People

 From Wu Jing's Blog, dated December 31, 2010:
 
 Since my first production, everyone has been calling me kungfu kid, but even till now, people still call me kungfu kid. All along, everyone within and without the entertainment circle has been telling me: you still lack a work, you still lack a chance. It happened that there was a slump in Hong Kong film industry after Tai Chi 2, I was approached by 7 scripts, but they weren't realised due to financial issues. It's 15 years already, yet, regrettably, I still do not have a something called a representative work. Continue reading "Being True to His Heart, Wu Jing Soldiers On to Do Liu Meng's Millitary TV Series"

Fan Siu Wong: I have just finished filming Wilson Yip's A Chinese Ghost Story, I'm doing 4 projects right now, two are movies, Tsui Hark's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and Soi Cheang's The Monkey King, and both 3D movies, so shooting them are more difficult. Because the demands are higher, when we shoot action films in the past, each shot could be shorter, but for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, they are after longer cuts, and because this is in 3D, the audience will see a sense of depth, this 3D feel is very palpable, if the cuts are too short, it would confound the eyes, cause vertigo, so, we have to do longer takes. The martial arts choreographer tells us that when we fight, we must consider the depth of field too, like the sword, if we put it closer to the camera, the audience would feel as if the sword is right in front of them.

Continue reading "Fan Siu Wong Interview: From Early Days to More Recent Works, including Flying Swords of Dragon Gate"

 He's the knight-errant possessing unique skills in Gao Qunshu's Wind Blast, he's the mutant hunter in Benny Chan's City Under Siege, while in Shaolin, he has turned into a warrior monk. No matter where he goes, Wu Jing has never left behind the words "kung fu", yet this status also confines his acting career within certain shackles.
 
 On the last day of October, when Wu Jing, travelling with director Gao Qun Shu to promote Wind Blast, on the one hand remarked how he's not used to life in the entertainment circle, on the other hand, fielded all kinds of interviews and questions thrown at him with ease and aplomb. Continue reading "Wu Jing's Helplessness on Doing Hong Kong Movies"

 Among those martial arts stars/directors in the entertainment industry that are from Guangxi, perhaps the most famous is Xiong Xin Xin. Yet, few know of 谭俏 Tan Qiao, who also hails from Guangxi - or more specifically, Guilin. While the name Tan Qiao may not ring a bell to most people, he ranks alongside the foremost kickers and martial arts choreographers ever to grace the silverscreen. Continue reading "Tan Qiao: Fighting from Guangxi to Hollywood"

From Wu Jing's February 26, 2010 blog entry:

To experience life in Shaolin
To be better immersed in character
With the intention of paying respect to Shaolin
Staying for seven days in Shaolin Temple to practise Zen

Whether it is practising martial arts, meditating, filming, calligraphy
Tea appreciation, discussing Tao, doing business, or falling in love
They are but a voyage of self-discovery, the process of illuminating, perfecting oneself
To boost one's own confidence, calmly facing trials and tribulations in life

Buddha - an enlightened being

 

With True Legend's release date drawing nearer, more and more videos and stills from the film are surfacing. The gala premiere will be held in Beijing on January 31, possibly attended by some Hollywood personages. In addition, True Legend, as well as Little Big Soldier, will get a special screening at 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February.

Continue reading "True Legend: More Images, Footages, and Yet More Yuen Wo Ping Pep Talk"

 With his rising popularity and big sellouts of his films, Donnie Yen is fast becoming one of the top earners in the industry, commanding up to 20m yuan per film this year, after Jackie Chan (30m yuan), Jet Li (25m yuan) and Chow Yun Fatt (25m yuan). Hailed as the new King of Kung Fu, he is getting even more offers this year, running the gamut from historical epic  on 《关云长》 General Guan Yun Chang by Felix Chong and Alan Mak, through comic book adaptation 《中华英雄》 A Man Called Hero remake, to mythological feature 《大闹天宫》 Monkey King. Continue reading "Donnie Yen Seeks Quantum Leaps for Each Film He Does"

A 3D montage from True Legend whereby Zhao Wen Zhuo challenges his imagined opponent in order to elevate his martial arts skill was shown for the first time at a press conference in Beijing on December 20, attended by director Yuen Wo Ping, the cast Zhou Xun, Jiang Lu Xia and Will Liu. Post-production took over 10 months in order to create the fight scenes in 3D, done painstakingly layer by layer, frame by frame by Menfond Electronic Art and over 100 digital artists. Yuen Wo Ping says that to shoot the 3D action scenes, two cameras had to be set up, and he tried to devise moves that aren't too fanciful, such that the action could be seen distinctly, for maximum 3D visual impact.

Continue reading "True Legend in 3D - Partially"

 As the martial arts director for Wong Kar Wai's The Great Master, what do you think of Ip Man trend?
 Yuen Wo Ping: It might bring back the kungfu film wave, when there are so many Ip Man related films. Actually, the first was Wong Kar Wai, he talked about it for years, but only started shooting now. They have already finished filming Ip Man 2, yet he hadn't even started. I have to hand it to him, such patience, taking such a long time to do the preparation. I don't dawdle, dawdling grinds people to death. Continue reading "Yuen Wo Ping on Ip Man Trend and Those He Has Worked With"

Most remembered by Hong Kong movie fans for his part as Smith in Yuen Woo Ping’s Tai Chi 2, Darren Shahlavi is a man of talent who has worked all over the world. But it’s from Asia, especially in Hong Kong, where this impressive martial artist started it all. During a couple of years, he did it all in the pearl of Asia, from extra parts to supporting actor and even bodyguard! As part of our series on Gweilos, Shahlavi has agreed to talk about all that and some of his more recent works in the West  HK Cinemagic >>More<<

--  Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --
Li Yuan is playing one of the 8 main Shaolin monks in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert. He's also the most highly skilled among the 8, and is especially proficient in unarmed combat.

Li Yuan says, "The 2nd senior I'm playing is very similar to the first, but he's more determined, and also a bit more affectionate. To me, it's not merely a roundup of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu trilogy, but also my comprehension of the character after four years of filming, as well as a summing up of my understanding of kungfu productions.

Continue reading "Li Yuan, the Most Powerful Shaolin Disciple in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"