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Turning Point (DVD) (US Version)
Anthony Wong (Actor)
| Francis Ng (Actor)
| Michael Tse (Actor)
| Herman Yau (Director)
Before the Hong Kong TV series E.U. premiered back in February 2009 on local TV station TVB, the buzz was all about it being the third drama in the Academy series (a.k.a. TVB's attempt at a contemporary version of the 80s Police Cadet series) and the glorious return of Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei to TVB after a ten-year absence. However, no one expected that a supporting character named Laughing Gor (played by Young and Dangerous veteran Michael Tse) would end up overshadowing stars Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and even Kathy Chow. When the wisecracking triad boss/undercover cop Laughing Gor died, the "Laughing Gor" group on Facebook skyrocketed to 150,000-plus members, making him one of the most popular... [read more]
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McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong (DVD+AVCD Edition) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Anthony Wong
| Sandra Ng
| the pancakes
| Brian Tse (Director, Producer)
That lovable little pig with the low IQ, McDull returns in the long-awaited McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong. Formerly known as McDull Wudang among other names, this long-in-production sequel supplies the same stuff that the previous animated McDull movies did - a love of Hong Kong culture, abundant local satire, identifiable emotions, and simply the resigned feeling that it's okay to live an average life. That last message sounds like a total downer, and in some ways the previous McDull movies were. However, both My Life as McDull and McDull, Prince de la Bun gave that message a strange and affectionate nobility, making an average or below-average life seem sad, pathetic and yet worthy and... [read more]
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Overheard (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Lau Ching Wan (Actor)
| Daniel Wu (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Michael Wong
Writer-director pair Alan Mak and Felix Chong have improved...at getting along with China. Their last film, Lady Cop and Papa Crook, was famously delayed for six months because it couldn't gain approval from Chinese censors, and the resulting film was bewildering, schizophrenic and an unqualified disappointment. The duo's new thriller, Overheard, could have had similar issues, as is it concerns a trio of cops (Lau Ching-Wan, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo) who embark on a deepening series of crimes. Despite being fundamentally decent men, the cops should be punished according to the usual "someone must pay" rules outlined by SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television). Not to give... [read more]
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Till Death Shall We Start (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Richard Ng
| Anthony Chan
| Jor Chung Sing
| Alfred Cheung
Originally released back in 1990 when the Hong Kong ghost comedy was enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, Till Death Shall we Start joined the ranks of films with suspiciously familiar sounding titles, including the likes of Till Death do we Scare and Till Death do us Laugh. The film was directed by none other than Ricky Lau, who had been responsible for one of the genre's very best and biggest hits in the form of the immortal Mr Vampire. Here, he teams with two of the period's top comic titles in Anthony Chan (Happy Bigamist) and Richard Ng (Winners and Sinners) in a manic, bawdy romp that now makes a very welcome return to DVD. The film gets off to a lively start, with Anthony Chan as David... [read more]
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Buttonman (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Francis Ng (Actor)
| Terri Kwan (Actor)
| Leon Dai (Actor)
| Hsieh Cheng Jun
Grim crime drama Buttonman is the latest offering from rising Taiwanese director Chien Ren Hao, previously responsible for The Underground Order. The film is the first from Taiwan to be produced by Hong Kong company Mei Ah, and boasts a suitably impressive cast which includes Francis Ng, Leon Dai, Huang Yue, Terri Kwan and Janet Lee. Although its premise, revolving around a body disposal man, may suggest the potential for a grisly suspense thriller, the film earns kudos for taking a very different and far less conventional route. Hong Kong veteran Francis Ng stars as Wei, the titular Buttonman, a man who works freelance for the gangs, cleaning up after murders, and who apparently earned his... [read more]
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Pretty Ghost (DVD) (Joy Sales Version) (Hong Kong Version)
Tony Leung Ka Fai (Actor)
| Rosamund Kwan (Actor)
| Ellen Chan (Actor)
| Chua Lam (Producer)
It's time again for that most uniquely Hong Kong of genres, the ghost comedy romance, with the re-release of the 1991 outing Pretty Ghost. The film, which apparently also went under the bizarrely inaccurate title of Alien Wife (the film features no aliens, and no wives), marked the directorial debut of Teddy Chan, who went on the helm the likes of Purple Storm, the Jackie Chan vehicle The Accidental Spy, and the forthcoming Bodyguards and Assassins. Offering the usual mix of slapstick gags, ghostly goings on and improbable human-spirit relations, the film handed Tony Leung Ka Fai (Election) an early, if not particularly dignified leading role, and boasted a couple of gorgeous leading ladies... [read more]
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Invitation Only (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Bryant Chang (Actor)
| Jerry Huang (Actor)
| Ozawa Maria (Actor)
| Zhu Lei An (Actor)
Taken globally, Taiwanese slasher Invitation Only is just another film following in the footsteps of the "torture porn" vogue, as exemplified by Saw, Hostel and a bunch of other films that delight in slow, nearly affectionate scenes of human mutilation. Invitation Only has the signifiers that one expects - defenseless victims, severed limbs, buckets of blood, unflinching gore, gratuitous nudity - and qualifies as a perfectly serviceable entry in this notorious genre. Unfortunately, the film also has some of the genre's negative signifiers, like bad dialogue, bad acting, and a premise that's less chilling than it is familiar, especially since this nihilistic genre has become so firmly... [read more]
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Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You (DVD) (3-Disc Special Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Gigi Lai (Actor)
| Eric Suen (Actor)
| Zhang Jin (Actor)
| Tats Lau
Directed by Adrian Kwan, previously responsible for the likes of The Miracle Box and the Sam Lee horror Scaremonger, turns his attention to the age-old sports underdog story with Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You. The film is based on the true story of the Hong Kong homeless football team, following them and their Christian social worker as they try to beat the odds and make it to the Homeless World Cup Finals in Germany. Featuring an amiable cast of familiar Hong Kong and Mainland faces, including Eric Suen and TVB actress Gigi Lai in her last cinema role, the film attempts to inspire and to put forward a universal message of courage in the face of adversity - and generally succeeds, if... [read more]
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Kung Fu Girl (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Cheng Pei Pei (Actor)
| James Tien (Actor)
| Au Wei (Actor)
| Lo Wai (Director)
Kung Fu Girl, also known as None but the Brave, was originally released back in 1973 as a vehicle for Cheng Pei Pei, the former Shaw Brothers martial arts queen, who had been lured back to Hong Kong by Golden Harvest after apparently giving up her career and moving to the US. Having starred in the likes of Come Drink with Me, Golden Swallow and The Lady Hermit, she had chosen to retire at the very top of her profession, and indeed the film marked her second last appearance for almost a decade before she gradually moved back to the genre in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in her major comeback role in Ang Lee’s 2000 blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Kung Fu Girl was directed by Lo... [read more]
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Love Connected (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Stephy Tang (Actor)
| Kay Tse (Actor)
| I Love You Boyz (Actor)
| Justin Lo (Actor)
Love Connected is the latest outing from Hong Kong director Patrick Kong, who previously enjoyed commercial success with the likes of Nobody’s Perfect, Marriage with a Fool and Love is Not All Around. Although 2008 did see him dabble in the horror genre with Forgive and Forget, here he returns to more familiar ground with a series of interconnecting tales about love and human relationships, backed by an all star cast of familiar faces. Of course, as usual Kong takes a bittersweet look at romance, though here his touch is somewhat lighter than usual, perhaps unsurprisingly, given that the film hit screens on Valentine's Day. Taking place on February 14th itself, the film revolves around 5... [read more]
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Trail of the Panda (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Harashima Daichi (Actor)
| Zhang Qi (Actor)
| Yu Zhong (Director)
| Feng Li (Actor)
Disney attempts invasion of the China market again with the family-friendly drama Trail of the Panda. The Mouse House's second China production after the live-action/animated film The Magic Gourd, Trail of the Panda attempts a global marketing masterstroke through the presence of China's super-cute bamboo-eating national treasure, the Giant Panda. The filmmakers also multiply the cuteness factor by employing not just a Giant Panda, but an adorable Giant Panda cub. The only way this idea could be even more foolproof is if the panda knows kung-fu. Told in flashback, the story concerns Lu (Daichi Harashima of Lost in Time), a young boy living in the mountains with his foster guardian Lao Chen... [read more]
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Written By (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Lau Ching Wan (Actor)
| Wai Ka Fai (Director)
| Kelly Lin (Actor)
| Mia Yim (Actor)
A message about living wrapped in numerous self-referential layers, Written By is about dealing with pain by writing a story about writing a story about writing a story. Got that? Wai Ka-Fai's bittersweet fantasy-drama features characters who cope with grief by writing an alternate reality, and the film becomes so steeped in its own layers of character-created fiction that it simply begs discussion. Stepping back a bit, screenwriters in the real world actually did write Written By's story, so one has to ask: were co-writers Wai and Au Kin-Yee exorcising some personal demons when they wrote their story about writing a story? Is this a metafilm about the catharsis of creativity? Or is this... [read more]
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Tea Fight (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Vic Chou (Actor)
| Eric Tsang (Actor)
| Kagawa Teruyuki (Actor)
| Ning Chang (Actor)
Here's an exclamation you probably don't hear very often: "Tea Fight!" Director Wang Ye-Ming's Tea Fight is an original creation, though one would be forgiven if they mistook it for one of the numerous "based on manga" movies hitting the international multiplexes. Let's see: it takes an exotic Asian topic (tea culture), applies bogus legends and cultural concepts, gives the whole subject undue reverence, and features oddball characters who seem to think they're behaving in a perfectly normal manner. Undercranked chase sequences and a convoluted love pentagon seal the deal on this one. Tea Fight is basically a shonen manga brought to life, except it's an original concept, and lacks the truly... [read more]
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Shinjuku Incident (DVD) (Uncut Version) (Hong Kong Version)
Jackie Chan (Actor)
| Daniel Wu (Actor)
| Xu Jing Lei (Actor)
| Derek Yee (Director)
A combination of immigrant drama and gangland thriller, Shinjuku Incident probably could not have been made without Jackie Chan. The action star's popularity makes him the film's key figure, and a great deal of audience want-to-see is likely due to his presence. Unfortunately, Chan's much-publicized against-type casting does not prove entirely successful. Jackie Chan isn't a bad actor, but his personality and screen persona are so well established - and his previous films so very dependent on them - that it’s hard to see him as anyone other than the screen icon we know and love. He proves an odd fit in a dark dramatic thriller like Shinjuku Incident, his humanity and everyman likeability... [read more]
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The Maid (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Kelvin Tong (Director)
| Chen Shu Cheng (Actor)
| Alessandra de Rossi (Actor)
Imagine moving to a foreign country as a domestic worker. You're placed with a family that you know nothing about. You don't speak the language, and you're unfamiliar with the local customs. Although you're allowed to leave the house, your movements are ostensibly isolated to one location and you have little opportunity to make new friends. Further, you can't call or e-mail your family members to let them know how you're doing. In fact, your only form of contact - writing letters - is regulated by your employers. Although you could leave your position at any time and return home, it would be an ill-advised move since a) quitting would likely result in a bureaucratic and financial nightmare... [read more]
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Ashes of Time Redux (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Jacky Cheung (Actor)
| Leslie Cheung (Actor)
| Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Actor)
| Brigitte Lin (Actor)
Ashes of Time Redux provokes mixed feelings. One immediate emotion is elation, as this is Wong Kar-Wai revisiting one of his classics, restoring the elements to the quality they deserve. Another possible emotion is disappointment, as Wong has tinkered with his original 1994 cut, and the changes are arguably beneficial. In going back to Ashes of Time, Wong chose to modify the film for a post-In the Mood For Love/2046 audience, and one has to wonder if the effort was really necessary. Two action sequences were removed, the remaining one truncated, the music score reworked, and the film reedited for smoother pacing, a more reverent tone, and - one would imagine - more coherent storytelling.... [read more]
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I Corrupt All Cops (DVD) (Special Limited Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Eason Chan (Actor)
| Tony Leung Ka Fai (Actor)
| Anthony Wong (Actor)
| Wong Jing (Director, Actor, Producer)
Spanning roughly a decade with three parallel plot threads, Wong Jing's latest opus I Corrupt All Cops is undoubtedly his most ambitious film in years. However, considering the schlock master's recent track record, it doesn't take much to make an ambitious Wong Jing movie. Still, we should be appreciative of what Wong has to work with this time around - an intriguing historical background as well as an impressive cast that includes Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, and Eason Chan. The cast also includes Wong favorite Meng Yao and pop star Alex Fong Lik-Sun, but we won't count that against him. Cleverly titled with the abbreviation "ICAC", I Corrupt All Cops is partly about the establishment of Hong... [read more]
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The First 7th Night (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Julian Cheung (Actor)
| Gordon Lam (Actor)
| Michelle Yip (Actor)
| Fung Hak On (Actor)
At first glance, The First 7th Night looks like a horror movie, but the film surprises, becoming both less and more than one would expect. Director Herman Yau adds to his incredibly varied filmography with this languid suspense drama that succeeds thanks to good performances and some sly changes in tone. Gordon Lam stars as a taxi driver who goes by the nickname "Map King" because he knows how to get to any destination imaginable. One evening, he's charged with guiding a cargo truck driver to the mysterious Moon and Sun Village - a place that only he knows how to get to - and he reluctantly agrees after being promised a sizable fee. The client is Pony (Julian Cheung), an implacable,... [read more]
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The Forbidden Legend Sex And Chopsticks II (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Hasekawase Rina (Actor)
| Wakana Hikaru (Actor)
| Uehara Kaera (Actor)
| Leung Man Yee (Actor)
The category III sexploitation revival continues with The Forbidden Legend: Sex and Chopsticks 2 the next instalment of director Chin Man Kei's adaptation of the Chinese text Jin Pin Mei a.k.a. The Plum in the Golden Vase. Chin is certainly more than qualified to reintroduce viewers to the crazy excesses and pleasures of the form, having been responsible for some of its finest hours during the heyday of the mid 1990s, including Sex and Zen 2 (starring none other than Shu Qi) andThe Eternal Evil of Asia. Thanks no doubt to the presence of a gorgeous bunch of brave actresses and AV starlet beauties, the films have proved a surprise success, hopefully with more of the same on the way,... [read more]
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Coming Soon (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Yongyoot Thongkongtoon (Producer)
New Thai horror Coming Soon certainly has an impressive pedigree, with debut director Sophon Sakdaphisit having written two of the country's best recent genre hits in the form of Shutter and Alone and with producer Yongyoot Thongkongtoon having worked on the recent 4bia as well as the popular comedy The Iron Ladies. The film was a domestic box office hit upon its original Halloween 2008 release, boosted no doubt by its young cast, including Chantawit Thanasewee (also in Hormones) and pop singer Punch, here making her first screen appearance. Thankfully, their presence doesn't mean that the film is a lightweight teen friendly affair, with Sakdaphisit doing his best to notch up plenty of... [read more]
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