cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- Fury in Shaolin Temple (1982) Review
- William Feng has a huge ‘Three-Body Problem’!
- Christopher McQuarrie gives ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’ a hand
- 21 (2008): The New Story About Online Casino
| Fury in Shaolin Temple (1982) Review Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:01 AM PST  "Fury in Shaolin Temple" Korean Theatrical Poster AKA: Friendship Forged in Blood By Paul Bramhall The image of Gordon Liu as a shaven headed monk is one that's inextricably associated with the kung fu movie genre. Starring as the monk San Te in Lau Kar Leung's 1978 picture The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Liu would keep his head shaved for a number of other productions. From Fists and Guts a year later, to Clan of the White Lotus and Return to the 36th Chamber, both from 1980. However while Liu became hugely popular with western audiences, on home soil he never attracted the same fan base as the likes of fellow Shaw Brothers actors like Ti Lung and David Chiang. Perhaps most tellingly, unlike many Shaw actors, Liu didn't have a contract which tied him into only making movies for the studio. So by the mid-80's, while his work at the famous studio saw him either starring in lesser known productions (with the exception of The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, which saw him take on the lead role after the untimely passing of the original star, Alexander Fu Sheng), or playing supporting roles in Lau Kar Leung movies (including returning to the role of San Te in 1985's Disciples of the 36th Chamber), Liu took the opportunity to star in a trio of Korea and Hong Kong co-productions. Making both Shaolin Drunken Monk and Raiders of Buddhist Kung Fu in 1981 on Korean soil, Liu returned there one more time a year later to make Fury in Shaolin Temple. Directed by Choe Hyeon-min, what makes his final effort in Korea unique is that it pairs Liu with occasional Bruce Lee clone Chang Il-do (aka Bruce Lai). Liu isn't the only Hong Kong talent working on the production though, as it also comes with fight choreographer Chin Yuet-Sang. Yuet-Sang has always been an underrated fight choreographer, and has worked on everything from the likes of The Buddha Assassinator to John Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears. The movie he's most famous for though is most likely the Shaw Brothers production, Lion vs. Lion, which along with Hsu Hsia he also wrote and directed. Yuet-Sang's presence certainly leaves its mark on Fury in Shaolin Temple, as unlike many Korean productions of the era, the choreography is noticeably sharp and intricate, with Liu and Il-do getting plenty of chances to shine. Unfortunately the movie is let down by just about everything else. The story is extremely muddled, and seems to function only to try and squeeze in as many kung fu movie clichés as possible – we have murdered masters, secret kung fu manuals, monks, training scenes, revenge, bad wigs, and more styles than you can shake a stick at. What other movie crams in Drunken Eagle Claw, Drunken Mantis Fist, Shaolin Ghost Fist, and Dragon Fist all into a compact 90 minute run time!? Fury in Shaolin Temple is the answer. The basic plot revolves around Liu and Il-do, who play the sons of two martial arts masters that wish for their offspring to combine each of their styles, and defeat a traitorous Shaolin abbot. To protect each other, the martial arts masters swap sons when they're still babies. However as a child, Liu's adopted father is framed for stealing a manual and taken away, leaving Liu to be taken in as an assistant cook by the temples chef. Or something like that, none of it really makes sense, and we also learn that Il-do has become a member of the Eagle Clan and is next in line to be the clan's leader. Whatever, seriously, the plot hardly has an ounce of coherency to it. Liu and Il-do don't even appear until 20 minutes in, as proceedings open with one of the fathers battling off the villainous Shaolin monk and his gang. His gang by the way, consist of 18 monks decked out in full body black and grey leotards. I wish I was lying. The father, played by Lee Gang-jo, is possibly the least convincing kung-fu master I've ever seen. Slightly on the chubby side, his flailing against the rather uncoordinated and completely impractical moves of the leotard wearing monks is a sight to behold. Bizarrely, the whole fight has a strange soundtrack of tigers growling. When Liu does appear, training under a beautifully picturesque waterfall, I let out an audible sight of relief. Whenever Liu is training he looks as legit as ever, his teachings from Lau Kar Leung no doubt making him the real deal, and it's there onscreen to see. When he's not, he looks bored. Ironically Il-do's best scene appears to have been randomly inserted from a completely different movie. Suddenly sporting short hair and the same attire Bruce Lee wore in The Big Boss, while wondering through a field he's confronted by two bandits, played by Philip Ko Fei and Lee Fat Yuen, who attempt to rob him. This leads to a fantastic fight between Il-do and the two assailants. While Fat Yuen is dispatched with ease, the chance isn't wasted for a face off between Il-do and Ko Fei, as the two opponents use the previously mentioned Drunken Eagle Claw and Drunken Mantis Fist against each other to entertaining effect. It's a shame the scene has zero relevance to anything else. Fury in Shaolin Temple is the type of movie that for every scene of quality fight action, we seem to get bombarded by countless nonsensical and goofy scenes in return. At one point a baby is thrown into a tree, in another a bunch of bad guys get hit and roll down a hill, and roll, and roll, and roll, and in another Liu and Il-do are subjected to some hilarious wire work when they jump through the roof of a burning restaurant. That's not to mention the return of the 18 monks, who do indeed make a comeback, however when they do they've lost the leotards, and are instead covered in either bronze or cobalt blue paint (which I think was supposed to look silver). Despite all this though, Chang Il-do does get some solid fight action, which almost makes it seem like Liu was shoehorned in to the production at the last minute. Il-do's fight against fellow Korean Shin Wu-cheol, armed with two swords, is a highlight, and he really gets to show off his Taekwondo kicks in these scenes. Of course the whole movie has been building up to when Liu and Il-do realize who the other is, and get together to combine their respective styles. They do meet, however once they've established who the other is, it seems to have been forgotten that they're supposed to learn the others style and combine them, and it pretty much skips straight to the final fight with the abbot. Again Liu seems to be shoehorned in here, as the fight is 90% Il-do, while Liu is left to battle the ridiculously painted monks. Eventually he does join in, throws no more than 3 kicks, and finishes off the abbot with a move which will draw moans from even the most forgiving kung-fu cinema fan. All in all Fury in Shaolin Temple shows all the signs of a movie that was being made up as it went along, and despite containing some decent fight action from Chang Il-do, the feeling of it being cobbled together in such a haphazard and careless manner just can't be avoided. Needless to say, the only fury worth mentioning here, is what you'll feel once you're done watching it. Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4/10 |
| William Feng has a huge ‘Three-Body Problem’! Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:00 AM PST  "Three-Body Problem" Chinese Theatrical Poster Jules Verne, eat your heart out! A big budget film based on Liu Cixin’s best selling science fiction novel of the same name is currently in production. The upcoming thriller, titled Three-Body Problem, stars William Feng (White Vengeance, Young Detective Yee) and Zhang Jing Chu (Switch, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation). Here’s the novel’s plot description, via Amazon: Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. Three-Body Problem is scheduled for release in July 2016. If that’s not enough, a sequel is already in the works. We expect a trailer to be hitting the net soon, so stay tuned! |
| Christopher McQuarrie gives ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’ a hand Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:00 AM PST  "Star Wars: Rogue One" Teaser Poster Releasing on December 16, 2016 is Star Wars: Rogue One (aka Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), which will be the first theatrical Star Wars spin-off. The upcoming film will revolve around a group of rebels who set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Gareth Edwards (2014′s Godzilla) is directing Star Wars: Rogue One based on a screenplay written by John Knoll, Chris Weitz (Cinderella) and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli). Star Wars: Rogue One stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), Diego Luna (Blood Father), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), Forest Whitaker (Bloodsport), Donnie Yen (Kung Fu Killer), Jiang Wen (Let the Bullets Fly), Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) and the voice of Alan Tudyk (Firefly). Updates: A press photo featuring Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen has been released. The photo suggests that Donnie might be a character influenced by Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman. | Here’s what Yen said about his Rogue One role: “I am very proud to be the first Chinese actor cast in Rogue One. It was a good and benevolent character.” According to THR, Yen was not allowed to say more about his character in the film. BREAKING NEWS: According to sources, Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) has come aboard to "save" the script for Star Wars: Rogue One. |
| 21 (2008): The New Story About Online Casino Posted: 12 Jan 2016 12:00 AM PST  "21" Theatrical Poster 21 is a must-see movie about blackjack, casinos in Las Vegas, and the famous MIT card counting team. Anyone who has ever tried online gambling at Casino-X will definitely love it. The movie is based on real events happened in the mid 1990s. 21 is not quite true historically, being "based on" one of the most exciting stories about casino. Although, the movie is worth seeing if you realize that the whole world of casino is not just a dump of slot machines for an intelligent man. With a reasonable approach, it can really “feed” the player – while some play online casino games or go out to have fun, others substitute the online casino real money experience with real games like blackjack and counting cards. The plot of the movie in general is copied from the real story, except for some details that could only overload the narrative. Blackjack online and in realityBen Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a talented student working in a clothing store. Ben is in love with his classmate Jill (Kate Bosworth). Our genius dreams of admission to Harvard, but there is one problem – the admission fee is $ 300,000. That is just too much for a humble student… Imagine what his life would be like but for one incident in the classroom. No, he didn't have the chance to win at the best online casino. The usual Ben's life is disturbed by a tempting offer. His teacher – Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) – invites Ben to join a team of blackjack players, consisting of the most talented students of the course. Every weekend the team goes to Las Vegas and quite legally wins very large sums of money playing at the casinos. Although the main hero is not exactly mad about such intrigues, he has no choice – he needs $ 300,000 to pay for the studies. This is the way he accepts the offer to play blackjack… Moreover, Jill is among the players. The members use special game signals and start to win big money in the casinos of Las Vegas. After all, who would refuse to lay aside online black jack and break the bank in Las Vegas, especially if you know how to do this? The guys liked the contrast between the way they lived in Boston – nerds with pencils in their pockets – and the life they had in Las Vegas, where you can become a real star. The keys to the city were in their hands. They could afford things others could only dream of. The story could go on further, but… Casinos love to see people win, but will not allow the players win consistently. Security service is closely following the new players. Besides, being still new to the space, Ben falls to temptation and loses a considerable sum of money. From that moment the trouble starts. The team founder can't forgive Ben his mistake. He takes the money from the hiding place and expels him from the institute. But Ben has a plan: he returns to his recent offender to change the situation for the better and win even more. Despite the fact that the plot may seem like a fairy tale, card counting strategy in blackjack works fine. This is probably the only casino game where you can predict the future based on the past. Even if 21 may seem a little bit overlong, yet the film is well worth watching. |
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