Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Since discovering Kung Fu classics like 7 Grandmasters and The Victim, has your outlook on life changed at all? In other words, do you feel that commercial TV, films and general forms of art seem pale in comparison to Kung? Have you started to wonder why people find simple dance acts, jewelry, multi-coloured objects, or even clothes so interesting? Since finding out about Kung, do you find other people generally ignorant and boring? How many times have you said to yourself "that sad person ought to check out the end fight in a kung fu film"? How, if anything, has Kung changed your life from a social point of view? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 To put it another way: You, as a Westerner (apologies to non-Westerners on this board), have discovered--through Kung Fu movies--the multi-ethnic/cultural Far East. Do you now feel that other people around you are generally too set in their ways, clinging too much to traditions? Perhaps Bruce Lee has influenced you here? Rather than everyone wearing jeans, designer clothes, and an "NY" cap, are you surprised more individuals do not walk down the street wearing brightly coloured robes, carrying a bird-cage or coffin? As a Kung Fu fan, are you now able to drink tea from a glass, eat curry in the morning and cereal for dinner, and talk about constipation in a public place (i.e. bus or train), where in your pre-Kung days, you never had enough guts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bolofan Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Falkor, it seems to me that you have become alien towards anything that isn't your favorite genre of movie. The really strange thing is that your bitterness has evolved beyond film in general and now covers standard daily objects. Really? Since you've discovered kung fu you can't appreciate why peoples daily enjoyment comes from other art forms, places and mediums??? Kung fu is great, don't get me wrong but it is no better to me than anything else I enjoy in life, a good war film, classic british comedy, good food at a good restaraunt and sunday mornings playing football. I seem to remember back in an "Ong Bak 2" thread you told everyone about how angry you get at people nowadays, something about wanting to burn a mans shop down?? I may have misread your comments, but believe me, don't let kung fu cinema be your whole life and dampen your enjoyment of anything else. You sound to me, like you're incredibly narrow minded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks for your reply! So you don't think Kung stands out from a good war film or British comedy!? You've actually sat down and watched both 7 Grandmasters and The Victim, right? And you do realise that many people who have seen classic comedy and war films are unlikely to have ever seen classic kung fu films from the late 70s? I seem to remember back in an "Ong Bak 2" thread you told everyone about how angry you get at people nowadays, something about wanting to burn a mans shop down?? I only get angry towards con-men or unhelpful people who are paid to a provide a public service. I've got no major problems with people wanting to watch stage shows and refusing to check out a Kung Fu film. I just find them ignorant. I may have misread your comments, but believe me, don't let kung fu cinema be your whole life and dampen your enjoyment of anything else. You sound to me, like you're incredibly narrow minded. I am always open-minded to new things. Somebody told me they enjoy snowboarding, which I've never tried, so am instinctively interested. However, a lot of common things that people enjoy and find interesting, which I would have had experience of during my up-bringing, I now find boring because of Kung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member butcher wing Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Kung fu movies opened me up to the art itself. I have always known about the art but after watching these movies, I took a personal interest in them. I too will take a good fight sequence over anything else. When it comes to other films if it is awesome then it is awesome. In regards to people being boring and into boring stuff, I felt that way about different people way before I started watching these flix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bolofan Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks for your reply! So you don't think Kung stands out from a good war film or British comedy!? I think they are all on a level playing field! For example, I enjoyed Shaun of the dead just as much as I enjoyed Secret Rivals, but for entirely different reasons. A good comedy is excellent as scriptwriters work to create an entertaining script, enjoyable situations and good characters. In a similar fashion a good kung fu film is enjoyable to me for different reasons, cinematography, choreography etc. I'm a fan of films in general and I can't say I favor one genre over another, if a film is good, then its good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 I'm very surprised you see Kung Fu films in the same box as other films. You've at least admitted you enjoy them for different reasons. It would be interesting to see what DVD would end up in your player first: a never-before-seen classic Hollywood film, say, or a newly discovered Kung Fu classic. It would then be interesting to analyse what it is you get out of a good story/script (1), good characters (2) and choreography (3). I find it difficult to understand at a very deep level, but my initial thoughts are that (1) and (2) stimulate the imagination similar to a fictional book, as well as different mixed emotions (sadness, happiness, surprise, anger, sympathy etc). On the hand, (3) should provide an adrenaline rush, eye-popping, edge-of-your-seat WOW factor, and simply blow your mind away! In theory, Kung Fu Movies should also appeal to non-movie goers who might spend their life travelling to see different air shows, fireworks displays or stage shows. That's why I see it as being the most superior form of art and entertainment known to man and not just another film genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bolofan Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 I get what you mean but take this for example, two films, different genre: 1) Requiem for a dream: This film absolutely knocked me for six, amazingly crafted, beautifully shot and packs a punch by the final credits. 2) Fist Of Fury: The film packs a completely different punch, first time I watched this as a young boy I was astounded. I found it jaw dropping, but in a different way. I wouldn't rate either of those films higher than the other but I have an incredible respect for both. Ellen Burstyns phenomenal acting performance in this film had as much of an impact one me as Jackie Chans phenomenal stuntwork did in Project A. There are so many non kung fu films out there, rich with ideas and visuals, that I just feel it is a shame to put kung fu above the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Fist Of Fury seriously lacks in visuals because Bruce Lee wasn't interested in showcasing classical styles, but very direct movements, which is why I use the late 70s/early 80s examples. I find it absurd to suggest other genre classics could be anywhere near as good as Kung Fu classics. The reason we can watch fight scenes over and over again is because of their artistic complexity; the only way you could fully appreciate them in a single viewing is by pausing every second to analyse each shape like you would analyse a whole scene in a Hollywood movie. Kung progresses at a much faster rate than any other type of film, so is like comparing the fastest dual processor computers with a calculator. Of course your brain needs to be fine-tuned to the same frequency otherwise those scores of ideas and visuals being transmitted via your pupils and retina every second will seem like a complete blur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tosh Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 I read an artical online the otherday the guy was saying how different horror fans are to other movie fans, I think the comparisons where very similiar to a kung fu/samurai/Asian movie fan. Kung Fu movies very much changed my perception of life and to an extent changed my life, first it actually got me into martial arts as a kid, secondly the art and architecture in these movies has influenced my artistic tastes, then the beautiful women I've watched in these movies which I make no apologies for having a preference towards. As far as travel I'd much rather go somewhere in Asia or the South Pacific then see Europe, not that I wouldn't love to travel there to but if I'm paying I'm much more interested in seeing the temples in Thailand or the Great Wall then an old church in Rome. I'll also admit to adhereing to an almost complete Asian diet, I have acid reflux and the greasy wings and burgers everyone eats here in America kills me when I lay down at night, I can eat the hottest Thai or Indian food and it doesn't bother me, I even found a bowl of Pho for breakfast is the best hangover food ever. As far as the movies themselves I drift farther and farther from the mainstream crap they churn out, there's the exception here and there, usually an independant, but it seems they're more interested in making as much money as possible then make a interesting movie, pg13? Fuck you I want nudity and blood, they all but ruined horror with cgi and these absurd ratings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 I have seen both of those films (7 Grandmasters and The Victim), but I've been watching martial art films for so long that it is hard to think of new films of this genre as an epiphany though there are always moments and scenes that I find sagacious. I have been interested in martial arts for a few decades so that helps too. I think Hong Kong movies in general have changed a bit of my thinking. I have become a tea snob (usually only wanting tea in leaf form). I have looked at action scenes and editing of these scenes in a whole different light compared to European movies and American. The more you learn about film the harder it is to pick just one genre and of course certain films and filmmakers can do multiple genres (like Johnnie To). I am a fan of cinema in general from D.W. Griffith to Wong Kar-wai. I actually do get mad when HK (or Asian) movies are dismissed as well as the genres of wuxia and Kung Fu. In general my ongoing studies of cinema have changed/enhanced much of my views of social interaction and life in general. One must watch (you don't have to like) Robert Bresson, Luis Bunuel, Ingmar Bergman, Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Carl Dreyer, Fritz Lang, Zhang Yimou, Anthony Mann, John Ford, etc... (you can go forever of course I'm focusing a bit too much on auteurs) to enhance your knowledge of cinema. There is just so damn much to love from this media. Martial art movies are great, but there is so much more too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member silver hermit Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 the only thing better than kung is sports. movies (all genres) mode pre-90's are way better than stuff we have now its so watered down. kung takes all genres and puts them in a blender to form a hybrid of human entertainment. western thinking is so different from the eastern concepts of the mind and human character. i know what falkor means by kung changing your thinking. if you take in the concepts of zen, chi, buddah and fully understand them then throw in some ku lung human characterations and range of emotion and full comprehend it all your preception of the masses must change. but i'm sure only a small percentage of people on earth have the ability to understand every concept kung has presented on screen. they are like visual parables to those that can wrap their head around concepts that are alien to what they have been taught and programed their whole life to belive. but like they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Well said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Mark Pollard Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Movies in general provide a doorway into another culture if you let them. For me, kung fu and Chinese-language films in general have given me far greater appreciation for Chinese culture and history than I otherwise would have had. As someone who has not been able to travel outside of the country much, I am grateful for the opportunity to watch movies from around the world. I realize that I can empathize and relate to people whose language I may not understand. This is why I wish that foreign films were more popular in the U.S. People here could benefit from having more of a world view by understanding and appreciating other cultures. We would be less likely to start wars for one thing. I cannot say that I find kung fu movies superior to any other particular film genre or form of entertainment. It's possible to have good "kung fu" in any endeavor. I appreciate and respect anyone who works hard and becomes proficient at any art be it martial arts, music, engineering, cooking, etc. I do have more appreciation and understanding for kung fu movies than I do other forms of entertainment due to my study of the genre but I try to maintain perspective. That said, classic kung fu movies in particular have made me biased towards authenticity in physical skills displayed on screen. Knowing what some of these old school actors and stuntmen could do without wires or digital effects has made it more difficult to enjoy the artifice of action films that rely on wire and CG trickery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I find it absurd to suggest other genre classics could be anywhere near as good as Kung Fu classics. That in itself is an absurd statement and strikingly narrow-minded given that this thread criticises those who refuse to give Kung Fu a chance. I fail to see the difference between someone not wanting to watch The Victim (great film) and someone not wanting to watch ballet (I'd rather poke myself in the eyes). It's a matter of personal taste. Eye of the beholder and all that jazz. My Dad couldn't sit through a Kung Fu if you paid him. But that's fine by me. I don't feel the need to reeducate him. Kung Fu movies are cool. That's why I post here. But I don't believe that as a genre it should be held in higher esteem than any other. A great movie is a great movie whether it be Kung Fu or horror or comedy or a western, etc... I've seen more than my fair share of really awful Kung Fu movies. Should we judge the entire genre by those? You can't claim all Kung Fu movies are up to the standard of The Victim because they're not. When one starts to believe that their interests are more important and worthy than anyone else's I think it's time to take step back and broaden one's horizons. Has Kung Fu influenced my cultural interests? Not to any great extent. But I do find myself appreciating Chinese culture more than I otherwise would have. I remember buying a set of ricebowls in Chinatown because they were the same design as used in Heroes of the East. lol. I think that's pretty normal though. I'm not planning on changing my name and moving to China to become a monk. Being obsessive about anything or anyone is never a good thing. I see myself as a well-balanced fan and hope to stay that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member HAZ Posted June 5, 2009 Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 Are you surprised more individuals do not walk down the street wearing brightly coloured robes, carrying a bird-cage or coffin? As a Kung Fu fan, are you now able to drink tea from a glass, eat curry in the morning and cereal for dinner, and talk about constipation in a public place (i.e. bus or train), where in your pre-Kung days, you never had enough guts? Best post ever. Falkor needs to post more. I'm loving this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member falkor Posted June 5, 2009 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2009 I've seen more than my fair share of really awful Kung Fu movies. Should we judge the entire genre by those? You can't claim all Kung Fu movies are up to the standard of The Victim because they're not. That's very naive. Every film genre has good/bad films, so obviously you judge by the best... nobody has made such a claim....laterz. Oh, BTW, has your Dad even tried to watch the end fight of a Kung Fu Film? Don't show him Deadly Snail whatever you do... zzzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 That's very naive. Every film genre has good/bad films, so obviously you judge by the best... nobody has made such a claim....laterz. I think when appraising a genre you have to take into account all that it has to offer and not just filter out the best. Airbrushing the bad stuff won't make it go away. And that doesn't just apply to Kung Fu to be sure. If you're appraising horror movies you can't avoid the fact that there's more shit than classic. Doesn't make the classics any less so but offers a sense of balance and persepctive. To wit: You can't judge an entire genre based on The Silence of the Lambs when Zombi 2 exists. Oh, BTW, has your Dad even tried to watch the end fight of a Kung Fu Film? Don't show him Deadly Snail whatever you do... zzzzzzz It would be a waste of time. I showed him Police Story many moons ago and he didn't "get it". Doesn't like action movies or physical combat. Would be like showing porno to a Nun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 In a nutshell: Nope! I appreciate every art or discipline for what they are. I don't compare them to kung fu. Although I think my interest in the kung fu films has helped me appreciate the skill and co-ordination that goes into making those musical classics from the 30s to the 60s. The dance routines and all that, they totally remind me of the dance nature of the kung fu films. In other words, I'm not so quick to change the channel when a oldie musical comes on. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 I read an artical online the otherday the guy was saying how different horror fans are to other movie fans, I think the comparisons where very similiar to a kung fu/samurai/Asian movie fan. I think that depends on the person and whether they choose to become an elitist of sort and only think their type of film or music is better than everyone else's. I like all kinds of films and TV shows. While my collection is predominantly kung fu/asian action in nature, I am a huge fan of horror, sci fi, certain comedies, and even mainstream hollywood flicks. It all depends on the film and whether it resonates with me or not. I think if you stick to just one genre, eventually you'll reach a point where you'll get so sick of it, you'll end up shunning it. You'll also start taking it too personally when other people don't like it the way you do. Living a happy life is all about balance, not compulsively single-minded obsession. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 Would be like showing porno to a Nun. Would the Nun be young and good looking? KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member crazedjustice888 Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 Well....after seeing certain ones, they have changed my views a bit..IN A GOOD WAY!!!! lol Like Challenge of the Masters brought back to me the idea of being kind, Martial Club, being humble, and Heroes of the East being open minded. If thats what you mean then ABSOLUTELY!!!! However, I find many other things interesting as well. I actually practice Kung Fu in real life, the hung style. I also collect toys, build models, watch Godzilla, sing opera, read comics. I am an avid christian so I read my bible. I do many different things. Every person has different things that appeal to them. I just have a lot that appeal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 I tend to agree with Mark here. Sticking to one genre is very narrow minded. There are many, many great films of all types. Falkor have you sat down and watched Leon or Dances With Wolves?...If they dont move you in lots of ways then i will be surprised. Kung fu movies are great but not the be all and end all..its like people who will only listen to certain types of music, rap, dance, rock or whatever they are missing out on so much. Personally i think there are more crap kung fu films than good/great ones but that wouldnt stop me seeking out the great which is what you should do with any film genre. I have seen Victim (fantastic) and 7 Grandmasters (good) by the way. Copy ANY Xbox360 or PS3 game..click here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted June 6, 2009 Member Share Posted June 6, 2009 It's like today's films like High School Musical Pts. 1-3, that's Hollywood's idea of a musical today. What bullshit! Compared to the days of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who really danced, these muppets haven't a clue! I feel my life has been enriched by way of exposure to Kung Fu films, and I have a broader appreciation for foreign filmfare in general as a result. In fact, Hollywood to me, has fallen far behind in it's output of quality material as opposed to what's available on the indy market. I often find myself wondering what if they really decided to go balls-out, and produce a genuine highly regarded MA film with the input of the most-respected, Asian influences? No more Romeo Must Dies, Cradle To The Graves!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Fred Astaire dance sequences can be likened to Kung Fu. Both require physical skill, timing, and dexterity from the performer. At their best Astaire's dances are stylish and thrilling to watch. Sublime choregraphy is a key element. Who's to say Kung Fu is a more worthy artform than the golden age musical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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