cityonfire.com | NGUYEN Gangsta Shiznit!

Questions	Vic NGUYEN	Jimmy NGUYEN
Do you like your last name?	In spite of all the stuttered mispronunciations that have occurred in my lifetime, I take great pride in being a Nguyen. Another added perk is that there aren't really any famous Nguyen's in the world (unless you count Dustin Nguyen, of V.I.P. "fame"), thus preventing me from answering those innane, "so, are you related to so and so questions.	Yes, I've come to love it, especially knowing what it means and how I've come to have. Knowing that I'm somewhat part of a royal lineage is pretty intriguing as well. A lot of kids used to make fun of it, but it's come to have character for me, not that a lof of other Vietnamese people have as last names, but because it's unique in spelling and pronunciation.
How old are you?	There, simple and to the point, unlike the answers to follow.	23... because Michael Jordan says so.
Are you Vietnamese?	If my last name wasn't enough of an indication. Of course, being asian, you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at me, because appearantly, us asians pretty much look the same. On a somewhat related note- I have been mistaken for Samoan (understandably, I guess) and Hispanic (?!).	100% Pho
Did you like Rambo: First Blood Part II?	Funny enough, I've seen pretty much every Stallone flick imaginable (esp. "Over the Top" (the best arm-wrestling child custody flick ever committed to film) and "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" (uh, no comment)) except for all the Rambo flicks. I really don't know why. No interest I guess. On a related note, however, I am a great admirer of the Rocky flicks. The best was, of course, the first one, because, as Fez from That 70's Show once said, "he went the distance you dumbass!" Rocky 2 added nothing new to the series (he's gotta fight fuckin Apollo again!), but was entertaining nonetheless. Rocky 3 was bad ass, because it had Stallone duking it out with both Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (what more could you possibly ask for!). And who could possibly forget Dolph Lundgren masterful portrayal as "da roided Russkie" Ivan Drago in Rocky 4? Rocky 5 had, uh, Burgess Meredith's talking spirit, a brain-damaged Balboa, Tommy Gunn, and, uh, that's about it.	Love it, 'cause you know, if Rambo could survive the whole Vietnamese army from an attack, he deserves to win to teach the Vietnamese a lesson on training their soldiers on their marksmanship.
What's your relation to KFC?	Fuck those salty, oversaturated grease sticks, I'll take Grandy's old fashioned, crispy fried chicken anyday (shameless plug). But I guess you were referring to that other asian cinema website. Apart from the occassional visit, I don't really have any relationship at all to that particular webpage.	I'm the Senior Writer for KFC Cinema and I get all the hooks up like interviewing John Woo and getting free DVD's from HKFlix.com
What's your relation to COF?	Film "critic" and the (very) occassional forum participant. I can still remember the days where I was utilizing a 28k modem (instead of the "lightning speed" 56k one I use today), and this website was dedicated exclusively to Jackie Chan flicks.	I sometimes post under the alias of "ALVIN GEORGE." Just kidding. I'm a regular poster under the name of "NINEBALLNINJA" and chat it out with guys who know more about Cynthia Rothrock than I will ever know.
What's your relation to Frank Stallone's official website?	You had to throw in a Frank Stallone reference, didn't you Mighty Peking Man? I telling you man, your obsessed.	I once saw a midnight movie of him in it called "THE PINK CHIQUITAS" where he runs into a bunch of hot and horny alien chicks. I visit the site often to remind me of that warm, hot summer night where I saw the film in my room, alone in the dark with nothing but a bottle of lotion, peanut butter and my pet cat, Michael Enzio.
What was the first Asian film you saw?	Bruce Lee's The Chinese Connection (aka Fist of Fury) on an english dubbed VHS that came in one of those big ass cardboard video boxes. I was around 8 years old at the time. I also distinctly recall watching a never-ending supply of Vietnamese dubbed HK flicks and television shows in my pre-teen years. Of those, I remember watching various works that featured Chow Yun-fat (The Bund TV series), Andy Lau, Donnie Yen (the Hung Hei-kwoon and Fist of Fury TV series) and Stephen Chow. At the time, Jackie Chan flicks weren't readily available in Vietnamese video stores, so I wasn't introduced to his work until, of course, that Rumble in the Bronx thing came out in 1996.	The Pilot of 21 Jump Street starring Dustin Nguyen... the idol of all Vietnamese men... Seaquest DSV, where are you? Actually, it must have been ENTER THE DRAGON, of course!
Name some of your favorite Asian talent.	Chow Yun-fat (my all-time favorite Asian ACTOR), Bruce (for obvious reasons), Lau Ching-wan (although I still don't see why Mighty Peking Man has such a hard on over him), the Hui Brothers (brilliant innovators that paved the way for Stephen Chow), Tsui Hark (although I do agree that Legend of Zu is one of the worst films I've seen in the past 2 years), Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Stephen Chow Sing-chi (who has become an innovative director, as evidenced by Shaolin Soccer), Takeshi Kitano, and some guy named Jackie Chan. I'm not up to speed on Korean flicks, so I can't really comment on those.	Hiroyuki Nakano, Beat Takeshi, Han Suk-kyu, Kim Yoon-jin, Lee Sung-jae, Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, Jaymee Ong, Sammi Cheng, Johnnie To, John Woo, Ryuhei Kitamura, Sogo Ishii, Kumiko Aso, Akiko Monou, Masatoshi Nagase, Katsuhito Ishii, Tadanobu Asano... too many to list!
Name another male porn star other than Ron Jeremy to prove your addiction to porn.	Despite what others (particularly Mighty Peking Man) might say, I am not a porn addict.	Peter North, bar none. He's got a wang that should be a whole genre onto itself.
Disney?	Disney's constant bastardization of Asian cinema masterworks is truly reprehensible, and I'm all for the Anti-Disney cause that is being promoted by Numskull, Neil Koch, etc. I was never any good at writing those persuasive papers in high school, so I don't really have anything new to add to the subject; it's all been written by knowledgable folks who know more about the subject than I do (so check out Neil's website at hkfilm.net and the cityonfire.com forum for more info).	It's a like a first girlfriend, you hate them for screwing you over, but you can understand why... which in the end, makes you bitter and confused. But yeah, art should stay original and kept with the intentions of the filmmakers no matter what. Art is an extension of ourselves, so when you change someone's film, you're really discrediting them as a human being.
Is Bruce Lee overrated?	As a martial artist/philosopher, no. As an actor, somewhat. Since he was the first asian that I idolized growing up, I find it difficult to say anything negative about the man. I acknowledge that his films were cheap, dated, and corny, but they were fucking entertaining, and especially appealing to an 8 year old asian kid. And let's face it, Bruce had screen presence like no other. I'm sure if he lived, than he would have gone on to become an excellent filmmaker in his own right. On a side note, I am still desperately trying to find a copy of his film The Orphan, which is supposed to contain his finest acting work. Anyone who has a copy or info on where I can obtain a copy, please inform me.	Never in a million years will Bruce Lee be considered overrated, simply for the sole reason that he inspired generations of people and basically gave us the beautiful philosophy of JEET KUNE DO.
Is John Woo a sell-out?	I don't throw around the term "sell out" lightly. Unless I see John Woo on television, eating a bag of Dorito's and discussing the merits of Maxi pads, then I can safely answer no, he is not a sell out. However, Woo has incorporated his "trademark" formula into so many films that he has effectively become a self parody. He's a shadow of his former self, and has forsaken the human emotion prevalant in his earlier classics, in favor of more pyrotechnics and glamor. I have yet to see Windtalkers, but early reviews haven't been particularly warm.	No, definitely not. And I'll tell you what I tell most people... No matter what John Woo does from now on, the film, "HARD BOILED" will always be in existance and will prove that he's definitely paid his dues.
Is Jackie and Willy doing some serious "wake me up, before you go go!" shit?	I dunno, all I can say is that I wouldn't be surprised if they did "experiment" once in a while (ala the John Lennon/Brian Epstein rumors). I'm not usually the type of person to make generalized comments, but Willie is awfully flamboyant, and Jackie is always willing to perform insane "stunts." But of course, the Jackie Chan fanboys (like myself at one point in my lifetime) are probably putting a price on my head as I type this, so I'll just shut up now.	I masterbate to WHAM!
Ask yourself a question.	What film quote most accurately reflects your personality? Han: "It is defeat that you must learn to prepare for." Williams: "Man, I won't waste my time with it. When it comes, I won't even notice it." Han: "Oh? How so?" Williams: "I'll be too busy looking good!"	What was the last film you saw at the theaters? JAXON X!