KUNG FU HUSTLE - Stephen Chow's latest Kung Fu Flick

[PangQuan]

Ok, I Better Win!

[GeneChing]

Our KUNG FU HUSTLE: AXE-KICKIN’ EDITION DVD contest ends at 6 PM tonight. Good luck!

[GeneChing]

Dr. Craig Reid used the same title for his review. He often defaults to bad song title puns.

Kung Fu Hustle Preview: Do The Hustle
By Brian Crecente, 9:00 AM on Tue May 12 2009

Based on Stephen Chow's over-the-top martial arts movie Kung Fu Hustle, this free massively multiplayer game hopes to make its money through micro-transactions and its name through casual side-scrolling fights.

What Is It?
Kung Fu Hustle is based on Stephen Chow's movie of the same name. In the game you play as a computer nerd who learns Kung Fu and sets about righting his village's wrongs. The entire game is essentially played as a classic side-scrolling fighter.

What We Saw
I was able to play a few minutes against some enemies in what felt like an instance and then fought a few multiplayer battles in a village that was essentially a fighting arena.

How Far Along Is It?
It's currently in closed beta in Taiwan.

What Needs Improvement?
Ping: It's a bad sign when you're playing on local servers against five or so other people and the game is suffering from ping issues. With the game in beta, I assume this is at the top of the list to be fixed.

Multiplayer Fights: The multiplayer fights were as confusing as you would expect in a side-scrolling bout that involved five fighters. The worst problem was that people would get caught between two other players and just hammered. Not much fun for anyone involved. If it can be tweaked, it could be fun though. I especially like that you bet coins on matches.

More Chow: This is supposed to be based on one of my favorite modern Kung-Fu movies, but I really couldn't tell. Where are the over-the-top battles? Where is the sly sense of humor? This game definitely needs more of Chow's influence.

Depth: What I saw of the game made it feel like a very simplified side-scrolling fighter with the occasional multiplayer match thrown in. Kung Fu Hustle is going to need a lot more depth to compete on any level online.

What Should Stay The Same?
Fighting: While simplistic it worked. There are four movement keys, two attacks, a block and a jump. Tapping a couple of keys at a time launches different combos. For instance up and light attack for some fighters will give you a rising punch. As you play the game you unlock and can buy more and more attack combos. When I played I had about a dozen. It's a lot more fun running around doing flying kicks and sweeps to level up than hammering things with a sword.

Look: The game's look is very clean, very anime. It works well with the game and its roots.

Pricing: The good news, the best news, is that Kung-Fu hustle will be free. The developers plan to make money by selling you extra lives and items like clothing and such. Depending on how they price the extras, it could be very worthwhile.

Final Thoughts
Kung Fu Hustle is a fresh approach to an increasingly tired genre. Massively multiplayer online games too often follow in each other's footsteps. It's nice to see someone trying something completely different. Of course different doesn't always mean better. Right now the game is too light, even for free to play, to warrant my time. But there's definitely some potential there.

[Shaolinlueb]

kung fu hustle mmo? awesome

[GeneChing]

Maybe he should have shown CJ7

Teacher shows 'R' rated movie in class as reward; mother furious
Story Updated: Nov 17, 2009 at 7:22 PM PST
By Carol Ferguson, Eyewitness News

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A mother is furious that her son's sixth-grade teacher showed an "R" rated movie class.

The movie was "Kung Fu Hustle," and Standard Middle School Principal Tonny Gisbertz said it was clearly not appropriate.

Parent Heidi Flook is still outraged.

"I never in a million years thought my son would be watching "R" rated movies in his class, when he should be there learning," she said on Tuesday.

Part of the movie was shown in Caleb Gonzalez' class Friday, according to the mother. Flook said her son spent the weekend with his dad and asked if they could rent the movie so he could see more of it.

When the dad started looking at the movie, he was shocked.

"He said there's a lot of violence, there's some foul language and nudity scenes," Flook said.

Flook said her son was then shown more of the movie on Monday when a substitute was teaching the sixth-grade class. That's the day the mother put in a round of phone calls to the school principal, vice principal and Standard School District superintendent.

Principal Gisbertz called Flook on Monday, and said the situation was being dealt with.

"I'm concerned it's something that we should not be showing in the classroom," Gisbertz told Eyewitness News on Tuesday. "It's clearly inappropriate, and it's something I need to talk to the teacher about, and make sure it didn't happen again."

Gisbertz said action has been taken with the teacher who showed the movie, but he would not be more specific.

"It's a personnel matter, and naturally I can't talk about personnel matters. But I can tell you we dealt with it, and it won't happen again."

Flook is not entirely satisfied.

"I think it's my right as a parent to know what happened to a teacher that chooses to play an 'R' rated movie in front of my son," she said.

The principal also said he will take this issue to the rest of the school staff.

"We're in the process of doing that," he said. "I will remind the staff what the criteria are for showing videos and movies."

Other educators contacted by Eyewitness News said videos and movies shown in the class should be appropriate for instruction, educational in nature, and related to what's being taught.

Gisbertz agreed with that, saying there are appropriate videos or movies that could be shown.

"It's not unusual for a teacher to show a video for something that's related to the curriculum they're teaching."

The principal said this teacher was showing the movie as a reward for academic achievement, but it clearly not the right type of reward. The mother agrees with that, and she takes a wider view of the issue.

"I think it's very important that at the end of the day, parents ask their kids, 'What did you do today?'"

Flook said if parents aren't happy with what they hear, next they need to start asking school officials lots of questions.

"If something like this happens, to hold teachers, and staff, the superintendent -- everyone accountable."

The principal said he's glad this parent did contact the school.

"The key is communication," Gisbertz said.

[Lucas]

ughh!!!

some of these american mothers make me sick. over protective paranoid coddlers is what they are.

she should just have her kid removed from that school, keep him in a protective padded room with soft furniture and no sharp edges, blend all his food into a shake so he cant choke on it, play re runs of little house on the prairie, and make sure to check his diaper regularly so he doesnt get a rash.

i feel bad for her kid, first he cant watch a really funny movie, that truly is an innocent film, and hes going to probably grow up under a protective shield of mom, only to find out later in life he got jacked.

[sanjuro_ronin]

It was rated R ??
It was on the other day on TV here
Nudity?
WTF ??

[Jimbo]

I could have sworn that KFH was rated maybe PG-13 at the most. I've seen lots of PG-13 films that have far "worse" things for "children" in them than KFH.

This mother reminds me of a lot of the religious fanatics who protest things like the Harry Potter books, that get kids actually reading, because they think the books are "evil".

[GeneChing]

I saw Showgirls on TV. It was late night TV and there was a lot of digital blurring. And I think it was only like half an hour long...

I remember it was released as R in the US and I thought that was a little excessive.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I saw Showgirls on TV. It was late night TV and there was a lot of digital blurring. And I think it was only like half an hour long...

I remember it was released as R in the US and I thought that was a little excessive.

Sure, but this was on spike TV and I don't recall any parts being edited out...
And nudity??? I don't recall any on the DVD.

[GeneChing]

Apple tastes sweet
Updated: 2012-01-13 17:17
By Liu Wei (China Daily)


You are the Apple of My Eye is the romance flick written, directed and led by first-timers that has become the highest-grossing Chinese film ever in Hong Kong.

It has usurped the top spot held by Steven Chow's Kung Fu Hustle by earning $7.8 million. It has also set a new Taiwan box office record by raking in nearly $15 million.

The film is based on Taiwan writer/director Giddens Ko's own story - that of a boy's first love.

But the subject is only part of the reason the film struck a chord with so many.

It also provides a vivid depiction of teenage life, a period most people would like to relive - a time for joking around with friends and getting a crush on the boy or girl next door.

Despite being 29 in real life, the lead actress, Michelle Chen, presents the innocent beauty of a high school girl brilliantly. The lead actor, Ko Chen-tung, who's actually 20, shows the best qualities of young boys - boundless energy and fearless confidence.

The film is showing in mainland theaters, minus such spicy scenes as when the boy masturbates in class and walks around naked in his house.

It is a sad day indeed when a masturbating boy beats the Axe Gang.

[Jimbo]

Not a surprise, really. I would imagine this type of film has been more popular in HK and Taiwan than kung fu-related films for many years. They go ga-ga over romantic movies.

The description of this film (except for the wanking) sounds like an updated version of the Taiwanese 'young romance' types of films from the '70s that mostly starred Lin Ching-Hsia (Brigitte Lin), Chin Hsiang-Lin, Ching Han, and Lin Feng-Chiao (Jackie's wife), etc.. I had to sit through a number of those in-between kung fu flicks during quadruple subtitled features back in the early '80s.

[GeneChing]

Stephen Chow's company in contract tussle with "Kung Fu Hustle" star
Posted: 09 March 2012 1301 hrs

HONG KONG: Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" co-star Bruce Leung recently lashed out at Chow's film company Star Overseas over a contractual dispute, reported Hong Kong media.

Leung, who plays the evil martial arts expert The Beast in "Kung Fu Hustle", claimed that Star Overseas had breached the terms of the management contract he had signed with them and often took an inordinately large cut of his earnings.

"That year, he (Chow) personally called me and asked me to sign with him. His sincerity convinced me and I agreed to sign on for three years.

"Who knew his company would take a commission at a 'seafood rate' (a rate that varies wildly) and really took a big cut. It's outrageous!" said Leung.

"When I asked to see the contract, they (Star Overseas) said they couldn't find it!"

The 64-year-old actor, who also appeared in the critically acclaimed 2010 film "Gallants", expressed he had asked to terminate his contract after just a year because of these complications.

"I'll just take it as a lesson," Leung said.

In response to Leung's allegations, a spokesperson for Star Overseas said they take a percentage of Leung's earnings "according to the contract and not according to a 'seafood rate'", pointing out that the company did not lose the contract and could show Leung a copy.

Star Overseas went on to refute Leung's claims that he terminated his contract early, clarifying that it simply expired.

Chow's film company has been involved in a number of contractual disputes with its artistes to date.

Chinese actress Eva Huang, who worked with Chow in 2004's "Kung Fu Hustle", left Star Overseas after an unhappy legal tussle over contractual issues, as did Kitty Zhang, who starred alongside Chow in his 2008 film "CJ7".

Gotta remember that slang 'seafood rate'. Here are threads on CJ7 and Gallants.

[GeneChing]

As much as I disdain post-production 3D, I would buy a ticket for this...

‘Kung Fu Hustle’ to Be Re-Released in 3D


November 16, 2014 | 05:58PM PT
Patrick Frater
Asia Bureau Chief

HONG KONG — Iconic Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow’s hit “Kung Fu Hustle” is to be rereleased as a 3D movie in China.

The kinetic comedy actioner was originally released in 2004. It has been “comprehensively enhanced” and will be released in Mandarin and Cantonese versions by China Film Group, Huayi Brothers and Sony / Columbia Pictures.

The release date is tentatively set for Dec. 24.

Althought the 2004 original grossed $17 million in North America, there are currently no plans to re-release the 3D film outside mainland China, a Sony spokesman said.

The original film grossed RMB170 million in China, worth $20 million at prevailing 2004 exchange rates and $27.6 million at today’s rates.

Since that time the Chinese film industry has been transformed by modernization and multiplexing and the national box office has multiplied more than 30-fold. That gives the rerelease a strong chance of beating the score of the original outing.

Chow’s last theatrical release “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” was released in early 2013 and grossed $196 million.

Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmaster,” which was also released early last year, is also set to re-release as a 3D conversion by Bona Film Group. Its release date has now been pushed from this month to Jan. 8, 2015.

[GeneChing]

...I'd have to go all the way to China.

Stephen Chow's classic Kung Fu Hustle gets new life in 3D
Ben Sin


A digitally remastered 3D version of Kung Fu Hustle is showing on the mainland.

Hustle over the border for 3D version of Chow classic

While he's not as famous worldwide as Jackie Chan, nor as critically acclaimed as Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and nowhere near as ubiquitous in local culture as Andy Lau, Stephen Chow Sing-chi is arguably the best-loved actor of Hong Kong cinema's golden age (1980s and early '90s). His mo lei tau (slapstick) films did not rack up awards like Wong Kar-wai's , nor did they develop a global following like John Woo's, but they often broke local box office records — five of the 10 highest-grossing local films, including the top two, are Chow vehicles — and influenced a generation of Cantonese slang.

Last month marked the 10th anniversary of Kung Fu Hustle, the "last Chow Sing-chi film" in the eyes of many fans — (CJ7, released in 2007, was such a departure from the star's style that most have dismissed it) — and a digitally remastered 3D version of Hustle has hit big screens on the mainland. Local fans who want to revisit Chow's classic in 3D will have to travel across the border, however, as a representative for Sony says there are no plans to release the film in Hong Kong. That's a pity, given Chow's iconic status.