David Leitch’s 87North is getting ready to reboot the classic martial arts/ western series Kung Fu, and it looks like they’ve found their Caine: the one and only Donnie Yen. The press release doesn’t reveal if Yen is actually playing Caine, but it seems like a no-brainer. The series was infamously developed by Bruce Lee as a starring vehicle for himself, only for the role to be eventually cast with David Carradine in the lead. In the end, it worked out fine, with Bruce Lee gaining immortality with his kung-fu movies for Golden Harvest in Hong Kong (which would have never happened had he been tied to a series), while Carradine became iconic as the enigmatic Caine.
Caine roams the Wild West in the series, looking for his long-lost brother. He was a peace-loving protector of the innocent who only fought when provoked (which happened A...
Caine roams the Wild West in the series, looking for his long-lost brother. He was a peace-loving protector of the innocent who only fought when provoked (which happened A...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
I honestly never expected Steven Spielberg in a Criterion Channel series––certainly not one that pairs him with Kogonada, anime, and Johnny Mnemonic––but so’s the power of artificial intelligence. Perhaps his greatest film (at this point I don’t need to tell you the title) plays with After Yang, Ghost in the Shell, and pre-Matrix Keanu in July’s aptly titled “AI” boasting also Spike Jonze’s Her, Carpenter’s Dark Star, and Computer Chess. Much more analog is a British Noir collection obviously carrying the likes of Odd Man Out, Night and the City, and The Small Back Room, further filled by Joseph Losey’s Time Without Pity and Basil Dearden’s It Always Rains on Sunday. (No two ways about it: these movies have great titles.) An Elvis retrospective brings six features, and the consensus best (Don Siegel’s Flaming Star) comes September 1.
While Isabella Rossellini...
While Isabella Rossellini...
- 6/22/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The story of Wong Fei Hung can best be summed up by the adage taken from John Ford's “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”. g”. For modern audiences this would apply to the seemingly endless variations on the life of Ip Man. Yet before him we had generations of audiences growing up to the feats of the master of the “No Shadow Kick” and member of the Ten Tigers of Canton, Wong Fei Hung. Over the years there have been numerous incarnations representing him at various aspects of his life. In addition, we have gained a supporting cast of familiar sidekicks, mentors, and comic relief. All alongside the familiar sound of the “General Marching Under Orders” theme that has become so associated with the character. It's not often we get to see a character grow up on screen and so here we present the life of Wong Fei Hung in several cinematic chapters.
- 6/1/2023
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
John Wick: Chapter 4 is marking yet another chance for the West to get to know Donnie Yen, one of Asia’s top leading men. He has already been in several other major Hollywood franchises. He played the scene-stealing Force-sensitive blind master Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the lure for the Asian market role in XXX: Return of Xander Cage, and Commander Tung in the Disney live-action flop, Mulan. However, in that same period when these Hollywood films came out, Yen made 10 of his own Asian-produced films where he was the leading man.
Action films are Yen’s specialty, so Yen’s inclusion in John Wick is a perfect fit. His mother is Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark, a pioneer in the global dissemination of Wushu. Wushu is a flamboyant acrobatic style of Kung Fu, designed for competition. It’s the same style that produced Jet Li along...
Action films are Yen’s specialty, so Yen’s inclusion in John Wick is a perfect fit. His mother is Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark, a pioneer in the global dissemination of Wushu. Wushu is a flamboyant acrobatic style of Kung Fu, designed for competition. It’s the same style that produced Jet Li along...
- 4/2/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
On a chilly Oscars eve, Donnie Yen has just returned from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where he was rehearsing for the Academy Awards along with a slew of fellow global superstar presenters like Spain’s Antonio Banderas and India’s Deepika Padukone. The “John Wick: Chapter 4” scene-stealer, who hails from southern China, feels good about how the following night might unfold, namely for his friend and Hong Kong neighbor Michelle Yeoh. Her victory and that of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” would be a landmark moment for Asian representation, he says.
“I’ve known her for more than 20 years, and that’s one of the reasons I’m here — to support her and share in a possible historical moment,” he says of his “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” co-star. “And ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has a lot of Chinese language and it talks about the Chinese heritage,...
“I’ve known her for more than 20 years, and that’s one of the reasons I’m here — to support her and share in a possible historical moment,” he says of his “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” co-star. “And ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has a lot of Chinese language and it talks about the Chinese heritage,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
With his presence in John Wick: Chapter 4, Donnie Yen is finally getting the English-language, international showcase he’s always deserved. Yen is a huge star in his motherland of China and is about to become a very bright draw for international audiences, finding himself new fans every time he’s seen in an American film. With this new one, he should no longer be “oh I know that guy from somewhere” and be quite well known as the badass that he is. To you get to know his work, here are ten of the best Donnie Yen movies (in no particular order):
Dragon (aka Wu Xia) (2011)
A big part of Yen’s career has been filled with period pieces in which martial arts have an important place (the Wuxia genre). Dragon is no different. Here, Yen plays a family man who is hiding a dark past, when this past catches up with him,...
Dragon (aka Wu Xia) (2011)
A big part of Yen’s career has been filled with period pieces in which martial arts have an important place (the Wuxia genre). Dragon is no different. Here, Yen plays a family man who is hiding a dark past, when this past catches up with him,...
- 3/25/2023
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
Now completed, “The Silence of Smoke” has been added to the FilMart sales lineup of Hong Kong studio Media Asia. The family drama film is directed by Takita Yojiro, who won the best foreign-language film Oscar in 2008/9 with “Departures.”
The film was first teased by Media Asia at an event at the market in 2019 with the film’s lead actors Han Geng, Zhang Guoli and actress Xu Qing in attendance.
The story is a heart-wrenching tale of a young cake-maker’s growth and discovery following his father’s death.
Although the man is the heir to eight generations of bakers, his cakes lack standout quality. When his father refuses to divulge the family secret, he instead moves into mass catering for movie crews. The father dies before he is able to pass on the secret ingredient and the man only comes to understand his father, his methods and motivation when...
The film was first teased by Media Asia at an event at the market in 2019 with the film’s lead actors Han Geng, Zhang Guoli and actress Xu Qing in attendance.
The story is a heart-wrenching tale of a young cake-maker’s growth and discovery following his father’s death.
Although the man is the heir to eight generations of bakers, his cakes lack standout quality. When his father refuses to divulge the family secret, he instead moves into mass catering for movie crews. The father dies before he is able to pass on the secret ingredient and the man only comes to understand his father, his methods and motivation when...
- 3/14/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Wong Fei-hung And The Criterion Treasure”
By Raymond Benson
What character in cinematic history has appeared in the most films? Our friend the Internet says that Sherlock Holmes holds the record, followed by Dracula. However, most people outside of Asia might not realize that possibly third on the list is a Chinese martial arts practitioner and physician named Wong Fei-hung, who was a real person who lived mostly in the Canton area from 1847-1925. Wong became a cultural folk hero in his native country, spawning literature, comics, television series, and many, many films.
Wong Fei-hung has been known in fictional settings as Huang Fei-hong, Huang Fei Hong, Wong Fei Hong, and in this recent series as Wong Fei-hung. The actor most associated with the character in China is Tak-Hing Kwan, who made over 75 films between the 1940s and 1980s. Kwan is to Wong Fei-hung as Sean Connery is to James Bond.
By Raymond Benson
What character in cinematic history has appeared in the most films? Our friend the Internet says that Sherlock Holmes holds the record, followed by Dracula. However, most people outside of Asia might not realize that possibly third on the list is a Chinese martial arts practitioner and physician named Wong Fei-hung, who was a real person who lived mostly in the Canton area from 1847-1925. Wong became a cultural folk hero in his native country, spawning literature, comics, television series, and many, many films.
Wong Fei-hung has been known in fictional settings as Huang Fei-hong, Huang Fei Hong, Wong Fei Hong, and in this recent series as Wong Fei-hung. The actor most associated with the character in China is Tak-Hing Kwan, who made over 75 films between the 1940s and 1980s. Kwan is to Wong Fei-hung as Sean Connery is to James Bond.
- 11/29/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
From time to time, I like to do features about my favorite top 10 movies for certain actors, and this time, it’s kung fu legend Jet Li. I hope you enjoy my top 10 list and remember, these are only my choices, everyone will have a different top 10.
10: Fong Sai Yuk (1993)
Director:Corey Yuen
Cast:Michelle Reis, Vincent Chiu, Josephine Siao, Peer Chan, Adam Cheng, Sibelle Hu
9: The Warlords (2007)
Director:Peter Chan
Cast:Andy Lau, Kaneshiro Takeshi
8: Kiss Of The Dragon (2001)
Director:Chris Nahon
Cast:Bridget Fonda, Sam Wong Shum
7: Once Upon A Time In China II (1993)
Director:Tsui Hark
Cast:Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Chiang, Hung Yan Yan, Max Mok
6: Last Hero In China (1993)
Director:Wong Jing
Cast:Gordon Liu, Leung Kar Yan, Nat Chan, Chung Fat
The article continues in the next...
10: Fong Sai Yuk (1993)
Director:Corey Yuen
Cast:Michelle Reis, Vincent Chiu, Josephine Siao, Peer Chan, Adam Cheng, Sibelle Hu
9: The Warlords (2007)
Director:Peter Chan
Cast:Andy Lau, Kaneshiro Takeshi
8: Kiss Of The Dragon (2001)
Director:Chris Nahon
Cast:Bridget Fonda, Sam Wong Shum
7: Once Upon A Time In China II (1993)
Director:Tsui Hark
Cast:Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan, David Chiang, Hung Yan Yan, Max Mok
6: Last Hero In China (1993)
Director:Wong Jing
Cast:Gordon Liu, Leung Kar Yan, Nat Chan, Chung Fat
The article continues in the next...
- 12/28/2020
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Search ‘Martial Arts Movies’ on Amazon Prime and you’ll get over a thousand results ranging from the classics to the campy, to the critically acclaimed. It’s an overwhelming library for the uninitiated and the mother lode for stalwart fans of the genre. There are so many gems buried in Amazon Prime that digging out the favorites is dirty challenging work but extremely rewarding.
When it comes to martial arts, Amazon Prime has a killer Kung Fu collection. The ‘80s were the ‘Golden Era’ of Kung Fu films when Hong Kong film studios cranked out films faster than any grindhouse ever. Many Hong Kong filmmakers put out up to half a dozen films a year, and most have hundreds of credits on IMDb. This glut of Kung Fu films spread to every Chinatown ghetto theater on the planet. And like with horror, American networks broadcasted late night Kung Fu...
When it comes to martial arts, Amazon Prime has a killer Kung Fu collection. The ‘80s were the ‘Golden Era’ of Kung Fu films when Hong Kong film studios cranked out films faster than any grindhouse ever. Many Hong Kong filmmakers put out up to half a dozen films a year, and most have hundreds of credits on IMDb. This glut of Kung Fu films spread to every Chinatown ghetto theater on the planet. And like with horror, American networks broadcasted late night Kung Fu...
- 9/14/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Action Star Donnie Yen (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action “Mulan,” an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
Yen will play Commander Tung in remake of 1998 Disney animated film.
Niki Caro is directing the film, which stars Chinese actress Liu Yifei in the title role. Jason Reed, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producing, and Bill Kong is executive producing.
Also Read: 'Mulan' Fans Thank Disney for Not Whitewashing Live-Action Movie by Casting of Chinese Star
Disney’s live-action version of the classic Disney tale comes on the heels of various revival projects like “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,” both of which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. “Beauty and the Beast” grossed $174.8 million its opening weekend alone. A remake of “The Lion King” is one of many upcoming live-action projects.
The animated “Mulan,” released in 1998, was based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. It grossed $304.3 million worldwide after earning $22.7 million its opening weekend.
Yen was the martial arts choreographer for 2000’s “Highlander: Endgame” and 2002’s “Blade II,” appearing in both of those films as an actor, as well. He also starred opposite Jackie Chan in 2003’s “Shanghai Knights.”
Also Read: Ex-Disney Star Joins White House Press Team
Yen made his movie debut in the 1984 Hong Kong film “Drunken Tai Chi” and came to wider attention with his portrayal of Nap-lan Yun-seut in 1992’s “Once Upon a Time in China II.” His international breakthrough came playing the title character in 2008’s “Ip Man,” based on Wing Chun grandmaster — and Bruce Lee’s teacher — Yip Man. He reprised that role in 2010’s “Ip Man 2” and last year’s “Ip Man 3,” where Yen starred opposite boxing legend Mike Tyson – and accidentally broke the champ’s finger during a fight scene.
Yen is repped by CAA, Bullet Films, and Bloom Hergott.
Read original story Donnie Yen Joins the Cast of Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ At TheWrap...
Yen will play Commander Tung in remake of 1998 Disney animated film.
Niki Caro is directing the film, which stars Chinese actress Liu Yifei in the title role. Jason Reed, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producing, and Bill Kong is executive producing.
Also Read: 'Mulan' Fans Thank Disney for Not Whitewashing Live-Action Movie by Casting of Chinese Star
Disney’s live-action version of the classic Disney tale comes on the heels of various revival projects like “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,” both of which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. “Beauty and the Beast” grossed $174.8 million its opening weekend alone. A remake of “The Lion King” is one of many upcoming live-action projects.
The animated “Mulan,” released in 1998, was based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook. It grossed $304.3 million worldwide after earning $22.7 million its opening weekend.
Yen was the martial arts choreographer for 2000’s “Highlander: Endgame” and 2002’s “Blade II,” appearing in both of those films as an actor, as well. He also starred opposite Jackie Chan in 2003’s “Shanghai Knights.”
Also Read: Ex-Disney Star Joins White House Press Team
Yen made his movie debut in the 1984 Hong Kong film “Drunken Tai Chi” and came to wider attention with his portrayal of Nap-lan Yun-seut in 1992’s “Once Upon a Time in China II.” His international breakthrough came playing the title character in 2008’s “Ip Man,” based on Wing Chun grandmaster — and Bruce Lee’s teacher — Yip Man. He reprised that role in 2010’s “Ip Man 2” and last year’s “Ip Man 3,” where Yen starred opposite boxing legend Mike Tyson – and accidentally broke the champ’s finger during a fight scene.
Yen is repped by CAA, Bullet Films, and Bloom Hergott.
Read original story Donnie Yen Joins the Cast of Disney’s Live-Action ‘Mulan’ At TheWrap...
- 4/11/2018
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
An anonymous contributor sent me a few screenshots from Kam & Ronson’s Blu-ray Disc release of Once Upon A Time in China 2.
The bad news: Looks like K&R once again didn’t have or use proper source material and only delivers an upscaled transfer!
The “good” news: They didn’t try to “improve” this sad fact by using digital filters that make the image look like failed Photoshop experiment and Jet Li fans can save some money by letting this release rot on the shelves…...
The bad news: Looks like K&R once again didn’t have or use proper source material and only delivers an upscaled transfer!
The “good” news: They didn’t try to “improve” this sad fact by using digital filters that make the image look like failed Photoshop experiment and Jet Li fans can save some money by letting this release rot on the shelves…...
- 12/13/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
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