EarlyDeadlinePredictions Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 SPL was a fun movie even with the crazy ending. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brainbug Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Dont tell me Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon missed the list 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 So I'm really happy about this guys, we have a winner! Gonna announce the #1 shortly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 I see you have a massive hard-on for Yen (not a criticism, just an observation).....and I can see why, the guy is fucking awesome. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 (edited) #1 Ziyi Zhang vs Michelle Yeoh | Final Fight Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Taiwan (Mandarin) Directed by: Ang Lee Fight Choreography: Yuen Woo-Ping Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang Worldwide Box office: $213,525,736 ($128,078,872 Domestic) Synopsis: A young Chinese warrior steals an unbreakable sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation. My rating for this movie: ★★★★½ My rating for this specific fight sequence: ★★★★★ I fucking love that wire bit above. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, perhaps known best here on BOT as being the highest-grossing Foreign Film in the US, is a great entry point for those who have an interest in the martial arts movie genre. It is a critical darling, having won 4 oscars, offers a unique take on what a historical drama can be, opened American audiences to Chinese cinema... and features one of, if not the best fight sequence ever put on screen. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon holds the record for most oscar nominations for a foreign movie with 10 nominations, and is the only martial arts film to be nominated for a Best Picture oscar. It is also #1 on this list. Coincidence? I was 12 when it came out, and I've been a huge fan of martial arts movies since then. It also showed younger me that women can be absolute ass-kickers too. A significant portion of my favorite kick-ass actors are women, and that's largely due to martial arts movies being years (and in some cases, decades) ahead of the curve, as this top highlights with the likes of Michelle Yeoh placing like 4 times. So, there's everything in this movie -- emphasis on Chinese culture and martial arts, wire fu fighting (divisive but historically important), classical fighting (in general more loved), and a talented director at the helm (Ang Lee) making it all work. The action sequences in this movie hold up really well, largely due to the extensive use of practical effects throughout. They're a bit of an acquired taste though, I have to concede that. Here's a short and sweet review from Josh Larsen on letterboxd: Quote Really moving how each fight sequence - while brilliantly conceived and executed - also has its own emotional narrative arc. I'd almost forgotten what a wonder this movie is. Fun fact -- in some Chinese video releases, they re-dubbed over most of the actors speaking Mandarin (most notably Chow Yun-Fat) as their accents were horrible. The reason for that is because this movie was mostly filmed with a Hong Kong crew and they speak Cantonese there. Ziyi Zhang (pictured in the gif above), however, is a native Mandarin speaker from Beijing. What's so thrilling about this fight This isn't the first fight between Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang, the stars of this fight. They meet up earlier in the movie in another great sequence, but this one is something else. It even gets better each time you watch it, due to the attention given to small details throughout and the flawless editing. Clocking in at just under 5 minutes, but not overstaying its welcome, this fight is the absolute best the world of movie fight choreography has to offer, in my opinion. And it's not the best only because of the choreography, but also because it works on a number of levels. Anyone who's been following this list so far knows that Michelle Yeoh is an absolute legend, so what else makes this fight so special? Yuen Woo-Ping (The Matrix, Kill Bill, and too many Hong Kong credits to list) was at the top of his game for this movie. Really, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Yuen Woo-Ping would top this list. The amount of passion that went into filming the fight sequences in this is something that should inspire most Western directors, who I'm sorry to say, but still have much to learn from our friends in the East, as this top also highlights. The DVD bonus features for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have a lot to say about that. The "Every Frame a Painting" video on Jackie Chan's way of filming action also has a lot to say about this. In this fight, Ziyi Zhang wields the indestructible "Green Destiny Sword", the best sword in the world which she stole from Chow Yun-Fat. Michelle Yeoh must bring every weapon she can lay her hands on against Zhang's invincible sword. Interestingly enough, all the weapons Michelle Yeoh picks throughout the sequence fighting Zhang are known as natural counters to the sword, especially the second to last weapon, which is a Chinese weapon named "Jian" meaning "The Sword Breaker". Both actresses set aside a full year, ditching everything else to work full-time on preparing for an obviously very physical role (and also in Michelle Yeoh's case, to learn spoken Mandarin as she speaks only Cantonese -- and can't read Chinese at all). In Chinese cinema, it's standard for actors to spend months and months working on fight sequences, as they want to nail them so much that they often film just 1 sequence for weeks, making sure that it's right (like Gareth Evans did with both final fights in his The Raid movies). Michelle Yeoh was already well-known as a kick-ass action movie star in Hong Kong, but Ziyi Zhang was new to fighting. She was a professional dancer and used that as a catalyst to learn the proper choreography needed, and the end result shows just how dedicated and talented she is since it doesn't show. Other dancers have tried, often with poor results. That's what's incredible about movie fight choreography -- what matters is the end result. That's also the beauty of film-making. An unassuming female dancer is part of the best movie fight sequence I've ever seen. She had help from legends, of course, but still, that's impressive and only possible because it's a film. You can watch the sequence in Full HD here (only link I found to the complete sequence, sadly without subtitles): If you're wondering what the characters are saying mid-fight, it's something like -- Michelle Yeoh: “This isn't your sword, give it back.” Ziyi Zhang: “Come and get it if you can.” Michelle Yeoh: “The sword does all the fighting for you.” Ziyi Zhang: “Don't blame the weapon if you can't win. Pick any weapon... go on...” So why is this sequence #1? The bests of movie fights have a certain rhythm, a visual melody to them, and although they can be elevated by having the bests of martial artists of all-time star in them (like Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, etc), it's certainly not the only element that matters! This particular Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fight sequence is awesome, thrilling, rhythmic, relevant to the story, and beautifully choreographed, scored, edited, and directed. It's like watching an hypnotic dance session doubling as a deadly sparring contest, with an Oscar-winning soundtrack to boot. Plus it's from arguably the overall best martial arts movie around. What more do you want? Congratulations to @Brainbug for winning a Gold account. It won't take into effect immediately, I'm very busy this week-end but know it's coming! Cheers guys, and thanks for following! Edited June 2, 2018 by Daxtreme 11 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brainbug Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Obviously the perfect choice That was a really awesome list @Daxtreme 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Guess I need to see CTHD again. I've learned that I have a different appreciation for certain fights that you do. I liked the fight at number one but it wouldn't be my number one pick. Then again, I haven't seen nearly as many as you have but if I had to pick a number one, it might or probably would be something from Ong Bak or The Raid or maybe even something from Yen. Doesn't matter. This is an awesome thread and I learned so much. Thank you for putting this together. But I'm also mad at you. You have set the bar ridiculously high for the rest of us who choose to do a countdown in the future. You countdown is simply the best. Well done, sir. Well done indeed. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 (edited) I'm feeling generous today so everyone who guessed this sequence will get something! @TwoMisfits you were the 2nd person to guess this, so a Silver account it is for you! @titanic2187 you were 3rd so you win copper! Congrats guys and thanks for participating @Slambros you will win copper as well but obviously since you already have a Gold account well, we'll figure something out. If you want I'll simply donate $5 to the site edit: please be patient however since I'm out of town this week-end! Edited June 2, 2018 by Daxtreme 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 And unless I'm mistaken, you had nothing here from Wolf Warrior 2? Or I am just forgetting that you did? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 2 minutes ago, baumer said: And unless I'm mistaken, you had nothing here from Wolf Warrior 2? Or I am just forgetting that you did? Nope! The final fight is pretty good though I refer to it a couple times though, since Jing Wu made this top a few times! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Daxtreme said: Nope! The final fight is pretty good though I refer to it a couple times though, since Jing Wu made this top a few times! I don't have remember every single fight from Wolf Warrior 2 but yes, the final fight with Grillo, who is not a master like these guys are, but is still very good at what he does (I've seen his videos on you-tube and he worked his ass off for WW2) is excellent. And Wu is really something special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daxtreme Posted June 2, 2018 Author Share Posted June 2, 2018 4 minutes ago, baumer said: Guess I need to see CTHD again. I've learned that I have a different appreciation for certain fights that you do. I liked the fight at number one but it wouldn't be my number one pick. Then again, I haven't seen nearly as many as you have but if I had to pick a number one, it might or probably would be something from Ong Bak or The Raid or maybe even something from Yen. Doesn't matter. This is an awesome thread and I learned so much. Thank you for putting this together. But I'm also mad at you. You have set the bar ridiculously high for the rest of us who choose to do a countdown in the future. You countdown is simply the best. Well done, sir. Well done indeed. Like a few people I've talked to over the years, I like both wire fights and more "realistic" fights equally. I know it's an acquired taste but these fights can be absolutely amazing when done right. Most people fall into one camp or the other though. Of course it's all a question of tastes. I am biased too, no one isn't. But I like to think that this top offers unique sequences that are really cool to watch, varied, and all great for different reasons! I enjoyed running this and hopefully you guys enjoyed following it Thanks baumer for your participation too, much appreciated! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAM! Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 7 minutes ago, Daxtreme said: @Slambros you will win copper as well but obviously since you already have a Gold account well, we'll figure something out. If you want I'll simply donate $5 to the site You should donate it! I'd be okay with that! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titanic2187 Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 10 minutes ago, Daxtreme said: I'm feeling generous today so everyone who guessed this sequence will get something! @TwoMisfits you were the 2nd person to guess this, so a Silver account it is for you! @titanic2187 you were 3rd so you win copper! Congrats guys and thanks for participating @Slambros you will win copper as well but obviously since you already have a Gold account well, we'll figure something out. If you want I'll simply donate $5 to the site edit: please be patient however since I'm out of town this week-end! I hope this will be your number 0!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyDeadlinePredictions Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Great choice for #1 and great list @Daxtreme Also probably an appropriate thread to share this trailer No release date though....but the cast is insane 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumer Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 3 hours ago, titanic2187 said: I hope this will be your number 0!! Now I like it!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrGlass2 Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 I thought about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon yesterday but I thought it had no chance of winning because I have actually seen it and it isn't a HK cop movie from the 80's. Awesome list, great work Dax. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium George Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Great list dax. Congrates to winners. I will be here watching porn, russian and religious propaganda ads for some reason. I though ads were supposed to be based on your search history. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoMisfits Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Daxtreme said: I'm feeling generous today so everyone who guessed this sequence will get something! @TwoMisfits you were the 2nd person to guess this, so a Silver account it is for you! @titanic2187 you were 3rd so you win copper! Congrats guys and thanks for participating @Slambros you will win copper as well but obviously since you already have a Gold account well, we'll figure something out. If you want I'll simply donate $5 to the site edit: please be patient however since I'm out of town this week-end! Oh, thanks so much - this will be so awesome - lots of likes, here I come:). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Wang Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 On 5/27/2018 at 10:26 PM, Deep Wang said: I loooooove the dojo fight, so I'm hoping it's that one. That's another showpiece fight I like to put on for people. Since were all in the mood for some fights here, I'll recommend a couple of my favorites from Jackie Chan. He's the one I know the most because I was obsessed for a while. Two of my favorites of his are one-on-one fights with Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. One was in Wheels on Meals: The other was in Dragons Forever: Both featured the trio of Biao, Hung, and Chan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
