So's Reel Thoughts: Martial Arts

Showing posts with label Martial Arts. Show all posts

I am ashamed that this is my very first post about Tony Zhou's now infamous film channel Every Frame a Painting, which showcases a plethora of incredibly thorough and informative video essays dedicated to the analysis of film form that has focused on various topics ranging from Edgar Wright's Visual Comedy to A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet on Film. I suggest future film majors to quit school and just watch more of Zhou's videos if they truly want to be educated on film because once you watch one of his videos, it'll radically change how you consume and analyze film. Yeah, it's THAT great. It's the combination of his smooth and zen-like voice and the acutely edited video that provides a concise, contemplative, and detailed assessment on the film or filmmaker at hand.

Zhou's newest video tackles Jackie Chan's distinct acrobatic fighting style and how he managed to blend action and comedy, two seemingly incompatible genres, to reinvent a new form of filmmaking. I grew up watching everything Jackie Chan did from The Legend of Drunken Master to all the Rush Hour films to even the animated series, Jackie Chan Adventures. So, just when I thought I had known basically everything I needed to know about Chan's signature fighting style, Zhou swoops in and serves me a sweet dish of knowledge and wisdom. Zhou is quickly becoming one of the best film essayist out there, joining the ranks of Kevin B. Lee and Kogonada, who has already been widely praised by critics and fans alike for their immaculate and pensive take on various auteur's visual style. Definitely check out Zhou's video down below, you won't be disappointed.

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Wong Kar-wai. Marital Arts. Tony Leung. Ziyi Zhang. Need I really say more? These four things will single handedly convince me to watch anything relating to them. The Grandmaster is one of the most luscious looking martial arts film that not only showcases breathtaking as well as heart-pounding marital art scenes, but there is a classic Wong Kar-wai story of forbidden love embedded in it. I definitely need to go see this film again this weekend. Go see it, you will not be disappointed!

Check out these new posters for RZA's debut film, The Man with the Iron Fists. The film inspired many artists from around the world to create their own promo posters and these are the few I liked among the rest. Although, I was overly enthusiastic about this film considering Lucy Liu and Rick Yun were in one film together, I was sadden by the idea that the only roles for Asian these days are in Martial Art films or when women are portrayed as ultra sexualized beings. But isn't that the fantasy right? After studying Quentin Tarantino for a while, RZA and Eli Roth wrote the screenplay for The Man with the Iron Fists. I know it'll be just as gory and brutal as Tarantino's Kill Bill, maybe even more so. Regardless of the limited and sometimes degrading roles for Asians, RZA intended to make an homage to great martial art films. The Man with the Iron Fists comes out November 2.