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Martial arts films are known for their action-packed fight choreography, but they also frequently incorporate comedy to entertain and amuse viewers. While Jackie Chan is synonymous with martial arts comedies, there are many other actors and filmmakers who have made exceptional contributions to the genre. From spoof films like "Kung Pow! Enter the Fist" to wacky kung fu adventures like "Kung Fu Hustle," there is a wide range of martial arts comedies that offer a unique blend of humor and action.

Martial arts comedies may be the bread and butter of Jackie Chan, but he's not the only actor who can pull off an excellent entry into the genre. There's a long list of martial arts comedies from all corners of the world, including many without his involvement. Martial arts films are first and foremost predicated on their action, with well-orchestrated fight choreography being the crux of their entertainment factor.

For action film buffs, Christmas has come early when members of an international task force seek justice against the leader of an Asian drug cartel and his murderous henchmen in the action-packed thriller Operation Mekong. Inspired by a true story, acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Dante Lam (Stool Pigeon,Unbeatable) brings his “shoot first, ask questions later” cinematic approach to this violent crime thriller, which stars Zhang Hanyu (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), Eddie Peng (Tai Chi Hero), Chen Baoguo (Moment in Peking), Sun Chun (1911), Feng Wenjuan (Helios), Wu Xudong (The Taking of Tiger Mountain) and Carl Ng (The Viral Factor). Bonus materials include the 6-part “Making-of” featurette that illustrates the craft that went into making the film. Operation Mekong blasts onto digital May 2 and explodes on Blu-ray™/DVD Combo Pack and DVD June 6 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

The critics are blown away by Operation Mekong:

“… one of the...

Hulu added a handful of love-related movies and TV shows in February, giving the whole month a Valentine’s Day vibe. And although March doesn’t have such an obvious theme, Hulu seems to think it does. Based on some of the movies coming to the streaming service next month, March’s theme is apparently karate, and that sounds pretty damn cool. Is there an official karate day in March? If not, there should be.

Staring on March 1, Hulu users will be able to stream punching-based movies like The Karate Kid, Legend Of Kung Fu Rabbit (a 2011 animated film), The Karate Kid: Part 2, Ninja Masters, Shaolin, Tai Chi Hero, Tai Chi Zero (a prequel, not a movie about a guy who sucks at Tai Chi), Saving General Yang, Young Detective Dee, The Karate Kid 3, and what is arguably one of the greatest kung-fu movies of all ...

After a foray into Us television as a producer and second unit director on Badlands following his massive 2012 two part Tai Chi Hero epic, director Stephen Fung returns to the big screen with upciming effort The Adventurers and - true to form - the first teaser for the summer 2017 blockbuster promises high octane action. Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau - hopefully on a bit of a comeback trailer after recent years of dodgy decisions - anchors a cast that includes Shu Qi and French star Jean Reno in a slick, glossy heist thriller. And while the initial teaser is just a brief one there's a Lot in there. You want guns. cars, motorcycles, explosions and questionable English? This has got it all! Check...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Radar Daniel Craig offered $150 million to continue to play 007 twice more. That's rich but the James Bond franchise is worth billions

Billboard Barbra Streisand gets her eleventh #1 album with "Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway" further cementing her lead as the women with the most #1 albums (Madonna is a distant second). Her first #1 album was in 1964. Talk about staying power.

The Guardian Carrie Fisher on getting older and the new doc about her and her mother

Shadowplay isn't as taken with It Follows as most critics were

In Contention will Moonlight be another Oscar player for A24? I'm seeing this tomorrow. Can't wait.

Film Mixtape a lovely review of Little Men

Awards Daily five Oscar takeaways from Telluride Film Festival from Rooney Mara in Best Actress to Arrival's iffy prospects

Av Club Stanley Tucci not up for reprising his Devil Wears Prada role. Curious. That's exactly what he did in Burlesque.

St. Louis-based We Are Movie Geeks readers may have seen The Assassin when it played at The St. Louis International Film Festival this past November but if you missed it, you can still see it on the big screen when it plays at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium January 15th through the 23rd.

Back with his first film in eight years, award-winning Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien (Flight of the Red Balloon, Three Times) wowed this year’s Cannes Film Festival (where he won Best Director) with his awe-inspiring The Assassin is a martial arts film like none other. The visually stunning, action-packed film blends tragic historical drama with thrilling swordplay and martial arts in this story of an exiled assassin (Shu Qi, Tai Chi Hero, The Transporter) who must choose between love or duty when she receives orders to kill a man (Chang Chen, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Grandmaster) from her past.

St. Louis-based We Are Movie Geeks readers may have seen The Assassin when it played at The St. Louis International Film Festival this past November or can still see it on the big screen when it plays at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium January 15th through the 23rd. If you can’t see it there, the good news is that the acclaimed film arrives on Blu-ray (and DVD) on January 26th.

Back with his first film in eight years, award-winning Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien (Flight of the Red Balloon, Three Times) wowed this year’s Cannes Film Festival (where he won Best Director) with his awe-inspiring The Assassin, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD January 26 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Rich with shimmering, breathing texture and punctuated by brief but unforgettable bursts of action, The Assassin is a martial arts film like none other. The visually stunning, action-packed...

Fresh off the San Diego Comic-Con presses, AMC debuted a trailer for its new martial arts/drama/fantasy series “Into The Badlands,” starring Daniel Wu and created, executive produced and showrun by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (“Smallville,” the 2011 “Charlie’s Angels,” “Shanghai Knights,” and “Shanghai Noon”). A panel was also held at Comic-Con with Wu (also an executive producer on the show), Gough, and Millar, as well as co-stars Emily Beecham, Orla Brady, Marton Csokas, Aramis Knight, and director/executive producer David Dobkin (“The Judge,” “The Change-Up,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Shanghai Knights”), along with fight director/executive producer Stephen Fung, most known for helming “Tai Chi Zero” and “Tai Chi Hero.” From the trailer, the show appears to be a fascinating composite of “Django Unchained” (Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg, who produced “Django Unchained” and other Tarantino films such as “Pulp Fiction,” are also executive producers), the “Mad Max” films,...

The Kickboxer movie reboot is still moving forward and we have a bit of good news and bad news. Let's start off with the good: Jean-Claude Van Damme is set to return to the franchise! The bad news: Thai martial arts star Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, Furious 7) had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Van Damme is taking Jaa's place, and in this version of the story Van Damme is the master, not the student. He will play an updated version of the original film’s Master Chow.

The actor joins Alain Moussi (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), and George St. Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).

The reboot is being directed by Stephen Fung, who is known for films such as Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero. The story follows Kurt Sloan (Moussi), "a talented...

It's hard to replace the Muscles from Brussels, but the reboot of Jcvd's cult classic "Kickboxer" sounds more fun than Jason Momoa in a top hat. Scott Adkins ("The Legend of Hercules," "Ninja: Shadow of a Tear") and "Ong-Bak" star Tony Jaa are in talks to join an already jam-packed cast of fightin' folks. That includes Dave Batista from "Guardians of the Galaxy," Alain Moussi from "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and former Ufc champ Georges St-Pierre. Stephen Fung ("Tai Chi Hero," "Enter the Phoenix") is directing.

Kurt Sloan (Moussi) is hell-bent on avenging his brother's death. Naturally, he heads to Thailand to learn kickboxing, just so he can kickbox his brother's killer, Tong Po (Bautista), to kingdom come. Adkins might take on the role of Kurt's older bro, while Jaa is likely to play Kurt's Muay Thai mentor.

"Kickboxer" is still in pre-production limbo, with no slated start date.

While it may fall to newcomer Alain Moussi to fill Jean Claude Van Damme's shoes in the Stephen Fung (Tai Chi Hero) directed remake of Kickboxer he's going to have some familiar - and dangerous - faces around him rounding out the cast with Tony Jaa (Ong Bak), Scott Adkins (Ninja), Dave Bautista (Guardians Of The Galaxy) and Georges St Pierre (Ufc badass) rounding out the principal cast. And, really, with a cast like that, the only question is who gets to hit who and how hard?Aug 5, 2014 - Brian O'Shea, CEO of The Exchange, has announced and confirmed that in addition to having Dave Batista, star of Guardians Of The Glaxy, former Ufc welterweight champion George St. Pierre, and Alain Moussi of X-men:...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The full cast of the upcoming 3D Kickboxer reboot has been revealed today as Brian O'Shea, CEO of The Exchange, has announced that Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum, Zero Dark Thirty) and Tony Jaa (Ong Bak, Fast & Furious 7) will join the previously-attached Dave Batista (Guardians of the Galaxy), former Ufc welterweight champion George St. Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Alain Moussi (X-Men: Days of Future Past). Stephen Fung (Tai Chi Zero, Tai Chi Hero) is directing.

The upcoming 3D Kickboxer reboot has added two more cast members to round out the martial arts flick. Scott Adkins (Zero Dark Thirty) and Tony Jaa (Ong Bak) will join the previously announced Dave Bautista (Guardians Of The Galaxy), former Ufc welterweight champion George St. Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Alain Moussi (X-men: Days Of Future Past). Stephen Fung (Tai Chi Hero) is directing the story that follows Kurt Sloan (Moussi), a talented martial artist who travels to...

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Next up on the remake circuit is Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1989 revenge flick Kickboxer.

The Hollywood Reporter brings word that David Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ufc's George St Pierre have signed on for roles in the film, along with Alain Moussi (White House Down, Pompeii), who will be the lead.

Producer Ted Field of Radar Pictures:

"Alain is a star and will be an amazing leading man. Like Vin [Diesel] in Riddick, Alain will make this movie very special, and this Kickboxer will be the start of an amazing franchise."

Here's the plot from THR:

Kickboxer tells the story of David and Kurt Sloan, the descendants of a well-known Venice, Calif., fighting dynasty. When David wins the Karate World Championship, a promoter lures him to Hong Kong, despite his brother's protestations that the man is a crook. When Kurt travels...

Another day, another bit of news coming out of Cannes, another Hollywood remake – the life of a film journalist sure is a bag full of surprises, isn’t it?

The 80s were a grand period for action and martial arts, and one of the most pivotal players in the action genre was none other than Jean Claude Van-Damme, but unfortunately it looks like one of his most iconic turns is going to be remade without his Brussels-influenced badassery. While searching for financing at Cannes, producer Brian O’Shea revealed that 1989′s Kickboxer will be remade by a foreign filmmaker, a young stuntman and a duo of WWE/Ufc stars.

According to O’Shea:

““We have a visionary director, a strong Hollywood producer, great cast and an action-packed script based on a well-known property,” producer Brian O’Shea told THR. “What more can you ask for?”

That visionary director is China’s Stephen Fung,...

Batista is set to star in another time. This time it’s a remake of the 1989 film Kickboxer, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to Batista, Ufc star and long time Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will be in the movie as well. The lead role will be played by martial artist Alain Moussie. Stephen Fung of Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero will be directing.

The 1989 version starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and kickboxing champion Dennis Alexio. While the movie was not a big budget film (it only cost a reported $1.5 million to make), it did bring in around $15 million in the box office. It was more known for being one of those films you might watch on a boring Saturday afternoon. Van Damme had a few movies like that. Another good Van Damme fighting film from that era was Bloodsport.

It makes a lot of sense that Batista...

Photos: Getty ImagesBuried in news about a remake of one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s films, Bloodsport last July was word that another of his early martial arts canon, Kickboxer would be headed into the rework ring. As the film’s backers head to Cannes in the hopes of drumming up international sales, Dave Bautista and Georges St-Pierre have been announced as part of the cast.Clearly the new Kickboxer team – which includes Tai Chi Hero director Stephen Fung – has been looking to Marvel to find its supporting fight talent, as Bautista is set to play Drax The Destroyer in the studio’s Guardians Of The Galaxy later this year and St-Pierre was one of the villains in Captain America: The Winter Soldier back in March.Both men have unimpeachable wrestling and mixed martial arts backgrounds, so we can certainly see why they’d be recruited to feature alongside the lead,...

Legendary action director Tsui Hark (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) international blockbuster Young Detective Dee: Rise Of The Sea Dragon is debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital from Well Go USA Entertainment. The action-packed, martial arts FX fest, follows Dee Renjie's beginnings in the Imperial police force. His very first case, investigating reports of a sea monster terrorizing the town, reveals a sinister conspiracy of treachery and betrayal, leading to the highest reaches of the Imperial family. The prequel to Hark's 2010 Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame stars Angelababy (Tai Chi Zero, Tai Chi Hero), Mark Chao (So Young, Caught in the Web), William Feng (White Vengeance, Tai Chi Hero), Carina Lau (Let the Bullets Fly), newcomer Lin Gengxin, Kim Beom (Fly High, The Gifted Hands), and Hu Dong (TV’s “Swordsman”). The date for your calendars, boys and girls, is February 11, 2014. Synopsis: The young Dee Renjie arrives in the Imperial Capital,...

“Crimes of Passion” is a new big screen version of the popular 1996 television series “A Sentimental Story”, adapted from a novel by Hai Yan. The film was directed by Gao Qunshu, who was recently responsible for the acclaimed and multiple award winning “Beijing Blues”, and stars real life couple Angelababy (“Tai Chi Hero”) and Huang Xiaoming (“American Dreams in China”) in the lead roles, as police officers whose professional and personal relationship is put to the test when she is given the job of looking after a Korean gangster witness played by actor Jae Hee (“The Evil Twin”). Having been shot a few years back, the film was finally released recently, having its premiere at the Shanghai Film Festival. The plot revolves around a missing golden Buddha statue, a long missing Chinese national treasure which has fallen into the hands of Hong Kong based Korean gangsters the Kim family. After...

It’s hard not to feel slightly cheated by Tai Chi Hero, the sequel to Tai Chi Zero, in that it feels like four different kung fu films in one, and yet it barely seems to have the requisite action of even one. At one point our hero is tasked with facing down a series of martial arts masters, but it’s essentially as an aside in the plot and not something the writer or director really wanted to focus on, consequently the film speeds through this sequence and it really amounts to nothing. It’s a little bit comedy, a little bit romance, a tiny bit war film, and sporadically a kung fu film. But if you go in expecting enough of any of those elements to really enjoy, you’ll be mostly disappointed. All you get are a few well-staged fight scenes, but even they feel far to...

Notable releases for today, July 2, 2013, include: Tai Chi Hero (2012), Tower Block (2012), Inescapable (2012), Venus & Serena (2013), The Producers (1968), and The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977). Well Go USA continues to expand its martial arts offerings with director Stephen Fung‘s Tai Chi Hero, the sequel to the sleeper hit Tai Chi [...]

Continue reading: This Week on DVD / Blu-ray: July 2, 2013: Tai Chi Hero, Tower Block...

It's not a huge week for new DVD and Blu-ray releases, but Amazon has a couple deals going you may be interested in. First there is The Godfather Collection on Blu-ray for only $24.73 (buy it here) and The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series is also on sale on both DVD and Blu-ray, you can check out both right here. The Blu-ray set is 64% off at $143.99 and the DVD set is 62% off at $113.99. Finally, there are several Drewamworks animated titles on sale including Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Rise of the Guardians, Megamind and the Madagascar films. You can browse the selection right here. The deal with these is along with the purchase you get a $7.50 Hollywood Movie Money certificate to see Turbo. Other than that, here are today's new releases and the latest titles I've added to the DVD and Blu-ray release date calendar.

This week: The powerful documentary "The House I Live In" takes a serious look at America's War on Drugs and is the best new offering in what is annually a subdued week for home video releases.

Also new this week is the shelved shocker "6 Souls" with Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the thriller "Inescapable" with Alexander Siddig and Joshua Jackson and the Blu-ray debut of the comedy classic, "The Kentucky Fried Movie."

'The House I Live In'

Box Office: $210,752

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Fresh

Storyline: Filmed in over 20 states, this comprehensive documentary about the United States' so-called War on Drugs of the past 40 years by "Why We Fight" director Eugene Jarecki captures emotional stories from all socioeconomic levels: the grieving mother, dealer, senator, inmate, federal judge and more. 'The House I Live In' provides a definitive and well-researched portrait of America's longest war and reveals its profound human rights implications.

Huayi Brothers exec hired as senior executive for new China offices.

Los Angeles-based financing, sales and distribution company Im Global is to open offices in Beijing at the end of this month.

The senior executive in the office will be local executive Leslie Chen, who was most recently head of international sales at Huayi Brothers Media Corporation.

At Huayi, Chen helped launch sales on major Asian titles such as Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame and Aftershock by Feng Xiao Gang as well as If You are the One II by Feng Xiao Gang and both Tai Chi 0 and Tai Chi Hero from Stephen Fung.

The indie financier and sales company will base day-to-day management and operations of its Apsara pan-Asian distribution label out of Beijing after Chen’s arrival.

Chen will also manage much of the company’s international sales activity in the region as well as overseeing the release of [link...

DVD/Blu-ray News April 30, 2013. The DVD / Blu-ray News for this week includes: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three, Star Trek: the Next Generation – the Best of Both Worlds, Tai Chi Hero, Absolute Deception, The Big Boss (Fists of Fury), Fist of Fury (The Chinese Connection), 23:59, The Angry Beavers: the Complete Series, Jethro Tull: Around the [...]

Continue reading: DVD / Blu-ray News: Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 3...

Fallen Hero; Fung Spawns Unnecessary Sequel

Bringing back the tonally strange style that makes these films so hard to classify, Stephen Fung’s follow-up to last year’s Tai Chi Zero displays little in terms of plot improvement. As with the first segment, the production value in Tai Chi Hero nothing short of a medium-size budget American action film, but excess mix-and-matches in cinematic techniques, genre elements, and Hollywood clichés create a bottom feeder item in the “flying” martial arts subgenre of the past decade or so.

A sequel that cannot stand as film on its own, even as basic as the story is, it requires previous knowledge of what the cookie-cutter characters had been up to in the first chapter, Hero begins exactly where the last adventure left off, with an episodic TV series template, things move fast in the Tai Chi saga, therefore; for the sake of the audience,...

A kung fu pastiche that sometimes resembles a video game and comes tricked out with an assortment of steampunk gizmos, Tai Chi Hero picks up just where predecessor Tai Chi Zero left off—and suffers from the juxtaposition. This sequel is sluggish and rote where its predecessor was aggressively perky and desperate to please. Nothing is too spectacular now that franchise hero Lu Chan (Xiaochao Yuan), a happy-go-lucky ex-soldier who berserker rages into fighting machine whenever antagonists punch just the right lump on his forehead, has completed last film's quest and convinced suspicious Chen Village residents to teach him their highly coveted style of kung fu. But Lu Chan is rejected by the villagers, even after marrying local girl Yu Niang (Angela Yeung Wing), becaus...

Stephen Fung's post-modern martial arts odyssey continues, replacing some of the goofiness of Tai Chi Zero with a more complex plot, while struggling to deliver a knockout punch. Tai Chi Hero follows on immediately from its predecessor, with "freak" Yang Lu Chan (Yuan Xiao Chao) exchanging marriage vows with the beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen. An act of gratitude and nothing more from Yu Niang (Angelababy), their union brings Lu Chan into the fold, making him eligible to train in Chen style kung fu, which is all he's ever wanted. Yu Niang is quick to lay down the ground rules of their relationship - they are not husband and wife, but master and pupil. She will teach him kung fu and he will sleep on...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Tai Chi Hero, the second entry into the trilogy, picks up were the first movie left off and worry not, if you haven't seen the first the first few minutes do a good job of catching you up on the story to date. Lu Chan has been accepted into the village but in order to be taught the Chen style of fighting, he must be Chen. The village elders devise a plan to marry Chan to Yuniang, one of the elder's daughters and by taking her name, they're able to instruct the young man in the style which will not only help him control his odd power but will make him the most accomplished fighter the world has ever seen. [Continued ...]...

With Stephen Fung's Tai Chi Hero hitting Us screens April 26th a series of character posters has been popping up online and here at Twitch we have an exclusive one to share as well. Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master...and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family.  It's only a formality, though - she is the teacher, and he is the student - and that suits Lu Chan just fine, as the mutant horn...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Here's a few character posters for the awesome looking steampunk style martial arts film Tai Chi Hero, which is the sequel to Tai Chi Zero. The films were shot back-to-back, and they look like a ton of fun. I still have yet to see the first one, but I'm excited about finally being able to watch both of them when the opportunity presents itself. Check out the synopsis!

Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master…and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family. It’s only a formality, though – she is the teacher, and he is the student – and that suits Lu Chan just fine,...

Last year, just before Fantastic Fest, we debuted a poster for the martial arts epic Tai Chi Zero. Sometime later, we reviewed the film at the Austin-based genre haven, only to find that it was fun, but also quite strange. Part of its oddity was the fact that its closing credits included a trailer for its already finished sequel, Tai Chi Hero. I remember personally thinking, “that’s the movie I want to see. The action-packed sequel.” A number of months later, that opportunity is upon us. And as Tai Chi Hero gears up for a theatrical release starting on April 26, we’ve come back with yet another exclusive poster debut. Well, a sort of debut. This poster, “Baby,” was released as part of the film’s Chinese release. This time though, it’s got English letters. So enjoy the debut of this brand new Tai Chi Hero poster’s English lettering. Lu...

Last week we got a first glimpse at the crazy shenanigans that will unfold when Tai Chi Hero opens theatrically on April 26. Lu Chan and the Chen Village masters will square off against Yuniang's scorned fiancee and his band of merry villains which include none other than Peter Stormare flexing his muscles, or in this case, his leadership and weaponry. And we want you t... [Continued ...]...

Stephen Fung's Tai Chi Hero is coming to Us shores, the riotous conclusion of the two part martial arts / steampunk fusion hitting American screens April 26th thanks to WellGo USA. And - no surprise here - that means a brand new trailer for your viewing pleasure.Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master...and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), agrees to marry Lu Chan and bring him into the family.  It's only a formality, though - she is the teacher, and he is the student...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

You can’t go wrong with a twitchy Peter Stormare as the villain of your movie. Director Stephen Fung apparently realizes that, too, because Stormare is the bad guy in Fung’s “Tai Chi Hero”, his follow-up to the steampunk martial arts flick “Tai Chi Zero”. From zero to hero, get it? Fortunately there are a bunch of kung fu badasses ready to beat Stormare to a pulp to stop his evil ways. Sorry, Peter. Check out a new U.S. trailer for the film, which is set to open Stateside later this month. And in case you missed it, you can read our James Mudge’s review of “Tai Chi Hero” here. Lu Chan is on the verge of acceptance in Chen Village, but the cozy hamlet still stands in the shadow of danger. A prodigal brother returns, Lu Chan brings a curse on the town, and Yuniang’s...

Twitch and Well Go USA would like to invite you to enter a drawing for one of five pairs of tickets to the North American premiere of Stephen Fung's steampunk kung fu epic, Tai Chi Hero, at the Dallas International Film Festival this Friday, April 5! Well Go USA are a local company here in Big D and they're bringing several hard hitting action films to this year's Dallas Iff, but none quite as crazy as this piece of work.Lu Chan (Jayden Yuan) is still trying to find his place in Chen Village, the legendary town where everyone is a martial arts master...and Chen-style Tai Chi is forbidden to outsiders. But since he helped save the town from a frightening steam-powered machine, Yuniang (Angelababy), beautiful...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

For anyone who hasn’t seen “Tai Chi 0”, there are spoilers in the following review. Stephen Fung’s steampunk-martial arts epic “Tai Chi” continues with “Tai Chi Hero”, released hot on the heels of “Tai Chi 0”, with the third instalment apparently not due until 2014. Again directed by Fung and written and produced by Chen Kuo Fu (“Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame”, “Aftershock”), the film was shot in 3D back to back with the first outing, and continues the tale of Lu Chan (aka ‘The Freak’) as he tries to learn the Chen village Tai Chi and control his explosive inner strength. All of the original cast return, with real life Olympic gold medal-winning wushu champion Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy (“First Time”), Fang Zijing (Eddie Peng, “Love”) and veteran favourite (Tony Leung Ka Fai, “Election”) again headlining, joined by newcomers William Feng (“Painted Skin: The Resurrection...

“Tai Chi” has unquestionably been one of the more high profile Chinese cinema events of the year, a two part steampunk-martial arts mash up whose trailers promised all manner of over the top madness. 2012 saw the release of the first two parts of what will eventually make an epic trilogy, beginning with “Tai Chi 0″ and followed only a few weeks later by “Tai Chi Hero”, setting the scene for the final instalment, apparently not due until 2014. Shot in 3D (naturally), the zero to hero style series comes courtesy of a powerhouse of commercial film making in genre veteran director Stephen Fung (“House of Fury”), and Taiwanese writer producer Chen Kuo Fu (“Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame”, “Aftershock”), with a host of top talent in front of the camera. Taking place in 19th Century China, “Tai Chi 0″ starts the tale of Lu Chan, also rather...

Xu Huihui is relatively new to the Kung Fu world, recently starring in the Chinese TV Series ‘The Legend of Wing Chun’, she as also landed a part in the upcoming movie ‘Tai Chi Hero’, along side Tony Leung, Yuen Biao and many more.

www.jadexu.com

www.milosciaky.it

Xu Huihui was born on the 9th February 1986, she started learning in the art of Wu Shu at just the young age of 6 under her teacher and mother Xu Guan Guan. At the age of 9 she left China and went to live in Italy, not long after she won her first tournament and since that day, she as never looked back winning many tournaments and trophies along the way including National and International tournaments.

Her skills and life long practice of the Martial Arts have got her great roles so far and i feel she will only get better and...

Tai Chi Hero, the sequel to Stephen Fung‘s steampunk-martial arts comedy, Tai Chi Zero, opens in Hong Kong this coming Thursday, which has urged local distributors Intercontinental Films to release seven new character posters for the film. Check them out below.

These new images seem pretty keen on moving away from the film’s comedy roots and into more serious martial arts territory. While this is accurate to some degree – Hero is certainly more strict than Zero – it’s still a far cry from the solemn imagery here. That said, they do look pretty cool, nevertheless.

Tai Chi 0 (Zero) has been limitedly released statewide on October 19th, 2012. Tai Chi Hero will be released on October 25th, 2012 in Hong Kong and it has the same stars – Daniel Wu, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy, and Qi Shu.

Click to continue reading 7 New Character Posters for Tai Chi Hero...

Tai Chi Hero, the sequel to Stephen Fung's goofy martial arts comedy, Tai Chi Zero, opens in Hong Kong this coming Thursday, which has prompted local distributors Intercontinental Films to release seven new character posters for the film. These new images seem pretty intent on moving away from the film's comedic roots and into more serious martial arts territory. While this is accurate to some degree - Hero is certainly more straight-laced than Zero - it's still a far cry from the po-faced imagery here. That said, they do look pretty cool in their own right. Check them out below....

Video game and martial arts fans, take note: this is for you.

The first trailer for Hong Kong writer-director-actor Stephen Fung's (House of Fury) Tai Chi Zero arrived last month and impressed us with its strange, Steampunk-meets-martial-arts storyline. The first of a trilogy (the sequel Tai Chi Hero was shot simultaneously), Tai Chi Zero follows Yang Luchan (newcomer Yuan Xiaochao), who has a horn on his head as a sign of his marital arts prowess and travels to Chen village to learn the secrets of Tai Chi martial arts. Rejected by the locals who don't want to share their secrets with outsiders, Luchan must save the town from the threat of a railroad that wants to plow through the village.

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Next Showing: Tai Chi Zero opens in limited release today

Link | Posted 10/20/2012 by Ryan

Naked Trailers | Tai Chi 0...

Exclusive: As Well Go USA Entertainment today opens the Stephen Fung-directed action film Tai Chi Zero on the specialty circult, the distributor has closed a deal for the film’s sequel, Tai Chi Hero. The deal is for North American rights for the film, which is the second in a trilogy. Tai Chi Hero will be released in the U.S. and Canada early next year. Related: Specialty Box Office: ‘The Sessions’, ‘All Together,’ ‘Holy Motors’, ‘Tai Chi Zero’ Tai Chi Zero played both the Venice and Toronto film festivals this fall. Its mix of kung fu, steampunk and robots created some buzz and led to Well Go USA’s deal. “Based on the early success we’ve seen for Tai Chi Zero out of Venice and Toronto, as well as the early box office success in China, we wanted to ensure Director Fung’s entire trilogy is brought to North American audiences,...

Stephen Fung's post-modern martial arts odyssey continues, replacing some of the goofiness of Tai Chi Zero with a more complex plot, while struggling to deliver a knockout punch. Tai Chi Hero follows on immediately from its predecessor, with "freak" Yang Lu Chan (Yuan Xiao Chao) exchanging marriage vows with the beautiful daughter of Grandmaster Chen. An act of gratitude and nothing more from Yu Niang (Angelababy), their union brings Lu Chan into the fold, making him eligible to train in Chen style kung fu, which is all he's ever wanted. Yu Niang is quick to lay down the ground rules of their relationship - they are not husband and wife, but master and pupil. She will teach him kung fu and he will sleep on the floor....

Stephen Fung's Tai Chi Zero was a blast of pure entertainment when it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, a glossy martial arts picture with tongue planted firmly in cheek that goes all out to simply entertain. Which it absolutely does.But for all its charms Tai Chi Zero also poses a problem for audiences in that it is literally half a film. Released in its native China in late September it tells only half of a story with the second half due to arrive on screens a month later with the Chinese theatrical release of the follow up - Tai Chi Hero - on October 25th. Tai Chi Zero audiences were treated to a trailer for the second part which plays over the credit...

Exclusive: Paradigm has signed Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Fung, whose film Tai Chi 0 played at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and just opened number one at the Chinese box office last weekend. The film is a mesh of martial arts action, Steampunk elements, and video game influences. Fung and Daniel Wu are partners in the production company Diversion Pictures (CAA reps Wu). Fung’s film opened in China with a wide release and grossed 60 yuan to-date ($9.52 million Us). The film will receive a limited theatrical release in North America on October 19th and its sequel, Tai Chi Hero,will be released in January. Agencies have been courting him since the film hit the festival circuit. Here’s a trailer for Tai Chi 0:...

Martial arts. Evil steampunk Robots. Kung Fu kids. The mystical power of Tai Chi. Tai Chi Zero has it all.

For some of us, it may have been a long time since we enjoyed a good martial arts movie, but even for the most avid of the genre's fanbase, Tai Chi Zero (also known as Tai Chi 0) aims to please both. Directed by Hong Kong writer-director-actor Stephen Fung (House of Fury), Tai Chi Zero follows young Yang Luchan (newcomer Yuan Xiaochao) as he travels to a village to learn the secrets of Tai Chi martial arts and instead must save the town from a group of Steampunk soldiers. The first of a trilogy (the sequel Tai Chi Hero was shot simultaneously), Fung told Twitch that he wanted Tai Chi Zero to "break new ground" for martial arts movies.

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Surprise, surprise, here’s yet another Tai Chi 0 trailer, this one with awesome music following it – I’m not sure though if it’s a trailer, a featurette or a TV spot, since the info is written in Chinese. If any of you knows Mandarin, please do correct me. Anyway, have a look after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This one also has some not-so-good English subs, but you’ll get the jist of it.

First part of the two shot back-to-back and together titled “Tai Chi: From Zero to Hero”, Tai Chi 0, comes to theaters on September 27th, 2012 in Australia and Hong Kong, October 4th, 2012 in Singapore and in 2013 in China (a bit illogical that the country of its origin would release the film last – and the release date for Tai Chi Hero stands at October 2012, but hey, who am I to judge...

A new full trailer has been released for the martial arts steampunk film Tai Chi 0, which looks like an incredibly awesome movie! It was directed by Stephen Fung (House Of Fury), and it has such a great visual style that I love. This is one of those films that needs to be watched on the big screen, and it should be a really fun movie to watch in 3D. There just seems to be so much energy packed into this film that it might just make our heads explode. We released a teaser trailer last month, but this latest one has a ton of great new footage.

Here's a short synopsis:

Young genius Yang Luchan travels to Chen Village to learn the forbidden secrets of martial arts, but learns that the village is menaced by a formidable battalion of Steampunk soldiers. The villagers realize that in order to save their home,...