xu haofeng

EXCLUSIVE: Xu Haofeng's THE FINAL MASTER Gets A Trio Of Posters

As obscure as a lot of Chinese cinema has been and continues to be, I was pretty relieved in the last several months as we were all informed of the upcoming North American release of author and filmmaker Xu Haofeng’s newest film, The Final Master. The film picked up a few good wins and nominations during recent award shows including a Best Choreography award at the Golden Horse 2015 ceremony and a Film Of Merit win in Shanghai this year, and even on those limited terms, it’s unimaginable to me, the prospect of this film not getting more attention. That kind of thing can be attributed to either censorship or the overall convoluted nature of how the film industry works and that’s a topic worth discussion at a later time. At any rate, I’m glad that The Final Master is getting the treatment that stateside martial arts fans deserve, and […]

Xu Haofeng Up To Direct THE MAGIC BLADE Remake

Lee B. Golden III

Author Xu Haofeng has earned some much-deserved praise for etching out stylish, contemplative action and drama on film in recent memory, namely titles relative to his 2013 anthology, Hiding Behind The Blade; The latest film of the bunch, The Final Master, has already become an award-winning feat since screening for audiences late last year and is now on deck for a North American release in May from UEP. Indeed, 2016 does mark another great year for Xu as we move forward, and especially with remakes of classic Shaw titles now abound with Chor Yuen’s 1976 career-defining thrill with Ti Lung and Lo Lieh, The Magic Blade, on deck for a redo of its own with Xu reportedly at the helm. Novelist Gu Long wrote the original novel that inspired Yuen’s adaptation centered on the “exploding peacock dart”, a weapon at the center of two rival swordsmen who embark together on […]

Watch The Cutting Edge New Teaser For THE FINAL MASTER

Lee B. Golden III

Director Xu Haofeng’s The Master is largely one of the most highly anticipated movies going into 2016 for cinephiles alike apart from its prior audience in China. Thankfully, United Entertainment Partners has that covered with a U.S. release for its new title, The Final Master, pending following its acquistion late last year amid festivals in this, its second China title following its initial release, Saving Mr. Wu. SYNOPSIS: The Final Master is a martial arts film set in a transformational time period in China before World War II. Based on director Xu Haofeng’s best selling novel, The Final Master follows a Wing Chun practitioner’s adventure to open a martial arts school in the northern center to fulfill his master’s death wish. He has to secretly challenge eight martial arts schools with his apprentice, but he does not realize he’s been turned into a chess piece within the power game in […]

Xu Haofeng's THE FINAL MASTER Is Coming To North America

Lee B. Golden III

Author, screenwriter and filmmaker Xu Haofeng came full circle late last year with his newest martial arts drama, The Master. In it, the film sees actor Liao Fan in a role inspired primarily by one of three stories of Xu’s 2013 anthology, “Hiding Behind The Blade” – the first two being The Sword Identity in 2011 and 2014’s Arrow Arbitration (a.k.a. Judge Archer). Despite Xu’s credentials and publicity here, both films have remained largely obscure in their respective roll-outs at the time, thus making The Master something to truly appreciate nowadays, and not for nothing either. Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin dominated Taipei’s 52nd Annual Golden Horse Awards back in December, while not counting out a handful of other titles for their acclaim, including The Master, which earned an award of its own for Best Action Choreography. All in all, The Master defines itself among others as a film to take heed to […]

You Might Cut Your Self With The Latest Trailers And Poster Slate For Xu Haofeng's THE MASTER

Lee B. Golden III

Following its teaser back in July, two new trailers have finally surfaced for acclaimed author and screenwriter Xu Haofeng‘s latest, The Master. Noted for his work behind such contemplative martial arts films such as Judge Archer and The Sword Identity, Xu’s new film doesn’t appear to steer too far from the same hard-edged tones in story and action which looks favorably good for fans thusfar. Rising star Fan Liao fan leads the film based on Xu‘s “Hiding Behind The Blade” anthology publication with a story centered on the early 20th century turmoil in China’s clandestined world of Wushu, and one man’s conflict of personal ethics with the rules of martial arts. All details aside, however, moviegoers are bound to enjoy some pretty thrilling martial arts sequences judging by the new trailers which clearly evokes just how serious Wushu was for its time. With weapons like these, everyone is playing for keeps. […]

It's An All-Out Kung Fu War In The New Teaser For Xu Haofeng's THE MASTER

Lee B. Golden III

Accomplished author, screenwriter and filmmaker Xu Haofeng has intrigued minds over the last several years with works relative to the wuxia genre, with a few in conjunction with his 2013 anthology publication, “Hiding Behind The Blade”. Having brought two of those short stories to the screen for regional approval, The Sword Identity in 2011 and the 2014 release of Arrow Arbitration (a.k.a. Judge Archer) all based on his earlier work, there’s no stopping Xu as he’s now ready to bring forth the latest of those works to the Mainland cinemas with The Master. CZ12 co-star, actor Liao Fan stars in the title role as a Wing Chun master from Canton eager to establish himself in Tienjin with an intricate plan to do so goes awry when military official moves in with a deadly campaign to systematically indoctrinate miltary training throughout each school. Actor Song Yang reunites with Xu and a […]

Wang Baoqiang Is All Giggles In The New Teaser For MONK COMES DOWN THE MOUNTAIN

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Wang Baoqiang has proven himself greatly with his comedic acting and screenfighting prowess in several film appearances, most recently with the release of the Teddy Chen-direcred homage to the genre, Kung Fu Killer starring Donnie Yen. These days we can all now catch Baoqiang in any number of promotional bits in lieu of the latest piece of work from director Chen Kaige, Monk Comes Down The Mountain, a film made in large part to expand production company Columbia Pictures into partnerships abroad in this, its second Mainland China production following its co-production for acclaimed director and actor Jiang Wen’s 2014 flick, Gone With The Bullets. The film is based on The Grandmaster scribe, celebrated writer Xu Haofeng’s titular best-seller with Baoqiang in the lead, and and while the film’s release was nearly hampered by co-star Jaycee Chan (son of action legend Jackie Chan) whose career was snared last year […]