Page 5 of 6 FirstFirst ... 3456 LastLast
Results 61 to 75 of 78

Thread: Birth of the Dragon

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Bruce Lee vs. Wong Jack Man = Mayweather vs. McGregor?

    I don't really agree with this but it's postable on the Birth of the Dragon and McGregor vs. Mayweather, August 26 threads.


    #BirthOfTheDragon
    Birth Of The Dragon: How Bruce Lee And Wong Jack Man Were The Original Mayweather Vs. McGregor
    August 16, 2017 at 10:11AM
    By Carlos Rosario Gonzalez, writer at CREATORS.CO
    This Earth's Sorcerer Supreme and collector of all six Infinity Stones. I'm currently stuck in the Matrix and can't get out. I also write.

    The biggest sporting event of the year will come to fruition on August 26 when two of the world's greatest fighters face each other for the first time. Mayweather vs. McGregor not only pits the respective undefeated boxing phenom against the current UFC Lightweight champion, it clashes the venerated world of professional boxing with the rising global sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

    Today, MMA has merited the designation of sport that is growing in popularity and respect. Martial arts as a whole has revitalized itself in entertainment, from movies and television shows to video games. More and more old-school fighting video games are making a comeback—Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is arguably one of the most anticipated fighting games of the year, for example. In Hollywood, plenty of young actors and stunt people are making a name for themselves with a repertoire of martial arts skills on their resume, and as a result, the stunt choreography and fight sequences in movies and TV shows are getting better and better. Just look at the praise garnered for martial arts-heavy shows like Netflix's Daredevil and AMC's Into the Badlands.

    But MMA's story of evolving from a combination of boxing and other fighting disciplines and becoming a worldwide sensation isn't new. In 1964 Bruce Lee and his new take on Wing Chun transfixed the West Coast of the United States. It was also in that year that Lee’s new approach on Chinese martial arts clashed with the Kung Fu of the past, when Wushu master Wong Jack Man faced Lee in a duel. When two of the world’s greatest Kung Fu masters faced each other for the first time in that fight over 50 years ago, it revolutionized Kung Fu for the masses.

    No one really knows how the fight went down, but we’ll finally see a glimpse of the legend in the movie Birth of the Dragon. If we look at that legendary fight, we can draw some parallels to the upcoming one, and how the history of fighting has influenced both.

    Bruce Lee And Conor McGregor

    Bruce Lee gave rise to what we know today as Mixed Martial Arts. His take on Kung Fu was unique and vastly different from what early masters of the art were teaching their students. Eventually, Lee’s fighting style evolved into his own discipline, Jeet Kune Do; it's when it made its way into movies that the discipline became famous.

    But before Lee became the Hollywood legend that he is today, he was teaching his Kung Fu ways to San Francisco residents. When he participated in his first competition at the Long Beach International Karate Championships, Lee became a local sensation and won the crowd over with his one-inch punch. Much like Lee, we can see the same fire in Conor McGregor.

    McGregor channels Bruce Lee entirely; that is why he calls Lee his inspiration.


    The current champ has been the talk of the MMA universe ever since he made his UFC debut, winning by way of knockout. His cocky, fiery personality inside and outside of the octagon has inspired many rising UFC fighters, and like Lee, McGregor has brought his own spin to an ancient fighting style. In addition to being a mixed martial artist, McGregor also sees himself as a boxer. Like Lee, however, his boxing is a culmination of different disciplines put into one. That's what's so intriguing about the UFC champ; he's a modern-day version of Bruce Lee, and fans seem to agree. From his fighting style to his philosophies, McGregor channels Bruce Lee entirely; that is why he calls Lee his inspiration.

    What’s more, the similarities between Lee and McGregor don’t end in their mutual abilities. Their greatest fights may just be their greatest equivalence. McGregor will meet his match when he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. on August 26, just like Lee fought his greatest adversary Wong Jack Man in an abandoned warehouse in 1964.

    Wong Jack Man And Floyd Mayweather Jr.

    While much is debated about the epic fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man, what's fact is that Wong was one of the best fighters of his time. His skills in the various branches of Chinese martial arts made him an expert in the sport and a respected, popular name both in China and the United States. The parallels between Wong and Mayweather are clear.

    Like Mayweather, Wong was fearless and full of spirit, sticking to the ancient ways of Kung Fu. Wong's bout with Bruce Lee saw the old style of Chinese martial arts clash with Lee's new system, just like how Mayweather's traditional boxing background will run up against McGregor's modified hybrid style.

    But of course, it was more than just kicking and punching. The fight between Wong and Lee was as much a battle between opposite philosophies as it was a physical fight.

    When Fighting Philosophies Clash

    When Lee opened his martial arts school, the Jun Fan Gung Institute, in 1964, he wasn’t yet the Bruce Lee that we all know and love. The "be like water" way of mind hadn't yet entered into Lee's philosophical paradigm. The younger Lee was a constant rush of adrenaline and more than a little arrogant in his ways. Lee's optimism was a great virtue, but it was partnered with a healthy dose of conceit. His calm, relaxed demeanor of later years was far from present, and his urge to win and prove himself was high.

    Enter Wong Jack Man, a Chinese martial arts master whose philosophy was everything Bruce Lee's was not. Lee's aggressive, kicking whirlwind faced off against Wong's serene, controlled dance of motion. And it prevailed.

    Lee's aggressive, kicking whirlwind faced off against Wong's serene, controlled dance of motion.


    While the outcome of the fight is up to interpretation, there was another outcome that is more important. From that day forward Lee had a new mentality. He went forth to create his own discipline in Jeet Kune Do and became as great a philosopher as he was an actor and martial arts expert. The sport changed for the better, continually evolving and leading to its resurgence in the modern world of entertainment; today there's a full roster of MMA names to thank for the martial arts resurgence that's currently influencing sports and entertainment. But while these personalities are the catalyst of the modern martial arts renaissance, they are all still the offspring that sprouted from the legend of Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man.

    While none of us got to witness the mythical fight between Lee and Wong, we'll get the chance to watch its equivalent on August 26. Another physical and philosophical clash of masters in their respective disciplines is in the very fabric of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor. Regardless of the victor, the boxing world will learn from the MMA world and vice versa. Two philosophies will clash and, like Lee vs. Wong, a new spirit will blossom.

    The greatest fight of our time is right upon us, mirroring the greatest fight that came about over 50 years ago.

    Watch the legendary fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man when Birth of the Dragon releases in the U.S. on August 25.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    CA, USA
    Posts
    4,900
    That article is wrong on so many levels.

    Bruce Lee did NOT invent the concept of "mixed martial arts". That had been going on for as long as MA have been around. Every single MA system is a "mixed martial art", even the traditional KF systems. It was actually "traditional" to combine knowledge gained from different sources, as much as was possible in the past.

    Stubborn adherence to a single system was more of a phenomenon of recent history, when MA were generally no longer a matter of life and death, and became more about 'purity', money and 'face'.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 08-17-2017 at 08:10 AM.

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    More on Philip

    Philip Ng talks ‘Birth of the Dragon’ role, Bruce Lee influence, martial arts and more
    Updated August 16, 2017 11:06 AM
    By Joseph V. Amodio Special to Newsday


    Philip Ng stars in "Birth of the Dragon." Photo Credit: Getty Images / Sonia Recchia

    He may have started out a mild-mannered teacher in Illinois, but Philip Ng has set his sights on becoming an international martial arts movie star. And if any film can help make that happen, it’s “Birth of the Dragon,” in which he plays Bruce Lee, the greatest martial arts megastar of all time.

    The film, which premieres in theaters Aug. 25, tells the true tale — shrouded in secrecy for decades — of a martial arts showdown between a young, brash Lee (Ng) and a mysterious kung fu master from China named Wong Jack Man (played with an intense stillness by Chinese actor Xia Yu). Little is known about the no-holds-barred battle — not even who won — except that it changed Lee, who soon after leapt to superstardom in a series of films (including “Enter the Dragon”), single-handedly popularizing kung fu in the United States.

    Ng, 39, was born in Hong Kong, raised in Chicago, and then moved back to Hong Kong 15 years ago to pursue his dream of breaking into the martial arts movie biz. He succeeded, working as a stuntman, fight choreographer, director and actor (“Wild City,” “Zombie Fight Club”). This film (in which he performs his own stunts) marks his North American debut. He’s currently shooting a television series in the middle of rural China.

    How big a Bruce Lee fan were you before shooting this film?

    Big. He influenced my path. My own sifu — that is, my own master, the person who taught me Wing Chun [a form of kung fu] — actually trained Bruce Lee. They were close.

    Why was Bruce Lee such an outlier in the world of martial arts? He ticked off a lot of traditional practitioners by teaching westerners, incorporating street fighting, and treating it as something secular rather than a religious pursuit.

    He saw kung fu as a pragmatic skill, like cooking or chopping wood. There’s a specific goal — to incapacitate your opponent — using principles of simplicity, efficiency and directness. It’s like basketball players — they’re all playing basketball, but they have different styles that suit their body shapes and athletic abilities. Bruce Lee thought the same thing — find what works for you. Whenever you’re revolutionary, you’ll be seen as an outsider. But 40 years later, his ideas are prevalent in sports like MMA [mixed martial arts].

    You’re raised in America, get a master’s degree, then start off as a teacher — what subject did you teach, by the way?

    Art.

    Really! So you’ve got art on one side of your resume, mortal combat on the other.

    Yeah. [He chuckles.] My father owns a martial arts school in Chicago. He’s an accountant. [He laughs harder.] That’s his main job. But we own a martial arts school. For us, martial arts is like brushing your teeth.

    Sorry?

    It’s like brushing your teeth or taking a shower — you have to do it. It’s part of life’s routine. Of course, it’s a lot deeper than that.

    What’s a big misconception about martial arts movies? To the uninitiated, they seem like just a series of fights.

    The fighting is actually dialogue — each punch is a way for you to deliver an idea. Those fists and kicks tell a story. Like if I’m in a scene protecting somebody, but scared of my opponent, I’ll deliver that punch differently than if I’m a bully picking on a small kid. The action you see in movies today, the fisticuffs, the fighting — a lot of those techniques originated in the Hong Kong cinema, in the 1970s and ’80s, starting with Bruce Lee, and on up to Jackie Chan.

    So you had the grad degree, the art teacher job — but you give it all up and move to Hong Kong in the hopes of . . . becoming a martial arts star. How tough was it to make that leap?

    In the beginning, you’re like, OK, OK . . .give yourself a few years to see if it works out. But when you get over here, you realize you can’t just try, you have to give it your all or quit. I got lucky — I started as a stuntman and worked my way up. Was it hard moving here? Yeah. But . . . if you’re moving forward, not backward, then you can keep pursuing your dreams. When opportunities come up, treat every single one like it’s the biggest thing ever, and you’ll get where you deserve to be. I’m a firm believer in that.

    Well, it seems to be working for you. I’d say “break a leg” on your next project, but that doesn’t seem the best thing to say to a martial arts expert.

    Yeah. [He laughs.] But it’s a well-wishing thing, so I appreciate it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    That article is wrong on so many levels.
    I feel ya, Jimbo.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #64
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    CA, USA
    Posts
    4,900
    I like Philip Ng, and will see this movie for his performance. I didn't know he was 39! I thought maybe 30 at the oldest.

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Today's promos

    There's a free BotD fighting game here.



    Plus WWE Studios is hosting a live interview with Philip on facebook, which is allegedly happening right now.

    Tune in tomorrow at 9am PST/12pm EST for a LIVE interview with Philip Ng, the star of WWE Studios' Birth of the Dragon.

    In theaters this Friday!

    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Another Philip interview - this one on jetli.com!



    Interview with Philip Ng Part 2: Experiences on Birth of the Dragon
    By Sean Tierney 3 days ago in Entertainment

    Philip Ng the Birth of the Dragon

    Following our first interview with martial artist, actor and choreographer Philip Ng. In part two we discuss his experience in front of and behind the camera in the Hong Kong film industry as well as his experiences on the set of Birth of the Dragon where he plays the legendary Bruce Lee.



    Interview with Philip Ng Part 2



    WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO PLAY BRUCE LEE?

    Philip Ng: It was surreal. I have read everything Bruce Lee ever wrote, and I’ve studied his films, his ideas about martial arts, and his philosophy extensively. When I started Birth of the Dragon, they asked me how long I’d been preparing for the role, and I said, “Basically my whole life!” Everybody imitates Brue Lee in some way. When you play a character, you investigate them so you can portray them better. I’ve been reading, watching, and thinking about Bruce Lee for as long as I can remember. His philosophies influenced the way that I think as well as the way I train. So actually portraying him was surreal.

    It’s kind of funny how I got the role. They were auditioning a lot of different people, and one of them was Andy On. He said “I don’t look like Bruce Lee, but I have a friend who does, and he sent them my stuff, and they said “Yeah, have him do a tape.” So he, his fiancée, another friend and I spent several hours shooting the audition scenes. I sent the audition in and didn’t think much more about it. Movies are auditioning people all the time, and c’mon, it’s Bruce Lee. But the director really liked my audition, and so I got the role.

    I finished shooting a Fist Within Four Walls in Hong Kong on the 4th of November 2015 and I flew to Vancouver to start shooting Birth of the Dragon on the 6th. I had heard a lot of stories about working in Hollywood from my seniors in the stunt industry. It was all true. It was a great experience! I would tell people about working in Hong Kong, like my schedule, or working with a broken arm or cracked ribs, and they think I’m lying or trying to get sympathy.

    The worst thing about shooting Birth of the Dragon is that there was always food on the set. Good food, like doughnuts. I’m playing Bruce Lee; I can’t eat the doughnuts! My students would come to visit the set, and they would eat doughnuts in front of me.

    I had a scene; it was right before Christmas break, where I had to take my shirt off. Right after that, the makeup artist went to Craft Services and got me three doughnuts. Then I went after those doughnuts like they offended my family.

    I also had a chance to choreograph a scene in the movie, too. I didn’t fight in it. It was filmed in China, and our action director Corey Yuen’s schedule was full so he couldn’t do it himself. The director trusted me enough to do the choreography. It was a great experience working on this movie, and I’m really excited about it. It’s something we’re all proud of.


    That's Van Ness Wu in the furry hat.

    WHEN DID YOU START DOING ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY?

    Philip Ng: I was accepted into the Chin Kar Lok stunt team, and I was heavily involved with the choreography of the scenes on Star Runner, my first project in the HK film industry. I knew martial arts, but there were other technical things I needed to learn, so I did. I’m a quick learner, and I ended up choreographing a lot of the fight scenes. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was that they gave me that much responsibility so fast. I moved up the ranks fairly quickly, and I was able to learn a lot more about the craft.

    But I also put a lot of work into it. I didn’t rest very much when I was on the set. I was always watching and asking questions. When it came to the editing, I would go into the editing studio to watch and learn, and occasionally help by remembering where a certain shot was. I would sit with the editor and ask questions and take notes. As technology improved, I started to practice editing on my own time, with a computer and some early editing software.

    As an action choreographer or action director, my job is to help the director tell a story. So if a story calls for shaky-cam, or certain ways to express the mood of a scene, I have those techniques and those tools to do those things. Obviously there’s a certain preference in terms of what I like to do, but that’s based on the influences I had as a kid: the 80s and 90s Hong Kong movies with people like Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and Yuen Woo Ping, among others.

    Those movies really influenced me when I was young. Making movies is an art form, so it’s a kind of human expression. My work is often an expression of the excitement, enjoyment and awe I felt when I was younger and watched these movies that made such a big impression on me.


    continued next post
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    continued from previous post

    WHO HAVE YOU ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE MOST?

    Philip Ng: I’ve enjoyed working with everyone! They all have something to teach me, and I’ve learned something from every choreographer and action director. There’s too many to name, but let me talk about a few. Yuen Woo Ping is definitely someone that’s way up there. It was a dream come true for him to choreograph Once Upon a Time in Shanghai. He did The Matrix! His skill set is so amazing, and not just the big things. Little things like ‘camera rules’ about framing and editing, because sometimes those things, if done incorrectly, can upset the flow of a scene and make the audience feel very awkward.

    Sometimes you can break those rules to make the edit feel comfortable. During the filming of Once Upon a Time in Shanghai, the director, the DP, the digital effects person and I all wanted a certain punch to come from a certain angle for the edit we were doing. Yuen Woo Ping thought about it for ten seconds. There was silence. He suggested that we do it another way, and when we cut that version together, it worked out better. Little things like that come from experience. You don’t get taught those things in school. One thing that’s good for me, coming from a Western background, is that I’m not afraid to talk or ask questions, so I get to learn a lot from people I work with. As long as you’re polite, 90% of the time people will answer all your questions.

    I also have to mention Stephen Tung Wai, actor and action director who directed Jet Li’s Hitman . I have so much respect for him, personally and professionally. He’s very demanding on the set, but that’s because he cares about your safety as well as wanting things to look good. He’s looked out for me more than once, and he taught me a lot about choreography, and framing, and making certain actions look better. He was very unselfish. There have been so many people I’ve learned from, even if it’s learning what not to do, but mostly what to do. .



    WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH?

    Philip Ng: Jet Li. I’ve worked with every one of my childhood idols so far, except him! I just came into the industry at a time when he was not making very many movies, especially in Asia. I’ve worked with Jackie Chan, I’ve worked with Yuen Biao. I am actually friends with Yuen Biao, which is surreal! I’ve worked with Sammo Hung, I just recently worked with Donnie Yen, really all the people I watched when I was growing up.



    AS AN ACTION ACTOR, DO YOU BALANCE TAKING RISKS AND STAYING SAFE?

    Philip Ng: I don’t. You prepare as well as you can, but you’re taking a risk. That’s why it’s called a stunt. You just prepare as best you can. Not a lot of people get hurt doing big stunts. They get hurt doing little ones, because they treat it lightly. If I have to jump over a table, I’ll think “whatever,” but that’s usually where you’ll trip on your foot and land on your face. If you have to jump from a 10-story building, then usually everything’s prepared and everyone’s very careful. You should have that mindset for every stunt, and that’s what I try to do.

    And when I’m the action choreographer and the stunt coordinator on the set, I make sure that happens, and I make sure everyone’s safe, because the set is a very dangerous place. As an action actor I have to be careful, because a lot of the set isn’t built to be permanent, it’s just kind of stuck there with a nail. Everything is as safe as possible, but a lot stuff is temporary. You just have to be careful and always be aware of your surroundings.

    During Undercover Punch & Gun, Andy On broke two of my ribs, I shifted my kneecap, I had stitches under my eye. I was almost blinded. You hope these things don’t happen, but bumps and bruises are always going to happen. I’m jumping through car windows, and getting hit by cars, but my experience and the experience of the people around me, help me do the best I can and stay as safe as I can. But in stunts, safety is always a relative concept!



    Technology has made stunts not just safer but better. Computer graphics are much better at erasing wires, so thicker wires or even climbing ropes can be used more. That makes it safer. It’s still dangerous, but it’s no longer stupid dangerous like it used to be.

    I think people enjoy watching action movies because they like watching actual people performing actual human activity as opposed to a human-shaped digital effect doing it.

    I think old-school film fans appreciate it, and I think the audience does too. But there’s not as many people who are willing to do those kinds of stunts any more. Part of what made some of those old stunts so exciting was that they weren’t just dangerous, they were insane. So stunts are safer, and saner today, but that’s understandable. Movie productions know that if their star gets hurt, the production stops. The cost of that is in the millions of dollars.

    If you’re not a stuntman, if you’re not an action actor who can really do your own stunts, I suggest you don’t. Let the stuntmen do their job. On the other hand, if you’re a stuntman and an actor, you do as much as you can when necessary.
    Birth of the Dragon opens August 25th nationwide in the US and Canada.

    Read Part 1 here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    I like Philip Ng, and will see this movie for his performance.
    Me too, Jimbo. I missed the screener so I'll have to actually pay, but that's cool. I want to support him.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Our newest exclusive web article

    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    CA, USA
    Posts
    4,900
    Weird thing...although there were regular TV spots to promote the movie, it wasn't even listed in yesterday's paper's entertainment section, under "movies opening this week". It also wasn't mentioned in today's entertainment section. This is highly unusual and not a good sign. It means it's flying way below the radar, and there's probably little confidence in the movie's box-office potential. The only way a typical person might become aware of it is in checking out the showtimes of other movies at various multi-plexes.

    It is being released by 'WWE Studios', which is mainly known for producing straight-to-DVD Walmart movies, mostly starring their wrestlers. I'm not sure if they were behind the making of it, or are just releasing it. Now, there's no real way of telling just from the snippets shown in the TV ads, but Birth of the Dragon looks a LOT better than any of the movies from WWE Studios that I've seen (TBH, I stopped watching WWE Studios movies several years ago after the first few, they were so bad).
    Last edited by Jimbo; 08-25-2017 at 11:47 AM.

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    That is odd

    I'm seeing ads everywhere here in the SF Bay Area, but we're a target market for this sort of film, so I know we're in a bubble when it comes to distribution. We get all the Chinese releases at the SF Metreon or the Cupertino Square. And they did the screener here, but I wasn't formally invited as press. I only heard through martial circles and it was my bad for not following up. That did send up a red flag for me because I'm on several press emailing lists and get invited to almost everything that does a screener. I just got invited to Stronger and PATTI CAKE$ today, but those aren't a martial arts films. You're in CA, right Jimbo?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    $200K 1600 theaters

    That's not bad for a Thursday this time of year. We'll see what the weekend brings.

    Box Office: 'Birth of the Dragon' Takes $200K Thursday
    8:55 AM PDT 8/25/2017 by Rebecca Ford


    James Dittiger/Courtesy of WWE Studios
    'Birth of the Dragon'

    Sony's 'All Saints,' which earned $70K in previews, and animated film 'Leap!' also open on a sleepy August weekend.

    A quiet August weekend kicked off Thursday night with the martial arts movie Birth of the Dragon taking in $200,000, and All Saints, a faith-based film from Sony's Affirm label that is starting off with a smaller release, taking in $70,000. Weinstein Co.'s animated Leap! also opens wide this weekend.

    This weekend is expected to be one of the sleepier of the summer, with all three new films opening behind holdover The Hitman's Bodyguard, Lionsgate's action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. The pic should have no problem repeating a No. 1 finish in its second weekend.

    Birth of the Dragon, from Blumhouse's microbudgeted genre label BH Tilt, is aiming for a debut in the $3 million range. Playing in 1,600 theaters, the film is is a fictionalized account of when Bruce Lee challenged kung fu master Wong Jack Man to a fight in the mid-1960s in San Francisco.

    The movie stars Hong Kong-born actor and martial artist Philip Ng, Xia Yu, Billy Magnussen, Qu Jingjing, Jin Xing and Simon Yin.

    Leap! is tracking to gross the most of the three, with a $4 million to $5 million domestic debut. The film, about an orphan girl who flees to Paris with dreams of becoming a ballerina, is opening in approximately 2,575 theaters. Eric Summer helmed the film that features the voices of Elle Fanning, Dane DeHaan and Carly Rae Jepsen.

    All Saints, helmed by Steve Gomer, has decided to roll out slowly. It opened at 7 p.m. in just 773 locations, and will expand to 846 screens Friday. The $2 million film is based on the real-life story of Michael Spurlock, a salesman-turned-pastor who, along with a group of refugees from Southeast Asia, risks everything to save his tiny church. John Corbett, Cara Buono, Myles Moor and Nelson Lee star.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    CA, USA
    Posts
    4,900
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    I'm seeing ads everywhere here in the SF Bay Area, but we're a target market for this sort of film, so I know we're in a bubble when it comes to distribution. We get all the Chinese releases at the SF Metreon or the Cupertino Square. And they did the screener here, but I wasn't formally invited as press. I only heard through martial circles and it was my bad for not following up. That did send up a red flag for me because I'm on several press emailing lists and get invited to almost everything that does a screener. I just got invited to Stronger and PATTI CAKE$ today, but those aren't a martial arts films. You're in CA, right Jimbo?
    I'm in SoCal, so the landscape is different as far as that goes. Also, the movie is set in SF, so that may be a big part of it as far as the ads being everywhere up there.

  13. #73
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Alas, martial arts always seems to compete with itself

    McGregor vs. Mayweather vs. Birth of the Dragon - I'll have a BotD review up later today.

    Mayweather vs. McGregor Box Office: Fight Is a Knockout Victory in Theaters
    10:41 AM PDT 8/27/2017 by Pamela McClintock


    Christian Petersen/gettyimages
    Conor McGregor (left) and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

    Saturday night's live broadcast of the boxing bout grossed almost as much as new martial arts pic 'Birth of the Dragon.'

    Saturday night's super-fight between world boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Irish MMA star Conor McGregor was a knockout victory in theaters, earning $2.6 million from 532 locations in North America locations to come in No. 8.

    Earlier on Sunday, comScore showed the special event earned $2.4 million from 481 theaters, but the grosses were later revised upwards for the U.S. and Canada.

    The result is one of the biggest victories ever for Fathom Events, which partnered with Mayweather Productions in beaming the boxing match into cinemas. In many theaters, the price of entry was north of $20.

    The card began at 6 p.m. PT. Mayweather emerged the victor in the 10th round, bringing his record to a perfect 50-0.

    The Mayweather-McGregor bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was also a huge draw on pay-per-view at $99.99 a pop, although Showtime has yet to announce viewership numbers. Following the match, Periscope began trending on social media after many began bragging that they had watched the event for free using the streaming app.

    At the box office, the live broadcast of the fight in theaters scored the third-best showing of the day behind The Hitman's Bodyguard ($3.9 million) and Annabelle: Creation ($2.8 million), according to comScore.

    The Mayweather-McGregor offering saw its biggest grosses in New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Nashville, San Diego and Miami. Top-grossing theaters included the AMC Empire and Regal Union Square in New York City, and Regal LA Live and AMC Burbank in Los Angeles.

    Despite showing in far fewer theaters, the match appears to have beat another fight-centric offering on the marquee over the weeked: martial arts pic Birth of the Dragon, from microbudget genre label BH Tilt and WWE Studios.

    Birth of the Dragon grossed $2.6 million from 1,618 locations, according to comScore (final weekend numbers will be tallied on Monday). The film, directed by George Nolfi, is a fictionalized account of when Bruce Lee challenged kung fu master Wong Jack Man to a fight in the mid-1960s in San Francisco.

    The Mayweather-McGregor showdown was the highlight of an overall dismal weekend at the domestic box office, with revenue tumbling 45 percent over the same frame last year. Summer revenue is now down more than 14 percent over 2016, while the year to date is down more than 5 percent.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    Much better than expected.
    I agree with ya, Jimbo, although I didn't watch the fight in its entirety, only highlights. I was very amused by the netizen comments - so vitriolic and shallow - but I guess that's somewhat par for the course for any boxing match. I'm just happy to see boxing stage a reasonably successful event again. I've always enjoyed boxing as a spectator sport.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    First forum review!

    So given all the buzz, good and bad, on this film, plus that we went with that cover story last year, and that we know Phillip personally, it's really hard for me to be unbiased. Plus it's shot mostly in SF, where I left my heart. I enjoyed it but not until the end.

    The first part of the film bugged me because of the anachronisms. No one spoke mandarin in Chinatown or said 'CEO' in 1964. And the whole Wong Jack Man as a Shaolin monk thing wasn't quite working for me, partly because the Shaolin abbot was played byYu Hai (and the Taiji/Wudang leader was Wang Xian) - You'll totally miss them of you don't know. Also, a lot of Xia Yu's lines got a little too fortune cookie for me, but that's a personal issue I tend to have with any Hollywood depiction of Chinatown, that and the persistent stereotypical Tongs (which this film also has). Then it had an Inglorious *******s moment - the finale fight - where it totally leaps into fable and all was right with the film. Once I let go of the notion of history, which I do with all the Ip Man, Wong Fei Hung, Huo Yunjia, et.al. folk hero films, it made for an entertaining parable.

    As for the whitewashing accusations, they are painfully off base. The McKee character is an ass, and somewhat intentionally so it seems. He's not the 'white savior'. SPOILER ALERT: He gets his ass handed to him (he does one small save, which is mostly comedic). Bruce and Wong are the saviors. McKee does get the Chinese gal, and I could see where the previous cut might easily have had a kiss, and I'm glad that was cut. END SPOILER Actually, the cast is all Asian, which is amazing for a Hollywood film and hasn't really happened since what? Joy Luck Club (1993)? So it's really the opposite - if you support Asians in Hollywood, you MUST support this film. Apart from the Tong stereotypes, it's pro-Asian. As for Shannon Lee's criticisms beyond the whitewashing dig, I assume its her issue with fact vs. fiction. With all due respect, she was okay with Legend of Bruce Lee, and that's drenched in fiction.

    The fights were by Corey Yuen, so cartoonish yet fun with some fresh ideas, especially for Hollywood. Phil was great, both in acting and in action, and I really hope this opens Hollywood for him.

    One thing I really liked about this film was that it put Wong Jack Man in a positive light. He's been vilified for half a century as the master who challenged Lee and lost. That's like losing a dance battle with Michael Jackson or a scientific debate with Stephen Hawking. But no one has had his negative legacy in films like GM Wong, and I've always felt it was undeserved. They were both like 24 when they fought the duel. We all did plenty of dumb stuff when we were that age (at least I did) but getting in a match with Bruce Lee at that age, that was just drawing a bad card.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  15. #75
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    22,250
    Any JDK in it at all ??
    Psalms 144:1
    Praise be my Lord my Rock,
    He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •