|
Wire Fu
Wire fu is an element or style of Hong Kong action cinema used in fight scenes. It is a combination of two terms: " wire work" and "kung fu". Wire fu is used to describe a subgenre of kung fu films where the stuntmen's or actor's skill is augmented with the use of wires and pulleys, as well as other stage techniques, usually to perform fight-scene stunts and give the illusion of super-human ability (or qinggong). It is exemplified by the works of Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping, and Jet Li. Hollywood has subsequently adopted the style for the American film industry. Almost all modern wuxia films fall in this category. Not all martial arts films use wire work. In practice The basic concept is not very complex and originates in the mechanical effects of stagecraft. Planning and persistence are important, as it often requires many takes to perfect the stunt. Typically, a harness is hidden under the actor's costume, and a cable and pulley system is attached to the harness. When live sets ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hong Kong Action Cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese culture, Chinese and Culture of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cultures, including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Cinema of the United States, Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong Film genre, genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards. The first Hong Kong action films favoured the ''wuxia'' style, emphasizing mysticism and swordplay, but this trend was politically suppressed in the 1930s and replaced by kung fu films that depicted more down-to-earth unarmed martial arts, often featuring folk heroes such as Wong Fei Hung. Post-war cultural upheavals led to a sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pulley
Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flanges around its circumference to locate the cable or belt. The drive element of a pulley system can be a rope, cable, belt, or chain. History The earliest evidence of pulleys dates back to Ancient Egypt in the Twelfth Dynasty (1991–1802 BC) and Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC. In Roman Egypt, Hero of Alexandria (c. 10–70 AD) identified the pulley as one of six simple machines used to lift weights. Pulleys are assembled to form a block and tackle in order to provide mechanical advantage to apply large forces. Pulleys are also assembled as part of belt and chain drives in order to transmit power from one rotating shaft to another. Plutarch's ''Parallel Lives'' recounts a scene where Archimedes proved the effectiveness ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1993 In Film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits ''Jurassic Park (film), Jurassic Park'', ''The Fugitive (1993 film), The Fugitive,'' and ''The Firm (1993 film), The Firm''. (For more about films in foreign languages, check sources in those languages.) Highest-grossing films The top 10 films released in 1993 by worldwide gross are as follows: Events * January 1 – China Film Group Corporation, China Film Import & Export Corporation ends its 40-year monopoly distributing all films in China, with 16 other Chinese film studios now responsible for distributing their own films. * January 29 – ''Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film), Bram Stoker's Dracula'' opens in the United Kingdom setting an opening weekend record of £2,633,635 million. * March 31 – actor Brandon Lee is accidentally killed during the filming of ''The Crow (1994 film), The Crow''. * May 27 – actress Kim Basinger files for bankruptcy after a California judge initially order ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fong Sai-yuk (film)
''Fong Sai-yuk'' (, a.k.a. ''The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk'' or simply ''The Legend'';on Netflix.com released in the Philippines as ''The Prodigal Fighter'') is a 1993 Hong Kong action-comedy film directed by Corey Yuen and produced by Jet Li, who stars as Chinese folk hero Fong Sai-yuk. It co-stars Josephine Siao, Vincent Zhao, and Michelle Reis. The film received positive reviews, particularly praising Josephine Siao's acting and the action choreography. The film won the Hong Kong Film Award and Golden Horse Award for best action choreography. A sequel, '' Fong Sai-yuk II'', was released later the same year in 1993. The plot follows Fong Sai-yuk (Li), a young martial artist from Canton who competes in a martial arts tournament to win the hand of a beautiful woman named Ting Ting (Reis), only to find himself entangled in a political conspiracy involving the Red Lotus Flower Society, a secret organisation seeking to overthrow the Qing dynasty, led by the Governor of Nine Ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1991 In Film
The year 1991 in film involved numerous significant events. Important films released this year included '' The Silence of the Lambs'', '' Beauty and the Beast'', '' Thelma & Louise'', '' JFK'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. Highest-grossing films The top 10 films released in 1991 by worldwide gross are as follows: Events *February 14 – '' The Silence of the Lambs'' is released and becomes only the third film after '' It Happened One Night'' (1934) and '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975) to win the top five categories at the Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Director (Jonathan Demme); Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins); Best Actress ( Jodie Foster); and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Ted Tally). It is also the first, and to date only, Best Picture winner widely considered to be a horror film. * March 20 - Frank Mancuso Sr. leaves as the head of Paramount Pictures. * July 1 - Brandon Tartikoff is appointed as chairman of Paramount Pictures. * July 3 – '' Terminat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Once Upon A Time In China
''Once Upon a Time in China'' is a 1991 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film directed and produced by Tsui Hark, who also wrote with Yuen Kai-chi, Leung Yiu-ming, and Elsa Tang. Jet Li stars as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. The film co-stars Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, and Kent Cheng. It is the first installment in the ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series. It is a staple in the wuxia genre and regarded as one of the most influential martial arts films of all time. Plot The film is set in Foshan, China sometime in the late 19th century during the Qing dynasty. Liu Yongfu, the commander of the Black Flag Army, invites Wong Fei-hung on board his ship to watch a lion dance. Sailors on board a nearby French ship hear the sound of firecrackers and mistakenly think that Liu's ship is firing at them so they return fire and injure the dancers. Wong picks up the lion head and finishes the performance. Liu commen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1974 In Film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events. Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) celebrated their 50th anniversaries. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1974 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *February 7 – ''Blazing Saddles'' is released in the United States. *May 28 - Joseph E. Levine, the founder of Embassy Pictures, resigns as president. *June 20 – ''Chinatown (1974 film), Chinatown'', directed by Roman Polanski and featured Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston, is released to worldwide critical acclaim. *September 23 – Barry Diller announced as chairman and chief executive office of Paramount Pictures. *November 1 – Technicolor ceases its legendary dye-transfer printing process. *November 8 – Frank Yablans announces his resignation as president of Paramount Pictures with effect from January 5, 1975. *Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with big fanfare, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sister Street Fighter
is a 1974 martial arts film directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Produced and distributed by Toei Company, it is a spin-off of ''The Street Fighter'' (1974), and is the first entry in a trilogy of films starring Etsuko Shihomi as Kōryū Li. It was followed by '' Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread'' (1974) and ''The Return of the Sister Street Fighter'' (1975). Plot When Lee Long ( Hiroshi Miyauchi), a shorinji kempo champion and Hong Kong drug agent, goes missing during an investigation into the activities of a dummy corporation called Central Export, his sister, Tina ( Sue Shiomi), is called in to continue the investigation in his place. On her way to Club Mandarin, she visits her uncle (Harry Kondo), who operates a restaurant, and her cousins Jerry (Tatsuya Nanjo) and Remi (Nami Tachibana). At Club Mandarin, she receives a red rose, the signal to look for Lee's partner in the investigation, Fanny Singer (Xiè Xiù-Róng). When assassins for Central Export abduct Fanny, Tin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago Sun Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago Tribune''. The ''Sun-Times'' resulted from the 1948 merger of the Marshall Field III owned ''Chicago Sun'' and the '' Chicago Daily Times'' newspapers. Journalists at the paper have received eight Pulitzer Prizes, mostly in the 1970s; one recipient was the first film critic to receive the prize, Roger Ebert (1975), who worked at the paper from 1967 until his death in 2013. Long owned by the Marshall Field family, since the 1980s ownership of the paper has changed hands several times, including twice in the late 2010s. History The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' has claimed to be the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city. That claim is based on the 1844 founding of the '' Chicago Daily Journal'', which w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magical Realism
Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical realism'' is the most commonly used of the three terms and refers to literature in particular, with magical or supernatural phenomena presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting, and is commonly found in novels and dramatic performances. In his article "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature", Luis Leal explains the difference between magic literature and magical realism, stating that, "Magical realism is not magic literature either. Its aim, unlike that of magic, is to express emotions, not to evoke them." Despite including certain magic elements, it is generally considered to be a different genre from fantasy because magical realism uses a substantial amount of realistic detail and employs magical elements to make a po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is a 2000 epic romantic drama wuxia martial arts film directed by Ang Lee and written for the screen by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen. It is based on the Chinese novel of the same name, serialized between 1941 and 1942 by Wang Dulu, the fourth part of his '' Crane-Iron Series''. Set in 19th-century Imperial China, the plot follows two master warriors, Li Mu Bai (Chow) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), who are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen by the mysterious thief Jen Yu (Zhang). A multinational venture, the film was made on a US$17 million budget, and was produced by Edko Films and Zoom Hunt Productions in collaboration with China Film Co-productions Corporation and Asian Union Film & Entertainment for Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia in association with Good Machine International. The fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camera Angle
The camera angle marks the specific location at which the movie camera or video camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles simultaneously. This will give a different experience and sometimes emotion. The different camera angles will have different effects on the viewer and how they perceive the scene that is shot. There are a few different routes that a camera operator could take to achieve this effect. Angles and their impact Types of angles include the following: * Extreme wide shot * Very wide shot * Wide shot * Medium shot * Two shot * Medium close-up * Close-up * Extreme close-up Where the camera is placed in relation to the subject can affect the way the viewer perceives the subject. Some of these many camera angles are the high-angle shot, low-angle shot, bird's-eye view, and worm's-eye view. A viewpoint is the apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject. They also include the eye-level sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
