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We review Stephen Chow's 2013 action comedy, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, loosely based on the 16th century Chinese literary classic. The film stars actor Wen Zhang as the famous Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang, Huang Bo as Sun Wukong, and Shu Qi as the love interest Duan. Timestamps: [00:00] Intro / Discussion- The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn, Turn A Gundam, The Grandmaster [48:48] Review - Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)
Joel: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent available in theaters Alien available for rental The Wicker Man (1973) available for rental Star Wars: The Force Awakens available on Disney+ Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx available on HBO Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons available on Mubi or for rental Prom Night available on Shudder La Ricotta available on Mubi and Criterion Beetlejuice available on HBO Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness available in theaters Moon Knight available on Disney+ Atlanta available on Hulu Under the Banner of Heaven available on Hulu Our Flag Means Death available on HBO Bethany: The Northman available in theaters Lost Horizon available for rental A Simple Plan available for rental Clueless available on HBO Asako I & II available for rental You Were Never Really Here available on Amazon Beach Rats available for rental Spaceship Earth available on Hulu I'm No Angel available on Criterion (through 5/31) Home available on Criterion Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness available in theaters Gone with the Wind available on HBO Petite Maman available in theaters For the Love of the Game available on Starz or for rental Frances Ha available on Criterion Chef available for rental Ben Is Back available on Hulu Kiss and Make Up available on Criterion (through 5/31) Love, Simon available for rental Swiss Army Man available on Showtime or for rental X-Men Origins: Wolverine available on HBO The Dropout available Hulu Made for Love available on HBO Hacks available on HBO Barry available on HBO Gentleman Jack available on HBO
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In this inaugural episode I cannot resist the magnetic pull of Stephen Chow's legendary antics, and so, I must drink. Fans of Chow's Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons and most importantly, The Mermaid will, probably, love this Netflix-available gem. Come along on this alcoholic journey into the depths of stupid comedy, outrageous set-pieces and drunken rambling—maybe you'll even have a good time. Film + booze + criticism + a crappy mic, these are all the best things, trust me.
Anya and Alan talk about the Oscar Award winning Kung Fu film by Ang Lee, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Alan’s favorite Kung Fu movie is actually a musical and Jen Yu is actually a Disney Princess. That’s right. We said it. Du Lu Wang’s “Crane Iron Pentology” includes the novel “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”A Command of Her Own is a podcast about Star Trek: Discovery and Alan appeared on Ep. 34Yuen Woo-Ping’s FilmographyEp. 35 of Pop Culturally Deprived is about “Thelma and Louise”Song Exploder Special with Yo Yo MaList of Alan’s favorite Kung Fu Movies (with trailers):Karate KidFive Deadly VenomsJourney to the West: Conquering the WestSamurai FictionThe MatrixFearlessThe Man of Tai ChiIP ManHonorable Mention: Big Trouble in Little China and Legend of KorraThe episode of Aeon Flux is called ThanatophobiaListen to Shadows and Shamblers when American Gods returns!Our theme song is Background Blues Guitar by Blowball Music.Please visit our website to find out what we will be talking about in the future. If you would like to give us feedback, please email us: contact@hallowedgroundmedia.comFollow the podcast on Twitter @HGStoryCast, follow Anya @StrangelyLiterl
Welcome to Episode 30 of Heroes Three! This week we finish our look at Journey to the West inspired movies with the Stephen Chow directed Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)!Download Episode Here!Music featured in the movieSpecial FX vid of KL HogHere's a really nice video comparing Journey to the West Conquering the Demons to Asura's WrathAlso check out Richmond Lee's look at the influence of Buddhism on the game Asura's Wrath HERE
Stephen Chow has directed a number of amazing films and this is one of them. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is wonderful and I'd say it's probably my favorite movie I've watched this year. The Dub is perfect the writing it hilarious and the action is fun. The CG is less than amazing but it's so much fun. Enlist today! Join the MovieFaction! http://moviefaction.com/rss Like Zombi on Facebook! http://facebook.com/TheZombifaction Follow Zombi on Twitter! http://twitter.com/Zombifaction MovieFaction YouTube Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8PUrY8e9CyILWssxM0z2C3v62X3liioI Subscribe on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/moviefaction-podcast/id1067545780?mt=2 Follow Zombi's SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/zombifaction Help Support the Podcast on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Zombifaction
We apologize for the few audio disruptions in this episode. Must have been because we were so excited about doing yet ANOTHER film with human-animal hybrids. We go on our own journey in this episode: a journey to stupidity. We conquered no demons. In fact, we probably made more.Theme music: WeChat (feat. Keith Ape) by The Higher Brothers
I talk with Lady Cao Feng, Kenny and Adam abou the Stephen Chow film Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons love theme HERE A Chinese Odyssey love theme HERE Check out Distressor's "Just Breathe", they generously allowed us to use their music in our introduction.
Ryan and Matt "The Musical" Amberg are back and beating the drum about Ready to Rumble, a DCTVU progress report, Spectral, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, Casting By, and... Boss Baby before it's on to time spent with Good Dogs, Stars Path, Threes, Gears of War 4's Rise of the Horde update, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and Trine 2. Then they track down Crackdown's destructibility while completely ignoring their own so... Boss Baby!
Brett and Josh take a moment to discuss the Steven Chow directed Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons as it pertains to Enslaved and stupid jokes.
One can't possibly watch "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" without comparing it to the 1995 movie "A Chinese Odyssey." Both are based on the classic Ming Dynasty novel "Journey to the West." "Conquering the Demons" is a much more vivid rendition of the story, but less attractive. Although actor-turned-director Stephen Chow made his name playing so-called losers in comedy films, he is now assisted by perhaps the best computer-generate imagery technology available to Chinese directors. With the most horrifying computer-generated demons, he has created a fantasy film that is the most faithful to the original novel and certainly the most profitable of any "Journey to the West" movie so far. Ming Dynasty novelist and poet Wu Cheng'en wrote a fictional story about a hellish world where people live in ignorance of Buddhist teachings, and cannibalistic demons lurk in every mountain and river. So during his quest for Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang encounters many demons that test his faith. He manages to conquer three of them and turns them into helpful escorts. Stephen Chow reproduces Xuanzang's triumph over the three demons, but adds a romantic dimension to the monk's spiritual awakening. So it was with "A Chinese Odyssey," only the lead character was one of the conquered three demons – the monkey king. The only difference was when the romance ended in tragedy, the monkey king learned about destiny and responsibility, while Xuanzang learned about the power of faith and universal love. "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is the first Stephen Chow movie without Chow in the cast. But this is not the reason for its difference in style. Actors Wen Zhang and Huang Bo are no less geniuses than Chow in inducing laughter, and their efforts make the film as hilarious as any other Chow comedy. However, the director must have put away some of his sarcastic ammo, because there is a noticeable absence of the irony that was so commonplace in his previous works. This change has caused discontent among some of Chow's fans who pose as intelligent viewers. Meanwhile, Chow's new production has also stirred the nerves of some sensitive viewers who claim the movie is too horrible to be a comedy. Since the film premiered on the first day of China's Spring Festival, many moviegoers took their children to see it, hoping to share some hearty laughter with their families. But when the movie showed a child being devoured by a fish demon, they soon realized that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have brought the kids. As a result, complaints were made both on Chow's indiscretion and the lack of a film-rating system. Stephen Chow movies used to please simple-minded, compassionate and thoughtful viewers alike. But now, with the paw of irony well hidden and the weight of scare in full swing, the new film might generate as much in complaints as in box office earnings. On a scale from one to 10, I give it a 6.5.
An unmatched couple is perhaps humanity’s longest-living fairy tale. By unmatched I mean a rich, good looking wife and a poor homely husband. This type of combination certainly was rare in the age of arranged marriage, but even in our time, the 21st century, we can still find few examples. Personally I’ve seen none, except for those written in fictions or faked on screen. Taiwan romantic drama film “Say Yes” is the latest addition to the on-screen make-believe. In the movie, Huang Bo plays an unlucky construction worker who’s failed 99 blind dates, his hundredth belle is a beautiful musician, played by Taiwan model and actress Lin Chi-ling. The story begins with both characters living starkly different lives, but in roughly 100 minutes, they will hold each other’s hand and attempt their first kiss. It is the simplest of stories. First of all, there is a comparison of the couple’s appearance, financial status and social connections to imply that their relationship is nearly impossible. What follows is how they overcome the differences and turn the impossible into possible. Right after that there is twist, which everyone knows the couple will eventually get over. And finally it is the happy ending. However the movie is not as simple. At first a split screen demonstrates how the couple begin their regular, but different lives, up to the point of their first encounter where the spilt screens merge. Later on, equally ingenious cinematography and editing create a warm and colorful tone, quite fitting to the romantic theme. Plus, the pacing of the story is better than most Chinese films, so moviegoers would barely notice the want of story and originality. Meanwhile, such a story inevitably involves humor, and the actors haven’t failed to deliver that. Lead actor Huang Bo always seems to have a lucid understanding about his roles and very natural in presenting them, in this piece he is once again at the center of quite a few chuckles and laughters. However, he’s only played a fixed range of characters so far, I remain curious to see how he would handle serious challenges. Lead actress Lin Chi-ling was supposed to be there only for her looks, and the movie was supposed to be a motion photo album of hers. While the latter half is proven by the number of her outfits in the movie, she certainly contributed more than just her looks. Let’s say she didn’t wreck the film with all the posturing and probably did better than actress Shu Qi in “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons”. What more can you expect from a model slash actress? Lack of originality is the curse of Chinese films, “Say Yes” is no exemption from the cursed, but it certainly is a decent romantic comedy. I think it deserves a six out of ten.
China's domestic film productions raked in 12.7 billion yuan in 2013, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total box office takings with a growth rate of 54.32 percent year-on-year, an official data has revealed. According to data from the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the figure compares with a 2.3 percent increase of box office takings from imported films from a year earlier. Four of the top five highest-grossing films in the year were Chinese fare, with action-comedy "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" co-directed by Stephen Chow topping the list by taking 1.2 billion yuan. The other three homegrown movies that have made the top five list, namely nostalgic youth drama romance "So Young", crime-action film "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" by legendary action director Tsui Hark and "Personal Tailor", the latest comedy from Feng Xiaogang, pulled in over 500 million yuan each at box office. Other popular domestic films included Seattle-set romantic comedy "Finding Mr. Right", martial arts drama film "The Grandmaster" and novel-to-movie adaptation "Tiny Times". The huge growth of box office revenues from Chinese films as a whole compared with a year ago, experts said, can be attributed to an improved structure of the film industry and a growing number of homegrown movies that are more accessible and fun to watch. Restrictions on the imports and distribution of US-made films into China are also cited as a contributing factor. Meanwhile, it is expected that China's "youthful" film market, the world's second-biggest after America, will continue its rapid growth in years to come. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts is known worldwide for its annual Academy Awards, or the Orscars officially. Sid Ganis is the former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "The Chinese film market place is in a certain kind of youthfulness. Not infancy, but youthfulness. It's now blossoming out, it's growing at this amazing rapid rate." According to the media reports, China's box office takings in 2012 exceeded 17 billion yuan, with domestic movies contributing 48.46 percent of the total.
On this bonus sized episode, we have an insightful and entirely legitimate dissection of the weird and wild mind of MonsterZero, his review techniques and how they relate specifically to the films this week. Our featured review is the Chinese Box Office record setting mega hit, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, directed by Stephen Chow. Our bonus film review kicks off a multi-month string of films picked and featuring guest reviews by our friends. First up is Tim from Korea and his bizarre choice of the Hungarian film, Taxidermia. In addition, Señor Isaac checks in with the Countdown to Infinite Cancellation segment. 80s Pat gives us his review of Spike Lee's Oldboy and we also find out who our guest reviewer for next week will be and what crazy film we’ll be watching!Topics discussed: Gluttony gluttony gluttony, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, Black Friday, MZ's next movie project, Robert DeNiro, Kung Fu Hustle, podcast community, The Dynamo/MonsterZero challenge, gym class, Dynamo’s stomach operation, Korean Massage Parlors, Shaolin Soccer, Ravenshadow’s Christmas party, Halloween 3, King Diamond, Stephen Chow, transgressive filmmaking, Galactus, Infinite Santa 8000, Dynamo’s favorite martial arts FILM, Vibe #8, gem world, MonsterZero vs subtitles, "the other one", Taxidermia, Buddhism, eating contests, road race challenge, CGI, Tim from Korea, "real life in Hungary", being able to see your dick past your gut, getting folks pregnant by thinking about it, Oldboy, MonsterZero’s crazy movie watching, not getting invited to parties, Walking Dead midseason finale and Ravenshadow’s spoiler filled rant.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradio)
How’s this for a Thanksgiving feast? A review of the Sci-Fi/Horror hybrid, Grabbers. Our thoughts on the crazy, must-see Drafthouse re-release of the most bizarre film of 1979, The Visitor. Cooking tips from Sir Isaac. A scintillating report from Convention Correspondent, Madam Mercy Roulette. The continuation of the Countdown to Infinite Cancellation starring Vibe #7. Not enough fixings for you? Well, we wrap it all up with the things we are thankful for. Pull up a chair, bring your own cranberry sauce and a 4-speed Dildo and get ready for Episode 70 of Trick or Treat Radio!Topics discussed: Chasing the dragon, crazy birds, Steven Spielberg, throwing cum, The Exorcist, ad-libbed dialog, Super Megafest, Toxic Avenger: Citizen Toxie, Pantaphobe on twitter, Pong, .quiddity’s William Gibson and Clive Barker origins, hating the Irish, Michael Ravenshadow impersonations, visual storytelling, Grabbers, League of Ordinary Gentlemen Podcast, Vibe #7, Buttcrack, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, MonsterZero is tired, Tiny’s Thanksgiving, MonsterZero is a pussy, sleepovers at Ravenshadow’s house, the historic meeting of the Rons, the amazing score of The Visitor, Bruce Lee’s birthday, Franco Nero, rupture, John Huston, inappropriate dramatic music, Flock of Assholes, The Visitor, Taxidermia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, killer kid movies, the Giovanni and MonsterZero saga continues, "The Raiders bet" and peeing with Malfoy.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradio)