shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 10, 2015 21:26:36 GMT -5
So I'm trying to sort out all the major sub-genres of martial arts, as I'd like to sample them all this month.
Here's what I've got:
Samurai
Wuxie
Shaolin
Modern-day kung fu
Am I missing anything?
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 10, 2015 23:12:18 GMT -5
Are there enough Three Kingdoms era movies/shows for it to be it's own genre? (sorta like 'Arthurian' in the west)
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 10, 2015 23:59:24 GMT -5
Watched my first ever Kung fu film tonight, and, thanks to the never wavering advice of thwhtguardian, it was The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)I think I like it better than he did. The film-making was superb, acting was vibrant, even the English overdubs were incredibly well cast and delivered, and (of course) the kung fu itself was top notch. But what made the film the most special to me was the story itself, which focused more on the training in an idealized version of Shaolin than anything else. Here we're given the wondrous fairytale idea that, if you want something badly enough, you can always achieve it in little time at all and be the best there ever was at it, and also that there will be sagely guides there waiting to bestow validation upon you. It's Harry Potter meets Kung Fu, but man is it enticing, flooding your heart with all that feel-good movie magic that so rarely comes off genuinely in cinema. It does here. REALLY enjoyed this one.  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 12, 2015 14:12:31 GMT -5
This is the one that started it for me, Fists of the White Lotus!  I saw this as a kid one rainy Saturday afternoon on I think WB56, after the cartoons were over they'd show B-movies and among the many showings of Godzilla flicks my young mind was exposed to this Kung Fu classic. This was the first for me, I didn't know that the revenge plot was a tired cliche or who the heck Pai Mei was so I fell in love with it on an unadulterated level in the way that only children can. It's full of fake blood inexplicably spilling out of people's mouths, corny dialogue like "you'll die slowly after my hundred pace punch!" and it ends abruptly with out any of the other issues solved out side the death of Pai Mei (as do the previous films)...but the energy is great, the fights are fantastic and as an adult I really enjoyed the fact that the female characters weren't just well developed but kicked as much ass as their male counter parts which in an action film would still be considered progressive to this day never mind 30 years ago. Of the films I've seen so far I still think the 36th Chamber of Shaolin is the best but it was fun to see that a beloved film from my childhood still stood up on its own. Wow. Watched the opening credit fight, and that was enough for me! Several lists on the internet place this in the top 5 Kung Fu films of all time, but I guess you had to grow up with it  |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Apr 12, 2015 19:03:17 GMT -5
Drunken Master (1978) A film that absolutely refuses to take itself seriously, playing every moment for outrageous laughs, while the actors' dedication to Kung Fu, itself, couldn't be more serious. It's an exhilarating combination of two of mankind's most basic entertainment needs: mind-bendingly sick action and belly laugh-inducing comedy. I think Shakespeare would be awed at how well the two are blended here. The film itself stars a young Jackie Chan who, while most Kung Fu films teach discipline and seriousness, could not be more of a punk and a clown. He literally flips off his opponents, farts on them and sometimes even finishes them with wrestling moves. He lives in a village in which, it seems, absolutely every resident is a practitioner of Kung Fu -- even random older women he offends in the marketplace.  But the real fun of the story comes when the protagonist learns the art of Drunken Kung Fu, a style of fighting that requires you to be drunk so that, essentially, the main character ends up treating wine the same way Popeye does spinach. Ridiculous laughs, outrageously brilliant Kung Fu, a highly endearing protagonist, and really nothing else. Most fun I've had all weekend.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 14, 2015 19:29:59 GMT -5
So I'm trying to sort out all the major sub-genres of martial arts, as I'd like to sample them all this month. Here's what I've got: Samurai Wuxie Shaolin Modern-day kung fu Am I missing anything? I'd add kun-fu comedy to the list. Watched my first ever Kung fu film tonight, and, thanks to the never wavering advice of thwhtguardian, it was The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)I think I like it better than he did. The film-making was superb, acting was vibrant, even the English overdubs were incredibly well cast and delivered, and (of course) the kung fu itself was top notch. But what made the film the most special to me was the story itself, which focused more on the training in an idealized version of Shaolin than anything else. Here we're given the wondrous fairytale idea that, if you want something badly enough, you can always achieve it in little time at all and be the best there ever was at it, and also that there will be sagely guides there waiting to bestow validation upon you. It's Harry Potter meets Kung Fu, but man is it enticing, flooding your heart with all that feel-good movie magic that so rarely comes off genuinely in cinema. It does here. REALLY enjoyed this one. This is definitely one of my favorites, the training montage is probably the big highlight but I also liked the knowing smile on the head masters face when he "punished" the student and sent him out into the world to earn his forgiveness after he proposed the 36th school. This is the one that started it for me, Fists of the White Lotus! I saw this as a kid one rainy Saturday afternoon on I think WB56, after the cartoons were over they'd show B-movies and among the many showings of Godzilla flicks my young mind was exposed to this Kung Fu classic. This was the first for me, I didn't know that the revenge plot was a tired cliche or who the heck Pai Mei was so I fell in love with it on an unadulterated level in the way that only children can. It's full of fake blood inexplicably spilling out of people's mouths, corny dialogue like "you'll die slowly after my hundred pace punch!" and it ends abruptly with out any of the other issues solved out side the death of Pai Mei (as do the previous films)...but the energy is great, the fights are fantastic and as an adult I really enjoyed the fact that the female characters weren't just well developed but kicked as much ass as their male counter parts which in an action film would still be considered progressive to this day never mind 30 years ago. Of the films I've seen so far I still think the 36th Chamber of Shaolin is the best but it was fun to see that a beloved film from my childhood still stood up on its own. Wow. Watched the opening credit fight, and that was enough for me! Several lists on the internet place this in the top 5 Kung Fu films of all time, but I guess you had to grow up with it Ha, yeah, it's definitely in the awesomely bad categories but the structure of the film is pretty good if you can get beyond he over the op action. |
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Post by coke & comics on Apr 16, 2015 0:54:20 GMT -5
Watched Yojimbo last night. I was loving it in the beginning, but got a bit bored by the end. At first it seemed to have a great rhythm going, which I thought got lost.
I have vol. 1 of the Samurai Trilogy to watch soon.
Netflix does not have the first Zatoichi film. How much harm is there in skipping to the second film? Or is there an even better place to start? I am also considering Hidden Fortess and Sanjuro, plus the rest of the Samurai Trilogy to add to the queue.
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Post by coke & comics on Apr 16, 2015 0:55:59 GMT -5
Becoming more familiar with samurai films will only help improve the quality of my reviews when I return to the Usagi review thread.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 16, 2015 10:30:26 GMT -5
Watched Yojimbo last night. I was loving it in the beginning, but got a bit bored by the end. At first it seemed to have a great rhythm going, which I thought got lost. I have vol. 1 of the Samurai Trilogy to watch soon. Netflix does not have the first Zatoichi film. How much harm is there in skipping to the second film? Or is there an even better place to start? I am also considering Hidden Fortess and Sanjuro, plus the rest of the Samurai Trilogy to add to the queue. Knowing George Lucas borrowed some elements from Hidden Fortress has always made me want to track it down, maybe the local used DVD place will have it. |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Apr 16, 2015 15:10:29 GMT -5
Watched Yojimbo last night. I was loving it in the beginning, but got a bit bored by the end. At first it seemed to have a great rhythm going, which I thought got lost. I agree. There's a sequel, too: Sanjuro. No harm at all. There's no continuity across films, as I understand it. They just recycle the premise into a new adventure. |
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Post by coke & comics on Apr 22, 2015 4:09:20 GMT -5
No harm at all. There's no continuity across films, as I understand it. They just recycle the premise into a new adventure. This was incorrect, it turns out. There is continuity. The second film features Zatoichi returning to the town of the first movie to pay respects to the samurai he had fought and killed there, and reunites him with a potential love interest from the first film who lives in the town. I definitely should have started with the first film. But Netflix didn't have it. It does seem to be on youtube, so I will try to watch that. |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Apr 22, 2015 5:22:20 GMT -5
No harm at all. There's no continuity across films, as I understand it. They just recycle the premise into a new adventure. This was incorrect, it turns out. There is continuity. The second film features Zatoichi returning to the town of the first movie to pay respects to the samurai he had fought and killed there, and reunites him with a potential love interest from the first film who lives in the town. I definitely should have started with the first film. But Netflix didn't have it. It does seem to be on youtube, so I will try to watch that. Sorry to have misguided you! |
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Post by cromagnonman on Apr 22, 2015 11:09:00 GMT -5
Whoops. Havnt managed to watch ANY martial arts since I last posted. My brain is still in Anime mode. I Shouldve picked Anime again !
Will try to watch something tonight or tomorrow. WORLD OF DRUNKEN MASTER I think is to hand. |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2015 4:38:06 GMT -5
Well, it was a quick month, but it's over! Please make sure your tallies are up to date by the end of today. If you were late to the party and do not have a post at the top of the thread listing what you've watched this month, make a final tally as a reply to this thread. That way we can see what you've watched and also pick a winner for the month.
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Post by thwhtguardian on May 1, 2015 18:47:52 GMT -5
Eight was it for me, I wanted to round out my list with a Jackie Chan film, a Bruce Lee film and Kung Fu Panda but time just got away from me. If it ends up with you and I in a a tie Shax I bow out to you as Kung Fu was one I had planned on doing and haven't come up with a replacement.
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