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Yang Yang (DVD) (2-Disc Edition + Movie Book) (Taiwan Version)
Sandrine Pinna (Actor)
| Bryant Chang (Actor)
| Zheng You Jie (Director)
| Shelly Yu (Actor)
Golden Horse Best Actress nominee Sandrine Pinna (Miao Miao) continues her Taiwanese Cinema ascent in director Cheng Yu-Chieh's Yang Yang. The French-Chinese actress plays budding track star Zhang Xin-Yang, or Yang Yang for short. Yang Yang's mother (Shelly Yu) marries her track coach (Chu Lu-Hao), who then becomes Yang Yang's stepfather, with his daughter Xiao-Ru (He Si-Hui) becoming Yang Yang's stepsister. The two girls seem close, but their relationship possesses a hidden and ultimately damaging jealousy. Xiao-Ru's boyfriend Shawn (Bryant Chang of Eternal Summer) has a desire for Yang Yang and she bears some attraction in return. Feeling ashamed of her private betrayal of Xiao-Ru, Yang... [read more]
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The Message (DVD) (China Version)
Zhou Xun (Actor)
| Zhang Han Yu (Actor)
| Wang Zhi Wen (Actor)
| Li Bing Bing (Actor)
All-star Chinese thriller The Message is a tad overblown, but it ultimately provides solid entertainment value to match likely audience expectations. Exec-produced by Feng Xiaogang and directed by Chen Kuo-Fu (Double Vision, The Personals) and Gao Qunshu (Tokyo Trial), The Message tells the story of a spy hunt set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, when Japanese Imperialists controlled a good portion of China. A mysterious individual called Magnum is masterminding the deaths of numerous Japanese officers and Chinese co-conspirators. Looking to quell the wave of terrorism, the Japanese army set a trap to flush Magnum and the Resistance out into the open. The authorities plant false... [read more]
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24 City (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Joan Chen (Actor)
| Lu Li Ping (Actor)
| Zhao Tao (Actor)
| Jia Zhangke (Director)
24 City is the latest offering from sixth generation Mainland China director Jia Zhangke and sees him continuing to explore themes of the country's modern history and economic progress. Here, he does this through a semi-documentary that focuses on the story of a munitions factory, once moved across the country and now being demolished to make way for the titular residential development, named after a quote from a Tang Dynasty poem. Jia is easily one of China's most interesting and challenging directors, and so it should come as no surprise that the film is a complex affair which works on many levels, both metaphorical and intimate. He is also one of the country's most acclaimed and award... [read more]
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Accident (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Richie Jen (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Johnnie To (Producer)
| Soi Cheang (Director)
Slip in the shower recently? Well, it wasn't a random accident - someone was trying to murder you in the most circuitous way possible. At least, that's what Ho Kwok-Fai (Louis Koo) of the Milkyway-produced Accident (working title: Assassins) seems to be thinking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A paranoid thriller about hitmen who kill in roundabout ways, Accident was brought to you by director Soi Cheang, whose last film Shamo was as guiltily entertaining as it was bizarre and ill conceived. Accident hews closer to Cheang's Dog Bite Dog, restoring the director's tense storytelling style while eschewing the brutal violence that characterized his last two films. With some contribution from the... [read more]
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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
At first glance, Kung Fu Chef looks as cheesy and low-rent as 2007's unimpressive Kung Fu Fighter. The combo of director Yip Wing-Kin and stars Vanness Wu and Fan Siu-Wong couldn't prevent Kung Fu Fighter from being a crappy Kung Fu Hustle clone, and since they all return for Kung Fu Chef, it's understandable if confidence in this latest Kung Fu [insert noun] iteration is not high. But Kung Fu Chef surprises. Thanks to decent fight scenes, fun cooking scenes and the presence of the venerable Sammo Hung, the film surpasses its numerous negatives to deliver something approximating decent, harmless fun. Who knew? Sammo Hung stars as martial arts chef Wong Ping-Yee, who years ago saved a banquet... [read more]
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Crazy Racer (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Jiu Kong (Actor)
| Huang Bo (Actor)
| Jack Kao (Actor)
| Jie Xiang (Actor)
Ning Hao, the talented director behind Crazy Stone, is back with Crazy Racer, the latest in his unofficial series of clever and enormously entertaining Chinese caper comedies. Originally called Silver Medalist, Crazy Racer stars the affable but unattractive Huang Bo (Crazy Stone, Fit Lover) as professional cyclist Geng Hao, whose initial gold medal win in a cycling competition is immediately downgraded to silver medal status. Afterwards, he's framed for doping and summarily banned from the sport, plus his coach (Ma Shao-Hua) suffers a stroke. It seems life couldn't be worse for Geng Hao. Geng Hao's downtrodden status doesn't change, but it does open up a Pandora's Box of crazy circumstances,... [read more]
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Dream Lovers (Joy Sales Version) (Hong Kong Version)
Chow Yun Fat (Actor)
| Brigitte Lin (Actor)
| Yeung Suet Yee (Actor)
| Lam Chung
Drenched in melancholy and regret, Dream Lovers is the kind of movie that drives the well-balanced amongst us into a deep depression.Chow Yun-fat plays a conductor of classical music who returns to Hong Kong as the toast of the town after spending years overseas with his fiance. The two buy an apartment and settle in as young people with a future. Before they can even move in the furniture, Chow Yun-fat becomes possessed by visions and dreams of Brigitte Lin (who isn't?) finding himself hypnotically drawn to the exhibition of terra cotta warriors recently excavated from the Qin Emperor's grave. His fiance can only stand by and wonder what's up. What's up? Reincarnation. Chow and Brigitte are... [read more]
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Tracing Shadow (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Francis Ng (Actor, Director)
| Jaycee Chan (Actor)
| Pace Wu (Actor)
| Xie Na (Actor)
Tracing Shadow marks the fourth directorial outing for popular Hong Kong Star Francis Ng, and sees him again co-helming with Marco Mak, who he previously worked with on Dancing Lion. The film itself is somewhat of a throwback to the glory days of Hong Kong cinema, being a wacky martial arts comedy that focuses on the search for a legendary treasure. Although essentially pretty daft, it does pack in plenty of action, and boasts an appealing cast that includes Ng himself, along with Jaycee Chan (who recently impressed in Jiang Wen's excellent The Sun Also Rises), and actresses Pace Wu (Marriage with a Fool) and Xie Na (Two Stupid Eggs). The film begins during the Ming Dynasty with a gang of... [read more]
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On His Majesty's Secret Service (DVD) (US Version)
Sandra Ng (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Barbie Hsu (Actor)
| Fan Siu Wong
Wong Jing goes back to the old school with On his Majesty's Secret Service, a truly madcap period set comedy in the classic early 1990s style. Although the master of the form himself, Stephen Chow, isn't starring in such films anymore, there's certainly no reason to stop making them, and in his absence, Louis Koo has stepped up to the plate, accompanied by a great cast of Hong Kong and Mainland stars including Barbie Hsu, Tong Dawei (Red Cliff II), Song Jia (Curiosity Killed the Cat), Liu Yang (Bullet & Brain), Fan Siu Wong (recently in Ip Man) and even veteran genre favourite Sandra Ng. The plot, such as it is, follows Koo as Royal Dog, an inventor and royal guard, who does his best to... [read more]
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Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Ronald Cheng (Actor)
| Alex Fong Lik Sun (Actor)
| Hu Jun (Actor)
| Betty Sun (Actor)
With so many Chinese films still being called Kung Fu something or other, and with the continuing global success of Michael Bay's blockbuster Transformers franchise, Kung Fu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction was pretty much inevitable. The Hong Kong director getting in on the act is none other than Jeffrey Lau, who previously had hits with the likes of A Chinese Tall Story and the classic Stephen Chow A Chinese Odyssey vehicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly given Lau's predilection for the mass mixing of genres, although the film's advertising suggested non-stop brawling robots, he delivers something quite different, backed by a top cast of Hong Kong and Mainland stars and some boisterously over the top... [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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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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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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