Tai Chi 0

[doug maverick]

Does anyone know if Fung speaks English?


Oh, and the US distribution expanded significantly. I thought it might. Check the WellGo site now.

Union Landing is the other side of Fremont. I could see it during a long lunch.

if im not mistaken he went to school here in america or canada(still america technically..lol). must investimigate..lol

[Lucas]

Union Landing is the other side of Fremont. I could see it during a long lunch.

there you go shattering my dreams of conquest....

[GeneChing]

More on Korea's 4D showing

Busan 2012: South Korea's CJ E&M Pictures to Screen 'Tai Chi Zero' in New Multi-Sensory Format
7:52 AM PDT 10/8/2012 by Patrick Brzeski

The 4DX technology engages all five senses with motion chairs and environmental effects synchronized to the onscreen action.

As a frantic car chase scene unfolds on screen, the cinema seat jerks from side-to-side while a whiff of burning rubber and gust of wind blow through the air.
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It's all part of South Korea’s CJ E&M Pictures' move beyond 3D audiovisuals with 4DX, a technology that engages all five senses with motion chairs and environmental effects synchronized to the onscreen action. The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is showcasing this new system by presenting a 4D film for the first time.

Stephen Fung’s Tai Chi Zero, a China-Hong Kong actioner that was shown in 2D at Venice and Toronto earlier this year, has gotten a 4D facelift for Asia’s largest cinema event. BIFF organizers say this is a case that exemplifies what a film festival is all about – introducing trends and connecting supply with demand.

“Today, if you take your kids to the movie theater they will expect it to be in 3D. It has become the norm. We felt showing a 4D film would be a great way to demonstrate the cinema culture of the future, and Zero, which was originally created as a 3D film, seemed very appropriate given the fact that it’s packed with action and fantasy,” says BIFF program coordinator Park Sungho.

CJ group, which operates Asia’s largest cinema chain CGV, has 34 theaters in six countries dedicated to 4D movies. In addition to China, Thailand, Israel, Brazil and Mexico, it is planning to create more CJ 4DPlex theaters in the United States, South America, Russia and Western Europe.

“BIFF is Korea’s oldest film festival and has been a venue for presenting new films and industry developments. We felt that it would be a great place to show what our 4DPlex is all about and that it can show various genres of movies,” says Kim So-young, senior manager of CJ 4DPlex’s marketing department.

Since debuting with James Cameron’s Avatar in 2009, CJ 4DPlex shows about 20 Hollywood films a year for the global market and works with several major studios on international releases.

“Even though our technology is very well known in Korea and Asia, we hope to show that local movies, including dramas, can be fun to watch in 4D,” says Kim.

A CJ 4DPlex theater features gyrating chairs with a tiny nozzle that sprays water, mist and bubbles as well as some 1,000 odors ranging from coffee to gunpowder. “Back ticklers” move to make sure the onscreen action is felt skin-deep. The cinema, which can house up to 240 seats, also features large fans and strobe lights that add environmental effects such as lightning and wind. Outfitting a theater with the technology costs about $2 million.

It takes between two to three weeks using special software to program the 4D effects into a movie. Scents, for example, are programmed to spread only within blocks of six by six seats.

Programmers hope these features can add to the fun, and moreover, the viewer’s appreciation for the film. It is not, for example, about creating quasi-theme park rides, they say.

“We didn’t have any examples to follow when we began this so we did actually try the 4D rides in theme parks around the world. But our goal is to make the viewing experience entertaining and to heighten the realism of the movie. We try very, very hard not distract the flow of the movie,” says CJ 4DPlex programmer Son Young-in.

“We began our project with James Cameron’s Avatar and focused mostly on action films and animations, which bring out the best features of 4DX. So Zero, which has many elements of action, fantasy and even animation, was ideal for the movie. But even Titanic, which is mostly drama, works surprisingly well. 4DX is basically about making the audience feel as if they are really breathing inside the movie.”

Zero, featuring action sequences designed by Sammo Hung (Ip Man 1 and 2), explores the origins of martial arts during the 19th century. It is the first of a three-part installment.

[SimonM]

Just saw the trailer on io9. Looks good!

[SimonM]

steam punk is like steam engines, old crank driven wheel flying machines, flint locks, etc. in combination with 'punkish' themes of style

cyber punk generally involves the cyber world, electronics, hacking and futuristic worlds, lazers, cyborgs etc. with a 'punkish' theme of style.

time periods basically

The "punk" labeling on steampunk is contentious. Mostly it comes from the involvement of cyberpunk alums like K.W. Jeter (who wrote authorized Blade Runner sequel novels and who coined the term steampunk), Bruce Sterling and even (in one book only) Gibson himself in the genesis of the genre back in the late '80s.

However most modern steampunk fiction owes more to pulp fiction than to cyberpunk from a thematic perspective.

But whether you want to call it steampunk or steampulp, China's been doing it in kung fu movies since long before it was a big thing over here. EX: Once Upon a Time in China III, The New Legend of Shaolin, Forbidden City Cop, or just about anything directed by Tsui Hark and set in the Qing dynasty. All mid-nineties fare (which doesn't predate the steampunk genre but certainly predates steampunk as a popculture force.)

[GeneChing]

Those films you reference are pre-steampunk, so they don't quite fit in the steam era, but I can totally see your point. I hadn't considered those films in this way before because they predate the movement. Also, as they are Chinese, they stand outside the influence of H.G. Wells or Jules Verne. But your observation is spot on.

As for Steampunk vs. Steampulp, well, that's just trying to mold language, which is something that just can't be done. Language always takes its own course, usually in defiance of logic and reason. But still, another good point.

Chen Style Kung Fu: Stephen Fung on Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero
The director explains ass-kicking Tai Chi and the need to innovate within the Kung Fu genre.
By Fred Topel
October 17, 2012

In Los Angeles, it’s rare to have Hong Kong talent in person, besides the Hollywood folks like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and John Woo. I’ve made that flight, 14 ½ hours, and Hong Kong was awesome, but I couldn’t do that for a press tour. Luckily, Toronto is a little more central and the Toronto International Film Festival is a big enough event that the Hong Kong filmmakers attend. We got to meet Stephen Fung in person, with his film Tai Chi Zero, which is actually only half the story. Tai Chi Hero is coming out shortly after. Zero follows Yang Lu Chan (Yuan XiaoChao) as he attempts to break into the Chen village, but their Chen Style Kung Fu is too strong. The film mixes rock n’ roll, steampunk and more styles, and part two only looks wilder. Zero opens October 19 in the states.


CraveOnline: Is Tai Chi Zero somewhat of a Chinese Expendables because you have all these martial arts legends showing up for at least a little bit?

Stephen Fung: That’s a very interesting question because nobody has ever asked me that. I don't know. I don't think so, even though we tried to get some legendary Kung Fu actors in the film. At least that’s not really the way we try to position it. We were trying to do something very new and try to break new barriers here and try to, I guess, utilize Tai Chi, but then we try to also bring in a lot of new, different genres into the film.


Why was it important to credit everyone’s resume when they’re introduced in the middle of the movie?

Actually, initially how that idea came about to credit their resume is that our leading actor is not a real actor, because he is an Olympic Wushu gold medalist. It’s the first time he’s ever been in front of a screen, so we want audiences to have a heads up in terms of don’t have a lot of expectation for his acting ability. But then I thought as I was shooting him, I thought hey, this guy is actually a pretty decent actor, but we still decided to put that in. I thought it was fun.


Is this sort of rock n’ roll martial arts?

I don't know but it’s just obviously we didn’t shoot the fight choreography with rock n’ roll music, but then I’m a big fan of heavy metal. I’ve seen Hollywood mix a lot of heavy metal with action scenes but with real martial arts choreography, I think this might be the first time. So just thought since we’re on the road to try to do something new, whether it will succeed or not, I don't know but at least we want to try.


Does the Hong Kong movie business need a jumpstart to do something different?

I think so because ever since Ip Man there’s been many other Kung Fu movies. I wouldn’t call them big box office successes, so I would say because a traditional Kung Fu movie, in terms of story, in terms of the martial arts itself, it’s very repetitive. We didn’t want to do anything repetitive. So in terms of whether it needs a kickstart, I think so. Then the demographics of the audience have changed. Now the latest survey [says] most moviegoers in China are between 18 – 25 years old. That might be another reason why the studio encouraged us to be as creative as possible and attract more of a younger crowd.


Traditional movies have not been doing well like The Lost Bladesman and Wu Xia?

They have done maybe not up to expectation I would say.


Did Tai Chi Hero not make it into the Toronto Film Festival?

It’s just because I’m still doing post-production for Tai Chi Hero and it’s going to be released in October, a month after Tai Chi Zero.


So there was no chance of getting both in the festival?

No.


When does Tai Chi Hero come out in the states?

I’m not 100% sure but either a month after, like in November, or next January, something like that. Not that far away.


How did you come up with the story of the Zero and the Chan school?

The story is actually based on the real story of Yang Lu Chan. There really is a Chan village. There really is Chen Style Kung Fu and Chen Style Kung Fu is really what later on became Tai Chi. So that’s based on facts, but then the look of the village, and of course there wasn’t a steampunk railroad-building machine, those are obviously something we put in.


Western audiences may think of Tai Chi as a spiritual practice but I know from watching a lot of martial arts films it can be very powerful too. What is the unknown power of Tai Chi?

I guess with every person you ask, Chinese or Western, Tai Chi means different [things] to many different people. Some people would say it’s a martial art, some people would say it’s a philosophy with the yin and yang and the balance. Some people would say something else. You mean what’s Tai Chi to me?


Sure.

Let’s put it this way. As you said before, to a lot of people in the west, Tai Chi is also a spiritual kind of experience. But then to us, making this movie, we didn’t want the so-called Tai Chi to have a lot of burden. We just want to make a fun movie that’s not to be taken too seriously really. We just wanted to use Yang Lu Chan’s story as a background and make a movie out of it that’s new and energetic and not care too much about the whole Tai Chi philosophy.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

In the opening battle scene, how big of a real crowd did you have and how many did you duplicate with CGI?

We had a crowd of maybe 400, I think something like that.


What is your progression from House of Fury to Tai Chi Zero and Hero? What have you learned from previous films and what did you want to do moving forward?

House of Fury was my second film. I believe that if you want to make a good commercial movie, budget really matters. When I was doing House of Fury, I had a lot of visions in my head, but then because we were on a relatively tighter budget, I couldn’t realize those visions in the movie at the end. In terms of Tai Chi Zero, it’s a much bigger budget movie and then I got to be more creative and I guess we could spend a lot more time working on the details and every different aspect, the costume, the color and all that. I would say creatively, both movies I was trying to be as creative as possible but then it just so happens that this movie I get to realize those dreams of mine a bit more.


For the audience, it doesn’t look like House of Fury is lacking anything for budget.

I guess for me it is because we didn’t have a lot of time to shoot those fight scenes. Then the way I envisioned where the ending should take place and all that.


Where did you want the ending to be?

I wanted the character of Michael Wong in House of Fury to be kind of like a Bruce Wayne, where he has his own kind of Bat Cave with all this cool equipment. Of course we didn’t get that budget to create that set, so it ended up being a much smaller set in the soundstage.


Was directing always your goal, even when you started out doing stunts and acting?

I guess when I started, I didn’t realize that I have the ability to do so, but after a couple years acting, I discovered that there are stories I wanted to tell. Then I started doing music videos and short films and I found out that I’m actually competent doing it so I proceeded further. With help from a lot of friends and studio heads, I got to realize my dream.


How did you get the American name Stephen?

Oh, it’s given by my father. I was born in Hong Kong but it was a British colony. That’s why I guess Stephen is spelled with a PH, not a VEN.


About 10 years ago, Hollywood had a Hong Kong style period and everything was called Hong Kong style. What does Hong Kong style mean to you?

To me it’s a little different because Hong Kong style to me is very fast paced filmmaking. We shoot 60 different shots, setups a day. So to me the Hong Kong style is to me the filmmaking way. I guess you meant the Kung Fu. I don't know, I’m not very sure because as a Chinese person growing up in Hong Kong, everything we see in terms of martial arts, when we turn on the TV, it’s the same martial art. Production-wise it’s a lot different from film and TV but then we get those images around all the time. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to make Tai Chi Zero because we wanted to have a different look and because it’s just a lot of those fights are repetitive.


I think to Hollywood it meant martial arts on wires, but to me it’s about the tone. In Hong Kong you can have a serious cop movie with wild, crazy humor. To the Hong Kong audience, that’s not weird. It’s just normal.

You’re right, and usually in a period piece, people fly around and there’s wire fu. I guess when I was young, Tsui Hark was already around so I saw a lot of wire fu and all that.


What was your experience on Gen X Cops?

It was fun. I was very young back then, like 23 or 24. So it’s the first time I participated in a bigger budget movie and then it was produced by Jackie Chan, one of my idols. At that point in my career, in my life, I got to work with a martial art legend in a big production and stylish costumes. It’s like ooh.


Did you miss the period where a lot of Hong Kong talent was coming to Hollywood? Would you have liked to have been a part of that?

I don't know, I think for me if I ever get the opportunity to work in Hollywood, I’d be very open to this idea. Things are different. I think we have different kinds of opportunities here. With the market in mainland China booming, I think there will be another wave of new talents being able to expand their horizon to a worldwide audience.


Is it more competitive now with the Thai industry and the Indonesian industry picking up?

I saw The Raid and I think it’s a very good movie. The martial arts is good. It’s got a new tone to it. I think it’s good that there are things coming in terms of martial arts coming from different parts of the world. If that makes it competitive, that makes it more reason we have to try to be innovative and try to create something new. At least try. It doesn’t mean that it’s always going to work. I don't know if this will work but at least we really poured our guts out trying to do something new.


Based on the trailer at the end of Tai Chi Zero, does Tai Chi Hero have even more fighting?

Yes, it does. You really have to see it as a two part movie because as our main character grows up, he actually learns his Tai Chi and starts displaying his Tai Chi moves. The Tai Chi that you see now, [you’ll see] the softer gentle way in part two. Because a lot of people asked me, “How come the Tai Chi I see in part one is not quite the Tai Chi I see old people doing in the park?” That’s because what you’re seeing is Chen Style Kung Fu and Chen Style Kung Fu is more aggressive. We have a Chen Style Kung Fu consultant on set all the time to make sure our moves are authentic. It’s later on that what you see today, it’s called the Yang Style Tai Chi, that’s later on developed by Yang Lu Chan, our main character in the movie.

I'm excited to see this tomorrow. I'm taking a long lunch for it.

[SPJ]

will get DVDs for the first and the second movies.

They both are instant classics for the new decades.

actors of both old and young generations.

yuan biao, sammo hung, liang jia hui old

--- new

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMxAyv3gWsk

[JamesC]

Can't wait. Looks awesome

[doug maverick]

from probably the most reliable source, deadline hollywood.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/well...-tai-chi-hero/
Well Go USA Acquires Stephen Fung’s Sequel ‘Tai Chi Hero’
By MIKE FLEMING | Friday October 19, 2012 @ 3:08pm EDTTags: Stephen Fung, Tai Chi Hero, Well Go USA
Comments (0)
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: As Well Go USA Entertainment today opens the Stephen Fung-directed action film Tai Chi Zero on the specialty circult, the distributor has closed a deal for the film’s sequel, Tai Chi Hero. The deal is for North American rights for the film, which is the second in a trilogy. Tai Chi Hero will be released in the U.S. and Canada early next year.

Related: Specialty Box Office: ‘The Sessions’, ‘All Together,’ ‘Holy Motors’, ‘Tai Chi Zero’

Tai Chi Zero played both the Venice and Toronto film festivals this fall. Its mix of kung fu, steampunk and robots created some buzz and led to Well Go USA’s deal.

“Based on the early success we’ve seen for Tai Chi Zero out of Venice and Toronto, as well as the early box office success in China, we wanted to ensure Director Fung’s entire trilogy is brought to North American audiences,” said Doris Pfardrescher, President, Well Go USA Entertainment. “The response has been amazing — audiences are asking how soon they can see Tai Chi Hero as soon as Tai Chi Zero ends, and we wanted to honor that request by putting Tai Chi Hero in theaters as quickly as possible.”

Both films were acquired from Huayi Brothers Media in deals negotiated between Leslie Chen on behalf of the company, and Pfardrescher.

[GeneChing]

I don't think I've had as much fun with subtitles in a movie - intentional fun, that is. It reminds me of when I saw Shaolin Soccer; after seeing some of Chow's earlier films, I thought that SS actualized Chow's cinematic vision. Same can be said for this and Stephen Fung. Like Chow, Fung is another irreverent maverick with a great love for kung fu films. I was very entertained, but I can't say how well it will be received by America. It's all over the place - very experimental and comic bookish - it'll be called 'groundbreaking' if it succeeds.

There's some very talented martial champions involved, but I have have to give it to Angelababy (Yang Ying 楊穎) who I've just discovered has the same birthday as me. She reminds me of Morena Baccarin with her luxuriously long neck and unusual beauty. She stole the show.

This is probably pretty good in 3D as there's a lot of CGI and a lot of stuff flies at you. I saw it in 2D.

It's a great plug for Chen Taiji. I'm glad there's a Chen article in the current issue (Qinna Joint Locking Techniques of Hunyuan Taijiquan By J. Justin Meehan)

I don't want to spoil it for you all, so I'll leave it at that.

First forum review goes to me.

[Jimbo]

I liked it a lot. More than I thought I would. It really has a funny and unique filming style. Choreography-wise, IMO the fights looked pretty much like most of the Chinese MA films of the past decade or so. But it wasn't the fighting that impressed me so much as the cinematography and the story. Suspension of disbelief and all that. Good to see veterans Fung Hak-On and Bruce Leung in brief parts.

The subs were very good and creative.

I'm definitely looking forward to part 2.

I also saw it in 2D. It's all it was in, and I don't like 3D anyway.

Second forum review is mine!

[SimonM]

Knee slappingly funny and yet it was still a Kung FU movie.

I've been describing it as the irreverent lust-child of Scott Pilgrim, Wild Wild West and Kung Fu Hustle. So happy that Tai Chi Hero is coming out in January. Will be seeing it in theatres too.

Oh and the movie did a good job of making both the key protagonists and the key antagonists sympathetic. Fang Zijing became a total *******, but we could see what led him to that point and we could UNDERSTAND how he got to that point based on past experiences.

I had to say that I like Mandy Lieu more than Angelababy and that may have impacted the level of sympathy I felt for the bad guys but, all in all, it was an awesome movie.

[Jimbo]

I like Mandy Lieu better as well.

[Lucas]

I actually missed this because of my vacation

it did not last in the theater here.