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Jackie Chan is retiring from Action Films, but he's giving us one last film to be in awe of. Here's the trailer...
Hey folks, Harry here... I discovered Jackie Chan, very early in life. My first cinematic fetish were what I called Kung Fu Movies. I love them. Admittedly, it was initially Bruce Lee that attracted my attention, but then as I discovered the Shaw Brothers flicks, then Samurai films... Well, it was a blissful parade of discovery. One thing was sure, for the rest of my life - I had decided. I love badass kung fu flicks. When I saw CANNONBALL RUN, I wished that Jackie Chan would've had a larger part. I had to explain to my friends that didn't know their Kung Fu films who that guy was and why I was so excited to see him in a Western made film.
Through most of my High School years - I lost track completely with what Jackie was doing. When you live 40 miles from a Video Store - and 72 miles from a movie theater - it made being a film geek, difficult at best. Then I moved to Austin for College and a friend introduced me to THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE FILM SHOW
That caught me up - gave me titles to become a mad man trying to track down. That was the impossible part. They were absolutely not easily available in the United States. Luckily at the University of Texas - in HOGG Auditorium - they had managed to secure 35 mm subtitled prints of all the great Jackie Chan and the John Woo HK action flicks. It was heaven. New films couldn't play soon enough - and rewatching them with friends became an additional thrill.
Then the films started hitting VHS, then DVD... and I'm still waiting for them all to make themselves available on Blu Ray. Jackie Chan is a worldwide treasure. Combining the elegance of Buster Keaton with the jaw-dropping wow factor of Bruce Lee - Jackie has owned us as viewers all the way up until Hollywood cast him in a ton of really badly conceived comedic martial arts films - that we all watched out of dedicated loyalty to the great man, Jackie Chan.
Then he left the U.S. - went back to China - and started making some pretty good films. Now he says he's through attempting to star in action films, his body just can't do what it used to. But for the past 7 years he's been writing, directing and choreographing his swan song to the genre he brought such glory to. Called, CHINESE ZODIACS. Here's the trailer - and I can't see this movie soon enough. Behold the trailer for the last Jackie Chan Action Film - done exactly as he wanted. Here ya go:
Readers Talkback
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That is all.....
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That and Moviedrome presented by Alex Cox - gave me a pretty good grounding in geek movies to watch through my teens.
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Hopefully he can still direct / produce and nurture the next talent. Still in awe the amount of times he's punished his body for those flicks. Well played sir.
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but that is one poorly made trailer. But I'll tell you one thing, with absolute certainty: This will not be Chan's last action film.
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Great info and videos!
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It goes from showing us 12-12-12 to showing 2012 12-12, a clarification nobody on the planet will need.
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Not gonna happen. >_<
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the same way Jet Li said he was retiring from action movies?...I'm glad to see him admit that he really is 'getting too old for this shit' but I think we'll see a few more action movies from him...maybe with somebody else doing some of the more elaborate stunt scenes
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Is this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85WNaVTXVaI
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I was always holding out for another team up with Jackie and Jet Li. either it be Expendables 3 or some other movie. And Michelle Yeoh would need to be in it too. But maybe it could happen, it wouldn't be him starring in an action movie, just co-starring.
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May 19, 2012, 5:33 a.m. CST
Here's a tip : only the gullible will buy that line...just do a great film then AFTER that you announce retirement...anything less smells like marketing
by quantize
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I don't claim to know how to write and spelling mistakes/typos are fine. But what's with the grammar and punctuation in this article? Jesus Christ - Harry - learn how to....write, you are a writer, for a - living. That last (sort of) sentence is how this article reads to me. Can you not see that it is not a sentence, Harry?
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I said I wasn't a writer didn't I?
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I don't think I've really enjoyed any of his films made after 1995.
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May 19, 2012, 6:39 a.m. CST
guess what lard ass,everybody calls them kung fu movies..
by paul burnett
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doesn't make it your BEST turd.
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Jackie Chan is the greatest action star ever.
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I seriously got shivers watching that. I'll be sorry to see the great man go but I hope this will be one hell of a swan song.
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Last night around 12:30. Wonder if it's just a coincidence.
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May 19, 2012, 7:06 a.m. CST
i can't remember which one I saw first... Legend of Drunken Master or Supercop?
by antonphd
i just remember being in complete and utter awe and years later watching Rush Hour and thinking it was weak but being okay because he finally had a big success in the US
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May 19, 2012, 7:13 a.m. CST
I always think of The Armour of God series as Short Round grown up
by UGG
I liked The Shinjuku Incident and am looking forward to more acting from Jackie
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Though I haven't loved all his films, I have to give respect to a man who gave a 100%
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Good, I hate it when Jackie falls back on his bumbling persona. He's at his best when he's just being Jackie - an unassuming badass. A bit like Harrison Ford in the everyman sense. He's never had to be seen chomping cigars or growling moodily from the driver's seat of a muscle car, unlike most of the action heroes he's namechecked alongside.
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May 19, 2012, 7:34 a.m. CST
"I could kick your arse without leaving this couch" - "Show me".
by Paul Morrison
That's awesome.
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thats what we need. donnie yen , jackie chan, jet li, collin chou, michelle yau , maybe even chou yun fat. and i bet it would kick ten times more ass than the american versions. i hope it isnt jackies last. him with only have of his old skills is still better than almost everyone
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Not enough in the budget for a proofreader?
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SAMMO
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May 19, 2012, 7:53 a.m. CST
Now I know where Gleaming the Cube got it's skate under the semi stunt from
by alienindisguise
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im a huge jackie chan fan and have never seen that mashup....the final scene with sound effect is freakin LOL.
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Sorry Messrs Stallone, Willis, Schwarzneggar et al as much as I like your movies Chan will always trump you by not being afraid to do his own crazy yet amazing stunts.
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along with Mr Underwaters SAMMO suggestion can I add Yuen Biao.
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Will this make it to the US on 12-12-12? And Chinese Expendables would also need Bolo Yeung.
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Harry...?
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and that incredible strange film show thing was awesome, thanks for harry :)
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May 19, 2012, 8:37 a.m. CST
My kids watched Spy Next Door on Netflix, so I immediately countered with Supercop.
by adeceasedfan
My 3 yr old daughter lost her freaking mind.
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Thank you for all the great stuff you made. You are definitely one of the best ever.
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Die Hard is one of the greatest action movies ever but the fight scenes were ridiculously obviously with stunt men. And they weren't even complicated fight scenes. When Bruce Willis was fighting that ballet guy it was like a fight scene from Star Trek. Chan did his own shit but also had a likable persona. And his influences were guys like Charlie Chaplin so he knew more about physical acting than the bigger American guys.
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Half of Stallone's expendables crew is at least as old if not almost a decade older, and Jackie could still show them up. And he's not even hopped up on HGH. Just kept himself in good shape. Please, Jackie...I understand if it really is too hard, but if you're just worried you're getting to old, don't...a lot of us will still go to see you in a movie be you 58 or 68. I'd miss him too much! :(
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Not only did he take action/kung fu movies to a new level with the amazing stunts etc, he is also very humble and always takes time out to speak with fans, sign stuff etc and is an all round nice guy. The stuff he puts himself through is unbelievable and it was also amazing seeing the reel of outtakes at the end of his films. Not a lot of people realize how many action films in Hollywood were influenced by his work including reworking action scenes or stunts from his films into them. For example in Tango and Cash when we first see Stallone and he stops the tanker and the 2 guys come through the windscreen was a copy of a stunt from Police Story were JC stops a bus that way. I cant wait to see this as it looks like an AOG sequel of sorts, which is my favourite of his films. By the way I never knew the US aired TISFS, I used to love that and Im pretty sure thats how I discovered JC and also many other films. I really miss that show. Im sure however that if he was offered a part in Expendables 3, I think he would do it.
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Jackie Chan does stunts that could kill him
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Roberto Benini. That would be hilarious.
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Most action stars can just get away with posing with a gun and having the stunt guys handle the rest of it but Jackie did all his own shit so if there's a stuntman taking over, people are going to whine, even though they shouldn't because he's also a likable actor.
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The whole "S. C. U. M. B. A. G." thing should be incredibly lame, and yet he seems like such a nice guy and it's done with such earnestness that I'm going to give that one to him.
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May 19, 2012, 9:51 a.m. CST
He's wire assisted in every shot. Subtle wire assists for the weakest little half kicks. Well. Smoke and mirrors is what it's all about I guess
by UltraTron
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May 19, 2012, 9:53 a.m. CST
Harry only had radio growing up to help him sculpt an image
by UltraTron
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May 19, 2012, 10:19 a.m. CST
THE RAPID FIRE EDITING EFFECT DIDN'T FOOL ME. IT LOOKS BORING.
by Wacky Packages
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I met Jonathan Ross in a shop I was working in many years ago. We got talking and I mentioned TISFS and how much I loved it. He said that was the one subject everyone wants to talk to him about... it was a great show and the Jackie Chan episode was without doubt the best.
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Grow his hair out long, let it go gray, and grow the foo manchu goatee. He can then retool his career to be the cranky badass mentor or even the villain once or twice. Supporting role to a new rising star? sure, but what does it matter if you are producer/director. An older longhair Jackie Chan, leaned down and grew would make an interesting featured villain for Hollywood if not Hongkong.
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May 19, 2012, 10:53 a.m. CST
The incredibly Strange Film Show introduced me to Hong Kong horror
by papabendi
Stuff like Mr Vampire and Close Encounters of A Spooky Kind.I'd never seen anything like those fims before that show. A lot of the films he introduced were shown just after the show and I used to tape as many as possible. Between that and Alex Cox on Movie Drome we were pretty spoilt for a while.
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Add Jackie Chan and let him face off vs. Jet Li!
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May 19, 2012, 11:35 a.m. CST
Jackie Chan was a genius of action timing, filming and scripting
by Ricardo
Look at his movies from 1978 to 1998. Pure genius. We are involved in his action because we KNOW it is real, it's the opposite of CG. It's a spectacle, like a circus. And the timing of hsi fight scenes, the editing, and the comedy, the scripting, how it all fits together, he used to be THE BEST. Then came Hollywood's commercial factory of stupid mediocrity, who did not understand ANY of it (except the money), chewed him up and spitted him out. Now I hope that, with his movie, he does the HONG KONG action film he should have done yeas ago, so he can finaly retire on a high note. But he could always keep directing. We need that old style action film only Jackie knows how to make. And keep him away from Hollywood, those fuckers know SHIT about good stuff.
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May 19, 2012, 11:39 a.m. CST
Harry he's not retiring from action films, read here
by HORRORDECONSTRUCTION.TUMBLR
this is from his official facebook page. "Hello all my friends and fans, Yesterday in my press conference in Cannes for Chinese 12 Zodiac I said that this movie was my last big action movie. Today I was shocked when I woke up to read all the news coverage that I was retiring from doing Action movies. I just want to let everyone know that I am not retiring from doing action movies. What I meant to say is that I need to do less of the life risking stunts on my movies. After all these years of doing so many stunts and breaking so many bones, I need to take better care of my body so I can keep working. I will continue to do international action movies. And I will keep improving my English :-) I love all of you! Jackie"
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He was pretty awesome in that role. In fact that whole movie is vastly under rated.
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He appeared in 1980 in a UK show called Tiswas promoting 'The Big Brawl'...Still got eh tape. Did a school talk on him in 1985 so ive earnt my stripes as a fan...
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His movies are always a real treat! Now I'll plug my free comic book which is inspired by Jackie! Check out Cindy Li- www.toonocity.com
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Luckily I had a friend at the local Chinese restaurant that would hook me up with the occasional fix, but trying to find some of his films in Arizona at the time was at times like searching for the Holy Grail. I did find an asian food market on the other side of town that rented his movies, but the workers distrusted this white boy and made me put a $20 deposit down for each video I rented.
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That's all I'm asking, it could be greater than the lethal weapon cop movies, ok well not that better but damn you and chris tucker is fucking hilarious!!!
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...everybody just took one of his comments wrong.
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May 19, 2012, 1:33 p.m. CST
Nice to see Chan giving someone an alphabet lesson before beating him up.
by CodeName
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Where he co-starred with Sylvester Stallone and Whoopi Goldberg..........man that film kicked all sorts of ass!! "Don't Fuck With Me!!"
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This is from his official facebook page... "Hello all my friends and fans, Yesterday in my press conference in Cannes for Chinese 12 Zodiac I said that this movie was my last big action movie. Today I was shocked when I woke up to read all the news coverage that I was retiring from doing Action movies. I just want to let everyone know that I am not retiring from doing action movies. What I meant to say is that I need to do less of the life risking stunts on my movies. After all these years of doing so many stunts and breaking so many bones, I need to take better care of my body so I can keep working. I will continue to do international action movies. And I will keep improving my English :-) I love all of you! Jackie"
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...that I want Jackie Chan to play The Mandarin?
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SCUMBAG is a bit unintentionally funny, I get that editing the spelling sequence seemed pretty cool, and it is done well, but that he's spelling such an inconsequential word makes it lose its steam right away.
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May 19, 2012, 3:14 p.m. CST
Armour of God 3? I hope so. Chan has so many great action films under his belt...
by Jay
Police Story 1 & 2 Drunken Master 1 & 2 SuperCop First Strike Rumble In The Bronx Who Am I Dragon Lord Project A 1 & 2 Dragons Forever Wheels On Meals Armour Of God 1 & 2 You can take the action scenes from any of these films, and they would rival anything Hollywood has put out. I love T2, Lethal Weapon & Die Hard as much as the next guy. But they never had anything on Chan IMO. And the difference between Jackie and newer guys in movies, like the The Raid, is that Jackie himself is a personality. You want to watch him. People like tony Jaa and Uwais are flat. Yes, they can move & fight like nobody, but they lack likability. It's one of the reasons it's so hard to see Jackie play a bad guy. On a side note. Fuck Kam & Ronson in Hong Kong for releasing shitty Blu-rays of Chans classics. Majority of them are simply upscales and they look horrible.
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tell her she looks like she is related to Jackie. Works for me all the time. To be fair, it's not some kind of "you all look alike" stereotype...I can (and have) pick/ed her out of a room full of her relatives and friends from China from 20 yards away. She just does kind of look (in a feminine, more attractive way) like she could be his neice or something. :P So, we mess with each other(her target being my oft crazy hair) ... she's not really "pissed off". Even her cousin uses it to get a rise out of her. :P That being said, I always wished Jackie were my father or at least an uncle or something. Who wouldn't be proud to have a great guy like him for family? Jackie doesnt succeed because he does his own stunts. He doesn't succeed because of good choreography. He succeeds because he is one of the most genuinely likeable actors out there, and has been consistently gracious and kind to his fans over the many years he's been doing this. If he decides to start doing less action oriented roles, and starts doing dramas or something, I'd happilly continue on as his fan and support his work - because he's earned it.
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May 19, 2012, 3:29 p.m. CST
Bret Ratner took Jacie Chan's last good years. Sigh. He is truly the one and only God, it's sad that in America he doesn't get as much credit as he should due to his shitty american movies.
by SirGaryColeman
I DONT WANT ANY TWOUBLE
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May 19, 2012, 3:30 p.m. CST
wcolbert, the jokes on you - your girlfriend really does look like jackie chan.
by SirGaryColeman
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May 19, 2012, 3:48 p.m. CST
Connery said he'd come out of retirement to play Henry Jones again, if the script was right.
by misnomer
...the script wasn't right.
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[THWAP] "OW....!"
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May 19, 2012, 4:44 p.m. CST
Yo are all a bunch of pathetic whiny, nerds. No one cares what you say. Tell your moms I will be over later tonight.
by Lloyd Fenton
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May 19, 2012, 5:08 p.m. CST
I don't care what anyone says, the first Rush Hour was funny
by Nerd Rage
The sequels did suck though.
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May 19, 2012, 5:11 p.m. CST
Jackie Chan's last action flick? AND Zhang Ziyi? I am SO there!
by Cinemajerk
I remember seeing Rumble in The Bronx in NYC's Chinatown with my girlfriend who was Chinese and told me I had to see this guy. I was blown away and thoroughly entertained. Although i had seen him on cable in that American movie from the 80s with Danny Aiello "the Protector".....i finally saw Jackie Chan in all his glory doing what he does best, and I was hooked. This was the early 90s before the internet, so I went to late great Kims video on St Marks street, and rented every damn Jackie Chan film i could. When i moved to Taiwan to teach English i even saw the horrible Tuxedo and Gorgeous in the theatres there...and had a blast just watching Jackie still doing his thing. And of course fell in love with Shu Qi in Gorgeous. Heh heh heh. Jackie truly is a Worldwide treasure. An artist and entertainer of the highest order. Enough praise cannot be heaped on his talent. I only hope he keeps directing others in action movies and keeps acting in less physically demanding comedies and dramas. I read his statement saying that he wanted to show the world a different Jackie Chan...a more dramatic Jackie Chan. And I am just happy he will continue creating. No matter how much I may miss the wild stunts, I am willing to accept an older mellower Jackie Chan...and will go along for the ride. Always thankful for the never to be duplicated cinematic memories he gave us. Shei Shei Mr. Chan!
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This actually looks very entertaining, and returns Chan to the Peking Opera roots that he made famous in films. Awesome play using the sets it looks like.
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May 19, 2012, 5:36 p.m. CST
sirgarycoleman - that'd make for an very different sex life if she actually did
by wcolbert
;) Actually...she does have the surname Chan in the family. never know. Not that it's not an incredibly common family name. Among 1.3 billion. Anywho....I wish Jackie would do more period pieces like The Myth...well...that was only in part a period piece. But I vastly prefer his acting in Chinese movies - he is always held back by his lack of understanding of the english language - and I always love a chance to actually put all the time I've spent learning Mandarin to good use. Also on the list of best Jackie films of all time (imo): New Police Story. LOVED it. Worst? the Karate kid. Jackie, jackie...what were you thinking?
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Didn't say he was retiring from action films. He said he was retiring from Martial Arts films...which are not the same as films with a little martial arts. The man made a boat of serious, committed, balls-out martial arts films, and the training for them simply became too hard, I'd bet. Jackie Chan hasn't done "all his own stunts" at least since "Rumble IN the Bronx" where the director actually did the jump between buildings. He isn't stupid--the man took risks no other star would ever take, is the greatest stunt-man of all time, has an inhuman pain threshold and is an international treasure America had no idea what to do with (mostly.) Whatever he chooses to do with his life now...I wish him success. He is one amazing human being.
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...it was probably made for a Chinese/international audience rather than an English speaking one. They think it's cool just to put English characters/words in there, without really caring if it makes sense.
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May 19, 2012, 6:01 p.m. CST
i_dunno_lol - kind of like the way people here in America think it's cool to slap on Japanese or Chinese names and characters
by wcolbert
Even though if you understand the language at all it is just as awkward. but yeah, you have a point. They do borrow a lot of English words - in part because there are some things that are easier to express in English or that there are no expressions for in Mandarin. Some packaging at the asian food store is also pretty hilarious... "snack for good taste and also for healthful" - one that I saw recently. XD Language is a funny thing.
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May 19, 2012, 6:31 p.m. CST
Congratulations Jackie Chan for 100 Years of Entertainment!
by MooseMalloy
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Chan gotta eat.
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Do yourself a favour the fight scenes are the best I've ever seen...
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http://jackiechan.com/news/1892882--Jackie-Chan----quot-I-Am-Not-Retiring-From-Action-Movies--quot- Hello All My friends and fans, Yesterday in my press conference in Cannes for Chinese 12 Zodiac I said that this movie was my last big action movie. Today I was shocked when I woke up to read all the news coverage that I was retiring from doing Action movies. I just want to let everyone know that I am not retiring from doing action movies. What I meant to say is that I need to do less of the life risking stunts on my movies. After all these years of doing so many stunts and breaking so many bones, I need to take better care of my body so I can keep working. I will continue to do international action movies. And I will keep improving my English :-) I love all of you! Jackie
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May 20, 2012, 4:42 a.m. CST
Uh, the movie is called CHINESE ZODIAC, not ZODIAC*S*
by irishraidersfan
Did anyone (Harry?) properly watch this? Just sayin'...
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May 20, 2012, 7:15 a.m. CST
Another post where Harry writes about himself rather than the subject.
by oaser
Surprising. To go along with this, however, "Rumble in the Bronx" blew my head open. When Chan got run over by the hovercraft, I remember thinking "No one will ever do anything like this again." That's not necessarily true, but the man made awesome action flicks. Good for him going out now -- if his body can't take it, he's better off not killing himself on set.
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May 20, 2012, 7:24 a.m. CST
Why don't he just ask others to do the stunts and count the money?
by chien_sale
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Why not. Loved the first to movies and I still miss his old movies overall.
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I'm up for either "Well, this wouldn't have taken seven years if he'd just stopped doing those fucking V8 Fusion commercials!" or "Can we look forward to another season of 'Jackie Chan Adventures', then?" America was the worst thing to ever happen to Jackie Chan, big paychecks or not.
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May 20, 2012, 9:03 a.m. CST
Watch Drunken Master 2, Who Am I, Armour of God 1 and 2, Police Story 1-4
by Ricardo
And then watch his american crap. The United States are NOT the best of ANYTHING they do. They are the msot successful. There's a difference.
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With Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow before he retired, would have been awesome. And I love shanghai noon.
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I didn't know about "The Miracle", or "Winners and Sinners" . Nice.
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I forgive Jackie's Hollywood crappy movies, because he deserved the rest after making so many dangerous stunts in his movies in the 70s', 80's and early 90's. And the big paychecks he was making with those US movies allowed him to finance his production company in Hong Kong, to finance his Chinese movies, like this new one.
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