FORBIDDEN KINGDOM: the movie

[SPJ]

agreed that it is a good article about the longevity of an action star in action films.

I can think of

1. first James bond star from 60's-- has to be replaced several times to continue the sequel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8FGL...eature=related

2. lethal weapon may not continue, with mel gibson felt old fighting jet li.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CtnQ...eature=related

3. --

--

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVouVK8WVI

done filing tax returns.

but caught a bad cold.

will see the movies on Sunday.

[ghostexorcist]

I watched it tonight (April 16th) at a advanced screening in Cincinnati. I did not like it. The girls are major cuties, though.

[GeneChing]

Lots of pics of Chinese celebs that you probably don't know...

Opening Ceremony of "Forbidden Kingdom"
2008-04-16 21:24:07 CRIENGLISH.com

Cast members including (From Left to Right) Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing and Jet Li's daughter pose at the premiere ceremony of Huayi Brother's kungfu epic "The Forbidden Kingdom" in Beijing's Chaoyang Park Wednesday afternoon.

April in Beijing is not hot yet, except for the Chaoyang Park in Eastern Beijing, where the world premiere ceremony of Huayi Brother's kungfu epic "The Forbidden Kingdom" was held Wednesday night.

At the press conference on Tuesday, organizers claimed it will be the most shining show biz gala before the opening of the Beijing Olympics. So it was. Dozens of stars were invited to walk the red carpet and sign names on the promotion board.

Singers like Chinese pop duo Yu Quan, Sun Nan, Bobo, Zhang Liangying, and Shang Wenjie as well as Taiwan hostess A-Ya and mainland actor Huang Xiaoming attended the red carpet ceremony. Of course, the peak of the ceremony came as the cast members appeared. Chinese kungfu superstar Jet Li also brought his daughter in the hope of entertaining her.

Besides showbiz stars, hundreds of reporters from world's major media organizations came to report on the film's premiere. Besides the shining stars, the film itself attracted overseas reporters. Western public seems to be satisfied with a westerner's interpretation of the Monkey King legend.

As the first film starring both kungfu masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the Forbidden King will hit cinemas in North America on April 18, and in Asia on April 24.

[GeneChing]

Another review. I expect more of these over the next few days...

Martial arts legends together at last
By Steven Rea

Inquirer Movie Columnist and Critic
In one sense, The Forbidden Kingdom is to Asian martial arts movies what Heat was to American crime thrillers. That is, it represents the first on-screen pairing of two 100-percent genuine screen icons.

Michael Mann brought Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together back in 1995, and Rob Minkoff (who? oh yeah, the guy who made Stuart Little) puts Jackie Chan and Jet Li in the same room for this enjoyable, if hardly momentous, kung fu fest set in the smog-free days of ancient China.

Nicely shot, with heaps o' stick fighting and cartwheeling stunt and wire action, The Forbidden Kingdom is about a 21st-century teen (Michael Angarano) who hangs out in a South Boston pawn shop and - through a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-ish turn of events - gets tossed back in time, clutching a mystical staff.

Said weapon is much coveted by several parties, including the Jade Warlord (Colin Chou), who can smirk with the best of them, and the White-Haired Demoness (Li Bing Bing), whose tresses have more snap than a dominatrix's whip. (She has one of those, too.) The kid's staff could also bring the Monkey King - a mischievous martial arts master with funny facial hair - back to life, having been turned to stone in a duel that, long ago, didn't go so well.

Chan and Jet Li play the soused and silly Lu Yan and the agile, austere Silent Monk, respectively. An unlikely team, the drunken master and the Zen fighter pair up to teach young Jason (Angarano) how to battle hordes of oncoming, armor-plated extras, and to proffer advice on courting the lovely, though deadly, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei). And so, our gang is off on a journey through green and glorious countryside, stopping in the bamboo forests for training montages, in a tavern or two for acrobatic fisticuff sessions, and ultimately at the palace of the Jade Warlord, where a major face-off ensues.

Delivering their lines in not-exactly-fluid English, Chan and Li quip and kickbox, while the women strike daunting poses and Angaro looks on with an expression that's equal parts dread and awe. Neither Chan nor Li are required to do anything that your typical middleaged martial arts superstar couldn't pull off in his sleep.

The special effects are effective, though not terribly special. While director Minkoff pays homage to past masters of the genre, the past masters were better at this game than he.

[GeneChing]

Neither Jackie nor Jet were at the press screening I was at.

Exploring The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan
April 17, 2008

After becoming known as one of the busiest martial arts action stars of all time - if not THE busiest - Jackie Chan really doesn't need an introduction. The guy simply kicks butt! At the age of 54, Chan is still as busy as he's ever been and now fans will finally see Jackie team up with fellow martial arts legend Jet Li in director Rob Minkoff's The Forbidden Kingdom, which hits theaters on April 18.

Although Jackie and Jet have been trying for years to find the right project to work together, both martial-arts-turned-action-stars finally settled on The Forbidden Kingdom, about a young American teenager who finds the lost ancient weapon of the legendary Monkey King and travels to China to return it to its owner. However, before he does, he must learn how to fight from two uniquely different martial arts masters played by Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

At the recent L.A. junket for The Forbidden Kingdom, The Deadbolt took a few lessons from master Jackie Chan as he talked about how he felt working on the project, the adjustments that he's had to make with his martial arts, the original movie he had in mind for a collaboration with Jet Li, being an ambassador for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, and how it felt to wear a wig.

Are you pleased with the way The Forbidden Kingdom has turned out? Is it how you envisioned it would be?

JACKIE CHAN: I don't know. Every time I make American film, I just trust the American director and American writer. Myself, I would never make this kind of film. For me, those kinds of films are ridiculous. They don't make sense. [laughs] But the American way, the American audience is more interested in this kind of movie.

Which part did you feel didn't make sense?

CHAN: No, the whole thing. [laughs] Why drunken master? Monkey king? Alls kind of things, but at the end, it's the children; there is a young boy in New York who loves - just like the writer - he loves American culture. It's a fantasy like a fairytale. It's okay. Otherwise, I won't make this movie... American audiences, even he like it. The Asian like it. So, that's why Jet [Li] and I agree to make this movie. Now, I hear so many good things about this movie and everybody is talking about it - I still worry. Just like Rush Hour one. After I finished Rush Hour, I said, "My career finished. A second time I try to get in American market and now I'm finished. I go back to Asia and that's all." Then "Boom!" - big hit. This is ridiculous. Why do people like these kinds of things? Then Rush Hour 2 - now, whenever American writer or director comes and presents a script, nobody is against it for the American market.

What types of alterations and adjustments have you had to make with martial arts at your age?

CHAN: I think the last six or five years you can tell I have changed my style, right after Around the World in 80 Days and then I go back to make New Police Story, The Myth, Rob B Hood, Rush Hour 3 and Forbidden Kingdom. Right after Forbidden Kingdom, I just finished a movie called The Shinjuku Incident. It's just totally, one percent action and heavy, heavy drama. The next one will be big action! Then maybe a love story. I want to change. I want to be a real actor. Not just action style. I am the myth. Jackie Chan is a myth. I am still surviving right now, more than 30 years. I am the only one. How long cannot I keep fighting? So this is why I have to change, change, change. I have encouraged a director for my next film, it's a good idea for him. He's been working on, not a new idea, it's about Chinese culture and combined with European (American), more those kinds of situations. I'm not like I used to be in Drunken Master 3 or 4. No, I'm tired. [laughs].

How was the wig that you had to wear? Did it cause any problems?

CHAN: Yes, especially when the shooting time was so hot in the desert. It's so itchy, and probably for a young girl they are used to it. I'm always, like, very slowly just do this [twirls hair]. So itchy! But there were things, the old guy, the old hawk - Wow! I wanted to kill the director. [laughs] For five days, I get a phone call in the morning. Makeup until 12:30. After lunch, first shot. Two shots, wrap. I said, "No, shoot more." Take off all the makeup for two hours. Everyday? Almost 11 hours in makeup.

Looking back, you used to be the student and now you're the master after so many films. How is that feeling?

CHAN: I just don't believe it's so quick, now, that I'm becoming a master. Then I realize, "Wow, Drunken Monkey was 30 years ago." My master has already passed away. Now, I am the master. Feels funny. But what can you do? That's a human being life.

Is it safer to do movies like Kung Fu Panda?

CHAN: Kung Fu what? [laughs] Yes.

Did you like that?

CHAN: Yes. I forget. Making a Hollywood film, you don't have a very big movie because they have a safety captain, insurance people on the set. They have to check first: "Don't do it. Let me check, make sure everything is safe." And I really think that John [Stevenson], the director and also, Disney and DreamWorks they are making Chinese culture movies like Mulan, Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Panda. All those years, I always think, "Whenever the Western people make anything we know, Superman - yeah, we know. Spider-Man, well, we know. Whenever you make King Arthur, we know. But whenever we try to make something Chinese culture overseas, nobody knows." When we make Chang Dynasty, who is Chang? When we make some very famous Chinese story, nobody knows. Even Mulan, Disney makes Mulan and now the whole world knows Mulan. So, we need American famous director or non-famous director or famous studio to help us make some Chinese traditional culture movies. The history brings you to the wall. Then the people more understand China, more understand China, then more people will have interest in China and more people will come to China to visit us because I am a tourist ambassador. [laughs] Really, thank you. Please write more Chinese things, yes.

What was the first movie you wanted to make with Jet Li?

CHAN: Fifteen years ago I wrote a script with him and the script was very interesting. I am the bad good guy, he is the cop. He had to catch me around from the bottom of Russia all the way back to Beijing. Between, something happens and even the police are looking for Jet Li, the bad guy looking for Jet Li, then the police are looking for me. And then Jet Li couldn't catch me. I had to get rid of him. And we cannot take the plane, we cannot take the train, we cannot take anything. No transportation. We have to walk on the mountains, cross the river. Different regions of Chinese, different dialects. There is a lot of comedy going on. Lots of travel going on. Lots of great action.

So, where do things stand with that project?

CHAN: When I present the script to American writer, he doesn't like it. [laughs] The company had spent another million for him to rewrite the script. After he write the script, I don't like it. And when he writes the script, it's two brothers. Somehow I don't know he's my brother, somehow I know he's my brother. The two of us - he just wants money. Don't pay me the script copyright. So, this is why it doesn't happen. And I think also, we don't have the middle guy. Every time I see Jet, it's like, "Let's do it when?" And he's like, "Yeah, let's do it!" And then "Dead, boom, gone." Because this time it happened, because Casey [Silver], in the middle, all those years, every ten days he gives me a call. The script, "No, it's not done." - "Jet, sent him the script." He was the one flying back and forth, back and forth. Then, it makes the whole thing happen. Thank you.

Do you have any old classic favorites?

CHAN: Classic movies? Drunken Master. [laughs] Director Woo Shanu, King Hu. Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen, Young Master, Police Story... [laughs] Rush Hour.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

But I could squeeze both pages 1 & 2 on my first post, so I only linked page 3.

Since both yourself and Jet Li have such different styles, how were the action sequences and working with Jet? What was it like while you were behind-the-scenes?

CHAN: Behind-the-scenes? I just remember first day we are on the set, Woo-ping and the stunt coordinators had choreographed an action sequence and Jet and I were going to take a look. And two stunt guys were doing a demonstration. And I'm standing there with Woo. You know, I am a fast learner. I have been doing this action for so many years. I just look at it once, "Just show me one more time." And then I say, "Let's shoot without rehearsal." And then I look at Jet, and Jet Li's like, "Okay, let's shoot." Then, I suppose - just to make fun of him - and all the cameramen were like, "What? No rehearsal. Okay, let's do it." After first cut, the director and Woo-ping come up and say, "Good, but can you guys slow down?" - because, he wanted to show off quick, I wanted to show off quick. I wanted quicker! Then the director says, "New technology." We had to slow down a bit, and then we slow down. Fighting with him is a very, very comfortable. [The] comfortable is not like some action villain. They just don't know how to fight. It's "Ow" and it gets you hurt. And it just doesn't look good. I have never fought so many other actors and villains, and it's boom and - good, those kinds of rhythm. Wow. I think because I'm good, it makes him comfortable. [laughs].

Will you be in Beijing for the Olympics? How would you like people to be able to see the Olympics?

CHAN: I am the Olympic Ambassador. I always promote Olympics. I just want to tell - Olympics are the Olympics. Cannot mix with politics. Olympics for me is love, peace, united. Every four years are the Olympics no matter what country. Every country when they have Olympics, a lot of people come out opposed. Like L.A., the same, Russia, the same... But this year everyone is just concentrated on China. It just doesn't happen in China, it happens everywhere. I just want to say, please, understand, they are just some naughty boys. They are doing it for no reason. They just want to show up on TV. They know, if I can get the torch then I can go on the TV for the news. That's the wrong thing. They misunderstand. And like I said before, more making Chinese films, more tourists come to China and watch the Olympics and welcome. I am standing in the airport and bowing: welcome, welcome, welcome.

How did it feel to do Drunken Fist after all of these years?

CHAN: Sometimes, I'm very embarrassed. I have to do it again; again and again. I said, "Why does everyone have to see me?" Like I said before, when the people know Jackie Chan movie, "Oh, Drunken Master!’ Especially in the west, even Brett Ratner, Rush Hour 3, there is one scene where I get drunk and get in a fight with a drunken master. And I said, "No! Why does everybody want me to fight drunken master?" But this movie, at the beginning I refuse. But later on, later on, I find out, "Okay, it's a purist movie. And the young boy, love it. That's okay." Not any more. Not any more.

It might be because it looks so special, unlike anything else. That's why we like it.

CHAN: Really? Okay. That depends the box-office. If the box office is good, the next one will be Forbidden Drunken Master.

Can you talk about the locations and how that experience was for you?

CHAN: For the last 10 years I've been working in China, traveling around, because with The Myth going on we've been traveling to so many different locations, different places for the location. For me, it's nothing... I think for him, "Wow, great location, great location." For me? Just used to it.

Is there talk of a [Forbidden Kingdom] sequel?

CHAN: Yeah, just like Rush Hour. Boom! Rush Hour 2, then Rush Hour 3. Now, Rush Hour 4. I mean, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights. Shanghai Dawn! Forbidden Kingdom, Forbidden what? Return to Forbidden Kingdom [laughs].

[GeneChing]

Nice pic of Crystal if you follow the link.

Mythic Film Had Equally Grand Production
By Joy Regullano
Contributing Writer
Date Added Thursday, April 17, 2008 | 2:10 am

For the cast and crew of "Forbidden Kingdom," making the film was as great an adventure as the story it tells-that of an American teenager who, after being dropped into mythical China, is charged with fulfilling a prophecy. Screenwriter John Fusco originally envisioned the tale as a bedtime yarn for his 7-year-old son. Not only did it feature a character the young boy could relate to, it also introduced him to Chinese philosophy, the lesser-known but equally important facet of martial arts. It then remained to translate this idea onto the silver screen.

"Making movies is not easy," director Rob Minkoff said. In this case, challenges began long before production. One of the first and biggest hurdles Minkoff encountered was working out the collaboration between what Fusco called the "martial arts dream team."

"I think it's a miracle that these two guys agreed to be in the movie," he said, citing studio politics and a "quite extensive contract." Even the promotional movie poster had to be carefully thought out in terms of who to bill first. Eventually though, someone suggested using one "j" for both names so that neither would have priority.

"We've got these megastars," Minkoff said. "We have to treat them equally. We can't put one above the other."

Once everyone arrived on set in China, the escapades took a different turn. Fusco recalled riding Bactrian camels to climb to the top of dunes and sliding down on bamboo slats for a scene. And praise to the hardworking crew, because the quest for great cinematography didn't stop there. In a fight scene filmed among cherry trees in full bloom, Minkoff attested to the fact that each and every blossom was hand-glued onto the branches.

But what really made Fusco laugh was meeting Chan for the first time: "Talk about an adventure-driving around the streets in his customized sports car."

Meanwhile, Collin Chou and Crystal Liu, who are talented, high profile actors in their own right, also underwent a sort of adventure. When asked about working with the martial arts greats, Chou replied, "It's not just your dream come true, it's also my dream come true."

Indeed, the roles they played offered excitement in and of themselves. Chou, who portrays the Jade Warlord, protests the usual-and reasonable-label of villain. "I see I am a great hero in this movie," he said. "He's a guy trying to protect the kingdom." Liu, on the other hand, plays an intense young warrior who is more than a stereotypical romantic interest. "This girl is very strong. She's not just a girl waiting for a white boy to fall in love with," she said.

Although already famous in China for her singing and dancing, Liu still found this foray challenging. "You know, Collin Chou is professional at martial arts, so I'm a little bit nervous to play in front of him," she said. "Especially, he's a man and we have to kill him � [Choreographer] Woo Ping also has a high standard for my character."

Their favorite moments from production, however, both involved birthdays. Chou remembered his being the same day as Minkoff and celebrating it together with dinner and fireworks. Liu's 20th birthday fell on the day filming wrapped. Although at first she thought everyone forgot her birthday, she was surprised by the gift of three big cakes.

Overall, the making of "Forbidden Kingdom" seems to have as much of a claim to excitement as the movie itself.

But Minkoff's biggest challenge? "Not getting killed," he said. "Every minute of the day, I was just worried they were going to beat the crap out of me."

[GeneChing]

...for *our* official review.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM: Monkey King Meets the Wizard of Oz by Dr. Craig Reid

More to come...

[GeneChing]

One of the things I really like about Forbidden Kingdom is that it evokes so many classic kung fu flicks. As we all know, it's a massive genre. I hope the film inspires more people to dig through the film archive and see what a rich resource it is.

Kill Bill, meet your masters
AL KRATINA, Freelance
Published: 7 hours ago

Film can be quite educational. For example, teen movies have taught me never to pick on nerdy girls, lest they take off their glasses to reveal radiant beauty, or telekinetically turn the high school gym into a charnel house during prom. So, to prepare for the possible eventuality of being teleported to ancient China like the hero in The Forbidden Kingdom, a martial arts film hitting theatres today, I decided to watch a few kung fu films. I could have referred to the back catalogues of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the film's co-stars, but Chan's work focuses on getting cheap laughs through self-injury, and the diminutive Li's ankle-biting combat style is suitable only for hobbits and pre-schoolers. Here are some lesser-known DVDs that offer tips on the weapons and skills needed to survive Asian action films.

Swordplay. Using a sword is fairly self-explanatory. Still, there's artistry involved in decapitating an enemy and pirouetting in the arterial spray like a Fred Astaire routine set to Slayer's Raining Blood. In Lady Snowblood (1973), part of the '70s cycle of ultra-violent Japanese samurai films, a young woman avenges her father's death in a nearly scene-by-scene blueprint for Kill Bill (2003), every death bringing to mind the Kool-Aid Man springing a high-pressure leak. One-Armed Swordsman (1967), from the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, isn't as bloody. But the crippled hero's skill is equally impressive as he battles enemies who, in a sort of Middle Earth arms race, have developed defensive "sword-locks."

The Rope-Dart. While the rope-dart featured in 1982's Legendary Weapons of China is essentially a spiky yo-yo, there's something to be said for not carving out one's own eye while pulling off a Lindy Loop. The imaginative film, about several magical kung fu clans hunting down a renegade martial arts master, is representative of the blend of action and fantasy that characterize many Chinese action films, known as "wuxia." For equally odd weaponry, check out Dirty Kung Fu (1978), about a blundering bounty hunter, where a tobacco pipe is to used to crush bone instead of necrotize oral tissue. And in the hilariously dubbed Shogun Assassin (1980), a gory Americanized re-edit of two films from the Baby Cart series, an ex-assassin caring for his young son is attacked by female ninjas hurling what appear to be Asian radishes stuffed with knives.

Calligraphy. Anything can be a weapon in the right hands, from melted toothbrushes to a microphone wielded by the Jonas Brothers. The Prodigal Son (1982), a broad comedy in which an asthmatic transvestite from a travelling opera teaches kung fu, features legendary action star Sammo Hung performing kung fu calligraphy. Not only is the scene visually stunning, but it gives us writers inspiration to one day learn a skill more impressive than paraphrasing Wiki-pedia articles.

Chess. I thought that chess was just something you taught your kid to play if he sucked at hockey. But apparently it's also an ancient Asian game of strategy. In The Buddhist Fist (1980), directed by Woo-ping Yuen, famed action choreographer of the Matrix films and The Forbidden Kingdom, a scene involving chess is just one of many inventive action sequences, which also include a chopstick battle with a hunchback.

Spirituality. Martial arts are not just about the body. The Boxer's Omen (1983), while ostensibly focused on Thai kickboxing, illustrates the importance of spirituality in battle, an integral part of many Asian action films. The film offers a strong grounding in the role of ancient traditions in conditioning the mind and body, as well as demonstrating how to bring a decomposing corpse back to life by stuffing it into an eviscerated alligator while vomiting partially digested maggots and chicken genitals into its mouth, and training spiders to bite people in the eyes. By far the most educational film you'll see all year.

[GeneChing]

...but we expected that. Make sure to see our review which I mentioned yesterday on post 189. Our reviews are always written with the discerning martial arts reader in mind.

Here's one that focuses on John Fusco again, who penned Forbidden Kingdom as well as our current cover story (just in case you haven't been paying attention to the rest of this thread.)

John Fusco Pens The Forbidden Kingdom
Published April 17, 2008 in Movie Interviews
By Fred Topel

Any Hollywood hack can make up a story where Jet Li and Jackie Chan have to fight. It takes someone well versed in martial arts to ground it in the real philosophies of tradition. John Fusco, who looks tougher than any other screenwriter you'll meet, is a practicing martial artist, so he lent his knowledge to The Forbidden Kingdom.

"I studied the Shaolin styles and have been into martial arts since I was [little]," said Fusco. "I wrote in a lot of the action like I write action in any screenplay, for metrical effect and for pacing, and had a lot of fun with writing the different styles. Of course, then we had the master. I'm just a student. It was a jumping off point but there was a lot of interplay, collaboration, all so exciting. [Director] Rob [Minkoff] and I would go down to the training center with Woo Ping and just watch what he would do with these pieces. We would all collaborate on it and then of course everything that would happen once it was on its feet, all the invention was just incredible. Talk about a fantasy to watch."

To Fusco, adding martial arts philosophy elevates The Forbidden Kingdom above most modern fight films. "It's the way I learned from my sifu and I believe that a lot of this philosophy is missing in martial arts today. Martial arts schools used to be a very positive experience and about character building and discipline for young people. Now martial arts has a mixed martial arts connotation. A lot of parents see it as being very violent and don't want their kids involved anymore. Really, the philosophy is so good for young people. We're hoping that this film can energize that again and bring that back into martial arts for more people."

To keep the film relatable to the young kids he hopes to inspire, Fusco added the element of a modern day teenager traveling back in time. "It all started as a bedtime story that I made up for my 11-year-old son, who started to show an interest in martial arts which excited me. I wanted to introduce him to the legends and lore and the classics behind martial arts literature and cinema. I tried reading Journey to the West to him and it was a little over his head at 11 years old. So I started making up a time travel journey into the mythic China of Kung Fu legend and lore that he could relate to. It just grew night after night and introducing all these elements and then grew into a screenplay."

The film gives many different styles their due. "When Jason (Michael Angarano) travels back into this alternate universe, it's sort of Oz is this Wuxia world where people fly and their martial arts are elevated to that level. All the classic novels have those elements. So Woo-ping wanted to embrace that and have three levels of the supernatural in Collin [Chou]'s character, the more classical Shaolin styles and then the straightforward street style."

The Forbidden Kingdom opens to theatres on April 18th.

[GeneChing]

J & J commenting on each other.

For me, it's not about J beating J. It's about J&J beating Sarah Marshall. Be sure to go out and support this film this weekend. If you love martial arts movies, a big box office opening will send a clear message to Hollywood.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

agreed that it is a good article about the longevity of an action star in action films.

I can think of

1. first James bond star from 60's-- has to be replaced several times to continue the sequel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8FGL...eature=related

2. lethal weapon may not continue, with mel gibson felt old fighting jet li.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CtnQ...eature=related

3. --

--

Not good examples.

Lethal Weapon has run out of steam and James Bond was never to be played as anything but in his thirties.

Explains why almost twenty years later, Bart Simpson is still in the fourth grade and Maggie is still in diapers.

[Shaolin Wookie]

Where's the love? I thought the movie was great. I've read J to the West at least five times in its 4 volume set and read hosts of abridged translations--but I wasn't expecting content--I wanted to see an action flick and that's what I got. None of that Crouching Tiger imitation, lachrymal filmmaking. I thought they did a great job packing myths into an adventure movie (way better than any recent adventure flick), even with the white kid...LOL....



The "rain" scene had me in stitches. I'm laughing now just remembering it. Hell, my girlfriend thinks kung fu is dorky and she liked it.

As much as I thought Jet Li did a better job with his English than in the past, his

"NO FOOL!"

Had me and the entire theater cracking the **** up. LOOOOOLLLLLL!!!

[jethro]

I thought it was pretty good. I had a lot of problems with it, but I still enjoyed it. If Jackie and Jet werent in it, I imagine it would have been pretty crappy. But luckily they are in it, and give great performances. The American did good in the fight scenes, but I didn't like his acting. Or maybe it was just his stupid looking ponytail I didn't like, I dunno.