{"id":44910,"date":"2020-06-15T08:13:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T13:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/?p=44910"},"modified":"2020-08-30T13:36:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T18:36:21","slug":"little-stabs-at-happiness-3-you-know-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davidbordwell.net\/blog\/2020\/06\/15\/little-stabs-at-happiness-3-you-know-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Little stabs at happiness 3: You know, for kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Iron Monkey<\/strong> (1993).<\/em><\/p>\n

DB here:<\/p>\n

Another entry (apologies to Ken Jacobs<\/a>) of little things that cheer up lockdown. Previous entries are here<\/a> and here<\/a>. This one, unlike a couple to come, is suitable for all ages.<\/p>\n

Why do I get a thrill from watching an apparently frail little boy beat the bejeezus out of unkempt bullies? More to the point, why weren’t there movies like Iron Monkey<\/em> (1993) when I was a tad?<\/p>\n

It’s a wing of the Tsui Hark Wong Fei-hung reboot saga that began with Once Upon a Time in China<\/em> (1991), putting Jet Li on the world map. This installment is directed by Yuen Wo Ping, master choreographer of Crouching Tiger<\/em> and The Matrix<\/em>\u00a0and no mean director himself. It’s a prequel, showing us the young Fei-hung learning his craft from his apothecary father and the mysterious robinhoodish Iron Monkey.<\/p>\n

Before the main course, here’s a snack.<\/p>\n