Cool News
FATHER GEEK visits a JET LI film Festival.
Given the massive re-interest in Martial Arts films that the appearance of Darth
Maul is bound to spark in the coming weeks ol’ FATHER GEEK here has decided to post
some coverage of a lightly attended little festival that Austin’s Dobie Theater has been
running at midnight for the pass few weeks. It’s a Jet Li fest (one dude that could defiantly
kick Darth’s butt, IMHO) consisting of several of his better Hong Kong films offered up
at the pace of one per week. Now FATHER GEEK, Harry , and Tom Joad have managed
to catch a few of these genre classics so far and I must admit to having a hell of a time
with them. These aren’t the best constructed films, nor are they big on character and plot
development. In fact I would advise that you leave your pessimism at the house. These are
looney, ultra-violent films. Prime examples of eastern Kung Fu ballet, operas of flying fists
and soaring feet, of mystic martial movements and Cantonese combat crys. If you let
yourself go they can transport you to another world every bit as strange and exotic as any
in STAR WARS, but these worlds are/were here on earth just a few thousand miles away.
You will see clothing and weapons that cannot easily be described in our western tongue,
and the food and customs are truely alien to our sensative dispositions. That and the
break-neck action are the appeal of these films to me.
Now, I must admit that I am no Jet Li expert. Only in the last few years has
FATHER GEEK even become aware of his exsistence. I’ve witnessed tons of movies
from the genre though. I attended UT’s film school with Tsui Hart years ago. I love Bruce
Lee films and have them all on tape and some on DVD. We have 16mm trailers to lots of
70’s Kung Fu films like LIGHTNING SWORDS OF VENGENCE, BLACK BELT
JONES, and FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH. We own an episode of the TV series KUNG
FU with Harrison Ford in it on 16mm as well. When Harry was little (age1-10) we took
him to drive-in triple martial arts features constantly. By age 8 he had his own collection
of Hong Kong Kung Fu 1-sht movie posters (about 20 or 30). If you have old 70’s
Martial movie posters look on the back, if scrawled in large letters are the words “Harry’s
Poster” then you are the proud owner of a piece of one of the HEAD GEEK’S original
collections. They were all so marked and he sold them all when he was in college in the
early 90’s. They’re scattered all over the country by now (Tarantino has 2 of them). Any
how FATHER GEEK may not be an expert on these films, but we here at Geek
Headquarters are very very familar with the genre. And we love it in spite of the bad
dubbing, under cranking, and implausibility of plotlines. They’re just toooo much fun!
The 1st of the Jet Li series that we caught at the Dobie was FONG SAI YUK II
from 1993. It was projected in Cantonese with English sub-titles, not that I really bothered
to read them. My eyes were busy enough just catching all the jabs and kicks Li was
flinging at his enemies. I let the action propel me through the story, and propel me it did,
like being shot from a cannon. This was a Period Piece, a historical
drama/romance/adventure with explosive action. It’s got a few elements of Shakesphere’s
Romeo and Juliet, I think, but this has definitely been ‘Hong Kong-cocted’. Jet Li plays
the title character, a martial arts expert who is in love with a girl whose family opposes
him. He’s a member of The Red Flower Society and he attempts to help the Han Emperor,
but is frustrated at every turn by all manner of evil bad guys. His Mom comes to his aid
and is one hell of a fancy Kung Fu fighter to boot. There are some of the most
extraordinary fight arrangements ever filmed in this head hopping, high kicking sequel. On
the walk to the Dobie garage at 1:40am it was all we could do to not attempt to run up
walls, flip over backwards, and beat the snot out of each other.
The next one we encountered was 1994’s FIST OF LEGEND. Said to be a salute
to THE CHINESE CONNECTION, (1973) a Bruce Lee film set in 1908’s Shanghai
amongst similar circumstances that I’ve had on tape since 1978. While the plots are very
alike I never felt like I was seeing a mirror of “Connection”. Screened in Cantonese this
film had 4 outstanding individual fighters. This resulted in some of the best pair-offs I’ve
ever seen in a single film. You see Jet Li plays a chinese student studying science in Japan
when the sons of the rising sun invaded Shanghai in the late 1920’s. His Kung Fu master is
killed by the Japanese and he returns to seek vengence. The problem is that he is in love
with a Japanese girl. Full of high flying action and rapid firing fists of fury you should be
glued to your seats for the 101 minutes this movie takes to tell its compelling story. There
is also a killer mass sword fight thrown into the movie mix for good measure. The
subplots of discrimination and jealousy give you a little more movie for your money here,
and Li’s charismatic charms and magnificant fighting skills make for a marvelous spectacle
of martial movie making. Once again we left the theater in the early morning hours jabbing
at the air wondering why we could not create that wonderous whooooosing sound that
accompanied every hand movement on the screen just a few minutes before.
Tonight we (Joad, Harry & I) were treated to THE NEW LEGEND OF THE
SHAOLIN, another 1994 actioner. This is one stupendous hand-to-hand action film! Take
elements of David Chang’s movies and add a dose of DRUNKEN MASTER and some of
the ultra-intense swordplay from Japan’s LONE WOLF AND CUB series, and you just
may be prepared for what takes place on the big screen before your unbelieving eyes. Jet
Li is a rebel hunting treasure, in pursuit of a noble cause for sure, but the problem is that
the map is broken into 5 sections tatooed on the backs of 5 young children. Shown to us
once again in Cantonese we follow Li as he first searches for the children then fights along
side them against a Kung Fu zombie, Tibetan monks, Imperial guardsmen, jailers, and all
manner of deadly weapons. Speaking of implements of war there is one used in this
motion picture that would get “Q” glowing green with envy. It’s a spear with more deadly
accessories than we’ve seen in the last half dozen Bond flicks combined. As usual in his
movies Li becomes romanticly entangled with a beautiful young woman, this time a thief
with some capricious fighting skills of her own. This film was one bloated barrel of laughs
and thrills. The martial fighting toddlers kicking ass, the deadly needlepoint, the dart
throwing Grandmother, the bubbling cauldron of hell, the combination of blood-soaked
escapades and goofy burlesque kept FATHER GEEK totally entertained, if some what
thunderstruck from start to brawling finish.
I cannot recommend highly enough seeing these films larger than life on the theater
screen with big sound. However I know many of you live in place where these will never
be shown. In that case these 3 and about a dozen other Hong Kong produced epics of Jet
Li’s are available on video tape, so go rent or buy them at your first opportunity.
FATHER GEEK even become aware of his exsistence. I’ve witnessed tons of movies
from the genre though. I attended UT’s film school with Tsui Hart years ago. I love Bruce
Lee films and have them all on tape and some on DVD. We have 16mm trailers to lots of
70’s Kung Fu films like LIGHTNING SWORDS OF VENGENCE, BLACK BELT
JONES, and FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH. We own an episode of the TV series KUNG
FU with Harrison Ford in it on 16mm as well. When Harry was little (age1-10) we took
him to drive-in triple martial arts features constantly. By age 8 he had his own collection
of Hong Kong Kung Fu 1-sht movie posters (about 20 or 30). If you have old 70’s
Martial movie posters look on the back, if scrawled in large letters are the words “Harry’s
Poster” then you are the proud owner of a piece of one of the HEAD GEEK’S original
collections. They were all so marked and he sold them all when he was in college in the
early 90’s. They’re scattered all over the country by now (Tarantino has 2 of them). Any
how FATHER GEEK may not be an expert on these films, but we here at Geek
Headquarters are very very familar with the genre. And we love it in spite of the bad
dubbing, under cranking, and implausibility of plotlines. They’re just toooo much fun!
The 1st of the Jet Li series that we caught at the Dobie was FONG SAI YUK II
from 1993. It was projected in Cantonese with English sub-titles, not that I really bothered
to read them. My eyes were busy enough just catching all the jabs and kicks Li was
flinging at his enemies. I let the action propel me through the story, and propel me it did,
like being shot from a cannon. This was a Period Piece, a historical
drama/romance/adventure with explosive action. It’s got a few elements of Shakesphere’s
Romeo and Juliet, I think, but this has definitely been ‘Hong Kong-cocted’. Jet Li plays
the title character, a martial arts expert who is in love with a girl whose family opposes
him. He’s a member of The Red Flower Society and he attempts to help the Han Emperor,
but is frustrated at every turn by all manner of evil bad guys. His Mom comes to his aid
and is one hell of a fancy Kung Fu fighter to boot. There are some of the most
extraordinary fight arrangements ever filmed in this head hopping, high kicking sequel. On
the walk to the Dobie garage at 1:40am it was all we could do to not attempt to run up
walls, flip over backwards, and beat the snot out of each other.
The next one we encountered was 1994’s FIST OF LEGEND. Said to be a salute
to THE CHINESE CONNECTION, (1973) a Bruce Lee film set in 1908’s Shanghai
amongst similar circumstances that I’ve had on tape since 1978. While the plots are very
alike I never felt like I was seeing a mirror of “Connection”. Screened in Cantonese this
film had 4 outstanding individual fighters. This resulted in some of the best pair-offs I’ve
ever seen in a single film. You see Jet Li plays a chinese student studying science in Japan
when the sons of the rising sun invaded Shanghai in the late 1920’s. His Kung Fu master is
killed by the Japanese and he returns to seek vengence. The problem is that he is in love
with a Japanese girl. Full of high flying action and rapid firing fists of fury you should be
glued to your seats for the 101 minutes this movie takes to tell its compelling story. There
is also a killer mass sword fight thrown into the movie mix for good measure. The
subplots of discrimination and jealousy give you a little more movie for your money here,
and Li’s charismatic charms and magnificant fighting skills make for a marvelous spectacle
of martial movie making. Once again we left the theater in the early morning hours jabbing
at the air wondering why we could not create that wonderous whooooosing sound that
accompanied every hand movement on the screen just a few minutes before.
Tonight we (Joad, Harry & I) were treated to THE NEW LEGEND OF THE
SHAOLIN, another 1994 actioner. This is one stupendous hand-to-hand action film! Take
elements of David Chang’s movies and add a dose of DRUNKEN MASTER and some of
the ultra-intense swordplay from Japan’s LONE WOLF AND CUB series, and you just
may be prepared for what takes place on the big screen before your unbelieving eyes. Jet
Li is a rebel hunting treasure, in pursuit of a noble cause for sure, but the problem is that
the map is broken into 5 sections tatooed on the backs of 5 young children. Shown to us
once again in Cantonese we follow Li as he first searches for the children then fights along
side them against a Kung Fu zombie, Tibetan monks, Imperial guardsmen, jailers, and all
manner of deadly weapons. Speaking of implements of war there is one used in this
motion picture that would get “Q” glowing green with envy. It’s a spear with more deadly
accessories than we’ve seen in the last half dozen Bond flicks combined. As usual in his
movies Li becomes romanticly entangled with a beautiful young woman, this time a thief
with some capricious fighting skills of her own. This film was one bloated barrel of laughs
and thrills. The martial fighting toddlers kicking ass, the deadly needlepoint, the dart
throwing Grandmother, the bubbling cauldron of hell, the combination of blood-soaked
escapades and goofy burlesque kept FATHER GEEK totally entertained, if some what
thunderstruck from start to brawling finish.
I cannot recommend highly enough seeing these films larger than life on the theater
screen with big sound. However I know many of you live in place where these will never
be shown. In that case these 3 and about a dozen other Hong Kong produced epics of Jet
Li’s are available on video tape, so go rent or buy them at your first opportunity.
to THE CHINESE CONNECTION, (1973) a Bruce Lee film set in 1908’s Shanghai
amongst similar circumstances that I’ve had on tape since 1978. While the plots are very
alike I never felt like I was seeing a mirror of “Connection”. Screened in Cantonese this
film had 4 outstanding individual fighters. This resulted in some of the best pair-offs I’ve
ever seen in a single film. You see Jet Li plays a chinese student studying science in Japan
when the sons of the rising sun invaded Shanghai in the late 1920’s. His Kung Fu master is
killed by the Japanese and he returns to seek vengence. The problem is that he is in love
with a Japanese girl. Full of high flying action and rapid firing fists of fury you should be
glued to your seats for the 101 minutes this movie takes to tell its compelling story. There
is also a killer mass sword fight thrown into the movie mix for good measure. The
subplots of discrimination and jealousy give you a little more movie for your money here,
and Li’s charismatic charms and magnificant fighting skills make for a marvelous spectacle
of martial movie making. Once again we left the theater in the early morning hours jabbing
at the air wondering why we could not create that wonderous whooooosing sound that
accompanied every hand movement on the screen just a few minutes before.
Tonight we (Joad, Harry & I) were treated to THE NEW LEGEND OF THE
SHAOLIN, another 1994 actioner. This is one stupendous hand-to-hand action film! Take
elements of David Chang’s movies and add a dose of DRUNKEN MASTER and some of
the ultra-intense swordplay from Japan’s LONE WOLF AND CUB series, and you just
may be prepared for what takes place on the big screen before your unbelieving eyes. Jet
Li is a rebel hunting treasure, in pursuit of a noble cause for sure, but the problem is that
the map is broken into 5 sections tatooed on the backs of 5 young children. Shown to us
once again in Cantonese we follow Li as he first searches for the children then fights along
side them against a Kung Fu zombie, Tibetan monks, Imperial guardsmen, jailers, and all
manner of deadly weapons. Speaking of implements of war there is one used in this
motion picture that would get “Q” glowing green with envy. It’s a spear with more deadly
accessories than we’ve seen in the last half dozen Bond flicks combined. As usual in his
movies Li becomes romanticly entangled with a beautiful young woman, this time a thief
with some capricious fighting skills of her own. This film was one bloated barrel of laughs
and thrills. The martial fighting toddlers kicking ass, the deadly needlepoint, the dart
throwing Grandmother, the bubbling cauldron of hell, the combination of blood-soaked
escapades and goofy burlesque kept FATHER GEEK totally entertained, if some what
thunderstruck from start to brawling finish.
I cannot recommend highly enough seeing these films larger than life on the theater
screen with big sound. However I know many of you live in place where these will never
be shown. In that case these 3 and about a dozen other Hong Kong produced epics of Jet
Li’s are available on video tape, so go rent or buy them at your first opportunity.
screen with big sound. However I know many of you live in place where these will never
be shown. In that case these 3 and about a dozen other Hong Kong produced epics of Jet
Li’s are available on video tape, so go rent or buy them at your first opportunity.
-
+ Expand All
-
jet li is unquestionably THE man...especially now that Jackie Chan is well and truly a kids-film maker.
Fist of Legend is brutal in the way that he pulls all those people's limbs out of their joints, and the 2 Fong Sai Yuk films are probably the best kung fu I've ever seen.....thing is, over here in England, these movies are rather hard to come by, so does anyone have any Li reccommendations? Once upon a time in China is okay for the last 20 minutes, but I'm craving for some full-on shit kicking ballet....any suggestions?
oh, BTW...am i first? -
Can anybody tell me anything more about the Jet Li/Bo-Bo Fett rumor for Episode II? Now THAT would be cool.
-
For Diablo above, Channel 4 has been showing Hong Kong actioners at about 2 in the morning on Saturdays (perfect roll in after late movie/pub time). Last week was Once Upon A Time In China, and this week we have The Legend Of Fong Sai Yuk (which is fantastic). Four also have Fong Sai Yuk II (they showed it last year, and boy is that one mean mama), so here's hoping they put that on the week after.
-
Fist of Legend is one of the greatest martial arts movies ever filmed. Not only is Jet Li fanastic, but the production quality is great and the choreography is nearly perfect. My favorite scene is when Li is leaping backwards in the final fight, and whips off is own belt to use as a rope dart. \
Kudos to Artisan for not only releasing The Blair Witch Project, but Li's The Black Mask as well. -
You guys seriously have to see the "Once Upon A Time In China" film series. These were the movies that made Jet Li the action icon that he is. His character, Wong Fei Hung, became so popular that a whole slew of other HK films were made about him. I believe that Jet was in the first 3 and then the last one in the series, "Once Upon A Time In China and America," directed by Sammo Hung! He also did another Wong Fei Hung film for genre master, Wong Jing.
-
Mainly for Diablo: for
"some full-on shit kicking ballet" check out Tai Chi Master. See Jet
Li fight dozens, then hundreds, of bad guys at once (albeit with some
help.) -
I have to agree that Li is the master now but since when does Chan doing non-blood soaked films make him a kids movie maker. Why does graphic violence make a movie adult and cool but light hearted action like Chan make him for kiddies? Chan's movies are still unbeliveable for their stunts and for his slapstick humour, check out the slide in Who Am I (fast forward most of the movie but watch that). That is some serious action!
-
ok, from the UK here is the info, Once Upon a Time In China rocks my world as far as kung fu flicks go... how on earth did Tsui Hark end up making the rubbish he is, now the character that Jet Li plays is actually based on a Chinese historical figure, so the films are not based on Jet Li's intrepretation rather than the actual guy himself. Fong Sai Yuk 1 and 2 were both shown on channel 4 last year, personally the first one is a beter movie. Hows this for wierd, whats the score with teh Jacki Chan film Twin Dragons, I rented this flick from a Blockbuster video store several years ago, at least 3. I have also seen it to buy in bargin bins in news agents up and down the country and we are supposed to accept it as a brand new release...please. Now i would pay to catch Police Story or Project A on a big screen. Do not be fooled by Twin Dragons its one of his weakest flicks and is a PG movie as well. Harry if you want a review it can be arranged not sure of its US release date.
-
I agree, Twin Dragons has to be one of my least favorite Chan films. Why doesn't someone release DMII, I'm dying to see that on the big screen. BTW, does anyone know the release date of Black Mask?
-
>jet li is unquestionably
>THE man...especially now
>that Jackie Chan is well
>and truly a kids-film maker
What leads you to believe this?
Just because he makes family friendly films and never plays psychopaths from China, that makes him a kids-film maker?
Watch Drunken Master II. Then make a comment like that.
Chesspawn -
The best Jet Li films that I've seen are SwordMaster II, which has one of THE strangest plots ever, involving a man who has to become a woman in order to be invincible and Tai Chi Master, which has incredible action sequences and a great story. There is one more, I can't recall the name, in which half of it takes place in the present and half in the past. Jet Li plays a writer who is upset with his girlfriend. It's quite good too.
-
The Inwood up here in Dallas has also been running a Jet Li midnight film series in recent weeks (any idea if the Inwood and the Dobie are related?). They were showing Fong Sai Yuk II in one theater and Mighty Peking Man in another when we decided to go down there a couple of weeks ago. We decided to see Mighty Peking Man based on the recent reviews by Ebert and Harry. While I enjoyed MPM, I think I might have been happier overall if I'd gone with Fong Sai Yuk II instead. Oh well, if the Inwood is still doing the Jet Li fest this week I'll just have to go check it out.
-
"Fist of Legend" is the best martial arts movie ever made (followed in a close second by Drunken Master II). This movie is awesome, it is better than "The Chinese Connection". The fight scenes are unbelievable, with less wire work then in a lot of HK movies, which adds to the realism. Jet Li is SO fast, especially in a fight between him and a group of students in a Japanese dojo. The fight choreography is by Yuen Woo-Ping, the guy who was hired to choreograph the fights for "The Matrix". This movie is definitely a must see.
-
My introduction to Jet Li films was a copy of My Father is a Hero I picked up at a Fango convention about 2 or 3 years ago. I've been a fan since, I love Fist of Legend, all of Jet's Wong Fei Hung films, but My Father is a Hero still is my favorite. Jet is very cool in the film, playing an undercover cop infiltrating a ruthless gang. The fight scenes are outrageous, and there's a cool villian that actually seems on par with Jet's abilities. Check this one out if you come across it, Tai Seng just dropped the price on it.
-
Hi There!
Just wanted to say that another Kick Ass Martial Arts Master is Donnie Yen.
He played the villan in Once Upon A Time In China 2. The last fight scene with Jet and Donney was very cool!!
Movies to look out for with Donnie Yen are: TIGER CAGE2, DRAGON GATE INN and the brilliant IRON MONKEY
that was just my two cents... thanx -
its funny how every few years or so the interest in the martial arts genre pops up then slowly phases out again. I think that jet li under the right direction could make an immediate impact here in the U.S. so long as he works with right directors,and for the love of god let YUENS CLAN or XIONG XIN XIN do the fight choreography.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- UPDATED!!! A Six-Pack Of New Character Posters For THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Forecast A Lot Of Gotham Rain And Snow!! -- 199 total posts 199 posts
- Tom Cruise Saddles Up For A Remake Of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN!! -- 133 total posts 131 posts
- Baz's THE GREAT GATSBY explodes with one helluva dazzling trailer! -- 142 total posts 128 posts
- Mark Millar Offers Some Interesting Insight Into The KICK-ASS Movie Sequel!! -- 108 total posts 108 posts
- Quint sees some DJANGO UNCHAINED footage at CANNES!!! -- 327 total posts 88 posts
- A Fire Definitely Rises In The New DARK KNIGHT RISES One Sheet!! -- 215 total posts 87 posts
- When there’s no more room in Hell The Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day will walk the earth. -- 70 total posts 70 posts
- SPOILER ALERT! AICN COMICS/POPTARDS PODCAST: JUSTICE LEAGUE! DANCER! INCREDIBLE HULK! HARDCORE! NEW CRUSADERS! INVINCIBLE IRON MAN! DANGER CLUB! -- 69 total posts 69 posts
- Stay Away From The Creepy Girl Alone In The Parking Lot For THE POSSESSION's Poster!! -- 43 total posts 41 posts
- Zach Galifianakis Is Ignatius J. Reilly? -- 41 total posts 41 posts