Kung Fury

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Ok, so this is a already-shot 1980s action comedy throwback that is currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to cover post-production costs. It seems to be currently funded at the moment, so HUZZAH to them. It's about a Kung-Fu-fighting cop who goes back in time to kill Hitler but Vikings interrupt him or something. Anyway, watch the trailer because it is magical and ridiculous.

 

http://www.kickstart...gfury/kung-fury

 

This version of the film is only 30 minutes long, so it probably would be a poor choice for an actual episode, BUT the writer/director/star seems to be an interesting fellow (since he did get this made, at least for the most part) and has a charming Swedish accent, so I think he'd make an excellent guest on the show. The movie seems to be in the mode of Miami Connection, but on more restricted funds, so it'd be interesting to hear how such low-budget films get done and what makes things like Sharknado or Birdemic terrible but Miami Connection worth watching. Cross-promotional opportunities abound.

[thestray 361]

Can't wait to see this. The trailer alone is one of my new favorite things.

[Darbler Cheesegarbler 1110]

 

Yes please.

[Rattrap007 52]

Check out Kung Fury. It is on YouTube and it is glorious. It is a crowd funded Swedish film. It is a mock 80s film where they took the insanity and cranked it up to a million.

 

Kung Fury is a 80s Miami cop and the chosen one Kung fu master. He travels back in time to fight Hitler aka Kung Fuehrer.

 

It is only 30 minutes long, but so enjoyable. Hasselhoff has a bit part in it. This is totally bonkers.

 

Trailer

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=72RqpItxd8M

 

 

Full film

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

lives upto the hype ... love it. reminds me alot of garth marenghi's darkplace

[Smigg 1488]

I just watched, and I'm saddened to say, I didn't like it.

 

I think it tries way too hard and the joke wears thin after a while.

[Lando 2019]

I started to watch it and got bored. It felt Sharknado-esque and the Shaknados are my least favorite movies that they do on HDTGM.

[Smigg 1488]

I started to watch it and got bored. It felt Sharknado-esque and the Shaknados are my least favorite movies that they do on HDTGM.

 

Yeah, it felt like they were trying way too hard to be intentionally bad, and the absurdity just felt really forced, and because it felt really forced it just fell flat.

[CommentsFromMyPocket 53]

I enjoyed it. Not all of the jokes landed, but some of the material was well done.

 

Incidentally this is one of Scheer's Picks for episode 111.5

[Sievers 233]

If you enjoyed this try out the series 'Danger 5'. it is incredibly similar in its second series and perhaps the fact I saw it first took away a lot of my enjoyment from Kung Fury. Danger 5 captures the feel of the 80's and the things they're sending up but Kung Fury feels more like a straight up parody.

 

 

Probably a lot of coincidence since they use 80's tropes but Danger 5 had already done the shoot through the phone gag which I don't think I've seen before.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Have we suggested "Black Dynamite" at all in the forums? To me, that's one of the most well-crafted tributes to a particular genre done in the style of the genre that's ever been done. I'm sure we've brought it up somewhere...

[CommentsFromMyPocket 53]

Have we suggested "Black Dynamite" at all in the forums? To me, that's one of the most well-crafted tributes to a particular genre done in the style of the genre that's ever been done. I'm sure we've brought it up somewhere...

 

Black Dynamite is in my top-5 films of all-time. It's been on my TiVo for 4 years just in case. It is close to flawless.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

Black Dynamite is in my top-5 films of all-time. It's been on my TiVo for 4 years just in case. It is close to flawless.

It doesn't seem to ever wink at the camera, which a lot of homages tend to do, but they do play with how badly those films were made, like the actors playing characters that are really just actors trying to keep their shit together while trying not to be noticed noticing that the boom mike is in the frame. I love that fucking movie so much...

[Smigg 1488]

My issue with Kung Fury was that it wasn't an 80s parody. It was surrealism with a thick coat of ironic '80s paint. I was hoping for Black Dynamite-esq parody. Where they make a cheap 80s action movie, as opposed to "Hey look, this guy has a Triceratops head! And here's Kung Fu Hitler! You know what would make this work? The 80s!"

 

That's why it fell flat for me, because it's not what I was hoping it would be,

[seanotron 2307]

This felt like the Seth MacFarlane version of Danger 5. I just wasn't feeling it.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

My issue with Kung Fury was that it wasn't an 80s parody. It was surrealism with a thick coat of ironic '80s paint. I was hoping for Black Dynamite-esq parody. Where they make a cheap 80s action movie, as opposed to "Hey look, this guy has a Triceratops head! And here's Kung Fu Hitler! You know what would make this work? The 80s!"

 

That's why it fell flat for me, because it's not what I was hoping it would be,

I actually agree. I ended up liking it, but definitely not as much as Black Dynamite, which is three times as long, making its accomplishments all the more remarkable. I enjoyed it for what it is, but not as much as I hoped I would.

[Smigg 1488]

I actually agree. I ended up liking it, but definitely not as much as Black Dynamite, which is three times as long, making its accomplishments all the more remarkable. I enjoyed it for what it is, but not as much as I hoped I would.

 

Yeah, if they'd have made a straight up "Hey, let's do the shit they did in those 80s action movies", then it would have been great. But I've never been a fan of surrealism, stuff like The Mighty Boosh never appealed to me, and I felt like I was watching that.

 

There's a rich vein of stupid shit from 80s action movies.

 

- "Americans" with thick foreign accents, whilst still having 'American' names

- Shirtless gunfights

- Dropping weapons to have a fist fight, which ends with the good guy's buddy showing up and saying "Hey! We gotta go", so the good guy just knocks the other guy out.

- Going undercover, whilst changing absolutely NOTHING about their physical appearance, getting recognised, and just killing everyone anyways.

- Made up places, so they can just film in the US.

- Villains with disabilities (either an eyepatch or a wheelchair seem to be the go to)

- Skilled henchmen that kick the protagonist's ass, but then get cocky and die.

- The "I'm gonna get a shitload of weapons" montage

- Gratuitous Bikini montage

- Feats of strength that aren't used for the rest of the movie

- The grenade being thrown, and someone gets shot in the air.

- Being chased by an aircraft whilst in a car or truck

 

These are just off the top of my head, without silly stuff like the Triceratops head, I don't even know why I find it so egregious.

[CommentsFromMyPocket 53]

It doesn't seem to ever wink at the camera, which a lot of homages tend to do, but they do play with how badly those films were made, like the actors playing characters that are really just actors trying to keep their shit together while trying not to be noticed noticing that the boom mike is in the frame. I love that fucking movie so much...

 

Much like the Breesy Gleasy in Lake Placid (possibly), the Militant does not differentiate between dialogue and stage direction.

[Lando 2019]

These types of films always feel like a prank that everyone is in on.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

There are so many people in on this particular prank, there are already t-shirts available to express yout oneness with it. I mean, I love a good stupid/funny/artsy t-shirt, but this is silly...

 

Anyway, as far as surrealism goes, I feel like something like The Might Boosh is surrealism on top of an already existing comedic structure. It has a very traditional straight man as one of the leads, but the world he inhabits is so bizarre, he's almost the outlier, but there still a push-pull dynamic between Fielding and Barratt. So it's great jokes, but also catchy songs, imaginative cinematography, and original set design. Neat!

 

Back to how great Black Dynamite is... that is a movie that manages to not wink at the camera but still finds ways to break the fourth wall because it only broke the fourth wall in the ways that Blaxsploitation movies did. It managed to recreate how they ineptly tried to hide, for example, the occasional failed stunt or visible boom mic. And to top it off, it's not overdone. Good job guys!

[Smigg 1488]

Another great one was 'I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!".