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Donnie Yen Compares Martial Arts Choreography To Musical Compositions


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Donnie Yen believes performing martial arts choreography in action films is much like playing music.

The martial arts star says that a good performance comes from how the actor delivers the choreography that someone else has initially created, likening it to a musician playing a composer’s work.

Donnie YenDonnie Yen likens martial arts choreography to musical compositions

Continue reading: Donnie Yen Compares Martial Arts Choreography To Musical Compositions

Donnie Yen Compares XXx To Ocean's Eleven


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Actor Donnie Yen has spoken about the fun he had filming his brand new movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage alongside Vin Diesel and made a rather odd comparison to the new action movie.

“It’s great to work with Vin – I like his films, he makes very fun, exciting films… if you’re an adrenaline junkie, you’re going to get loads of it. I would describe it as a better-looking Ocean’s Eleven.”

The 53 year old actor plays Xiang, a role that sees him play second fiddle to Diesel’s Xander Cage. He saw it as an opportunity to expand his range and showcase his talents in a new light.

Continue reading: Donnie Yen Compares XXx To Ocean's Eleven

XXx: Return Of Xander Cage Review

OK

It's been 15 years since Vin Diesel walked away from his XXX role, killing off the character before the 2005 sequel. Both films were pretty terrible, mindless action connected by the thinnest imaginable plots. And this franchise relaunch is just as random, with a nonsensical thriller storyline that exists merely to string together a sequence of explosive stunt trickery. Thankfully, this time the cast and crew make it clear that they know how preposterous this is.

No, Xander (Diesel) isn't dead. He's whizzing around the jungles of the Dominican Republic, wooing sweaty, scantily clad babes and keeping the locals cheering at his exploits. Then CIA black ops director Marke (Toni Collette) appears to draft him back into the XXX programme, because she needs to recapture a gadget terrorists are using to drop satellites from orbit onto carefully chosen targets. OK, sure. X assembles a team of his old pals (actually newcomers, played by Kris Wu, Ruby Rose and Rory McCann), plus a hot computer geek (Nina Dobrev), and chases down the team of equally extreme baddies (Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Tony Jaa and Michael Bisping). And as they head to London, the Philippines and Detroit, everyone realises that there's something else going on here.

There probably isn't a law of physics that isn't broken in this movie. These characters fly, are shot, fall from great heights and are blown to smithereens, but emerge unscathed, apart from their excessive tattoos (Xander has somehow redesigned his logo neck art for the reboot). Refreshingly, everyone keeps their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, winking at the camera at each ridiculous moment. Such as the chase in which motorcycles magically transform into water-bikes. Or when Xander does a spot of Alpine skiing through a rainforest. Or the frankly jaw-dropping weightless fight scene in a power-diving airplane.

Continue reading: XXx: Return Of Xander Cage Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review

Extraordinary

With the tagline "A Star Wars Story", this first spin-off from the saga isn't actually a stand-alone movie. It requires some understanding of the context as it chronicles events that lead directly into 1977's Episode IV: A New Hope. It's also a seriously rousing action film with a riveting cast of characters and a surprising willingness to embrace even the darkest elements of storytelling. In other words, it might be the first Star Wars movie made specifically for grown-ups.

It opens as the Empire is systematically crushing the rebellion, leaving them wondering if there's any point to continuing the fight. Rumours are swirling that the Empire is building a massive Death Star, and rebel Jyn (Felicity Jones) discovers that it was designed by her long-lost father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), who sends her a message saying that he left a flaw in the system specifically for the rebels to exploit. So she joins a team to contact him, led by Cassian (Diego Luna), who doubts that Galen is on their side. They're accompanied by pilot Bodhi (Riz Ahmed) and the sarcastic robot K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), plus the blind wannabe Jedi Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and his battling sidekick Baze (Jiang Wen). And as their mission goes rogue, they come up against the slimy Imperial Director Orson (Ben Mendelson) and the vicious Darth Vader (again voiced by James Earl Jones).

Director Gareth Edwards (Monster) packs the movie with visual references to A New Hope, cleverly matching the design work by avoiding fakey digital effects in lieu of more practical, battle-scared models and lively settings on a series of new planets and a familiar one. This gives the film an electric atmosphere that's edgy and unpredictable even though we all know exactly how this mission has to end. At the beginning, the plot feels a bit splintered, but the strands come together with power, building a gnawing sense of momentum and some real gravitas along the way.

Continue reading: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review

Donnie Yen at the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story UK Premiere held at Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom - Tuesday 13th December 2016

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Donnie Yen at the 2016 GQ Men of the Year Party held at Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, California, United States - Thursday 8th December 2016

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Final Trailer & Clips


Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a standalone Star Wars film which acts as an important subplot to the original 1977 movie 'A New Hope'. In the man film, Luke and his uncle take ownership of a droid sold to them and as Luke cleans the droid up he hears a section of a message left for someone called Obi-Wan Kenobi pleading for his help. Luke decides to find the only man he knows by the name of Kenobi and his mission turns into the story we all know.

The data on R2-D2 memory is the story of Rouge One. The Rebel Alliance are aware that the Galactic Empire are building a humongous super machine capable of destroy vast areas of space and one of their rebel fighters might just hold the key to more information than she knows.

Jin Erso is a loyal member of the Alliance though she often acts as a lone rebel and takes risks greater than her superiors would like. When a fraction of the Alliance learns that Erso's father played a crucial role in building the device she knows that she must track him down.

Continue: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Final Trailer & Clips

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Trailer


Xander Cage has led quite a life, he's been an extreme sports celebrity with his own TV show, worked as an undercover spy for the National Security Agency and saved the world from a deadly toxin being released. Xander wasn't exactly the most obvious person to become a spy as his celebrity status made him know around the world but his arrogance and known run-ins with the cops are will publicised. 

He was recruited by NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons who saw potential in the daredevil. To test his skills, Gibbon's dropped Cage into a number of life threatening situations including an armed robbery and an escape from a cocaine plantation run by violent cartel bosses. Having successfully completed his tests, Xander found himself face to face with a Russia mobster who was planning to release toxic matter which is capable of killing millions. His mission was a success and he also found love with a Russian FSB agent called Yelena. Realising that the life of a spy isn't all it's cut out to be, the pair retire to Bora Bora. 

Years later a crooked agent called Cobb is thought to have assassinated Cage leading to Gibbon's to find a new XXX agent - a title that only seems temporary for its holders. 

Continue: xXx: Return of Xander Cage Trailer

14 Blades Trailer


14 Blades follows the Chinese General Quinlong (Donnie Yen) as he works to recover a list of loyal Jinyiwei - the staunchest supporters of the Emperor. Unfortunately for Quinlong, the Jinywei are in fact under the control of Jia, an evil eunuch. Quinlong is betrayed by his former brothers-in-arms and barely escapes with his life. Quinlong sets off to rally together the remaining loyalists, all the while being hounded by those he once trusted and fought alongside. 

Continue: 14 Blades Trailer

Special ID Trailer


Dragon Chan is a Hong Kong cop who has spent many years of his life building up a reputation within a major Chinese crime organisation, working undercover to expose some its most ruthless associates. However, it soon becomes clear that the mob boss Xiong is on the warpath searching for spies that threaten to solidarity of his gang and Chan starts to get nervous when a number of other double agents are found brutally murdered. Sure enough, someone Chan thought he could trust reveals Chan's true identity to Xiong and the rest of the organisation and Chan finds himself desperately trying to protect his already unstable family life while also trying to escape certain death himself. He has the skills to defend himself for a few days, but when it's him versus a huge organisation with access to numerous weapons, his survival chances are starting to look limited.

This crime drama has been directed by Clarence Fok Yiu-leung ('Naked Killer', 'The Iceman Cometh', 'Century of the Dragon') and written by Kam-Yuen Szeto ('Exiled', 'Flash Point', 'Kill Zone - S.P.L.'). 'Special ID' stars Hong Kong action icon Donnie Yen ('Ip Man', 'Blade II', 'Hero') and is set to be released in theatres on March 7th 2014.

Hero (2002) Review


Excellent
After political (Raise the Red Lantern), sexy (Ju Dou) and reflective (The Road Home) films, writer-director Zhang Yimou embraces the aerodynamic action of digitally enhanced kung fu swordplay made famous in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The object here is to outdazzle that genre landmark and, perhaps, to outdo it at the box office.

It's probably too late and too familiar a technique to do either, but there's plenty to admire despite those limitations, for which it has already received critical and award level acclaim. At the time of this writing, it is one of the 2002 Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language Film.

Continue reading: Hero (2002) Review

Blade II Review


Weak

Visually and atmospherically, the video game-like vampire-action sequel "Blade II" is slick, dark and cool, yet it doesn't take itself too seriously. The flick's fancy-schmancy martial arts fight scenes even incorporate low-brow wrestling moves like the pile-driver.

But strip away its elusive sense of humor and its expensively hip Hong Kong-spawn sheen, and what's left is a sloppy plot, lifeless characters (no pun intended), and elementary execution masquerading as something more.

Based on one of those now-ubiquitous comic books set in a dusky, dingy alternative reality, the movie is about a vampire hunter who is half vampire himself -- he has all the usual bloodsucker powers but he can go out in the sun. Wesley Snipes, sporting a flamboyant flattop coif, wrap-around shades and a black leather duster, reprises his title role from the 1998 original, which was pretty much nothing but blood-splattered nightwalker-daywalker showdowns set to a rave music beat. Knowledge of that movie isn't a prerequisite for this one, which is a marked improvement while still being saddled with all the same problems.

Continue reading: Blade II Review

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Donnie Yen Movies

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Movie Review

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Movie Review

It's been 15 years since Vin Diesel walked away from his XXX role, killing off...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Movie Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Movie Review

With the tagline "A Star Wars Story", this first spin-off from the saga isn't actually...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a standalone Star Wars film which acts as...

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Trailer

xXx: Return of Xander Cage Trailer

Xander Cage has led quite a life, he's been an extreme sports celebrity with his...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

The Galaxy is on the brink of a major war being won by dangerous rulers...

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer

We all know the story of Luke Skywalker and the legendary Jedi and rebels who...

14 Blades Trailer

14 Blades Trailer

14 Blades follows the Chinese General Quinlong (Donnie Yen) as he works to recover a...

Special ID Trailer

Special ID Trailer

Dragon Chan is a Hong Kong cop who has spent many years of his life...

Dragon [Wu Xia] Movie Review

Dragon [Wu Xia] Movie Review

Combining a period drama, police procedural and raucous wu-xia action, this superbly made Chinese thriller...

Hero (2002) Movie Review

Hero (2002) Movie Review

After political (Raise the Red Lantern), sexy (Ju Dou) and reflective (The Road Home) films,...

Blade II Movie Review

Blade II Movie Review

Visually and atmospherically, the video game-like vampire-action sequel "Blade II" is slick, dark and cool,...

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