kungfu hustle

[Gold Trumpet]

A true popcorn flick. Enjoyable even if the third act doesn't keep up with the energy of first two acts. I'm glad my little city on the map got this flick the first weekend of its major release.

[Ravi]

This was a really funny movie with some crazy special effects.  A good time.

[cowboykurtis]

first act was wonderful - it lost its steam for me and became a little underwhelming.

i think the strength was in the slapstick elements - the kung fu sequences were a bit tedious.

over all a fun flick

[analogzombie]

this movie was a lot of fun. almost enjoyable as the film was figuring out how the film got China's government censor panel's seal of approval. My assumption is that they pitched it as the story of the lowly people of Pig Sty Alley, who, emblazoned with the true spirit of communism and fellowship, come together, with the help of the humble and poor peasant business owners of their community, to overcome the forces of the capitalist mafia, who just happen to dress like the monopoly man.

[pete]

hong kong movies go through a different board that frequently allows rape and grotesque murder in their full exploitative glory.

[MacGuffin]

'Hustle' up: Col readies sequel
Source: Hollywood Reporter

CANNES -- Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group is prepping a follow-up to Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" as Sony Pictures celebrates seven years of concentrated activity in international production in the Far East and a huge international rollout of "Hustle."

Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia managing director Barbara Robinson said Chow and his writing team from "Hustle," including Tsang Kan Cheong, have been writing a draft in the evenings while on the road for the 30-country Sony Pictures Releasing International rollout of the film. Chow has conducted more than 300 one-on-one interviews around the U.S. and Europe.

"He works well within our system," Robinson said. "He knows we love this film ("Hustle"); he's seen the way we've gotten behind him, and we have great distribution clout." SPRI plans to begin shooting Chow's follow-up to "Hustle" before the end of the year, said the head of Sony's foreign-language operations, Columbia TriStar vice chairman Gareth Wigan, SPRI senior vp marketing, acquisitions and local productions Sal Ladestro and Robinson. "We'll shoot it somewhere in China, but until I read the script we won't know the budget," Wigan said. "Ever known a sequel to be cheaper than the original?"

The team, gearing up to co-host what will be one of the biggest parties during this year's Festival de Cannes with MTV tonight, said the rollout of "Hustle" had been "unprecedented in size and scope" for an Asian filmmaker.

The buzz in Cannes is high for a film that is not part of the official festival lineup. Ladestro said Cannes provided an excellent platform to launch a film "across the whole of the West," with the world's press all looking to the Croisette. "The whole of Sony has got behind this title," Wigan said. "We try to make a film first and foremost for its own territory. We have the capacity, as a worldwide business, to deliver the movie to audiences around the world."

"Hustle," a follow-up to Chow's Asian boxoffice smash "Shaolin Soccer," also set records in Hong Kong. Sony Pictures Classics released the movie in the U.S. and scooped up $14 million at the North American boxoffice while the movie has taken in north of $75 million to date.

[MacGuffin]

Columbia TriStar's Kung Fu Hustle (due 8/9 - SLP $28.95) will include 2 deleted scenes, a blooper reel, audio commentary with members of the cast and crew, the Making of Kung Fu Hustle: A TV Special featurette, a Ric Meyers interview with Stephen Chow, an international poster art exploration gallery and trailers. Video will be anamorphic widescreen with the original Cantonese and dubbed English Dolby Digital 5.1 and French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround audio (optional English and French subtitles will be available). The film will also be available in full frame and UMD for PSP the same day.

[w/o horse]

I'm torn over whether I should purchase this dvd or not.  Is there going to be an unedited version released?  Would it matter, how substantial are the edits, this is the same version everyone here in America saw in the theater right.  Should I hold out, should I put out.

[modage]

i didnt realize there were any edits made to this.  are you sure you're not thinking of Shaolin Soccer (which does contain both versions on the dvd)?

[w/o horse]

First I saw that it was listed as edited on dvdaf.com, and then I read this at dvdtalk.com:

Now that all the praise is out of the way, let me complain for a minute. For whatever reason, Sony Pictures has decided to release the American theatrical cut of the film onto DVD. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, the US cut removes most of the blood from the fight scenes, which lessens their impact, and it also removes a 'turd' from another scene that ruins a joke. Why Sony decided in this is anyone's guess, as none of this material would have cost the film it's R-Rating, but it is missing and that's just plain lame. While this doesn't really ruin the tone of the film as the cuts are apparently pretty minor, it is yet another example of a major studio monkeying with a foreign film for no apparent reason.

[modage]

ooooh, that sucks.  i had no idea.  damnit, can't this bastard get a decent american release!?  i also don't know if i can resist buying it.

[killafilm]

I feel the same.  But being broke really really helps on that front.

[Ravi]

http://dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews16/kung_fu_hustle_dvd_review.htm


Despite the R-rating, the American release is very slightly cut/censored. The parts censored are:


• After the scene where the landlady knocks the landlord out the window onto the ground, the original Hong Kong version shows a bit of blood flowing out from under the landlord's face after the plant smashes his head. The American version removes the blood.

• Sing's failed attempt in intimidating a Pig Sty village farmer, who punches him square in the stomach. The Hong Kong version shows Sing spitting out blood, which ends up appearing on the farmer's face after Sing asks her what she does. The American version digitally removes both the blood being spit out (but blood is still seen around his mouth implying it was "coming up") as well as the blood splats on the farmer's face.

• During the night scene right before the attack from the musicians there is a long take showing what most of the residents of Pig Sty are doing, including someone crouching on the ground having a "bowel movement". The Hong Kong version shows a piece of paper with excrement on it implying what he was doing, while the American version removes the paper and its "contents", leaving the viewer confused as to why he's simply crouching down with his pants partially down.

• While these scenes were censored, two were completely cut:

When "The Beast" punches Sing in the chest in the casino, two extra shots appear in the Hong Kong cut, with the first being a slow motion shot of blood spraying upward The Beast's face, and the second being another slow motion shot, this time of Sing's head flying back with blood spraying from his mouth.

Soon after this, Sing's face is punched into the ground by The Beast, and a several second slow motion shot of The Beast's bloody hand being raised from the ground is shown in the Hong Kong cut. The American cut simply jumps from the shot of Sing's head being punched through the ground to the low angle shot of The Beast pulling his fist up.

[modage]

that sucks cause the movie was still rated R, but the movie rules anyway and i will buy it fo sho.

[w/o horse]

Yeah I bought it.  And a bottle of Lipton Iced Tea Green Tea with Citrus.  Pretty good purchase overall.