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Thread: Sammo Hung

  1. #31
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    Slightly OT

    Proud poppa Sammo
    23/03/2012
    Timmy Hung ties the knot

    The actor recently got married to actress Janet Chow after four years of dating




    Hong Kong actor Timmy Hung, the eldest son of acclaimed martial art actor Sammo Hung, tied the knot with actress Janet Chow the day before.

    The newlyweds did not go through the traditional Chinese customs prior to the wedding.

    Instead the couple spent time together the day before their matrimony (it is a taboo in Chinese customs for couples to meet the day before marriage), and also left out traditional ritual like the "welcoming ceremony".

    Bride Janet had also reportedly drove herself back home to leave some belongings behind before rushing down to the venue of her wedding banquet.

    When the couple exchanged marriage vows at the banquet, Timmy, who has been dating Janet for the past four years, said lovingly, "Taking care of her (Janet) for the rest of my life is the responsibility of a husband. Every man needs to try his best to give his wife the best. I hope that I will do better with my career and let her live a happy life."

    The actor added that he hopes to let his 28-year-old actress wife retire from showbiz after marriage, moving his bride to tears with his loving words.

    The couple rounded up a total of 28 bridesmaids and 10 best men for the wedding, which included fellow celebrities like Michael Tong, Chin Kar Lok, and Frankie Lam.

    The joyous event also saw attendance from Timmy's Korean birth mother, father Sammo Hung, movie star Andy Lau and singer Jackie Chueng.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #32
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    OT or on T?

    Come on now. Who's going to fault Sammo for hanging with a 21-yr-old hottie? Actually she's not that hot. She looks a little like an anime character, so if you're into hentai...

    This is probably more about some unknown actress trying to grab some tabloid coverage. But still, starlet one-third his age? Go Sammo.

    Friday, 14 September 2012 17:03
    Ageing kungfu star Sammo Hung denies affair with 21-yr-old actress

    HONG KONG- Hong Kong screen veteran Sammo Hung has denied rumours that he is having an affair with 21-year-old Chinese actress Wang Qin Yi, reported Hong Kong media.

    The rumours were sparked by a series of media reports, which claimed that 63-year-old Hung had been spotted with Wang over the course of three days at a Hengdian hotel in August, citing photos that have surfaced recently.

    "Let them (the tabloids) write what they want," an indignant Hung told Hong Kong media.

    "If they see me talking to my mother next time, they'd start saying I am asking for money from my family."

    Hung's current wife, former Miss Hong Kong Joyce Godenzi, whom he married in 1995, is standing by her husband.

    Godenzi said there are no problems in their relationship, and stressed that Hung would not cheat on her.

    Hung has appeared in numerous martial arts film since he entered showbiz as a child actor in the 60s, including "14 Blades" and "Ip Man 2".

    -CNA
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  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    Come on now. Who's going to fault Sammo for hanging with a 21-yr-old hottie? Actually she's not that hot. She looks a little like an anime character, so if you're into hentai...

    This is probably more about some unknown actress trying to grab some tabloid coverage. But still, starlet one-third his age? Go Sammo.
    eh its slightly OT...to T. lol

    meh, this story rings false to me... while idk if sammo is mr. faithful, i dont think he is given the one eyed dragon to this young chippee.

  4. #34
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    HBD Sammo!

    He turns 61 today.

    And he's still one bad mofo! A superstar of Kung Fu!

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  5. #35
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    Grandpa Sammo

    Sammo not teaching grandson kung fu
    By Syahida Kamarudin | From Cinema Online Exclusively for Yahoo! Newsroom – Fri, May 10, 2013 4:54 PM SGT



    10 May – Proud new parents Timmy Hung and Janet Chow recently held a Hundred Days banquet for their three-month old baby son, TJ.

    As reported on Popular Asians, on 7 May, the couple held a large party at Le Pinacle Cantonese Restaurant ballroom and invited numerous Hong Kong stars that included the boy's grandfather, Sammo Hung, uncle Jimmy Hung and aunt Stephanie.

    At the Hundred Days banquet, proud grandfather, Sammo Hung presented little baby TJ with a large and colourful two-layered cake decorated with "Finding Nemo" characters, along with a miniature version of a smiling TJ perching on the topmost layer.

    When asked if he brought a birthday present for his grandson, Sammo laughed and said, "Everything would eventually be his!"

    Sammo also stated that he is not interested in teaching TJ kung fu as he grows older. When asked if that would be a waste as the talented TJ was already crawling around before turning three months old, Sammo quipped, "A lot of babies know how to turn around! No big deal!"

    Meanwhile, among the celebrity guests who attended the party were Jordan Chan, Alex Fong and wife Hoyan Mok, Alex Fong, Charmaine Sheh, Annie Man Angela Tong and Toby Leung.
    Sounds like a fun party...
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  6. #36
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    Sammo Hung at 9 years old


  7. #37
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    Cool post, Jimbo

    I'll see your 童星洪金寶 Sammo Hung (1961) and raise you 岳飛出世 The Birth of Yue Fei (1962) - Seven Little Fortunes (七小福) early work in movies:


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  8. #38
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    Sammo & turtle soup

    Hong Kong star Sammo Hung visits Geylang for turtle soup


    Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung with restaurant owner Chen Chonglu. Hung was in Geylang on Friday afternoon for some local dishes.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS


    What he ate: Claypot turtle soup (right) that cost $65 and black chicken soup that cost $13.PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

    PUBLISHED FEB 4, 2017, 2:15 PM SGT
    Lydia Lam
    SINGAPORE - Veteran Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung dropped by Geylang on Friday (Feb 3) afternoon for some local dishes with his family, surprising diners there.

    Hung, 65, visited Ser Seng Herbs (Turtle) Restaurant at Geylang Lorong 21 for turtle soup with six other family members, Shin Min Daily News reported on Saturday (Feb 4).

    Restaurant staff told Shin Min that there were no seats available when Hung arrived at about 2pm, but he waited outside patiently while his son Timmy Hung entered to order.



    "They had no airs at all and waited their turn in the queue. At first, we didn't recognise Timmy Hung, and realised a big star had arrived only when Sammo Hung sat down," said a staff member who did not give his name.

    Restaurant owner Chen Chonglu told Shin Min that he personally waited on Hung's table.

    The martial artist ordered many dishes for his family, Mr Chen said. This included a $65 claypot turtle soup and black chicken soup that cost $13.

    Hung told Mr Chen in Cantonese: "The soup is very good!"

    The veteran actor left about an hour later.

    Mr Chen said: "To have a huge star visit us during Chinese New Year and have a satisfying meal, I'm really honoured and proud!"

    Hung is known for his body of work in Hong Kong action cinema, churning out more than 230 movies since his film debut in 1961. He has acted alongside actors such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

    He is also a fight choreographer, movie director and producer.
    Sammo would be hard to miss. Having him endorse your Chiense restaurant would be awesome.
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  9. #39
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    Hong Kong's kung fu stunt school

    Gene Ching
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  10. #40
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    Timmy Hung scandal

    Timmy just earned an indie thread - copying the relevant posts above off the Sammo Hung thread.

    ‘I DIDN’T BETRAY MY WIFE’: SAMO HUNG’S SON DENIES BEING A WOMANISER
    Social | December 20, 2017 by | 0 Comments



    Last week, Timmy Hung (洪天明) was photographed at a nightclub in Shanghai, where he hugged a mysterious woman and held hands with her as they proceeded to walk into the elevator of his hotel. Timmy has admitted to the events of that night, and though his wife Janet Chow (周家蔚) reacted sadly to the news, their marriage and relationship has not been affected. The actor, however, chose not to respond to cheating rumors.

    A few days ago, the Hong Kong actor, who is represented by the Mainland Chinese agency Milkyway Hairun, released a formal statement about the incident that happened last week. Timmy’s manager blamed the incident on alcohol, as Timmy was very intoxicated when he brought the woman back to his hotel. The woman hugged Timmy and they did hold hands briefly, but nothing more happened that night. Timmy has also explained the situation to his agency, and promised that he will be more careful in the future, promising to be a more responsible drinker.

    There are readers who doubt this story, however. In the clip released by paparazzi, Timmy did not carry a drunken demeanor when he held the woman’s hand. Timmy also drove his car that night.

    In regards to these discrepancies, Timmy said, “This was taken way out of proportion, and not as bad as you all think it is. It was all a misunderstanding. A real misunderstanding. I did not betray my wife. After saying this, I hope everyone will leave my family alone.”

    His wife, Janet, said, “It was just a misunderstanding.”

    http://www.jaynestars.com
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  11. #41
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    37th Hong Kong Film Awards 2018: Tony Jaa & Ken Lo reaching out best action director

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  12. #42
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    Sammo honored at HKIFF

    So deserved. Sammo rocks.

    Hong Kong Festival: Martial Arts Legend Sammo Hung Named Filmmaker in Focus
    4:46 AM PST 1/16/2019 by Karen Chu


    Courtesy of Hong Kong International Film Festival
    Sammo Hung

    The retrospective will feature 10 classics of the 'Martial Law' star who was instrumental in shaping the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.
    Hong Kong action cinema legend Sammo Hung has been named the Filmmaker in Focus of the 43rd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF).

    Best known to U.S. audiences for headlining CBS primetime show Martial Law in the late 1990s, Hung has a storied career spanning over half a century starring in, action choreographing, producing and directing more than 250 films. He is one of the screen icons representative of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s.

    The HKIFF will host a retrospective during the upcoming edition showcasing 10 of Hung's most celebrated works, as well as a "Face to Face" seminar March 30 where he will share his views and recount his experiences in the film industry. An accompanying commemorative book will also be published.

    Born in 1952, Hung was trained from the age of nine in the Peking opera genre at Hong Kong's China Drama Academy under Master Yu Jim-yuen and was the leading member of the Academy's Seven Little Fortunes performing troupe, which later went on to transform Hong Kong cinema with the acrobatic and daredevil action choreography designed and performed by its members. It also counted Jackie Chan among its ranks.

    Hung made his first onscreen appearance at the age of 14 as a stunt performer. Armed with his skills in martial arts, acrobatics and dance, he soon became a stalwart of the wuxia cinema popularized by the Shaw Brothers Studio, dreaming up and executing breathtaking action sequences as stunt man, stunt coordinator and action director. He was given his big break as a leading man by rival studio Golden Harvest in Shaolin Plot in 1977 and made his directorial debut the next year with The Iron-Fisted Monk.

    Hung's work in the 1980s helped create a new style of Hong Kong action movies, ushering in the immensely popular action comedy genre, and the Chinese vampire (jiangshi) horror-comedy subgenre, in particular with Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980). Set in the urban milieu, the fight sequences in such films as the Lucky Star series (1982-1985), which co-starred Jackie Chan, and Wheels on Meals (1984) are high-energy and realistic and complemented by comedic elements.

    He also helped make a star out of Michelle Yeoh when he produced the first film in which she received top billing, the police drama Yes, Madam (1985). In 1998, Hung became the first East Asian to headline a U.S. primetime TV series with the CBS surprise hit Martial Law, which showcased his martial arts expertise.

    Deferentially referred to as "Big big brother" in the Hong Kong film industry (with Chan being called "big brother"), Hung formed the Sammo Hung Stunt Team in the 1970s to help his former China Drama Academy classmates and utilize their talents on screen, dominating Hong Kong action cinema in subsequent decades. He also founded a number of film companies, the most successful of which was D&B Films, which he co-founded with Dickson Poon and John Shum in 1983 and that became the powerhouse that rivaled Cinema City at the box office during the 1980s.

    Hung's contribution to Hong Kong action cinema has been considerable, which is not only evident in the genre's popularity and worldwide influence, but also in the number of accolades he has received. He won his first Hong Kong Film Award for best action choreography for The Prodigal Son in 1981, and subsequently reclaimed the honor three times with Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010) and Paradox (2017). Renowned for the physical feats he choreographed and performed as much as for his acting prowess, he has been twice named best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards with Carry on Pickpocket (1982) and Painted Faces (1988).

    The retrospective at the HKIFF, which will be held from March 18 through April 1, will feature Hung's action classics as well as dramatic efforts, including Encounters of the Spooky Kind, The Prodigal Son, Winners & Sinners (1982), Eastern Condors (1987), Painted Faces, Eight Taels of Gold (1989) and Ip Man 2 (2010).
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  13. #43
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    Sammo = Filmmaker in Focus HKIFF 2019

    Hong Kong Action Legend Sammo Hung on 50 Years of Blood, Sweat and Sacrifice: “Every Nerve Ending Has to Be in Play"
    5:30 PM PDT 3/17/2019 by Karen Chu


    Sammo Hung at Hong Kong's House 1881

    The HKIFF's 2019 "Filmmaker in Focus" looks back on his glory days, diagnoses the industry's current problems and ponders the nature of his fame as an East Asian superstar.
    Sammo Hung is a name any fan of Hong Kong action cinema knows and reveres. A pillar of the Hong Kong film industry's golden age in the 1980s, Hung used his creativity and childhood training in Peking opera to craft breathtaking choreography and unforgettable physical feats on screen, reshaping action cinema worldwide.

    An award-winning actor, director, studio mogul and star-maker — in addition to his personal action resume — the 67-year-old legend has been named the Filmmaker in Focus of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). In addition to publishing a commemorative book dedicated to his work, the event will showcase 10 of Hung's seminal films — such as Eastern Condors, The Valiant Ones, Winners and Sinners and Encounters of the Spooky Kind.

    Still passionate about filmmaking after a career spanning more than half a century, Hung's enthusiasm that was on full display when he sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to chat about fame, a pesky new-generation of actors, Hong Kong's action cinema tradition and cursing.

    You started working in films in the 1960s, and have one of the most distinguished careers in the Hong Kong film industry. How do you feel about being named the Filmmaker in Focus at the 2019 HKIFF?

    It caught me by surprise, but I’m very happy for this opportunity to let the Hong Kong audience be reminded of this fat old man who risked his life many times on film. I don’t want to boast about any contribution, but I was part of the group of people who toiled for the film industry. It makes me happy to know that the audience has a chance to remember the old days.

    In the 1980s and 1990s, you helped popularized the action comedy genre, gave rise to the Chinese hopping vampire (goeng-si) sub-genre, and set up film companies that produced many Hong Kong cinema classics. Looking back, what do you see as your proudest achievement?

    Not any particular one film. I’m proud of all my films. I’ve enjoyed great success in many different genres. I have been very blessed to have so many ideas and to continuously produce successful films. I’m very thankful to the heavens for giving me the wisdom. Since the first film I directed, [The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977)], all of my films have done well. I can call it luck, but I’ve also worked very hard. So I always tell my children, “don’t blame your father for going to work making movies and not spending time with you when you were small. If I didn’t work as hard as I did, I couldn’t have given you what you have now.” You can’t have your cake and eat it. There was nothing we could do. At that time, everyone had to figure out a way to provide for their families, so that the children didn’t have to starve and suffer. Most of what we did was give physical labor — blood and sweat. We have been quite lucky.

    Did you ever dream about stardom of this scale when you first started in the movies over 50 years ago?

    Even now, I haven’t given much thought to superstardom. I’m still quite surprised by my fame — even now, when I go to, for example, to a rural area in Indonesia or India, some people know who I am. I never aspired to be a screen hero, all I ever wanted was for people to respect what I do.

    One year, I went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. I got there early, and was waiting at the gate. A lot of tourists were arriving, and many of them asked to take pictures with me. An elderly American couple next to us watched flummoxed, and at one point they couldn’t contain themselves anymore. So they asked, “Excuse me, what do you for a living? How come so many people are asking to take pictures with you?” I told them, “I’m a star! I’m a big movie star! But in Hong Kong!” [laughs] What I really hope is for the younger stars that I helped discover to have that kind of recognition. That’d give me comfort.

    Aside from acting, you have been a director, producer, action choreographer, actor, studio owner, and founder and leader of a stunt team. Which of these roles do you think is most representative of you?

    I think what describes me best is director. As a director, I can control every aspect of a film, how the actors should behave, how the story should go. I used to try and find inspirations everywhere – I would go to the airport or train station and just study people, the way they moved and interacted and their expressions. But I can’t do that now, I’d be bombarded by people with their phones — selfie requests.

    You made your directorial debut in 1977. But between Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997) to The Bodyguard (2016), there was a period of almost 20 years that you didn’t direct. Why?

    I didn’t like the ways things had become. It was a time when actors were so in demand, that with a call time of 8am, they’d tell you they could only arrive at noon from another job. After two hours in makeup, they’d say they’d have to leave at 4pm. There was a film I made that two actors were tied together back to back, and they didn’t actually see each other’s faces for the whole shoot because it was so rushed. I just didn’t want to deal with those kinds of situations, so I stopped directing. I have a bit of a temper. That kind of thing really ****es me off.

    Also, I think it takes a sense of childlike wonder to direct films and create a story. You have to believe in it yourself. Somewhere along the way I’ve lost that.

    You’ve created numerous iconic action scenes and won best action choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards four times. Which action scene do you remember the most?

    Many action scenes I’ve done were rather good. Such as The Prodigal Son (1981), Eastern Condors (1987), even the first film I directed, The Iron-Fisted Monk. Looking back, I’d say many action scenes in my films have been quite good.

    Apart from receiving awards for your action work, you have been a two-time best actor winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Which is more challenging, the physical or the emotive aspect in acting?

    It was definitely the physical, action aspect that was more demanding. Every bone, muscle, tendon, nerve ending has to be in play in an action scene. Whereas to portray emotion, it depends very much on the person you’re acting with. There were times when I acted in a scene, and it didn’t feel right no matter how I did it. Then I realized I wasn’t getting anything from the person acting opposite me; there was no connection or interaction, so the scene didn’t come together.

    A large part of your career was in comedy as well, including the recent film A Lifetime Treasure (2019). What do you enjoy most about the genre?

    I can’t say I particularly enjoy acting in comedies. What I really enjoy is thinking up a good gag. But it was a different time, there was no WeChat, no social media. Now once the film is released, everyone will spoil the gag on social media, so it won’t work anymore. I made a cameo in A Lifetime Treasure because I’m good friends with the director Andrew Lam, who has been in the film business for a long time. I see how the Hong Kong film industry is doing now, and Andrew’s film is a very local, Hong Kong film, so I thought I’d help out when he asked me.
    continued next post
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  14. #44
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    Continued from previous post

    In the late 1990s, you went to the U.S. to play the lead in the CBS series Martial Law, which had the distinction of being the first prime time hit show starring an East Asian actor. What was most memorable about your U.S. career?

    It was a kind of miracle for Martial Law to have happened. I played a cop from China in the series. But at the end of the day, I realized that American writers weren’t able to write the experience and existence of an immigrant cop from China living and working in the U.S.

    You founded the Sammo Hung Stuntmen Association in the 1970s, which was instrumental to the global success of Hong Kong action cinema. What are your thoughts on the future of Hong Kong action filmmaking?

    Look at the younger generation in Hong Kong now: Where can you find kids who would learn and practice martial arts? There will be no new generation of action stars in Hong Kong now. When we were young, we looked up to the action stars on the big screen and aspired to be them someday. We trained and practiced. And now maybe a kid practices martial arts but then becomes a salesperson, which he can be anyway without any martial arts training. There is no one for him to look up to. Kids don’t dream of becoming action stars in movies anymore.

    Martial arts is still practiced in China, but if you look at Chinese martial artists, it took time for them to have a breakthrough. For example, Jet Li, he was in Hong Kong for a long time before he became a star in Tsui Hark’s films. And Wu Jing [actor-director of Chinese mega-blockbusters Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth] had been jobbing in the Hong Kong film industry for almost two decades before he finally made it to the top.

    As a local industry champion, can you share more of your assessment of the present state of the Hong Kong film industry?

    The state of the Hong Kong film industry now is lousy! The local studios, they don’t want to invest in big-budget films. We used to shoot one single scene in a month; now a whole film is shot in 11 days! And we used to spend HK$2-3 million shooting in one day; now no local film has that kind of budget. I’m not saying a big budget guarantees a good film, but we really don’t have that kind of scale anymore. What we need is a good, solid Hong Kong action film, the kind that made our mark in the world in the past. No one wants to invest in those films anymore. And Chinese co-productions, we only do those because we need the Chinese market, and if we don’t co-produce with Chinese companies, we can’t show our films in China. But Chinese co-productions can’t capture the genuine essence of the Hong Kong action film, and there are too many systematic limitations with Chinese co-productions.

    Do you think Hong Kong film can maintain its unique position and idiosyncrasies? How can that legacy be preserved?

    It is very difficult. I truly believe the Hong Kong government should do more to help the film industry. Look at South Korea. Twenty or thirty years ago, there was no film industry there. But the South Korean government gave it a big push, and now Korean films are on the world stage and everyone is watching Korean TV dramas. The policies the Hong Kong government has set for the local film industry, like when they give HK$2 million [for first-time directors to make a feature film, which recently was raised to HK$5.5 million] – what kind of film can be made with only HK$2 million? They are spending millions on events like the film festival, which is a very good thing, but if they don’t help preserve the Hong Kong film industry, they might as well give those millions to buy lunchboxes for the poor. Hong Kong cinema represents us.

    The Hong Kong government announced an injection of HK$1 billion into the Film Development Fund, do you think that would help?

    It depends on how they use that money. I’d say they should give me HK$300 million to make a film [chuckles].

    With your experience in the film industry, have you taken up any advisory role for the Hong Kong government, such as for the Film Development Council?

    No one has asked me, and I’m not sure if I’d want to. I’d only curse at people, and point out whatever is wrong today. I wouldn’t want to be like a nagging old lady, complaining all the time.

    Do you blame the audience for their lack of interest in local films?

    No, I don’t. If a film is bad, you can’t force people to go see it. What can you do, beat them with a stick?

    You have cut down your film work in recent years, and have said that you enjoy spending time with your grandchildren. Do you plan to retire completely?

    As long as I can still think, eat, sleep, walk, and be useful, I don’t think about retiring. I have the gifts of being able to think, eat, sleep, walk, and those are gifts from heaven, so I wouldn’t want to waste them and say I quit.

    Have you thought about what you’ll share with the public at the Filmmaker in Focus seminar?

    I’ll curse and swear at them [deadpans, then laughs].
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    THR honors Encounter of the Spooky Kind

    Hong Kong Flashback: Sammo Hung Strikes Box Office Gold With a 'Spooky' Comedy-Horror Mash Up
    5:30 PM PDT 3/17/2019 by Elizabeth Kerr


    Fortune Star Media Limited
    'Encounter of the Spooky Kind'

    Nearly 40 years ago the martial arts giant pioneered the industry’s signature sub-genre — the 'hopping' vampire thriller — and helped kick off the New Wave of the 1980s.
    Anyone with even a passing interest in peak-era Hong Kong kung fu movies will recognize Sammo Hung for the titan he is. As a start, he’s the oldest of the so-called the Seven Little Fortunes, students of the China Drama Academy, who went on to shape not just Hong Kong’s film industry but to some degree, Hollywood’s, both directly and indirectly; other Fortunes include (duh) Jackie Chan and fight choreographer-director Corey Yuen, who applied his distinct kung fu touch to X-Men, The Transporter and choreographed all of Jet Li’s American action titles. Since beginning his career as a child actor, bit player, stuntman and action director in the early 1960s, Hung has racked up literally hundreds of credits. Just a few of his many highlights are King Hu’s 1966 classic Come Drink With Me, 1973’s touchstone Enter the Dragon, Jackie Chan’s Project A, Long Arm of the Law, Pedicab Driver, Wong Kar-wai’s wuxia art film Ashes of Time and Carlton Cuse’s inimitable, short-lived CBS series Martial Law, which really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

    Along the way, the rotund Hung became an unlikely movie star and one of the key figures in the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the ’80s. With a physique that belied nimble precision and a round, jolly face, Hung was the cinematic opposite of the sexier, cooler Bruce Lee, but he was accessible in a way that Lee was not. Some crack comic timing helped. So it’s no surprise that 1980’s Encounter of the Spooky Kind, which Hung also directed and wrote, was a popular hit and Hong Kong cinema landmark for a host of reasons. In addition to making Hung a (bigger) household name, Encounter was one of the earliest in the (then) surging Hong Kong industry’s budding kung fu-horror-comedy mash-up sub-genre, and the inspiration for the geung-sih, hopping corpses or vampires from Chinese mythology — a trope that would dominate the decade.

    Hung, sporting one of his finest bowl cuts, stars as Bold Cheung, a bit of a dim bulb and a cursed, ghost-plagued cuckold. When his wife and her lover Tam are nearly caught red-handed by Bold, Tam hires the crooked Taoist priest Chin to bump him off via spooky pranks (because just stabbing him would be too easy). Fortunately Bold has an ally in Tsui, another priest who’s offended by Chin’s abuse of magic power, and he helps him out. What it lacks in narrative cohesion (a lot), Encounter more than makes up for in creative set pieces, goofball comedy and ultra-physical fights, which Hung makes look effortless. The highlights: Chin possesses Bold’s right arm at one point, which Bold has to fight off at the same time as he fends off some undead attackers, and an acrobatic monkey-fu finale that plays out on bamboo scaffolding. Only Bruce Campbell in The Evil Dead II has battled his own body parts more gleefully than Hung does here.

    Admittedly, Bold’s decision to punch his cheating wife in the face — several times (!) — probably wouldn’t make the cut today and the scratchy ’80s production values look every one of their 39 years, but Encounter of the Spooky Kind still has its genuinely inspired charms, and as a harbinger of the hopping vampire genre to follow it’s just about perfect. They just don’t make them like this anymore.
    THREADS
    Sammo Hung
    Vampire flicks
    Chinese hopping vampire
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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