Kung Fu Fridays in September 2012

Tonight, my KFF Klub sits down to watch some light cartoons after a grueling opening to frosh week, but what's on tap in September?

Exiled - As actor Anthony Wong announces through this month's poster, we're going to start with a Johnnie To film and end with a Johnnie To film. Up first, Exiled, with To regulars Wong and Simon Yam. Two killers, two saviors, one victim, and a shared heist before the execution. A recipe for excitement, Hong Kong-style!

Rashomon - The Kurosawa film that changed the rules, showing the same events from different perspectives. Often imitated. We'll have to see the original to know if it was ever equalled. From one of four possible perspectives, I'm really excited about this!

Drunken Master - Still haven't found a Chinese-language copy of Drunken Master II (AKA Legend of Drunken Master), but the original, rougher film is the one that made Jackie Chan a star, and I HAVE found a copy with a Chinese-language track. And we here at KFF are loathe to watch Asian films with English dubs.

Sparrow - And back to Johnnie To, with a caper film starring Simon Yam as the leader of a gang of pickpockets whose world is turned upside down by a mysterious woman. It's advertized as To's homage to French cinema, a combination that certainly intrigues me.

Looks good! Guns, swords and fists, both drunken and sober. If unable to materialize in my living room, look to Sunday's capsule reviews to see what you missed.

Comments

chiasaur11 said…
Nice selection. Kurosawa's almost always worth watching, and Jackie Chan's virtues are obvious. Haven't seen much Johnnie To, but it sounds like I should. Will see what I can find.

Know I mentioned the show before, but Avatar The Last Airbender sounds right up your street. It's a wuxia cartoon with good fight scenes, high quality voice acting, and solid writing.

Also, it has a 12 year old blind girl use Hakka Praying Mantis style to beat up a superpowered version of the Rock voiced by Mick Foley.
Siskoid said…
Kung Fu Fridays never do anime, as we don't want to step all over Animondays, but at least one of our members is a huge fan on the non-movie Airbender, so it's likely I'll see it somewhere down the line.

But don't ask me to get into Naruto or Dragonball.
Siskoid said…
As for Johnnie To, I definitely recommend Election as a first taste.
chiasaur11 said…
Never would, no worries.

Quick note, though. By the standard use of the term, Avatar isn't anime. Animation is done is Korea like pretty much every cartoon, but the storyboarding, writing, art design, and so on are all American.

And thanks for the recommendation. Will try to watch Election soon.
Siskoid said…
Point taken, and it's not the first time I make that mistake (see: that friend I have).