What better way to celebrate Stephen Chow’s return to film than with pictures of…Shu Qi? Okay, sure, why not???
via Xinhua
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Stephen Chow Journeys to the West Again!
The Chinese Odyssey films are one of the films that got me into Hong Kong cinema and from that world cinema. And I know others who say the same thing about Stephen Chow’s films. So the fact that Chow has been busy running his production company and being in the middle of lawsuits and made no new films in the past four years is saddening. But time to turn that frown upside down as the long-simmering followup to the Chinese Odyssey flicks is finally moving forward! At this point, it is not really a sequel but just from the same source material (much how A Chinese Tall Tale was sort of a sequel but not really) It’s also interesting how this version will hit theaters before the huge big budget version of the monkey King tale that stars Donnie Yen!
Journey to the West (西游·降魔篇/Xi You： Xiang Mo Pian/Journey to the West: Fell Monsters Chapter) is written/produced/directed by Stephen Chow, along with co-director Derek Kwok. Chow has said he will be in a more limited role, and will appear alongside Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow. The movie is co-produced by six companies, including the Huayi Brothers and China Film Group. The Huayi Brothers have made many of the big budget Chinese films lately (sadly, many of them are not very interesting…)
Like almost all Journey to the West films, this is just one chapter, where the characters fight demons. Besides from that, there are not much details at this time, except that there will be heavy special effects and once again a company is claiming it will have effects on par with Hollywood effects. Because that’s totally what makes a film a good film. Effects.
Out of the Dark (Review)
Out of the Dark
aka Wui wan yeh
1995
Written and directed by Jeff Lau Chun-Wai
Stephen Chow is known as one of the funniest people to come out of the Hong Kong film industry. His films have become favorites around the globe and he has legions of fans. Chow’s mo lei tau films cross all sorts of genres, from spies to action to historical to gambling to sports. People argue over which of his films are the best. But one film that rarely is brought up is Out of the Dark, and here at TarsTarkas.NET we believe that is a crime. In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that Out of the Dark is my favorite Stephen Chow film. But it isn’t a non-stop wacky film, it’s a comedy that’s also a pretty spooky ghost film with a very high body count. Most of the look, costumes, and even a few character names are ganked from Besson’s Leon: The Professional. Heck, there’s even a plant! Director Jeff Lau previously directed several ghost movies, and Chow in the Chinese Odyssey flicks. He moved on to Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg among other films.
Out of the Dark doesn’t fit the mold of the normal mo lei tau films, it spends time transcending the genre of wackiness while simultaneously embracing it (yes, that’s possible!) Out of the Dark shows much of the genius later captured by Kung Fu Hustle as a mo lei tau that is more. But instead of following a hero arc, we instead follow a group of people caught up in the sins of an evil family and their revenges from beyond the grave. There are kids brandishing knives, creepy old ladies, possessions, and the one man crazy enough to not be scared of this crap. Someone’s gotta bust ghosts and take up where Lam Ching-Ying left off! So let’s get our Dark on!
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Hustle and Flow – Human Nature and Kung Fu Hustle
Hustle and Flow – Human Nature and Kung Fu Hustle
A review of Kung Fu Hustle aka Gong Fu
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Fig. 1 – Title credit for Kung Fu Hustle
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2004
Directed by Stephen Chow Sing-Chi
Action Directors Yuen Woo-Ping and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
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Fig. 2 – Axe Gang members dance in a downward triangle representing their subscribing to baser emotions
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Abstract
Gong Fu (hereafter Kung Fu Hustle), is a perfect representation of human nature, complete with characters representing the ego, the super-ego, and the id. The setting and characters are mired in the secret world of Jiang Hu. Characters grow and evolve through the film, throwing off their layers of subterfuge and revealing their true selves.
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Fig. 3 – Pig Sty Alley
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Introduction
As the opening credits of Kung Fu Hustle play, a butterfly flutters through a canyon that is a winding, twisting maze. A pullback reveals the canyon forms the characters of the title of the film, Gong Fu/Kung Fu Hustle. The butterfly’s presence foreshadows the final act, subconsciously readying the viewers for the change they will see. The canyon walls becoming the title let the viewers know that everything we need to see is there, we just have to look in the proper way.
Kung Fu Hustle is a martial arts comedy. At time the action becomes deliberately cartoony and over the top, those instances serving both comedic elements and further exaggerating the underlying role of the nature of humanity. Kung Fu Hustle‘s cartoonishness comes partially from it being among the last of the mo lei tau films, Stephen Chow growing as an artist and expanding his films’ reach to use things beyond sheer ridiculousness to get points across.
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Fig. 4 – Cartoonish violence stylizes Landlord’s cover of having no martial skills
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Characters:
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Fig. 5 – Sing traumatizes children subconsciously repeating his own tragic life-altering childhood
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