SHAOLIN - the 2011 film

[GeneChing]

Couldn't resist an Epoch Times review:

Movie Review: Shaolin
By Joe Bendel Created: Sep 6, 2011 Last Updated: Sep 6, 2011
Respect These Monks

A scene from the action-drama film "Shaolin." (Variance Films Inc.)
The Shaolin monks of the early 20th century Chinese Republic were highly skilled practitioners of the martial arts. Brothers of charitable mercy, they believed in turning the other cheek. However, they could only be pushed so far, as one power-mad warlord learns in Benny Chan’s “Shaolin.”

When Hou Jie’s vanquished rival took refuge in the Shaolin monastery, the warlord went in after him. Hou Jie’s hubris told him he was on the brink of permanently consolidating his control over the region, but karma will say otherwise.

A scene from the action-drama film "Shaolin." (Variance Films Inc.)
Expecting to betray a key ally at the dinner celebrating their young children’s arranged marriage, Hou Jie finds himself triple-crossed by his lieutenant, Cao Man. Escaping with his life, the fallen warlord finds sanctuary with the very monks he so lately dissed.

Mourning his daughter, Hou Jie shaves his head, finding solace in the life of a novice. Of course, his former “little brother” is still out for his head, but Cao Man is also busy colluding with the evil Westerners, using up and discarding desperate workers in their malevolent public works projects, which at least have the merit of being “shovel-ready.” A spectacular showdown is inevitable, especially considering the monks’ Robin Hood relief work.

A scene from the action-drama film "Shaolin." (Variance Films Inc.)
A richly detailed period production, Yee Chung-man’s design team meticulously recreated the imposing Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, for the express purpose of watching it all eventually come crashing down. In fact, the audience is so thoroughly immersed in the ancient sets that it is difficult to get an accurate read on the film’s exact timeframe.

Action director Corey Yuen (who served a similar role on little films like “The Expendables,” “X-Men,” and “Red Cliff”) choreographs some impressive fight sequences, including both the sweeping macrobattles and the hand-to-hand combat at the micro level.

Andy Lau is appropriately intense as Hou Jie, convincingly handling the action sequences as well as his character’s transition to Zen-like resignation, if not full enlightenment. As an added bonus, Bingbing Fan is as radiant as ever in portraying his grieving wife Yan Xi.

Aside from the clichéd white-devil imperialist villain (an already tired convention of Chinese popular film), “Shaolin” is quite a rich martial arts morality play. Frankly, it is refreshing to see a film with genuine respect for religious service that also takes themes of redemption profoundly seriously. It also delivers ample spectacle and a generous supply of action.

Enthusiastically recommended, “Shaolin” opens this Friday (9/9) in New York at the Cinema Village.

Shaolin
Director: Benny Chan
Cast: Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Bingbing Fan
Running Time: 131 minutes
Rating: R
In Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles

Joe Bendel writes about independent film and jazz and lives in New York. To read his most recent articles, please visit http://jbspins.blogspot.com.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

According to the official U.S. site for Shaolin, it will be released in 9 theaters in the U.S this Friday. It's the same weekend that Warrior premieres, which will be released in 1700 theaters.

Here's the list:

opening september 9
Austin, TX - Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek
Dallas, TX - Texas Theatre
Denver, CO - Denver FilmCenter/Colfax
Honolulu, HI - Pearlridge 16
Los Angeles, CA - Laemmle Sunset 5
New York, NY - Cinema Village
Phoenix, AZ - FilmBar
San Diego, CA - Gaslamp 16
San Fransisco, CA - Four Star Theater

opening september 16
Portland, OR - Hollywood Theatere
Los Angeles, CA - CGV Cinemas

opening september 22
Salt Lake City, UT - The Art House Cinema

opening september 23
Philadelphia, PA - Cinema 16:9

San Francisco is misspelled.

[GeneChing]

Some fresh reviews.

Shaolin (2011)
Variance Films/Well Go USA
“Shaolin” stars Andy Lau whose character, a warlord in China, becomes a monk who ends up fighting his former protégé.
Buddha Stars in a Kung-Fu Flick
By RACHEL SALTZ
Published: September 8, 2011

Sadistic warlords square off against noble monks in “Shaolin,” Benny Chan’s satisfying kung-fu action-and-redemption film starring Andy Lau. If the movie feels old-school (with new-school production values), consider its pedigree. It’s no wonder: “Shaolin” is a reimagining of the 1982 “Shaolin Temple,” in which Jet Li made his debut.

“It’s never wrong to strike first,” says Mr. Lau’s Hou, a warlord in early Republican China whose Machiavellian scheming leads him to disaster. Hou finds refuge at the Shaolin temple, whose sanctity he has earlier violated and mocked. Repentant, he becomes a monk, focusing his steely concentration (Mr. Lau gives good glare) on kung-fu discipline and Buddhist right action. And he’s needed to fight the good fight against his former protégé, the sneeringly cruel Cao Man (Nicholas Tse), who is wreaking havoc on the land and people.

With its oppressed masses; its muted palette of browns, grays and greens — all the better to set off a golden statue of the Buddha — and its elegant if bloody fights (so many knives through chests), “Shaolin” fits in the more somber kung-fu tradition. But it also finds room for the genre’s comic strain. Jackie Chan plays an older monk, a cook who never excelled at the martial arts (!) but knows his way around a wok. “Stir-fry them like vegetables!” one of his young disciples screams when bad guys attack him. And so he does, before kneading them like dumpling dough. A different kind of redemption, though, features in the climactic battle as Hou, the former sinner, falls — quite literally — into Buddha’s embrace.

SHAOLIN

Opens on Friday in New York and Los Angeles.

Directed by Benny Chan; action director, Cory Yuen; director of photography, Anthony Pun; production design by Yee Chung-man; released by Well Go USA and Variance Films. In Manhattan at the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. In Cantonese and Mandarin, with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 11 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Andy Lau (Hou Jie), Nicholas Tse (Cao Man), Jackie Chan (Wu Dao), Wu Jing (Jing Neng), Fan Bingbing (Yan Xi) and Yu Hai (the Abbot).

Finding Redemption (And New Moves) In 'Shaolin'
by Mark Jenkins

Shaolin

Director: Benny Chan
Genres: Action, Melodrama
Running Time: 131 minutes

Not rated; violence

In Mandarin with English subtitles
text size A A A
September 8, 2011

After more than two hours of kicking, punching and slashing on the part of Shaolin monks — including some real ones in supporting roles — Shaolin ends with a disclaimer: The movie "should not be construed religiously for the understanding and appreciation of the Buddhist faith."

In other words, kung fu fans: Do as the badass monks say, not as they do.

Shaolin monks are a staple of Chinese-Hong Kong co-productions, of course, but director Benny Chan's melodrama treats them more seriously than most. Perhaps because the fabled monastery cooperated with this particular enterprise, the filmmakers have crafted an action scenario that's fairly ... well, Buddhist. Shaolin is a tale of monstrous evil, spiritual transformation and ultimate self-sacrifice, all rendered in a subdued, misty palette.

If the movie is grimmer than most battling-monk flicks, that's partially because it's set in the 1920s. Railroads, machine guns and electricity — all presented as ominous — have arrived in China; several scenes depicting mass graves foreshadow the horrors of the Sino-Japanese War and Maoism.

Despite these historical shadows, the story is more theatrical than realistic. Ruthless warlord Hou (Infernal Affairs' Andy Lau) has just conquered his enemies, and is plotting how to defeat his friends. Bringing his beloved wife and daughter to give the illusion of peaceability, Hou meets Song (Shi Xiaohong) at the sort of elaborate multi-level restaurant that in kung fu movies always guarantees a major fight scene.

When the battle's over, both Hou and Song have lost. Hou and his family seek refuge at the Shaolin Temple — the very place he'd previously desecrated while searching for an adversary. He gradually comes to accept the temple's ethos, in part because of the example set by Wudao, a humble cook who insists that kung fu is "beyond me."

Meanwhile, Hou's former lieutenant Cao (Nicholas Tse) takes control of the area, making a deal with the British looters Hou had rejected. To ensure that his treasonous activities remain secret, he regularly massacres the peasants who work for him.

The temple's monks pursue a rigorous regimen of physical and mental training — but some leaven it with an irrepressible humor.

Some of the monks bend their vows, stealing rice for the poor and rescuing laborers who would otherwise be doomed. Finally, Cao and his troops invade the temple, and the upstart has a one-on-one showdown with his former commander, who by now become an exemplary Buddhist — and crackerjack martial artist.

Choreographed by the great Corey Yuen, Shaolin features a half-dozen impressive action set pieces, including an elaborate carriage chase and a battle inside the cages where Cao imprisons his workers. There's also a comic scuffle in which Wudao — played by Jackie Chan — uses his culinary skills to knead and flip attackers as if they were so many dumplings.

Both Lau and Tse are Cantopop vocalists as well as cop-movie regulars, but Shaolin doesn't burst into song until the final credits. Yet the movie does include fanciful touches that border on the operatic: A man's tears turn into a rainstorm, and a fallen monk slips into the giant hands of a Buddha statue.

Shaolin's isn't quite distinct enough stand apart from the many other Hong Kong and Chinese movies (including Infernal Affairs) that riff on Buddhist precepts. But with its particular mix of bedlam and piety, it might at least improve the filmmakers' karma.

[GeneChing]

The U.S. premiere reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.

Movie review: 'Shaolin'
The kung fu is furious and the body count is high.
By Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times Film Critic
September 9, 2011

"Shaolin," with its feuding warlords and fighting monks in '20s era China, is a sprawling popcorn blast of action kept spinning with crazy cool kung fu, tons of fake spurting blood (I think everyone had a packet clinched in their teeth) and slacker improvised, or inspired, U.S. subtitles.

How else to explain the warlord who growls at his No. 2, "You just don't get the drift…" while he's choking him. Maybe to death.

This is, however, exactly the drift you can expect when Hong Kong action impresario Benny Chan, with 20-plus very energetic fighting flicks under his black belt, is in charge. The director has never met a battle sequence he didn't want to extend — the better to slice and dice a few more bodies. Sharp-edged blades come in all shapes and sizes in "Shaolin," but machine guns, mortars and the rest are making their brutal, cultural debut.

There are bodies galore littering a battlefield to open the film, as the monks of Shaolin Temple pick through the carnage, sending the dead off to their next life and looking for the living. The devastation has been wrought by Gen. Hou Jie, with Andy Lau ("House of Flying Daggers," "Warlords") wonderful to watch per usual. Hou has more than a little help from his eager-to-please No. 2, Cao Man, a dark brooding grudge holder well played by Nicholas Tse ("The Promise").

To set up the conflict to come, Hou's rival has survived that first battle and is seeking shelter with the Buddhist monks of the legendary Shaolin temple, which gives the film its name and its inspiration. Chan chose a different page from history, setting his film more than 1,000 years after 1982's "The Shaolin Temple," which starred Jet Li and unfolded during the Tang Dynasty, and a few decades before Quentin Tarantino started visiting in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."

The monks are an eclectic group that range from the ancient and wise to the young and reckless with martial arts movie master Jackie Chan as a very amusing baking buffoon in the middle. Theirs is a religion of peace but also preparedness — hours each day spent training in Shaolin Kung Fu, a super-fast brand that the monks teach at their World's School of Martial Arts.

The standoff between Hou and his rival on the temple grounds proves to be only the first of the film's fateful turning points. The general teaches his cruel acolyte Cao a lesson. But then the worm turns, and there are a series of betrayals and comeuppance that send Hou on a journey of enlightenment. Lau is responsible for most of the film's emotional depth, to which he brings a captivating introspective intensity. There's a secondary story line designed to lighten things up, when a few of the monks undertake a steal-from-the-rich plan to aide hungry peasants. But it doesn't really pay off, instead becoming a distraction from the main event.

Beyond the art of warfare, there is plenty of ancient wisdom dispensed by the monks. Chan is especially entertaining as the self-deprecating cook whose noodle kneading turns out to be as instructive as the hours the monks spend in martial arts training sessions. The kung fu itself is great fun to watch, from the discipline of balancing on one foot on a wooden pillar, the other in the air, for hours at a time to the confrontations that send fist and feet flying.

[Jimbo]

I enjoyed it. It was better than I expected it to be. Not so much for the fight scenes, which, IMO, seem pretty standard for these types of movies nowadays. Andy Lau did a great acting job, and I liked the story. My only complaint would be that it seems most of the movie was filmed in fairly dim light. IDK if it only seems that way when you watch it in the theater. This made most of the fights hard to see.

One of the things I really liked was that they departed from the flashy wushu style in the training scenes. I know next to nothing about Shaolin, except what I've read in KFM. But the training and forms look traditional.

A reviewer for one of the local free magazines pretty much ripped this movie, calling it "ho-hum" and "ridiculous." I have to admit I wasn't expecting much, either, but I liked it enough that I won't mind owning it when it becomes available.

[GeneChing]

I wonder if Well Go USA has seen our 2011 Shaolin issue.

Shaolin Spares with DVD, BD
Standard and Collector's Editions due.
September 19, 2011
by David McCutcheon

Well Go USA has been releasing some great martial arts epics on DVD and Blu-ray for years now, bringing some classic Asian pop culture staples to North America at a workmanlike pace. This time around, they will be unveiling Shaolin featuring Jackie Chan to both formats on October 25, 2011. There will be a standard edition, as well as a Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition features extensive bonus materials including deleted scenes and a "Making of" featurette

In the early years of the Republic, China has been plunged into chaos as feuding warlords battle to expand their power and their lands. Young army leader Hou Chieh (Andy Lau) and his sworn brother Tsao Man (Nicholas Tse) find themselves on opposing sides as the war escalates. The ultimate battle ensues when the army is set to besiege the peaceful Shaolin Temple and the peace-loving monks are forced to take up arms to protect their people and beloved temple.

The DVD will be available for the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) of $24.98, while the Blu-ray will run at the MSRP of $29.98. If you're going Collector's style, you'll need to plunk down $32.98 for the Blu-ray. The DVD Collector's Edition comes packed in with the regular Blu-ray version.

The releases will feature the following bonus materials:

-- Behind the scenes interviews (including interview with Shaolin Abbot)
-- Making of Featurette
-- Deleted Scenes

[GeneChing]

While this film didn't have nearly the impact we would have hoped for, it it getting a lot of global exposure via streaming.

Netflix vs Lovefilm Instant: Study suggests you need both
By Luke Westaway on 16 January 2013, 6:03pm

Struggling to decide whether Netflix or Lovefilm Instant is a more comprehensive streaming service? A new number-crunching study suggests you need to splash out for both, as almost every film or TV show available for streaming in the UK is exclusive to one or the other, but not both.

Statistics from Oric, a site we've previously covered that lists where you can legally watch TV shows online, shows that Lovefilm Instant offers a total of 3,284 movies, 3,015 of which are Lovefilm exclusives. Netflix, on the other hand, has a total of 1,668 films in its roster, 1,399 of which can't be found on Lovefilm.

Of films that came out in 2012, not a single one can be found on both services. And of the 187 movies released in 2011 that are present on both Lovefilm and Netflix, only one film (Hong Kong chop-socker Shaolin) can be found on both. The bottom line -- if you want anything even approaching a comprehensive movie and TV selection, you need to subscribe to both services.

On the TV front, only Netflix has popular shows such as Arrested Development, Breaking Bad and Dexter, while only Lovefilm gets 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica and The Tudors. Lovefilm is lacking in The Thick of It, but curiously does lay claim to the special episodes.

Netflix has 412 TV shows in total, 322 of which can't be found on Lovefilm. Conversely, Lovefilm has 300 TV shows, 210 of which don't feature on the rival services.

But which one should I choose?

Deciding which service is better is a near-impossible task, as raw numbers of available films and TV shows don't indicate the quality of what's available (Nude Nuns with Big Guns is one of the few films available on both services, for example). Netflix deserves a bit of credit for featuring 41 films that were released last year, however, compared to Lovefilm Instant's more meagre 18.

It's fair to say, then, that Netflix is more up to date, while Lovefilm is more comprehensive. Netflix costs £5.99 per month, whereas Lovefilm Instant costs £4.99.

It's dismaying, however, to see how far we are in the UK from a service that's approaching something all-encompassing (unless you splash out for a pricey Sky subscription). I'm sure I'm not the only Brit who hates flicking from Netflix to iPlayer to the Xbox trying to find my favourite shows.

It's also worth noting that in the UK we're privy to far fewer titles than the US enjoys -- Netflix has a total of 1,668 movies in the UK for example, compared to 9,153 available flicks in the US.

[Orion Paximus]

It was cool and all, but the monks weren't very Buddha like lol.

[David Jamieson]

Just watched this over the holidays.
I thought it was alright overall.

Some parts were a bit... well, not that great, but it was a good flick.
Anyone else see it?
What did you think?

[David Jamieson]

oh, one other thing. What are the rules for animal treatment in films made there? Because I'm pretty sure they hurt some horses very badly in the making of that.

[GeneChing]

Animal treatment is something they will have to address if they want that global blockbuster to happen.

[GeneChing]