cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- The Boxer from the Temple (1979) Review
- Cityonfire.com’s ‘Kung Fu: Trailers of Fury’ Blu-ray Giveaway!
- Kris Wu joins Jet Li, Tony Jaa, Vin Diesel & Ice Cube in ‘xXx 3′
- Deal on Fire! Dragon | aka Wu Xia | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon!
- Keanu Reeves to take a page from Jackie Chan in ‘Rally Car’
| The Boxer from the Temple (1979) Review Posted: 09 Feb 2016 02:01 AM PST  "The Boxer from the Temple" Chinese Theatrical Poster Director: John Lo Mar By Martin Sandison Being the two main choreographers of the classic Shaw Brothers output, Lau Kar Leung and Tang Chia's contribution to martial arts cinema with the great studio cannot be denied. The Venoms came in to their own towards the end, but one man to me is the third best and creator of some of the finest Shaws action: Hsu Hsia. Beginning as an extra and actor in the 60's, he appeared in ridiculous amount of classics including The Duel and The Deadly Duo. As the late 70's Independent kung fu boom occurred, he worked on the action in the immortal Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master under Yuen Woo Ping. He also acted in the latter as the 'King of Sticks', his most memorable part. In 1979, Hsu moved back to Shaws as head choreographer and made two films: Five Superfighters and Boxer from the Temple. The former needs no introduction, and stands as one of the undisputed classics of the time, Shaw or not. As a viewer, I knew of and loved Five Superfighters, but was less aware of Boxer from the Temple. My anticipation mounted, and I hoped not to be disappointed. The film is very interesting because it takes existing kung fu movie tropes of the time and twists them to create something with a little originality. The almost universal trope of the baby left by its sick/dying mother at a place of refuge opens the film, as the young one is left at the steps of the Shaolin Temple by the 'mad lady' who is never present onscreen. As in most genre films of the time, the lad is an outcast but is then trained by a Monk who takes a liking to him. The Temple scenes are short and to the point and the lad, nicknamed 'Crazy Kid' is cast out in the world not through his wrongdoings, just because he doesn't fit in. He arrives at a village and makes friends easily, and becomes a chef in a Vegetarian restaurant! There, he gets involved with the local gangsters and ends up befriending a prostitute who has ran away from a brothel and has a young son. It is no surprise that the screenplay is written by Ni Kuang, perhaps the all time greatest kung fu movie creator. By 1979, Kuang was dividing his time between Shaws and independent studios, and had written my childhood favourite Death Duel of Kung Fu the same year. His ability to weave simple storylines into classic kung fu is undeniable, and Boxer From the Temple sees him really challenge himself. The dialogue and actions of the 'Crazy Kid' are at turns naive, naturalistic and surprising for a kung fu film; one scene sees him discussing the prostitute, with such an innocent mindset that he didn't consider her former profession a hindrance to their getting together. This reinforces the depth of the depiction of his character tenfold, and sets up the bite of the reality sandwich that occurs later in the narrative. Starring as 'Crazy Kid', Ng Yuen Jun appeared in Five Superfighters in one of the main roles, and carries Boxer from the Temple like a veteran. He is in A Deadly Secret, also choreographed by Hsu Hsia. That's definitely on my list. It's a shame Ng's career never really took off, as his action and acting chops are exemplary. In Boxer from the Temple, he really gets to shine, and it is his signature role. Starring as the prostitute San Niang, Wong Mei Mei made her debut in the film. She also has small roles in some other Shaw films, such as Holy Flame of the Martial World and Roving Sworsdman. She was a favourite of Hsu Hsia, and worked on a lot of the films he was involved in. The penultimate villain is played by Lau Hok Nin as Lian Shang Yao, who was an independent player, only working on a few Shaw movies, mostly involving Hsu Hsia. The ultimate villain Wang Chang Huai is played by Kwan Fung, who was in plenty of Shaw movies subsequent to Boxer From the Temple, including one of my personal favourites (with one of the best titles ever) Bastard Sworsdman, and one of the deepest Shaw movies Opium and the Kung Fu Master. Playing Xiao Hei, 'Crazy Kid's' best friend, Lau Fong Sai gets some good fight scenes and proves his kicking ability in a dramatic scene towards the end. A Shaw stalwart, his most unusual credit is main action director on Tsui Hark's A Better Tomorrow 3. Presumably he took over the role of pyrotechnics after the Vietnamese film maker they hired blew himself up! As the film's first half progressed, I was impressed by the trope-breaking approach, but not by the action. Slow and overly comedic in approach with some terrible music cues, I was disappointed. However, this movie is another one wherein the fights get better as the movie goes on. By the third main fight I was in raptures, as Ng takes on room after room of baddies with excellent rhythm and a Chan-worthy comedic delivery. The end fight as he takes on both villains contains some stuff that's up there with the best of Five Superfighters, and intensity-wise is a suitable payoff for the interesting narrative. The film is in my humble opinion much more engaging story-wise than Five Superfighters, as that film was very formulaic. However the first rate level of the choreography and the frequency of the fights give it ultimate classic status. Unfortunately Boxer from the Temple suffers a little in this aspect, but the second half action more than makes up for this, and it is up there with the better lesser known Shaw Brothers films. Martin Sandison’s Rating: 8.5/10 |
| Cityonfire.com’s ‘Kung Fu: Trailers of Fury’ Blu-ray Giveaway! Posted: 09 Feb 2016 01:00 AM PST  "Kung Fu: Trailers of Fury" Blu-ray Cover Cityonfire.com and Severin Films are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Kung Fu: Trailers of Fury to three lucky Cityonfire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, this trailer. We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Additionally, you must 'Like Us' on cityonfire.com's Facebook by clicking here. The Blu-ray & DVD for Kung Fu: Trailers of Fury will be officially released on March 1, 2016. We will announce the 3 winners on that day. CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by March 1, 2016 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice. |
| Kris Wu joins Jet Li, Tony Jaa, Vin Diesel & Ice Cube in ‘xXx 3′ Posted: 09 Feb 2016 12:00 AM PST  "xXx" Japanese Theatrical Poster Whether you want it or not, a third xXx sequel (tentatively titled xXx: The Return of Xander Cage) has started production. The film is directed by DJ Caruso (The Salton Sea) with Vin Diesel reprising the role of Xander, the extreme sports-lovin’ secret agent who likes his Mountain Dew shaken, not stirred. Joining Diesel is Ice Cube, who is returning as Darius Stone, the other xXx. Also along for the ride are martial arts superstars Jet Li (High Risk) and Tony Jaa (SPL II: A Time for Consequences), not to mention Indian mega star Deepika Padukone (Piku). The 2002 film received mixed reviews, but ultimately raked in enough bucks to warrant 2005′s xXx 2: State of the Union, with Ice Cube filling in Diesel’s shoes. Even with all the action-packed “agent” films exploding on big screens as of late – not to mention Diesel’s bankable repertoire – news of xXx 3 is still bizarre. But as always, we’ll keep you posted on any developments. Updates: According to Hype, Kris Wu (Journey to the West 2, Mermaid) and Hermione Corfield (Mr. Holmes, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) have joined the xXx 3 gang! |
| Deal on Fire! Dragon | aka Wu Xia | Blu-ray | Only $9.99 – Expires soon! Posted: 06 Feb 2016 12:00 AM PST  Dragon (aka Wu Xia) Blu-ray & DVD (Anchor Bay) Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for 2011′s Dragon (aka Wu Xia), directed by Peter Chan (Comrades, Almost A Love Story). In this loose remake of 1967′s One-Armed Swordsman, Liu (Donnie Yen) is a villager whose quiet life is shattered when he saves a man from two notorious gangsters. He comes under investigation by a detective (Takeshi Kaneshiro), who is curious on how Liu single-handenly took on the gangsters. Dragon (read our review) also stars Jimmy Wang Yu, Tang Wei, Kara Hui and Yin Zhusheng. Order Dragon from Amazon.com today! |
| Keanu Reeves to take a page from Jackie Chan in ‘Rally Car’ Posted: 03 Feb 2016 12:00 AM PST  "John Wick" Japanese Theatrical Poster If nothing else, the 1980′s Cannonball Run films – which focused on a wacky cross-country race with a plethora of celebrity cameos – are remembered as one of Jackie Chan’s first forays into Hollywood cinema. Now it looks as though Keanu Reeves (John Wick) is taking a page from Jackie Chan’s playbook by heading to China for a little racing action of his own in Rally Car. The project, to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is a Chinese/American co-production centered around a race across China. Of course, Keanu Reeves is no stranger to Chinese cinema. His directorial debut Man of Tai Chi featured a bevy of Hong Kong talent, including Karen Mok (Black Mask) and Simon Yam (SPL II), and was shot in cities like Macau and Beijing. Thus, the actor seems like a natural fit to bridge the gap between Hollywood and the East in Rally Car. Update: Rally Car will be directed by Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid) with a story by Stephen Hamel (Henry’s Crime) and Jeremy Lott. The film is currently in pre-production phase. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment