Archive for 'Hong Kong and Chinese Movies' Category
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 […]
The Storm Riders 風雲雄霸天下 by Andrew Lau Wai Keung (1998)
8 May 2007I love this film, and that is why I watched the Soap Opera based on the same story. I saw this first in San Gabriel when the Garfield theater was still open, and one could still see great Hong Kong movies like this in the theater. This is from director Andrew Lau, and he brought […]
Isabella by Edmond Pang Ho Cheung (2006)
25 April 2007Wow, I have had this film for a while, and just finally watched it. This is a gorgeous and well done intimate Hong Kong art film with 2 top notch performances. Honestly this is not only one of the best Hong Kong films I have seen in some time, but it is actually one of […]
Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain by Tsui Hark (1983)
10 April 2007Literally an all time Classic. He may have made films before this, but this is the film that really put him on the international map. Sure the effects don’t hold up perfectly, but this was 1983, way before computers, and this film looks amazing, and if only his CGI heavy sequel had half the heart […]
Armour of God 2 by Jackie Chan Sing Lung (1991)
7 April 2007A far superior sequel, where I actually enjoyed the silliness happening in between the action scenes this time around. Sure once again Jackie Chan is not exactly PC (though Hong Kong film very often is not, look at Once Upon a Time in China 6 about racism against Chinese in American, which is totally racist […]
Armour of God by Jackie Chan Sing Lung & Eric Tsang Chi Wai (1987)
7 April 2007The action in this Modern cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond is top notch, though the bridging material does drag the film down. The inclusion of Alan Tam as Jackie’s partner in crime might have worked at the time, but the match up sure doesn’t age well, and their scenes together tend to drag […]
Trilogy of Swordsmanship by Chang Cheh, Yueh Feng and Cheng Kang (1972)
7 April 2007One film consisting of 3 short martial arts films, all of which are not entirely successful, but are still fun to watch. The first is enjoyable, but feels like it is missing an ending, and could easily have been made into a whole film. The second staring the great Lily Ho Li Li is a […]
Crime Story by Kirk Wong Chi Keung (1993)
5 April 2007An interesting mixture of a film, part Jackie Chan film and part Wong Chi Keung film, but all bad ass crime drama, in this story that is based on a true story (I am sure without the Jackie Chan fighting). And this is the first time we really see Jackie as no holds barred, without […]
City War by Sun Chung (1998)
5 April 2007I was never that impressed by this film when I first saw it, thinking it slow and uneven, but I decided to give it another chance with the legendary edition from Fortune Star, but must say I still don’t like it too well. The disc itself looks pretty damn bad, and the subtitles are sub […]
Four Riders by Chang Cheh (1972)
5 April 2007Honestly I knew nothing about this movie, except the director and the cast, and was quite surprised by this being a modern tale, set in Seoul just after the Korean War, and my surprise was a pleasant one. This is an excellent martial arts film, that also includes guns, and while the period detail is […]
Flower in the Rain by Chin Chu Yung (1972)
3 April 2007Further proof that I will buy every film with Lily Ho Li Li in it, is that I bought this VCD only Shaw film, and I actually enjoyed it. This is a modern (well 1972) Romeo and Juliet retelling, that really comes down to the horrible life that this poor girl ends up with, all […]
Brothers Five by Lo Wei (1970)
2 April 2007A classic enjoyable martial arts romp. Not only directed by Low Wei, but with action choreography by the fat man himself, Sammo Hung Kam Bo, who also plays a small part (and damn he was big even he was young). Sure their is not much character build up in this film, mainly because the structure […]
The Dragon Creek by Yueh Feng (1966)
2 April 2007An enjoyable film, slightly marred by it’s attempts to mix musical into the mix (with 3 songs that feel very stuck in, and made to seem as part of the film), and the box lies about it being a Martial Arts film, it is in fact more of a crime drama, mixing guns and villainy […]
The Bare Footed Kid by Johnnie To Kei Fung (1993)
10 March 2007Wow, 2 fantastic Aron Kwok Fu Sing films in one month, who would have thought, but of course this would be good because my friend Jeff Briggs recomended I pick up this film that has not been subtitled before this, and of like always he was right. This has an all star cast and fantastic […]