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Thread: Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

  1. #31
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    Still hoping for that US3D release

    cute title for this article
    Film Adds Depth to Wuxia
    2011-12-15 09:07:37 Global Times

    Jianghu comes alive again in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate". [Photo: mtime.com]

    The long-anticipated 3D wuxia thriller "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" (Long Men Fei Jia), directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun, will be released in theaters later on Thursday.

    Following Monday's premiere, the film has received critical acclaim for its skillful use of 3D techniques and dazzling martial arts scenes, setting the stage for the action flick to win a positive public reception.

    "We wanted the movie to deliver a 3D experience that differed from that of Western movies," director Tsui said. He revealed that out of the movie's total $35 million budget, a quarter was devoted to creating its 3D effects.

    And now it seems that Tsui's vision and the film's large tech budget will finally pay off.

    "The movie will definitely set a standard for future Chinese 3D movies," said Ma Sheng, an independent film critic. "Its visual effects are impeccable."

    Wei Haijun, another critic who writes film reviews for 40 media companies, also spoke very highly of the movie.

    "Not only will it be a milestone for Chinese films, I think it will even stand out on the international stage," he commented.

    The film, which began shooting last year, is based on the story of "New Dragon Gate Inn", a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Raymond Lee and produced by Tsui Hark. But Tsui indicated that the new film isn't so much a remake of the old classic as it is a "re-imagining."

    "New Dragon Gate Inn" is set during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in a remote desert region of China. The film has come to be regarded as a standard for Chinese wuxia movies, beloved for its fast-paced martial arts scenes, sword fighting and black comedy.

    Although "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is based on the iconic "New Dragon Gate Inn", Tsui wanted to ensure originality in the new story while presenting the same characteristic morality and code of honor of those chivalrous men and women from the world of jianghu.

    Although Monday's premiere has drawn generous approval, the critics are not unanimous. Some have pointed out flaws in the movie's 3D effects. In answer to this, Tsui Hark said the new movie is merely a knock on the door of innovation, a door that will lead China to new arenas in the film industry.

    Indeed, combining 3D and Chinese martial arts is certainly a new and difficult challenge to filmmakers. Last year, True Legend, promoted as the first Chinese 3D wuxia movie, directed by Yuan Heping, was poorly received due to disappointing, lackluster 3D effects, resulting in the film's early retreat from cinemas.

    Since the film began shooting, Tsui Hark has been determined to make the best 3D wuxia movie audiences have ever seen.

    Because domestic 3D technology isn't yet mature, Tsui invited Hollywood expert Chuck Comisky, who oversaw the visual effects for James Cameron's "Avatar", to manage the film's special effects and train his technical team.

    "Applying 3D technology to the genre of wuxia films is like injecting new life into traditional Chinese martial arts," said Jet Li, a top Chinese martial artist and leading actor in the movie.

    The star expects that the movie's success will help broaden worldwide appreciation for Chinese wuxia films.

    Another blockbuster hopeful, director Zhang Yimou's red-hot "Flowers of War", is also being released in theaters on Thursday.

    When asked about the competition between the two movies, Tsui said he hopes that both films do well at the box office, noting that foretelling ticket sales is not within a director's powers.

    "What I can do is shoot a good movie," he added.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #32
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    Us3d+

    Now I'm hoping for that US3DIMAX release. Please Santa.
    Jet Li's 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' Debut in China Draws $2.5 million on Imax Screens
    5:32 AM PST 12/19/2011 by Etan Vlessing

    The opening weekend performance of the 3D martial arts picture in 59 theaters included a per-screen average of $42,400.

    TORONTO -- The Jet Li-starring 3D picture Flying Swords of Dragon Gate pulled in $2.5 million on 59 Imax screens across China during its opening weekend, the giant screen exhibitor said Monday.

    Toronto-based Imax and Chinese distributor Bona Film Group reported a per-screen average of $42,400 for the martial arts picture.

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is the first Chinese-language feature to be released in Imax 3D.

    The film reunites director Tsui Hark with his Once Upon a Time in China leading man Li, and also stars Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Li Yuchun and Fan Xiaoxuan.

    "The results of our network growth in China are bearing fruit with the opening weekend box office success of Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said Monday in a statement.

    Imax currently has around 200 theatres operating or in backlog in China.

    The build-out of Imax’s screens in that Asian market continued with recent and separate deals with Sichuan Lumiere Pavilions Company for three new digital screens, and another for four digital screens with Orange Sky Golden Harvest Cinemas.
    Gene Ching
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  3. #33
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    Alright then...

    Who will be first here wit this review? Extra points if it includes 3D.
    Posted: Wed., Dec. 21, 2011, 1:47pm PT
    New Int'l. Release
    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
    Long men fei jia
    (China)
    By Richard Kuipers
    'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate'

    Zhou Xun in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate"

    A Distribution Workshop release of a Bona Film Group, China Film Co., SMG Pictures, Shine Show Interactive Media Co., Bona Entertainment Co. presentation of a Film Workshop production. (International sales: Distribution Workshop, Hong Kong.) Produced by Nansun Shi, Yu Dong, Tsui Hark. Executive producers, Yu Dong, Han Sanping, Li Ruigang, Chen Danian, Jeffrey Chan. Co-producers, Han Xiaoli, Shi Dong-min, Yang Wenhong, James Zhao, Zhu Guofan. Directed, written by Tsui Hark.
    With: Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Gwei Lun-mei, Li Yuchun, Mavis Fan, Fan Su-wong, Gordon Liu, Sheng Chien. (Mandarin dialogue)
    The 3D is terrific in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," but helmer Tsui Hark's costume actioner -- the first Chinese-lingo movie shown in the stereoscopic Imax format -- is let down by two-dimensional characters. Toplining an underused Jet Li, this reworking of King Hu's "Dragon Gate Inn" (1966) and the Tsui-produced "New Dragon Gate Inn" (1992) scored an impressive $22 million opening weekend gross following December 15 domestic release. Modest figures in simultaneous Australian rollout suggests biz beyond Asia will be just OK. North American distribution details are yet to be announced.

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

    "Swords" has notched mighty numbers on 59 giantscreens locally; at regular venues, the pic was narrowly beaten for the top B.O. spot by Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War," launched the same day.

    Action centers initially on Zhou Huai'an (Li), a freedom fighter opposing corrupt eunuchs holding power during China's Ming dynasty. Following a knockout opening sequence in which he and his small band of followers rescue alleged traitors facing certain death at a shipyard, Zhou disappears for long stretches while Tsui introduces a lengthy roster of characters whose paths eventually cross.

    Chief among these is Ling Yanqiu (Zhou Xun), a female warrior who has rescued Su Huirong (Mavis Fan), a palace maid marked for death after being impregnated by the emperor. Charged with eliminating Su is Yu Huatian (Chen Kun), a regional boss who tracks the women to Dragon Gate Inn, a rough-and-tumble hostel in the middle of the desert where human flesh is on the menu.

    Built over a city of treasures accessible only during a sandstorm that's about to make its once-every-60-years appearance, the establishment has attracted adventurers including the roughneck crew of Mongol princess Buludu (Gwei Lun-mei), female bandit Gu Shaotang (Li Yuchun), and her partner-in-crime, Wind Blade (also Chen), a dead ringer for Yu. What follows is a sometimes confusing series of deceptions, double-crosses and barroom brawls as Wind Blade and Yu impersonate each other and Zhou re-enters the picture ahead of the climactic CGI sandstorm.

    With the assistance of "Avatar's" 3D visual effects supervisor, Chuck Comisky (credited as supervising stereographer), Tsui stages any number of marvelous action sequences. But what's glaringly absent is any character depth or significant emotional content for auds to embrace. Some sort of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"-style connection is hinted at between warriors Zhou and Ling, but their reunion fails to produce sparks of any kind.

    Given little screentime and handed light duties, action-wise, top-billed Li is overshadowed by Zhou Xun's steely femme fighter and Taiwanese thesp Gwei, who steals the show as the tattoo-faced, tough-talking tribal leader.

    With hardly a primary color in his palette, lenser Choi Sung-fai creates splendidly burnished imagery of deserts and atmospheric interiors of the heavily wooded inn. A rousing, old-fashioned orchestral score by Wu Wai-lap, Li Han-chiang and Gu Xin rounds out a topnotch tech package.
    Camera (color, widescreen, Imax 3D), Choi Sung-fai; editor, Yau Chi-wan; music, Wu Wai-lap, Li Han-chiang, Gu Xin; music supervisor, Wu; production designer, Yee Chung-man; art director, Ben Lau; costume designer, Lai Hsuan-wu; sound (Dolby Digital), Kim Chang-sub; visual effects supervisor, Kim Wook; visual effects, Digital Idea, Eclipse Studio, Digital Art Design, Crystal CG; action choreographers, Yuen Bun, Lan Ha Han, Sun Jiankui; associate producers, Ding Yilaw, Peng Mingyu, Liu Yong, Zhang Hao, Zhao Haicheng, Su Xiao; supervising stereographer, Chuck Comisky; second unit camera, Saba Mazloum. Reviewed at Event Cinemas George Street, Sydney, Dec. 20, 2011. Running time: 122 MIN.
    Gene Ching
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  4. #34
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    Flowers bests Swords

    Anyone see Flowers of War? Do we need to start a thread on it or can we just mention it here?
    Flowers widens lead on Swords
    By Stephen Cremin
    Tue, 27 December 2011, 13:40 PM (HKT)
    Box Office News

    ZHANG Yimou 張藝謀's The Flowers of War 金陵十三釵 made RMB204.4 million ($32.4 million) in China last week. By Sunday night, the war epic had taken RMB356.5 million ($56.4 million) after eleven days in cinemas.

    It widened its lead on TSUI Hark 徐克's 3-D action-fantasy Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 龍門飛甲 that made RMB175.4 million ($27.8 million) in the same time frame for a current gross of RMB317.1 million ($50.2 million).

    By comparison, in its first eleven days, JIANG Wen 姜文's Let the Bullets Fly 讓子彈飛 had taken RMB382.3 million ($60.5 million), however its second week box office was slightly lower than that of Flowers at RMB200.8 million ($31.8 million).

    At RMB674.3 million ($106.7 million), Bullets is China's highest grossing local film.

    New releases included XU Jinglei 徐靜蕾's Dear Enemy 親密敵人 (pictured) re-teaming her with Taiwan's Stanley HUANG 黃立行, her co-star in her previous film as a director, Go! Lala Go! 杜拉拉升職記.

    Enemy made RMB41.4 million ($6.5 million) in its first three days. The office drama Lala, which ended its theatrical run with RMB131.3 million ($20.8 million), made a comparable RMB46.0 million in its first four days in cinemas.

    Another new release, Barbara WONG 黃真真's Allure of Tears 傾城之淚 starring ZHOU Dongyu 周冬雨, Aarif LEE 李治廷 and Shawn DOU 竇驍, was runner-up to Enemy with RMB24.0 million ($3.8 million) after four days on release.
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  5. #35
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    some more reviews

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D: Film Review
    9:37 PM PST 12/29/2011 by Maggie Lee

    Jet Li Flying Swords of Dragon Gate Poster - P 2011
    The Bottom Line
    An effects-infatuated swordplay extravaganza with no down time.

    Cast
    Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen, Kwai Lun-Mei, Mavis Fan, Li Yuchun

    Director-screenwriter-producer
    Tsui Hark

    Jet Li leads the cast in director-screenwriter Tsui Hark's extravagant and action-packed ride.

    MACAU -- Props, instead of top-liner Jet Li, do most of the stunts in Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's extravagant and berserk 3D swordplay blockbuster which squeezes court intrigue, star-crossed love and a treasure hunt into one over-booked desert inn. Employing Avatar's Chuck Comisky to supervise the 3D technology, the film is single-minded in its wham bam delivery of stereoscopic stimulation. By contrast, Tsui, who is also writer and producer, appears absent-minded when trying to fit a ragtag bunch of characters into a distended plot teeming with more cross-dressing and mistaken identities than Twelfth Night.

    Premiering to compete head-to-head with Zhang Yimou's historic-epic The Flowers of War, Flying has come up second after Flowers in the box office, passing the $50 million mark in less than 2 weeks. Made as pure mass entertainment with an A-list cast for the China market, Tsui's target audience won't feel short-changed. Business should take off in overseas genre-specialist markets.

    Flying is supposed to be a sequel to Raymond Lee's New Dragon Gate (1992), which Tsui wrote and produced. The latter is in turn a remake of King Hu's classic Dragon Inn (1967). Just as The Legend of Zu, Tsui's 2011 remake of his own 1983 Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain bears little resemblance to the original, the plot development of Flying barely picks up from where it left off. With enviable resources at his disposal, Tsui behaves like a kid in a candy store, bingeing on effect for effect's sake. No sword strikes without splitting into darting daggers, no human or object moves without levitating or smashing into smithereens. It's dazzling and more accessible than his last blockbuster, the politically nuanced Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Only, it lacks a human touch.

    The setting is Ming Dynasty during the reign of Chenghua (1465-1487). The court is controlled by imperial eunuchs who consolidate their power by joining either the East or West Bureaus, organs of oppression and espionage whose in-fighting resembles that of the SA and SS in Nazi Germany. Wan Yulou (Gordon Liu), an enforcer of the East Bureau, is dispatched to execute Can Qianzhi, Minister of Five Armies. His plan is thwarted by Zhao Huai'an (Li), former protege of a noble courtier who fell foul of the East Bureau. Zhao now leads a band of maverick swordsmen in such guerrilla rescue missions. Wan's humiliating defeat gives Yu Huatian (Aloys Chen), Chief of the West Bureau, an opportunity to flex his muscles. When Su Huirong (Mavis Fan), a palace handmaid escapes after her pregnancy is discovered, the jealous imperial consort Wan Zheng'er orders Yu to kill her. Yu assembles a squad of assassins to round up Zhao's gang under the pretext of hunting down Su.

    While assaulted by Yu's henchmen, Su is rescued by Ling Yanqiu (Zhou Xun), who for reasons disclosed later, has been cross-dressing to pose as Zhao. Ling takes Su to Dragon Gate Inn, a lone desert outpost from whence she could escape across the westerly border of Shan Hai Guan. Legend has it that for every cycle of 60 years, a massive sandstorm in the region might uncover the treasure-laden lost capital of the Xixia (Tangut) Empire. Before Zhao and Yu arrive for their showdown, a motley crew has already converged at the inn, including thieving partners Gu Shaotang (Li Yuchun) and Yu's deadringer Pu Cangzhou (also played by Chen), libidinous Tartar bandit queen Bu Ru Du (Kwai Lun-mei), her beefcake entourage and Jade, the inn's mysterious owner who disappeared three years ago.

    Flying feels like three short movies spliced into one, each set in an utterly different, but equally sumptuous mise-en-scene showcasing Hong Kong's swordplay genre throughout its milestone eras. The open credits channel a melody and illustrated clouds which were fixtures in 1960s Cantonese wuxia films as a homage to the campily low tech animated rendering of flying swords of that period. The charismatic presence and still fearsome fighting skills of Liu reference 70s Shaolin-themed films of which he is a mainstay. The second act is a throwback to 80s and 90s action farces popularized by Wong Jing, while the climactic scenes reflect the recent vogue of setting Chinese blockbusters in desert locations, such as Daniel Lee's 14 Blades and Kevin Chu's The Treasure Hunter.

    The first 20 minutes exhibits Tsui's usual command of grand set pieces. Action director Yuen Bun choreographs an exuberant dance between breakneck, 90s-style high-wire action and weapons (especially flying logs) that strike with a graphic impact never seen in 2D films. The ensuing development should consolidate the physical momentum of the first part by easing off the pace to flesh out main characters and intensify the strategic standoff between Yu's and Zhao's followers. Instead, the narrative focus splinters as new figures keep popping up. Despite every inch of the inn being fully utilized for various action sequences and every character going through a mini-crisis or plot-counterplot reversal, the effect is only one muddled narrative impasse. After the claustrophobic middle act, the final leg feels liberating, with impressive cavalry battles set against the awesome desert location. The showdown in the lost city reflects an attempt to expose human avarice a la The Treasure of Sierra Madre, but the dramatic treatment is trite and the outcome predictable.

    Li and Zhou both look worn out, not least from endlessly dodging things thrown in their way but more from having to run through monotonous roles of upstanding hero and self-sacrificing lover. Chen seems to have the most fun camping up his effeminacy as a eunuch and subverting his Prince Charming image as the wussy Pu. One of the enduring pleasures of watching a Tsui Hark film is the power, intelligence and feistiness he invests in his female protagonists. Though they are drawn with less depth than in Tsui's earlier works, at least they are initiators of action, and express their desires with pride and openness.

    Sets and costumes are loudly exotic but on the money. Cinematography is versatile but is given no room or time for more lyrical images. Visual effects sometimes could do with more delicacy and verisimilitude, especially a climactic fight in the eye of a crudely animated tornado.

    Opened: Dec. 22 in Hong Kong
    Production companies: Bona Entertainment Company Limited presents a Film Workshop production
    Sales: Distribution Workshop
    Cast: Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen, Kwai Lun-Mei, Mavis Fan, Li Yuchun, Louis Fan Siu Wong, Gordon Liu
    Director-screenwriter-producer-original story by: Tsui Hark
    Producers: Jeffrey Chan, Nansun Shi
    Executive producer: Yu Dong
    Director of photography: Choi Sung Fai
    Production designer: Yee Chun Man
    Costume designer: Lai Hsuan-wu
    Music: Wu Wai Lap
    Editor: Yau Chi Wai
    No rating, 122 minutes
    A new wu xia classic
    By Han Wei Chou | Posted: 30 December 2011 1558 hrs

    SINGAPORE: "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's spiritual successor to his 1992 wu xia classic "New Dragon Gate Inn", goes back to the roots of the genre to become one of the very best martial arts flicks this year.

    In sharp contrast to Peter Chan's cerebral martial arts film "Wu Xia", Tsui's "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is a much more traditional wu xia film that is more boisterous and less melodramatic.

    The film revolves around Zhao Huai An (Jet Li), a swordsman who is trying to eliminate the corrupt officials that run the Eastern and Western Bureaus of the Ming government.

    While on the trail of the Western Bureau's leader, the cruel eunuch Yu Hua Tian (Chen Kun), Zhao meets Ling Yan Qiu (Zhou Xun), a woman from his past, and becomes embroiled in a plot by a gang of bandits at the Dragon Gate Inn to uncover a long lost treasure as a sandstorm bears down on the inn.

    Like all good wu xia films, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is filled with brilliant fight scenes between the various characters in the film, which are further enhanced by the use of computer-generated special effects.

    But unlike a few other recent martial arts flicks, Tsui knows when to stop and tries his best to avoid overdosing on the special effects, though he still goes overboard with it in certain scenes.

    Li is perfect in his role as Zhao, not just because he makes all of Zhao's fight scenes incredibly engaging, but also because he just doesn't emote very well, which makes him very believable as the stoic hero.

    Li's co-stars Chen and Zhou are excellent in the film, with Chen playing both the despotic Yu and Yu's lookalike, the cowardly bandit Knife in the Wind, brilliantly.

    Despite all the big name stars in the cast, relative newcomers like Mavis Fan and Kwai Lun Mei also manage to shine.

    Another draw of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is its intricate plot that contains plot twists which are genuinely surprising, and draws on Tsui's previous work "New Dragon Gate Inn".

    The film's great plot, excellent cast and exceptional fight sequences really makes it stand out.

    "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is a must-watch for all wu xia fans.

    "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is now showing.
    Who's got that first forum review?
    Gene Ching
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  6. #36
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    Can't find any English or Subtitled versions...
    "if its ok for shaolin wuseng to break his vow then its ok for me to sneak behind your house at 3 in the morning and bang your dog if buddha is in your heart then its ok"-Bawang

    "I get what you have said in the past, but we are not intuitive fighters. As instinctive fighters, we can chuck spears and claw and bite. We are not instinctively god at punching or kicking."-Drake

    "Princess? LMAO hammer you are such a pr^t"-Frost

  7. #37
    kind of busy last few weekends.

    will get the movies dvd

    ---


  8. #38


    saw it.

    good.

    there are 3 groups of people

    1. Jet Li (zhao huai an) fighting against the east wing and then the west wing.

    2. Chen Kun played the head of west wing that served the queen.

    3. Bands of people looking for the treasure

    there is this sand storm that comes every 60 years.

    the first one will uncover the buried city with gold.

    the second one will arrive in 2 h later and bury the city again.

    lots of sands and wind.

    lots of things flying including swords, blades, darts, arrows, ---

    and watch out for the gold silk thread

    ---


  9. #39
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    Kudos to SPJ for the first review

    SPJ - I take it from your photo that you saw it on DVD. Anyone see it in 3D yet?

    Tsui Hark's 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' Sets Imax Chinese Exhibition Record
    10:40 AM PST 1/24/2012 by Etan Vlessing

    Jet Li's action-packed ride in 3D has passed the $10 million box office milestone in China on 61 giant digital screens.

    TORONTO – First Imax’s Aftershock shook the Chinese box office in 2010.
    our editor recommends
    Imax Sells More Theaters in China to Lark International
    Tsui Hark's 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' Leads Asian Film Awards Nominations

    Now writer/director Tsui Hark’s 3D martial arts epic Flying Swords of Dragon Gate has soared to a new record for the highest-grossing Chinese-produced movie in the Imax format.

    Flying Swords, co-produced by Imax with Chinese distributor Bona Film Group, has crossed the $10 million box office mark on 61 digital screens in China since opening on December 15, the Canadian giant screen exhibitor said Tuesday.

    That surpasses the previous record for an Imax format film in China set by Aftershock, by Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, and makes Flying Swords the third-highest grossing Imax title in China, behind Avatar and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

    Flying Swords reunites director Hark with Once Upon a Time in China star Jet Li, and stars Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Li Yuchun and Fan Xiaoxuan.

    Given its box office clout, Flying Swords also leads the Sixth Asian Film Awards nominations with seven nods.
    Gene Ching
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  10. #40
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    I saw it too

    When they say 'flying swords', they mean it. This is the anticipated reunion of Tsui Hark and Jet Li in glorious 3D, if only you can go to China and see it in 3D. It's probably really good in 3D. They got one of the Avatar 3D wizards to work on it and it has no pretensions about the media - a lot of **** flies at you: tea cups, throwing knives, blood, logs, and, of course, swords. It's got spectacle for sure: fabulously ornate costumes and sets, gorgeous panoramic shots and lots of CGI landscapes. There are a lot of characters including a fine sinister gang of villains, too many for me to keep track of without subtitles. The color schemes are overblown, very retro, almost looks hand-tinted at times; at other times, it's reminiscent of classic 70s kung fu flicks, which is obviously what the film was going for. A fair amount of sword fights, although it's all wire work stuff. Jet's martial skills, along with Gordon Liu's, are totally wasted.

    Is this a good film? It totally depends on the quality of the 3D. If the 3D is good, this film is awesome. The sword fight while chained together in a tornado may beat my all time fav 3D scene, the spaghetti tornado in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Then again, the 3D might suck and then, this film would be mediocre at best.

    Flying Swords lifts Bona Group results
    By Patrick Frater
    Fri, 02 March 2012, 11:46 AM (HKT)


    Chinese studio Bona Film Group Ltd 博納影業集團有限公司 saw net income rise by 70% to $18.8 million in 2011 on revenues that grew 139% to $126 million.

    The company received a huge boost from Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 龍門飛甲, which was China's fourth biggest domestic film of all time and accounted for nearly a quarter of Bona's annual turnover. However the high costs of producing the 3-D, IMAX film had a depressing effect on profit margins during the period.

    The film's long-term ancillary value was demonstrated by the RMB22 million ($3.49 million) it achieved in internet rights sales. Total internet rights income for the year was worth over RMB100 million ($15.9 million).

    International sales were worth $13 million to the group, with Flying Swords and The Sorcerer and the White Snake 白蛇傳說 together accounting for $7.8 million.

    Bona released 15 films in 2011, making it the second biggest distributor after China Film Group. Its other hits included Overheard 2 竊聽風雲2 and Treasure Inn 財神客棧. In the current year it expects to release 16-20 titles, a combination of its own titles, negative pickups and straight acquisitions. These include the upcoming mainland release of award winning A Simple Life 桃姐.

    Group CEO, YU Dong 于冬 said that Bona's role in the distribution of imported titles is expected to rise, from just one film in 2011 to perhaps four in 2012. These include The Three Musketeers, which it will release for the May Day holiday in the second quarter. Imports will also flow from China Lion Film Distribution Inc, the overseas distribution company in which Yu confirmed that Bona had taken a 20% investment stake last year.

    The group's theatre business expanded significantly. It ended the year with 11 complexes and 95 screens. But delayed permits for two complexes in Beijing and one in Dongguan mean that three further complexes are completed, but not yet operational. By the end of 2012 Bona aims to have more than 21 multiplexes in operation.

    The Chinese film market is expected to grow again in 2012 by a further 30% to some RMB17 billion ($2.69 billion), with forecast theatre numbers expanding from some 9,100 nationwide at the end of 2011 to 12,500 this year.

    Bona said that its revenues could grow by 70% this year. It issued guidance that non-GAAP net income could rise from the $18.2 million it reported this time, to $22 million. The forecast figure is held back by a sharply rising tax bill, which finance director Mason XU 許亮 (who is soon to leave the group) said the company will try to reduce through negotiations with local tax authorities.
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  11. #41
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    US 3D release

    I wonder how this will play in the US. I'm not confident it is appealing for the US market.
    Imax to Screen China's 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' on U.S. Screens
    6:17 AM PDT 5/7/2012 by Etan Vlessing

    Tsui Hark's 3D martial arts epic, which stars Jet Li, will be shown across North America after becoming the fourth-highest-grossing Chinese-language film of all time.

    TORONTO -- First Tsui Hark’s 3D martial arts epic Flying Swords of Dragon Gate became the highest-grossing Chinese-produced movie in the Imax format in China.

    Now the giant-screen exhibitor will show Flying Swords, co-produced by Imax with Chinese distributor Bona Film Group, on its North American network.

    Imax will partner with Indomina Releasing to release Flying Swords, starring Jet Li, for an exclusive, limited run in September.

    "We are honored that Imax is a platform to showcase the best in locally produced Chinese films to audiences around the world," Greg Foster, Imax chairman and president of filmed entertainment, said Monday.

    Indomina acquired Flying Swords for North American release. The movie reunites director Hark with his Once Upon a Time in China star Li and also stars Zhou Xun, Aloys Chen Kun, Kwai Lun-Mei, Li Yuchun and Fan Xiaoxuan.

    The epic martial arts pic also is the fourth-highest-grossing Chinese-language film of all time, behind Avatar, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Titanic 3D. Since its December release in China, Flying Swords has grossed around $86.5 million at the box office, with about $10.6 million coming from 61 digital Imax screens across China.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  12. #42
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    Apr 2006
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    phoenix, az
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    flying swords of dragon gate 2011 question

    Hi I started watching this film and I noticed it's not using Jet Li's real voice. This is not a dubbed version just has subtitles. Is this the version I have or is this for all the copies? anyone who could answer this i'd appreciate it, thanks.

  13. #43
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    Jan 1970
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    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
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    The us3d release is tomorrow!

    In IMAX 3D no less!

    ONE WEEK ONLY!

    Theaters
    Boston Boston AMC Loews Boston Common 19
    Chicago Skokie AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18
    Dallas Dallas AMC Northpark 15
    Houston Houston AMC Gulf Pointe 30
    Los Angeles Arcadia AMC Santa Anita 16
    Los Angeles Burbank AMC Burbank 16
    Los Angeles Torrance AMC Del Amo 18
    New York New York AMC Loews 34th Street 14
    New York Paramus AMC Garden State 16
    San Diego San Diego AMC Mission Valley 20
    San Francisco Emeryville AMC Bay Street 16
    San Francisco Santa Clara AMC Mercado 20
    Seattle Seattle Pacific Science Center
    Seattle Tukwila AMC Southcenter 16
    Washington DC McLean AMC Tysons Corner 16
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  14. #44
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    Oct 2004
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    Philly
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    Sucks that I'd have to travel so far to see this movie. Really really really sucks.

  15. #45
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    Jan 1970
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    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
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    I went to a midnight showing last night - 3D IMAX

    Like Avatar, you have to see this film in 3D IMAX for it to work. If you like high-flying wuxia flicks and the fant-ASIA of Tsui Hark - this is a big budget gem IN 3D. Wuxia is very comic book, very cheesy (you know how I luv cheese). Like Avengers, you have to accept a lot of absurdities to get to the flying fights, but those fights are absurdly fun when you let go of any pretense of physics. If you like that sort of thing, this is extremely entertaining.

    It's all about the 3D. The tornado fight is dizzying, but by that time, the 3D was making my eyes tired, so it didn't have the impact of the rest of the film. But by the, there's been so many eye-popping 3D scenes - even the credits look 20 feet in front of everything else. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    Originally published Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 3:02 PM
    'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate': China's first IMAX 3D spectacle
    A movie review of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Tsui Hark's lavish and frequently dazzling martial-arts epic, China's first IMAX 3D extravaganza. Jet Li is top-billed as a renegade freedom fighter in Ming Dynasty China.
    By Jeff Shannon
    Special to The Seattle Times
    INDOMINA RELEASING

    "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" sets the stage for a clash of fighting titans.
    Movie review 3 stars

    'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,' with Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Li Yuchun, Gwei Lun Mei, Mavis Fan. Written and directed by Tsui Hark. 121 minutes. Not rated; for mature audiences (contains martial-arts violence, intense action). In Mandarin, with English subtitles. IMAX at the Pacific Science Center, Southcenter 16.

    Tsui Hark's ambitious "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" spares no expense to earn its hype as China's first IMAX 3D production. A box-office record-breaker when it was released in China last December, it's now being showcased in about 15 IMAX cinemas across North America. Count Seattle among the lucky; IMAX 3D turns a slightly above-average "wuxia" ("martial hero" action thriller) into an epic extravaganza.

    It's also got a top-notch pedigree as a reworking of director King Hu's 1966 wuxia classic "Dragon Gate Inn" and the Tsui- produced 1992 remake "New Dragon Gate Inn." With a lineage like that, it's a must-see for fans of the swordplay genre.

    Combining spectacular wirework stunts and judicious use of all-digital characters to enhance the illusion of martial-arts superpowers, Tsui delivers a knockout opening in which a Ming Dynasty freedom fighter named Zhou (Jet Li, woefully underused) rescues alleged traitors being held for execution by the corrupted eunuchs in power.

    With oppression and imprisonment as a running theme, numerous set pieces follow as the plot juggles a growing roster of thinly developed characters. The action converges at the titular desert Inn, built upon a legendary city of treasure that is revealed by a sandstorm once every 60 years.

    Thus the stage is set for a clash of martial-arts titans, not quite on par with such recent classics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero," but definitely worthy of IMAX 3D's bigger bang for your buck.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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