Justin Lin's "Finishing the Game"

About a year ago I started to read about a rumor that Justin Lin, director of movies such as Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis, and Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, has started a pet film project about a fictional account of making of “Game of Death”. For those who are not familiar with this 1978 film, it was a truly atrocious attempt to exploit Bruce Lee’s posthumous popularity by using a few minutes of his fight footages he filmed prior to his death 5 years earlier and adding new footages with various stunt doubles and outtakes from his previous films.

This rumor actually became the film that was released recently in select US theaters as “Finishing the Game”, a mock documentary style film released through IFC Films, starring Sung Kang (BLT, The Motel, FATF: Tokyo Drift), Roger Fan (Annapolis), and Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street). Even though the film is not due to hit the theaters in Seattle until November 2007, I was able to see the film through IFC’s OnDemand release via Comcast Cable. I had a high expectation for this film, and maybe because of it, Finishing the Game (FTG) is a bit of a disappointment. Ultimately the premise, (a failed attempt to find the “next” Bruce Lee to stand-in for Game of Death), while promising probably was not a deep enough one to sustain a feature film. Throughout the film, I waited patiently to either be a provocative commentary on the plight of Asian/Asian Americans in cinema (past or present), or a laugh out loud funny comedy. And even though there were glimpses of both, I was left feeling unsatisfied in either cases.

The three actors I mentioned were all excellent. I was pleasantly surprised at Mr. Nguyen’s performance, playing an actor tired of rehashing the stereotypical Asian roles. Maybe his own personal experience dealing with Hollywood? And I always enjoy Mr. Kang’s acting. He would already be a huge star if he were anything but an Asian American. Who knows? He might just be the one to finally break through that Hollywood “glass ceiling” that Asian American actors seem to run into time and time again. Roger Fan’s character (Breeze Loo) was essentially a caricature of Brucee Lee knock-offs that was prevalent during the 70’s.

So, is “Finishing the Game” worth viewing? For me, it’s an absolute YES. Until there are abundant choices in cinema catering to Asian American audience… correction…. In order to create a demand for Asian American themed films, I believe we as audience have to support films such as this. This may not be a great film, but it’s certainly worth supporting. Justin Lin’s success would only help open doors for other Asian American directors and hopefully would lead to more diverse storytelling about people like myself.

Hopefully, there would be a time when movies made by Asian Americans starring Asian Americans about Asian Americans would no longer be a cause for celebration and write-ups. Until then, go watch (or order On Demand) Finishing the Game!

Tony Jaa: the next Jackie Chan?

Watching Tony Jaa in films such as Ong Bok and Tom Yum Goong is like watching Elvis in many of his movies: that is, as Elvis' films were nothing more than excuses to showcase his singing, Tony Jaa's films so far have been nothing more than a display of his incredible acrobatic talent and his muy thai proficiencies. So, whenever he's not fighting, his films get incredibly tedious to watch...at least until the next fight scene. Ok, so, he's no different than Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee or Jet Li or other martial artists in that regards.

Will he become the next big thing (action star wise) coming from Asia? That remains to be seen, of course. He is certainly fun to watch and in the midst of CGI and wire-fu stunts all around us Tony Jaa's incredible agility is refreshing and eye-popping.

Here's hoping his next movie isn't another Ong Bok rehashed like Tom Yum Goong was.

EUReKA: SciFi Channel Original Series

One of highly anticipated scifi channel original series EUReKA premiered last week with a 2 hour pilot. The series follows a small town made up almost entirely of geniuses working on government programs to make our lives better. For reasons I cannot say, the main character, Jack Carter, a US Marshall becomes the new Sheriff in town by end of the pilot. Overall, a wonderful concept and a worthy addition to a solid lineup of scifi originals that the channel currently shows. For the scifi geeks...myself unfortunately included...this is a show not to be missed. EUReKA airs Tuesdays on SciFi Channel.

Jet Li's "Fearless"

The latest, and perhaps the last, old-fashioned martial arts epic starring Jet Li is set to open in theaters in the US August 4, 2006.  Elsewhere (especially in Asia) it opened earlier this year.

from the official Website:

this is the story of Huo YuanJia - A fighter, who represents Chinese martial arts to a nation; A man, who fought his way out of darkness and into history.

from IMDB:

Superstar Jet Li headlines this action-packed film, his final martial arts epic. The film reteams him with producer Bill Kong ("Hero") and action director and choreographer Yuen Wo Ping ("Unleashed"). Li plays real-life martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became the most famous fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced incredible personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness and into history, forever defining himself at a tournament for the honor of his country and the true spirit of martial arts.

I watched Fearless few months ago via DVD from Asia.  My sentiment? WOW! This is not to be missed!

Jet is at his element in this genre, and if this is to be his last martial arts film as he is quoted, then by golly this is a good way to close that chapter of his film career.

What's interesting is that there's a transformation that happens in the middle of the film. Until that point, you as an audience are not all that keen on Jet's character. He wins...a lot...yet he is very, very arrogant, not likeable. He does this to perfection. I found myself wishing he'd lose (amazing...).

But, of course, he is very much heroic in the end.

Interesting note that while this character is supposed to be the one Bruce Lee mourns death of in the beginning of Chinese Connection (aka "Fist of Fury" in Asia), and as many of you know the film was unflattering and somewhat (ok..very) anti-Japanese. Not this one. Lone Japanese fighter at the end....ok I'm stopping now...watch the film... :)

Strongly, strongly recommended! Authentic Asian DVDs do not have English subtitles. However, there are numerous eBay sells that do have them. Or, you can go the divx route with the English subtitles until the movie comes out in theater. Gotta see him in theater. August 4th! Can't wait!

Jackie Chan's Greatest Hits: Hong Kong Style

As I have done in the past on other blogs that I started, I would like to begin my blogspot journey with a repost of an old Jackie Chan post I wrote a while back (1995 I believe).

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Jackie Chan's Greatest Hits: Hong Kong Style

One thing I learned over the years is that no two persons' opinions are alike. This being said, understand that these are MY observations and evaluations of Jackie Chan's films. Of course you are entitled to your opinions which I'm sure are somewhat different then mine. I would be more than happy to hear from you if you have any comments in regards to my site. In retrospect, I probably enjoyed Jackie Chan's movies more when I was an adolescent. However, his films still can carry my interest for the most part. You will undoubtedly see what I mean as you read on to my reviews and comments. So, what is his greatest film? That...I cannot tell you here. You may drop me a line, and I *might* tell ya :) **updated**: by the way, these do not include any films he made in the US.

Top 5 Contenders

I. Drunken Master II

From the start of this movie to the exciting climax, it's a very entertaining "Kung Fu" movie: No guns, no car chase scenes, no dangerous stunt involving jumping buildings (although he has his share of craziness...more on that later), and get this, his name is NOT Jackie in the film. Rather he plays young (? Isn't he over 40? Oh well...) Wong Fei Hong who is on his way back home with his father after a trip to the city. The plot (well, no Jackie Chan film ever has a solid plot, and this film I'm afraid is no exception) involves Fei Hong (Jackie) mistakenly grabbing a wrong yellow pouch which contains Emperor's seal instead of his pouch of gin seng for his father's patient. From there on he showcases his brilliant martial arts ability, proving that he still has the grace and the ability to out kung fu some of the newer stars of this genre (i.e. Jet Li). Craziness? Well, there's Jackie falling butt first to a charcoal pit (Why? Don't ask.) Then there's Jackie drinking what looks like an industrial alcohol (For real! Can that be possibly good for his stomach???) Of course one must not forget Jackie dangling naked from a post. You have to give him the credit for still coming up with these bizarre stunts. This he definitely has no equal.

This is a must see Jackie Chan film. His best? It is so far in the 90's.

II. Project A

Project A is one of the first Jackie Chan movie to feature him in a semi-modern world; an action movie, not just a kung fu flick. Although the film has many exciting fight scenes, it's also the first Jackie Chan film to showcase his stunts (different angles, slow motions... almost like a documentary). His fall from the face of the clock tower through two awning to land on the ground is legendary. The chase scene in which he rides a bicycle through the narrow Hong Kong back alleys demonstrates his acrobatic skill at its finest. Of course, one must not forget the other characters in the movie: the ever so chunky Sammo Hung (who recently directed Jackie's "Mr. Nice Guy" last year and starring a new show for CBS titled "Martial Law") and very acrobatic Yuen Biao (remember him in "Once Upon a Time in China"?). The chemistry between the three of them is as always spectacular. Very entertaining movie, although at times confusing mainly due to the poor subtitles and the poor quality of my video tape (If you understand Cantonese, the former probably is not a problem for you). If you were lucky enough to have seen this film letter boxed or in theater, I'm very jealous of you.

Great film. Very original. This may or may not be true, but I believe this is a first Jackie Chan film to feature his singing talent(?) in the soundtrack.

III. Armour of Gods

If nothing else, this film demonstrated that Jackie Chan is not a superman. While filming this movie he suffered a near fatal injury to the head while jumping from the top of a wall to a nearby tree, falling almost 20 feet from the top of the tree. On a brighter note, it's also the only modern day Jackie Chan movie to feature him with a short hair do. Filmed on location in Europe, Jackie Chan is a Chinese Indiana Jones looking for a fabled armour of gods. The usual combination of humor, fighting, and stunts are pumped up high in this film. His fight scene with the Amazon type of women are, well, seen to be believed. A great action flick.

IV. Rumble in the Bronx

This is not his best movie. Some critics may even say that it's not even one of his ten best. Yet I place this film on my list because of its impact in the United States in 1996, paving the way for his tremendous success this year with Rush Hour. Opening number one in the box office, Jackie showed with the "Rumble" that he can succeed in the United States as well as everywhere else in the world. Something no other of his movies could do. His dubbing in the US version? Well, I saw the original version before seeing the New Line Cinema's revamped juiced up dubbed version, and honestly, I liked the new version better. Much better sound mixing and editing.

V. Wheels on Meals

One of the funniest Jackie Chan movie ever made, it has Jackie on a skateboard, car chases, and a very realistic fight scene at the end with an American kick boxer Benny Urquidez. A perfect blend of slapstick comedy and martial arts. It even has Jackie being romantically involved with a Spanish girl. Like Project A he costars with Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung. It used to be a very hard to find video, but I believe it has been re-released by Tai Seng video.

Best of the Rest

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - First Jacky (y not ie) Chan movie to be a major hit. This is my first Jackie Chan film. I was in 4th grade in Asia when I saw this film in theater. 15 years later I saw this film again and although the quality of the film cannot come close to his current movies, it still carries Jackie's undeniable charm.

Drunken Master - A sequel (sort of) to Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. A breakthrough film for him. He single-handedly brought in the "Drunken Boxing Craze" in the seventies in Asia. Many so called martial arts experts at that time hissed at this unorthodox and questionable account of Wong Fei Hong. Essentially, this film is a total rehash of the aforementioned Snake in the Eagle's Shadow with better looking kung fu technique. While not exactly an original story, it was wildly successful in Asia and made Jackie Chan a household name among movie goers in Asia.

Project A Part II - A very good sequel, this time Jackie is no longer a coast guard but a cop. Also no longer in the film are his buddies Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung. He purposefully recreates many stunts that Buster Keaton did in the silent era. Very entertaining movie. A bit too much slapstick is my only criticism of this movie. Unfortunately, Jackie seem to thrive on the slapsticks even today, although the major difference between the new US releases of his movies (Rumble, Supercop, First Strike) versus the original versions are that the US editors yank out many of his slapsticks of non-fighting nature. Thank goodness.

Police Story - Let me see. Jackie is....dragged by a bus, driving through (literally) a shanty village, thrown from two story high to crash through a makeshift cottage, using his head to break a glass window, sliding down a pole covered with light decoration, almost run over by a bus.... doing his normal (!) stunts to please his fans. The ultimate Jackie Chan stunt movie.

Young Master - First of his movie to portray fighting in more realistic way, it has one of the longest fight scene I've ever seen (approx. 18 minutes at the end.) Drunken Master II was not the first time he fought with someone who uses his feet like his hands.

Dragons Forever- Jackie a lawyer? Great collection of bad guys. 90 plus minutes of non-stop fighting. Again, a bit too much slapstick to take this film too seriously.

Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (aka The Miracle)- This one actually had a good story. Great usage of the widescreen movie format. Do not watch this movie in a pan/scan version.

Supercop (aka Police Story III) - So so ending but Michelle Khan (Yeoh) is spectacular as his partner/sidekick in this third installment of the popular Police Story series. Jackie's first synch-sound movie in Hong Kong.

Jackie Chan's First Strike (aka Police Story IV)- Jackie as James Bond fighting sharks. I have not seen the US version, but many people that I've spoken to complained that the movie was too short. I have seen the 2 hour version so naturally I have to assume the US version is half the movie as the original. That's not necessarily bad, although cutting it down to 1 hour is a bit too much editing. One real fight in the middle of the movie. Not exactly satisfying for Jackie Chan kung fu movie fan. I thought overall a good, clean entertainment. Too bad, though. I was hoping this one would be a more engaging movie, rather than yet another variation of same old story.

Mr. Nice Guy - Wok with Jackie? A nice guy in a not so nice situation. Shot almost entirely in English in Australia. Once again, Jackie juggles three women (remember Operation Condor?) Don't let the title of the movie fool you, the movie is not as happy go lucky as the title might suggest. Definitely more a drama than a comedy, the movie has enough kicks and elaborate stunts to keep you satisfied. Once again, the same old story (uh, rather no story - 90 minutes of Jackie running away from thugs who wants a videotape that Jackie inadvertently possessed) without much brain. Definitely I'm expecting too much from his movies, but I guess I believe his new movies have to be in order to be something more than a Chinese Van Damme. Still, a definite must for all Jackie Chan fans.

Who Am I? - First thing I noticed was the movie's production value. It was marvelously filmed on location in Africa and Europe, and he actually utilized some CGI into this movie, consistent with what he's been stating in his interviews last year that he was very much interested in the technology involved in some of Hollywood's biggest movies, such as Lost World and Independence Day. While much smaller scale than those films, he nevertheless uses the technology on several occasions in the movie.

What about the action? You ask. Drunken Master II, this movie isn't. This is NOT a Kung Fu movie. Then again, many of his recent movies weren't. Mr. Nice Guy probably had more fight scenes (quantity wise) than Who Am I. However, his fight at the end against an Asian and a high kicking white dude (Ron Smoorenburg is his name. He was simply awesome!) is first rate! Most of his modern day action movies do not have him fighting against another with similar skills. Instead, his fight scenes usually involve many bad dies and lots of furniture (actually, this movie too has its share of such fight scenes). The last modern Jackie Chan movie with this type of fight scene at the end probably was City Hunter with Richard Norton, which probably explains why he chose not to have an extended fight scene with him in Mr. Nice Guy, for those of you who have been complaining in regards to that issue. Oops, I digress.

Acting? Many folks at the wonderful al.asian-movies news group site have been complaining about what horrible actors/actresses this movie has. You know what? I have to completely AGREE! Awful? that word would be a complement to their non-existent skill. The Japanese girl was extremely awful! The cardboard CIA men? They were bad too. Let me put it this way. Compare to them, Richard Norton in Mr. Nice Guy was a Shakespherian.

Conclusion? Well, the action sequences and the fight scenes were excellent. Acting was horrible, which is a shame because I thought the story line had a great potential.

Other Recommendations.....

Police Story II, Thunderbolt, Armour of Gods II: Operation Condor, City Hunter, Crime Story, Twin Dragons, and other modern Jackie Chan movies made in the eighties - All OK Jackie Chan films. Same formula, same humor, same stunts, same ending. Only exception: Crime Story, which was a drama rather than a comedy.

There is a reason why no one in Asia other than the adolescent filmgoers take his movies seriously. He is probably in the same league in Asia as Arnold in the US: people flock to see his movies to see him and his stunts, not the movie as a whole. If he doesn't want to become just another action movie star in the US (Jean Claude, Chuck Norris, etc.) his movie must strike a cord among filmgoers. Rumble in the Bronx was a hit in the US not because of its substance but because of its timing. Supercop and First Strike were better films, but were not successful, unfortunately again because of the timing of release and the fact that Jackie is no longer a fresh in the action genre. And the recent release of Operation Condor (Finished 8th in its first week of release in the United States behind George of the Jungle and Nothing to Lose) only justifies my belief in the need of a bigger better vehicle to surpass the success of Rumble in the Bronx, not another dubbed release of his older movies.

No more pretenders please, Jackie.

Must Avoid

First, The List:

Dragon Fist
Eagle Shadow Fist
Fantasy Mission Force
Fearless Hyena Part II, The
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu
New Fist of Fury
Shaolin Wooden Men
Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin
Spiritual Kung Fu
To Kill with Intrigue
Island of Fire
Heart of the Dragon

Now, some explanations:

They are either a) pretty standard low budget kung-fu movies or b) Jackie Chan in it as a favor to the film's director/producer. Some of them are ok to watch for what they are, a cheap chop socky. Well, until you start thinking that this is Jackie Chan we are talking about. I'd say even if you can purchase/rent these movies cheap, avoid watching them unless you've already seen his better movies and just wanted to complete the Jackie Chan viewing experience.