Re: Looking for examples of Great Martial Arts movies...
Good additions. For you Brigitte Lin fans, there's also The Bride with White Hair (she actually plays a woman, albeit a wolf woman ha ha). And for you Michelle Yeoh fans, there's also Wing Chun (which has very little Wing Chun in it, but whatever, the fight scenes are cool) and Yes, Madam (she dukes it out with Cynthia Rothrock).
On the supernatural tip, there's Mr. Vampire starring Lam Ching-ying, the lesser known member of Jackie Chan's Seven Little Fortunes. Perhaps the greatest kung fu vampire comedy ever made The fight scenes kick ass.
Re: Looking for examples of Great Martial Arts movies...
@JRS3
Yes, Wing Chun and those other handful of films that Michelle did in the early 90s are collectables. Pound for pound, Michelle was the coolest and most beautiful to watch. Everything she did was beautiful and it still doesn't approach a true definition of her artistry.
And anything with Bridgette Lin -- how about Peking Opera Blues? Didn't Tarentino rip off the gun scene in that tavern? Three funny women in a classic, epic tale. If Lucille Ball was alive and young, that could be a remake.
with hopefully links to their scripts. What I'm actually looking for is the more realistic MA as opposed, for example, to stylistic wire work or an abundance of SFX.
And anything with Bridgette Lin -- how about Peking Opera Blues? Didn't Tarentino rip off the gun scene in that tavern? Three funny women in a classic, epic tale. If Lucille Ball was alive and young, that could be a remake.
Personally, I think PEKING OPERA BLUES was very uneven, and doesn't really hold up well. All the more reason for it to be remade.
Good additions. For you Brigitte Lin fans, there's also The Bride with White Hair (she actually plays a woman, albeit a wolf woman ha ha). And for you Michelle Yeoh fans, there's also Wing Chun (which has very little Wing Chun in it, but whatever, the fight scenes are cool) and Yes, Madam (she dukes it out with Cynthia Rothrock).
On the supernatural tip, there's Mr. Vampire starring Lam Ching-ying, the lesser known member of Jackie Chan's Seven Little Fortunes. Perhaps the greatest kung fu vampire comedy ever made The fight scenes kick ass.
Lam Ching-ying was not a member of the Seven Little Fortunes. He was a member of a rival Peking Opera troupe who became good friends with Sammo and a member of the Hung Jia Ban (Sammo Hung stunt team).
with hopefully links to their scripts. What I'm actually looking for is the more realistic MA as opposed, for example, to stylistic wire work or an abundance of SFX.
What style of realistic martial arts fighting are you looking for? Something more traditional like old school Kung fu or something more modern like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.
I am a fight choreographer and have worked with both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about martial arts or cinematic fight scenes.
Lam Ching-yin was not a member of the Seven Little Fortunes. He was a member of a rival Peking Opera troupe who became good friends with Sammo and a member of the Hung Jia Ban (Sammo Hung stunt team).
I stand corrected and I'm impressed by your knowledge.
Re: Looking for examples of Great Martial Arts movies...
How have I not responded to this thread already?
I've always been a big fan of the fantasy films, the wuxia stuff. So I like Crouching Tiger and its ilk. House of Flying Daggers is probably my favorite.
Once Upon a Time in China was the first real martial arts film I saw, and it made me love those films, so it will always be my favorite.
Also Jet Li's Fearless I enjoyed.
And of course Old Boy.
I just read this book: Chasing Dragons, about the history of martial arts films, so I have a lot of older movies in my queue thanks to reading it. Unfortunately a lot of the titles he talks about are unavailable on DVD.
Oldboy isn't a martial arts flick, just an Asian one.
I guess you missed that scene where he fought his way down the hallway.
Oh and I just remembered another great martial arts sequence: a Tony Jaa film called The Protector. Don't think anyone's mentioned it, but I didn't read every post. There's something like a ten minute sequence where he goes up a flight of stairs beating ass, and it's all done in one take.
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