Street Fighter Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Has it really been almost a month since me and maybe three other people paid to see Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li? As I said before, there were two things I took away from that experience: the haunting cadence of Michael Clarke Duncan's laughter, and the Razzie-worthy turn by Chris Klein as swaggering Interpol agent Charlie Nash. I can see the for-your-consideration ads now:

"Can only be described as epic in its awfulness" ... "I can't remember the last time I watched an actor fail to walk into a room convincingly" ... "So wooden that he makes Keanu Reeves seem like Don Knotts" ... "This shit is Ricotta, folks."

As several other reviews noted/hoped, his performance is one particularly ripe for a highlight reel on YouTube someday, and sure enough, an impatient individual of like mind cut one together (we put it after the jump). Running eleven minutes, I'm willing to bet it's actually every scene of his in the thing, and by the time he's yelling "NASH OUT!" into the nearest walkie-talkie, you'll be glad someone took the time.

Thanks to Pajiba for keeping an eye out, and remember: I call dibs on this costume for next Halloween. GOSS OUT!

While putting myself through the not good Street Figher: The Legend of Chun-Li, two aspects of the film seemed to merit particular note. The first would be Chris Klein's astoundingly bad faux-macho performance as a swaggering Interpol officer ("Nash out!"); the second would be every other line of Michael Clarke Duncan's dialogue as big, bad Balrog.

I bring this up because at any given moment, Duncan's Balrog is given to let loose with a hearty chuckle, and he does this at many given moments, as if director Andrezj Bartkowiak was concerned that he might've been too stoic on all those other days of shooting and just wanted to cover his butt.

I've already elicited some amusingly crude responses from pals, but even if you haven't seen the movie, I would like you guys and girls to complete the following sentence: Every time Michael Clarke Duncan chuckles...

(And "an angel gets its wings" is out of the running from the start. My game, my rules. Feel free to play off of that, though.)

Previously known as Stuff and Things, Stuff We Missed is exactly that: stuff we missed. Consider this the Costco of blog posts, where you save time and read your movie news in bulk. Yum.

-- Will Watchmen hit theaters on March 6th, as scheduled, or will those evil demons at 20th Century Fox prevent fans from seeing their beloved film on time simply because they hate human beings and everything they stand for? Okay, maybe there's a little more to it, but good news is both sides have agreed to let a judge settle this on January 20th. It's complicated, but we'll know then whether the film will arrive on time or not.

-- Our friends over at io9 came across a few images of early concept art for that new Judge Dredd flick (see them below). These come from comic artist Jock, who also worked on Losers, 2000 A.D and Green Arrow: Year One. The images are all tagged with the name Rebellion, which is the company behind the 2003 Dredd video game, and is also producing the new film.



-- The ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) have dished out their nominations for best of the year, with nods going to Revolutionary Road, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire (my choice) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

So Erik-with-a-k covered the coming comedies of 2009, Scott was all over the horror picks (though his inclusion of Race to Witch Mountain still boggles my mind), Eric-with-a-c nabbed the family-friendly fare, and Elisabeth went over the geek fodder that awaits. But while I respect their calendar years and made-up math alike, I've opted to divide my list of 2009's action and adventure flicks into four categories: Action Flicks I Couldn't Care More About, Action Flicks I Couldn't Care Less About, Action Flicks That I Hope Surprise Me, and Those Which Fell In Between. Enjoy!

Action Flicks I Couldn't Care More About: First and foremost -- Watchmen (March 6th). It's one hell of a graphic novel and looks to be one hell of an adaptation (with or without the Giant Blank), but the only problem is it may not hit theaters on time if 20th Century Fox has anything to say about it. Both Fox and Warner Brothers are fighting over who actually owns the rights, and if a judge favors Fox comes January 20th (when the court date is set), we're looking at a delayed release and a whole ton of angry fans. Then there's Public Enemies (July 1st), which has me sold on not the subject matter, but sheer pedigree: Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp and Christian Bale as '30s gangsters. (It doesn't hurt that the earliest word ranges from damn good to great.) On the skimpier side, I can only hope that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 17th) streamlines its source material as the previous one had, and I can only hope that Crank 2: High Voltage (April 17th) lives up/down to the depravity of its predecessor. There's one last action movie that I couldn't care more about because, well, I've already seen a version of it. The international cut of Taken (January 30th, though reportedly opening with some R-dodging trims) is about as brisk and butt-kicking as one might hope out of a man-on-a-mission kidnapping thriller, and if you disagree, I'll send Liam Neeson to change your mind.

Gallery: Watchmen

You would think that if Legend Films was looking to improve the general opinion of their big-screen reboot of Street Fighter, they would have picked some more exciting photos to tease us with. Legend is now hosting a new gallery of behind-the-scenes photos for the video game flick, and, well, they're a little underwhelming. The shots are mostly comprised of the sets and a few extras, but there are a couple of recognizable faces (including Robin Shou and Kristen Kreuk) in the bunch. However, on the upside, we do get a glimpse of action to tide us over.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li centers on everyone's favorite "Hyakuretsu Kyaku" expert and Interpol Agent (as played by Kreuk). When her mentor and Tai Chi Master (played by Shou) is murdered by criminals, she goes on a quest for revenge. Justin Marks' script takes the character in a more realistic direction and even throws in some gangsters to go along with SF's usual baddies; Bison (Neal McDonough), Vega (Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo), and Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan).

So even though I have yet to see anything that makes me think the film could work, I'll have to reserve judgment until I see something a little more final than a few on-set photos and the occasional blog entry. After all, isn't that what trailers are for?

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is scheduled for release February 27, 2009.

[Thanks: Coming Soon]

Hmm. Is the above Smallville's Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li, or is it just Kristin Kreuk dirty after playing in the dirt? Maybe her wrists still hold some impressive jewelry, but from what that picture shows (courtesy of /film), none of that looks like the Street Fighter character. Sure, wardrobes in these sorts of movies rarely look just like their animated predecessors, but something. Anything? Zack Snyder changed things up for Watchmen, but they still look damned cool and pretty recognizable. If you can't recognize your lead character, what's the point?

Here's hoping there's a costume change coming that we haven't seen yet, or at least some hair buns. This project is, of course, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, not just any Street Fighter movie. Perhaps this is Chun-Li before someone gives her the famous outfit so she can hunt down her mentor's murderers.

Finally! I know there's a ton of you waiting patiently for release dates on Street Fighter and Alvin and the Chipmunks II -- and after spending all night making phone calls, while watching the wire, Cinematical can confirm that the new live-action Street Fighter flick will debut on February 27, 2009. But that's not all! (I know, it was a busy night at headquarters; the boss had us all working double shifts.) 20th Century Fox has also scheduled Alvin and the Chipmunks II for release on March 19, 2010. There's no script yet, and Jason Lee is not signed on to star, but the first one took in a ridiculous $358.4 million worldwide -- so, I mean, they could have these little guys talking Yiddish for a couple hours in part two and the thing would still make over $100 million.

Other announcements in Release Date Land include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa going day-and-date on November 7, and Universal has taken Wild Child off its calendar. That film, starring Emma Roberts as a rebellious Malibu teenager who gets shipped off to a British boarding school and learns that afternoon tea is the answer to all of life's problems, was originally scheduled for August 22. No word on why it was yanked, but I'm sure you folks could come up with several positive reasons. To make up for the removal, however, Universal has moved Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race up from September 26 to August 22. Good thing, too, because I like my death races at the end of summer and not at the beginning of fall.

[via Variety and Box Office Mojo]

Surfing around yesterday, I kept seeing the words "New Street Fighter production blog!!" all over the place. So, this morning, I woke up, took a shower, scheduled a dentist appointment and made my way over to this new production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Now this guy Aaron Horwitz is providing the updates, and three sentences into his little b-ball shtick I wanted to slap him upside the head. Why does he have to write as if he's speaking to a group of 12-year-old males with plastic Nunchucks in their hands? Seriously dude. Lay off the cool, MTV-style hip hop flava-talk for a second and tell us about the film.

Anyway, in case you're interested in what this production blog will bring you, I'll let your new pal Aaron tell ya: "Basically, about once a week I'll be flyin' at ya with exclusive scoops, stories, cast & crew interviews, artwork, set photos, and a ton of other Street Fighter kickbacks that you'll find nowhere else on the planet. Maybe even some sweet video footage." Aaron then gives a quick rundown of the "uber-cool" cast, and a mini re-cap of week one before goin' "all American Idol on our asses" and teasing a never-before-announced cast member in the role of GEN. Oh no he didn't! Yes, he did. There's also a little wicked storyboardin' action at the end there. Boo-ya!

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li is due out in 2009.

The bunny is almost here, giving me a reason to overindulge in hardboiled eggs, but right now, it's still the work week, and here are some casting nibblets from Variety:

• Chinese singer and actress Josie Ho has nabbed herself her Hollywood debut in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Unfortunately, although production has begun in Thailand, there is no word on who she's playing. (She also discusses her casting on her blog, but doesn't mention her role.) You might have caught the actress in Johnny To's Exiled back in 2006, or more recently, as Sina in last year's drama, The Drummer. She's also one of the top 20 Most Intriguing Heiresses, being the daughter of Stanley Ho and all.
• Emily Rios wowed audiences with Quiñceanera back in 2006 (Kim had reviewed it from Sundance). After a handful of roles since, she's picked up a gig in the upcoming Helen Mirren-starring prostitution story, Love Ranch. She will, of course, play a young call girl in the film. Other than casting announcements, not much is coming from set. However, in a discussion over at IMDb, they've linked to Bai Ling's blog, where she posts self portraits of her character.
  
• Lastly, we've got a little testosterone to throw into the mix. Norman Reedus, who recently played detective Norman Reilly in American Gangster, is about to get musical. He's joined the cast of the Adrien Brody-starring Cadillac Records. Will he be a music great, or just some passerby? Hopefully we'll see who is filling the roles of the other classic musicians soon.

A few months ago, Kristin Kreuk was said to be Chun-Li in the upcoming Street Fighter film. Variety has now confirmed it and listed off some of the rest of the cast, and you might be just a little surprised. Aside from the Smallville star, there's Michael Clark Duncan, Chris Klein, and Rick Yune. Yes, I'm talking about the Klein from Election and American Pie. Surprised? Filling out the rest of the cast is Moon Bloodgood, Taboo from Black Eyed Peas, Edmund Chen, and Cheng Pei Pei.

While Kreuk plays Chun-Li, Duncan will take on the role of Balrog, Yune, is the mystical Gen, and Klein will be Nash. As it breaks down in the game... Balrog* is M. Bison in Japan, and Vega outside. Since we're talking Duncan, that means M. Bison/Balrog -- a dude who holds a lot of similarities to a certain ear-biter. (This re-naming is ridiculous...) Gen, meanwhile, is an old, master assassin and friend of Chun-Li's father, who blames himself for the violent path the girl followed. And lastly, Klein's Nash -- also known as Charlie. This guy is a first lieutenant in the US Air Force who died in earlier games, but shows up in later ones, and is a friend of Guile.

I guess if Ryan Reynolds can take on Blade, anything is possible. But every time I try to think of Klein in this role, I hear him in his do-gooder voice saying: "Dear God, thank you for all your blessings. You've given me so many things, like good health, nice parents, a nice truck, and what I'm told is a large penis, and I'm very grateful, but I sure am worried about Tammy." And we can't forget -- Klein headed Rollerball.

*Post Edited: Variety says Bison, the villain, is still being cast, presumably that's this Bison/Vega. Stay tuned for more name confusion!