Archive for 'Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese' Category
Blood Brothers by Alexi Tan (2007)
9 December 2007The curse of the music video director’s, this is a gorgeous, even sumptuous film, but even with an all star cast, action by Phillip Kwok Chun Fung, and not only an adaption of John Woo’s A Bullet In the Head (but moved to 1930’s Shanghai), but with John Woo attacked as an extecutive producer, but [...]
Going Home by Yang Zhang (2007)
15 November 2007A lovely mainland Chinese film about a man doing all he can to bring his friend’s body home from the city to the family in the North East who he can’t find. It is all about loyalty, and the people one meets when going on such an adventure, and it really is a lovely little [...]
King Drummer by Inoue Umetsugu (1967)
15 November 2007I am a big fan of not only Lily Ho Li Li, but also of Inoue Umetsugu and his swinging sixties musicals. I love this ridiculous ideal world with bad ass and suave boys who are also musicians and the beautiful women that love them. And this fun romp with a battle for the best [...]
Simply Actors by Ching Hing Kai and Patrick LEung Pak Kin (2007)
13 November 2007Another ridiculous Hong Kong comedy, and starting one of the twins, that being Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin (who is actually very good in the film, too bad everything else is bad). The movie has a ton of great Cameos, but they don’t really elevate the material, nor does the fact that they put a silly [...]
Mr. Cinema by Samson Chiu Leung Chun (2007)
6 November 2007A decent enough little love story, that purports to follow 40 years of Hong Kong history as seen by a die hard communist sympathizer, and it’s effects on his family who are best friends with some Taiwanese who have diametrically opposed viewpoints. It is cute, and comes out as a nice love story, but it [...]
Lady with A Sword by Kao Pau Shu (1971)
2 November 2007Any Lily Ho Li Li film I will certainly see, and especially another martial arts film, and this one does not disappoint. This is another fun Shaw classic. This is a classic tail of revenge, though with a female martial arts protagonist, and the fight being with the intersection of two families, and the downfall [...]
Jade Warrior by Yu Yan Kai (2006)
1 November 2007I had really been looking forward to this one since I heard about it, I mean a Finish directing mixing the epic national Poem of Finland the Kalevala and Chinese and Tibetan mythology is certainly an interesting goal, but I must say I came out a bit disappointed. First it seems to be a Wuxia [...]
Twin Dragons by Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam Ling Tung (1992)
1 November 2007A ridiculously fun and silly Jackie Chan romp. Absolute silly action, with Jackie playing twins separated at birth in a film that was all done pro bono by the cast and directors to make money to build a new headquarters for the Hong Kong director’s guild. And featuring the amazing Maggie Cheung Man Yuk which [...]
Flash Point by Wilson Yip Wai Shun (2007)
16 October 2007I have been looking forward to this film since I heard about. A new hardcore brawler by Donnie Yen Ji Dan, and I finally managed to pick up the Region 3 DVD, and must say I was not disappointed. Sure the story is simple and some could stay stupid, but it is the action that [...]
Lethal Angels by Steve Cheng Wai Man (2006)
29 August 2007Another sub par remake of Naked Killer, and one I was suckered into by the lure of the 2 leads, Jordan Chan Siu Chun and the super cute Cherrie Ying Choi Yi, but they are really nothing more than extended cameos. Now the film isn’t awful, you still get the silly female assassin fun, and [...]
Undercover by BIlly Chung Siu Hung (2007)
28 August 2007Yet another movie about the horrible life of an undercover cop, though this one even with the great Sam Lee is an absolutely terrible film. What was producer Andre Lau Wai Keung thinking? This is terrible!! Even the badly shot HD photography is not the issue though, the story is bad, and completely contrived with [...]
Eye in the Sky by Yau Nai Hoi (2007)
26 August 2007This Johnnie To Kei Fung produced film starts off very well, with a great story, some great characters and a great setup, but the last act of the film doesn’t work so well, has some lame happenings and kind of ends with a whimper. I usually love Milkyway films, but this was a bit of [...]
Love Battlefield by Coi CHeang Pou Soi (2004)
13 August 2007Damn this is a really good film, and one I would have completely missed out on if not for the Kung Fu Cult Cinema Message Boards, I would have totally missed out on this one if not for them. Previously I had never really like Eason Chan in anything, but he is really good. This [...]
Spider Lilies by Zero Chou (2007)
6 August 2007An interesting Taiwanese Lesbian Drama, that has great atmosphere, and is almost suffocating in the characters repression, though it does have some lift at the end. The film is beautifully shot, and keeps the film interesting as the story unfolds, but the real message of the film does not really come through. More than anything [...]
AV by Edmond Pang Ho Cheung (2005)
5 August 2007A fun little film with a funny premise, but doesn’t seem to have too much depth to it, and the main interesting plot point, never really pans out, in fact it fizzles about as heavily as it could. Cool to see a young new group of actors up and coming, but they seem to have [...]
The Patriotic Knights 俠骨丹心 (2005)
25 July 2007Yes, I am a total sucker for Chinese Soap Operas, and this one was no exception. I know it done on the cheap with video, but I really get into the characters and I love the action and amazing locations in China they always shoot in. And this was of course the reason I have [...]
Crazy N’ The City by James Yuen Sai Sing (2005)
19 July 2007A decent though not great film, with a good performance by Francis Ng Chun Yu, and some great cameos, but I never do care as much about Eason Chen Yik Shun or his character who is not all too interesting, and doesn’t really bring the film along. Certainly better than average, but still a pretty [...]
My Name is Fame by Lawrence Lau Kwok Cheung (2006)
14 July 2007I am a huge Lau Ching Wan fan, and it is so good to see him back, and in a great vehicle for him, where he is basically parodying himself. The film is of course not a gritty realistic film, but it does show some of the pitfalls of the film industry, and is a [...]
Ming Ming by Susie Au Shuet Yi (2007)
9 July 2007You can tell that Susie Au is a music video director, because this movie is visually stunning, though the point or many of the happenings are never quite explained, and the one that is, doesn’t really seem to be the focus of the film. Really the film sits on the shoulders of the lead actress [...]
The Heavenly Kings by Daniel Wu (2006)
8 July 2007This was the second of 2 films I ripped to my iPhone for a trip back East, and I watched it on the way back, and damn if I didn’t make a fool of myself. I spent the entire time laughing out loud uncontrollably. This mockumentary is brilliant and hysterical, and I really hope it [...]
My Wife is a Gangster 3 조폭 마누라 3 by Jo Jin-kyoo (조진규) 2006
23 May 2007Unfortunately this film is only a sequel to the first 2 My Wife is a Gangster film in name only, and the fact that it has a bad ass , martial arts weilding gangster chick, and it is a silly comedy, the story does not follow at all,and Eun KYung Shin nevers shows up. Not [...]
Happy Birthday by Jingle Ma Chor Sing (2006)
23 May 2007Jingle Ma can make a really good and beautiful film, so despite my misgivings about Louis Koo Tin Lok, I still picked up this film. And honestly while the film is lacking, and through most of the film I was getting a little pissed off, the film in fact ended well, and was at least [...]
Curiosity Kills the Cat written and directed by Zhang Yibai (2206)
18 May 2007A simple story of love, infidelity, betrayal and kidnapping, about 5 characters, told in 4 chapters, each focusing on different characters, and slowly revealing more and more of the story, until at the end you know everything that was going on. I quite enjoyed this story, and wanted to know what would happen next. The [...]
Twins Mission by Benz Kong To Hoi (2007)
11 May 2007Wow, this film shows everything that is wrong with big budget Hong Kong action films. A terrible story that is barely passable to a 2 year old, terrible acting, badly shot (the action scenes are too quick cutty and long lens, so it ruins even the good action shots), there is too much ridiculous, and [...]
Protége written and directed by Derek Yee Tung Sing (2007)
9 May 2007I have to say I do like this new more brutal and realistic turn that Hong Kong crime dramas are taking of late, it is almost the Che Kirk Wong school of Hong Kong cinema. And this film just exudes style. It is so well done, starting off with a modernist approach, of starting at [...]