Trigger

Have there even been any martial arts movies? Maybe they were bad and that's why I haven't heard of any (or can't think of any at least), but all I can think of for the past year or two coming out of HK are gun-fu action films. It seems like the major contributors to the period martial arts films have been tied up working on US productions. I'm excited for Zu (have to wait for DVD, but still...) - can't wait. Anyway - tell me what martial arts movies came out since CTHD (successful or not) so I know what I'm missing.

yangshouwen

Bichunmoo. Although not a Hong Kong production (Korean/China produced), is the only martial arts film that has come out since CTHD. And made a paltry debut at only 8th place. (good film though)

Trigger

I wasn't including that one cuz it was Korean. But I have that and I thought it was great. Wonder why it only placed 8th? Was that it?

yangshouwen

It fared better in Korea where it debutted at #1 and picked up a very good opening week. I'm not sure what it's eventual gross was but it seems like it made good returns. But seeing a feature somewhere, a poll showed that it was the most disliked(!!?) film in korea from the releases of last year.

dleedlee

I know it's hot, and there's a dance and now a movie. But what is
Para Para? Is it just the latest dance craze a la the Macarena? ( Jeez, I
wish I could think of a more recent example.)

Old fogeys want to know.

Yellow Hammer

I know absolutely nothing about Para Para Sakuya except that I think Para Para and Sakuya are two Sailor Moon anime figures? Anime fans, do these figures have some sort of dance?

Trigger

my girlfriend is heavy into sailor moon and she has never heard of it. don't ask me why she likes sailor moon - and yes she's over 21. No I'm not dating a little kid.

Kevin8284

Para Para is derived from the Konami music game Para Para Paradise. I think the easiest for me to describe para Para is like Dance dance Revolution with hands. The player has to know some basic moves, look at a screen, and move he/her hands to a certain spot where one of the several sensors would read the hand movement. The last time I saw the game was in an arcade in Hong Kong last Christmas. I haven't gotten a chance to play it myself, but I think it's on PS2 right now. If my explaination is not enough(and I think it's definitely not), go to http://www.homestead.com/navi_da_ang...aParadise.html to find out more.
As for the martial arts movie thing. Bichunmoo did incredibily bad at the box office. I doubt if it even cracked the 5 million dollars HK mark. Korean films never really do great in Hong Kong, the highest grossing Korean film so far is probably Shiri, which made about 7 mil HK, and Christmas In August, which started the Korean film trend and I don't have any solid box office numbers for because it only played in one theatre in its run. Any other martial arts film that might've been out probably was the ones I saw advertised on the City Entertainment magazine and those went straight to VCDs. So Zu is probably the first major Hong Kong martial arts movie since Crouching Tiger, or on the fantasy martial arts level, A man Called Hero.

Yellow Hammer

wow Para Para is something else, after looking at the site that Kevin mentioned, plus the Para Para Land site, I am now well versed on Para Para. We'll find out how well the movie will do this weekend.

dleedlee

I couldn't get it to work, but I just got the Golden Harvest
newsletter with their link to Para Para video demos.
Let me know if you get it to work.

http://www.goldenharvest.com/parapar...ance/train.htm

Yellow Hammer

the video is great! Significantly more difficult that the macarena. I don't think I'll be trying this in public anytime soon.

Yellow Hammer

don't know if this was intentional to revive more interest in the movie after 3 weeks of showing, but an extended version of the movie Shaolin Soccer is supposed to come out this weekend in the theatres in HK. More on this later.

Yellow Hammer

Here is a review of Para Para Sakura (or is it Sakuya?). Looks like it might have good first week box office but I can't imagine that outside of the curiosity factor that it would be a sustainable movie.

http://www.totallyhk.com/TimeOff/Ent...6192747532.asp

Trigger

Hmm... or perhaps the audience didn't care for the ending or something? My VCD is probably the regular cut. I can't wait to get it. Keep us informed on DVD production if you hear anything. Thanks YH.

Kevin8284

The latest report shows the opening day gross of Planet of the Apes beating Para Para sakura. Planet of the Apes grossed $890,000HK and Para Para Sakura grossing $760,000. Both movies should have a considerably good weekend. I'm just a little pissed that people in HK gets to see Planet of the Apes 2 days earlier than me here in USA. Shaolin Soccer still doing great in third place with 620,000, easily beating the beginning of the second week for Tomb Raider, which grossed 500,000. Shaolin Soccer's total is at 43.4 million dollars HK so far, making it the highest grossed movie so far this year. Sadly, Love on a Diet is still stuck between the 39-40 million mark. Stuck at 39.83 million, it grossed only 50,000 dollars on Thursday and still has a chance to break the 40 million mark this weekend while it continues to show in 15 theatres.

wonton

hi. is PARA PARA SAKURA a musical movie? what is a musical movie? i have always thought that this movie is a about aaron kwok, who is a para para dancing teacher and that's it. didnt know it's a musical.

do they sing (cantonese) in the movie like mary popin? how do they make a musical movie nowday out of that plot? hehe. anyway, i'm waiting to see something new and different from hk film makers.

Yellow Hammer

They say it's like the movie 'Grease'.

Yellow Hammer

more censorship BS out of China regarding Shaolin Soccer...

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asi...,59954,00.html

wonton

o. i have never seen GREASE before. is it like WESTSIDE STORY and mary popin?

Trigger

"Only one thing is certain: It will be quite some time before China's movie-goers get to see the film."

Haven't they already seen it? That article is crazy... WHY?? Nothing's gonna come of this, right? I don't think it would be fair to have him pay out 9 million bucks just for that. Still - it's stupid that he went ahead and released it like that - can they even do that? What's the deal with the new version coming to theaters with extra footage?

ScreachingWeasel

Maybe he means Main Land China.

Kevin8284

The fact that the Chinese government can control a film released in Hong Kong is ridiculous. From what I have been told, only films to be shown in Mainland China should be reviewed. After all, a load of Hollywood films not allowed to be shown in China are played in Hong Kong everyday. Unless the movie has been played in Mainland China, the Chinese government should have no right to fine Mr. Chow.
as for the new version, it's an extra 10 minutes of footage, it's only available to one theatre in Hong Kong for the weekend of July 26-29. The purpose is to promote anti-piracy. The Oriental Daily reported a group of 200 people from Mainland China went to down to Hong Kong just to catch a screening on Thursday in order to support Mr. Chow's cause.

Yellow Hammer

The box office numbers as of July 26 for Shaolin Soccer is at $39.88HK million. Love on a Diet's reign is just about over and the movie didn't quite make $40HK mil, it's at $39.8 mil. 3rd week box office of Shaolin Soccer was very impressive, almost as much as week 2. Source: Box Office Mojo With the slightly different version of SS coming out this weekend, it's now possible again that it could hit the $50 mil mark and top Stephen Chow's best mark ($49.9HK mil for Justice My Foot).

Looks like the extended version of Shaolin Soccer is going to play at all the theatres in HK, but theatres are complaining because the extended version may cut into the number of times that the movie can be shown in a day. The showing of the extended version of the movie is clearly a marketing strategy designed to reinvigorate interest in the movie in light of 3 very hyped movies that will come out (actually one has come out already) in the next 2 weeks - Para Para Sakuya, Full Time Killer, and the Legend of Zu.

Trigger

wonder if the extended version will ever see the light of DVD

wonton

an extended version of SHAOLIN SOCCER?! first time ever i heard of such thing! that's too cheap in my opinion. they just lowered the movie value. how they are doing this reminds me of leon lai's music label.