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The Zen of “Demigod The Legend Begins” at Fantasia 2022

Demigod, The Legend Begins may well be a prequel to Legend of the Sacred Stone, because Su Huan-jen is part of the cast.

Played at Fantasia 2022 July 23, 2022

Demigod The Legend Begins, is a visual treat. Not only do we get to watch Taiwanese glove puppet theatre on the big screen, but also the story is epic! Through the magic of editing, these characters come alive.

However, I must wonder if Bunraku is the appropriate term to use to describe this style of puppetry. The motions of these medium-sized dolls are achieved via hiding the puppeteers with simple tricks of the camera. Instead of watching a stage show, we are watching it though the eyes of the cinemtographer–where we have medium shots and closeups of the characters instead of wide shots to show these action figures in motion. In truth, this technique is the centuries-old tradition of budaixi—Chinese opera using glove puppetry. This movie updates the music with modern day electric guitars, and I’m fairly sure one song is taking cues from Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

When a robe needs to look like it’s rustling, good ol’ fashioned fans are used. When the background needs to come alive, we have CGI replacing those green screen moments. Also, we have some well placed smoke effects and cups of blood to splash around when needed! The presentation is as good as those classic wuxia Hong Kong films from the 80s. But I can’t help but chuckle when they move off camera like a Muppet. That’s okay; Demigod The Legend Begins is not meant to be as perfect as other films using marionation.

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DreamWorks & Netflix’s Ready for More Kung Fu Panda Action July 2022!

The best news from this month for DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda fans is that Po’s adventures aren’t over. After three successful films, five standalone pieces and two series–one on network television and the other on Amazon–Netflix has its eye to continue the adventures with the lead in The Dragon Knight!

There isn’t too much information to reveal as some aspects are still being developed or are under wraps. All we know so far is that weasels are the primary antagonists in this upcoming series. Confirmed is Jack Black returning to the role instead of Mick Wingert who voiced the title character in Paws of Destiny. This actor also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that it’s coming July 2022!

Story Synopsis:

When a mysterious pair of weasels set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons, Po must leave his home to embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. Together, these two mismatched warriors set out on an epic adventure to find the magical weapons first and save the world from destruction – and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way.

Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, A Movie Review

This film feels more like an obligatory product that had to be made because of Black Panther’s success

Wuxia movies are a dime a dozen. To stand out requires a proper vision. Somehow Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (SCLotR) lack the sense of feeling like an Asian film. It’s produced by Chinese-Americans, who are probably two generations removed from their heritage. Instead of earning their wings on some feudal period piece for television in Shanghai (or Hong Kong), they only have the approval of Disney to produce this piece.

This film begins nicely enough, with bits from Jackie’s Chan’s The Myth and Forbidden Kingdom mixed in, but somehow in the tale’s progression, it turns into something like a Black Widow type of film.

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On Ne Zha and a Sequel

Very few people would not expect a little tyke like Ne Zha would be a troublemaker. But somehow he manages to charm in what may be the first instalment of a series of films.

Ne Zha Movie Poster — Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Well Go USA

Release Dates:
Feb 25th – Digital and March 3rd – Blu-ray

Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) is Dragonball Z on steroids. This title is the name of a movie about a rascally young boy (voiced by Lü Yanting) who does not have the makings of the divinity Chinese people highly respect today. You don’t want to let him in your home just yet. He needs to earn his reputation. When the world is about immortals battling for positions of power–to be one of the 8 Golden Immortals–in Heaven, I question how easy life is in Ancient China when they live amongst humanity and the battles are fought on land than in the safety of the Aether.

The animation includes many moments worthy of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Endgame mashup in oriental garb. It offers very little in the charm of extolling Eastern philosophies. This story shines in its premise that destiny can be challenged and reshaped.

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The Shadow You Are & Deep Within, the Shadow You Aren’t

Zhang Yimou’s Shadow is a kind of wuxia film to be best watched on the big screen for its details and colour contrasts.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Released Aug 13, 2019
Well GO USA

Zhang Yimou’s Shadow is a kind of wuxia film to be best watched on the big screen for its details and colour contrasts. After being enthralled, it should be viewed again on home video to understand its complex narrative. I certainly needed it especially since it last played theatrically at Fantasia Fest 2019.

This tragic tale of court drama is the type I feel Shakespeare will love, and if there is a person whom I feel is damned, that would be the king’s Commander Ziyu (Deng Chao). He challenged General Yang (Hu Jun) from a nearby settlement to a duel without royal authorization and this battle complicates things.

King Peiliang (Zhang Kai) wants that city back under his rule. He goes as far as offering his sister Princess Qingping (Guan Xiaotong) as a wife for Yang’s son, and she doesn’t like the idea at all. To make matters worse, the shadow (to which this movie gets its name) is a doppelgänger masquerading as Ziyu while the real one is recovering. Only his wife Madam (Sun Li) knows and if things are not bad enough, she has feelings for the lookalike.

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Kung Fu Panda 3 Executes Relentless Punches to Marvel At!

Kung Fu Panda 3 Movie Poster Everybody will soon want to hum to the new Kung Fu Fighting in Po’s journey (Jack Black) in Kung Fu Panda 3. Not only does the story reunite him with his past, of a life totally forgotten, but also the CGI, watercolour scroll visuals (revealed in flashback) and 3D deliver a glorious blow to the senses to behold. Very rarely will a film get the depth right and this film gets the job done perfectly!

There’s no subtitle to indicate what the tale is about, and true to the great cosmic will, this young warrior’s destiny is looking like it will come full circle. The virtues of yin and yang are duly explored in this latest entry; from witnessing how Po has to deal with two fathers—one biological (Li Shan, voiced by Bryan Cranston) and the other adoptive (Mr. Ping, played by James Hong) not necessarily seeing eye-to-eye—to learning about what his true potential is, this computer animated gem combines the best themes realized in other Wuxia films. When considering this story is co-developed by both divisions of DreamWorks (in China and USA), enlightenment is achieved!

While this movie is focussed on reuniting Po with his Panda heritage, an old threat wants to return to the physical realm to wreck chaos. Kai (J. K. Simmons) is a temperamental bull who has a history with Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) — who passed away in the first movie. This film takes a peek into the spirit realm to show that life continues, and while this turtle is enjoying his ‘retirement,’ not everyone in this plane of existence feels the same. The two meet again, and the plot of Kai wanting to steal souls exist so he can amass a new army. Of course, he senses Po’s vitality and he is coveting it for his own use.

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