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Rahtree: Flower of The Night aka : Buppah Rahtree (Hong Kong Version)
Sipparak Yuthlert (Director)
Comes with the horror and the laughsSometimes reminding me of the mix and match neighborhood in Kung Fu Hustle and sometimes of William Friedkin's 70s classic The Exorcist, Rahtree: Flower of The Night sums up as a horror movie I watched with a smile on my face. It all begins with a reflection by the main male lead, Ake (Krit Sripoomseth), who introduces the viewer to a mysterious girl called Rahtree (Laila Boonyasak). Ake attempts to win the interest of the girl, who is both an object of desire and a person veiled in secrecy because her good looks somehow don't match with her odd behavior. After he succeeds and wins her love, he reveals that his efforts to win her love are connected with a scam by a group of boys betting on... [read more]
November 16, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Kung Fu Chefs (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Sammo Hung (Actor)
| Vanness Wu (Actor)
| Cherrie Ying (Actor)
| Fan Siu Wong
After Kung Fu Fighter, it's understandable to want to run away screaming at the mere thought of another Ken Yip-directed Kung Fu-titled movie starring the tagteam of Vanness Wu, Fan Siu Wong, and those Kung Fu Hustle guys. I certainly went in expecting the worst, but Kung Fu Chefs turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. The film has way better production values than Kung Fu Fighter, and there's a feel-good, self-effacing wackiness to the whole thing that makes it hard to hate on. Plus, Sammo Hung is in it! As a kung fu-in-the-kitchen action movie, Kung Fu Chefs is as silly and chop-socky as the premise and production pedigree promise. Sammo Hung plays a master cook who gets kicked out of... [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)
Is there any film director working in Hong Kong nowadays who is more prolific than Herman Yau? Just in the last 12 months alone, he's got five films released theatrically: the award-winning prostitute pic True Women For Sale, horror drama The First 7th Night, Shaw studio reviver Turning Point, thriller-comedy Split Second Murders, and gangster actioner Rebellion. Despite being small low-budget quickie fare, Yau's films are often well crafted and original, but some do slip off the radar of the cinema-going public. The First 7th Night unfortunately was doomed to such undeserved oblivion, as it is actually one of the better Hong Kong horror films out there most filmgoers have never seen. An old... [read more]
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Princess Mononoke (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Miyazaki Hayao (Producer)
Honestly, I have already lost count of how many times Miyazaki Hayao has amazed me with his incredible creativity. Following in the tradition of Miyazaki's other features, Princess Mononoke is filled with all the essential ingredients you could expect in an animation of this scope including valiant heroes, man's ongoing struggle with nature, and bizarre and fantastic characters. The tale takes place in an ancient time when the forests are protected by animals with god-like strength. Caught in the middle of the fight between the forest's guardian animals and a tribe trying to conquer the forest are San and Prince Ashitaka. The former is a girl raised by a wolf deity who does everything to... [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)
If I had to pick one movie character that most embodied Hong Kong, it would have to be McDull. On the outset, McDull seems an unlikely candidate. Hong Kong is fast, smart, trendy, materialistic, on the ball. McDull is slow, naive, emotional, and not very bright. Also, he's an animated kindergarten pig. And yet, one would be hard-pressed to name another figure that captures the local culture, sentiments, landscape, language, and lifestyle of Hong Kong as well as McDull does. The neverending urban redevelopment, the cycle of newfangled trends, the flurry of accents and colloquialisms, the obsession with success, and, yes, even the potty humor in McDull's world are all quintessentially Hong... [read more]
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Police Story (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Jackie Chan (Director, Actor)
| Maggie Cheung Man Yuk (Actor)
| Brigitte Lin (Actor)
| Leonard Ho (Producer)
Jackie Chan stars, directs, and even sings the theme song "Story of a Hero" for the full-throttle action extravaganza Police Story, which also doesn't fall short on humor-injected scenes. Chan plays Chan Ka Kui, a passionate police officer who, in spite of his indulgent lifestyle, is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure that law and order are maintained. Chan soon turns into a thorn in the side of drug trafficking mastermind Chu (Chor Yuen) who vows to get rid of the ambitious cop for good. With swift pace and action to match, Police Story presents itself as an exemplary genre work, starting with the opening chase scene that sees Jackie dangling at the side of a double-decker bus... [read more]
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Howl's Moving Castle (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Miyazaki Hayao
I can't recall how, but sadly, I missed Howl's Moving Castle on the big screen. With the benefit of hindsight, it's another jewel from anime dream weaver Miyazaki Hayao. Miyazaki's impressive full-length feature tells the tale of Sophie Hatter, fittingly the operator of a hat shop. Her life is changed forever after she runs into the charming sorcerer Howl who helps her out of trouble when she is harassed by two problem-seeking guardsmen. The Witch of the Waste, who has a liking for Howl, does not like the way things are developing and casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into a 90-year-old woman. Heading out into the sphere where demons and magic rule, Sophie attempts to find a way to... [read more]
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Model From Hell (DVD) (New Version) (Hong Kong Version)
Simon Yam (Actor)
| Maggie Q (Actor)
| Chiu Chan Keung (Director)
| Ram Chiang
Model From Hell has the letters B, A, and D written all over it, for it's plagued with below-par acting, an atrocious script, and some dreadful effects. So what makes this a keeper instead of a skipper? Why, Maggie Q of course! The American-Vietnamese model-turned-actress has risen to fame as a sex symbol and action starlet after appearing in Hollywood blockbusters like Mission: Impossible III and Die Hard 4.0 (a.k.a. Live Free or Die Hard), and Hong Kong cult hit Naked Weapon. But as is often the case, before majesty comes mediocrity. Maggie Q took her first (mis)step on her road to international movie stardom in this coarsely-made, low-budget little Hong Kong flick in 2000. That said, this... [read more]
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The Big Boss (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Bruce Lee (Actor)
| Nora Miao (Actor)
| James Tien (Actor)
| Yi Yi (Actor)
There are some movies that stick with you for a lifetime. Led by Bruce Lee's charismatic performance in his Hong Kong silver-screen debut, The Big Boss (a.k.a. Fists of Fury) fascinated me in my teens and still ranks high in my list of favorites. The legendary Bruce Lee rises to the occasion in his role as protagonist Cheng Chao An. Bound by an oath to stay out of fights and trouble, Cheng heads off to Thailand to try to make a living while he stays with relatives. Hired as a factory worker, his suppressed martial arts skills are soon tested when he uncovers that his company is involved in drug trafficking and will do anything to keep things as they are. Definitely worth a replay from time... [read more]
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Black & White (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Vol. 1) (To Be Continued) (Taiwan Version)
Vic Chou (Actor)
| Mark Chao (Actor)
| Ning Chang (Actor)
| Ivy Chen (Actor)
Tsai Yueh Hsun, the director who put Taiwan idol dramas on the map back in 2001 with Meteor Garden, redefines the genre in 2009 with the big-budget buddy cop mini-series Black & White. As Tsai's most expensive and large-scale project yet, Black & White lives up to the buzz and then some extra. Black & White is undoubtedly one of the best Taiwan TV dramas I've seen, and certainly the most ambitious and exciting police drama the island has ever produced. Set in a Chinese city where cops brandish American-style badges, Black & White revolves around its eponymous heroes, Chen Zai Tine (Vic Chou) and Wu Ying Xiong (Mark Chao), two police officers of vastly different personalities who get... [read more]
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4 Bia (AKA: Phobia) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Banjong Pisonthanakun (Director)
| Parkpoom Wongpoom (Director)
| Yongyoot Thongkongtoon (Director)
Anthology movies are the movie industry's answer to the fast food culture. Stringing together several usually unrelated segments into a feature-length movie comes at the expense of plot and character development, but that is accepted as long as the variety in flavor keeps the audience interested. This principle works especially well with the horror/thriller genre. 2008 Thai movie 4bia (a play on the word "phobia") is a prime example of a delectable horror set meal. Directed by the cream of Thailand's scare masters, 4bia serves up 4 dishes of spooky short stories, ensuring that there's something for different audiences. The appetizer is Iron Ladies helmer Youngyooth Thongkonthun's Happiness.... [read more]
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Survivor's Law (DVD) (End) (TVB Drama)
Raymond Lam (Actor)
| Bernice Liu (Actor)
| Myolie Wu (Actor)
| Sammul Chan (Actor)
TVB generally fares well in ratings and quality when it comes to modern dramas revolving around professional fields like law, medicine, and forensics, so in retrospect it's not surprising that Survivor's Law, a work-meets-romance series about young ambitious lawyers, became a hit when it aired in Hong Kong in summer 2003. Headlined by a new-generation cast of TVB's future A-list, Survivor's Law was one of the first post-2000 dramas to rely completely on young actors to carry the show, and even more importantly, one of the first to prove that young actors could carry a drama to high ratings. Survivor's Law came during a crucial turning point period when TVB was pushing its new class to the... [read more]
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Games Gamblers Play (DVD) (Digitally Remastered) (Hong Kong Version)
Samuel Hui (Actor)
| Michael Hui (Director, Actor)
| Raymond Chow (Producer)
The Hui brothers are comedians you can bet your money onOn the Hong Kong music scene, Sam Hui has earned his eternal place as Godfather of Canto-pop through such evergreen songs as "Genius and Fool", "Paper Boats", and "The God of Fortune Has Arrived". Teaming up with his brothers Michael and Ricky, he shows that his acting skills also deserve attention. In Games Gamblers Play Hui portrays Kit, a small-time criminal whose luck is in a critical phase. To make things worse, after trying to outsmart a thief of stolen gambling money at a casino, he gets caught red-handed and is put behind bars. As luck would have it, he runs into professional con man Man (Michael Hui) with whom he hopes to get his hands on some extra money after their prison term is... [read more]
June 9, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Triad Story (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Stephen Chow (Actor)
| Ng Man Tat (Actor)
| Shing Fui On (Actor)
| Wu Ma (Actor)
For a long time one of the most elusive titles in Stephen Chow's filmography, Triad Story is finally released on DVD almost 20 years after its theatrical run. Regrettably, the budget of the DVD production was obviously very tight, so much so that the manufacturer couldn't find a decent picture for the packaging box and had to settle on using a photo of a pair of melting wax figures instead. Nevertheless, this should not discourage you from buying this movie. Quite the contrary, this movie demands a place on your DVD shelf, particularly if you claim to be a Stephen Chow fan or collector. Triad Story enjoys the unique status of being the only Stephen Chow movie to earn the film rating of... [read more]
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City On Fire (DVD) (Digitally Remastered) (Hong Kong Version)
Chow Yun Fat (Actor)
| Danny Lee (Actor)
| Chuen Yet (Actor)
| Karl Mak (Producer)
If you thought Tony Leung Chiu Wai's undercover role in Infernal Affairs offered viewers an unprecedented role model, think again. In City on Fire veteran actor Chow Yun Fat encounters his share of criminal hell as an undercover cop up against all odds. Chow Yun Fat plays Ko Chow, a do-all police officer who finds himself in the uncomfortable presence of a merciless gang of jewel robbers after he is assigned to take up the role of a former undercover cop who was killed in the line of duty. Originally planning to put down his gun for good to marry his beloved girlfriend Hung, Chow, to his dismay, is soon assigned to tread the line between good and bad again. Moving deeper and deeper into the... [read more]
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If You Are The One (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Shu Qi (Actor)
| Ge You (Actor)
| Feng Xiao Gang (Director)
| Vivian Hsu (Actor)
Shu Qi and veteran actor Ge You experience an extended blind date on the sea, in the air, and on land in Feng Xiaogang's romantic comedy If You Are The One. Ge You plays inventor Qin Fen whose financial situation couldn't look any better thanks to his latest invention. His personal life however is somewhat of a problem as he enters a stage in his life in which he becomes increasingly tired of being alone. He posts an online ad to finally find the right person to spend the rest of his life with him. As a result, he meets all kinds of women, few of whom he really considers to be the right choice. When he runs into sympathetic stewardess Smiley (Shu Qi), he seems to have found his match, or has... [read more]
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Cape No. 7 (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Van Fan (Actor)
| Tanaka Chie (Actor)
| Atari Kosuke (Actor)
| Wei Te Sheng (Director)
Taiwan greets the world with own dose of musicA love story revolving around a bundle of lost love letters and a stand-by rock group in a faraway Taiwanese coast village, Cape No. 7 builds up to an engaging film about past and new lovers wrapped up in a lot of situational comedy. The film begins with a flashback to postwar Taiwan when the Japanese who earlier occupied Taiwan are returning to Japan. Among them is a teacher who is unable to express his feelings to his love, and later decides to make up for it by sending a series of love letters. The film moves on to the present with Aga (Van Fan), a rebellious Taiwanese musician riding his motorbike and angry about the fact that he still hasn't become a big star. The film also introduces... [read more]
April 21, 2009 Picked By A-Xiang Joe See all this editor's picks
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Security Unlimited (DVD) (Digitally Remastered) (Hong Kong Version)
Samuel Hui (Actor)
| Michael Hui (Director, Actor)
| Ricky Hui (Actor)
| Raymond Chow (Producer)
A comedy gold mine waiting to be rediscoveredThe Hui Brothers filled the void left by Bruce Lee and practically ruled Hong Kong Cinema in most of the 1970s. Their surge in prominence began with Games Gamblers Play in 1974. Equipped with a keen eye for the peculiarities of life and society, and a knack to turn them into belly-bursting jokes, the funnymen trio made themselves household names with a succession of powerful laugh bombs that even newer generations raised on Stephen Chow comedies should find appealing. The Hui Brothers were in the prime of their career and could seemingly do no wrong. Going into the 80s, the comedy icons were at it again, making their fifth collaboration, Security Unlimited. This time, the lesser-known Hui... [read more]
April 14, 2009 Picked By dian See all this editor's picks
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Basic Love (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Elanne Kwong (Actor)
| Janice Man (Actor)
| Rex Ho (Actor)
| Xu Zheng Xi (Actor)
It's too bad that Basic Love has fallen so completely under the radar as it's one of the few true romances to come out of Hong Kong in recent years. Certainly, out of the four love-titled films that hit Hong Kong theaters around Valentine's Day, Basic Love is the only one that resembles anything close to a moving love story. Hong Kong Cinema's take on romance in the last few years have consisted largely of glossy rom-coms and Patrick Kong blockbusters that equate modern love with a game of deceit. In such an atmosphere, Basic Love feels almost unique for sticking to a classic love-triangle melodrama, and remaining refreshingly free of agenda and cynicism. An oddly sincere release, especially... [read more]
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Basic Love (DVD) (US Version)
Elanne Kwong (Actor)
| Janice Man (Actor)
| Rex Ho (Actor)
| Xu Zheng Xi (Actor)
It's too bad that Basic Love has fallen so completely under the radar as it's one of the few true romances to come out of Hong Kong in recent years. Certainly, out of the four love-titled films that hit Hong Kong theaters around Valentine's Day, Basic Love is the only one that resembles anything close to a moving love story. Hong Kong Cinema's take on romance in the last few years have consisted largely of glossy rom-coms and Patrick Kong blockbusters that equate modern love with a game of deceit. In such an atmosphere, Basic Love feels almost unique for sticking to a classic love-triangle melodrama, and remaining refreshingly free of agenda and cynicism. An oddly sincere release, especially... [read more]
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