Toon Zone Talkback - Kung Fu Week

[Maxie Zeus]

It's "Kung Fu Week" at Toon Zone News, because we didn't have any other reason to review four Shaw Brothers chop-socky movies!

First up, Speedy Boris loves his drugs ... Drugs and kung fu, that is! (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33380/opium-and-the-kung-fu-master--you-dont-need-drugs-to-enjoy-this)

http://www.toonzone.net/news/images/2010-04/kungfu/splash-kungfu.jpg

[Edit by Eileen:]
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This is the talkback for the following:
Review: "Opium and the Kung Fu Master": You Don't Need Drugs to Enjoy This (/news/articles/33380/opium-and-the-kung-fu-master--you-dont-need-drugs-to-enjoy-this)
Review: "Hong Kong Godfather" Offers Entertainment You Can't Refuse (/news/articles/33387/hong-kong-godfather-offers-entertainment-you-cant-refuse)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Wing Chun Mechanical Arms (/blog/blogs/220/cool-stuff-wing-chun-mechanical-arms/)
Blog: Top 5 Martial Artists of Animation (/blog/blogs/218/top-5-martial-artists-of-animation/)
Review: "The 14 Amazons:" When Effort Trumps Skill (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33401/the-14-amazons-when-effort-trumps-skill)
Review: "Shaolin Hand Lock": The Joyless Lock Club (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33411/shaolin-hand-lock--the-joyless-lock-club)
Blog: Cartoon Intro Cavalcade: Hong Kong Phooey (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/219/cartoon-intro-cavalcade-hong-kong-phooey/)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Red Dragon (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/222/cool-stuff-red-dragon/)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Kung Fu Bunny (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/221/cool-stuff-kung-fu-bunny/)
Blog: Top 5 Martial Arts Fights of Animation (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/223/top-5-martial-arts-fights-of-animation/)

[PeppeRaskell1]

It's not unusual for a company specializing in anime, such as FUNimation, to dabble with live-action movies like Opium and the Kung-Fu Master. Media Blasters releases live-action Japanese thrillers and kaiju through its Tokyo Shock label. That's how I got to come to see and appreciate lesser-known Honda vehicles as Varan the Unbelievable, Matango, Atragon, and Frankenstein Conquers the World...movies which, up until now, I only saw in badly "drubbed" English-language versions on Chiller Theatre or The 4:30 Movie when I was younger.

But these Shaw Brothers movies sound like they might be a lot of fun to watch for the casual admirer of "camp" cinema....

[Maxie Zeus]

My turn with a kung-fu review.

He's not the godfather of soul. He's the godfather ... of kung-fu! (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33387/hong-kong-godfather-offers-entertainment-you-cant-refuse)

http://www.toonzone.net/news/images/2010-04/hkgodfather/splash-hkgodfather.jpg

[Harley]

This quick bit of animation was created by Anthony McGrath and put online in 2008. In it, mechanical arms practice a martial art form against a wooden dummy. McGrath mentions Digital Domain's mechanical legs advertisement (VFX Breakdown, Final) as a source of inspiration, along with a passion for both animation and Wing Chun. The piece was modelled, textured and animated in Maya. It was then rendered in MentalRay and had post production effects applied in After Effects. It looks like a great deal of work went into it and the arms were animated well. Kudos to McGrath.

More... Video and Links>> (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/220/cool-stuff-wing-chun-mechanical-arms/)

[Maxie Zeus]

Two great things that go great together: Amazon women and kung fu (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33401/the-14-amazons-when-effort-trumps-skill)!

http://www.toonzone.net/news/images/2010-04/14Amazons/splash-14amazons.jpg

[Maxie Zeus]

Hmmm (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33411/shaolin-hand-lock--the-joyless-lock-club). Well, I guess they can't all be winners ...

http://www.toonzone.net/news/images/2010-05/shaolin/splash-shaolin.jpg

[FortressMaximus]

Interesting list, but I have to say I'm shocked and disappointed you didn't think Jackie Chan from Jackie Chan Adventures was good enough for the top five.

While he's not as flashy as some of those on the list and yea, he can't toss energy blasts around, his animated martial arts abilities really are impressive and capture the spirit of the man himself.

Just found it odd that so many of his movies are getting looked at this week, and his great Animated series (so far) has been under the Kung Fu radar.

[Maxie Zeus]

Interesting list, but I have to say I'm shocked and disappointed you didn't think Jackie Chan from Jackie Chan Adventures was good enough for the top five.

Just found it odd that so many of his movies are getting looked at this week, and his great Animated series (so far) has been under the Kung Fu radar.

Note to casual forum readers: The poster is referring to our Top 5 Martial Artists of Animation list (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/218/top-5-martial-artists-of-animation/) on the blog. (This thread doubles as the talkback thread to that blog post.)

As it happens, Jackie Chan isn't in any of the movies we reviewed above. I wish he were. I liked "Hong Kong Godfather," but anything can be made better by adding Jackie Chan to it.

Does the same rule apply to our list? I know he was mentioned in discussion (along with a lot of other possibilities) but I don't know why he didn't make the cut.

[GWOtaku]

He's good, but I'm not sure he's that good. I haven't seen all of Jackie Chan Adventures. Maybe he could've bumped Spike, but that's not a clear call and Spike is helped by the fact that his fighting is played straight as opposed to the more fun & humorous bent of Jackie Chan Adventures.

If the list were bigger, I could see him as a contender for top ten somewhere.

[Taekmkm]

but anything can be made better by adding Jackie Chan to it.

Eh...you'd think so. I think I remember a movie about vampire hunters and Jackie was a minor character/uncle. All he did was climb a light pole and threw bananas at a vampire.

It was an otherwise boring movie.

[Maxie Zeus]

I didn't say it could be made "good," I said it could be made "better." :p

Surely that really boring movie was a teensy bit improved by its pole-climbing, banana-throwing Jackie Chan scene. :D

[Taekmkm]

Well I'm bringing it up because the cover had Jackie Chan and his name on it, even though he had like 10 minutes of screen time >_>

[Harley]

Catching up a little bit.

Blog: Top 5 Martial Artists of Animation (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/218/top-5-martial-artists-of-animation/)


There have been many martial artists in animation. Some of these characters are the perfect embodiment of stealth and cunning, others wield remarkable power, and still others are remarkably skilled and look spectacularly awesome on the screen. As tough as it is to choose, the following is a list of five particularly impressive animated martial artists that have more than proven their remarkable abilities. Enjoy and let loose with what you think!

Read More>> (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/218/top-5-martial-artists-of-animation/)

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Blog: Cartoon Intro Cavalcade: Hong Kong Phooey (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/219/cartoon-intro-cavalcade-hong-kong-phooey/)


There are a select few cartoon theme songs that have entered the public zeitgeist: tunes that are easily recalled even by people who have not seen the original cartoon. Many of them originate from cartoons or characters that everyone knows: the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Spider-Man, Speed Racer. But one rather curious Hanna-Barbera effort from the 1970s has become nearly as well known: the theme to Hong Kong Phooey.

Read More>> (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/219/cartoon-intro-cavalcade-hong-kong-phooey/)

[Maxie Zeus]

FUNimation only sent us four movies, so we round out the week with a show (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33418/hong-kong-phooey-kanine-kung-fu) I loved as a kid ...

Hey, I was only five years old at the time, and it's not like there was anything much better on.

http://www.toonzone.net/news/images/2010-04/hkphooey/splash-hkphooey.jpg

[Harley]

Cool Stuff: Red Dragon (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/222/cool-stuff-red-dragon/)

Today's Cool Stuff was created by Mike Kelly and features what I like to call 100% unadulterated awesomeness. It's a flipbook animation of a fight sequence featuring Bruce Lee titled, Red Dragon. The animation, which was was not rotoscoped, is nice and fluid. His Bruce Lee moves like Bruce Lee. The key poses are dynamic. The choices of shots clearly had thought put into them. Put that all together and you've got an exciting fight sequence.

More Text and Video>> (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/222/cool-stuff-red-dragon/)

[hobbyfan]

Hong Kong Phooey, to me, was "Get Smart" in a police station with a kung-fu/superhero makeover. Scatman Crothers (who was also on "Chico & The Man") also sang the iconic theme song, something that Maxie either forgot, or left out 'cause everyone else knows. ;) :D

So the introduction of Posse Impossible, who would get their own series a couple of years later as part of "CB Bears", was the series finale, eh? I guess ABC passed ("Bears" aired on NBC, which picked up Hong Kong's rerun rights some time after). Oh, I think we know now that budgets were tight back in those days, but don't ya think they could've come up with more realistic cityscapes?

[Maxie Zeus]

Hong Kong Phooey, to me, was "Get Smart" in a police station with a kung-fu/superhero makeover. Scatman Crothers (who was also on "Chico & The Man") also sang the iconic theme song, something that Maxie either forgot, or left out 'cause everyone else knows. ;) :D

I left it talking about the intro 'cos Matthew Williams did a whole blog post (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/219/cartoon-intro-cavalcade-hong-kong-phooey/) for us on the opening theme. :) Yeah, the song is the absolute best part of the show.


Oh, I think we know now that budgets were tight back in those days, but don't ya think they could've come up with more realistic cityscapes?

The guys on the commentary tracks try making some excuse for the cityscapes--that they were purposefully empty and expressionistic. I like stylized, stripped-down backgrounds in the right context. But I think these backgrounds weren't stripped down enough, and so they just look cheap. Abstract backgrounds also work best when put behind strong, distinctive animation, and that's something HKP just doesn't have, sadly.

[Harley]

Last week simply wasn't long enough to contain all of the Kung Fu awesomeness. So, believe it or not, we've got one more martial arts themed blog post for you!

Top 5 Martial Arts Fights of Animation (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/223/top-5-martial-arts-fights-of-animation/)


Hit with emotional content! Below, we've selected our picks for the Top 5 Animated Martial Arts Fights. Our main standard for judgment was that these fights had to work as both "Animation" and "Martial Arts." It wasn't enough for a bout to be well-choreographed and well-animated if it could have been done as well or better in live-action. This was enough to disqualify many excellent animated battles like Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow in G.I. Joe: Resolute or Sokka vs. Master Piandao the Avatar the Last Airbender episode "Sokka's Master," but the strengths of animation as a medium still left us with lots of hard choices to make. We also imposed a limit of one fight per TV show or movie to ensure enough variety in our picks.

The observant may notice that most of our picks are quite recent, with the oldest made in 2004. The reason for it is that is probably rooted in the America-centric cartoons we were selecting from. Since "cartoons were for kids" until relatively recently, the idea of showing realistic martial arts moves in a cartoon (or at least realistic martial arts movie moves) was anathema to movie studios and TV Broadcast Standards and Practices departments. The long drought of bad animation from the 70's and early 80's didn't help things any. It was only recently that a cartoon could be created/imported and aired in America with martial arts fights comparable to live-action movies. I'm sure there are probably numerous examples of good martial arts fights in Japanese anime earlier than this, and we'd love to hear about them on the forums.

Ordered largely by the number of combatants, our Top 5 Fights are:

Read More>> (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/223/top-5-martial-arts-fights-of-animation/)

1
This is the talkback for the following:
Review: "Opium and the Kung Fu Master": You Don't Need Drugs to Enjoy This (/news/articles/33380/opium-and-the-kung-fu-master--you-dont-need-drugs-to-enjoy-this)
Review: "Hong Kong Godfather" Offers Entertainment You Can't Refuse (/news/articles/33387/hong-kong-godfather-offers-entertainment-you-cant-refuse)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Wing Chun Mechanical Arms (/blog/blogs/220/cool-stuff-wing-chun-mechanical-arms/)
Blog: Top 5 Martial Artists of Animation (/blog/blogs/218/top-5-martial-artists-of-animation/)
Review: "The 14 Amazons:" When Effort Trumps Skill (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33401/the-14-amazons-when-effort-trumps-skill)
Review: "Shaolin Hand Lock": The Joyless Lock Club (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/33411/shaolin-hand-lock--the-joyless-lock-club)
Blog: Cartoon Intro Cavalcade: Hong Kong Phooey (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/219/cartoon-intro-cavalcade-hong-kong-phooey/)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Red Dragon (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/222/cool-stuff-red-dragon/)
Blog: Cool Stuff: Kung Fu Bunny (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/221/cool-stuff-kung-fu-bunny/)
Blog: Top 5 Martial Arts Fights of Animation (http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/223/top-5-martial-arts-fights-of-animation/)