Tai Chi 0

[Lucas]

you'll notice in steampunk a common renaissance-ish and early amercian, turn of the centuray europian theme. cogs, gears and wheels and steam power, and LOTS of goggles. where as in cyber punk you see more of a futuristic blending of man and machine, of being 'jacked in'

cyberpunk:


steampunk:

[Hebrew Hammer]

Awww I see...thanks for the clarification...never heard steam punk before.

[Lucas]

i got your back bro!!! steampunk is more popular in comics and anime.

[GeneChing]

Looks intriguing...

Tai Chi goes 3-D
By Stephen Cremin
Tue, 17 July 2012, 15:36 PM (HKT)
Distribution News


Huayi Brothers Media Corporation 華誼兄弟傳媒股份有限公司 steampunk martial arts movie Tai Chi 0 太極之從零開始 and its sequel Tai Chi Hero 太極之英雄崛起 will be released in China in 3-D, one month apart in September and October.

Set in the early 19th century, the films are a fantastical retelling of the origins of tai chi martial arts based on real historical figures.

The films launch the movie career of competitive martial artist YUAN Xiaochao 袁曉超 ("The Freak") opposite Tony LEUNG Ka-fai 梁家輝 ("Master"), Angelababy 楊穎 ("Beauty"), Eddie PENG 彭于晏 ("Villain") and William FENG 馮紹峰 ("Rising Son").

The two films — in a planned trilogy — are directed by Stephen FUNG 馮德倫, and mark the first productions of his company Diversion Pictures, which he founded with Daniel WU 吳彥祖. Wu has a cameo role in the Tai Chi series.

According to company co-president James WANG Zhonglei 王中磊, the first two episodes were shot back-to-back over 284 days at a budget of RMB220 million ($34.5 million). The cost of 3-D conversion may add significantly to the budget.

Huayi's Painted Skin: The Resurrection 畫皮Ⅱ was recently released exclusively on 3-D prints in China. It had taken approximately RMB629 million (US$98.7 million) by Sunday night. Its 2-D version crossed US$1 million in Hong Kong this weekend.

Tai Chi 0's September date positions it during that National Day holidays, one of the most lucrative and competitive box office periods in China, the same slot as Huayi's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame 狄仁杰之通天帝國 (2010).

Films that Tai Chi 0 may open against include Looper 環形使者 starring Bruce WILLIS, Double Xposure 二次曝光 starring FAN Bingbing 范冰冰, Switch 富春山居圖 starring Andy LAU 劉德華, Dangerous Liaisons 危險關係 starring ZHANG Ziyi 章子怡 and The Assassins 銅雀台 starring CHOW Yun-fat 周潤發.

"Taichi 0" Released International Character Posters
2012-06-13 16:05:2

[GeneChing]

This is more Shanghai-Steampunky

Latest Poster of the New Taichi Trilogy Released
2012-07-17 11:11:42 Chinese Films

A batch of characters posters of the Kung Fu trilogy "Taichi" was released after a press conference which was held yesterday in Beijing. The first movie will be release on September 28, followed by the second installment on October 26. Both will be screened in 2D and 3D formats. [Photo: chinesefilms.cn]

[GeneChing]

New trailer w/subs: TAICHI 0 《太極之從零開始》 9月27日強勢出撃

Venice Fest Lineup Includes Steampunk Martial Arts Actioner TAI CHI 0
quietearth [Film Festival 07.27.12]

The Venice International Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup, minus one in competition pick to come, and it includes 50 world premiers. While I haven't had time to go through any of the films, the most noteworthy with a glance is Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers and steampunk martial arts flick Tai Chi 0. We'll have more on the films below this weekend.

In Competition
Something In The Air (Apres Mai), dir Olivier Assayas (France)
At Any Price, dir Ramin Bahrani (US-UK)
Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata), dir Marco Bellocchio (Italy-France)
La Cinquieme Saison, dirs Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth (Belgium-Netherlands-France)
Fill The Void (Lemale Et Ha’Chalal), dir Rama Burshtein (Israel)
E Stato il Figlio, dir Daniele Cipri (Italy-France)
Un Giorno Speciale, dir Francesca Comencini (Italy)
Passion, dir Brian De Palma (France-Germany)
Superstar, dir Xavier Giannoli (France-Belgium)
Pieta, dir Kim Ki-duk (South Korea)
Outrage Beyond, dir Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
Spring Breakers, dir Harmony Korine (US)
To The Wonder, dir Terrence Malick (US)
Thy Womb (Sinapupunan), dir Brillante Mendoza (Philippines)
Linhas de Wellington, dir Valeria Sarmiento (Portugal-France)
Paradise: Faith (Paradies: Glaube), dir Ulrich Seidl (Austria-France-Germany)
Betrayal (Izmena), dir Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia)


Out of Competition
L’homme qui rit, dir Jean-Pierre Ameris (France-Czech Republic)
Love Is All You Need (Den skaldede frisor), dir Susanne Bier (Denmark-Sweden)
Cherchez Hortense, dir Pascal Bonitzer (France)
Sur un fil…, dir Simon Brook (France-Italy)
Enzo Avitabile Music Life, dir Jonathan Demme (Italy-US)
Tai Chi 0, dir Stephen Fung (China)
Lullaby To My Father, dir Amos Gitai (Israel-France-Switzerland)
Penance (Shokuzai), dir Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan)
Bad 25, dir Spike Lee (US)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, dir Mira Nair (India-Pakistan-US)
O Gebo e a Sombra, dir Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal-France)
The Company You Keep, dir Robert Redford (US)
Shark (Bait 3D), dir Kimble Rendall (Australia-Singapore-China)
Disconnect, dir Henry-Alex Rubin (US)
The Iceman, dir Ariel Vromen (US)

Out of competition - special events
Anton’s Right Here (Anton tut ryadom), dir Lyubov Arkus (Russia)
It Was Better Tomorrow (Ya Man Aach), dir Hinde Boujemaa (Tunisia)
Clarisse, dir Liliana Cavani (Italy)
Sfiorando il muro, dirs Silvia Giralucci and Luca Ricciardi (Italy)
Carmel, dir Amos Gitai (Israel-France-Italy)
El impenetrable, dirs Daniele Incalcaterra and Fausta Quattrini (Argentina-France)
Witness: Libya, dir Michael Mann (US)
Medici con l’Africa, dir Carlo Mazzacurati (Italy)
La nave dolce, dir Daniele Vicari (Italy-Albania)

Orrizonti (Horizons) features
Wadjda, dir Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia-Germany)
The Paternal House (Khaneh Pedari), dir Kianoosh Ayari (Iran)
I Also Want It (Ja Tozhe Hochu), dir Alexey Balabanov (Russia)
Gli Equilibristi, dir Ivano De Matteo (Italy-France)
L’intervallo, dir Leonardo Di Costanzo (Italy-Switzerland-Germany)
Winter of Discontent (El Sheita Elli Fat), dir Ibrahim El Batout (Egypt)
Tango Libre, dir Frederic Fonteyne (Belgium-France-Luxembourg)
The Cutoff Man (Menatek Ha-Maim), dir Idan Hubel (Israel)
Fly With The Crane (Gaosu tame, wo cheng baihe qu le), dir Li Ruijun (China)
A Hijacking (Kapringen), dir Tobias Lindholm (Denmark)
Leones, dir Jazmin Lopez (Argentina-France-Netherlands)
Bellas Mariposas, dir Salvatore Mereu (Italy)
Low Tide, dir Roberto Minervini (US-Italy-Belgium)
Boxing Day, dir Bernard Rose (UK-US)
Yema, dir Djamila Sahraoui (Algeria-France)
Araf - Somewhere In Between, dir Yesim Ustaoglu (Turkey-France-Germany)
The Millennial Rapture (Sennen no Yuraku), dir Koji Wakamatsu (Japan)
Three Sisters (San Zi Mei), dir Wang Bing (France-Hong Kong-China)

Venice Days
Inheritance, Hiam Abbas (France, Israel, Turkey)
Queen of Montreuil, Solveig Anspach (France)
Keep Smiling, Rusudan Chkonia (France, Georgia, Luxembourg)
Blondie, Jesper Ganslandt (Sweden)
The Weight, Jeon Kyu-hwan (South Korea)
Epilogue, Amir Manor (Israel)
Il Gemello, Vincenzo Marra (Italy)
Acciaio, Stefano Mordini (Italy)
Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley (Canada)
Kinshasa Kids, Mari-Henri Wajnberg (Belgium/France)

Special events
Bob Wilson's Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, Giada Colagrande (Italy)
Terramatta -- Il Novecento Italiano di Vincenzo Rabito Analfabeta Siciliano, Costanza Quatriglio (Italy)
L'uomo che amava il cinema, Marco Segato (Italy)
Non mi avete convinto, Filippo Vendemmiati (Italy)
6 sull'autobus, Simone Dante Antonelli, Giacomo Bisordi, Rita de Donato, Irene di Lelio, Antonio Ligas, Emiliano Russo (Italy)

[GeneChing]

We're starting to see some very interesting marketing of Chinese films in the U.S.

Film Screening - Tai Chi 0

Tai Chi 0 tells the story of Yang Luchan, a young genius who, tired of being picked on, travels to Chen Village to learn the art of Tai Chi.
10/14/2012 3:00PM - 5:00PM

The Ray Stark Family Theatre, George Lucas Building, SCA 108
Address: 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, California 90007
Cost: Free, please RSVP.
Website: cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=12882

Directed by Stephen Fung
Written by Chen Kuofu
Produced by Chen Kuofu and Jet Li

Opens on Tuesday, October 16th

From the creators of Detective Dee and Ip Man, featuring martial arts choreography by the legendary Sammo Hung (Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster), Tai Chi 0 tells the story of Yang Luchan, a young genius who, tired of being picked on, travels to Chen Village to learn the art of Tai Chi. Luchan finds out the hard way that it is forbidden for a villager to teach an outsider when the villagers, from strong men to old women to little children, repeatedly challenge him to a series of fights, all of which he loses quite badly.

But when a frightening army of steampunk soldiers bearing strange machines shows up, the villagers realize that in order to save their home, they must trust this strange outsider with the knowledge of Tai Chi. Directed by Stephen Fung, Tai Chi 0 is the first of a planned trilogy.

Provided courtesy of Well Go USA. Unrated. In Mandarin, with English subtitles.

To learn more about the film and to view the trailer, click here

Visit the Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TaiChiZero

[doug maverick]

We're starting to see some very interesting marketing of Chinese films in the U.S.

its all about the martial punk! i called it.

[Tao Of The Fist]

On the topic of "Taichi 0", one of the cast wrote a behind the scenes article for an online piece...

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/201...-of-tai-chi-0/

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/201...-chi-0-part-2/

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/201...-chi-0-part-3/

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/201...-chi-0-part-4/

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/201...-chi-0-part-5/

[GeneChing]

I initially titled this Tai Chi Trilogy, but I'm changing that to Tai Chi 0. We'll pick up with Tai Chi Hero when it comes out.

Venice Film Festival 2012: 'Tai Chi 0' review
★★★☆☆
Directed by Stephen Fung, choreographed by Sammo Hung and starring a whole host of Kung Fu legends, Tai Chi 0 (2012) is a kinetic frenzy of a movie, whose giddy inventiveness will be far too much for some, but a giggle for anyone who enjoys the frenetic quality of filmed martial arts. Those grasping for comparison pieces would be best off visualising a heady blend of Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) - without the insipid irritant that is Michael Cera.

Fung's film follows the story of martial arts prodigy Yang Lu Chan (Yuan Xiaochao), who is born with a special gift - a horn-like lump of flesh that when struck turns him into a demonic fighting machine. Able to instantly copy every move of Kung Fu he witnesses, Lu Chan is adopted and exploited by a master who recruits him to the army of 'Divine Warriors', before being thrown into the fray. After one such battle, a kindly doctor tells him that his gift is killing him - and that when his horn becomes black, his death is nigh,

It transpire that the only way Lu Chan can save his own life is to travel to Chen Village and study Tai Chi under Master Chen himself. This he endeavours to do, only to find that the village has a very, very strict policy of not teaching their moves to an outsider. What's more, the village also finds itself threatened by the building of a new railway, pioneered by the weakling villain who is betrothed to marry Master Chen's daughter (Angelababy).

Tai Chi 0 is full of irreverent jokes and some frankly bonkers nonsense. The influence of video games upon Fung is apparent not only in his visual style (complete with eye-popping graphics), but also the structure of his film's narrative, with Lu Chan having to complete his task in a series of levels. Also added to this Manga-style-melee are some very busy subtitles, as well as a whole section of Lu Chan's back story played out as a black and white silent movie. Hung's fight scenes are similarly fun, brief and refreshingly inventive - if you've ever see a fruit and veg battle as good as the one in Tai Chi 0, we'll eat our own nunchucked turnips.

The influence of Western cinema crops up in the form of femme fatale figure Clare Heathrow and a monstrous railway-making tank that's pure steam punk. But this is no simple tale of Chinese tradition beating off Western industrialisation. The film's heroine, Master Chen's daughter, is someone who sees the benefit of the West, with Chen himself a huge fan of the phonograph. With luck, Fung's Tai Chi 0 will make its way to our shores in the near future, with its sequel - Tai Chi Hero - already nearing completion.

[GeneChing]

There are a few more floating around the web in the wake of Venice. Sounds like this was well received overall.

Tai Chi 0
30 August, 2012 | By Mark Adams, chief film critic
Dir: Stephen Fung. Hong Kong China. 2012. 95mins


Big, bold and glossy and blending comic-book style effects with martial arts mayhem - and with a little steampunk aesthetic thrown in for good measure – Stephen Fung’s enjoyably off-the-wall action film is a real guilty pleasure big screen experience and despite more than a few mis-steps really does deliver.

Tai Chi 0 – or Tai Chi Zero as its on-screen credit reads, which makes more sense given its upcoming sequel is titled Tai Chi Hero – sensibly never takes itself (or its genre) overly seriously and is simply there to deliver special effects driven kinetic martial arts action. And deliver it does.

The film, directed by actor-turned-director Stephen Fung (Gen-X Cops), screened out of competition at Venice (the festival always likes to throw in a wild and crazy martial arts film into its mix, last year it was the probably more bonkers The Sorcerer And The White Snake), is intended to be the first in a trilogy that details – extremely loosely – the story of Yang Luchan, the inventor of Tai Chi.

The film opens – in familiar martial arts epic style – on the battlefield, where the focus is Lu Chuan (Yuan Xiaochao), known since he was born as ‘The Freak’ due to the fact he was born with an small horn-like bump on the side of his head that when hit turns him into a martial arts demon for a brief time, but leaves him drained and increasingly ill.

Advised that he needs to find training on a form of inner kung fu, he seeks out the remote Chen village and a master to teach him. But the villagers forbid teaching their style of martial arts to outsiders, and repeatedly fight him off. He has several run-ins with the beautiful Yuniang (Angelababy, whose real name is Angela Yeung Wing), who is the granddaughter of the master, who seems to have vanished from the village.

Things are doubly complicated due to the arrival of Yuniang’s long time fiancé (Eddie Peng), whose has studied in London and now wears Western clothes and is working with the rail company to deliver a railroad through the village.

Unsurprisingly the locals aren’t too thrilled about the arrival of the railroad – just like in any Western that has used a similar storyline – and reject his plans. He is a man with a mission, though, and arrives back at the village inside a massive steam-belching, iron-plated, machine that trundles towards the village laying train track in its wake, and guarded by a squad of gun-toting soldiers.

It is a wonderfully styled bit is Victorian steampunk construction (rather reminiscent of the contraptions in Wild, Wild West, but in a good way), and naturally acts as a plot device for Lu Chuan - who is being advised by a mysterious local ‘labourer’ (Tony Leung Ka-fai) – to try and save the village and also win-over Yuniang.

The film is littered with playful and often mischievous cinematic quirks – ranging from usual slo-mo and wire work through to filters and a silent film homage – though most odd are part-animated sequences that refer to video games and scores (in a similar fashion to Scott Pilgrim vs The World) and a unique way of introducing new characters – when they make their first screen appearance there is a caption (and an arrow pointing to them) detailing their cast name, along with actor’s real name and what they might be best known for…whether it be a martial arts champion from a specific year, or in the case of the cameo by Infernal Affairs’ director Andrew Lau, a caption simply explaining he is ‘Andrew Lau, director of Infernal Affairs’.

The cinematography and production design are excellent, though despite its freewheeling nature Tai Chi 0 is not without its faults. Some of the dialogue is overly stilted and Yuan Xiaochao tends to act with enthusiasm rather than technique, plus a romance subplot between Eddie Peng’s character and a British woman (his equal at the railroad company and attired similarly in manly Western clothes) never convinces, and for some reason is fumblingly performed in English.

The film ends with essentially a trailer – or at least a series of extracts – for sequel Tai Chi Hero, which hints at further training for Lu Chuan at the (by the look of it) increasingly tender hands of Yuniang, and plenty of action scenes, with actor Peter Stormare to be spotted briefly in amongst the new cast members.

Production companies: Diversion Pictures Ltd., Huayi Brothers Media Corporation
International sales: Huayi Brothers International, www.hbpictures.com
Screenplay: Cheng Hsaio-tse, Jialu Zhang
Cinematography: Ngor Chi-kwan, Lai Yiu-fai, Du Jie
Editors: Cheng Hsiao-tse, Matthew Hui, Zhang Jialu, Zhang Weili
Production designer: Yip Kam-tiam
Music: Katsunori Ishida
Main cast: Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy, Eddie Peng, Tony Leung Ka-fai, William Feng, Shu Qi, Feng Shaofeng

[GeneChing]

After seeing FSoDG on the big screen, I'm very optimistic that this too will show in U.S. theaters

1st in Chinese action trilogy premiers in Venice

[IMG]http://qctimes.com/entertainment/movies/st-in-chinese-action-trilogy-premiers-in-venice/article_dd0956a4-8df3-5f8f-ad88-2f34b2d51812.html[/IMG]
FILE- Director Stephen Fung poses for portraits for the film 'Tai Chi 0' at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, in this file photo dated Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. Fung has incorporated comic book-style graphic and heavy metal music into his movie ''Tai Chi 0,'' as he reaches for a younger and perhaps global audience in his new martial arts film, the first installment of a trilogy. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)
September 02, 2012 6:38 am • Associated Press

Director Stephen Fung has incorporated comic book-style graphics and heavy metal music into `'Tai Chi 0," as he reaches for a younger and perhaps global audience in his new martial arts trilogy.

`'We wanted to do something new, something that is not what you usually see in the traditional kung fu movie," Fung said. `'We wanted to break barriers. We wanted to test out the market."

`'Tai Chi 0," the first installment in the trilogy, made its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival this week, ahead of its late September release in China, followed by the rest of Asia.

Fung already has the sequel ready for release a month later, and he's hoping strong audience response will guarantee he can make the third.

The big budget Chinese production brings together the Victorian age steam energy with high octane fight scenes.

The film is set during the dawn of industrialization, but the filmmakers readily mix in high-tech modern touches, including comic book graphics, to introduce chapters and graphic overlays to map the trajectory of the martial arts moves.

In the film, Yang Chi, played by martial arts champion Yuan Xiaochao, is born with a rare gift for marital arts, and his mother on her deathbed urges him to pursue his potential. Yang's journey takes him to a remote village that is famed for its particularly powerful form of tai chi _ but only natives are allowed to learn it.

As Yang continues to run up against village resistance, a local man returns from abroad with a steam-powered locomotive _ a fantastic iron monster operated from its cavernous inside as a sort-of submarine on rails.

Tony Leung Ka Fai, 54, known for his roles in auteur films such as `'The Lover," plays the village tai chi master whose job it is to defend the town from the modern intruder while protecting its martial arts tradition.

`'For 30 years, no director has discovered my skill in wushu (China's martial arts form). Now as I go into retirement, I had this opportunity to do a wushu film," he said.

[doug maverick]

After seeing FSoDG on the big screen, I'm very optimistic that this too will show in U.S. theaters

i think your optimism was right on the money..its coming out on the 27th.

[GeneChing]

Where did you hear that?

Tai Chi 0: Venice Review
11:24 AM PDT 8/31/2012 by Deborah Young


The Bottom Line
First chapter in a Chinese action trilogy introducing “steampunk kungfu” is manic, disjointed fun for younger fantasy fans.

Venue
Venice Film Festival

Cast
Yuan Xiaochan, Angelababy, Eddie Peng, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Shu Qi

Director
Stephen Fung

Screenwriter
Kuo-fu Chen

Stephen Fung's much-awaited steampunk kung-fu actioner showcases stars Tony Leung Ka-fai, Eddie Peng and Shu Qi.

Victorian age steam energy meets kick-ass martial arts in a wacky, hyper, head-on collision, Tai Chi 0, an exuberant attempt to weld steampunk to kungfu in a big-budget Chinese actioner. Successful? Hardcore teenage fantasy fans and video-gamers may find director Stephen Fung’s brand of irreverent comedy irresistible, but viewers past the youngest demographics will tune out to the threadbare comic book-style story and childish characters, though not without a few amazed laughs at the inventive audacity of the project. The first of a promised trilogy produced by China’s Huayi Brothers (Tai Chi Hero is announced for later this fall), it will be released in Australia and Asia following the film’s Venice and Toronto bows, and in the U.S. in October by Variance Films.
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Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame -- Film Review

From the creators of the hybrid hit Shaolin Soccer and the visual marvel Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Tai Chi 0 takes a decidedly more laid-back approach to story-telling. The opening scene makes a comic virtue out of its disjointed editing, as it introduces goofy but likable young hero Yang Luchan (wushu star-turned-actor Yuan Xiaochan), known as “the Freak” on account of a small horn of flesh protruding from his head. This, it turns out, is the mark of a martial arts genius. When hit on the horn, he turns into a raging demon fighter undefeatable in battle. Everything is humorously signalled in letters superimposed over the screen, a technique used throughout the film that grows old rather quickly.

Suddenly a flashback to Luchan’s babyhood is required. In one of Fung’s best gags, it’s filmed as a spoof on silent films with dialogue written in old-fashioned inter-titles. As Luchan’s mother, the lovely face of Shu Qi appears, first of Tai Chi’s parade of star cameos. (Actors are duly announced with on-screen pop-up credits.) Convinced of her son’s potential as a future kung fu master, she steals from her elderly husband to ensure his future, with tragic consequences.

Back to the battle. After losing his master in a firestorm perpetrated by the Imperial forces, Luchan escapes in search of the legendary Chen village, where he plans to learn unique local tai chi techniques that will make him a master. The only hitch is that the villagers refuse to teach outsiders, and each time he applies for lessons, he’s soundly beaten by young and old alike, in amusingly off-the-wall action sequences choreographed by the renowned Sammo Hung. Only a solitary old workman (Tony Leung Ka-fai) befriends him and, although he can’t teach him, wisely advises him to copy the moves of his attackers.

Among the host of characters who live in Chen village is charming Yu Niang (rom com star Angelababy), daughter of the elusive master that Luchan is seeking. Her imperturbable expression and graceful tai chi moves reduce his body to a pulp while they capture his heart. Unfortunately for him, she’s already in love with Anglophile Zijing (heart-throb Eddie Peng), who appears dressed to the hilt in a waistcoat and stovepipe hat, while Yu Niang tries to impress him in an empire dress and braided hair. Zijing’s new-fangled ideas from England are snubbed by the Chen traditionalists. He’s supposed to personify the evil Western industrial revolution that is about to overrun China, but in its typically careless, wishy-washy style, the film also suggests some innovations like electricity and the gramophone might not be so bad.

Zijing’s villainy is finally clarified when he reappears inside a steam-run metal monster hell-bent on destroying the village. It’s manned by English soldiers and captained by Claire, a deliciously frilly British officer he plans to marry. At this point the script is truly out of control, but audiences who have followed it this far will probably not fret about the details. There are plenty of gags still to come, including a fruit and vegetable battle with more Imperial forces, and marvellous cogs and gears to admire inside the steam monster which echo, on a much smaller scale, the extraordinary sets of Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee.

The film ends abruptly with end credits rolling at unreadable, breakneck speed, then a Hollywood-style trailer for the sequel, when the umpteen loose ends will presumably be tied up.

Venue: Venice Film Festival, Aug. 27, 2012.
Production companies: Huayi Brothers, Taihe Investment, Diversion Pictures
Cast: Eddie Peng, Angelababy, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Daniel Wu, Shu Qi,
Screenwriter: Kuo-fu Chen
Director: Stephen Fung
Producer: Wang Zhongjun
Director of photography: Yiu Fai Lai
Production and costume designer: Yip Kam-tim
Editors: Cheng Hsaio-tse, Matthew Hui, Zhang Jialu, Zhang Weili
Music: Katsunori Ishida
Sales Agent: Huayi Brothers International
No rating, 99 minutes.

[doug maverick]

this was according to imdb, but now well go usa who has the north american right says oct. 19..which sucks. i inquired about it.