Fox International Gets Into The Taiwanese Film Business With KUNG FU

Fox International is getting into the Taiwanese film business by financing its first ever Taiwanese production, Kung Fu. Here is a synopsis:

Kung Fu revolves around a high-school student’s growing fascination with martial arts novels and how this changed his teenage life.

This is potentially good news. None of the Taiwanese films I have seen have been especially great, but many of them, along with the country itself, share a strangely perverse form of chastity. For instance, Kung Fu will be directed by Giddens Ko, whose last film, You Are The Apple of My Eye, told an embarrassingly innocent and adorable almost-love story you'd be happy to watch with your mother, small child, or grandma if not for all the frequent and shocking masturbation going on (Jordan Hoffman's review). Historical epic Seediq Bale is 10% important story, 90% wanton decapitations (Hey! Jordan Hoffman reviewed that one too!). I taught at a school that was attached to a Love Motel, a business used and advertised as a place for cheaters to fuck without fear of anyone seeing them come or go.

Because of this ignorant form of subversiveness, I'd like to see more Taiwanese films make it to America. All our films are subversive on purpose, and it's boring (save for my man Tyler Perry). From what I saw, Taiwan is an eager but directionless culture, defined more by all the countries it isn't rather than what it actually is (Taipei citizens might dispute this). Given international encouragement, that cultural shrug could lead to some pretty interesting films. Hopefully this is a step in that direction.

In other words, go see Kung Fu when it comes out in a couple years. It may surprise you.