It’s A “Kung Fu Fight Club!”
If you haven’t gotten the news yet, Keanu Reeves is stepping behind the camera and kicking ass the whole way – with two new kung fu epics on the way!
“The Matrix” Redeemed!
We all remember Keanu Reeves from “The Matrix” movies, when he showed no problem embracing all types of fighting styles – as he is a huge fan of martial arts! And even if you were less than enamored with the two “Matrix” sequels, Keanu was always a big supporter of the films – and a huge fan of exotic fighting styles.
Keanu’s Fighting His Way To Fantastic Fest!
Keanu Reeves will head to Austin’s Fantastic Fest for the US premiere of his directorial debut, “Man of Tai Chi”. That’s right – Keanu’s a Director! The annual genre festival is held September 19-26 in Texas, and no doubt a rabid crowd of fans will be there to greet him!
Side By Side!
More on this new kung fu epic in a moment, but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate Keanu for his other impressive achievement!
Keanu has been stepping up his creative output lately. Just this year, the Actor produced an acclaimed documentary – all about film!
“SIDE BY SIDE”, a new documentary produced by Keanu Reeves, takes an in-depth look at the revolution going on in movies – and the evolution away from film to digital. Through interviews with directors, cinematographers, film students, producers, technologists, editors, and exhibitors, SIDE BY SIDE examines all aspects of filmmaking — from capture to edit, visual effects to color correction, distribution to archive.
Keanu Reeves Directorial Debut!
In “Side By Side”, Keanu uses his love of movies to take a probing look at film. And now, the Actor has used his love of kung fu to direct a film about a “kung fu fight club!”
Here is the trailer for “Man Of Tai Chi”:
“Man Of Tai Chi!”
Here’s the plot in a nutshell: A young martial artist’s unparalleled Tai Chi skills land him in a highly lucrative underworld fight club. Like I said, it’s a “Kung Fu Fight Club!”
Keanu’s Homage To The Master, Bruce Lee!
In Total Film magazine, Keanu says “I remember seeing Bruce Lee films as a kids, and there was just something exotic, wonderful, empowering about them”.
So his new film is an homage to those 70’s classic kung fu epics – and there has never been anyone like Bruce Lee since!
Iko Uwais!
Well, maybe there is a worth successor to Lee! If the name Iko Uwais doesn’t mean anything to you, it should! First, Iko Uwais makes a special appearance in “Man Of Tai Chi”!
Here’s why you should know more about this amazing athlete turned actor. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Iko Uwais has been learning Indonesian traditional martial arts, Silat, since he was 10 years old. He became National Champion in 2005 in Silat Demonstration category.
He is also the star of the BEST ACTION FILM OF THE PAST TWENTY YEARS – “The Raid: Redemption”. It lives up to the hype, and sets Iko up as a worth successor to Bruce Lee! You can read all about this classic action movie by clicking HERE:
Keanu’s Directing Challenges!
Now, back to Keanu and his directing debut!
“I Guess Every Film Has Its Madness!”
“Man Of Tai Chi” was made in China, and it sounds like the production was grueling! According to Total Film magazine, Reeves dealt with a 100+ day production schedule, working with a multi-language crew, and shooting during a typhoon in Hong Kong! “I guess every film has its madness”, he said.
Considering the wide variety of films he has worked on in his career, he would know! And there’s MORE!
“47 Ronin!”
Reeves also stars in the action blockbuster “47 Ronin”, due out this Christmas! Here is the trailer!
This remake of the classic japanese movie opens in December – in 3D! A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
Of course they do!
So, congratulations to Keanu for his recent creative output – and I for one can’t wait to see his “kung fu fight club” and “47 Ronin” remake!
Bruce Lee’s Greatness!
If you want to read more about the iconic Bruce Lee – and see him compete in a table tennis tournament USING NUNCHUCKS!, just click below:
Kung Fu lives!
Categories: Action Films, Books / Media, Director Martin Scorsese, documentary films, Exploitation films, Extreme Asian Cinema, Film Noir, Foreign Films, Movies, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
Last weekend we treated you to the first poster and pics for kung fu epic Man of Tai Chi . Today we’ve got the first trailer. The Mandarin-Cantonese-English production is the directorial debut of Keanu Reeves. It tracks the journey of a young martial artist (Tiger Hu Chen) who’s lured into an underground tournament run by an unsavoury chap (Reeves) dead set on corrupting him. Joining Chen and Reeves in front of the camera are Simon Yam (Ip Man), Karen Mok (Black Mask), and The Raid: Redemption star Iko Uwais. Former stunt man Chen first hooked up with Reeves while working on the Matrix series, as did the film’s action choreographer, the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping (also of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame). To sum up, this one’s boasting all kinds of ass-kicking cred, which will be on full display in a staggering 40 minutes of fight sequences.
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