In 1998, Jackie Chan conquered Hollywood.
We of course refer to RUSH HOUR, though this was not the first time Chan had attempted to cross over. Listen to our full episode to hear his exploits during the early 80’s, how his failures in America led to an absolute Renaissance for him in Hong Kong, then how he eventually found himself in a position to try again in 1998.
In the wake of this enormous success, Jackie in on record as saying “Before Rush Hour, I hesitate. After Rush Hour, why not? I can do anything.”
Leornard Ho, his Godfather at Golden Harvest, the HK studio that produced all of his major hits in the 80’s and 90’s, had forbidden Jackie from doing anything other than action, believing that this was what the fans wanted. After Leonard’s passing - while Jackie was still on the Rush Hour set - Chan was free to explore anything and everything. And those who are familiar with Chan’s late 90’s / early 00’s output know that this is precisely what he did.
First up: ROM COMS!
Originally set only to produce, Chan quickly had the script rewritten to make him the romatic male lead. While also peppering in the action that he loved to do. While the action in GORGEOUS is absolutely incredible (two blisteringly fast paced fights with superstar wushu talent Bradley Allan) the film remains predominantly a romantic comedy, starring Shu Qi and co-starring Tony Leung and Emil Chow (pitch perfect as Chan’s “frenemy”).
So…can Jackie Chan do a Rom Com? Yes and no. Listen to the full ep to find out more.
This episode of Vintertainment is dedicated to Brad Allan, the stuntman and eventual action choreographer man who helped usher in Rush Hour, plays the most likeable antagonist ever in Gorgeous, designed the action for Scott Pilgrim, Shang-Chi, Kick-Ass, Wonder Woman, the Kingsman franchise, and more. Brad passed away in 2021 at the age of 48, from a sudden and unexpected heart attack. His charisma, talent, passion, and genuineness are all horribly missed.
And his action sequences with Jackie in this movie are unforgettable.
The Wines
Dallas’ Wine Pairing
CONCEITO 10yr Tawny White Port, Portugal
Dallas was all about the sweet to pair with this ridiculously sweet movie!
An island girl who talks with dolphins, finds messagees in bottles, and heads to the big city to find love and never gets taken advantage of? I thought this was planet Earth and these were human beings in this movie.
But a tawny white port was just the thing. CONCEITO (con-shay-too) is a Portuguese-owned and operated port house, though most are still British, mirroring how this movie comes in the wake of the British handing Hong Kong back to the mainland.1
This is part of winemaker Rita Ferreria’s inaugural release. 10 years in small barriques, the small barrels allow the wine to oxidize (wood is porous so allows the wine to take in air slowly) over the course of 10 years, turning it “tawny” or light brown. This is a white port, so white grapes only, making for a wine that is toffee and maple syrup in the glass, though not too heavy - Rita has a gentle touch on her ports, keeping them from being too cloyingly sweet.
Which is perfect for Gorgeous: it’s sweet yet light, buoyant, nothing too heavy, nothing violent or dangerous or dark. It’s all lightness and gentle sweetness.
Dave’s Wine Pairing
IDOL RIDGE "String of Pearls" Sparkling Rose of Saperavi, 2021 Finger Lakes, New York
Part of the Martin Family Wineries and Distilleries, the family - two parents and their son - ran a commercial beekeeping business up and down the East Coast, when they began searching for new ways to utilize their honey. That’s when Co-Owner, Bill Martin, got creative. After experimenting with home winemaking he began exploring making wine from honey.
What was once a family starting a new business venture out of their garage has now grown into established wineries and distilleries throughout upstate New York. Including the “Idol Ridge” winery.
I brought this Sparkling Rose of Saperavi to our “Weird Wine” get-together a few weeks back:
Saperavi is a thick-skinned, spicy, meaty red grape. And this sparkling wine, even though just a rose style (minimal skin contact) was a bit darker than your usual sparkling rose, a bit meatier and earthier. It’s a champagne style, so contains those extra bready/yeasty notes. And I wanted a wine to match the odd and magical tone of the movie. Also a wine that was pretty (or gorgeous, ha!) to look at. And this fit all those bills.
The winery also makes a Sparkling Blac de Noir out of pure Lembergere aka Blaufrankisch!
No shipping to California, though, boooo. I got mine on a wine bidding site. But look for your own wine that you’d call magical, pretty, and slightly odd.
Or, go Dallas’ route, and go sweet. And watch Gorgeous. It’s a gem.
That obviously hasn’t ended well, but at the time, Hong Kong was thriving under their own supervision.
