Gifted youngster Kubo is in a tough situation. He and his pals (a stern macaque and a goofy horned beetle cursed to assume the shape of a man) need to cross a turbulent ocean. There's no seafaring vessel in sight. It appears that all is lost, but the boy, unshaken, begins plucking out a tune on his magical shamisen, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument. In mere moments, a mighty ship has materialized from thousands of sheets of origami paper, ready to go. The young hero and his cohorts climb aboard,...
- 8/19/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Monsters, journeys across stormy seas, and a quest for a storied suit of armor make stop-motion pic Kubo and the Two Strings an action-adventure — but at the heart of this samurai epic is the moving and intimate tale of a family. In a fantastical world inspired by ancient Japan, young Kubo cares for his sick mother on the outskirts of their village, where he entertains villagers with his magically-moving origami shows. Then one day, he’s whisked off on a quest to find the magical armor that belonged to his late father, a great samurai warrior. “Kubo is basically a proxy for me,” director Travis Knight told press visiting Laika, the animation studio behind Kubo and Coraline, in June. “He’s a storyteller, he’s an animator, really, when you think about it.” Another way Kubo channels the director: his connection to his mother. “When I was a kid, my...
- 8/18/2016
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
“Choy Lee Fut” should be cause for excitement for martial arts fans, given that it stars genre godfather Sammo Hung alongside his real life son Sammy Hung for the first time. Directed by the team of Tommy Law (whose CV includes such undeniable classics as “Wife from Hell” and “Sex Medusa”) and Jackie Chan stunt crew member Sam Wong, the film also features considerable kung fu talent in the form of Yuen Wah, another genre veteran and Chinese Opera School pupil who graduated along with Hung and Chan. Filling out the youthful cast are Kane Kosugi (who fans of 1980s action may recognise from the likes of “Nine Death of he Ninja” and “Pray for Death”, and who still looks around 20), Steven Wong (“L For Love, L For Lies”) and actress Wang Jia Yin. The film kicks off with a hilariously unconvincing series of scenes in the UK (actually the...
- 5/10/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
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