Jackie Chan

[TallAdam85]

Ok is it just me or does it seem more and more hard to have respect for jackie chan The last few movies he had where bad I did not like them The new he has coming out looks almost like the old one the tuxiedo and his cartoon is just getting dume
does anyone else think he is selling out on real martial art moves to make money?

[Touch Of Death]

Originally posted by TallAdam85
Ok is it just me or does it seem more and more hard to have respect for jackie chan The last few movies he had where bad I did not like them The new he has coming out looks almost like the old one the tuxiedo and his cartoon is just getting dume
does anyone else think he is selling out on real martial art moves to make money?
Jackie Chan thinks it would be selling out to make pure martial art films. If you knew anything about Jackie Chan you would know he has always sought to break away from the sock em up sterio type. His Chinese Opera background keeps pulling on his heart strings I suppose.
Sean

[Elfan]

I think Mr. Chan is sturuggling to find ways to expand with an American audience and is constrained by people think he should be doing. I mean, he is getting older and his body has taken an incredible beeting. Its not like he can jump off clock towers for real anymore.

I don't think he is a sell out. He doesn't seem to hold any illusions about doing "real martial arts" in his movies. Its a strictly cheographed dance that depends on hours of memorization and team work. And its very entertaining.

[tarabos]

seemed to me that i saw some wire and cable use in this next movie he has coming up. don't remember the name...the medalion i think...

i'd be dissapointed to see him make a lot of use of wire and go matrix style.

could be wrong though...i only saw the preview once...

[kilo]

I have much respect for Jackie Chan I know I cant do half of the things he does. As for selling out I think he makes movies that mabe he enjoys and thinks other people will like.

[tarabos]

i would not take anything away from him either. the man has given us years and years of martial arts entertainment and has put his life on the line more than once to do so.

Chan is getting older, and yes, times may be changing. perhaps people do want to see the "unrealistic" stuff instead of the "real" stuff these days. sure, JC's fight scenes were always choreographed, but it was alway him doing the moves on his own without the help of any wires or computers or camera tricks. i guess it will just be kind of....strange to see him utilize those types of technology.

but hey...maybe he's got something up his sleeve and will make it work with his "old-school" type choreography.

[tarabos]

btw i think his cartoon is one of the best cartoons on tv right now, better than most live action tv shows if you ask me.

(yes i'm in my mid twenties and love to watch cartoons...)

[Blindside]

JC has used wirework in the past, just in a subtle fashion. In Drunken Master II (rereleased as the Legend of Drunken Master) there is plenty of wirework, but you don't see people flying through the air. They mostly use it for the falls and big kick reactions.

Actually I was watching Project A last night, and the final scene where they blow up the pirate also looks like wirework, it is just subtle. (or else Sammo managed to vertically jump higher than his own head, which I doubt....) Another JC movie with wirework is Armor of God.

Oh, can you tell that I am a JC fan?? :) Actually I should make a caveat with that statement, the last JC film I saw was Shanghai Noon, and thought it was stupid. I refused to see its sequel or the Tuxedo. I have had to make up for it by collecting his old stuff, I found previewed editions of Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin and To Kill with Intrigue at the video store for $2 each yesterday.

Lamont

[tarabos]

2 bucks eh? good deal...

i've just recently started my dvd martial arts collection. i've got a lot of movies so far, but unfortunately my collecting consists of me re-purchasing movies that i already have to get them on dvd.

right now i'm working on cleaning out best buy of all their cheap 10 dollar martial arts dvds (some cheaper than that). i guess no one else wants them but me.

[Blindside]

Man, I hate to suggest this, but "try Walmart." Lots of DVD's in the below $10 category and you can find oddballs in their 5.98 bin. Don't forget about the Blockbuster clearances and other video stores, I saw Project A II on DVD for $4 on the pre-viewed racks last weekend but I already own it on DVD.

Lamont

[tarabos]

Originally posted by Blindside
Man, I hate to suggest this, but "try Walmart." Lots of DVD's in the below $10 category and you can find oddballs in their 5.98 bin. Don't forget about the Blockbuster clearances and other video stores, I saw Project A II on DVD for $4 on the pre-viewed racks last weekend but I already own it on DVD.

Lamont

i know what you mean...i hate Walmart too. we've actually got one opening up here in a few weeks in our tiny little town. no one really wanted it here...so i have no idea who gave the go-ahead to put it up. our area is congested enough...now with all the traffic and characters that a Walmart attracts, it's going to be even worse.

i will check out the oddball bins though. i might as well get something out of that eyesore...

[TallAdam85]

i got some ok movies out of the cheap rack and some rare ones who cares if there not realy super good they used to be my fav when i was younger for example 3 Ninjas

[Cthulhu]

I'm willing to excuse and wire work or other such tricks in this 'The Medallion' movie. In his other movies, Chan plays characters who are normal people with excellent physical skills. In this one, it appears he gets endowed with 'super powers', so it makes sense to give him some extra 'oomph'.

Cthulhu

[theletch1]

The biography channel runs a show now and then called "Jackie Chan: My stunts" That is a documentary of his stunt studio, how his choreography works and when he does use wire work. To this point I think all of his movies have used wire work but as stated before it has all been very subtle. I've also seen a documentary on his life beggining with being given over to the peking opera at the age of 4 or 5 by his parents so they could go to Australia to work at the Chinese embassy there. The training that he went through at the opera would be considered torture anywhere else. I can't say that I would blame him at all to see a little more wire work find its way into his films given the abuse his body has taken over the years. As a big fan of both satire and martial arts movies I've always liked his because of the humor that he puts into them. Without the humor level it just becomes another Hong Kong kung fu flick.

If you didn't see Shanghai Knights or Tuxedo you didn't miss anything. They were a big dissappointment but (and I may be a bit biased) I blame that on the co-stars chosen for the movies.

[Senfeng]

I love Chan's HK films and I have a lot of respect for the man, but I always saw him as more of a stuntman than a martial artist. This is by no means a bad thing. His movies are highly entertaining as my large collection of Jackie Chan DVDs will show.

I myself love some of the wirework movies out of Hong Kong. I find it just as entertaining as Jackie Chan's version of the Kung Fu flick. I personally believe that it still takes a lot of work to make wirework look good. Compare Keanu's wirework "kung fu" to Jet Li's and you'll see what I mean. Sure a lot of it is in the choreography and camera work, but I think that guys like Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and apparently Jackie Chan in his next flick have the skill, sinew, and coordination to make the art of wirework look good.

On a somewhat related note...
As mentioned above Jackie Chan is getting on in years. Jet Li is no spring chicken. Donnie Yen, though the guy looks like he's in his 20's, is following suite. What do you think will happen in the next decade when these Kung Fu icons retire or are too old to continue their craft? From what I hear, there aren't a lot of opera troops roaming around anymore and there aren't a lot of young wushu champions in the HK entertainment industry. I'm just hoping that this isn't the end of a genre or that this genre is overtaken by soap opera actors skilled in "CG Fu".

[satans.barber]

Jackie Chan's martial arts skills are excellent, by all accounts - I read an interview with that guy near Hollywood who has a lot of celebs come to his studio (can't remember the guys name now), and he said that he sparred with Jackie and couldn't touch the man.

If you train as rigourously as they did in those Honk Kong Opera Schools, you're going to be pretty damn good I think!

You can tell that his balance, speed, poise and accuracy are all excellent from his film work, very important qualitities for a good martial artist!

Although he's made the odd dodgy film (Twin Dragons is very poor IMHO), I really enjoy all of them. They're always entertaining, with good fighting and good humour, and I hope he makes plenty more before he retires! When he does retire, he'll have left one of the most impressive catalogues of film in cinema history behind him.

Ian.

[Senfeng]

Yeah, I believe that "opera kung fu" has its origins in Shaolin. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember something about one of the thirty Monks that survived the Qing army attack on Shaolin Temple taking refuge with an opera troupe and teaching them gung fu in return.

Perhaps I should rephrase my post by saying that I enjoyed his movies more because of his stunts than his martial arts. In my opinion, his stunts gave his movies the originality that set them apart from the typical kung fu flick.

[stickarts]

to me, his movies are just pure entertainment!

[satans.barber]

His auto-biography 'I Am Jackie Chan' may lend interested parties more insight into his training.

Ian.

[Elfan]

Originally posted by satans.barber
His auto-biography 'I Am Jackie Chan' may lend interested parties more insight into his training.

Ian.

I greatly enjoyed that book although I question how "auto" it was.

[phlux]

Jackie Chan is not a sellout in the sense of "giving up the goose on martial arts for money" in that he is/was/will be one of the finest movers around.

Jackie gives a great deal to the world rather than trying to just use something to make money. He gives inspiration and enlightenment on what can be possible with regards to movement, agility and awareness.

Even though the scenes are choreographed - there is still tremendous skill involvbved with being able to execute the movements he is doing. There is a command of balance and subtle manipulations of dexterity that are just absolutley perfect.

He has had some really crappy movies - but the is always at least some movements in every single movie that make me go "wow".

it his awareness of his body and his ability to move it in anyway he wants that is what people should learn from him. He shows lack of limitation in movement.

[arnisador]

He was on the Tonight Show yesterday.

[arnisador]

I watched a show called "The Vampire Effect" a.k.a. "The Twins Effect" tonight:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351887/

It had Jackie Chan in an extended cameo, though it was principally a vehicle for the Cantonese pop due Twins. (They're making a sequel.) It was an insanely bad film--not so bad that it's good, not even so bad that it's bad, but so bad that it's a crime against humanity.

Anyone know why Jackie Chan would take a gig like this? A cameo in pop stars' movie ad? He did do some fighting and some slapstick stunts.

[2fisted]

I have much respect for Jackie Chan I know I cant do half of the things he does. As for selling out I think he makes movies that mabe he enjoys and thinks other people will like.

Ditto. Yeah his newer movies are cheesier, but nowadays you can't make another Dragon Fist or Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin and expect Joe and Jane Public to line up at the theatre (even though I would gladly camp out for tickets if he did). :)

Plus JC is way more interested nowadays in wild stunts, etc than he is in being a kungfu bad@$$.

[Seig]

Quick Note on WalMart, I picked up Revenge ofthe Pink Panther for $5.50
As for JC, some of his movies are wildly entertaining. I personally enjoyed the Shanhai movies. The thing most people tend to forget about JC is that he is a trained actor first and foremost. Martial Arts is secondary for him, it was a vehicle that allowed him to stay consistantly working. By straying some from the pure Kung Fu scene, he is being true to himself and his roots. He may go back that way if his fans keep drifting though. An interesting thing to add to this would be that Jet Li is the opposite, he is a martial artist first and an actor second.

[arnisador]

Not to get off topic, but I'm a huge Pink Panther fan--how's the DVD (I assume that's what it is)? Decent extras? At that price I'd want to get them.

[MA-Caver]

I've always enjoyed JC's films both good and bad. One unusual film (for JC) was "The Prisoner" (???) where both he and his life long friend Sammo starred. While not in his usual slap-stick comedy style it did have it's moments.
Chan will probably be remembered most for his stunts but he has made a contribution to MA in effect that people are inspired to look into or study because of him. He continues the MA in films tradition for American audiences that was inspired (in part) by Bruce Lee. Rumble in the Bronx is a good example of his break-through in the States.
I find it amusing that still no life-insurance company will underwrite the man.
Just too ballsy for their taste I guess.

[someguy]

You can enjoy the new movies for there humor not there Fight scenes. THe old onees well I can only watch some many 20 minute fights before I get bored. Jackie Chan had long fight scenes but they where funny so I liked them though. I like almost all of the Jackie Chan movies for one reason or another.

[arnisador]

According to the paper, he turned 50 yesterday.

[Gary Crawford]

I saw an interview with JC on television last year where he stated that he makes two types of movies,One for the states(more comedy included),the other for the chinese audiences(more Kung Fu orented).The interviewer asked what style he practiced,he said "I call it choppy souy!"

[Littledragon]

Ok is it just me or does it seem more and more hard to have respect for jackie chan The last few movies he had where bad I did not like them The new he has coming out looks almost like the old one the tuxiedo and his cartoon is just getting dume
does anyone else think he is selling out on real martial art moves to make money?
Don't just regard these crapy films he is making but remember the brilliant films he made back in the day in Hong Kong. Remember his fight scene with him and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez is hailed as the second best martial art fight scene ever behind Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris. Also don't forget his classic masterpieces such as Drunken Master, Snake In The Eagles Shadow, The Young Master, Dragons Forver, Police Story, Project A, Wheels on Meals, etc. You can you not have respect for a man who redifined action and martial art movies for ever. Many are focusing on his current projects which to be honest are not that great but please never forget what he has accomplished as a martial artist and action super star. Once you look back on his career never again will you say you are loosing respect for him. Remember every movie he risked his LIFE yes his own God granted LIFE just to please and entertain people like us.
:asian:

[Feisty Mouse]

It was an insanely bad film--not so bad that it's good, not even so bad that it's bad, but so bad that it's a crime against humanity.

:roflmao:

That's bad!

I am a big JC fan. I don't watch him and think, "Wow, that was a cool technique, I want to learn that," but "WOW! HEY! I can't believe he just did that!!!!"

And I love the humor he gives to his films. For the most part his protagonists are nice guys who get involved in a bigger scheme that sweeps them up - he doesn't play these glorious, shining heros who are perfect. I like that.

Some of his movies are silly. Some I was not crazy about at all. I think he keeps doing it because it's what he does. He makes movies.

[Littledragon]

Jackie Chan in my opinion is one of the most talented martial artist and action stars we have ever seen.

[arnisador]

Jackie Chan in Vietnam:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&ncid=762&e=3&u=/ap/20050423/ap_en_mo/people_chan

[Corporal Hicks]

Jackie Chan in Vietnam:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&ncid=762&e=3&u=/ap/20050423/ap_en_mo/people_chan
And RUSH HOUR

Great hit over here!:-partyon:

[MA-Caver]

Also consider that Jackie has achieved ten times (or more) the amount of (living) success that Bruce Lee did when he was alive. This is speaking strictly of course as far as actors and their acting in movies are concerned.
As Martial Artists ... well, perhaps renting/buying this movie (http://imdb.com/title/tt0407534/) might answer a number of questions... it's also wildly entertaining and educational.
:asian:

[Corporal Hicks]

Also consider that Jackie has achieved ten times (or more) the amount of (living) success that Bruce Lee did when he was alive. This is speaking strictly of course as far as actors and their acting in movies are concerned.
As Martial Artists ... well, perhaps renting/buying this movie (http://imdb.com/title/tt0407534/) might answer a number of questions... it's also wildly entertaining and educational.
:asian:
Mmm, I never knew that! Cheers!
:whip:

[arnisador]

I never quite thought of it that way, but as an actor I guess he is rather more successful!

[DuneViking]

Like his movies or not, you have to respect his MA ability and stunt work.

[arnisador]

In the news again for speaking out on Asian vs. American movies:
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/051126/ap/d8e4cas80.html




Action star Jackie Chan has a message for Asia's film industry: Unite against American movies or risk losing your culture.

Chan has starred in a string of Hollywood blockbusters, including "Rush Hour" and its sequel, and plans to start shooting "Rush Hour 3" soon.

But he told The Times of India that that such movies erode the culture of Asian countries, saying "Asians should unite against American cinema." "Why do we need to ape their culture," Chan reportedly said.

[theletch1]

All I can really say is...Good for him. Yes, I know he's made a pile of money off of the American movie scene so it sounds hypocritical of him to say what he is saying. However, he is not an American and it should be expected that he will attempt to try to pump some pride into his native culture.

[arnisador]

I agree. He made money here but now wants to support his home group. That doesn't bother me at all.

[arnisador]

'Drunk' Jackie Chan disrupts concert (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1818164,00.html)


Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan, best known in the west for kung-fu roles in Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour, yesterday disrupted a concert by Taiwanese singer Jonathan Lee when he appeared inebriated on stage and traded insults with the crowd.

Will Jackie Chan Face Van Damme in "Rush Hour 3?" (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=341420)

[bluemtn]

Well, that stinks... another celeb down the tubes...

[arnisador]

Action star Jackie Chan does a bird flu warning PSA
(http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/headlines/y2k6/aug/augmam92.htm)

[arnisador]

Chan cramped by Hollywood safety rules

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061016/ap_en_mo/people_jackie_chan)


"There are so many safety and insurance rules to follow," Chan said in an interview on his Web site Sunday. "I know that they want to make sure that I'm safe when I do my stunts, but sometimes they insist that I use protective gear for even simple things, and that is frustrating. It takes so much time."


Chan, best known in the United States for the "Rush Hour" movies with Chris Tucker, said he feels less encumbered when making films in Hong Kong.


"In Hong Kong we just go ahead and do what needs to be done. There is no safety captain on the set. I use my own stunt team because they have experience and I trust them to make the action and stunts safe," he said.

[zDom]

Jackie is amazing. Gotta respect the guy.

[matt.m]

I am going to go with scott. Jackie is an accomplished actor who has never rode the purse strings of "I am a real Martial Artist" He seems like a genuinely nice guy.

[Mariachi Joe]

I love the Drunken Master and Police Story movies, I liked the Rush Hour movies and understand that the reason the action does not compare is that Jackie is in his fifties now and has broken every major bone in his body multiple times. The man just can't move the way he used and with good reason, and anyone who bashes Jackie for not doing the kinds of movies he did back in the day should take Jackie's injuries and age into consideration.

[The Elemental]

I feel sorry for him sometimes, mostly because he's a good actor who wants to prove to the critics he is and he does but at the expense of the profits like what happened with Crime Story and Miracles, two of his best acting performances ever that were critical favorites but were also box office bombs at the time because we (the fanbase) don't want him to stay away from the Kung Fu/Action Comedy genre he was so famous for.

[arnisador]

Emotional Jackie Chan buries father in Australia (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080308/en_nm/australia_chan_dc)


Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan returned to his Australian roots on Saturday to bury his father alongside his mother almost six years after she died in Australia's capital.

[MA-Caver]

Emotional Jackie Chan buries father in Australia (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080308/en_nm/australia_chan_dc)

For Mr. Chan :asian:

[Kingindian]

jackie is a funny man...
also great martial artist

[arnisador]

Jackie Chan, Segway dealer, says co. fears piracy (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080604/ap_en_mo/techbit_jackie_chan_segway)


HONG KONG - Actor Jackie Chan says his Segway dealership here is doing well, though costs are high because the manufacturer won't let him assemble the battery-powered scooters in China for fear of piracy.

[arnisador]

Jackie Chan to star in Hollywood spy comedy (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gctHwZMjDUuXbWtJAzFxbFAjj5lwD92D7ST80)



Jackie Chan's next Hollywood project is an action comedy about a Chinese spy working undercover in the U.S. whose cover is blown, the movie's producer said Thursday.

"The Spy Next Door" will start shooting in mid-October, producer Robert Simonds told The Associated Press.

[zDom]

I love the Drunken Master and Police Story movies, I liked the Rush Hour movies and understand that the reason the action does not compare is that Jackie is in his fifties now and has broken every major bone in his body multiple times. The man just can't move the way he used and with good reason, and anyone who bashes Jackie for not doing the kinds of movies he did back in the day should take Jackie's injuries and age into consideration.

I thought his fight scenes in Forbidden Kingdown were GREAT.