Another Hong Kong Movie Page

Miriam Yeung has continued her successful run at the movies with Wilson Yip's Dry Wood Fierce Fire (2002). Louis Koo and Flora Chan co-star alongside a fun assortment of big-name bit parts. The Pang Brothers' horror flick The Eye (2002) is reviewed. Starring Angelica Lee and Lawrence Chou, the film's frights have made it a surprise hit in among Hong Kong moviegoers. Andrew Lau's haphazard The Wesley's Mysterious File (2002) has been released after lengthy post-production and delays. The sci-fi flick stars Andy Lau, Rosamund Kwan and Shu Qi. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's Chinese New Year flick Fat Choi Spirit (2002) is reviewed. The cheery cast includes Andy Lau, Gigi Leung, Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo and Cherrie Ying. Time 4 Hope (2002), an autobiographical tale written by Yuen Kai-chi, is also reviewed. The film stars Nick Cheung and Athena Chu, and is directed by Derek Chiu. Billy Tang's Interactive Murders (2002) is reviewed. The film stars Andy Hui Chi-on and Nicola Cheung Sun-yuet. Barbara Wong Chun-chun's Women's Private Parts (2001) is a surprising this documentary on Chinese women's private lives that played several mainstream cinemas, let alone five of them. Choi Cheong and Chan Hon-ming's enjoyable Spring Summer Autumn Winter (1969) has been added to the screenings section for older films. The film is part of the Hong Kong Film Archive's ongoing retrospective titled The Progressive Tradition: Films of Great Wall, Feng Huang, Sun Luen. Shadow (2001) straddles the ghost, teen romance, comedy and murder mystery genres to provide some patchy entertainment. Lo Kim-wah directs while Stephen Fung and Bobo Chan star. James Yuen's Every Dog Has His Date (2001) is now on release across Hong Kong mixing romance and comedy, and man and dog. Michelle Reis and Nick Cheung star with equally mixed results. Carol Lai's Glass Tears (2001) is now out on video after its film festival playdates and recent theatrical release. The film stars Zeny Kwok, Lo Lieh, Chui Tien-you, Tats Lau and Carrie Ng. A quick write-up is posted on Joe Ma's surprisingly enjoyable Funeral March (2001), starring Eason Chan and Twins singer Charlene Choi in her first major role. Marco Mak's A Gambler's Story (2001) has offered a different turn in the gambling genre, with Francis Ng and Shooky Kwan in the lead roles. Cheang Pou-soi's impressive genre flick Horror Hotline... Big Head Monster (2001) is reviewed. The film stars Francis Ng, Josie Ho and Sam Lee. A quick review for Wong Jing's My Schoolmate, the Barbarian is posted. Stephen Fung, Nicholas Tse and Joey Jung star in the schoolyard dramas. Yan Yan Mak's debut feature film GeGe (2001) played in the Superframe 2001 video works series after an award-winning turn at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this year. Tsui Hark's The Legend of Zu (2001) is in cinemas now, showcasing dramatic special effects alongside a cast including Ekin Cheng, Louis Koo, Cecilia Cheung and Zhang Ziyi. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's Fulltime Killer (2001) is now screening in cinemas across town. The film stars Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Kelly Lam and Simon Yam. Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer (2001) is now showing in a 111-minute extended version. After a couple of visits to the cinema, I recommend a viewing of this entertaining blend of sport and martial arts. A review for Jacob Cheung's newie Midnight Fly (2001) is posted. Set in France and Morocco, the film stars Junna Risa, Anita Mui, Shaun Tam and Simon Yam. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's enjoyable Love On A Diet (2001) is reviewed as it wraps up its theatrical run. The romantic comedy stars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng. Two old Josephine Siao and Nancy Sit films are also briefly reviewed: Cheung Wai-kwong's I Love A-Go-Go (1967) and Lung Kong's The Teddy Girls (1969). Ann Hui's Visible Secret (2001) adds new visual style to the ghost movie genre, even if it falls short on the frights. Stars include Eason Chan and Shu Qi. Aman Chang's Cop Shop Babes (2001) is reviewed. Starring Eason Chan, Jerry Lam, Carina Lau, Cheung Tat-ming and featuring the ladies of the title, the emphasis is on comedy. Fing's Raver (2001) is a Sherman Wong-directed tale of the rave party drug menace, recently released to theatres and now avilable on video. Adrian Kwan's Life is a Miracle (2001) is the latest release from Media Evangelism Ltd. Shot entirely in Canada, the film stars Nadia Chan, Mark Kwok, Natalie Au and Yeung Kwan. Tang Huang's Cinderella and Her Little Angels (1959), starring Linda Lin Dai and Peter Chen Ho, has recently played at the Hong Kong Film Archive. The film has a second screening on 1 June 2001. The Flying Killer (1967) also played at the Film Archive in their current retrospective. Directed by Mok Hong-si, the film has Chan Po-chu back in the lead as the Lady Killer. From the Queen to the Chief Executive (2001), an impressive work from director Herman Yau and starring Stephen Tang, Ai-jing and David Lee, is reviewed. The Derek Chiu-directed Love au Zen (2001) is now released on video. The film stars Flora Chan, Poon Chan-leung, Andrew Lin, Annie Wu and Ko Hon-man and is based on the Raymond To-scripted stage production Love A La Zen. Jingle Ma's Goodbye, Mr Cool (2001) is reviewed. The triad reformation flick stars Ekin Cheng, Karen Mok, Rain Li, Lam Suet, Chatman To and Jackie Lui. A write-up on Heroes in Love (2001) is now posted. The film holds four shorts, directed by Wing Shya, Stephen Fung, Nicolas Tse, GC Goo-Bi and Jan Lamb. Patrick Lung Kong's Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967) is reviewed. The film stars Patrick Tse Yin, Sek Kin and Patrick Lung Kong. Cecille Tang Shu Shuen's The Arch (1970) is an impressive period drama starring Lisa Lu and Roy Chiao. Lee Siu-kay's The Young Ones (2001) is reviewed. This January release starring Christy Cheung, Vincent Wan, Wayne Lai and Teresa Mak is now available on video from Wide Sight Entertainment. A brief review is posted for Raymond To's Forever and Ever. The film stars Sylvia Chang, Chris Lee and Josie Ho in a tale about a woman dealing with the loss of her son to AIDS-related illness. Master Q 2001 is a cheery blend of computer animation and live-action filmmaking. Featuring Old Master Q of comic book fame, the Herman Yau-directed and Tsui Hark-produced film also features Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse and a fine cast of supports. Dante Lam's Hit Team is finally reviewed. The film was released at the same time as Cop on a Mission, bringing Daniel Wu to a starring role leading a police operations unit. Also starring are Alex To, Chin Kar-lok and Tony Ho. Lau Ding-kin's Ultimate Intelligence is a low-key release from from producers Media Evangelism. The film had a lengthy run at the New Imperial Cinema recently and is now released on VCD by Winson Entertainment. Billy Chung's Esprit D'Amour offers cinemagoers a triple header of spookiness. The film's three stories mean an abundance of stars, including Julian Cheung, Loletta Lee, Fennie Yuen, Dave Wong, Simon Loui and Pinky Cheung. 5 March update Marco Mak's Cop on a Mission kicked off its cinema run last week. Starring Daniel Wu, Eric Tsang and Suki Kwan, the film lays in the undercover cop routine with a little more depth. Trivia buffs may like to know this film is one of three movies starring Tony Ho currently on Hong Kong theatrical release; reviews for the other two should be up over the next few days. If you haven't seen it already, the official website for the Hong Kong International Film Festival is up and running with plenty to choose from for the big-screen local movie fix. Even if you're not in Hong Kong, perhaps the programme notes might tickle your reading fancy, especially in the listing of this year's Chinese archival treats. 15 February update Tony Leung Hung-wah's Vampire Controller started its theatrical run last Thursday. Starring Wayne Lai, Gallen Law, Kingdom Yuen and Kathy Chow as corpse escorts, the film's a low-budget return to the old Chinese vampire and sorcery genres. The hand-painted billboard is pictured on the right. Folks preferring Western-style vampires with toyshop fangs should cast their eyes towards Aman Chang's Twilight Garden. This unassuming little flick was released for week at the end of 2000 and, while I won't list the film in the same league as recent standouts, it certainly exceeded my expectations. 30 January update In a quick backtrack, two connected reviews are added today. Human Pork Chop and There is a Secret in my Soup were both rushed through production at the same time; they even hit the cinema screens on the same day (5 January 2001). The competing films ripped their storylines from the same court case, which should explain the extremely similar plot synopses. 27 January update Teddy Chen's The Accidental Spy is now playing in Hong Kong's cinemas. A big-budget actioner starring Jackie Chan, Vivian Hsu and Kim Min Jeong, this Chinese New Year flick takes viewers on a noisy jaunt through Hong Kong, Korea and Turkey. On a much smaller scale, Cheang Pou-soi's recent film Diamond Hill is available on VCD and a brief review has been posted. This low-budget independent flick, starring Maggie Poon, Chan Chin-pang, Cheung Tat-ming, Hui Shiu-hung and Carrie Ng, proved a noteworthy diversion when it screened theatrically last November. 16 January update A review for Daniel Lee's Christmas season offering A Fighter's Blues is now posted. Andy Lau stars and serves as one of the film's producers, with Nang Nak's Indhira Jaroenpura and Moonlight Express' Takako Tokiwa providing support in the acting stakes. 1 January update Hong Kong's cinemagoers could be forgiven for not catching the scent of Riley Ip's Lavender, playing amid a season of loud action flicks. The drama in the 2000 Christmas silly season schedule, the film proves quite a draw with a simple romantic fantasy leaning and two attractive leads pulling it all together. See this one in a cinema, if you can. I've finally had a chance to check out Steve Cheng's Bio-Cops on DVD. It's a cheap little take on the zombie genre with less-than-spectacular results. And not a film I'll rush to see again. 27 December update I hope you're all having a fine festive season, wherever you may be! Here in Hong Kong, Christmas has proved the time pop some high-profile flicks onto the city's big screens, with quite selection to choose from. The first seasonal flick I've managed to see so far is Raymond Yip's For Bad Boys Only. The film's still playing theatres across HK, and worth a look in my opinion, even if it's a tad lightweight and quite shoddy. Stars here are Ekin Cheng, Shu Qi, Louis Koo, Kristy Yang, Daniel Chan and Mark Cheng. 12 December update Wilson Yip's Skyline Cruisers is still playing Hong Kong theatres in the lead-up to the festive season's big-budget screen adventures. The film stars Leon Lai, Jordan Chan, Sam Lee, Michelle Saram and Shu Qi and delivers mixed results on the big screen. 30 November update Derek Chiu's Comeuppance is playing a few theatres around town. The stars are Patrick Tam, Sunny Chan and Jordan Chan. Chiu's previous flick was Sealed With A Kiss and as with that one, I recommend his latest release from producers 100 Years of Film and Milkyway Image. Also playing is Clarence Fok's lifeless Queen of Kowloon, starring Deannie Yip. It may have the finest poster design I've seen recently, but the film's a very hard slog to sit through. Potential viewers would be better served directing their box office dollars elsewhere. 21 November update Lo Kim-wah's Marooned is playing cinemas right now. Featuring Andy Hui, Gigi Leung, Edmond Leung and Samuel Leung, it looks nice in its Macau surrounds, even if the plot isn't so gripping. The Hong Kong Film Archive's The Immortal Bruce Lee: From the Kid to Kung Fu Dragon retrospective started last night with the delightful 1950 comedy and dramas of The Kid. As expected, the Archive is putting on a fine show, with a fabulous opening film to get the ball rolling. The programme of 20 films is running for nearly a month, so if you're in Hong Kong, don't forget to check out these archival treats! 19 November update Only a single update for now: Aman Chang's Roaring Wheels. Featuring Dave Wong Kit, Maggie Siu and Karen Mok, the film's a petrolhead revision of God of Gamblers-style drama. Having just kicked the 'flu, other updates will appear over the coming week. 5 November update James Yuen's lively Clean My Name, Mr Coroner! has opened in theatres across Hong Kong this weekend. A suspenseful police drama, with a touch of gentle humour, the film stars Francis Ng as the coroner of the title, going on the run from the law as he helps troubled undercover cop Nick Cheung. Still on release is Albert Mak's The Teacher Without Chalk. A low-key release suited to the SAR's teenage cinemagoers, the film's offers 90 minutes of lightweight school dramas and humour. Nick Cheung's in the lead here too, alongside Yoyo Mung, Elvis Tsui and Karen Mok in a minor role. Alan Lo's intriguingly titled Mafia.com meanwhile left cinemas last week. Fans of the gangster genres could find some amusement in this low-budgeter. 26 October update A review of Marco Mak's Love Correction is posted. This lightweight urban fantasy/drama stars Athena Chu and Nick Cheung in the leads. Cheung can also be seen in Albert Mak's The Teacher Without Chalk -- a generally pleasing, if insignificant, production co-starring Yoyo Mung and playing Hong Kong theatres right now. Monica Chan's in Love Correction. And she's also in John Cheung's1999 action flick Treasure Hunter too. That film played the South China Theatre's Saturday morning show on the weekend before last. Starring Chin Siu-ho, John Cheung and a stack of b-grade notables, this film doesn't seem to be out on home video yet. 23 October update The review for Wong Kar-wai's In The Mood For Love is now up. Don't be misled by the brief review -- this is one fine movie and recommended viewing. Stars in this one are Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Rebecca Pan, accompanied by inviting visuals and a stunning soundtrack. Angela Mao (pictured) isn't in In The Mood For Love but she is in the Subway Cinema Old School Kung Fu Fest playing in New York City, USA, during November and December. If you're in the city, click though to the link and consider seeing the films. After all, cinemas are the best places to see any Hong Kong movie. A larger-sized link to the Subway Cinema screeings is included below for your clicking pleasure. Even if you're not in NYC, there are lively descriptions of six films you may not have even heard of. [ Modified 26 October ] 16 October update Only a couple of reviews are added this in this update. First up is Eternal Love from a director I cannot identify. The stars however are Alex Fong and Yoyo Mung and the film's about the Hong Kong music industry, with a touch of melodrama added too. Also released on the weekend was Bowie Lam's Killers From Beijing. The film stars Patrick Tam, Annie Man, Michael Tong and Chin Kar-lok. The review for this actioner is brief -- I've wasted enough time just sitting though it! 12 October update The review for Gary Tang's Healing Hearts is now posted and the film is currently playing theatres across Hong Kong. This Wong Jing production comes with Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Michelle Reis leading a large pack of stars towards mixed results. 7 October update As I slowly put together write-ups on Healing Hearts, In the Mood for Love (recommended!) and Jiang Hu - "The Triad Zone", I have posted a quick review of Andy Ng's Deathnet.com. The film graced local cinema screens this past week on a rather limited theatrical release. The film's star is Simon Yam, playing a cop much slower than the audience in working out who's the baddie. More reviews to be posted soon - unlike Deathnet.com, the other film reviews are worth a bit of extra thought. 2 October update Clifton Ko's new film Love Paradox is reviewed this week. Stars Grace Yip, Annie Wu and Perry Chiu lead this quiet drama, with James Wong and Andrew Lien in support. Detail of painted billboard at Yuen Long's Merryland Theatre is pictured to the right. On the home video side, Bill Chan's low-budget Money Laundry is in stores. Jade Leung and Ken Wong star in this scratchy little film, largely ignored on its minimal theatrical run last month. 23 September update Two wildly different theatrical release reviews are added this week. Alan Mak's A War Named Desire is a buddy flick set in the Thai heat. Stars Gigi Leung and Francis Ng excel, making the film an impressive step up from Mak's previous Rave Fever. Also reviewed is Cash Chin's seedy Category III sex n' horror flick Naked Poison. The film documents Samuel Leung's remarkable rise as a leading actor, with Sophie Ngan and Gwennie Tam playing support roles. 19 September update On theatrical release right now is Fifteen Candles from a director named Tan. The film's a youth drama sporting a small cast of unknowns and Law Koon-lan in support. The cinema release is extremely low-key -- you can find it playing at the Imperial Cinema in Wanchai. The next reviews to be posted here will be for Alan Mak's expat Chinese gangster pic A War Named Desire (right) and Cash Chin's sleazy shocker Naked Poison. 16 September update Tony Ching Siu-tung's Conman in Tokyo has just finished its theatre run. It's the latest in the series of gambling films from producer Wong Jing, this time trying out Louis Koo Tin-lok as a leading gambler. Nick Cheung Ka-fai, Christy Chung Lai-tai and Athena Chu Yan play support in this often ludicrous jaunt. 2 September update A review for Jingle Ma Chor-sing's Summer Holiday is now posted. Starring Sammi Cheng and Richie Yen in the leads, and an all-too-brief Vincent Kok appearance, the film is every bit a school holidays flick set on the sands in Malaysia. 20 August update The review for Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's Help!!! is now up. The film's a fast-moving hospital comedy starring Jordan Chan, Cecilia Cheung, Ekin Cheng and the delightful pairing of Lam Suet and Hui Shiu-hung. 17 August update This week's update is not only running late. It is coming in two parts too. Up now is a review for Hero Lip's low-budget movie Hong Kong Pie. This dreadful little film had its brief theatrical run a couple of months ago, and is now available on VCD. I shall spend more time on my review of Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's enjoyable, if flawed, Help!!! (pictured) and I intend to post it on the weekend. Updates should hopefully return to normal next week with a review of Jingle Ma's Summer Holiday. 8 August update As Okinawa Rendez-vous and Born to be King continue their theatrical runs, there have been no new releases for local films in Hong Kong this week. Instead, I've posted a review for the ultra-low budget horrors of Model From Hell. Starring model Maggie Q in the lead role and Simon Yam in support, this one's worth a miss if weak plots and rubber heads aren't what you're looking for in an HK film. DVD info is attached to the end of the review 3 August update A single review is posted this week -- Gordon Chan's new film Okinawa Rendez-vous. Set entirely in Japan, this cheerful jaunt stars Tony Leung Ka-fai, Leslie Cheung and Faye Wong, the latter back on the screen after wowing cinemagoers in 1994's Chungking Express. Pictured on the right is detail of a hand-painted signboard up at the Dynasty Theatre. The only other updates this week are on the links page. Sanney Leung's excellent Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review has moved to a new home. And on the same server, author John Charles has launched his Hong Kong Digital review site, to be found here. Check the links page for other recent additions to check out -- all are worth a visit. 24 July update The latest cinematic offering in the Young and Dangerous series - Born to be King - hit the cinemas last Friday, and folks here are lining up to see it. Directed by Andrew Lau and produced by Manfred Wong, the film stars Y&D regulars Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Jerry Lam and Sandra Ng to varying extents alongside Sonny Chiba, Peter Ho and more. And for something completely different this week, I've reviewed Li Hanxiang's 1971 film Legends of Cheating. The movie has me raising perhaps too many questions in my write-up, in part for its intriguing images of Hong Kong life at the start of the '70s. The film's available on VCD and certainly worth a look for those interested in old-style popular entertainment and old Hong Kong. Pictured above is part of a billboard for Needing You - the film with the highest box office takings for a local movie since 1998's The Storm Riders. If you've not heard of the film, there's a review here. And if it's playing a theatre near you, check it out. 19 July update There have been no new Hong Kong theatrical releases for local films this week, with Needing You, And I Hate You So and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon continuing their theatre runs. Instead a single review is posted for the film Prostitute Killers. This unpleasant little Cat-III film, starring Mark Cheng, Simon Loui, Gabriel Harrison and Karen Tong, was released this year and is now out on DVD from distributor Deltamac. 11 July update An international production figures into this week's updates - Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hong Kong stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh and Cheng Pei-pei, as well as Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen, star in this stunning martial arts effort playing across Hong Kong right now. Pictured to the right is detail of the painted billboard. On the Hong Kong movie front, Sam Ho's The Hong Kong Happy Man is reviewed. I missed this cut-rate comedy's theatre run last month and instead have reviewed the film from the Wide Sight DVD release. And finally, on the suggestion of a reader, I have also started listing films coming soon to Hong Kong cinemas as I used to. By no means a definitive list, the details come from looking at posters and lobby cards displayed in Hong Kong cinemas. I hope this proves helpful to folks in and out of Hong Kong. 3 July update Only one review is added to the site this week - the very nice-looking And I Hate You So, playing across Hong Kong right now. A production from filmmakers UFO and Golden Harvest, the film is directed by Yee Chung-man. Stars here include Kelly Chen, Aaron Kwok, Teresa Mo, Eric Tsang and Jessica Hester Hsuan. As you may guess from the title, its a relationship flick. 27 June update Playing theatres across Hong Kong this week is Needing You, directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. A pleasing romance flick with comedy sprinkled throughout, this film stars Sammi Cheng and Andy Lau alongside Fiona Leung, Gabriel Harrison, Lam Suet and more. Bryan Cheung's Cold War ended its cinema run last week. Set in Korea, and with moments in The Philippines and Hong Kong, this rather dull film stars Simon Yam as a killer and Christy Chung as his assistant. Please excuse the lack of credits for the review - only the director's name and one Sonny Chan are among the few credited in English on the print. For those who are interested, and following on from last week's write-up, the owners of the Empire Theatre have indeed done away with the cinema's painted billboards. The first new billboard can be seen with the Needing You review. Shown on this page is the Empire's stunning two-storey-high painted billboard for The HK Triad last year. 19 June update It's a bumper week for Michael Wong films at Hong Kong's cinemas this week! Two films starring the man, and one of them is his directing debut. First up is The Blood Rules, a film casting Wong alongside Suki Kwan, James Lui and Lam Suet as professional thieves with just about everything stacked up against them. Marco Mak directs for the first time here, and the results look good on the big screen. Marco Mak is mainly known as an ace editor. And one of his latest films to put together is Miles Apart. Michael Wong directs and acts in the movie, the title of which is a play on his character's name. The film's a police drama, adding elements of surprise with overall mixed results. In her role as Wong's love interest, Cecilia Yip returns to normalcy here after the extreme oddity that was Phantom of Snake. Heading to home video side of things there are four more additions. First up is A Wicked Ghost. With A Wicked Ghost 2 apparently in production, I've taken an old reply post I sent to MHVF and have spruced it up as a full review with DVD info added. Apologies to those who've read bits of the review before - placing a proper review here is something I've been meaning to do for a while. Also, DVD info has also been added to the following existing reviews: Horoscope II: The Woman From Hell, Spacked Out and X'mas Rave Fever. And now bit of bad news for fans of Hong Kong cinema buildings. I came back from my holiday last week to hear the enormous Newport Cinema in Jordan - one of my favourite theatres in HK - has closed down. It's no great surprise (there was only so long it could continue operating at a loss) but it's a pity to see it shuttered and with its billboards taken down. Pictured here is the Newport, adorned with the billboard for My Loving Trouble 7. Also on painted cinema art, the enormous billboard frames at Mongkok's Empire theatre are currently encased in a hoarding. I can only hope the theatre's gorgeous dayglo painted billboards (as seen dotted through this site) aren't being pushed out in favour of trashy blow-up printing. [ * No updates were made during my early-June vacation ] 1 June update Only one new release review is up for this week. It's Lo Chi-leung's Double Tap, a film starring Leslie Cheung and Alex Fong in an actioner plot mainly about guns and killing. Though entertaining enough in the cinema, there's very little to cling on top afterward with this high-budget offering. On the home video side of things, DVD information is added for Steve Cheng's Violent Cop. This week's update is a bit thin as I prepare for a vacation, and unfortunately there will be no more updates until mid-June 2000. I'll be heading to Australia, and making regular updates simply won't be possible while I'm down there. Thank you to those of you who gave feedback on this site design and have passed me their links - I'll be incorporating your suggestions when I'm back in town and updating again in a fortnight! * Updates from 21 November 1999 to 23 May 2000 are on this page

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