Movies featuring our Arts

Here is a list of movies that have some swinging and twirling action in them that may help inspire you onto new things.


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Movie list (with poi or fire twirling)


Movie Year Director Starring Comment
Liam Sullivan music video "Shoes" 2007
Liam Sullivan
Liam Sullivan
Kelly
features the FireGroove girls doing fire hula hoop (towards the end). . .
Justin Timberlake music video "What Goes Around... Comes Around" 2007
Samuel Bayer
Justin Timberlake
Scarlett Johansson
features fire fans, fan poi, fire hula hoop, fire staff . . .
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire 2006
Mike Newell
Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
Robbie Coltrane
Ralph Fiennes
Michael Gambon
has a fairly cool sequence around the beginning - the entrance of the school "Durmstrang". The guys have what appear to be weighted staff that spark on the ends when they hit the ground - cool effect... [about a minute long]
Mirrormask 2005
Dave McKean
Stephanie Leonidas
Gina McKee
Rob Brydon
Jason Barry
Alice in Wonderland type fantasy by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. One of the circus type people is shown using a firestaff briefly before Helena has her act. There is also contact and toss juggling and a bunch of other things of circusy goodness  - sparkey
Van Helsing 2004
Stephen Sommers
Hugh Jackman
Kate Beckinsale
about 2/3's of the way through Dracula's having a bit of a party and amongst the performers you can see several (not-so-good) Poi spinners, one diabolist and a bit of fire breathing. Only about 15 seconds of footage all in all and not of any technical interest, but they're there and someone might be interested. And if you look closely you can see one Poi person getting tangled. - SpacemonE / Ewan
Man on Fire 2004
Tony Scott
Denzel Washington
Denzel is in a rave club, somewhere in Mexico, looks like a great party! anyway there are quite a few quick shots of all the dancers and there is a few guys spinning fire poi looks great! the whole place ends up catching fire! no one is hurt they are all outside loving it!  - Allison Wright
Vanity Fair 2004
Mira Nair
Reese Witherspoon
Jim Broadbent
Eileen Atkins
James Purefoy
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Early in the movie, a lone firepoi spinner is featured in the india themed party. -sparkey
The Reckoning 2004
John V. Soto
Willem Dafoe
Paul Bettany
Brian Cox
It does, featuring fire devilsticking, fire poi, and fire staff. Although you see devilsticking earlier, the fire performance is during the night village festival, around 55 minutes into the movie - fireNice
Runaway Jury 2003
Francis Ford Coppola
John Cusack
In one of the "secret meeting" scenes in the park, there is a woman doing a giant-butterfly with fire. The scene shows here twice, in the distance.- Scott Billups
City of Ghosts 2003
Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
James Caan
Natascha McElhone
Gerard Depardieu
Stellan Skarsgard
Several people are seen spinning firepoi in the scene in the buddhist temple. As is generally the case, it is rather blurry and just provides background ambiance. -sparkey
Rush Hour II 2003
Brett Ratner
Jackie Chan
Near the end of the movie there is a scene where Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are coming up out of the sewer system, there is a shot of the "Red Dragon Casino" (I think it is called) and there are a few shots of a guy doing fire staff in the far background. He even throws it high into the air. IT is blury so you can't see the moves, jus tthe fire going around and around. - DJ Dantana
The Tuxedo 2002
Kevin Donovan
Jackie Chan
It has a guy doing fire poi, indoors at a party. He just does the buzzsaw, and is only up there two shots, for about three seconds total, but it is a good close up shot (he is all painted up). The DVD version would be best to watch it on so you can slow motion it. - DJ Dantana
Lilo & Stitch 2002
Chris Sanders
Daveigh Chase (Lilo)
Chris Sanders (Stitch)
Animated, Children's story. David performs with fire.

About the character David. Lilo has an older sister and he is her would-be suitor. David works at one of those Luau's that are just there for tourists. He fire spins with the Polynesian Fire Knives (a form of staff). For those of you who have seen Alegria of Cirque Du Soliel, David's routine in the movie was taken exactly from Karl Sanft's stage routine. It was well drawn though, and made me giggle. Then he attempt's fire breathing to a not so good..yet funny...end. There is a comment made about him burning himself "again", insinuating he isn't very good at what he does, and while funny I wasn't so thrilled with that.

The fire spinning comes up twice in the movie, once in the middle and once more at the end." - Pele
Queen of the Damned 2002
Michael Rymer
Stuart Townsend
Aaliyah
They spin fire poi in "Queen of the damned" at the big concert scene  - Corvus Woolf
Scooby-Doo 2002
Robert Rodriguez
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Matthew Lillard
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Linda Cardellini
Rowan Atkinson
"In Scooby-Doo the Movie there is a fire breathing ghost and Fred does a pretty decent rope dart type thing." - Pele
Star Wars: Episode II 2002
George Lucas
Natalie Portman
Ewan McGregor
Samuel L. Jackson
Hayden Christensen
Release date: May 22, 2002. Hopefully a lot more cool weapon and staff moves. Apparently we will see Yoda fighting with double light sticks 30" long. He will be portrayed as the best Jedi fighter.
Behind the Sun 2001
Walter Salles
Rodrigo Santoro
Jose Dumont
set in brazil, this movie has a beautiful sequence of a woman spinning clubs, huge poi, and breathing fire - Rene Alvarez
One, The 2001
Leos Carax
Jet Li
A Sci-fi action movie where Jet Li takes on another version of himself.   Keep an eye out for it.
Romeo Must Die 2000
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Jet Li
segments where they use rope dart techniques.
there's a scene near the end where he fights using a chopped-off fire hose.
Shanghai Noon 2000
Tom Dey
Jackie Chan
Owen Wilson
Lucy Liu
I saw it a long time ago but Mr. Chan demonstrates some excellent Rope Dart principle with a length of rope and a pan to defeat the bumbling gun-slingers. I watched it time and again in slomo on DVD and it's technically excellent in that they don't fake it or crop anything out, and it shows a lovely method (sort-of thumb lock?) for gathering a very long rope around you before step-kicking(?) the dart(pan) at your opponent - SpacemonE / Ewan
Charlie's Angels 2000
McG
Lucy Liu
Cameron Diaz
Drew Barrymore
There is a party scene near the beginning of the movie, and there is a guy there spinning fire staff and spitting fire. He is in several shots. Also, near the end, Lucy Liu does some nice work with a chain. - Daniel Tyler.
The Claim 2000
Michael Winterbottom
Milla Jovovich
Inexplicably in a Western film: In the wedding celebration scene (in the middle of the movie), there is a fire spinner doing the 3-beat weave. The shot is a little too close to see him well, but it is there.- Scott Billups
Mission Impossible II 2000
John Woo
Tom Cruise
Anthony Hopkins
At the very end of the movie there is a girl spinning a fire staff for about 3 seconds, it is a nice closeup on the left side of the screen, but you must have the  widescreen, because the "TV Formatted" version only lets you see about half of her. Her moves are pretty hot too - Daniel Tyler
Beach, The 2000
Danny Boyle
Leonardo DiCaprio
if you look really carefully there is a little fire poi in the movie The Beach
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
Ang Lee
Chow Yun-Fat
Michelle Yeoh
Zhang Ziyi
Chang Chen
2 seconds of Chinese meteors at the beginning of this movie. Later there are lots of knife swinging and staff twirling. Excellent movie.
Miss Congeniality 2000
Donald Petrie
Sandra Bullock
One of the Miss America contestants does some double fire stick twirling. Shows off some nice auto ignition sticks which light up at the press of a button. Where do I buy them?
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 1999
George Lucas
Liam Neeson
Ewan McGregor
Natalie Portman
the fight scene against Darth Maul near the end, great for staff fighting/ sword fighting choreography - flips, twirling moves, general fighting moves.
The Lovers on the Bridge (Les Amants de Pont-Neuf) 1999
Leos Carax
Juliette Binoche
Denis Lavant
Klaus-Michael Gruber
Has some excellent fire breathing
in it, loads of acrobatic stuff, handstands, cartwheels, etc all doing
breathing. Inspirational and shows how you can move while doing fire.
Fong Sai-Yuk aka "The Legend" or "The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk" 1993
Corey Yuen
Jet Li
Martial Arts, Comedy. Includes staff fights and
rope dart. The rope dart actually ends up catching on fire, making it a rope
torch.  Information kindly supplied by Dr Gizmo
Iron Monkey 1993
Yuen Woo-ping
Yu Rong Guang
Historical, Martial Arts. It has a number of staff forms, as well as some use of an iron chain.
Twin Warriors 1993
Yuen Woo-ping
Jet Li
has some pretty amazing staff work in it
Saltimbanco 1992
Franco Dragone
Cirque du Soleil This has an interesting twirling and tap-dancing routine. No fire (though the dancers are wearing flamey skinsuits). What's especially interesting is that the long poi are used percussively against the floor, in time with the tap dancing (like a hybrid poi/cane routine). Not very complex or difficult moves, but very precise rhythms and a different approach.
Iron and Silk 1990
Shirley Sun
Mark Salzman
Chinese steel whip and double sword forms that translate easily to poi, staff forms as well.
Shaolin Temple, The 1982
Chang Hsin Yen
Jet Li
Martial Arts. It has a rope dart master in it
Grease 1978
Randal Kleiser
John Travolta
Olivia Newton-John
fiery double staff spinning in it during the pep rally scene. - TinklePants
           

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