Archive for 'Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese' Category
Overheard 竊聽風雲 by Alan Mak Siu Fai and Felix Chong Man Keung (2009)
20 January 2010Amazing that this duo’s last film was the awful Lady Cop & Papa Crook, but Alan Mak is the co-director of Infernal Affairs and Initial D, so I do have some faith in him, and especially with this cast! I am a huge Lau Ching Wan fan, and Like Daniel Wu, Alex Fong, and yes [...]
Shinjuki Incident 新宿事件 by Derek Yee Tung-Sing (2009)
4 September 2009Interesting to watch the Story of Chinese Immigrants in Japan, who once they get power start to turn into a Triad, becoming what they hated, those who pushed them down. Jackie Chan Sing Lung tries his hand at serious crime drama, where he does not do the action he is so well known, and the [...]
Sniper 神鎗手 by Dante Lam Chiu-Yiu (2009)
7 August 2009This is a just for guys actioner that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. Just a solid Hong Kong adrenaline actioner with little in the way of character development or deep story, and would probably have done well on release if it had not been so long delayed by the whole Edison [...]
Tactical Unit: Partners 機動部隊：伙伴 by Lawrence Ah Mon (2009)
5 August 2009The fourth out of 5 of the PTU films (Which I watched out of order, which didn’t really matter as this film actually could have easily been the third film) is another enjoyable police drama. This one has some highlight on May (Maggie Siu Mei Kei) but also deals with members of a local Indian [...]
Tactical Unit: Comrades in Arms 机动部队-同袍 by Law Wing Cheong 2009)
22 July 2009The fifth and final of the PTU sequels was released in theaters. I watched it out of order, missing the fourth film, which will be next. Another enjoyable film, this one about distention in the ranks, and how it takes teamwork to make it, and be an effective police unit. A really enjoyable film, and [...]
Tactical Unit: Human Nature 機動部隊：人性 by Andy Ng Yiu Kuen (2008)
18 July 2009The 3rd of the made for TV sequels to PTU is so far my favorite, mainly because this one is all about Lam Suet, who I have always enjoyed in the milkyway films, and here he really gets to shine. Another dark police drama, and this does have some inconsistenties with the first, but is [...]
Tactical Unit – No Way Out 机动部队 – 绝路 by Lawrence Lau (2008)
9 July 2009The second of the Milkyway televised spin-offs to the film PTU is an enjoyable drama that this time relegates the PTU officers to the sidelines, and that really works, especially because it is shown how the cops aren’t exactly saints, and in fact not all that likeable, much like in the first film. The production [...]
Tactical Unit – The Code 機動部隊 – 警例 by Law Wing Cheong (2008)
24 June 2009The first of 5 parts of a made for TV sequel to Johnnie To’s police drama PTU. Certainly this is a low budget sequel, though it does have a great cast with Simon Yam, Lam Suet and Maggie Siu, though that is really all it has going for it. Sure I still enjoyed it, but [...]
Red Cliff II 赤壁 II by John Woo (2009)
13 April 2009After waiting on the first one and loving it, I rushed to see the second, and saw it on Blu-Ray, and it was well worth it, because no only is the movie as good as the incredible first, but the transfer is reference quality. This film proves Woo still has it, and Hollywood would just [...]
Ip Man 葉問 by Wilson Yip Wai-Shun (2008)
23 March 2009Donnie Yen goes the route of Jet Li in fearless to do a biopic of Bruce Lee’s Master Yip Man in his early years, and makes for one Donnie’s best films, but does not come close to Li’s best historical films in any way. Sure Donnie does some great action, and his most sedate performance [...]
Chungking Express 重慶森林 by Wong Kar Wai (1995)
27 February 2009The easiest and most accessible Wong Kar Wai film, which can really get people into his filmmaking has never looked better than this Criterion Collection Blu-ray disc. Sure I have seen better looking discs, but I am sure their source material was kept better, and this is certainly the best this film has ever looked [...]
Painted Skin 画皮 by Gordon Chan Car Seung (2008)
25 January 2009I actually had some high hopes for this, because it is based on the same set of short stories written by Pu Songling that begat both A CHINESE GHOST STORY and the Chinese Soap Opera Strange Tales of Liaozhai, which I also greatly enjoyed, and I was hoping for more of the same fun here, [...]
Lost in Beijing 蘋果 by Li Yu (2007)
2 December 2008I have been wanting to watch this dark drama about the harsher side of life in modern Beijing and the decaying of people’s morals is a great character driven piece with amazing performances by Fan Bing BIng and Tony Leung Ka Fai. The performances really bring the film together, and the handheld camera actually increases [...]
Rule # 1 第一誡 by Kelvin Tong (2008)
2 December 2008A supernatural horror film that starts off with a bit too many Ring like scares, then seems to be going well, with an entertaining performance by Ekin Cheng as an alcoholic cop, but the end gets too convoluted, and even seems to unexplainably double back on itself in an ending that while enjoyably dark, doesn’t [...]
Sparrow 文雀 by Johnnie To Kei Fung (2008)
14 November 2008A super stylish drama about the life of four pickpockets and there world getting turned upside down by the appearance of a mysterious girl. This movie is like a lyrical painting, with style, cinematography, and music coming together to make one of the most stylish films I have ever seen. Sure there is not too [...]
Red Cliff 赤壁 by John Woo (2008)
12 November 2008Honestly I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to see this, not only Woo’s return to China, but with such a great case, and an adaption of the great Chinese novel, THE ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS which I have read in it’s entirety unabridged (damn it took a while). This [...]
Murder Plot by Chu Yuan (1979)
6 November 2008I am a huge fan of David Chiang Dai Wai, but unfortunately this os one of those overly complicated Martial Arts films, that while it has some enjoyable elements, is just too convoluted, and even the enjoyable fighting can’t pull it out of it’s mire. The disc looks amazing though, as all Shaw discs do. [...]
Ashes of Time Redux by Wong Kar Wai (2008-1994)
12 October 2008I have been waiting to this for ages, especially because the last Hong Kong DVD release of this film is bad to say the least (and I don’t even count the American release that cropped off the subtitles and bottom of the Hong Kong disc, then put on new subs and released it), and was [...]
The Pirate by Chang Cheh, Pah Hsueh Li and Wu Ma (1973)
12 August 2008A classic Ti Lung and David Chiang epic, this one about a Robin Hood like pirate, the corrupt people he is fighting and an honorable general sent to stop him. Some great at sea fighting, with good character. Enjoyable all the way around. A classic Shaw and Chang Cheh film, and the Region 3 DVD [...]
The Lady is Boss by Lau Kar Leung (1983)
18 July 2008An absolute classic, the form that Jackie Chan would soon take in his modernizing Kung Fu into current times, done just 2 years before Police Story, Lau Kar Leung shows what a master he is. It is a role i would love to see Jackie take, to be a character in his films, as well [...]
Godfather of Canton by Kuei Chih Hung (1982)
18 July 2008Certainly not as good as when Gordon Liu partnered with his adopted brother Lau Kar Leung, but you can’t go wrong with any movie that starts with him posing in a suit with a Thompson Submachine Gun. Not too much character development, but bloody violence with fake machine guns throughout make this film worth checking [...]
Fatal Move written and directed by Dennis Law Sau Yin (2008)
7 July 2008This movie has some great fight scenes, and so much damn potential, with a fans wet dream of a cast, and a huge epic triad drama, but it suffers a bit from having too many characters, so you don’t get enough from any one, and from and ending that has typified many mainstream triad films [...]
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon by Daniel Lee Yan Kong (2008)
2 July 2008I went into this not expecting much, and while this film does not hew too closely to the original material, I actually enjoyed this epic popcorn film. I thought they even did a good job with Maggie’s Q’s makeup so you could almost believe that she is 100 Chinese. Nothing too deep here, but an [...]
An Empress and the Warriors by Ching Siu-Tung (2008)
1 July 2008A gorgeous if overall vapid popcorn action film set as a period drama piece. Not a horrible, and not a bad watch, but overall disappointing in it’s story and even battles, though the production design and particularly the armor is absolute eye candy. A film set in a fantasy China that never existed, between unknown [...]
Lust, Caution by Ang Lee (2007)
20 June 2008I had been excited to see this film since long before it came out, and agian have had the DVD since it was released, but can you believe I just watched it now? I can’t either, but it is the truth. And after seeing it I wish I hadn’t waited because this is a sumptuous [...]