

But already had this in the mail. The fights are cool, and the camera work is a lot like fist of legend. But I forgot, I gotta go find out how old jacky wu is!!!!!

NO FREAKING WAY THIS GUY IS OVER 30 YEARS OLD(OR 20 FOR THAT MATTER).

GeneChing

05-03-2006, 02:15 PM

OK, we're back to our original release date for Fearless - August 4, 2006.

jethro: Jacky Wu's b-day is 3 APR 1974.

jethro

05-03-2006, 02:47 PM

hey, saw the second half of this, and it was AWESOME. It was AWESOME. It was AWESOME. It...

Final fight not as good as some of the others but billy chow never dissapoints. I wonder if there is anyway we can get woo ping to work on a soap opera over here. And I have to say I liked the story, but maybe because there was like 1 minute of talking and then a fight, they had to chop up at least 95% fo this story.

hey gene, again, no way jacky wu is over 30.

Hey asian people, do you age:mad:

jethro

05-03-2006, 02:52 PM

I doubt fearless will premiere ion August 4th. I know it won't be in nebraska by then, and I know I will be quoting myself on august 4th. And I know I could be wrong. And I know I am an idiot. And

PangQuan

05-03-2006, 03:42 PM

ebay will let you premier it now :D

jethro

05-03-2006, 04:23 PM

but didn't see hero on the big screen, did with flying daggers and am gonna have to wait(for it to never come).

golden arhat

05-12-2006, 01:19 AM

has anyone seen fearless ? i have i thought it was really good you get to see jet portraying more than just a martial arts hero who can fight and do a bit of acting you see him as well you just have to see the film its a classic or at least it will be

who else has seen it?

gwa sow

05-12-2006, 06:36 AM

i liked it a lot. one of my favorit jet movies. also of you haven't seen it yet check out sho pa lang with sammo hung and donnie yen.

Kapten Klutz

05-12-2006, 06:44 AM

also of you haven't seen it yet check out sho pa lang with sammo hung and donnie yen.

English title?

jethro

05-12-2006, 08:08 AM

donnie, yen, greatest action superstar, watch him take on bad guys in sho pa lang:D

Hard Fists

05-12-2006, 08:32 AM

It is definately my wife's favorite Jet Li flick...I liked it too, but imo Fearless can't hold a candle to Twin Warriors.

Jingwu Man

05-12-2006, 08:58 AM

Fearless is a great movie. What a way for Jet to wrap up a career.
The fight scenes are so crisp and quite realistic, and I am a student of the Ching wu athletic association, so watching your schools beginning on screen is a huge thrill. Huo yaun jia rocks and Jet Li rules!:)

GeneChing

05-12-2006, 11:13 AM

We've been discussing Fearless on our Media Forum (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41304) for some time now.

As for Sha Po Lang, it has yet to garner an English title. But you can read about Sha Po Lang on our media forum (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38795) too, or just buy it (http://www.martialartsmart.net/dvd64538.html), form your own opinion, and then expound it on the thread above. :cool:

ZhuiQuan

05-12-2006, 12:29 PM

I ordered it the other day. It'll get here soon, I hear it's awesome. A friend and fellow student at my school said it was amazing. Besides that, my Sifu and some senior students said they watched it over and over because it was so good.

I'll have my own opinion soon, I'll post here after I see it if anyone's interested.

ZhuiQuan

05-12-2006, 04:58 PM

OK, it came today and I watched it. A lot of the movie is like a mix of other films he's been in. But overall I think the story was good and the fight scenes are great.

BM2

05-12-2006, 09:57 PM

Gene,
Will Jet Li be autographing any posters for charity?

Strife

05-13-2006, 04:33 PM

Fearless is one of the coolest movies ive seen in along time. Its great to see yeun mo ping and jet li working together again, and great to see a story based in old school china.

if read alot of sites criticizing jet li's speed, saying his age is gettin to him, but i do not see this whatsoever. the style he uses is soft/hard, starts with soft then turns into hard.

i dont want to spoil anything, but each fight is brilliant, i dont know how yeun mo ping keeps thinking of this new ****. he is really a genius, and its ironic how his name means "peace" in cantonese, yet he just developes these brutal, realistic scenes of one guy destroying one, or many other guys.

i havent read the other posts in this thread, but from what i know is that its being released in north america in august, and at the same time it gets officially released in hong kong, in a uncut dvd.

people may not agree with me after they seen it, but i think its a great film. goes back to the roots of kung fu. the half shaved head, sharp looking uniforms, and masters fighting masters in city squares.

peace and love.

GeneChing

05-16-2006, 04:14 PM

BM2, I am working with Fearless, but not on a charity poster drive like we did last year with the Tiger Claw Foundation (http://www.tigerclawfoundation.org). Sorry if you missed your chance. :(

BM2

05-21-2006, 05:59 AM

My bjj instructor thinks TMA only works in the movies:rolleyes: However he bought "Hero" and enjoys watching Jackie Chan movies too.
I have read where "Unleashed" is considered to be Jet Li's best acting performance. I think "Hero" is his best movie not for his acting or MA performance but for the story.

Judge Pen

05-21-2006, 12:12 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOTJIk8tio&search=hua%20kung%20fu

jethro

05-21-2006, 01:57 PM

can hardly ever get that you tube to work, give me a description of the scene and I will haev a title.

Judge Pen

05-21-2006, 02:00 PM

can hardly ever get that you tube to work, give me a description of the scene and I will haev a title.

Let Li deuling with different martial artists with weapons. Fencing vs. jian. European spear vs. Chinese spear. 3 Section staff. On a platform like bloodsport.

jethro

05-21-2006, 02:33 PM

sounds like fearless, good thing I didn't watch it:D

Judge Pen

05-21-2006, 03:18 PM

sounds like fearless, good thing I didn't watch it:D

Why's that?

jethro

05-21-2006, 04:10 PM

hoping to see it on the big screen, one day:p

choyleefat_604

05-21-2006, 07:14 PM

yeah...those were scenes from 'fearless'

jethro

05-21-2006, 07:27 PM

I feel like i am tryign to get home without anyone tellign me the score of the nebraska game so I can get there and watch it like it is live. Except it is MUCH MUCH WORSE THAN THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sifuabel-send me a copy of the promise and spl to tide me over and I will start a hatred thread on whoever you want.

GeneChing

05-22-2006, 10:09 AM

It says Huo Yuan Chia at the end (and is titled Hua Yuan Jai). :rolleyes:

Loved the hip hop toreador outfits. :p

SanSoo Student

05-24-2006, 09:02 AM

*eagerly waiting the uncut version*:D

To the people that have seen it, didn't the pacing of the film seem alittle too Hollywood-ish for you? Like trying to fit such a great story that deserves more storytelling time into the convenient 100 minute time frame.

I want to see the uncut as it should really explain his transformation more clearly, IMO.

jethro

05-24-2006, 10:14 AM

I think ronny yu was actually told by asian film to cut it, that is why I heard michelle yeoh only makes a cameo, or may not be in it at all:eek:

Am the only one who hasn't seen it, but please prove to me that I am wrong.

SPJ

06-30-2006, 09:07 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swjuH0L3PLM&search=chinese%20martial%20arts

a message from the movie.

a message from the theme song.

--

Winning all the fights and being number one, and so what?

(what is the meaning of being number one winning all the Lei Tai fights?)

--

all that is gained is merely an empty name.

(the fame is nothing but emptiness.)

--

As the time passing by in a small town;

the bravery (courage) as clear as the small stream;

washing my memory clean and reminding me of you.

live on proudly.

--

:D

SPJ

06-30-2006, 11:26 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvyyLnu7-cM&search=jet%20li

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZpJ7GpwUZw&search=jet%20li

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL9rL4hVCww&search=jet%20li

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lui6AaeMz6M&search=jet%20li

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqKFdxkLkjg&search=jet%20li

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElS5OleAY-A&search=jet%20li

movie trailers.

:)

SPJ

06-30-2006, 11:47 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Vk1HNnH2Y&search=jet%20li

a talk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RL5wiBAHxo&search=jet%20li

"Director Yu is inconvenienced and yet he kept his dream alive and work hand. Directing movies from Hong Kong all the way to Hollywood.-- I was impressed by him. And we communicated my ideas about life and wushu in this movie.--

"What is the meaning of Wushu? Why I practice Wushu? What is life?--

My interpretation of Wushu in life is in the movie.

--

how to show (describe) the positive side of the negative side of Wushu and life in a movie"

Jet Li (paraphrased)

:D

SPJ

07-01-2006, 06:50 AM

"the spirit of Wushu (life) is the spirit of self improvement thru practice without rest (constantly) (Zi Qiang Bu Xi)"

Jet Li on making the movie of "fearless" to convey his message about Wushu and life. (premier press conference in Taipei, Taiwan)

--

SPJ

07-01-2006, 07:57 AM

personally. I like the lyric. and the music and the rapping actually gave me a headache.

Jay Chou has softer songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_3mPRziiP0&search=jay%20chou

this one is about remembering her hairs like the snow. romance, reincarnation, tablet of true love etc etc.

I like it better.

:D

SPJ

07-01-2006, 04:56 PM

The last music video or MV was sad.

The girl in red poisoned the girl in white out of jealousy for the love of Jay.

Jay threatened to kyll the girl in red and did not.

this episode was some time in old China.

In this life, they bumped into one another again in Taipei, Taiwan.

--

:D

SPJ

07-01-2006, 05:08 PM

Ok out of limb in stretching.

Both stories have poison in the tea.

Huo in a Lei Tai fight.

Girls in the tea house.

--

:D

SPJ

07-03-2006, 12:23 PM

this is the full version of the theme song MV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V0opKObsPY&mode=related&search=jay%20chou%20fearless

:)

SPJ

07-03-2006, 02:47 PM

I like the movie. I got a DVD copy from China as soon as they arrived in LA area. It is good to know the local bookstore owner well.

Su Yuan or "source of books" has a big warehouse in Monterey Park. The owner is from Shan Dong.

Not to spoil for fans not seeing the movie yet.

---

It is sad. especially the end scence. The blind country girl is "seeing" the firefly and then Huo's spirit performing Kung Fu among plum flowers in a final peace.

--

SAAAAAAAD major.

--

:cool:

BlueTravesty

07-05-2006, 09:47 PM

I've been watching the trailers like crazy for the past couple weeks. This looks like an awesome movie!

I wonder how the lawsuit brought by Huo Yuan Jia's great grandson is/did turn out. Apparently he had a bone to pick with the movie because it depicted HYJ as being wealthy and childless and was apparently wrong on both counts.

Can't wait to see Jet Li doing MiZong/MyJhong though! Hooray for MyJhong!!! :)

GeneChing

07-07-2006, 10:10 AM

They've moved the premiere date back to September 22nd.

jethro

07-07-2006, 11:14 AM

They've moved the premiere date back to September 22nd.

My life has ended.

qiphlow

07-07-2006, 11:47 AM

where, o where in the san francisco area can one buy a copy of this movie?????
anyone?

GeneChing

07-10-2006, 10:39 AM

We just received a huge shipment of Fearless posters. These are full-size posters and will be added for free to any MartialArtsMart (http://www.martialartsmart.net) and Tiger Claw (http://www.tigerclaw.com) orders, starting this week.

I recommend you order a pole arm (http://www.martialartsmart.net/Staffs.html), because then it will come rolled. Otherwise, it might be folded. ;)

qiphlow: seek you chinatown...

qiphlow

07-10-2006, 12:43 PM

thanks! i shall begin the search soon.

Judge Pen

07-10-2006, 12:59 PM

I saw it yesterday for the first time. Good movie. I'll go see it on the big screen when its released. I think they could have made it longer. The fights against the foregin warriors (except the american wrestler and the japanese) were way to brief.

I didn't know that this was, in a way, telling the story that led up to Jet Li's movie "Fist of Legend." Obviously a different interpreation on the death of the master. Any links or resources to read how much, if any, is based on fact or history?

GeneChing

07-10-2006, 01:42 PM

You'll have to check out our next issue, JP. It'll be coming at you in a few weeks. We're sending out subscribers (http://www.martialartsmart.net/19341.html) now.:cool:

SPJ

07-10-2006, 04:17 PM

http://www.plumpub.com/info/knotebook/boxlosttrack.htm

http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/film/158188.htm

:D

GeneChing

07-11-2006, 09:09 AM

Plum Publications is run by an old martial bro of mine, Ted Mancuso. I have great respect for Ted and what he has done with Plum, but I have issues with anyone who uses other people's material and fails to cite them. Having had my stuff plaguerized so many times, I always do my best to provide good citations. In all fairness to Ted, however, I'm assuming that the broken link for mizong books once led to the book from which this mizong research was extracted. That would have made the perfect informercial and if it helped sell the book, I could certainly see it as justifiable.

You'll have to see my mizong piece in our next issue (Sep Oct 2006). It covers the material presented on that site above, with the appropriate citations. Mizong history is tricky, so it's even more important to leave citation tracks, lest they get lost...

jethro

07-11-2006, 12:28 PM

Wondering who has seen teh movie Legend of a Fighter, aka Secret Master. Judge Pen says Fearless was like watching a prequel to fist of legend. While the action in Fist of Legend is great, I could never rank it as one of my favorite movies.

Legend of a Fighter on the other hand hit me like a giant ball of chi thrown by Sonny Chiba's character in the Storm Riders.

Just wondering all you people that have seen both Legend of a Fighter and Fearless:
will I at all be dissapointed if I sit on my fatass and wait for this to come to theaters?

SPJ

07-11-2006, 10:12 PM

You'll have to see my mizong piece in our next issue (Sep Oct 2006).

Cool. will do.

:)

BlueTravesty

07-11-2006, 11:04 PM

GeneChing

07-17-2006, 09:21 AM

See my unabridged cover story:
Jet Li is FEARLESS (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=670)

SPJ

07-17-2006, 09:49 AM

" turning the negative energy to the positive"

:)

GeneChing

07-27-2006, 02:05 PM

From your good friends (and forum sponsors) at www.MartialArtsMart.com (http://www.martialartsmart.net/index.html)

For a limited time, you can receive a free poster for the new action-packed movie, JET LI’S FEARLESS. A free poster will be included with every order while supplies last.

Here's the sample link (http://www.martialartsmart.net/images/Promo/JulyMid2006/Fearless.Kung.Fu.jpg)- the ones we have in currently are full size - 40" x 27".

Li Kao

07-29-2006, 03:26 AM

First off -- great interview Gene.

I was wondering if anyone knew the details about the footage that Ronny Yu cut. From what I read, he chopped off almost 40 minutes and took out all of Michelle Yeoh's scenes. Will there ever be an uncut version available, or will that footage likely be lost since the director himself made the cuts (as opposed to when American film companies do their own editing)? Being a huge Michelle Yeoh fan, I obviously was looking forward to seeing her, plus the scenes she was in seemed, from what I understand anyways -- while perhaps not absolutely necessary, were at least very integral to setting up and framing the story. Ronny claimed that the scenes interfered with the pacing, and since it's his movie, that's his decision to make, but hopefully us die-hard fans will be able to see the full version eventually (a guy can hope right?)

GeneChing

07-31-2006, 09:37 AM

Nobody is talking about the cut footage. The studio is rather hush-hush about it all. I'm hoping it'll be on the DVD, since that seems to be the way of things nowadays. So keeping hoping. I'm hoping too...

GeneChing

08-01-2006, 11:20 AM

We just got a large shipmment of new promotional mini-posters. These posters measure 11"X17". Like the full-size posters above, these mini-posters will be included with every order for MartialArtsMart (http://www.martialartsmart.com), while supply lasts. The mini-posters will be sent out with the smaller packages while the full size posters will be sent out with the larger ones.

GeneChing

09-13-2006, 02:40 PM

Check out my latest e-zine article: Ronny Yu is FEARLESS (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=682). FEARLESS opens in the U.S.A. next week.

kungfujunky

09-13-2006, 02:52 PM

there are some awesome weapons fighting in this film..the 3 sectional stuff was superb!

GeneChing

09-14-2006, 10:48 AM

Check out our Jet Li's FEARLESS Sweepstakes (http://www.martialartsmart.net/KFM/). Twenty lucky contestants will win an autographed poster, a limited edition t-shirt, a flip-book and trading cards. One entry per person; Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck everyone!

:cool:

Shaolinlueb

09-14-2006, 11:42 AM

i saw fearless. i wasnt that impressed with it as everyone is. its like ong bak, tons of hype.

5Animals1Path

09-14-2006, 06:17 PM

*Spoliers Intermingled*

I thought the fights in Fearless were better then Jet's usual, only a little bit of wire work. Much closer to the fights in Kiss of the Dragon. What really surprised me about the movie was actually being sucked into the story, something I'm really not used to for any type of movie with good fights. When he redeems himself, and the final fight against the japanese guy who felt exactly the same way about the world as Jet's character made me care alot more when he bit it.

Overall, waaaaay more watchable story wise then Protector.

GeneChing

09-18-2006, 12:17 PM

Yup. Fearless. For the week of the premiere, Fearless is paying the bills around here. Of course, I hope the film has a strong opening, because that's really important for the immediate future promotion of all martial arts films and Asian films. I also hope that all of you will take a moment to click through the topmost banner link, because like with any ad, there's a click-through tracker, and we want to show Focus Features some solid click-through rates so they will continue to work with us with special promotions like our autographed poster raffle (http://www.martialartsmart.net/KFM/).

Support FEARLESS. Support KungFuMagazine.com (http://www.KungFuMagazine.com). Support Chinese martial arts. :cool:

GeneChing

09-22-2006, 01:38 PM

Here's hoping for a strong box office opener. They've been trying to keep the fact that Fearless is subtitled very quiet because that always detracts from U.S. box office numbers. The opening weekend is critical.

The Willow Sword

09-22-2006, 09:10 PM

Well i went to see it today and i liked it very much. i had no idea that fearless was the back story to fist of legend. i didnt mind the subtitles at all, i kind of expect it with asian film releases in the USA.

i saw a few previews that i am interested in . Mel gibsons "Apocalypto" and chow yun fat " the curse of the golden flower". both looked like they would be worth seeing

as for people not liking it, i mean yeah its no crouching tiger or Hero or even fist of legend(thought it was better than fist of legend actually) but it was still a good film and i liked the choreography.

cheers,TWS

SimonM

09-22-2006, 09:34 PM

As long as you don't go in the teatre doors expecting Black Mask, Enter the Dragon or Rush Hour 2 "Fearless" is one of the best martial-arts related movies I've ever seen (top three at the very least).

The problem is that Fearless is a relatively serious drama about the martial artist Huo Yuen Jia. It is just not a "Kung Fu movie" per say though.

bung bo

09-23-2006, 08:00 PM

I enjoyed the movie a lot. I think the scenes cut (although not really knowing what there were) took a lot out of it. Someone earlier said he thought that it was too much story stuffed into a small time-slot...for real. There was room for expansion in the village scenes.

I thought the fight scenes were great, with only a little wire-work. I got engulfed in the story (usually doesn't happen to me for a martial arts film...then again it was mostly a drama.) I liked that it was subtitled and not English-dubbed. That woul've been really corny having everybody talk like a superhero. Some people actually walked out because of that.

GeneChing

09-25-2006, 12:05 PM

******* took the box this weekend with $28,106,000, nearly three times that of Fearless, which came in at $10,564,000. That's not a great opening, sad to say. Compare to Hero ($18,004,319), it's more on par with Unleashed ($10,900,901). It's much stronger than The Protector ($5,034,180).

We'll have another Fearless article up very soon, which not only discusses the cut scenes (including the cut Thai boxer fight which is apparently only being shown in Thailand and in the Director's cut), it'll have a still from Michelle Yeoh's cut scene. This article will explain a lot about the underlying story that most of you probably missed.

lunghushan

09-25-2006, 12:22 PM

Yeah it seemed too choppy ... like bad editing and not enough character development. Either that or Jet Li is a bad actor (or both).

The fight scenes seemed to be pretty good, though. Not too much wire work.

Li Kao

09-25-2006, 01:07 PM

Not a bad opening weekend -- though Fearless isn't competing against any blockbusters at the moment either. Still, taking the number 2 slot on its opening weekend is pretty respectable and hopefully it will stay strong for a few weeks before starting to lose some steam. It's a little disheartening to me that ******* Number Two is the film that beat out Fearless, but not that suprising either -- I suppose in the pop culture we live in today, masochistic shenanigans trumps martial arts.

Gene, I still think you had the best interview with Jet that I've read so far in regards to Fearless, but I'll link another one for everyone to check out:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/jet_li_fearless.html

It focuses on some of the key elements about Fearless that differentiate it from most martial arts films and the aspects about the movie that I enjoyed the most:

1. There was no "villian" per se ... the true enemy was Yuanjia's own arrogance and motivations.

2. Foreigners were not demonized in an absolute sense -- yes, there were some dubious ones, but the Japanese fighter was very noble and honorable.

3. The moviations behind why people train in martial arts and how they use their training -- what is the ultimate goal of martial arts, etc.

I think alot of good discussion could be had about these various topics...

On a side note -- I'm still hoping to one day see the cut scenes with Michelle Yeoh. Also, Nathan Jones is sure making the rounds these days -- was strange seeing him on the screen twice in a week -- first in the Protector and now in this movie. Kung Fu/action movies have always used the "big lummox" type of characters before as villians -- Bruce Lee had Kareem and Bolo, Jackie had Billy Kiss, Takashi Miike recently used Bob Sapp, District B13 had the Yeti (Jerome Paquatte) -- I guess it makes for the classic David vs. Goliath scenario.

Wu-Tan-Nan

09-25-2006, 01:54 PM

Hi everyone!
I was just wondering if any of you knew what kind of Kung Fu style Jet Li was using during this movie? Did he actualy use Huo Yuan Jia's Mizongyi?

iwushu

09-25-2006, 02:13 PM

I went to watch Fearless this weekend, knowing that this is Jet Li's closing epic, I was expecting a fantastic fight. I must say I was really surprised by the heart of the film, the meaning of Wushu, or more exactly, Jet Li's vision and philosophy of martial art. The only other master that has ever brought the moview to such depth was Bruce Lee. Hat off to Jet Li, for his willingness to communicate the powerful message with his film.

Jet Li brought the definition of power to a new level, through his almost ballet like kung fu moves, he chose to tell a story of human being, falling from the hunger of fame to the rising of self-respect and soul searching. I was so inspired by this film that I actually went to start a podcast (http://media.odeo.com/files/5/1/8/867518.mp3)with my Wushu friend, who is a senior editor of wushu magazine in China. We did the podcast in Mandarin Chinese, and I am hoping to translate it into English soon. I would really appreciate your feedback!

Thank you for providing this space for us to discuss a great film like this!

Abby (iwushu.net)

iwushu

09-25-2006, 02:56 PM

It's a great article, I am looking forward to the uncut DVD which is more than 2 hours long...

The movie also received "two thumbs up" from ebert and roper show, I believe this is probably the first to Jet Li's film. The other one is Hero, but I guess it's really a Zhang Yimou's film and honestly, that movie was more of a motion colorful images with little or no story....

Not a bad opening weekend -- though Fearless isn't competing against any blockbusters at the moment either. Still, taking the number 2 slot on its opening weekend is pretty respectable and hopefully it will stay strong for a few weeks before starting to lose some steam. It's a little disheartening to me that ******* Number Two is the film that beat out Fearless, but not that suprising either -- I suppose in the pop culture we live in today, masochistic shenanigans trumps martial arts.

Gene, I still think you had the best interview with Jet that I've read so far in regards to Fearless, but I'll link another one for everyone to check out:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/jet_li_fearless.html

It focuses on some of the key elements about Fearless that differentiate it from most martial arts films and the aspects about the movie that I enjoyed the most:

1. There was no "villian" per se ... the true enemy was Yuanjia's own arrogance and motivations.

2. Foreigners were not demonized in an absolute sense -- yes, there were some dubious ones, but the Japanese fighter was very noble and honorable.

3. The moviations behind why people train in martial arts and how they use their training -- what is the ultimate goal of martial arts, etc.

I think alot of good discussion could be had about these various topics...

On a side note -- I'm still hoping to one day see the cut scenes with Michelle Yeoh. Also, Nathan East is sure making the rounds these days -- was strange seeing him on the screen twice in a week -- first in the Protector and now in this movie. Kung Fu/action movies have always used the "big lummox" type of characters before as villians -- Bruce Lee had Kareem and Bolo, Jackie had Billy Kiss, Takashi Miike recently used Bob Sapp, District B13 had the Yeti (Jerome Paquatte) -- I guess it makes for the classic David vs. Goliath scenario.

shiyonghua

09-25-2006, 04:57 PM

this is probably my ignorance coming through, but I would guess that he was not using strictly Mizongyi for two reasons:

1) I'm not sure Li has trained in that particular style

2) In the same way that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon didn't highlight the Wudang styles . . . its a movie, and they tend use flashy, wide techniques that are a combination of numerous styles

again, its just a guess

Jimbo

09-26-2006, 06:20 PM

I enjoyed Fearless. It actually found it a bit more reminiscent of Legend of a Fighter than Fist of Legend. I liked the story and the overall message of the movie better than I did the fighting. I found it very cool that the village scenes used what seemed a different Chinese ethnic group (were they Miao?). However, it seems to me that Jet Li isn't always convincing when he plays a "bad guy" or a guy with a bad attitude; just like in The One, when he acts "bad" or arrogant, he seems like a nice guy trying to act mean. But the message of the movie was very clear, or should be.

I also found it interesting that Nathan Jones (who played the strongman O'Brien) is in two movies out at the same time. A few years ago he was in WWE but never panned out as a wrestler, but he seems to be doing quite well for himself in movies (he was "killed" by Brad Pitt in Troy).

MightyB

09-27-2006, 09:02 AM

In order to ensure that these types of movies will continue to be released in America, it's very important that ticket sales are high. Crouching Tiger was a huge success, but the Promise and House of Flying Daggers both were box office bombs. If Fearless flops, then there will be little incentive to release these types of movies in the US.

You vote with your dollars at the movies. Just something to think about.

The B

Su Lin

09-27-2006, 09:07 AM

Will be watching it at the cinema if and when it comes to Engerland!

auntie

09-27-2006, 09:10 AM

Will be watching it at the cinema if and when it comes to Engerland!

I've seen it it's excellent. The opening sequence really sucks you right in

tug

09-27-2006, 09:29 AM

Good call, B.

Already planning to see it more than once.

TuG.

TenTigers

09-27-2006, 09:33 AM

The problem is, some of us live in or near Chinatowns, and we get to buy the DVD's almost a year before it is released to the Western world. I had Ong Bak in Thai, as well as Tom Yum Goong, and Fearless. BTW, I thought house of flying dagers was amazing.

gwa sow

09-27-2006, 09:51 AM

i think one of the problems is that a lot of people in america see the oldschool kung fu flicks and expect to see similar action throughout the newer movies. they see these new movies that are set hundreds of years ago in china and expect similar movies. some of the new ones are more, um "artful" i guess then a martial arts movie. Others have fantasy elements to them and not many people like this.
I liked fearless very much because it had good action and just enough story. i tom yung gong was ok but didn't like the story to much. felt like it was a highlight reel instead of a movie. guess cause it was like ong bak but with an elephant insteas of a statue.

GeneChing

09-27-2006, 10:29 AM

And gwa sow, you're totally right. The problem is that all the people that are fans of the genre pick up the Asian flicks much earlier, and then don't go out to support the film. I confess, I didn't go see Tom Yum Goong or Ong Bak in the theaters for exactly this reason. I'm planning on seeing Fearless, even though I've seen it before on and Asian DVD. You got to support the industry when you can. Marketing Asian films in America is destined to have these sorts of problems. There's really no way around it, unfortunately.

Ray Pina

09-27-2006, 11:05 AM

I would love to go see 5 Deadly Venoms or Kid with the Golden Arm in the theaters. They should re-release them like Star Wars .... which I just happened to watch last week from episone I to VI (not in the same day:) ) for the first time. Amazing. And you see the tragety of Anikin in a new light when viewing the stories without much interuption.

PangQuan

09-27-2006, 11:07 AM

every month or two a local theater has marathons for old school kung fu, samurai, and yakuza films

its great to see the classics on a big screen

5Animals1Path

09-27-2006, 11:15 AM

I'd be more tempted to go see asian movies in the local theater if I didn't know before hand it was edited again before we see it. If the trailer wasn't blatantly lying about the plot (The Protector). If the American release didn't take over a year to be done.

The last one isn't a big sticking point, but it's a straw. It just irks me to know that if I wanna see the whole movie and have it be fully legal, I've gotta wait upwards of 2 years for the "special edition" to be released on dvd over here.

It's sorta like steriods, except it doesn't give me boobs. :rolleyes:

BoulderDawg

09-27-2006, 11:50 AM

I saw it and enjoyed it. I went into the theatre thinking it was going to be another MA art flim where the fighters were jumping on top of houses and from tree limb to tree limb in a shower of snow or flower pedals but I was surprised.

I thought the girl (Moon)should have had a bigger role.

Overall I would recommend the movie but with reservations. I thought some of the dialog and the overall story line appeared to cater to the strict censorship standards that are enforced by the modern day Chinese government.

jethro

09-27-2006, 01:23 PM

jethro

09-27-2006, 02:20 PM

I knew it would be more like Legend of a Fighter! Thanks a lot Jimbo, I don't have any money and now I am gonna have to sneak into the theater so I can see it since I read your comments. Now, I am guessing the production values are a little higher then my favorite movie ever-Legend of a Fighter:p

Lama Pai Sifu

09-27-2006, 03:03 PM

but the Promise and House of Flying Daggers both were box office bombs.

The B

Hey Mighty, why do you say that HOFD was a box office bomb? By what standards? HOF Daggers has done almost $90 million USD worldwide with a budget of only $11 million USD.

I know a lot of people said that they didn't like it, but dollar-wise, it was hardly a flop. Even after the distributors take their cut, it has still done over $25 million USD in profit,...how could that be a bomb? Generating 3 times it's investment. Unless you mean it was 'Da Bomb' and then I can understand...LOL

I haven't checked the number on the Promise yet.

Peace

Jimbo

09-27-2006, 06:04 PM

jethro:
Well, it's not EXACTLY like Legend of a Fighter...but it just reminded me more, for whatever reason. The opening scenes, especially the old footage from around the Boxer Rebellion period. Huo Yuanjia spying on his father practicing and sneak-learning. I do wish it had actual training scenes like the old-school movies, but I guess you can't have it all.;) And yes, the production values on this one are very good.

street_fighter

09-27-2006, 06:54 PM

Well, it should do pretty good, with all the advertisement its been getting. Every 5 minutes on tv i see a commercial for it, and there are like 3 different ones. Actually those things really bother me, its so misleading. They even did the whole "one man will defy... a nation" thing. Cliche cheezy commercial narrations... And the one thats like "a warrior without fear. a contest that will determine the fate of a nation". Having seen the movie, that stuff has very little to do with it, it makes me laugh. But if thats what it takes to appeal to the audience over here, I endorse it, cause its a nice movie with a good message that deserves to be played worldwide.

BlueTravesty

09-27-2006, 07:37 PM

I LOVED the movie, and thought it well and truly rocked. I felt it had the right balance of fighting and drama, a nice splash of character development. Like Jimbo, I also wish there were some hardcore training scenes, since those are really my favorite part of any Martial-Art themed movie. I also loved the lack of a "villain" and I feel this was probably Jet's best acting performance. I'm not saying the guy is a great actor (not that there are any in Hollywood anyway) but the sheer passion and exuberance he expressed while playing Huo Yuan Jia was infectious to say the least.

However, I thought he did a good job playing an "arrogant" character. He was tenderhearted and kind, but c0cky, careless, and let his passion to be the best cloud his judgement. The HYJ in the first part of the movie wasn't a great person, and his character had flaws, but he was magnanimous and loved by his students- an aspect I think he pulled off very well. I'll concur with you on his performance in The One though... didn't really like that one.

Mr Punch

09-27-2006, 10:14 PM

The problem with watching movies like Fearless is... it was crap!

Well, not really crap but vastly overrated, pompous, terrible effects, a hackneyed storyline which offered nothing new, patchy direction, some meaningless plot devices and characters, and overlong. Jet Li is so up himself I'll be glad when he stops making martial arts movies cos in the last couple he's tried to make a message and it's wound up being the ultimate cheese without the benefit of knowing it was so, like the old skool fu flicks.

HOFD was beautiful to watch but a completely empty movie.

Give me Tony Jaa or Jackie anyday (tho of course Jackie likes a good turkey as much as the next man) - at least they don't have the pompous moralistic BS or seen-it-all-before-in-CTHD-or-Hero artwank and just know how to make an entertaining chop sockey number.

Samurai Jack

09-27-2006, 11:49 PM

Not to be a downer, but the reason I don't watch kungfu movies is because for the most part they're lame. As a martial artist, I find fake-movie-foo to be insulting. As an intelligent movie goer, I find bad stories, with poor character development, and shoddy acting to be a waste of my life.

Here's a thought; why not make good movies featuring excellent *real* martial artists who can act?

****, I'm a stick in the mud.

Samurai Jack

09-28-2006, 12:03 AM

But I'm going to watch Fearless. ;)

jethro

09-28-2006, 01:54 PM

Character development?

These movies are definitely not for you. I just like to watch the beauty of them dance on screen. Or the way that Sammo sped up the camera exactly the right way. Or maybe the super cheesy stories like the nude woman fighting in Ninja the Final Duel. Or watching Chang Shan seem like the biggest badass ever on sceen even though he never made a movie that would have costed mroe than $50,000. Or seeign this new wave of beautiful movies that Zhang Zimou is doing...

jigahus

09-28-2006, 02:36 PM

onyomi

09-29-2006, 08:01 AM

The problem with watching movies like Fearless is... it was crap!

Exactly. I already payed to see it in Taiwan, I'm not going to pay to see it in America. Also, House of Flying Daggers and Hero weren't nearly as good as Crouching Tiger.

I hate to be a downer, but there are so many better Jet Li movies. Some of the scenery is nice and it's got a pretty good, albeit drawn-out message, but the martial arts action is totally cut and paste. I used to really like Yuan Heping, but I'm starting to feel like if you've seen one of his movies you've seen them all. He not only doesn't make any attempt to have Huo Yuanjia use something resembling Mizong-quan, Huo Yuanjia's fighting style seems to be pretty unremarkable, generic acrobatic stuff. See Iron Monkey instead--better action, more action. Or Jet Li's version of Fist of Fury--also much more, better, creative martial arts action, imho...

Eddie

09-29-2006, 08:17 AM

I liked fearless. We've had it down here for a long time already.
Is the american version dubbed in english?

GeneChing

09-29-2006, 02:09 PM

We have one more exclusive e-zine article for you on Jet Li's FEARLESS. See FEARLESS: If YU Build It, The JET Will Come by Dr. Craig Reid (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=683)

BM2

09-30-2006, 09:43 AM

My seven year old son enjoyed it although he said he wished it was in English.

Faruq

10-01-2006, 06:56 PM

Oh snap! I've got to get down to Chinatown and get me a copy of Fearless!

The problem is, some of us live in or near Chinatowns, and we get to buy the DVD's almost a year before it is released to the Western world. I had Ong Bak in Thai, as well as Tom Yum Goong, and Fearless. BTW, I thought house of flying dagers was amazing.

Samurai Jack

10-01-2006, 11:53 PM

I definately recommend the Chinese version if you can find it. I was somehow under the impression due to the KFM article that the kungfu would be real, not wushu. Unfortunatly it was lame wire-fu as usual. I cringed through out the sword fight with the Samurai as well. It was embarrassing. Even the English boxer was doing movie-fu for crying out loud! The story was obviously chopped up to the point of being butchered beyond recognition for the American version. It just jumped from one fight to the next with a little dialogue hardly justifying the message of the film, nor describing the history of the Jing Wu organization it proported to be about.

Like I said, if they want these movies to do well here, they could try making them *good*.

:rolleyes:

jigahus

10-02-2006, 10:03 AM

I already paid to see The Protector. I've done my part in supporting martial art movies coming out this year.

GeneChing

10-04-2006, 09:33 AM

...it's a question of whether you want to keep seeing martial arts movies on the big screen. Hollywood distributors don't distinguish between the martial arts movies. They just lump them all together in their neat little box and when a new one comes along, they look at how the previous ones did. I doubt most distributors even know that Jet is from China and Jaa is from Thailand. I doubt they make any distinction at all. If you haven't seen it, you should go out and support it if you can, just on principle. You should do that with any martial arts movie. I love seeing martial arts movies on the big screen, even crappy ones. I always support martial arts films when I can, even if I know going into that it's going to suck. Sometimes martial arts movies are even better when they suck.

That being said, if you want to see Fearless for free tonight and are local to us, we're doing a free screening of Fearless (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=710712).

Tim_W68

10-04-2006, 12:10 PM

I already saw it twice and will buy it when it come to DVD!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D

jethro

10-04-2006, 01:44 PM

Fearless was the best martial arts movie I think I have ever seen. It was a true epic. I hope that when the extended edition DVD comes out I can securely call it the best but more than that, I hope the extended DVD comes out.

jethro

10-04-2006, 02:01 PM

Before watchign fearless I was afraid that this was going to be just another wire-fu movie. Other than a coulpe fo goofy scenes that didn't make much sense, this is an inspirational story about the man that is obviously known as one of the people who helped greatly with the development of the martial arts.

The movie starts otu with a bunch of martial arts action but I also enjoyed the story very much. Or maybe it is just too easy to overlook when the fight scenes aer so exciting. The battle with the swords blew my mind, the fight with Nathan Jones was better than Tony Jaa fighting him, and the end, well, the end. :(

GeneChing

10-05-2006, 11:05 AM

We held our Fearless screening (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43421) last night, so I got a chance to see it on the big screen with subtitles. The subtitles didn't reveal anything that I hadn't already figured out watching it without subtitles. It's really a simply movie - all this discussion of it having a profound plot just indicates how insipid most MA movie plots are. The sets were magnificent and it's encouraging to see MA films move away from the ridiculous low budget sets of years past. How many final fights did we have to watch in empty fields? A lot of the set details were lost on my little TV screen. Yu isn't as expansive a director as say, Zhang Yimou, when it comes to shooting good panoramas, but he pulls some beautiful stuff that deserves to be seen on a big screen. The choreography impressed me a lot less on the big screen then on video. Yuen Woo Ping relied heavily upon what I'm going to call the 'stripper pole' move where someone gets knocked off something, like the leitai or out of the ring or off some precipice and then swings around using some impossible physics to deliver a riposte. He also used a lot of weird kicks when being flipped, sort of a variation of the stripper pole, more impossible physics. That seemed rather unimpressive when Tony Jaa is doing these kinds of moves for real. Jet's stuff looks clean as always, but it was almost as if Yuan didn't know how to direct a martial artist anymore and failed to fully exploit Jet's talents. The 3-section scene, aside from a few spins, is mostly Jet doing right-hand baton work. He's not fully using the weapon. And I'm getting tired by Yuan's Matrix slow-down-the-blow cinematography technique. In my book, Yuan has lost the title of top martial arts choreographer to Jaa and to Donnie Yen.

But still, it's always great to see an MA film on the silver screen. I had a very enjoyable evening last night and look forward to Rogue.

GeneChing

10-05-2006, 11:26 AM

I reviewed the big screen experience here. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=710922#post710922)I hesitate in saying it was better because I felt I enjoyed the fights more on the small screen. Perhaps that's a primacy effect. The scenery was much better on the big screen, so it's sort of a push for me. The bottom line is that the experience is much different watching a film on the big screen vs. DVD. And to bring this back OT, if we want to keep seeing MA films on the big screen, we must go out and support them as much as we can...even the bad ones. I'm sure I spent a fortune at the old Great Star in S.F. Chinatown seeing a lot of horrid films, but I still went. And how I miss those days...

charyuop

10-05-2006, 12:01 PM

The movie started pretty bad. No good story and usual Sci-Fi Martial Art which is a bad combination. But I admit that after the beginning I started liking it above all for the story than for the Sci-Fi Wushu. It could teach something to people who want to start Martial Art under the psychological aspect.

Great ending, I loved it!

jethro

10-05-2006, 12:45 PM

Personally I thought that 3 of the fights were some of the most impressive I have ever seen. "The stripper pole" was nto overused or anything and I thought some of it worked quite nicely on the lesser action sequences. And not exactly a complex plot but this movie had a lot more feeling than most kung fu flicks. I went in expecting somethign huge and I was surprised to get more than I expected. Woo-ping was always good at the acrobatic type of choreography, I think he has evolved very nicely throughout the years with this being his best work yet.

MOVES

10-05-2006, 05:20 PM

:rolleyes: To tell u the truth i dont like these kinda films as a martial artist , there just over the top man its just a big dance scene . Check em out no one moves like there a fighter there just busting moves tech after tech ,all this flying and doing jumping spin kicks one after the other and they dont even hit . Its the kind of thing your layman to martial arts thinks is cool , gimme old school flicks / Bruce Lee anyday or like Wesly Snipes now thats proper !

MightyB

10-06-2006, 10:46 AM

...gimme old school flicks / Bruce Lee anyday or like Wesly Snipes now thats proper !

I have to call shennanigans here. Come on- spinning round kicks, punching guys through walls leaving perfect man shaped holes, hanging hook punches, the staff fight in 'Enter', the knife ricochet in the 'Boss'...

Everyone knows that movie-fu was developed because real fighting translates poorly to the big screen- BL even used movie-fu (see above). Heck-- it took about 6 films before Wesley could satisfactorly even do movie-fu. His first couple of 'fight' movies stunk. He got passible in the Stallone/Bullock movie and then he came out swinging in Blade--- but before that...

The fight scenes in Fearless were done well and the wire work was transparent. Nobody flew- they pretty much kept to the laws of gravity with the big exception being the fight against the American wrestler.

And the 3 sectional staff scene was pretty cool.

charyuop

10-06-2006, 11:37 AM

The fight scenes in Fearless were done well and the wire work was transparent. Nobody flew- they pretty much kept to the laws of gravity with the big exception being the fight against the American wrestler.

And the 3 sectional staff scene was pretty cool.

You forgot the fight on the elevated platform or ring or whatever you want to call it. But I agree, the wire parts were kept to kinda minimal.

Was the final fighter, the Japanese, a real Japanese? The feature of his face reminded me alot of a western person.

Jimbo

10-06-2006, 07:43 PM

Gene:
Although I loved Fearless, and thought a few of the fights were very good (for me, especially the fight between Jet and the European fencer), I do agree that Yuen Woo-ping seems to have run out of ideas as far as choreography is concerned. I only have to think back to the pure choreography of movies such as Drunken Master, Magnificent Butcher, Dreadnaught, Legend of a Fighter, Drunken Tai Chi, etc., and compare that fresh creativity to his work since The Matrix.

Yuen's inspiration is no longer centered on traditional kung fu or Beijing Opera acrobatics, but now emphasizes almost exclusively modern Wushu and computerized effects. I don't mean to begin another discussion of "traditional vs. modern wushu", but gone are the days when all types of practitioners from traditional styles and former opera performers are lined up to appear in kung fu films. In fact, that era cannot be recaptured. The bulk of performers directed by Yuen now are either non-martial arts Hollywook celebrities or professional Wushu athletes from China. I think it's simply a matter of a changing world, one where there is little interest in kung fu films in general. I think also that all choreographers tend to run out of ideas at some point. IMO the same happened with Sammo Hung and in the U.S., Martin Scorsese's work is no longer what it was.

On a side note, having grown up during the "golden era" of KF films, I remember when seeing a KF movie in a theater was an exciting event in itself. They were usually in scummy theaters in the worst parts of town, but when a good one showed, the audience reactions and interaction with the movie were most of the fun; some of those moments remain some of my most memorable of watching movies. Nowadays, no matter how cool the action may be onscreen, audiences are so jaded by everything that there's nary a cheer or response anymore.

MOVES

10-07-2006, 06:25 AM

jethro

10-07-2006, 12:35 PM

Gene:
Nowadays, no matter how cool the action may be onscreen, audiences are so jaded by everything that there's nary a cheer or response anymore.

Oh man, I have to disagreee with Jimbo. There was just something about that duel to the death that Yuanjia had with master Chin.

It is sad how nobody really gets loud. I was literally the only one. I was louder at this movie than 'The Protector'.:D And I swear I didn't cry at the end. :cool: :o :(

jethro

10-07-2006, 12:50 PM

[QUOTE=MightyB;711133]I have to call shennanigans here. Come on- spinning round kicks, punching guys through walls leaving perfect man shaped holes, hanging hook punches, the staff fight in 'Enter', the knife ricochet in the 'Boss'...

Ok fair point if not weak those scenes are few and far between ! Staff fight ?:confused: u mean when Bruce is in the under ground chamber if so you must really dig Jet because its far more real then the sweeping pretty dance scence of modern hong kong M.A films . Also half the actors in these films admit to knowing nothing about martial arts there basicly dancers chineese performers and it shows theres no sence of timeing, counter attack, or focus just a constant flow of spining and jumping on and on it goes to no effect . Then u take the likes of Bruce or Wesley who do know martial arts and it shows ok not every thing is realistic but way way more so than the likes of Hero/ Fearless etc . But every one to his own its all cool :)

I agree that they are not always martial artists, but look at the old school stars like Lung Fei and Leung Ka-yan. They didn't know martial arts and were studio trained by the Shaw Brothers studios. Some may nto be martial artists like Maggie Cheung and you can see that she doesn't really do any fighting, it is always a double. On the other hand you have a girl like Ziyi Zhang. Her and Michelle yeoh are throwbacks to the old school. They are athletes who are studio trained. If they don't look good on screen, I don't like them, but Woo Ping can even make Nathan Jones look good. I don't know who that guy was in the sword fight in Fearless but he not only brought great acting but some serious movie fighting skills. Obviously there is a big difference in movie martial arts and the real thing, but you still need to have a high skill level in many things to look good in these movies. I will stop my rambling now.:D

monkeyking168

10-07-2006, 01:00 PM

Was the final fighter, the Japanese, a real Japanese? The feature of his face reminded me alot of a western person.

Shido Nakamura
Shidō Nakamura (中村獅童 Nakamura Shidō; born 14 September 1972) is a Japanese actor and Kabuki actor.

Nakamura has recently finished filming the Hong Kong/China martial arts movie Fearless starring international Kung Fu star Jet Li, set in 1910s Imperial China. In this film, Nakamura plays a Japanese sword expert who is Jet Li's final opponent.

mk

Jimbo

10-07-2006, 03:30 PM

jethro:
It sounds like you would have fit in perfectly "back in the day." A good example of how audiences in the old run-down "grind houses" used to react during kung fu (or horror, or good comedy) films, you probably remember the scene in The Last Dragon portraying a showing of Enter the Dragon. That's a sample. Sometimes the entire audience was interacting with the movie, and not in a distracting way, like someone just blabbing on a phone like in some upscale-type theatres nowadays. Some of the movies that elicited the biggest reactions were Mystery of Chess Boxing (Jack Long, Mark Long, Li Yi-Min), 7 Grandmasters, Knockabout (Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao), Invincible Shaolin, Heroes of the East, etc., besides the old Bruce Lee movies.

Jet Li made Fearless mostly to inspire young people in China to be proud so as to stem the number of suicides in China each year. I hope it succeeded. It's really a beautifully-made film. In the past, a film like this would have inspired lots of people to become interested in training in martial arts, but with so many other things (video games, etc.) that effect from movies seems to be mostly lost, at least in my observation.

It really is amazing what so many old-school KF films were able to accomplish with so little in the way of budget.

Samurai Jack

10-07-2006, 05:30 PM

Yeah, but his sword work wasn't Japanese by a long shot. Anyhow, my favorite martial arts movies tend to be Japanese. Toshiro Mifune always did real martial arts, and he could act too. It's a real shame we don't see work of his caliber in Chinese films. Imagine the impact it would have for American audiences to see what Chinese Martial Arts really look like. Personally, I think we're ready for it, but by supporting more of the same poor quality films that we've been shown for the last 20 years... well it dosen't take a business proffessor to figure out that they'll keep selling us that stuff.

Flying-Monkey

10-07-2006, 06:49 PM

Faruq

10-08-2006, 11:21 AM

Hey, someone just lent me a copy of Fearless and it's great. It's not in Cantonese or Mandarin (actually it's in Spanish with the ceceo and everything), so it's probably missing parts, but the parts I've seen so far are spectacular.

Though movie fighting's fake, that flashy stuff is what gets a lot of people into gong fu in the first place, where some actually find the real thing. So I at least think there's something to be said for gong fu movies.

I wonder if Jet Li is a Southerner or a Northerner. Also, this took place in Shanghai during the days of the Qing Bang. As powerful as they were, I wonder why they weren't mentioned in the movie. I thought they pervaded every aspect of life in Shanghai, so I'm curious. I guess as some people are Mafia movie fans and know alll about Al Capone or something like that, I'm kind of curious about the Green Gang and that whole thing. Well to each, his own, right?

jethro

10-08-2006, 12:45 PM

Hey, someone just lent me a copy of Fearless and it's great. It's not in Cantonese or Mandarin (actually it's in Spanish with the ceceo and everything), so it's probably missing parts, but the parts I've seen so far are spectacular.

Though movie fighting's fake, that flashy stuff is what gets a lot of people into gong fu in the first place, where some actually find the real thing. So I at least think there's something to be said for gong fu movies.

I wonder if Jet Li is a Southerner or a Northerner. Also, this took place in Shanghai during the days of the Qing Bang. As powerful as they were, I wonder why they weren't mentioned in the movie. I thought they pervaded every aspect of life in Shanghai, so I'm curious. I guess as some people are Mob movie fans and know alll about Al Capone or something like that, I'm kind of curious about the Green Gang that whole thing. Well to each, his own, right?

Good questions. It is not exactly as easy to pick up on kung fu movies being American.

Obviously movie martial arts are different then the real thing. If you don't like it, you don't like it. Definitely to each his own. It is nice to see a movie like Fearless that really raises the bar in action movies overall. Personally, I put this movie at least equal to Fist of Legend.

jethro

10-08-2006, 01:18 PM

Yeah, that sword scene really got to me. I burst out a couple of times accidentally. I was really trying to be quiet. The end of that movie did shut me up though:(

GeneChing

10-09-2006, 09:59 AM

GeneChing

10-09-2006, 10:08 AM

...That's one reason why I'm pushing seeing Fearless in the theater (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=711595). I so miss seeing those classic Shaw Bros etc. back in the day in S.F. Chinatown, where people would just go nuts in the theater. I'd hate to see a day when martial arts films are in such decline that they are only getting shown on import DVD.

You know, at the old Great Star Theater in S.F. where I saw most of those movies, they had to have this annoying red light illuminating the audience at all times so a video camera could see who started the fights. That was back in the day when video cameras were the size of two or three cinder blocks. The snack bar sold dry squid and you often came back with flea bites from the seats. But man, those films in that old theater, what a treat! I would go every other week. I just can't find that experience in the theaters today...:(

Faruq

10-09-2006, 10:42 AM

Stipper pole?

Zhang Ziyi is *not* a throwback to old school - not by a long shot. Both her and Michelle Yeoh had their foundation training in ballet (akin to Jean Claude according to some sources). Michell earned her licks as a stunt woman hanging out with Jackie and Sammo, as did Maggie Cheung in her day. But Z is no where in their caliber. If you want old school kung fu women, check out Chen Pei Pei. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=333)

As for the old 'it's not real fighting' bit about movies, that's just silly. Of course it's not real. It's a movie. It's akin to complaining about the latest romantic film because the actor and actress aren't really in love. If you want real fighting, there's plenty of tournament stuff or even the ghastly world of happy slapping web videos. Chick flicks are to porn like kung fu flicks are to happy slapping. :p For me, fight choreography just needs to have tension appropriate to the plot. I enjoyed the fights in the first Matrix film, even though they weren't old school. I enjoyed the fights in Kill Bill too. I love old school kung fu films with long action sequences like the Shaw Bro stuff or Tony Jaa's new stuff. Overall, I enjoyed the fights in Fearless - I just got tired of the stripper pole.

jigahus

10-09-2006, 12:25 PM

Stipper pole?

I would like to see this please.

The Xia

10-09-2006, 12:33 PM

Yuen Woo Ping relied heavily upon what I'm going to call the 'stripper pole' move where someone gets knocked off something, like the leitai or out of the ring or off some precipice and then swings around using some impossible physics to deliver a riposte.
Gene manages to relate everything to monks, ninjettes, or strippers. :p

Samurai Jack

10-10-2006, 02:00 AM

Please don't misunderstand, my argument is *not* that the fights must be real, but that the martial arts portrayed should look like something you could actually walk into a real kwoon/wushuguan/dojo/dojang and see being practiced. That's all.

I suppose the reason I climbed up on the soap box in the first place is that I took exception to the interviews on the ezine where Ronny Yu says that this movie isn't another Wuxia film, and that now it's real martial arts. Unfortunately I read Ronny Yu's interview before seeing the movie, and was under the impression that we had another "Pushing Hands" coming out. Finally a CMA movie that utilized actual MiZhong Chuan (or any traditional art) and focused on a story! I was so excited to find out Hollywood was finally portraying CMA as it is actually practiced!

Instead I found out that Ronny Yu dosen't know what traditional martial arts are.

There are people who will read that interview and think, "Wow! That's what kungfu looks like. Ronny Yu and Jet Li said so!"

There are others who will think, "Those kungfu people are so dumb! Nobody fights like that!"

Niether impression is a good one for CMA as a whole.

The thread started under the premise that we should support this film because if we didn't, others like it would not be released here in the U.S. If ya'll are happy with the content of these movies, by all means keep watching. That's all the support the industry needs.

I, for one, would like to see a change. That's all I'm saying.

SifuAbel

10-10-2006, 02:29 AM

I don't agree that there was no villian in this movie. It was the villan within. The villany of obsession. Yuan was the hero and the anti-hero at the same time. His brash compulsions, coupled with a healthy(?) dose of alcohol, drove him into a world of pettiness and shallow desires. His "apearances" and his "status" was all that mattered. He was childish; as a fighter, friend, parent. His breaking point was a harsh one. He had never killed before. Until then, it was all a game. And in the end it was for nothing at all. Its a hard way to grow up. He lost it all with one hasty descision.

The "wind" and "planting" sceens were very significant.

I thought the movie was a bit hurried. They needed to show more depth and time. Especially with moon and grandma. Their downhome country wisdom was exactly what he needed. This needed to be more like "last samurai" with the redemption process. Not just a quick shave and a haircut.

If there is a messege in this film its, "wake up, grow up, live for something thats greater than your self, respect life for all its fragility, take responsibilty for your actions and for your world, compasion and patience reveals the truth."

jethro

10-10-2006, 01:46 PM

Ya see Jack, you just explained why you didn't like it. I remember when I picked up Infernal Affairs and saw that girl with the gun on the cover. I was so excited about her, maybe that was why I was let down.

Mr Punch

10-10-2006, 07:41 PM

Heck-- it took about 6 films before Wesley could satisfactorly even do movie-fu. His first couple of 'fight' movies stunk. He got passible in the Stallone/Bullock movie and then he came out swinging in Blade--- but before that...He's always been able to move. i think you can blame his directors for poor fight scenes.

The fight scenes in Fearless were done well and the wire work was transparent. Nobody flew- they pretty much kept to the laws of gravity with the big exception being the fight against the American wrestler.Pish! What about all that anti-gravitional back-flipping bollocks on top of the unfeasibly large Tolkienesque lei-tai? Not to mention the getting on to it in the first place! And sure the gravity worked well when his opponent fell off that lei-tai, but not well enough to kill him after falling the ten metres or so onto his head. Absolute crap!

BTW Jack, I think Shido Nakamura does MA too, and personally I thought some of his stuff was very Japanesey, but sloppified up a bit to make it look a bit more realistic. Don't forget, coming from aiki, that though aiki sword tends to be very precise, but even in a precise art like iaido after certain levels you're supposed to loosen up and show your feeling but the cuts are very extravagant: taken to the extreme of elbow extension. Plus, against the 'unusual' (to the Japanese) sword movements of the Chinese Japanese arts will not look so neat.

Mifune was cool. As is Ken Takakura - another MAist.

Samurai Jack

10-11-2006, 01:20 AM

Plus, against the 'unusual' (to the Japanese) sword movements of the Chinese Japanese arts will not look so neat.

You know, I thought a lot about that particular scene because I've practiced sword both Japanese and Chinese style. If the Chinese fencer kept his weapon tip pointing at the japanese swordsman and used his Jian as it was designed to be used, then you would have seen a much shorter fight in my opinion because the Katana (primarily a cutting weapon) would only have had to miss once for the jian to flick in and penetrate. On the other hand, with Jet Li swinging his jian all over the place, actually chopping with it (!), the katana would have one out because the jian *is not designed to be used that way*.

Efficent, to the point technique will always beat frilly wasted motion. Wouldn't you agree? Still, I know it's wishful thinking.

But if nobody has seen the film Pushing Hands, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The few fight scenes contain real Tai Chi chuan applications, and it is truly beautiful to see.

Check it out. (http://www.amazon.com/Pushing-Hands-Movie-Ang-Lee/dp/6303920675/sr=8-2/qid=1160554742/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-4649708-5727247?ie=UTF8)

Flying-Monkey

10-11-2006, 02:11 AM

Faruq

10-11-2006, 04:12 AM

I agree cuz I saw a lot of Samurai documentaries at the end of the 70's/beginning of the 80's, and those guys were so fast you'd just see them spin, hear that scream, and then heads, arms and torsos would start falling and blood would be spewing all over like fountains! LOL! I never saw anything like that in the hundreds of kung fu documentaries put out by the Shaw brothers! What about the Zatoichi documentary series! LOL!

jigahus

10-11-2006, 09:39 AM

GeneChing

10-11-2006, 09:43 AM

Sorry for the stripper reference, got confused which Fearless thread I was on. In my defence, monks, ninjettes, & strippers sell magazines. Ok, that's not totally true either. I have no defence. It's a fair cop, but society is to blame.

To quickly step back OT, I'm glad to see Fearless elicited some nice discussions about the state of MA films today.

Samurai Jack, I totally hear ya about that Ronny Yu interview (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=682). With both that piece, and the interview with Jet (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=670), the first thing I went after was the whole "Final Martial Arts Epic" sales pitch. Obviously, with Rogue in the can and the Jackie/Jet project looming, that's a crock. Once I let them explain themselves - and IMO both explainations were attempts to spin doctor the tag line - I felt I had to give them an 'out'. But as for the 'stripper pole' move, perhaps that's why it bothered me. The stand up fight choreography was nice - Jet's still got great precision - so whenever the stripper pole appeared, it really clashed. I think they could have done without that.

I'm a huge fan of Chanbara. There's some great cross-over films of kung fu vs. samurai. Probably one of the most amusing pitted Zatoichi vs. the One-Armed Swordsman (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=553).

Li Kao

10-11-2006, 12:54 PM

I'm with you on the "stripper pole" moves in Fearless Gene. Even in the crazy world of wire-fu, some moves seem more plausible than others, and those really stuck out as being ridiculous. Granted, you have to suspend reality when watching a kung fu movie, but the whole way he seemed to stop his momentum and swing around like that was too much of a leap in physics.

Ya know, I always loved those kung fu vs. samurai cross-over movies too. Zatoichi vs. The One Armed Swordsman was indeed a classic -- kind of like the Godzilla vs. King Kong of sword films. Some other favorites of this subgenre are Duel to the Death (http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/dueltothedeath_061705.htm) -- which also featured leaping ninjas, crazy Shaolin monks, and some of the most overdone but cool sword-drawing sound effects, and one of my all time favorites, Shaolin Challenges Ninja (http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533286/rtype.4/qx/reviews.htm) with Gordon Liu, because of the great fighting and incredibly humorous plot.

jethro

10-11-2006, 03:07 PM

Zhang Ziyi is *not* a throwback to old school - not by a long shot. Both her and Michelle Yeoh had their foundation training in ballet (akin to Jean Claude according to some sources). Michell earned her licks as a stunt woman hanging out with Jackie and Sammo, as did Maggie Cheung in her day. But Z is no where in their caliber. If you want old school kung fu women, check out Chen Pei Pei. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=333)

As for the old 'it's not real fighting' bit about movies, that's just silly. Of course it's not real. It's a movie. It's akin to complaining about the latest romantic film because the actor and actress aren't really in love. If you want real fighting, there's plenty of tournament stuff or even the ghastly world of happy slapping web videos. Chick flicks are to porn like kung fu flicks are to happy slapping. :p For me, fight choreography just needs to have tension appropriate to the plot. I enjoyed the fights in the first Matrix film, even though they weren't old school. I enjoyed the fights in Kill Bill too. I love old school kung fu films with long action sequences like the Shaw Bro stuff or Tony Jaa's new stuff. Overall, I enjoyed the fights in Fearless - I just got tired of the stripper pole.

We will have to agree to disagree. I call them throwbacks because they are not just good but even better than the old school ladies. Of course I put Yeoh ahead of Ziyi because, well, she just looks better on screen, but Ziyi made a huge impression on me in CTHDragon and Hero that instantly put her as one of my favorites. I wish we had more women in the industry to compare her to.

I'm with you on the "stripper pole" moves in Fearless Gene. Even in the crazy world of wire-fu, some moves seem more plausible than others, and those really stuck out as being ridiculous. Granted, you have to suspend reality when watching a kung fu movie, but the whole way he seemed to stop his momentum and swing around like that was too much of a leap in physics.

Ya know, I always loved those kung fu vs. samurai cross-over movies too. Zatoichi vs. The One Armed Swordsman was indeed a classic -- kind of like the Godzilla vs. King Kong of sword films. Some other favorites of this subgenre are Duel to the Death (http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/dueltothedeath_061705.htm) -- which also featured leaping ninjas, crazy Shaolin monks, and some of the most overdone but cool sword-drawing sound effects, and one of my all time favorites, Shaolin Challenges Ninja (http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533286/rtype.4/qx/reviews.htm) with Gordon Liu, because of the great fighting and incredibly humorous plot.

I have seen the first 8 Zatoichi episodes. Oh man I can't wait to see him against Jimmy Wang Yu. And the Duel To the Death sword unsheathing is the reason that I got surround sound.

BTW-ever notice how a sword doens't even make a sound when leavign the sheathe?

AND ALL OF YOU-what is your problem with the stripper pole? I still thought that it was a great fight, not as good as a couple others but come on!

Samurai Jack

10-11-2006, 10:54 PM

Ziyi Zhang on the stripper pole... hmmmmm... I may have to reconsider my position on this issue after all!

:D

Li Kao

10-12-2006, 02:47 AM

We will have to agree to disagree. I call them throwbacks because they are not just good but even better than the old school ladies. Of course I put Yeoh ahead of Ziyi because, well, she just looks better on screen, but Ziyi made a huge impression on me in CTHDragon and Hero that instantly put her as one of my favorites. I wish we had more women in the industry to compare her to.

I kind of feel the same way as Gene about Zhang Ziyi -- and just for the record, I like Zhang Ziyi alot and think she's a great actress. But the difference between her and the "old school" actresses just comes down to their training. Zhang Ziyi is gifted physically and performs gracefully enough, but since her training is primarily in dance/ballet, she just doesn't look as convincing in fight scenes. Also, most of her fight sequences in CTHD and Hero were heavily wire-fu (I admit that i really like both of those movies and the fight scenes). Cheng Pei Pei and Polly Shang Kwan were the first major actresses to pave the way for women as stars in kung fu cinema, but there were certainly others of similiar caliber who came after them. Even though she was mostly relegated to supporting roles, Yukari Oshima comes to mind. She trained in goju ryu karate and spent time in Sonny Chiba's stunt school before making the leap to Hong Kong movies. She always exhibited a fierce fighting spirit in her movies and also did her own stunts. My personal favorite of the old school actresses was Golden Harvest star Angelo Mao. She trained at a Taiwan opera school at a very young age ala Jacky Chan. I think what Gene was trying to convey was that Zhang Ziyi just doesn't have the same pedigree as some of her predecessors.

AND ALL OF YOU-what is your problem with the stripper pole? I still thought that it was a great fight, not as good as a couple others but come on! I know I'm overanalyzing this, but basically I think it comes down to physics. We are used to seeing people jump or leap to impossible heights, so that is pretty commonplace, but generally, in a fight scene where someone is either struck or is reeling/falling backwards, they either a) fall down or slam into a wall/object or b)come to a stop after using their feet to provide friction -- kind of like skidding backwards. In the "stripper pole" sequences, Jet is moving backwards seeming out of control and ends up pivoting and changing his momentum forward -- it just kind of sticks out as being really implausible, especially the one on the leitai. Overall, I still liked the fight scenes in Fearless, though I don't think they are among Jet's best. I mainly liked the message the movie conveyed.

Li Kao

10-12-2006, 03:03 AM

And I'm getting tired by Yuan's Matrix slow-down-the-blow cinematography technique. In my book, Yuan has lost the title of top martial arts choreographer to Jaa and to Donnie Yen.

I think part of the problem is that Yuen Woo Ping's choreagraphy has become aped too much and is becoming too familiar. Look at how the technique from Trinity in the Matrix, where she leaps into the air in slow motion, shot is frozen, and then goes back to regular speed has shown up in movies like Charlie's Angels and many others. And the whole "bullet time" technique has been lampooned in comedies like Deuce Bigalow and Kung Pow (remember the cow scene?) The success of CTHD and the Matrix movies has caused alot of Yuen's bread-and-butter techniques to be adopted by all kinds of Hollywood action sequences and it's become a bit overexposed, imho. I still have the upmost respect for Woo Ping but I am also hoping to see some new style of choreagraphy to emerge -- Tony Jaa has certainly looked good thusfar, I just think he needs to start doing better scripts. Donnie Yen and Cory Yuen are still putting out good stuff too. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the genre progresses ...

Faruq

10-12-2006, 09:48 AM

Shaolin VS Ninja! OMG! I loved that one, especially the Japanese wife, and how Chinese martial arts prevailed at the end like in real life! The wife was cute, and had skillz!!! Why can't I find a female like that? None of the females I meet can understand me sticking with a regimen, or stand the smell of Tit Da Jow. They just complain that I smell like syrup and curry all the time! Darnit!

Ya know, I always loved those kung fu vs. samurai cross-over movies too. Zatoichi vs. The One Armed Swordsman was indeed a classic -- kind of like the Godzilla vs. King Kong of sword films. Some other favorites of this subgenre are Duel to the Death (http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/dueltothedeath_061705.htm) -- which also featured leaping ninjas, crazy Shaolin monks, and some of the most overdone but cool sword-drawing sound effects, and one of my all time favorites, Shaolin Challenges Ninja (http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533286/rtype.4/qx/reviews.htm) with Gordon Liu, because of the great fighting and incredibly humorous plot.

GeneChing

10-12-2006, 10:05 AM

I can't but grin thinking about that film.

I don't mind if choreography bends physics. In fact, I rather enjoyed he cartoon physics of Kung Fu Hustle, but that was in context of that film. With Fearless, which was billing itself as Jet Li's 'final martial arts epic' and then qualifying that (fudging it really) to accomodate Rogue, I was looking forward to something more 'old school'. And there were some fine fights, I just felt they were sullied by the stripper pole moves.

I'm not a big fan of Z's work in the martial arts. She's graceful, but her postures always seem too frail to be beleiveable, kind of like Van Damme - pretty, but not 'old school' - too much focus on the pretty, perhaps. For me, there are plenty of other female actresses that have paid their dues in the martial arts genre, so when everyone was gushing about Z, I was rather non-plussed. In contrast, I love Z's work in non-martial arts films. She was great in Road Home.

Helena Handbask

10-13-2006, 10:54 AM

Wu-Tan-Nan

10-14-2006, 06:08 AM

I was just wondering if anyone knew what kind of style the guy (cant remeber who) that Jet Li fought on that high latform used??

jethro

10-14-2006, 05:12 PM

Mr Punch

10-15-2006, 05:07 PM

You know, I thought a lot about that particular scene because I've practiced sword both Japanese and Chinese style. If the Chinese fencer kept his weapon tip pointing at the japanese swordsman and used his Jian as it was designed to be used, then you would have seen a much shorter fight in my opinion because the Katana (primarily a cutting weapon) would only have had to miss once for the jian to flick in and penetrate. On the other hand, with Jet Li swinging his jian all over the place, actually chopping with it (!), the katana would have one out because the jian *is not designed to be used that way*.

Efficent, to the point technique will always beat frilly wasted motion. Wouldn't you agree? Still, I know it's wishful thinking.
Yeah, I agree with the to-the-point vs the flowery, and I agree that Jet Li's movements were flowery... but before you said that Nakamura's movements didn't look Japanese and I thought they did. Now you've changed to criticising Li's movements which is fine. I know I know, it's KFMWORLD, what do I expect, consistency?! :D

Shaolin VS Ninja! OMG! I loved that one, especially the Japanese wife, and how Chinese martial arts prevailed at the end like in real life! The wife was cute, and had skillz!!! Why can't I find a female like that?Well, hate to burst your bubble but most the Japanese MAists I've met over here have been built like gorillas with cauliflower ears and faces that look like they've been hit with a shovel. Smashing personalities though! :D OK, so some of the kendo and kyudo ones are cute, and the naginata ones are the hottest but probably the snottiest.

Tit Da Jow. Think you're rubbing that in the wrong place! You're supposed to rub dit on yourself you know!:D :D :D

omarthefish

10-15-2006, 07:21 PM

WanderingMonk

10-16-2006, 03:45 AM

rofl in tears @ the idea that there is anything "old school" at all about Zhang Ziyi. She is as "new school" as it gets. No MA background, no historical MA stuff displayed in anything she has ever done, noted for excessive wirework.....CTHD as an example of OLD SCHOOL style!?! Dude, Zhang Ziyi, CTHD and Hero are old school like Eminem.

How old are you? Like twelve?

pffft...

it all depends how old school you want to get.

There was the very earliest cma films which were all revolve about burning down lotus temple.

then, there was the wong fei hong series which featured very choppy chop-socky actions.

then, there was the wuxia films of the 70s which employed wire tricks.

then, there was bruce Lee's semi-realistic actions.
then, there was the lau kar leung's hard style hung gar films.
along with the jackie chan's comedic martial films, later action comedies.

so, depending on which era you cite as old school, you can have wire fu considered to be "old school".

I started watching wuxia films in the early 70s, let me assure you, I was fed a regular diet of wire fu movies, tv series, blah, blah.

jethro

10-16-2006, 04:22 PM

That teahouse scene by Ziyi I thought blew out any other scene by a woman ever in cinematic history. She also is good in other movies and is up there with ANY of the old school lady stars. I guess that the only comparison that I am making is that I like her better than any of the old schoolers. She even does her own stunts. After watchign a makign of of her busting up her knees just to get a cool looking shot, I had a lot mroe respect. Call it old school or not, you may just have a problem with Ziyi Omar that doesn't allow you to realize her skills.

BlueTravesty

10-20-2006, 10:49 PM

from the bridge hands and stances, I would say Hung Gar, but I could be mistaken

JetLi'sFearless

02-05-2007, 10:01 PM

anyone seen it?
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-c/section-videos/did-106/pid-1004611900/

apperently 30 minutes is added, but is it worth getting to those who already have the original dvd?

JetLi'sFearless

02-06-2007, 12:05 AM

here is the muay thai fight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVQGWExVXpY

shuaichiao

02-06-2007, 06:15 AM

That's completely lame!

jethro

02-06-2007, 02:16 PM

I think that it shows the great directing job of Ronny Yu not including that Thai fight. I have heard some say that it should have been included in the movie because it shows that jet was ready to go back to his school and start living his life again. For me the final scene of the movie was much more powerful by not including the Thai scene. Just my opinion.

I have heard that the Director's cut is actually better. It includes a speech by Michelle Yeoh at the beginning promoting Wushu for the olympics. For me, it is also nice to hear that the Thai scene is not included. I am looking forward to seeing it this new cut from the director. There are places on the web where you can find reviews of it with all the additional footage added.

djcetra

02-08-2007, 07:44 PM

This is a great movie, I really enjoyed it.

swordsoul

02-11-2007, 02:26 AM

Did anyone see this in theatres and then see the DVD? They changed the translation (the school's motto, for example) it really changed the movie in my opinion! :(

matt

tattooedmonk

12-06-2007, 02:06 PM

Would Fearless be a prequel to Fist of Legend ( AKA Fist of Fury)??

doug maverick

12-06-2007, 02:15 PM

yes it is.

jethro

12-07-2007, 02:01 AM

Would Fearless be a prequel to Fist of Legend ( AKA Fist of Fury)??

Yeah Doug is right.

But just so you know, Fist of Legend is not also known as Fist of Fury. Fist of Fury stars Bruce Lee, and Fist of Legend stars Jet Li. Both are fictional stories. Fearless is based on a true story, though it is a movie, so it is mainly fiction.

And check out Legend of a fighter starring Leung Kar Yan and Yasuaki Kurata if you get a chance. Great movie.

banditshaw

12-07-2007, 02:06 AM

I love ''Legend of a Fighter''. Great Movie.

The final fight is something to behold.

GeneChing

09-17-2013, 09:45 AM

Nearly 6 years. How's that for thread necromancy? :cool:

Wushu spirit (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90782/8402669.html)
By Chen Nan (China Daily) 10:14, September 17, 2013

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/mediafile/201309/17/F201309171016111802403223.jpg
Lang Rongbiao, founder of the Tianjin Huo Yuanjia Wushu Sports School, demonstrates his kung fu stunts for students at the school. (China Daily)

The owner of one of China's top martial arts schools tells Chen Nan why the school is guided by the legacy of the legendary Huo Yuanjia, whose life remains an inspiration for young practitioners of the ancient skill.

In the final scene of the movie, Fearless, Jet Li, who plays Huo Yuanjia, one of China's historical heroes and wushu (martial arts) master, wins a Shanghai tournament by beating four international champions, his feat raising the spirits of his countrymen.

The scene is a favorite of Lang Rongbiao, a wushu master based in Tianjin.

Unlike the movie, which takes some liberties when recounting the life story of Huo, who lived from 1868 to 1910, Lang wants to pass on the true spirit of the martial arts to younger Chinese by running a wushu school, named after Huo.

Founded in 1999 in Xiaonanhe village in Jingwu county, Tianjin, where Huo was born, the school has nearly 2,000 students from around China. Lang has trained them up to perform around the world.

"The movie is fictional but what we are doing is real," says Lang, 44, who started learning wushu at age 11. "I want to keep the wushu spirit of Huo alive among China's younger generation."

He says he wants to teach his students not just China's wushu skills but Huo's wushu spiritual values.

"Chinese kung fu is very popular around the world. Movie stars like Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan are unbeatable on screen. But wushu or kung fu is never about beating up somebody. Instead, it contains the message of telling people to stop fighting," says Lang.

In their upcoming show in Turkmenistan, 40 students from Tianjin Huo Yuanjia Wushu Sports School will give five performances, including a general display of Chinese kung fu, a combination of practicing sword skills while playing the traditional Chinese flute xiao and a group performance by national award-winning wushu performers, showing the skills and philosophy of the art form.

"In our teachings, we tell the students that violence is not a solution. Wushu is a sport of power and balance, which requires a peaceful mind and heart," Lang says.

Growing up in Tianjin, Lang watched lots of kung fu movies, such as Huo Yuanjia and Shaolin Temple. He started learning wushu with his uncle, who was a professional wushu athlete. When Lang was 13, Tianjin founded a wushu team and he became a member.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/mediafile/201309/17/F201309171018541130331169.jpg
Students from Lang's school give a performance that shows the elegant side of kung fu, with the message of wushu's spiritual values telling people to stop fighting. (China Daily)

"I practiced wushu because my parents thought it was healthy and made me strong," recalls Lang. "But the more I learned, the more I became obsessed with it. I feel so proud that I come from the same place as Huo."

Receiving many awards in China and across Asia, Lang became a member of the China National Wushu Sports Team in 1988, competing abroad representing his country.

After retirement at age 31, Lang, together with his wife, Hou Dongmei, also a wushu expert from Tianjin, founded the school. In its first year, only 56 students applied. Thanks to Lang's reputation, the number of students soon rose dramatically and the training courses expanded to include nine styles, including sanda, or free boxing and Chinese wrestling.

Lang and his wife lived at the school with the students for the first 10 years. Besides teaching and practicing, they also spent their spare time with students, introducing wushu history and the story of Huo Yuanjia to them.

"I watched lots of kung fu movies and I came to the school at 10," says Yang Mengyuan, 19. Now a professional wushu athlete, he practices eight hours a day and has won awards at home and abroad.

"In most action films, good guys fight bad guys. The action looks great. But my teacher told me what I was seeing was just violence against violence, which is about revenge, not wushu," says Yang. "I am starting to know the true meaning of wushu after 10 years of learning it, like my teacher says - stop fighting."

An accomplished solo wushu performer, Yang enjoys every moment onstage, especially performing abroad. He says audiences see wushu as a symbol of China, which makes him very proud.

"I want to open my own wushu studio after retirement. Like my teachers, I want to pass the knowledge and spirit of wushu to more young Chinese people in the future," he says.

For 14-year-old Li Yixuan, wushu not only represents power and justice, but beauty. Li, from Sichuan province, started training at the school at 7. As a minority group in the school, her wushu skills have the grace and fluidity of dance.

"I fell in love with wushu when I was little. A sister from our neighborhood was a big wushu fan and she practiced every morning. Her moves were so smooth and beautiful," recalls Li.

Lang says the achievements and popularity the school has achieved are within his expectations, although things were tough in the beginning.

"Wushu is in our blood, which is natural and never dies," he says. "If the movie Fearless is about a man's journey, then my school witnesses the journey of 2,000 students and even more in the future.

"We honor the beliefs of Huo."