Cinepals - Shaolin Soccer Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: March 22, 2024

Steph and Andrew watch Shaolin Soccer, a comedic sports film where martial arts and soccer combine as a former Shaolin monk assembles a team of misfits with extraordinary skills to compete in a soccer tournament and showcase the power of Shaolin kung fu. The film was directed by and also stars Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, The Mermaid, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons), as well as Zhao Wei (Red Cliff, Painted Skin, Lost in Hong Kong), Ng Man-tat (God of Gamblers, A Chinese Odyssey, Love on a Diet), and Patrick Tse (Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, The New Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, The Mad Monk). Join our Patreon www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay for the full length reaction to this show and many others and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the cutdowns www.youtube.com/@cinepals   SOCIAL MEDIA ~CINEPALS~ Twitter, Instagram, & TikTok: @TheCinePals ~STEPH SABRAW~ Instagram: @StephSabraw YouTube: @TheWhirlGirls   ~ANDREW 'FLASH' GORDON~ Instagram, Twitter & TikTok: @Agor711 https://www.YouTube.com/moviesource

Senna. Today we are both very excited because we are revisiting a director. We watch Kung Fu Hustle together. It's one of my favorite movies ever at this point. The Landlady, the top 10 character of all time for me. She's pretty cool. So cool. Steven Chow is just awesome.

We found out that we're getting to watch another Stephen Chow film. We're like, hell yes, sign us up. We are going to watch Shao Lin Soccer. Oh, I loved it. Loved it. And I love the harmony of teamwork. And also to like coming from, you know, the roots of and the underdog to even though they had a history of working together, the whole crew of the Kung Fu brothers. But still, I like the whole idea just of they got to rise to the occasion and they're the underdogs.

And I love that kind of story. I mean, Dodgeball is one of my all-time favorite films. And this, I mean, this came out before Dodgeball because Dodgeball was three years after this. But I just love a group of rag tags. I just fell in love with the crews so fast. With Kung Fu Hustle, like, I mean, there. There were so many inventive things in that, too, and that's what Stephen Chow just excels at. On top of, like, just getting you invested in the characters is the inventive shots.

And I just appreciated everything in this. I was just, like, wowed on so many different levels. I mean, it was just, like, the frenetic pace with the soccer matches and the montages were just so much fun to watch. I was just so into it. It's so amazing to see an hour and 30-minute movie be a complete movie and so fun from start to finish. These are such amazing movies. And like, if I, you know, the movies that I would want to make would be more in this vein where it's just like every audience member is having the time of their lives watching it. It's so ridiculous. But I love how they use Kung Fu

to bring in fantasy. Yeah. And this magic to the movies. And then also the characters are so fun. Like you said, the Ragtag Team introduction was so well done. Like, so, quick, but it's like I felt like I knew everyone pretty well or the basics of what I needed to know. And then this one incorporated a great little love story in it too. Yeah, no, for sure. I mean, obviously there was a point to where he kind of led, I mean, at least the way I partook it was he kind of let ego get a little in his way and like, no, I'm kind of bigger than, you know, you in the situation and, you know, with what's happening with soccer and all that. And I like that he finally realized he did need her. And I love the, the way.

she came in. I mean, we kind of call, it was a little predictable that she was going to come in, but it didn't bother me at all. Yeah, no, no, no, I love, like, and we knew it was going to happen to because we saw the way, yeah, the way they set her up with, you know, her doing the kung fu with the, uh, the sweet buns and all that. I loved, uh, their chemistry was so good. And I love too, like, I know, like, I just mentioned, like, he kind of got a big ego and, like, the way he hurt her was sad. And obviously the whole scene where it was a good metaphor, too, for like when, after he heard her, her buns were no longer sweet, the ones she was making. They We were kind of salty from the tears, which makes sense.

But I love, like, before all that happened, and, you know, on the outside, you know, you wouldn't perceive her to be attractive, but he didn't see that. He saw the inner beauty of her, and I love that. I just think that's a beautiful message. And I just, like, I fell in love with those two very quickly. And they were so cute together. Just from the first scene where he was singing to her, and then she fixed up the shoes, I was like, oh, I loved them.

And then right when Steph said, you better wipe her up. I was like, yes, I'm in so agreement. Right. Yeah, they really, it was like there's parts of the movie that seem pretty just basic. But then there's a lot of depth to it too. Like when he's like confidence is key, it so is. Like believing in yourself and taking a chance and just the action sequences were so fun. Like I can't believe these fight choreographers can come up with this. And each character kind of having their own skill set is so fun.

It just is, ah, I love this movie. And again, I know we said creative event, but like that last shot, the goalie's clothes come off. Right, right. I was dying. It's so fun. It's so fun. They shot it and accomplished it and edited it.

Yeah. So great. Yeah, and you talk about, I mean, 2001. Yeah, and you talk about confidence. I mean, there's so many lessons to be learned in sports, you know, teamwork, camaraderie, confidence. I mean, I just love all the lessons you can learn from teamwork. That was a big theme in this film.

So I'm glad that they got the whole crew back together, you know, because they all had a history with each other from their kung fu days. And I just loved the whole lesson, too, about, like, how you can apply kung fu and everything. You kind of foreshadowed that at the beginning, and then they paid it off at the end where people were pushing cars,

jumping on buses. Right. She almost fell on the peel again, but, you know, was able to balance herself, so... Such a fun ending. I want to learn kung fu. Seriously, after that.

I mean, yeah. Hard to say which one I liked better, because I really love them both. But they're both phenomenal. I'll just say that. Shellin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. I'd have to let this sit a little more. Yeah, exactly.

It's kind of fresh right now, but they're both so fantastic. Kung Fu Hustle, I will say, the character arc shocked me. It was amazing. And I was not ready for it, so there's a little bit different, but it's an amazing prior film.

Like, that makes sense that this came first, Kung Fu Hustle came second. Right, this was a huge. I feel like it grew up. grew on it really well, but this is such a great film. So I love them both. Yeah, yeah. Thank you guys so much for hanging out with us.

And before you go, make sure you with that subscribe button, bell icon, all notifications and vote this up. I'm Sethsabra. This is Andrew Flash Gordon. Much love.