Junket interviews and more reviews hit the interwebs!!! *Updated with Junket video!*

Reviews are leaking out and also stories from the junkets that have been happening over the past few days! Also, Jet Li wins Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards!

Details and links under the cut!

The Daily News starts out talking about the teamup and how fans have wanted to see these two face off for a long time! But did Jet and Jackie?

“I think that 20 years ago, we did have those kind of thoughts – I wanted to beat him and he wanted to beat me, even though we were really good friends,” says Chan. “But there’s no competition anymore.”

Writer John Fusco also gives a snapshot on what they were like on the set:

“Jackie would sit there under the tent and hold court – giving gifts to everyone on the crew all the time and just being ‘Big Brother,’ as they call him,” says Fusco, himself a longtime student of Shaolin martial arts.

“And Jet would sit in his contemplative way, with his Buddhist prayer beads, and meditate. Every now and then, [Jet would] pick up on something that Jackie said and break out in hysterical laughter. They would tease each other in Chinese.”

The Daily News also quotes Aint It Cool News’ Harry Knowles, who says this about seeing Jackie and Jet on screen together…

“To me, it’s right up there with the one time Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly worked together,” says Harry Knowles, founder of the Ain’t It Cool News site.

Read that article at the Daily News!

There was also a junket in Hong Kong, attended by Jet Li as well as Jackie, and news from that is hitting the nets from the Philippine Star’s Ricky Lo!

“I was attracted to The Forbidden Kingdom because Jet would be in it, “ said Jackie, who turned 54 last April 7. “ I have always wanted to do a movie with Jet but the right material didn’t come…until now. For 10 years, I’ve been looking forward to working with Jet who is one of the people whom I truly admire. Other stars I want to work with are Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro before I retire from this business. Working with Jet has been great fun!”

Nodding in agreement, Jet said, “Of course, I am very delighted to be working with Jackie who is my good friend. Working with him is a great opportunity for me. Given a chance, I would love to work with him again.”

Jet also gives further explanation on the kinds of movies he wants to make and how The Forbidden Kingdom works into that:

Said Jet, “I have made a lot of violent movies. I think it’s time for me to do a movie which my own children and those of other people can enjoy. I did this movie for my two girls.”

And more about what the moment Jackie and Jet went mano-a-mano!

“I have to practise when working with other people,” Jackie confessed. “With Jet, it’s different. All we did was look at each other, as if to say, ‘Let’s just do it!’ Maybe we were trying to test each other. I don’t know. Maybe Jet wanted to find out how fast I am and maybe I wanted to see how good he is. We did our first two takes so fast that everybody was telling us to slow down. So we did. Otherwise, the cameraman would have put the camera speed slower.”

Continued Jackie, “With other people, it takes 10 to 15 takes. With Jet and me, only three to five takes. All I did was tell Jet that I would do a few strokes and let him know my rhythm. And then he just reacts with his strokes. The kind of chemistry that Jet and I have is the same as the chemistry I have with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.”

Read the whole thing here!

UPDATE:

Jetli.com put up an excellent video compilation of Jet and Jackie at the Hong Kong junket for the film! Check it out at Jetli.com! And also photos from the Hong Kong junket, which you can see by clicking here!

REVIEWS!

More great word is hitting the webs!!! Eugene at AngryWeb saw the movie in Los Angeles and had this to say:

The martial arts sequences are breathtaking. Once again, fight choreographer, Yuen-Wo Ping (The Matrix trilogy), never ceases to wow the audience. Action movies can tend to drag at times between the action scenes, but “The Forbidden Kingdom” jumps right in, and just when the story’s momentum starts to slow down, you’re treated to another thrilling, fast-paced fight scene. What amazed me the most was the variety in styles that Chan and Li both utilized throughout the film – drunken boxing, praying mantis, tiger claw, staff fighting, to name a few. Truly an original work of art.

The locations used for the film are also spectacular as the characters traverse over barren deserts, dense bamboo forests, and picturesque green mountains. Although, I did spot some scenes where matte paintings were used – not to detract from the impressive authenticity of the film.

Read the whole thing: ‘Disney director makes ass-kicking Kung Fu blockbuster!’

On the blog, Random Faulty Thinking, the reviewer went in with low expectations, but says this:

I was pleasantly surprised. We have Jackie Chan back to his most fun – showing off his mischievous “drunken” style of martial arts. His “cheekiness” is superb. Here his age wasn’t a liability (he’s 54 now and even Jackie Chan needs a break) and he wasn’t nearly as “square” as his recent American films. It was worth seeing the film just for him.

Jet Li’s main role was quite restrained compared to recent roles but he also starred as the Monkey King – and had a lot of fun with that. I couldn’t help wondering if they’d seen the Japanese TV series too.

Like most films of this type we had 2 beautiful Chinese actresses – both who could kick most people’s asses. The bad guy was also well done and since it was obviously aimed at a younger audience, his “evilness” wasn’t ramped up just to be gruesome (something that should be considered by the directors of most movies) but he did look very competent.

Read that review here!

Junket pics from Eye on Red Carpets!

JET LI WINS BEST ACTOR!

Congratulations to Jet Li upon winning Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Peter Chan’s historical epic The Warlords dominated the Hong Kong Film Awards, winning 8 awards, including Li’s. Read about the winners at Yahoo!
And see the above pic and more at the jetlicn.com message boards!