Month: May 2010

This period drama comedy was set during the Ming Dynasty and it began with a tale of a famous carpenter named Lu Ban (Yan Jian Ping) from the State of Lu at the time of Warring States period in ancient China. Lu Ban was an extraordinary carpenter and his carpentry skill was almost magical. At first, he created a mechanical wooden horse for his mother but once his mother rode it, it never came back. Being away from his work, he wanted to visit his wife often. Thereon, Lu Ban invented a wooden glide so that he could fly to visit his wife. His invention worked but then Lu Ban’s father wanted to search for his missing wife using the wooden glide. Without knowing how to use the wooden glide, Lu Ban’s father also vanished. Lu Ban jotted down all his masterpiece and inventions on a manuscript. He realized that even though his carpentry had reached perfection level, it would have a repercussion. The side effect of his creation would cause to lose a moral, intelligence, luck, a limb, or even a life to the creator or the immediate relatives. Thereupon, Lu Ban titled his manuscript as Lack in One.
Continue reading “Almost Perfect”

Eric Tsang has been filming 7 Little Lohans at Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, Henan. The movie is scheduled for this summer release. It’s sort of Chinese version of Home Alone.

Upcoming Donnie Yen’s new action period drama movie, The Lost Bladesman, has started shooting in Hebei Province. The Los t Blademan is centered on a famous character Guan Yu from the novel “Romance of the Three Kingdom” and Donnie Yen will play the lead character. Actress Sun Li will play as Qi Lan, Guan Yu’s sweetheart.

The movie is slated for release in Fall 2011. Award winning director Jiang Wen will also star as the role of Cao Cao while Donnie Yen will also handle action director.

Official Synopsis:

During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country general Cao Cao, the real power behind the emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land Guan Yun Chang. However, Guan Yun Chang is a loyal friend of Cao Cao’s enemy Liu Bei. To persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan hostage.

After leading Cao Cao’s forces to victory Guan Yun Chang sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. But now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the emperor’s command sent to destroy him.

In the land of mystic and magic, a young fairy named Rose (Betty Sun Li) was fascinated by the legend of Purple Cloud Goddess. Seeking to experience the legendary tale herself, she stole the Heavenly Purple Sword from the Goddess and descended to the world of mortal to find her one true love. Rose pledged to herself that anyone who could unsheathe her stolen sword would be her soul mate.

As Rose was rowing her raft along a river, she stumbled into a rope trap and fell into the water. She was saved in a nick of time by a rascal, Qing Ye Se (Ronald Cheng), who set the trap. Seeing a tidy profit upon Rose’s enchanted sword, Qing Yi Se tried to abscond with it. His ploy was witnessed by the Secret Man (Lee Lik-chee) and being caught red-handed, Qing Yi Se attacked the Secret Man with the sheathed Heavenly Purple Sword. The Secret Man, who was an immortal himself, once unsheathed the enchanted sword. He grabbed the sword by the scabbard and warned Qing Yi Se about the tale of the sword including the identity of Rose. However, Qing Yi Se didn’t believe any of it. Then the Secret Man pulled the scabbard and vanished while the Heavenly Purple Sword was unsheathed in the hand of Qing Ye Se.
Continue reading “Just Another Pandora’s Box”

Benny Chan’s The New Shaolin Temple finished filming in February 2010 and the release date hasn’t been announced. The US $ 29 million budget movie is a remake of Jet Li’s The Shaolin Temple but Benny Chan chose the plot on the different warlord era. The cast will include Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Fan Bingbing, Wu Jing and Jacky Chan makes a cameo appearance. Action choreography is by Corey Yuen and lead cast members trained with him to prepare for their roles.

Official Synopsis:

China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin’s masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.

[pro-player width=’350′ height=’250′ type=’video’ image=’http://mywuxia.com/images/proplayer/Thenewshaolintemple2.jpg’]http://mywuxia.com/videos/Thenewshaolintempleteaser.flv[/pro-player]

Masanobu Ando (Sukiyaki Western Django) and Zhang YuQi stars in Wu Ershan’s new wacky wuxia flick comedy, The Legend of the Kitchen Knife (AKA When Blade Meets Smile). The movie is slated for release in May 2010. Other supporting cast are Ben Chang, Liu Xiaoye, and Liu Hua.

The story is about a butcher in a brothel who is in love with a courtesan. When he suffers a humiliation rejection, he decides to become a swordsman and wonders around in Jianghu.

[Trailer was removed by the request of FOX who claimed the copyright of the trailer]

Editor Note: 08/06/2010

A teaser trailer is usually used to advertise an upcoming movie. It’s released long in advance before the actual movie is released in theaters. Its purpose is less to tell the audience about a movie’s content than simply to let them know that the movie is coming up in the near future, and to add to the hype of the upcoming release.

It’s great that FOX decided to pick up small independent film’s company sponsored by Andy Lau’s Rising Star program for their right to release in the US. However, with so little exposure about The Legend of the Kitchen Knife, FOX will need fan sites or wuxia community sites such MyWuxia.com to spread the word; not by arrogantly sending websites’ owner with letters demanding to remove or closing YouTube accounts for having the teaser trailer. Is it any wonder web searching “The Legend of the Kitchen Knife” resulted in so few results?

It has been 5 years since Tsui Hark last directed wuxia genre action flick. But for fans of wuxia genre Hong Kong flicks, the name should still be enough to pique interest. To mark the 25^th anniversary of Film Workshop and its 50^th production, Tsui Hark directed Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Dubbed as the Sherlock Holmes of ancient China, Detective Dee (Di RenJie) is profound with his skill in investigating crimes and he is sort of animals whisperer. The movie featured Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bing Bing, and Tony Leung Ka Fai. Action choreograph is directed by Sammo Hung. This will be the 3^rd time Andy Lau and Li Bing Bing starred on feature films. Schedule to release on October 1^st, 2010, Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame will be distributed by Huayi Brothers.
Continue reading “Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame”

John Woo teamed up with Terence Chang to produce wuxia action flick, Reign of Assassins, which will be released late summer of this year. Terence Chang’s Lion Rock in collaboration with Beijing Galloping Horse Productions and Hong Kong’s Media Art has also teamed up with Fortissimo Films for the international rights to movie. Jiangyu Jianghu or Reigns of Assassins will star Michelle Yeoh as the leading cast with Korean heartthrob Jung Woo-song along with supporting cast of Wang Xueqi, Shawn Yue, Kelly Lin and Barbie Hsu. Filming began last October, 2009 at Shanghai, Hengdian World Studios and across Taiwan. This is the first wuxia action genre directed by Su Chao Pin.
Continue reading “Reign of Assassins”

[pro-player width=’350′ height=’250′ type=’video’ image=’http://mywuxia.com/images/proplayer/TSWEP.jpg’]http://mywuxia.com/videos/WindandCloudJustice.flv[/pro-player]

The main theme of The Storm Warriors is not included on in the original soundtrack CD due to Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng belong to different music labels. But the duet version is released on The Storm Warriors EP by Aaron Kwok.

Song: Wind and Cloud Justice
Theme: The Storm Warriors
Artist: Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng

Cloud: Cloud no trace, come and go as fog, back shadow covers the blood road
Wind: Wind will not rest, shaking its misfortune

Woo oh
Woo oh
Woo oh

Cloud: Who, has yield dominance, able to handle Good, why enforcing the law will lead to loosing principles
Wind: Difficult to remove armor, difference between Good and Evil depends on the heights

Wind & Cloud: Fist and heavenly battle
After wining, the hearts will battle
Successful moves must have aftermath
Greet the meeting of the grudges
True martial arts masters must endure removing its own martial arts

Cloud: Only bow their heads if they win

Wind: A person, even without worry, there will be hate, even perfection will have hate, who is so invincible to have true friends by their side
Cloud: Even there is no God, there will be humans, like a in charge of Death and Life of the World

Wind and Cloud: Who can battle life and death
Close the world’s wound
Those that are skilled, how to stop them
The battle is lost because the victory carries the tears away

Wind: Who will not bow their heads

Cloud: The enemy will also have a big path
Wind: Protectors will also have an ending path

Cloud: Morals exist or don’t exist
Wind: How can I overturn the oceans and the heavens

Cloud: Who will shop for enlightenment of the blood road
Wind: The snow within the heart cannot be sweep away by oneself

Wind and Cloud: Who will not bow their heads

[pro-player width=’350′ height=’250′ type=’video’    image=’http://mywuxia.com/images/proplayer/VOTSOplayer.jpg’]http://mywuxia.com/videos/Fayewongvotso.flv[/pro-player]

Faye Wong sings Virtues of the Silent Orchid, the main them for Confucius. Lyric is taken from Tang Dynasty’s poet, Han Yu.

Song: Virtues of the Silent Orchid
Theme: Confucius
Artist: Faye Wong

Elegant orchid, standing tall with its fragrance spread
Its aroma faint but worshipped by all other surround flowers
If not picked and worn, what sorrow will it be to the orchid?

For days and years, I have travelled far across the land
One who goes far to search for the talented,
Will benefit himself greatly with wisdom and power
When the orchid is picked and worn,
It becomes alive in spirit and radiates its fresh scent

Even during the winter, when the ground is thick with snow and frost,
The orchids’ buds endure the coldness
The proper conduct of a man virtue,
Is the prosperity of his offspring in generations to come

Even during the winter, when the ground is thick with snow and frost,
The orchids’ buds endure the coldness
The proper conduct of a man virtue,
Is the prosperity of his offspring in generations to come

Elegant orchid, standing tall with its fragrance spread
Its aroma faint but worshipped by all other surround flowers
If not picked and worn, what sorrow will it be to the orchid?

For days and years, I have travelled far across the land
One who goes far to search for the talented,
Will benefit himself greatly with wisdom and power
When the orchid is picked and worn,
It becomes alive in spirit and radiates its fresh scent

Even during the winter, when the ground is thick with snow and frost,
The orchids’ buds endure the coldness
The proper conduct of a man virtue,
Is the prosperity of his offspring in generations to come

Even during the winter, when the ground is thick with snow and frost,
The orchids’ buds endure the coldness
The proper conduct of a man virtue,
Is the prosperity of his offspring in generations to come

Ah…ah…ah…