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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Big Trouble in Little China
Posted by: Wounded Ronin Feb 17 2007, 05:53 AM
Today I watched a DVD of "Big Trouble In Little China" and I realized that that film is the most Shadowrun movie ever. It has the following key components:
*Kurt Russel with a mullet
*Orientalism
*Martial arts which are as powerful as firearms
*Physads
*Chinese Black Magic
*Astral Projection
*Ample use of Centering before major asswhuppings (why do you think that everyone in that film poses and does a little bit of kata before entering melee combat?)
*The asian guys are all cooler than Kurt Russel's character
*Outlandish SR style gang members at the airport
*Immunity To Normal Weapons is exhibited when the tongs open fire on the Three Storms
*Non-asian actress whose character is supposed to be from Peking which is funny because it's assumed that the audience won't be able to tell the difference
*Kim Cattral, looking very 80s
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090728/
Posted by: Demerzel Feb 17 2007, 06:30 AM
One of my all time favorites. A buddy of mine studied under Stuart Quan who did the martial arts choreography. The Six Deamon bag makes regular appearances in games I run.
Posted by: PBTHHHHT Feb 17 2007, 06:32 AM
Non-asian actress, how so? Are you talking about the Miao Yin character? That's played by Suzee Pai in the imdb. Sure she's born in Ohio, but the Pai surname is chinese. She's still asian, and chinese to boot. Sure, she's american by birth, but I guess you want someone straight from beijing to be authentic? 
Posted by: Marmot Feb 17 2007, 06:38 AM
Lo Pan made that movie win. Hands down, nothing else need be said.
Posted by: Wounded Ronin Feb 17 2007, 07:46 AM
| QUOTE (PBTHHHHT) |
| Non-asian actress, how so? Are you talking about the Miao Yin character? That's played by Suzee Pai in the imdb. Sure she's born in Ohio, but the Pai surname is chinese. She's still asian, and chinese to boot. Sure, she's american by birth, but I guess you want someone straight from beijing to be authentic? |
I couldn't find any more information on the internet about her background, but she looks half asian, rather than full asian.
I'm half Japanese myself and I look different than a full Japanese person. If somebody were to cast me in a movie as a Japanese person it would look weird.
That's how I felt with watching Suzee Pai.
Posted by: knasser Feb 17 2007, 08:47 AM
I thought she didn't look very Chinese when I saw the film, but the bio suggests she does have chinese ancestry. Maybe they made a concession for the "Chinese girls do not come with green eyes, Mr. Burton"
And just for the record, I have this on DVD and it is one of my favourite films of all time. Favourite moments include:
The lipstick!
The vaguely embarrased look on Jack's face when he finally gets his gun reloaded to find that Wang has knocked everyone unconcious.
The bit where Lo Pan and Egg Shen play an astral game of Mortal Kombat
and the greatest quote of all:
"Don't worry, I've taken something. I can see things nobody else can see. I can do things nobody else can do." The look on Kim Cattral's face is beyond priceless. 
EDIT: Movie trivia - the opening scene with Egg Shen and the lawyer was added because the studio execs thought that the audience wouldn't appreciate how heroic Jack Burton was... they were concerned that he came across as a bit of a doofus! ARGGHHH!
Posted by: Butterblume Feb 17 2007, 09:10 AM
Ahh, I love that movie. Haven't seen it in years, because I have it memorized 
.
Back when I was young, I had it on betamax...
Posted by: knasser Feb 17 2007, 09:18 AM
Am watching it now (well all that I have time for). Kurt Russell is just trying to chat up Kim Cattral.
Posted by: Backgammon Feb 17 2007, 03:49 PM
I watched it recenty too. It really IS shadowrun. My favourite scene is when they just drank the potion and they're in the elevator.
Posted by: Kyoto Kid Feb 17 2007, 11:53 PM
...'bout time one of my favourite movies gets SR props. Mentioned it a while ago, in one of those oft appearing "SR movie" threads that keep popping up as having strong SR elements.
Posted by: SL James Feb 18 2007, 02:48 AM
| QUOTE (knasser @ Feb 17 2007, 02:47 AM) |
| EDIT: Movie trivia - the opening scene with Egg Shen and the lawyer was added because the studio execs thought that the audience wouldn't appreciate how heroic Jack Burton was... they were concerned that he came across as a bit of a doofus! ARGGHHH! |
You mean he's not the sidekick? This is news.
BTW, the Six Demon Bag is a location in Hong Kong in RH.
Posted by: Hocus Pocus Feb 18 2007, 05:10 AM
one of my all time favorite movies. The electricity guy was my favorite and i paused the vcr to get all of his moves down when he summoned his lightening. awesome! six demon bag, the fight in the alley, the knife throw, the hot babes (back then), the flying sword fight, the mystical fight between egg shin and lo pan, the guy blowing himself up. All around a great movie.
by the by, what does that character say when the electricity guy gets killed? it's at the very end the poofs out of existance. I've always wondered
Posted by: Gyro the Greek Sandwich Pirate Feb 18 2007, 06:33 AM
Ahem.
*clears throat*
MASTER! YOU ARE FREEESH!
That is all.
Posted by: knasser Feb 18 2007, 09:32 AM
| QUOTE (Hocus Pocus @ Feb 18 2007, 05:10 AM) |
| The electricity guy was my favorite and i paused the vcr to get all of his moves down when he summoned his lightening. |
Yeah, me too. I have them down exactly, but I still can't get the lightening to appear.
| QUOTE |
by the by, what does that character say when the electricity guy gets killed? it's at the very end the poofs out of existance. I've always wondered |
I don't know what he says, but I do know that the pattern made by the electicity guy (who's name is Lightening, amazingly enough
) actually forms John Carpenter's name in chinese.Bizarrely enough, I went on a date with a chinese girl yesterday who has never seen it and has agreed to watch it with me and translate all of the spoken chinese for me so I can get all the asides. I'd love to know what Egg Shen says when he see's Jacks truck driving straight towards his bus!
Unfortunately it's probably all Mandarin (she speaks Cantonese) which she says is more normally used in Hollywood because it sounds nicer. She says cantonese sounds horrible in comparison.But then again, I speak English and I still can't work out what Jack's talking about on the radio at the beginning? "The cheque is in the mail?"
EDIT: It's bizarre that the date happened just as this thread came up, I mean. Not bizarre that I had a date! Thankyouverymuch!
Posted by: tisoz Feb 18 2007, 01:40 PM
| QUOTE |
| The cheque is in the mail |
The postal service should be delivering the payment any day now. Commonly used excuse when behind on paying bills.
Posted by: PBTHHHHT Feb 18 2007, 05:56 PM
| QUOTE (knasser) |
| I'd love to know what Egg Shen says when he see's Jacks truck driving straight towards his bus! Unfortunately it's probably all Mandarin (she speaks Cantonese) which she says is more normally used in Hollywood because it sounds nicer. She says cantonese sounds horrible in comparison. |
Yes and no, cantonese is used all the time in Hollywood, it's just that at times it just depends on which language the actor (this is when Hollywood didn't care, just <insert asian language> knows. I find it hilarious when they introduce some asian guy (other than from Hong Kong region) and he begins speaking in cantonese. I'll sit down and watch the movie sometime and I'll give you some translations. If not, my parents at least know both mandarin and cantonese.
On a side note, watch Wayne's World, especially when Rob Lowe and Tia speak, or when Wayne does with Tia. Some parts are hilarious (and atrocious since none of them knew cantonese before) and what tickles me is the difference between what they are attempting to say and the fake subtitles.
Posted by: SL James Feb 18 2007, 10:31 PM
The subtitles are fake?
Posted by: mfb Feb 19 2007, 02:04 AM
| QUOTE (Wounded Ronin) |
| *The asian guys are all cooler than Kurt Russel's character |
the hell you say! he had such awesome lines. "It's all in the reflexes." "Son of a bitch must pay!"
Posted by: Crakkerjakk Feb 19 2007, 09:13 AM
I still say the most SR movie of all time is The Usual Suspects. Granted, it's one of those runs where the players are expected to die, but still. The double dealing, the evil, and the screwed up protagonists are very SR.
Posted by: Demonseed Elite Feb 19 2007, 01:33 PM
| QUOTE (SL James) |
| BTW, the Six Demon Bag is a location in Hong Kong in RH. |
Haha yes, I just had to put a Big Trouble in Little China reference in there somewhere.
Posted by: PBTHHHHT Feb 19 2007, 04:48 PM
| QUOTE (knasser) |
| I'd love to know what Egg Shen says when he see's Jacks truck driving straight towards his bus! Unfortunately it's probably all Mandarin (she speaks Cantonese) which she says is more normally used in Hollywood because it sounds nicer. She says cantonese sounds horrible in comparison. |
He's basically saying what kind of fool is driving like that on the street, loose interpretation. It's more equivalent to WTF?!
I just watched it last night, everything was in cantonese. The only portion that was spoken in mandarin was in the announcement as the plane was about to enter the terminal at the airport.
Your friend is wrong about cantonese and mandarin distinction, it's true nowadays that they use more mandarin now, but before in the 80's and 90's it was cantonese that was mainly used in Hollywood.
Posted by: SL James Feb 19 2007, 06:12 PM
| QUOTE (Crakkerjakk) |
| I still say the most SR movie of all time is The Usual Suspects. Granted, it's one of those runs where the players are expected to die, but still. The double dealing, the evil, and the screwed up protagonists are very SR. |
And here I always thought it was The Dirty Dozen.
Posted by: Kagetenshi Feb 19 2007, 06:16 PM
I still say the most SR movie of all time is Versus.
~J
Posted by: Fix-it Feb 19 2007, 07:05 PM
| QUOTE (SL James) | ||
And here I always thought it was The Dirty Dozen. |
I cast my votes for Dirty Dozen and The Usual Suspects... both excellent films.
Posted by: SL James Feb 20 2007, 04:10 AM
I was actually kind of kidding.
You know, since everyone already knows what my favorite film is.
Posted by: Crakkerjakk Feb 20 2007, 05:04 AM
....Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
Posted by: knasser Feb 20 2007, 08:21 AM
...Sound of Music?
Posted by: PBTHHHHT Feb 20 2007, 01:02 PM
| QUOTE (SL James) |
| The subtitles are fake? |
I was referring to the point in the film (of Wayne's World) where they're 'carrying on' a conversation in cantonese and having subtitles to explain what they're saying. At one point they had stopped talking and the subtitles kept going on with the conversation for a lot longer.
Posted by: Pthgar Feb 20 2007, 02:54 PM
| QUOTE |
| Big Trouble in Little China, Most SR like movie ever |
Agree.
Posted by: Hocus Pocus Feb 21 2007, 05:50 AM
| QUOTE (knasser) |
Yeah, me too. I have them down exactly, but I still can't get the lightening to appear. |
i did once, caught my stack of porns on fire, gotta be extra careful
| QUOTE |
I don't know what he says, but I do know that the pattern made by the electicity guy (who's name is Lightening, amazingly enough ) actually forms John Carpenter's name in chinese. |
awesome thanks! i've wondered that for years.
| QUOTE |
| Bizarrely enough, I went on a date with a chinese girl yesterday... |
get lucky?
Posted by: knasser Feb 21 2007, 08:13 AM
| QUOTE (Hocus Pocus @ Feb 21 2007, 05:50 AM) | ||
get lucky? |
Incidentally, the Special Edition of BTILC has the director's commentary. It doesn't give you huge amounts of information on the movie as Kurt Russel and John Carpenter are too busy catching up on old times, but it is entertaining and contains tid-bits like how the studio were concerned that Kurt's character might not seem heroic enough to the audience (
) and that various factions condemned it as racist - against Chinese people, I mean. ( )-K.
Posted by: X-Kalibur Feb 21 2007, 06:50 PM
Wait, you mean Johnny Mnuemonic isn't the most SR like movie ever with the cybernetic dolphin that swims through the matrix? >_>
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