Michael Clarke Duncan

Slideshow: 15-Image Gallery For ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’ With Kristin Kreuk

BrianTT — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:27:30 -0700

CHICAGO – This 15-image slideshow contains the official press images from the Twentieth Century Fox production of “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” starring Kristin Kreuk, Chris Klein, Neal McDonough, Robin Shou, Moon Bloodgood, Josie Ho, Taboo, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Written by Justin Marks and directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, the film opens on Friday, February 27th, 2009.

Synopsis: “Powerful forces are converging on the streets of Bangkok. They are warriors, some of whom possess extraordinary abilities, all of whom are determined to see their side prevail. Some fight for us; the others for unlimited power. Now, they are preparing for the ultimate battle - of terror versus beauty, light versus darkness, and good versus evil.

The forces of darkness are led by Bison (Neal McDonough), a crime boss of seemingly limitless power, and whose past holds a shocking secret. Bison’s syndicate, Shadaloo, is taking over the slums of the Thai capital, a task overseen by Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan), a massively built enforcer and killer.

Also in Bison’s employ is the assassin Vega (Taboo, of the group The Black Eyed Peas), a masked talon-wielding warrior, whose weapon is tailor-made for slashing and stabbing attacks. Bison’s attache is the beautiful but deadly Cantana (Josie Ho).

These vivid characters and their world are long known to fans of the iconic videogame “Street Fighter,” which Capcom released in 1987. At the time, the 1-2 player game set a new precedent in two-dimensional interactive entertainment. In 1991, Capcom released to arcades, “Street Fighter II,” featuring new characters and fighting styles.

The games’ action and imaginatively staged fight scenes are a natural fit for a big screen translation, a fact embraced by noted producer and Hyde Park Entertainment chairman Ashok Amritraj - but only after his children, then aged 13 and 10, brought “Street Fighter” to his attention. “They really loved the game and told me I should make a movie based on it,” says Amritraj. “I have them to thank for Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li.””

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Patrick Brown and courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Street_Fighter_01: Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) is a half-Caucasian/half-Asian beauty who gives up a life of privilege to become a street fighter, battling for those who cannot fight for themselves.
Street_Fighter_02: Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) prepares for the final, epic battle against the forces of darkness.
Street_Fighter_03: Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) races through the streets of Bangkok to face her next challenge.
Street_Fighter_04: Interpol cop Charlie Nash (Chris Klein) takes aim at a powerful crime boss he has been tracking all over the world.
Street_Fighter_05: Gangland homicide detective Maya Sunee (Moon Bloodgood) is on the trail of the leader of a powerful criminal syndicate.
Street_Fighter_06: High-powered weapons seem almost superfluous, given the massive frame and brutal strength of Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan).
Street_Fighter_07: Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan), a massively built enforcer and killer, checks out his latest target.
Street_Fighter_08: Bison (Neal McDonough) is a crime boss of seemingly limitless power, whose past holds a shocking secret.
Street_Fighter_09: Cantana (Josie Ho) is the beautiful but deadly attache to a powerful crime boss.
Street_Fighter_10: The kung fu master Gen (Robin Shou), once a feared criminal, now fights for the forces of good.
Street_Fighter_11: The warrior/assassin Vega (Taboo) dons his signature mask as he goes into attack mode.
Street_Fighter_12: Vega (Taboo) is a talon-wielding warrior/assassin, whose weapon is tailor-made for slashing and stabbing attacks.
Street_Fighter_13: The street-fighting skills of Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) overpower some hoodlums.
Street_Fighter_14: Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) trains with her master, Gen (Robin Shou).
Street_Fighter_15: Director Andrzej Bartkowiak reviews a scene with Kristin Kreuk on the set of Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Directors Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Create Balance Between Action, Zen in ‘Kung Fu Panda’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:01:00 -0600

CHICAGO – In this summer movie season of old men with whips, gals in stilettos and superheroes a go-go, you may ask: “Where’s the cartoon?” (“Speed Racer” doesn’t count.) Indeed, the most highly anticipated animation event of the summer is “Kung Fu Panda”.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Filled with the voices of “A”-list Hollywood stars and featuring a classic combination of well-choreographed action, laugh-out-loud comedy and feel-good philosophy, “Panda” doesn’t pander and works on all levels.

HollywoodChicago.com recently interviewed “Kung Fu Panda” co-directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson about putting together a major animated project for the first time and how their lead actor, Jack Black, helped shaped the destiny of the final product.

After having spent 20 years in the inescapable Chorh-Gom Prison, Tai Lung (Ian McShane) makes his daring escape in DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

“There was a general desire to return to that classic, timeless sense of story that Mark and I remembered as we were growing up,” Stevenson said. “We just wanted to make a story and a world that would endure and would be its own, self-contained universe.”

Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy and train in the art of kung fu, giant panda Po (Jack Black, above) begins his study under Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, below) in DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

“As for the films that inspired us most with animated action, there is no higher bar than ‘The Incredibles,’” Osborne said. “That was a film we looked at not necessarily as a template but for the level of quality and sophistication of the action.”

Jack Black is cast perfectly as the voice of Po: a lumpy panda bear working at his father’s noodle shop in China’s Valley of Peace. Po is an advocate of the fighting cult of kung fu and has kept up with the heroics of the “Furious Five” – Monkey, Mantis, Crane, Viper and Tigress – animals based on the fighting style.

They have been trained to protect the valley by Master Shifu (the voice of Dustin Hoffman) against the rages of evil, avenge-seeking tiger Tai Lung (Ian McShane). One of the five is about to be crowned the top warrior, which is also known as the “Dragon Master”.

Osborne praises the lead voice actor: “We rewrote and rebuilt the original story around Jack Black. That was one of the great things that happened in the genesis of the project. It is perfect casting.”

He added: “There was a lot of inspiration from Jack as a person, Jack’s movie characters and what we knew of Jack especially in association with Tenacious D. We took a lot of inspiration from all that in creating this ultimate fanboy character.”

Seth Rogen voices the fast and quick-tempered Mantis (one of the legendary Furious Five) in DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

“Jack gave a huge gift really early on about bending the concept to make it work,” Stevenson said. “There were interesting choices to be made and it all came from Jack.”

He added: “When he started doing his first sessions as Po, we all imagined that it might be Tenacious D Jack or something more cocky and abrasive. But Jack himself started to do these more vulnerable and ‘self aware of your failings’ kind of readings.”

Through a series of misadventures, Po becomes the Dragon Master and must endure the rejection and jealously of the Furious Five along with Shifu’s reluctant training. When Tai Lung escapes from prison, it’s up to Po to put into practice the teachings of his master and trust what he has learned to defeat the foe.

The story evolved through several renderings before Osborne and Stevenson found the right tenor.

Stevenson explained: “While we knew Po would eventually have to go one on one with Tai Lung, we didn’t want him to cheat, use magic, turn into Bruce Lee all of a sudden or have him do things you hadn’t seen him do before.”

He continued: “In the Tao Te Ching, there was this stanza in there: ‘The sapling that bends in the breeze is greater than the mighty oak that is rigid.’ It ends with this couplet: ‘The hard and strong will fall. The soft and weak will overcome.’ When we read that, we said ‘hurrah’! We found our overall philosophy.”

“Also, the philosophical underpinning of the story is that Master Shifu and Po are a balance of opposites,” Osborne expressed. “Villain Tai Lung and Po are a balance of opposites. We thought to build everything on that and we started to discover things.”

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our huge, high-resolution “Kung Fu Panda” image gallery.

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Read more film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

The fluid nature and the excitement of the action sequences – epic without being cartoony – are the centerpiece of the film’s legitimacy.

“One of the big conceits of the film was to use the five original animal fighting styles,” Stevenson said. “The Furious Five in the film actually personify them. It was kung fu in such a way that honored its source, but it also did it in a way you’ve never seen before because it was animals doing it instead of human beings.”

Bring the kids and line up for the popcorn as the result is a fundamental balance and a perfect summer animated classic. Osborne concluded: “It had to be authentic and still feel like kung fu, but at the same time, we knew we had to find our own path and our own way of doing things.”

In all, “Kung Fu Panda” features the voice talent of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Dan Fogler and Michael Clarke Duncan.

“Kung Fu Panda” opened everywhere on June 6, 2008.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com