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Author Topic: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread  (Read 61405 times)

Offline daigong

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[CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« on: May 13, 2007, 09:07:29 PM »
Chow Yun-Fat 周潤發

About time we had a thread to chronicle the career of 發哥. One of the greatest Chinese actors of all time, he is not a martial artist but uses his suave bad-ass methods to deliver some of  the finest peformances with two glocks.



Some of my fave characters include Mark Gor in these series of films "A Better Tomorrow", a trench coat and unlimited clips. Teamed with John Woo, they produced the classics "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled" that would make your pee pee sizzle.



Then there's his card gambling series "God of Gamblers", where HUSTLES em all.



He's also an underrated comedic and dramatic actor, as seen in his Hong Kong soap operas (TVB). Love "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" where he takes care of his entire FAM, incl. his greedy naive brother fresh from The Mainland:

CHECK OUT THE HAIR!! XD Co-starred shitloads of future HK superstars like Simon Yam Tat Wah, Carol Cheng Yu Ling and more. There's this one scene where you REALLY see his acting chops, he's in prison and he fights back against a dickhead.

More info here: http://www.templeofchow.com/tvb/gall_mannet01.html

After making it into the US in a series of action/flops, Chow is still pimping, still hustling:

CM for Crown Macau

[youtube=425,350]6-yhCD7Hdyk[/youtube]

Featured in the new POTC movie:


NO RED CLIFF!!! BUTT Here's hoping he works with John Woo again soon!

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_Yun-Fat

Fansites:
http://www.templeofchow.com/
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8907/factor.html
http://chowofhongkong.com/

DISCUSS!!
« Last Edit: November 10, 2008, 09:16:01 AM by Masa »

Offline BigDnm01

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Re: The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2007, 01:49:58 AM »
This man is one of my most respected and one of the most talented actor i know. he's my idol.  he's incredible.  i started watching him in god of gamblers and it's several sequels.  also watch his other films, like a Better tomorrow and hardboiled and several others.  he always seem so cool and charismatic.  too bad he career didn't take off in America.  it's seem the director and film producers doesn't know how to use him.

Offline Saburo

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Re: The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2007, 03:27:57 AM »
Here's my testimony: the reason I purchased a laserdisc player was to get "The Killer" in widescreen format. 

I owe a debt to Mr. Chow, whose body of work with John Woo introduced me to Hong Kong cinema.  It seems to me that "The Killer" was marketed in the United States as an over-the-top fantasy but I saw a lot of heart between the gunplay and male bonding. 

NO ONE fired double pistols like Chow, nor looks as suave doing so...  I always thought that Chow and Woo would team up again in another contemporary melodrama but it has yet to happen.  Very unfortunate.

Offline daigong

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Re: The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2007, 06:02:22 AM »
^ ahahaha...male bonding is common theme in John Woo movies. Brotherhood. Loyalty. Lessons I learned from cheap ass video tapes my uncle pirated for me when I was a kid. I am hearing rumors he's gonna have a cameo in "Red Cliff" instead of the  title role (now given to Tony Leung Chiu Wai of Wong Kar Wai, "Infernal Affairs" fame).


WERD BigDnm01. They just want to make Chow do "The Killer Part 119" -- they don't know how versatile he is. Like this scene from "A Better Tomorrow II" ... truly gangsta. truly on the level of Pacino, Brando, and DeNiro if not EVEN BETTER!!

EAT THE RICE!!!

[youtube=425,350]G0fEJt54vxI[/youtube]

RICE JUST LIKE MY MOTHER AND FATHER!! DON'T FUCK WITH MY FAMILY!!

SO GOOD! XD

Offline Saburo

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Re: The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2007, 06:43:25 AM »
Great stuff...  The finale of "Better Tomorrow II" is THE definitive gun battle ever seen in movies.

Well, it wasn't really a "battle" (i.e. balanced contest) but y'all KnowWhutIMean.

I can't think of anyone else in movies (save for James Bond) who can be badass with the firearms AND look suave in a tux.

Offline Happosai

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Re: The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2007, 08:28:27 AM »
Great stuff...  The finale of "Better Tomorrow II" is THE definitive gun battle ever seen in movies....

FoSHO!  :D Even the finale of "Scarface" looks like a kindergarten field-trip compared to that ending scene!!  ;D

BTW, guess what character inspired Mr. Chang from the "Black Lagoon" manga & anime?



 ;)
« Last Edit: May 22, 2007, 08:29:16 AM by Happosai »

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2008, 12:56:48 PM »
Chow Yun Fat as Dr. Slump XD


Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2009, 11:29:18 AM »
Chow Yun Fat Interview 1993 Part 1


Chow Yun Fat Interview 1993 Part 2


Chow Yun-Fat is the coolest dude ever! 8)

Top 10 CYF Flicks
1. The Killer
2. Hard Boiled
3. A Better Tomorrow II
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
5. A Better Tomorrow
6. City on Fire
7. Once a Thief
8. Curse of the Golden Flower
9. The Replacement Killers
10. God of Gamblers

Dude's filmography is tight as hell! The Killer & Hard Boiled are pretty much my all-time favorite action movies. Anyways one of the most underrated CYF flicks is The Replacement Killers. It might not be as deep as his Hong Kong flicks but the action scenes are the best he has done since Hard Boiled. Easily my favorite CYF Hollywood flick :yep:

The Replacement Killers trailer
« Last Edit: January 29, 2009, 01:46:47 PM by Masa »

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2009, 08:08:06 AM »
CHOW YUN FAT TO PLAY CONFUCIUS! (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) :tama-mad:

      
Quote
What an ambitious Confucius! Who will ply the Confucius? Chow Yun-Fat! That’s right. Chow has personally confirmed he would do it last week in Hong Kong, when on a promo-tour for Dragonball Evolution. He even started growing beard for the role. Chow is expensive and the payment to him will probably equal to a third of US$21 millions, budgeted for the film. But director Hu said it was well worth.

SourcE: http://www.monkeypeaches.com/

Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2009, 11:18:57 PM »
Quote
Chow Yun-Fat Talks Dragonball Evolution

Tue, March 31st, 2009 at 11:58AM PST

Best known for his work in John Woo’s “Hard-Boiled” and “The Killer” as well as Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” international superstar Chow Yun-Fat is no stranger to action films. Chow is set to demonstrate his skills once again in the role of Master Yoshi in the live-action adaptation of Akira Toriyama's popular "Dragonball" manga and anime series, “Dragonball Evolution." The film, which opens in theaters April 10, features Chow’s Roshi as the mentor to Goku, played by Justin Chatwin (“War of the Worlds”). Master Roshi learns that Goku is the grandson of his long-time friend Gohan (Randall Duk Kim, “The Matrix Reloaded”) and trains him for the ultimate battle with Lord Piccolo (James Marsters, “Angel”), to prevent the villain from collecting the powerful Dragonballs and destroying Earth.

CBR News had the opportunity to visit the set of “Dragonball Evolution” in Mexico last year, and sat down with Chow to talk about his career, comic book movies and the process of brining “Dragonball” to the big screen.

CBR: Tell us about the character you play in the film, Master Roshi.

Chow Yun- Fat: I saw some pictures but I had the challenge of not having seen all the cartoons and the comic books. But based on the script, I think Master Roshi is a very funny guy, full of humor and he can master the super power. Because Master Roshi has a lot of super powers, he has to carry on for his good friend Gohan and take care of Goku. So I like the Master-and-the-student relationship. It is not like traditional Chinese kind of Master-and-student relationship, this is more like friends.

In the “Dragonball” books, Roshi’s kind of a dirty old man and very lecherous. Does that translate into this PG=rated film version?

I think [director James Wong] did a very good job to balance the East and West. They know the audiences in West or Europe don’t except this kind of over-the-top humor, you know. Maybe it’s not very suitable for R-rating. If Master Roshi acts like his character from the comic book then that would be very crazy. I saw the script, which is very appropriate for my character now. Not too much but you can sense it a little bit. For instance, in the cartoon, Master Roshi is more than 300-hundred-years-old. He’s a dirty old man with a white beard but this is different.

What’s it like working with James Wong?

James Wong as a writer and director, he can show everything. He knows how to play every single scene. He gives me a lot of room to create Master Roshi. I realize that sometimes -- not sometimes, all the time, I’m over the top. He tells me, “Mr. Chow, Mr. Chow, too much, fall back.” Which is good because this is the first time for this actor and this American director to make a movie together. So the East and West blend together is good. You have to think about it, you steal some technique, some skill to make it balanced. Yin and Yang.

Were you a fan of “Dragonball” before shooting the film?

Honestly, when they were released in 1985 or ’86, in that period I was so busy when I was in Hong Kong doing all the John Woo movies, so I missed it. But I can catch up on it later.

How did you get along with your younger cast members on this film?

They more or less respect Master Roshi as Chow Yun-Fat, you know. We have a lot of fun on the set. You know, Emmy [Rossum], she knows how to sing and dance. Joon Park is a rap singer and Justin [Chatwin], he loves music. Every day on the set was like a party, a lot of fun. Even though I’m over fifty I’m still like twenty-five.

What was the most challenging scene for you in this film?

I think the comedy. The opening scene. You have to make it funny and make it serious to tell the younger generation because Bulma and Goku are coming to my home looking for the Dragonball. Finally, I have to tell them the background story. It is a fun scene but there is a lot of background story.

At this point in your career, how comfortable are you performing in English-language movies?

Honestly, I’m still learning everyday with my coach. My English is bad. But if you stick to Hong Kong, making all of the Hong Kong domestic movies, sooner or later you come up with good idea and Hollywood will buy you out, replace the director and some good actor replacing me. I think it was good opportunities that led to me learning more English because that gave me more opportunities for my age. You know, if I am acting in my country, that would be very limited character for me because I’m already over fifty. This is the fact, you know? You have to face it. So more or less, if I’m exposed in the Western world, maybe there will be more opportunities to let me play.

As an Asian actor in Hollywood, you get cast in a lot of stereotypical roles. Is Master Roshi in “Dragonball” a nice change of pace for you?

Yeah, the gangster, or waiter, or mafia, or drug dealer. So for an actor it is great opportunity to let audience see another side of Chow Yun-Fat. Or maybe you can see Yun-Fat in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” or you can see him as the King of Siam [in “Anna and the King”] but he always carries two guns, he’s always the killer. So more as an actor on certain levels, we don’t want to change, not on the money way or the working way. It’s the interpretation of the characters that I want to take in a different direction.

Will you be doing either a sequel or prequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” as has been rumored for years?

I think they bought the rights but I don’t know what happened to the writer and the studio. They have all the finance already but maybe they try to do it now, maybe a little later, I don’t know. I hope so. Otherwise I’ll be way old. I cannot wait.

Do you like making sequels?

Actually, if you are talking about “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the sequel is more interesting than the previous one. It’s talking about Michele Yeoh’s boyfriend, and Li Mu-bai [Chow’s character in the film] were buddies. By accident, Michele Yeoh’s boyfriend saved Li Mu-bai and he sacrificed himself. It’s very interesting. That’s why Li Mu-bai has paid much respect to Michele Yeoh’s character because he and she love each other but they still have a gap because they have a tragedy because of Michele Yeoh’s boyfriend. Very interesting. Very shallow, but a lot of sentiments inside. It’s more than the previous one. Because the people are more deep, they have more layers.

Is it always the script that draws you to a project?

I think the character is more important than anything. Like in the movie “The Replacement Killers,” I play a killer, and in next movie, I play a dirty cop in “The Corruptor.” Then “Anna and the King.” “Bullet Proof Monk,” I play a Master and now “Dragonball.” I think different characters give me different inspirations.

What’s the difference between making American films and making films in different countries?

More or less, men in China have more vision, different direction. Where in Hong Kong they stick to the commercial way. Hong Kong usually makes all the gang movies, action movies, Jackie Chan comedies or Stephen Chow comedies and that’s it. They don’t have this kind of money to invest in adventure movies or a thriller. So more or less in Hong Kong, our living and thinking is so narrow. The market is so narrow. So if you want to spread out your talent, you have to go somewhere else and find other resources to increase your ability in your performance, your language and your knowledge. Just like here, all the CGI amazed me. I’ve never seen that before. So this is a learning experience as an actor regarding to the blue screen, green screen. It’s been a lot of fun.

Finally, with “Bullet Proof Monk” and now “Dragonball Evolution,” you’ve been in two comic book films. Are you a comic book fan yourself and how do you feel about comic books being adapted into films?

Comic books are page-by-page, but now with movies, all the pages bring it together to become a movie. That is interesting. But I think comic books are more imagination, to let the readers think about something. Even some pictures without dialogue, you know, you see the picture and you have to fill with imagination. You can act your imagination with lines but in movie it’s already there. It’s two different issues. I’m not very fascinated about the cartoon character. But I saw a movie called “Sin City,” it’s from the comic, and it stuck with me. It’s the content. The content of the movie is very extreme and very violent.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=20617

Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2009, 03:52:45 PM »
Quote
First Look: Chow Yun-Fat as Confucius in Hu Mei's Biopic

It was only March when we first announced that Chow Yun-Fat was going to play Confucius in a Chinese biopic titled Confucius. Being a big fan of Chow Yun-Fat, I was immediately interested, and have been anxious to see something or hear more about the production. Thanks to Sina (via Twitch) we have some first photos of Chow Yun-Fat in the film. Coincidentally, I got a shot of the Confucius poster on display in the Film Market at Cannes, so I thought I'd throw both of these together today. It looks a lot more epic than I was imagining (especially with a rumored $3 million budget) and that is definitely a good thing. Enjoy!

 

Confucius is being directed by Hu Mei, with a budget of $2.8 million, which converts to roughly $22 million in Hong Kong dollars. Shooting will start later this month in the Hebei province. The movie will screen later this year to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and Confucius' 2,560th birthday. Confucious' teachings are now gaining popularity as a way of bringing morals to the country which is contending with the rise of consumerism. This is actually a production that I'm looking forward to, not only because of Chow Yun-Fat, but because I'm interested to see the story of Confucious. Stay tuned for more!
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/15/first-look-chow-yun-fat-as-confucius-in-hu-meis-biopic/

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2009, 08:22:09 PM »
HOLYSHIT! I thought they were bullshitting. I dunno what Confucius even looked like. This is HARDCORE.

I'm totally jaw dropping at the pix. CHOW YUN FAT ISSSS GOD

Offline Mugen

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #12 on: May 19, 2009, 10:52:04 PM »
holy crap, he looks nuts!

Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #13 on: September 04, 2009, 12:45:16 PM »
« Last Edit: September 20, 2009, 10:44:38 AM by daigong »

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2009, 11:03:43 AM »
^ Fixed. Link got wiped out :lol: Confucius is EPIC!!

Been browsing through his CLASSICS!! Realized, I never even watched 原裝預告 City on Fire  :doh:

《龍虎風雲》原裝預告 City on Fire Originial Trailer

But FUCK Prison on Fire hands down the tales of Brotherhood.

Prison on Fire II Theme Song 希盼得好夢


Some of my favorities scenes. Chow going "I talk loud don't mean I'm disrespecting!!" features Roy 張耀揚 Cheung as corrupt cop #1
[noembed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nid9pT6TtQU#t=4m17s[/noembed]

Giving manly advice from the crapper - LOL Tony Leung was such a wimp
[noembed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY-PsWcKSG8#t=3m15s[/noembed]

AND SHIT ... everyone busting out in bromance. ONLY Fat Goh can pull shit off like that XD
[noembed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h2nHKoaJE8#t=4m02[/noembed]

YOU MUST WATCH!! The prison fight at the end, where Chow flips out. HANNIBAL LECTER wish he was that nuts.  :pimp:

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2009, 08:33:28 PM »
New stills from the upcoming film "Confucius" were released this past Monday to mark the 2,560th birthday of the great Chinese philosopher.






Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2009, 09:08:21 PM »
Heroic Bloodshed by Chow Yun Fat
Chow Yun-Fat Tribute
Tribute John Woo and Chow yun-fat

The greatest action hero of all-time! :bow:

Been browsing through his CLASSICS!! Realized, I never even watched 原裝預告 City on Fire  :doh:
Daaaaamn, homie! Step yo' game up! I got that shit on DVD :yep:


Offline Masa

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2009, 11:59:39 AM »

Offline daigong

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Re: [CHI] The Official Chow Yun-Fat Thread
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2009, 12:03:13 PM »
That was the fuckin funniest 12 minutes of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was all over the place singing about buns, SEE THAI LONG!! and more. Chow is an underrated comedian, totally universal versatile actor.

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