Donnie Yen insures his limbs

[Brian Thibodeau]

Noticed this interesting item in Dennis' News Update a while back.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 77/1/.html

As much as it has a ring of hype to it, I don't doubt the need was there at his age.

This bit shouldn't surprise anyone, except perhaps the Yen haters, some of whom have graced these very boards over the years with their entirely personality-based "critiques":

His recent films have done well in the box office and caused his acting fees to skyrocket from 5 million yuan (S$1 million) to 20 million yuan (S$4 million) per film, almost double the 11 million yuan (S$2.2 million) fee Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu Wai commands and Heavenly King Andy Lau's 9 million yuan ($1.8 million) asking price.

I'm sure the naysayers will say big boxoffice returns don't equal talent, but I don't think it applies with Yen any longer, if it ever really did outside certain online quarters. I suppose one still doesn't have to like his "persona" or his movies, but it's tough to deny the impact he's having on Chinese cinema, and Box Office Mojo's Hong Kong charts seem to justify the 20 million yuan fee he now charges:

2008 Hong Kong Box Office Take:
IP MAN - US$3.3 million+, #8 for the year, with 6 of 7 slots above it occupied by American films
PAINTED SKIN - US$1.3 million+, #32 for the year
EMPRESS & WARRIORS - U.S. $900,000+, #47 for the year
Remove the American films from the list, and all of Donnie's pictures were in or near the Top Ten for 2008. IP MAN at #2, PAINTED at #7 and EMPRESS at #12.

2007 Hong Kong Box Office Take:
FLASH POINT - US$1.15 million+ #31 for the year
Remove the American films here, and this becomes the #11 Hong Kong movie of the year.

2006 Hong Kong Box Office Take:
(another one a lot of western fans seem to dislike)
DRAGON TIGER GATE - US$1.5million+, #23 for the year, #8 HK movie for the year

2005 Hong Kong Box Office Take:
SEVEN SWORDS - US$975,000+, #34 for the year, #13 HK movie for the year
SPL - US$949,000+, #36 for the year, #15 HK movie for the year

So say what you will, but his popularity has only increased over the past four years, and entirely via action pictures tailor-made for his abilities (love them of hate them). It may not make him critic-proof in general, or especially to the malcontents who can't seem to let go of long-held, preconceived notions about the man himself (thankfully, we hear less from at least a couple of those folks around here these days), but it should be considered when appraising the man's films to at least a small degree

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

His popularity with me has increased over the past four years. It went from indifference to I'm looking forward to the next film with Donnie Yen. PAINTED SKIN is the only one I haven't seen from the below list. While I did not like EMPRESS & WARRIORS, SEVEN SWORDS (neither of these films I thought Donnie was the problem, more the director or the severe cut of SEVEN SWORDS) I was more towards the middle with DRAGON TIGER GATE (I gave it **½/**** while thought the beginning was excellent), the rest I loved.

IP MAN 2, of course I'll watch.

I think he has improved over the years (I'll think more on this), pushed choreography into interesting new areas, never settled for the same ideas in his work and think he has much more to come. So I've become more of a fan and appreciate what he has done.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I think he has improved over the years (I'll think more on this), pushed choreography into interesting new areas, never settled for the same ideas in his work and think he has much more to come. So I've become more of a fan and appreciate what he has done.

Maybe he needs to start training some proteges the way Jackie Chan did via that reality TV series or whatever it was. Somehow, I bet they'd be much stronger and more serious performers than Chan's crew. Have any of that bunch started working yet? I'm curious . . .

[dleedlee]

Have any of that bunch started working yet? I'm curious . . .

They're going to be in the new Karate Kid. I think they were in Looking for Jackie Chan and recently released a 3 song EP including one for Little Big Soldier.

http://superchanblog.blogspot.com/2009/ ... album.html

[Brian Thibodeau]

They're going to be in the new Karate Kid. I think they were in Looking for Jackie Chan and recently released a 3 song EP including one for Little Big Soldier.

Cool. Here's hoping some (or all) of them have enough talent and charisma to ensure long careers. Are they all from mainland China or do any of them hail from Hong Kong who might be able to make a picture there once in a while?

Typically idiotic interviews at the top of the main page on that blog, by the way (as I write this, anyways). What a surprise that another airhead newscaster calls Jackie Chan "America's favourite karate master". Jessica Holmes, what a prize.
http://superchanblog.blogspot.com/2010/ ... ellen.html

[dleedlee]

[

Cool. Here's hoping some (or all) of them have enough talent and charisma to ensure long careers. Are they all from mainland China or do any of them hail from Hong Kong who might be able to make a picture there once in a while?

Typically idiotic interviews at the top of the main page on that blog, by the way (as I write this, anyways). What a surprise that another airhead newscaster calls Jackie Chan "America's favourite karate master". Jessica Holmes, what a prize.
http://superchanblog.blogspot.com/2010/ ... ellen.html

I try not to know tooo much about the New Fortunes. They seem a bit over manufactured to me, like the Archies. I'll wait to see if any single one breaks out a la Justin Timberlake.

I liked Jackie's take from the Ellen clip. I was planning to post a similar link in today's news post but I might use the YouTube link instead.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I try not to know tooo much about the New Fortunes. They seem a bit over manufactured to me, like the Archies. I'll wait to see if any single one breaks out a la Justin Timberlake.

I was thinking this when I saw the pictures of them. They all seem to fit a certain "mold", both in terms of physical stature and appearance (well, except the chubby guy, of course). If you'd told me the others were created by EEG or Gold Label, I'd be quicker to believe you!

Incidentally, I was looking for pictures of the New Fortunes and came across this neat picture of the original Seven Little Fortunes in their prime:



According to this site (http://www.jackiechankids.com/LatestJackieNews.htm - scroll down to the Nov. 24 entry) the footage might be from the American TV series I SPY, which was filmed in Hong Kong. Chan's on the left. More here: http://www.jackiechanfans.com/Latest3a.htm

I liked Jackie's take from the Ellen clip. I was planning to post a similar link in today's news post but I might use the YouTube link instead.

I'm not sure I get the bit with the phone, though. Was it funny because automated "directory assistance" is always such a hassle (which seems like common knowledge to me), or because Chan has a "funny" Chinese accent that plays well to the suburban hausfraus in the audience? I'll give Jackie credit, he's seems to have no problem going through the "cute" motions when he does the U.S. promotional circuit. So many of the seemingly impromptu "moments" from these appearances turn up more than once. In this case, it's the "just introduce me as Jackie Chan" routine, where he laments that TV hosts and even people on the street constantly introduce or meet him by making making crazy kung fu chops with their hands. He's done this bit before (can't remember where), and the audience always responds with a big laugh (especially on the "Robert Deniro" bit), which suggests he and his handlers are more in charge of these interviews than it appears. In fairness, I'll say that I've seen many celebs repeat stories from one stop to the next on the talk show circuit, and it really drives me nuts because it's so obviously dictated beforehand. I much prefer those rare birds who make every appearance unique.

Jessica Holmes, though . . .

[dleedlee]

I was thinking of the 'Just introduce me as Jackie Chan'. I hadn't seen it before... I 've seen him sing Can't Help Falling in Love a zillion times, though.

re: I Spy, I vaguely recalled it as being in b/w but my memory must be faulty looking at IMDB - oh yeah, we didn't get a color TV until later . (My dad literally built our first color TV from a Heathkit from hundreds if not thousands of parts, one resistor at a time.) Anyway, RTN (Retro Television Network) is airing episodes daily so I will set my DVR for a week and see if I can catch some Season 1 episodes. IMDB has full episodes via Hulu but I 'm not up to watching streaming video for that long.

[Brian Thibodeau]

re: I Spy, I vaguely recalled it as being in b/w but my memory must be faulty looking at IMDB - oh yeah, we didn't get a color TV until later . (My dad literally built our first color TV from a Heathkit from hundreds if not thousands of parts, one resistor at a time.) Anyway, RTN (Retro Television Network) is airing episodes daily so I will set my DVR for a week and see if I can catch some Season 1 episodes. IMDB has full episodes via Hulu but I 'm not up to watching streaming video for that long.

I watched a few re-runs of I SPY as a kid in the 70s, but they must have been later seasons because I don't remember Hong Kong at all. My option for seeing it at this point would probably be to dig up a cheap copy of the Season 1 set in a bargain bin or at a used place. I'm not one for streaming either, at least until I can one day stream directly to my television, and with something approaching DVD quality. Sadly, Hulu doesn't allow us Canadian foreginers to access the content, the bastards. Those pictures of young Chan & Co. were clearly taken from a clip, which would be very cool to see in live action.

Bet that TV of your dad's would be a museum piece today!

[dleedlee]

Bet that TV of your dad's would be a museum piece today!

It's somewhere in the County Museum of Landfill!

[Brian Thibodeau]

It's somewhere in the County Museum of Landfill!

Ahh, for future archaeologists. I see. Good thinking!