clock tower

So I'm watching Project A right now--84 Jackie Chan flick. Haven't seen it in maybe a decade. And man that Clock Tower stunt still gets me. Can't believe Jackie Chan did three takes on this (two shown in the film, and the third in the closing credits)

It's at the 5:40 mark of this video.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbgR9ikPdRE

Again HK cinema was so damn good in the 80s and 90s. Jackie Chan style stunts and action couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Then you got John Woo's heroic bloodshred/honor among thieves genre that is STILL relevant to Western culture today (PS3 just released a sequel to their best game Uncharted... it's called Uncharted 2 Among Thieves...yes the title is paying tribute to John Woo. Reservoir Dogs was heavily influenced by John Woo's A Better Tomorrow), the Yuen Woo Ping style martial arts films are again things that couldn't be found anywhere in the world but HK cinema in the 80s and 90s and has also influenced Hollywood films a great deal. Jet Li's Once Upon A Time in China Part 2 is still what I consider to be the "perfect" Chinese martial arts film.

I did a story on the death of HK cinema for Beats almost a year ago and what everyone told me makes so much sense--we shouldn't be surprised that HK films aren't innovative and influential anymore and that we shouldn't take the decline in HK cinema to be a bad thing. Because really--the fact that a territory as small as HK (and really, HK is tiny. I've walked from one end of the MTR blue line to the other and it took me only four hours) had a film industry THIS POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL for two decades was an uncanny anomaly.

And you know the best part? Despite all the influential, one-of-a-kind, era-defining movie stars/genres that I mentioned earlier, none of them matter to Hong Kong locals as much as Stephen Chow and his brand of comedies.

Really. I've noticed that everytime a Stephen Chow movie is on TV at a cha chan teng or a restaurant--EVERYONE STOPS TO WATCH. I'm not even talking about eating and occasionally look at the TV. They all have their eyes glued to the screen for extended periods of times. Everytime.

As big as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and John Woo are to international audiences, locals in HK care about Stephen Chow more.

But anyway...Jackie Chan deserves serious respect for doing these death defying stunts. I'm not even talking about this Project A one now cause he was trying to make a name for himself then--of course he was gonna go all out. But even in the 90s when he's already well established he was putting limbs and bones on the line doing crazy stunts.

I've never been one to get giddy/excited around celebrities so before, during, and after the Jackie Chan Beats interview I was just normal. Like I was excited but not "OMG excited". But every now and then, I'll see something like Project A and realize how important and signifcant he is to HK/Asia, and to a lesser extent, the world.

And he actually talked to Beats Magazine one on one. All because Rainy from Emperor showed us respect. She had no reason to--whether we're going by circulation numbers, name brand recognition, or exposure, other English magazines had us beat.

I remember my pitch to Rainy when chasing the interview (who's actually a personal friend), I told her:

"Look, I know we don't have the biggest circulation and we don't have a photographer, but I can guarantee you the cover and at least four pages of coverage. In addition, the graphic designer is a big fan and he will make the layout look super nice. And I can guarantee you I know more about Jackie Chan movies than all other English journalist in Hong Kong. And I'll buy you dinner."

That was my pitch to her. And she gave us Jackie Chan. Over HK magazine, which has 700% times the visibility of Beats, or Timeout, or BC, with 13 years tradition.

You know how big that was for Beats? To get a one on one interview with Jackie Chan? Just a week before the JC interview we were rejected for a GROUP INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DAVID. And a week after JC I had to share interview with Duffy with 22 OTHER JOURNALISTS (i'm not even exaggerating, 23 people sat around Duffy in the biggest group interview in HK history) Who...in the blue hell is Craig David? I mean seriously, that guy is as relevant as a Virtual Boy. And we got rejected.And Duffy--23 people group interview, you fucking kidding me?

Anyway, I was the person who dealt with Emperor and I chased the JC interview thinking I was going to do it, but the editor took it when it got approved. My GF at the time told me I should be mad. But I wasn't, because I figured he was the better person for it.

I was....mostly right, but not completely. He asked some good political questions. But I woulda gone deeper into his filmography and talk about random crap like City Hunter, where him and Leon Lai teamed up to form the worst acting duo of all time.

And I woulda spoken to Jackie in Cantonese, and we woulda heard him cuss. Jackie Chan and his son... I've heard them both talk in person away from cameras... they cuss like John Malkovich in Burn After Reading (or John Malkvich in Rounders, or John Malkovich in every other movie). Every other word that comes out of the Chans' was "dew" and "lun".