Kung Fu Hustle & It’s All Gone, Pete Tong
This past weekend I went to the movies twice (a rarity). I saw [It’s All Gone, Pete Tong](http://www.itsallgonepetetong.com/) and [Kung Fu Hustle](http://www.sonypictures.net/movies/kungfuhustle/site/). Here’s a little bit about each.
**It’s All Gone Pete Tong** tells the (supposedly) true story of the deaf dj Frankie Wilde. From IMDB:
Its All Gone Pete Tong is a comedy following the tragic life of legendary Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie’s life from one of the best DJ’s alive, through subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene. A genius in his own right, he clawed his way to the top of the DJ ranks, now living the opulent life of a superstar, he resides in his trophy villa in Ibiza with his trophy wife. This is when tragedy hits. Born with a hearing disorder he is rapidly going deaf with only one functioning ear to complete the new Ibiza season. How is he doing behind the decks? Horrible. How is he doing in the studio where he produces his remixes? Frankie dives into a low period, struggling with deafness in utter depression. After a year of locking himself away he emerges on the other side with a fresh attitude towards his affliction. He accepts his deafness and learns to function without sound. Will Frankie make it back to the DJ booth? Will his new single be any good? Will he get back his opulent old life or does he even want it back? When you can’t hear, things look very different.
Overall, I really liked this movie. It was funny, touching, and captivating.
There was quite a bit of “DJ culture” squeezed in there in the form of interviews with other “superstar” djs that knew Frankie, but it wasn’t enough to really detract from the movie. In other words, this isn’t really the story of DJ culture or Ibizan nightlife, but is more of the story of just one person who happens to be a DJ.
It’s a story of success and of overcoming the odds, and is worth checking out, even if you could care less about DJ culture.
One thing to look into: According to this movie, DJ Frankie Wilde created a CD called *Hear No Evil* after he had gone completely deaf. It was apparently a minor hit, despite the fact that its creator has never heard it. The album was created visually using a computer, and through feeling vibrations. It’s a techno/dance CD, but it’s probably worth investigating, if only out of sheer curiousity & facination. A quick search online for this album turned nothing up (except movie references) suggesting to me that perhaps this movie isn’t based in reality at all, and is likely just a “mockumentary.” (If you have reason to believe otherwise, leave a comment).
**Kung Fu Hustle** is something totally different. From IMDB:
Set in Canton, China in the 1940s, the story revolves around a hapless wannabe gangster who aspires to become a member of the notorious “Axe Gang.” Other characters include an obnoxious landlady and her apparently frail husband who exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
This Chinese movie is subtitled, but the dialogue is minimal. It’s a Kung-Fu movie, so there’s lots of action and fighting, with lots of computer-generated graphics. It’s probably best described as Classic Kung-Fu meets a Warner-Brothers cartoon - people get flattened, and they just sorta shake themselves back to normal.
This was also a really great movie. The fight sequences are genuinely interesting and fun (or more accurately, *silly*). The characters are thoroughly developed despite the minimal dialogue, and unlike *deeper* kung-fu movies, Kung-Fu Hustle doesn’t require the audience to be a fan of the genre in order to enjoy it. Yet this movie does shows a sense of humor about the genre (and movies in general), and so astute viwers will likely laugh at the rapid-fire self-effacing cliches (Example: a fallen fighter, immediately before dying, utters his last cliched words in English. To which is replied “Why aren’t you speaking in Chinese?”)
Overall, I don’t care for action movies, but this one was very entertaining because of its pure silliness. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen, if only for the special effects.
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I also really enjoyed Pete Tong. The Coke Badger was pretty rad. The film is indeed fictional although it left me wanting to believe it was real. The writers last film was also a mocumentary that is worth watching if you haven’t already. FUBAR the movie, check it out.
Frankie Wilde was a real person. Do a search. They have pictures of the real Frankie. It was a mockumentary because of all the parts with the badgers and stuff. Hear no evil isn’t yet released in the states. And another thing…the review was wrong. Frankie is not born with a hearing disorder. People have a tendencey to go deaf when exposed to extremely loud music as well as consumption of narcotics. But yeah..Frankie is real but the makers of the movie just added some stuff. it’s not really a documentary as much as it is a biopic.
I just want to buy hear no evil. can someone tell me where to get it?
I’m not entirely sure it exists, Kate. I still think this movie might be a mockumentary…
If you do find it, let me know. I’d be really interested in what it sounds like…