Post by rjxsapri® on Mar 15, 2005 12:11:08 GMT -5
This movie looks pretty interesting and funny, I'm definetely going to see it!!! I hope it's as good or better than Shaolin Soccer... ;D
Here's a review by Andrew Sun of the Hollywood reporter:
With a delirious mix of the sublime and the silly, Hong Kong comedy king Stephen Chow Sing-chi has taken the kung fu comedy genre to new heights of chop-socky hilarity. The cult clown prince, whose last hit, "Shaolin Soccer," was picked up internationally by Miramax, now returns with a bold tour-de-force titled "Kung Fu Hustle," which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In his new film, Chow combines "Matrix"-style effects, Yuen Wo-ping-choreographed fights and his own scatological slapstick for a wildly broad piece of entertainment that is more accomplished than it would seem. Not only is "Kung Fu Hustle" funny, it is action packed, moves like a bullet train and, most surprisingly, is beautifully shot and edited. Given that Sony Pictures is a major funder, this could finally be the vehicle to break out Chow worldwide.
The story centers on an ax-carrying gang terrorizing the lowly inhabitants of a tenement called Pig's Sty Alley. When a trio of locals with kung fu expertise fights back, the gang resorts to hiring more lethal martial arts mercenaries in an escalating battle that, frankly, defies all logic and sense. But as anyone in-tune with Hong Kong pop culture knows, ridiculous turns of plot is nothing new.
What makes this opus so invigorating is Chow's embrace not only of traditional Shaw brothers' kung fu conventions, but the way he masterfully reworks and throws back at us all the recent Hong Kong-influenced hits. "Kung Fu Hustle" is downright postmodern in its clever spin on bits of "Kill Bill," "The Matrix" and "Spider-Man." There is romance, slapstick, horror, action, a Roadrunner-style chase and more people getting whacked on the head than an all-night festival of "Three Stooges."
If we've learned anything from a pastiche retro expert like Quentin Tarantino in the past year, it's that these days anything goes, which explains a triad boss with a cowboy hat and dancing gangsters in the film's opening.
Then, there's Chow's use of computer effects. While everyone else tries to make the CG look realistic, he goes bonkers with over-the-top kicks, punches and other maneuvers that are so unreal, they are downright cartoonish. The final out-of-the-world showdown makes mincemeat of the vertiginous Neo/Mr. Smith fight in "The Matrix: Revolutions." True Hong Kong film geeks will surely get a kick from various old-time stars recruited for supporting roles, including Yuen Qiu, who was a Bond girl in "The Man With a Golden Gun," and is marvelous here as a female dogy landlady with the lion's roar in her voice.
If there's any fault to be found, it's that Chow actually turns too much of the movie over to Yuen Wo-ping, as well as Sammo Hung who provides additional action choreography (what did I say about over the top). As spectacular as the fights and effects appear, Chow's jokes in the film's first half are laugh-out-loud funny. By the end, it seems Stephen Chow's desire to emulate his idol Bruce Lee is stronger than his interest in crafting some more good gags.
But that's splitting hairs. "Kung Fu Hustle" is set to be a new Hong Kong irreverent classic. By the way, keep an eye out for Yuen Wo-ping's cameo as a beggar at the end.
Here's a review by Andrew Sun of the Hollywood reporter:
With a delirious mix of the sublime and the silly, Hong Kong comedy king Stephen Chow Sing-chi has taken the kung fu comedy genre to new heights of chop-socky hilarity. The cult clown prince, whose last hit, "Shaolin Soccer," was picked up internationally by Miramax, now returns with a bold tour-de-force titled "Kung Fu Hustle," which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In his new film, Chow combines "Matrix"-style effects, Yuen Wo-ping-choreographed fights and his own scatological slapstick for a wildly broad piece of entertainment that is more accomplished than it would seem. Not only is "Kung Fu Hustle" funny, it is action packed, moves like a bullet train and, most surprisingly, is beautifully shot and edited. Given that Sony Pictures is a major funder, this could finally be the vehicle to break out Chow worldwide.
The story centers on an ax-carrying gang terrorizing the lowly inhabitants of a tenement called Pig's Sty Alley. When a trio of locals with kung fu expertise fights back, the gang resorts to hiring more lethal martial arts mercenaries in an escalating battle that, frankly, defies all logic and sense. But as anyone in-tune with Hong Kong pop culture knows, ridiculous turns of plot is nothing new.
What makes this opus so invigorating is Chow's embrace not only of traditional Shaw brothers' kung fu conventions, but the way he masterfully reworks and throws back at us all the recent Hong Kong-influenced hits. "Kung Fu Hustle" is downright postmodern in its clever spin on bits of "Kill Bill," "The Matrix" and "Spider-Man." There is romance, slapstick, horror, action, a Roadrunner-style chase and more people getting whacked on the head than an all-night festival of "Three Stooges."
If we've learned anything from a pastiche retro expert like Quentin Tarantino in the past year, it's that these days anything goes, which explains a triad boss with a cowboy hat and dancing gangsters in the film's opening.
Then, there's Chow's use of computer effects. While everyone else tries to make the CG look realistic, he goes bonkers with over-the-top kicks, punches and other maneuvers that are so unreal, they are downright cartoonish. The final out-of-the-world showdown makes mincemeat of the vertiginous Neo/Mr. Smith fight in "The Matrix: Revolutions." True Hong Kong film geeks will surely get a kick from various old-time stars recruited for supporting roles, including Yuen Qiu, who was a Bond girl in "The Man With a Golden Gun," and is marvelous here as a female dogy landlady with the lion's roar in her voice.
If there's any fault to be found, it's that Chow actually turns too much of the movie over to Yuen Wo-ping, as well as Sammo Hung who provides additional action choreography (what did I say about over the top). As spectacular as the fights and effects appear, Chow's jokes in the film's first half are laugh-out-loud funny. By the end, it seems Stephen Chow's desire to emulate his idol Bruce Lee is stronger than his interest in crafting some more good gags.
But that's splitting hairs. "Kung Fu Hustle" is set to be a new Hong Kong irreverent classic. By the way, keep an eye out for Yuen Wo-ping's cameo as a beggar at the end.