An Oscar for Jackie Chan

Finally! So deserved. Congrats to Jackie!

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1 SEP 2016 5:46 pm
ACADEMY ANNOUNCES JACKIE CHAN, ANNE COATES, LYNN STALMASTER, AND FREDERICK WISEMAN WILL RECEIVE 2016 GOVERNORS AWARDS

BY. MICHELINE GOLDSTEIN

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted on August 30th to present Honorary Awards to actor Jackie Chan, film editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The four Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy's 8th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 12, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

"The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts," said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. "The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November."

After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career. He starred in – and sometimes wrote, directed and produced – more than 30 martial arts features in his native Hong Kong, charming audiences with his dazzling athleticism, inventive stunt work and boundless charisma. Since Rumble in the Bronx in 1996, he has gone on to enormous worldwide success with the Rush Hour movies, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Around the World in 80 Days, The Karate Kid and the Kung Fu Panda series of animated films.

A native of Reigate, England, Coates worked her way up to lead editor on a handful of features before collaborating with David Lean on Lawrence of Arabia and winning her first Oscar. In her more than 60 years as a film editor, she has worked side by side with many leading directors on an impressive range of films, including Sidney Lumet (Murder on the Orient Express), Richard Attenborough (Chaplin) and Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich). She also earned four additional Oscar nominations, for Becket, The Elephant Man, In the Line of Fire and Out of Sight.

Stalmaster, a one-time stage and screen actor from Omaha, Nebraska, began working in casting in the mid-1950s. Over the next five decades, he applied his talents to more than 200 feature films, including such classics as Inherit the Wind, In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate, Fiddler on the Roof, Harold and Maude, Deliverance, Coming Home, Tootsie and The Right Stuff. He has enjoyed multiple collaborations with directors Stanley Kramer, Robert Wise, Hal Ashby, Norman Jewison and Sydney Pollack, and has been instrumental in the careers of such celebrated actors as Jon Voight, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Wilson, Jill Clayburgh, Christopher Reeve and John Travolta.

From his home base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wiseman has made one film almost every year since 1967, illuminating lives in the context of social, cultural and government institutions. He created a sensation with his first documentary feature, Titicut Follies, which went behind the scenes at Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane. The film established an unobtrusive, observational storytelling style that has strongly identified his work, from the gritty (Law and Order, Public Housing, Domestic Violence) to the uplifting (La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet, National Gallery, In Jackson Heights).

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given "to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."

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More than 30 martial arts movies? More like over a 100. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

Finally! So deserved. Congrats to Jackie!



More than 30 martial arts movies? More like over a 100. :rolleyes:

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I saw this article elsewhere earlier today, and that's exactly what I thought. Jackie has been, IMO, the hardest-working action star in history, and no other actor in any category has paid more dues or eaten more bitter for his craft than JC, period. The movies of his they mentioned are among the absolute least worthy in his filmography. One cannot speak of JC's accomplishments without mentioning his classic work in the Hong Kong film industry. JC's peak years were already behind him when he finally hit it big in the States after his second try (his first attempt, with Battle Creek Brawl and the Cannonball Run films in the early '80s, made little impact). I don't believe that any other action star can or will ever come close to what JC has accomplished. Dude has been working in movies since 1962 and is still going strong!!

Congrats, JC!!

Why did they mention the Karate kid movie ?

Really short interview.

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Jackie Chan reflects on 50 year career and honorary Oscar

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FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2013, file photo, Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan smiles during a news conference to promote his new film “Police Story 2013,” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, Chan will accept an honorary Academy Award from the film academy’s Board of Governors. (Lai Seng Sin, File/Associated Press)

By Sandy Cohen | AP November 8 at 2:10 PM
LOS ANGELES — As an action star, Jackie Chan never expected to get an Oscar.

So he considers receiving an honorary Academy Award from the film academy’s Board of Governors his proudest professional achievement.

Chan will accept his Oscar statuette Saturday at the eighth annual Governors Awards. Film editor Anne Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentarian Frederick Wiseman are also receiving honorary Academy Awards, which recognize lifetime achievement and contributions to the film industry.

“I never imagined that I’d receive such an award,” Chan said. “I still remember my very first proudest moment was when I received an award for stunt choreography. At that time, I didn’t know much about directing, I just knew how to do action and fighting sequences and stunts. Receiving this honorary award has raised my feelings to another level.”

The 62-year-old writer, director, producer and actor reflected on his career in an email interview with The Associated Press from his home base in Hong Kong. He plans to be in Los Angeles to accept his award in person.

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AP: What was your most challenging film to make and why?

Chan: “Rumble in the Bronx” had a lot of action choreography, fighting sequences, and dangerous stunts. In “Operation Condor” I filmed in extreme temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in the desert. I had a near death accident while doing a stunt in “Armor of God.” In “Rush Hour,” I found the English dialogue most challenging.

AP: How does making movies in Hong Kong differ from Hollywood’s approach to film?

Chan: I find Hollywood’s approach to film production very systematic and organized. Of course, being organized is a good thing, but sometimes I feel restrained within set rules. Hong Kong filmmaking is more dynamic because things can be changed on the set while we’re still filming. It’s more flexible and encourages creativity, and if we think of something that might work, we try it right away.

AP: What changes in the industry have been most surprising to you?

Chan: Because I’ve been in the film industry for over 50 years, the most significant change I’ve noticed is the change from using 35mm film to digital technology, and even 3D filming. The improvement of technology has changed how films are now made. What we used to use back then is now part of history. I’m still fascinated by digital technology and the amount of work that can be done in post-production with CG (computer-generated) effects.

AP: What has been was your most exciting Hollywood experience?

Chan: All my experiences in Hollywood have been interesting and exciting. I’ve learned so many new things in Hollywood, made new friends and family, such as my American Chinese brother Brett Ratner. I’ve had many great memorable moments while working in Hollywood. I guess the most fun was making the “Rush Hour” series.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy .

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JACKIE CHAN

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WHY CHINA’S RISE MEANS HONG KONG STARS LIKE JACKIE CHAN WILL BE THE LAST OF THEIR KIND
At a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime achievement Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Chan, 62, is the most famous living Hong Kong movie star – and easily tops the Internet…

BY MICHAEL T. GEORGE
11 NOV 2016

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Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 2.

At a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime achievement Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Chan, 62, is the most famous living Hong Kong movie star – and easily tops the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) star meter rankings for Hong Kong actors. Thanks to Chan’s early kung fu films and the hugely successful “Rush Hour” franchise, he could walk down the main street of Anytown, USA and turn heads.

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Cast member Jackie Chan poses with Paris Hilton at the premiere of Rush Hour 3. Photo: Reuters

Jet Li and Donnie Yen are No 2 and 3 respectively on the IMDB list. Li broke into Hollywood via the Lethal Weapon franchise and has stayed in the limelight with roles in all three Expendables movies, while Yen has risen to global fame thanks in part to the Ip Man movies.

Michele Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat (in that order) round out the Hong Kong Top 5 on the IMDB star meter list, which ranks actors based on the interest shown in them. And despite their fine performances, the Hong Kong A-listers Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok and Sean Lau are hardly known outside Asia.

One thing the Top 5 actors have in common: they are all over 50. Which begs the question, what about the next generation of Hong Kong A-list stars with global recognition? Will any of the younger actors appearing in Hong Kong cinema today break out beyond Asia in future?

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Jet Li in Fist of Legend

Not likely, and here’s why. Mainland China, now the No 2 box office worldwide, has sucked most of the talent (and money) away from Hong Kong. The big Hong Kong film production companies are using their advantaged access to the Chinese film market to make formulaic comedies and dramas specifically aimed at mainland tastes. Who can blame them? The financial rewards are huge.

Many Hong Kong actors find regular work in these types of mainland films – and will continue to do so, provided they remain “patriotic” in the eyes of Beijing by not voicing support for Hong Kong democracy. But the problem is that mainland films don’t travel outside China. Name a Chinese movie that has had critical and commercial success in the West in the past decade? You have to go as far back as Zhang Yimou’s Hero in 2002 (which starred Jet Li). Prior to that was the global hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which propelled Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh to global fame.

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A still of Donnie Yen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

So, any opportunity for Hong Kong actors to break into Hollywood – or at least appear in films aimed at non-Asian audiences – may have passed due to the “mainlandisation” of the Hong Kong film industry. A further risk for our local actors is if, over time, mainland Chinese audiences grow to prefer their own A-list and B-list actors, which would mean Hong Kong talent is relegated to minor supporting roles.

When Jackie Chan and Jet Li first landed their overseas roles, Hong Kong cinema was still strong. Hollywood producers effectively made them global A-list stars by casting them in major films. Now, with Hollywood’s love affair with mainland China, it is more likely these producers would choose mainland actors for these potentially breakout roles. The fact is, Hong Kong is not even on Hollywood’s radar anymore.

To be sure, local Hong Kong actors are still the staple of the “local” Hong Kong films – those not made as co-productions with the mainland. Alas, these are even less likely to travel abroad. Ten Years achieved global publicity far beyond its micro-budget due to its contentious political content, but the actors in that film are unlikely to be offered roles in bigger movies as a result.
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Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh sits beneath a giant poster of James Bond while speaking to reporters during a news conference about the filming of the 18th Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. Photo: AP

Many of these local films are funded or supported by Hong Kong government programmes aimed at keeping alive the indigenous film industry. In this respect, Hong Kong is similar to Austria, Belgium and Canada, which each share a border with a larger country that speaks the same language. Germany, France and the US produce enough screen content to meet the needs of these neighbouring countries without them needing to make any of their own. So, why do Austria, Belgium and Canada invest heavily in their own film industries? Because each rightly believes that they have distinct cultures that should be shared with their own people and internationally as well.

Only the government and NGOs can provide the support via development capital, subsidies and access to cinemas which will ensure that Cantonese language and culture can survive mainland attempts to absorb and ****genise it. So the future of Hong Kong cinema may increasingly depend on handout and charity. No wonder the road ahead looks so narrow for the new crop of Hong Kong actors.

Michael T. George is general manager of Hong Kong-based MTG Asia, a film distribution consultancy

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George makes some good points here, but I'd argue that Jackie is the last of his kind because no one is training like he did from childhood. The article we published last September addresses his upbringing: Painted Faces: A tribute to the old "Seven Little Fortunes" by Emilio Alpanseque

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

George makes some good points here, but I'd argue that Jackie is the last of his kind because no one is training like he did from childhood.

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Jackie was part of a generation of performers who had such an upbringing. He's the most famous, but others in HK and Taiwan had a similar opera background. Also, young people are not enthusiastically training the traditional arts in the same way they were at that time, either, like the Lau family and others.

IMO, Hong Kong cinema had far more international crossover appeal, in action, storyline and humor, than the vast majority of Mainland Chinese films could ever hope to achieve. For me, the thing that made Sammo's The Bodyguard so good was that, while filmed in N.E. China (and Russia too?), it was basically a HK movie. It was a bit odd for all the Chinese characters to be speaking Cantonese in the movie's location, but it was different in spirit than many of the mainland films. Even if it is more mainland than Sammo's HK films from his heyday.

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

Jackie was part of a generation of performers who had such an upbringing. He's the most famous, but others in HK and Taiwan had a similar opera background. Also, young people are not enthusiastically training the traditional arts in the same way they were at that time, either, like the Lau family and others.

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In the late 1980's, Jackie Chan planted the seeds for stunt/action teams in North America in preparation for him when he came to film Rumble in the Bronx. Though it will take some time, future waves of action film stars will be coming from North America.

mickey

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Jackie Chan on Hong Kong Filmmaking’s ‘Unique Style and Orientation’
Vivienne Chow

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TOP PHOTO CORPORATION/REX SHUTTERSTOCK
NOVEMBER 11, 2016 | 10:00AM PT

Hong Kong cinema will continue to live alongside mainland Chinese cinema despite the recent boom of China’s film industry, says Jackie Chan ahead of receiving an Honorary Oscar at the Academy’s Governors Awards.

“Hong Kong filmmaking has its own unique style and orientation, which I think works side-by-side with the Chinese film industry,” says Chan, who will be presented with the award on Nov. 12. “Our Chinese culture is the same but I don’t think Hong Kong cinema will cease to exist,” the Hong Kong-born action superstar tells Variety.

Chan is arguably the world’s best known Asian actor since Bruce Lee. Born in 1954, Chan was enrolled in the China Drama Academy for training in the art of Peking opera when he was 7. He made his motion picture debut a year later, but continued his training until he was 17.

Initially Chan was a stuntman. His major breakthrough came when he was cast as the lead in Yuen Woo-ping’s kung fu comedy “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow” (1978). The instant hit was followed by “Drunken Master” released in the same year, also directed by Yuen. The 1980s saw Chan establish himself as an action hero in his native Hong Kong with his inventive stunt work in a number of successful action thrillers including “Project A” (1983) and “Police Story” (1985).

Chan then ventured into America and starred in a series of box office hits. After the success of “Rumble in the Bronx” in 1996, his other blockbuster hits include “Rush Hour” (1998), “Shanghai Noon” (2000), and “Shanghai Knights” (2003).

His dazzling on-screen action choreography and slapstick humor have not only sealed his status as a global cinema icon, but also bring back Hong Kong cinema on the world map. He was the ambassador for Hong Kong tourism for decades.

Although Chan had his success in Hollywood, he still praises filmmaking in Hong Kong. “The greatest qualities about Hong Kong cinema is the flexibility when it comes to making a film, ” he says. “But I think the Hong Kong movie business still hasn’t developed to its full potential because of budget limitations.”

Overcoming the language barrier, says Chan, is not the greatest challenge for Asian films breaking into the global market.

“The greatest challenge is finding the right topic, using brilliant techniques and being creative,” he says.

The star says he’s working on several projects, including collaborations with some of Hollywood’s biggest players. Although he declines to disclose more details, he promises he will never retire. “The day I stop making films is the day my heart stops beating.”

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Jackie is spot on with these comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLQ1V_H7vh4

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Why Jackie Chan was carrying two stuffed pandas on the red carpet of the Oscars

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Jackie Chan arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
Group photo. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

WRITTEN BY
Echo Huang
February 26, 2017

Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan walked down the red carpet with two cute companions at the Oscars.
Chan, who was awarded an honorary Oscar last year for his “extraordinary achievements,” attended tonight’s (Feb. 26) 89th Academy Awards ceremony holding two panda toys.
“I am the ambassador of panda,” the Hong Kong actor told interviewer Ryan Seacrest. The two panda plush toys, dressed in yellow jackets and shiny silver boots, represent the two real pandas that Chan adopted in China. “After earthquake, they get hurt, I raise them,” said Chan, referring to the earthquake that hit Sichuan province, home of the giant panda, in 2008 which killed some 87,000 people.
62-year-old Chan adopted a female and male panda named Cheng Cheng and Long Long in Sichuan in 2009 through a donation of one million yuan ($145,000). “Cheng” and “Long” are the two Chinese characters in Chan’s name in Mandarin.

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We know about Jackie's stuffed pandas - Jackie Chan's La & Zy

Only good part of that pathetic circle jerk.