kungfu hustle

[pete]

trailer here: http://www.kungfuhustle.com/

Stephen Chow is the funniest filmmaker/ comedian in the world that you've never heard of.  Unless you saw the Miramax-butchered version of Shaolin Soccer.

[MacGuffin]

Chow Said to Reveres Chaplin

Comic actor and director Stephen Chow says his biggest influence was Charlie Chaplin, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Chow co-wrote, directed and starred in the 2001 "Shaolin Soccer." He is promoting his next comedy, "Kung Fu Hustle," which opens in Hong Kong on Thursday.

"I have many influences, but the greatest one was Charlie Chaplin," Chow was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post. "I can't remember exactly when I first saw him. I was 3 or 4 or 5. I just remember not being able to stop watching."

"Shaolin Soccer" starred Chow as a monk who unleashes his kung fu skills in his soccer game. It broke box office records in Hong Kong and Chow won prizes for best film, actor and director at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2001.

The film, distributed in the United States by Miramax Films, did poorly overseas, however, and Chow told the Post he was unhappy with the dubbed version.

Chow said he wants to make a film that's a hit outside of Asia. "To go international is very important to me," he said. "I just don't want to waste my time."

[pete]

english website here:
http://www.sonypictures.com/intl/cn/kungfuhustle/site/index_en.php

watch the trailer please.

[pete]

it's coming out here in boston on march 25th.  here's a theatrical trailer:

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2662649?htv=12

[metroshane]

I've just been molested by sony ericcson.

[cine]

"I must not neglect Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle," which is -- what? Imagine a film in which Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny. Yes. That describes it nicely."

- Roger Ebert

[modage]

"I must not neglect Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle," which is -- what? Imagine a film in which Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny. Yes. That describes it nicely."

- Roger Ebert

alright, thats got my $9.

[Ghostboy]

I saw this one this morning, and it's pretty damn swell. The first three quarters were pure, unadulterated bliss, marred only by a rather lame and anticlimactic ending. For that same reason, it's not as good as Shaolin Soccer (although I can't speak for the Miramax version - I only saw the original), but overall, this is a can't-miss popcorn film of the highest order.

[pete]

SPOILER


I thought the ending was quite great.  some s f/x was a bit reminiscent of shaolin soccer, but overall, he did the buddhist palm justice.  It's a "palm" much-mentioned in comics, pulp novels, and lesser movies, but Chow did a swell job of bringing it to life.

[pete]

*discussion of a spoiler, but no spoiler per se...

BTW ghostboy did you see it on the DVD?

I finally realized why you thought the ending was anticlimatic.  I think there's this cultural thing that'll be really hard to translate.  the idea of the "chi gates" opening, thus releasing a devastating amount of power.  it's something widely accepted in the culture, so accepted, in fact, that the term "opening the chi gates" has become synonymous with "breakthrough".  It literally says the "ren" and "du" arteries has been drilled through.  so when the bum told Sing that as a kid, it was pretty much set up like a plot point, thus the tension became "how would Sing do that?"
I dunno, it makes total sense to us.

[Ghostboy]

I guess that explanation gives it more credibility. I thought, since they already had a few Matrix jokes, that it was just like an extended parody or something. When they called him The One, it just annoyed me.

I saw it in the theater, btw. Is there any difference between the versions distributed in Asia and the one coming out here that you know of? I refused to see the Miramaxed Shaolin Soccer, but I assume Sony Pictures Classics had a bit more respect (especially since Sony funded the movie).

[pete]

spoiler.

well, I thought "The One" was a result of a lazy translation.  the Chinese dialogues made no mention of "The One", in the beginning, the lady said something like "there are martial geniuses out there, but the chance of meeting one is one in ten thousand."  Then in the end she said, "who could've thought, he was the one in ten thousand?"
plus, the fight in the tenenment square against the axe gang was a homage to an old Chang Cheh movie called Boxer from Shangtung, as well as an old cantonese comedy, house of 72 tenents.

[modage]

saw this tonight.  i loved it and had a great time.  i laughed my ass off and thought the fights were amazing.  i hadn't seen shaolin soccer until about a month ago when i watched the original subtitled long version on dvd and thought that was really good too.  but i thought this was even better.  hilarious, different and lives up to the quote.  it brought such a joy to the filmmaking that it was infectious.  i only wished there had been more dancing.  everyone should go see this.  this is (so far) my favorite movie of 2005.

[deathnotronic]

The translation in Shaolin Soccer was terrible/lazy. If that says anything.

I have yet to see this. In theaters in Michigan tomorrow.

[SHAFTR]

Delightfully Over the top.  I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  It reminds me of a Besson film where the film's over the top antics are grounded by one relationship that you care enough about.