Poll - "Honorable Mentions" for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography - 2006

[DrNgor]

And the Honorable Mention for Best Action Choreography at the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards goes to Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi, Huang Kuo-Chu, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng for Shanghai 13!

[DrNgor]

Okay, the actual nominees and winner of the 5th annual Hong Kong Film Awards were a bit skewed: 3 out of 5 of the films nominated starred Jackie Chan, and 3 out of 5 of films nominated were the work of the Hung Ga Ban. The outlier was Corey Yuen for Yes, Madam! This time, I try to throw in some variety:

Tsui Siu-Ming (Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple)

Sammo Hung's Stuntman Association (Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars)

Han Ryong, Baek Hwang-ki (Rocky's Love Affairs/Ninja Holocaust)

Lau Kar-Leung, Lee King-Chu, Hsiao Ho (Disciples of the 36th Chamber)

Johnny Wang Lung-Wei (Hong Kong Godfather)

 

[ShaOW!linDude]

Sammo for Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars. The fights in that are just boss.

Having said that, I need to see Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple. That looks like some old school goodness.

 

[sym8]

Twinkle for me,some great action on display.Was so disappointed when I saw Disciples I guess Lau Kar Leung was just out of ideas by this time.

[Drunken Monk]

I’m one of the few that loves Disciples… but Twinkle, Twinkle… wins by an absolute mile. From the fight posted above to Sammo’s fight against Richard Norton to Sammo’s tennis rackets pitted against Yasuaki Kurata’s sai, the action in that one is top tier. It honestly puts most films to shame. 

[thekfc]

Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars for me.

[paimeifist]

Sammo and co. were ushering in a new era while the rest just weren’t quite there yet…

 

…so good!

Edited March 2, 2023 by paimeifist

[DrNgor]

Thanks for the votes so far. Let's keep them coming!

[Omni Dragon]

Hong Kong Godfather had brutal and intense action. To me Disciples of the 36th Chamber was one of the last classic style Shaw's.

But still in the end I voted for Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars.

[DrNgor]

Last call for votes!

[DrNgor]

And the Honorable Mention for Best Action Choreography at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards goes to Sammo Hung's Stuntman Association for Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars!

Edited March 6, 2023 by DrNgor

[DrNgor]

For the 6th annual HKFA, there were six nominations, a few of questionable, and a very questionable winner (Witch from Nepal? Really?). Hopefully, the choices this week are both more varied and fitting.

Tony Leung Siu-Hung (Magic Crystal)
 

Sammo Hung's Stuntman Association (The Millionaire's Express)
 

Stephen Tung Wai (A Better Tomorrow)
 

Jackie Chan's Stuntman Association (Naughty Boys)

Yuen Bun (The Seventh Curse)

 

[ShaOW!linDude]

Difficult choice between The Magic Crystal and The Millionaires Express, but it's Sammo for the win.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

I don't think including both fight choreo and gunplay is entirely fair.

[DrNgor]

16 minutes ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

I don't think including both fight choreo and gunplay is entirely fair.

I understand that the talent and ability needed to stage a rousing gunfight (both behind and in front of the camera) is quite different from that necessary to choreograph a thrilling fight. You may draw a parallel with the Best Animated Film category at the Oscars, in which Disney/Pixar fare is set up against something Anomalisa. But it is what it is.

In any case, I'm following the standards set by the HKFA itself. It very well may not be fair, but going back to the inclusion of Long Arm of the Law, staged gunfights has precedent as nomination material. As this poll represents a sort of Alternate Reality version of the Hong Kong Film Awards, I believe the inclusion of A Better Tomorrow is justified.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

25 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

I understand that the talent and ability needed to stage a rousing gunfight (both behind and in front of the camera) is quite different from that necessary to choreograph a thrilling fight. You may draw a parallel with the Best Animated Film category at the Oscars, in which Disney/Pixar fare is set up against something Anomalisa. But it is what it is.

In any case, I'm following the standards set by the HKFA itself. It very well may not be fair, but going back to the inclusion of Long Arm of the Law, staged gunfights has precedent as nomination material. As this poll represents a sort of Alternate Reality version of the Hong Kong Film Awards, I believe the inclusion of A Better Tomorrow is justified.

Yeah, I guess you're right... they do it too. Though I never liked that either. It's just apples and oranges to me, though both under the action umbrella.

[Drunken Monk]

I'm with @ShaOW!linDude. It was definitely a tough decision between Magic Crystal and Millionaire's Express. I think the latter gets it by a hair. While Cynthia Rothrock versus Richard Norton is a thing of absolute beauty, Yuen Biao versus Dick Wei is truly iconic. Plus, I think Millionaire's Express' action is a little quicker and I like that.

[Drunken Monk]

Side note: thank you yo @DrNgor for doing this thread. I'm loving it. It allows me to revisit a lot of action and truly ponder over what I like best.

[DrNgor]

Just now, Drunken Monk said:

Side note: thank you yo @DrNgor for doing this thread. I'm loving it. It allows me to revisit a lot of action and truly ponder over what I like best.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

8 minutes ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

Yeah, I guess you're right... they do it too. Though I never liked that either. It's just apples and oranges to me, though both under the action umbrella.

It's good to have some healthy debate. I think the willingness to allow apples and oranges to compete becomes more important as you get into the second half of the 1990s and martial arts content starts to decrease. Please, don't forget to vote!

[ShaOW!linDude]

18 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

I think the willingness to allow apples and oranges to compete becomes more important as you get into the second half of the 1990s and martial arts content starts to decrease. 

But what about bananas? I like bananas!!!

[DrNgor]

3 minutes ago, ShaOW!linDude said:

But what about bananas? I like bananas!!!

Bananas would be nominating a film entirely on the basis of its vehicular stunts, which happened in 2012 with Motorway.

[paimeifist]

Well, I gotta go with Sammo again with Millionaires Express - similarly to last weeks (or years!) poll, they are just clearly “ahead of their time” especially when you watch these clips back to back..

 

With that said - where I’ll stray from the responses so far is that my runner up would be Naughty Boys over Magic Crystal.

 

It has some impressive stunts, good slap-stick humor, and the fights themselves feel more fitting for a modern action movie, and more realistic “feeling” than Magic Crystal..

 

Magic Crystal still has amazing fights, it just feels like the fight scenes belong in a kung fu movie from 1978 rather than a sci-fi action movie in 86. Cynthia Rothrock dropping into a Mantis Form in the middle of a fight in this seems a bit “weird” to me, lol.

Edited March 6, 2023 by paimeifist

[sym8]

Sammo for me.Magic Crystal had some great action and more of it than Shanghai Express but the finale of Shanghai was on point and better choreographed.

[thekfc]

Millionaires Express for me too.

[Darth Kermit]

Millionaires' Express for me. Though I haven't seen Magic Crystal and Naughty Boys, Millionaires' Express is one of, if not my favorite Sammo Hung directed films. I go back and forth between this and Dragons Forever. But anyway, yeah, the fights are gorgeous, fast, and furious. And the stunts are jaw dropping too (but that's probably a seperate category, right?). The Seventh Curse is fantastic too, and loads of bonkers fun, and A Better Tomorrow is John Woo's beautiful birth of gun fu, but it's not quite to the level of The Killer and Hard Boiled yet. Also, fantastic thread! Giving me tons of suggestions for films I haven't seen, and makes me pick between my favorite of each year (which there are a lot every year in HK's Golden Age of action).