Jackie Chan may have earned some down time doing family friendly fare, but
who will take over where he left off? Golden Harvest Jackie Chan has made over 100 films and broken pretty much
every bone in his body. "Every independent producer, studio executive and wannabe movie mogul in Hong
Kong was scouring the sidewalks for martial artists who looked, talked, acted
or fought like the Dragon - hunting for the next Bruce Lee. ... When we
gathered in the evenings to drink and talk, the conversation always ended up
turning the same way: What did Lee have that we didn't?"
In the trailer for Jackie Chan's new film, The Spy Next Door, which arrives
in theatres tomorrow, a voiceover gravely informs us: "Secret Agent Bob Ho
has taken down dictators, terrorists and evil empires, but he is about to
face his toughest assignment yet: babysitting."
As I watch Chan in the preview burning his hands on a muffin rack, I think of
his classic movie, Police Story. During the 1985 film's final fight scene in
a mall, he slid down a 70-foot pole wrapped in Christmas lights, bulbs
exploding around him, and he burned the skin off of his hands.
The man is 55. He has appeared in more than 100 movies, broken just about
every bone there is and suffered brain injuries. He has earned some time
doing family comedies.
But still, the stunt makes me yearn for the old Chan, and logically, the next
Chan. Who will follow the acrobatic and comedic Chan and the skilful and now
-retired Jet Li? Who will continue the legacy of the legendary Bruce Lee?
Chinese martial arts superstars came in two generations: Chan and actor Sammo
Hung practised back flips, splits and hand stands at the same opera school in
Hong Kong in the '60s; then performers such as Li and actor Donnie Yen
studied wushu in mainland China in the '70s. They were catapulted to fame in
Hong Kong, which had one of the largest movie industries in the world.
But the industry has since deflated; kung fu films fell out of fashion and
stunt job opportunities (where Lee and Chan got their start) declined.
"The martial arts film is similar to the Western: its heyday is long over,
but there will be small cycles of films from time to time when someone finds
a fresh spin," says Leon Hunt, who teaches film studies at Brunel University
in the U.K. "There hasn't been any fresh blood since the '90s in terms of
‘proper' kung fu stars."
Chan himself recognized the need for new talent, and in 2007 he launched a
reality TV competition called The Disciple. Sixteen finalists braved
gruelling training, car stunts and high-altitude wire suspension in hopes of
becoming the next big action movie star. The winner, Jack Tu, who was born in
Taiwan but grew up in Canada and the U.S., has been shadowing Chan to learn
the trade and was on set for the filming of The Spy Next Door. Other than his
participation as an extra, though, he has yet to break out as a major figure.
But when - and if - he does, he may find that the demand is no longer there.
Our culture of celebrity means that star power drives action films today. No
one cares if Ben Affleck wields a cane with all the dexterity and attitude of
a grandmother. CGI will fix that.
The real stuff is no longer practical. Why spend months choreographing an
action sequence, risking injury to the actors, when tighter editing, short
cuts and computers will produce the same result?
Hong Kong filmmakers are now co-producing movies with China and creating
blockbuster-style films. "Recent action films such as Red Cliff are big
budget, and post-production special effects along the lines of Lord of the
Rings generate panoramic, breathtaking scenes that real-life stunts and
action sometimes cannot match," says Kay Li of the Canadian Foundation for
Asian Culture.
Besides, viewers in the West have regressed 20 years in their understanding
of martial arts, according to Mark Pollard, Kungfucinema.com's founder and
senior editor. He notes that the upcoming Karate Kid remake starring Chan and
Will Smith's son Jaden actually features kung fu. (Karate is Japanese; kung
fu is Chinese.) The Karate Kid is due out in theatres later this year.
Those in the industry, however, continue to search for new blood in the hopes
that audiences will tire of CGI.
"There's a shift back towards the real thing," says Bey Logan, a Hong Kong
film producer and former vice-president for Asian acquisitions at Weinstein
Brothers.
He says there are possible candidates lurking in the wings, citing Hong Kong
actor and martial artist Wu Jing. There is even a future for the 46-year-old
Jet Li contemporary Donnie Yen, who Logan suggests "has just come into his
own."
Pollard, though, is not holding his breath.
"In the old days, you had a whole string of actors and you knew someone was
going to follow in their footsteps," Pollard says. "But I'm thinking there is
nobody else."read the story in http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2438007
who will take over where he left off? Golden Harvest Jackie Chan has made over 100 films and broken pretty much
every bone in his body. "Every independent producer, studio executive and wannabe movie mogul in Hong
Kong was scouring the sidewalks for martial artists who looked, talked, acted
or fought like the Dragon - hunting for the next Bruce Lee. ... When we
gathered in the evenings to drink and talk, the conversation always ended up
turning the same way: What did Lee have that we didn't?"
In the trailer for Jackie Chan's new film, The Spy Next Door, which arrives
in theatres tomorrow, a voiceover gravely informs us: "Secret Agent Bob Ho
has taken down dictators, terrorists and evil empires, but he is about to
face his toughest assignment yet: babysitting."
As I watch Chan in the preview burning his hands on a muffin rack, I think of
his classic movie, Police Story. During the 1985 film's final fight scene in
a mall, he slid down a 70-foot pole wrapped in Christmas lights, bulbs
exploding around him, and he burned the skin off of his hands.
The man is 55. He has appeared in more than 100 movies, broken just about
every bone there is and suffered brain injuries. He has earned some time
doing family comedies.
But still, the stunt makes me yearn for the old Chan, and logically, the next
Chan. Who will follow the acrobatic and comedic Chan and the skilful and now
-retired Jet Li? Who will continue the legacy of the legendary Bruce Lee?
Chinese martial arts superstars came in two generations: Chan and actor Sammo
Hung practised back flips, splits and hand stands at the same opera school in
Hong Kong in the '60s; then performers such as Li and actor Donnie Yen
studied wushu in mainland China in the '70s. They were catapulted to fame in
Hong Kong, which had one of the largest movie industries in the world.
But the industry has since deflated; kung fu films fell out of fashion and
stunt job opportunities (where Lee and Chan got their start) declined.
"The martial arts film is similar to the Western: its heyday is long over,
but there will be small cycles of films from time to time when someone finds
a fresh spin," says Leon Hunt, who teaches film studies at Brunel University
in the U.K. "There hasn't been any fresh blood since the '90s in terms of
‘proper' kung fu stars."
Chan himself recognized the need for new talent, and in 2007 he launched a
reality TV competition called The Disciple. Sixteen finalists braved
gruelling training, car stunts and high-altitude wire suspension in hopes of
becoming the next big action movie star. The winner, Jack Tu, who was born in
Taiwan but grew up in Canada and the U.S., has been shadowing Chan to learn
the trade and was on set for the filming of The Spy Next Door. Other than his
participation as an extra, though, he has yet to break out as a major figure.
But when - and if - he does, he may find that the demand is no longer there.
Our culture of celebrity means that star power drives action films today. No
one cares if Ben Affleck wields a cane with all the dexterity and attitude of
a grandmother. CGI will fix that.
The real stuff is no longer practical. Why spend months choreographing an
action sequence, risking injury to the actors, when tighter editing, short
cuts and computers will produce the same result?
Hong Kong filmmakers are now co-producing movies with China and creating
blockbuster-style films. "Recent action films such as Red Cliff are big
budget, and post-production special effects along the lines of Lord of the
Rings generate panoramic, breathtaking scenes that real-life stunts and
action sometimes cannot match," says Kay Li of the Canadian Foundation for
Asian Culture.
Besides, viewers in the West have regressed 20 years in their understanding
of martial arts, according to Mark Pollard, Kungfucinema.com's founder and
senior editor. He notes that the upcoming Karate Kid remake starring Chan and
Will Smith's son Jaden actually features kung fu. (Karate is Japanese; kung
fu is Chinese.) The Karate Kid is due out in theatres later this year.
Those in the industry, however, continue to search for new blood in the hopes
that audiences will tire of CGI.
"There's a shift back towards the real thing," says Bey Logan, a Hong Kong
film producer and former vice-president for Asian acquisitions at Weinstein
Brothers.
He says there are possible candidates lurking in the wings, citing Hong Kong
actor and martial artist Wu Jing. There is even a future for the 46-year-old
Jet Li contemporary Donnie Yen, who Logan suggests "has just come into his
own."
Pollard, though, is not holding his breath.
"In the old days, you had a whole string of actors and you knew someone was
going to follow in their footsteps," Pollard says. "But I'm thinking there is
nobody else."read the story in http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2438007
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