02-19-2020, 11:14 PM
Saw Donnie's 2020 redux with cf just now. It's very Wong Jing.
A goofy HK rom-com with Donnie in a fat suit. Kinda fat shaming, albeit a decent fat suit, augmented by some cgi at points. It's engaging for that park-your-brain-outside frantic Wong Jing style of filmmaking. Wong was extremely prolific with goofy Kung Fu flicks during the 80s & 90s, written over 200 films, directed over 100. Some are truly groundbreaking, some are classics, some are just quirky parody - Magnificent Butcher and Dreadnaught are Kung Fu gospel. Then there's the God of Gamblers franchise, Lucky Stars franchise, New Legend of Shaolin, Naked Weapon, Sex & Zen, Raped by an Angel, so many films. Recently he succeeded with Chasing the Dragon. In many ways, I find him a precursor to Stephen Chow's Mou Lei Tau style of humor. This is in that vein a bit, with a poke at Chow's Mermaid even. It's fast paced, absurd, and had the 2nd coked out fight I've seen in a month. Is that trending? The fights are tight. Donnie delivers some great action - not long sequences but complex - and the rooftop wirework is quite frenetic, especially how it is shot. I was quite entertained by the fight choreo and yes, there's even a bit of a sword fight. It's not really connected to Sammo's version at all, except that Donnie is a Bruce Lee fan who is fat, but instead of doing another Bruce impersonation, he's more of the adorable schlub. It's a smart choice to follow up Ip Man 4, because it shows a lot of contrast and Donnie's range as an actor. But in the end, it's about the fights, and Donnie still has the moves. Satisfying. DOOM recommended.
A goofy HK rom-com with Donnie in a fat suit. Kinda fat shaming, albeit a decent fat suit, augmented by some cgi at points. It's engaging for that park-your-brain-outside frantic Wong Jing style of filmmaking. Wong was extremely prolific with goofy Kung Fu flicks during the 80s & 90s, written over 200 films, directed over 100. Some are truly groundbreaking, some are classics, some are just quirky parody - Magnificent Butcher and Dreadnaught are Kung Fu gospel. Then there's the God of Gamblers franchise, Lucky Stars franchise, New Legend of Shaolin, Naked Weapon, Sex & Zen, Raped by an Angel, so many films. Recently he succeeded with Chasing the Dragon. In many ways, I find him a precursor to Stephen Chow's Mou Lei Tau style of humor. This is in that vein a bit, with a poke at Chow's Mermaid even. It's fast paced, absurd, and had the 2nd coked out fight I've seen in a month. Is that trending? The fights are tight. Donnie delivers some great action - not long sequences but complex - and the rooftop wirework is quite frenetic, especially how it is shot. I was quite entertained by the fight choreo and yes, there's even a bit of a sword fight. It's not really connected to Sammo's version at all, except that Donnie is a Bruce Lee fan who is fat, but instead of doing another Bruce impersonation, he's more of the adorable schlub. It's a smart choice to follow up Ip Man 4, because it shows a lot of contrast and Donnie's range as an actor. But in the end, it's about the fights, and Donnie still has the moves. Satisfying. DOOM recommended.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse