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The Storm Riders: 10th Anniversary 2-Disc Edition (DVD) (Remastered) (Hong Kong Version)
Ekin Cheng (Actor)
| Aaron Kwok (Actor)
| Shu Qi (Actor)
| Kristy Yang (Actor)
Having reached its tenth anniversary and with a big budget Pang Brothers directed sequel on the way, the remastered re-release of The Storm Riders is both timely and welcome. A massive box office hit on its original 1998 release, the film was a milestone in Hong Kong fantasy cinema, boasting a previously unseen quality and quantity of special effects, out doing even Tsui Hark's classic i>Wu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain. Boasting an all star cast headlined by Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok and including the likes of Anthony Wong, Shu Qi, Alex Fong and legendary Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, the film was a massive event, and set a new standard for the genre. The plot is classical wuxia style... [read more]
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Once A Thief (VCD) (Digitally Remastered) (Hong Kong Version)
Leslie Cheung (Actor)
| Chow Yun Fat (Actor)
| Cherie Chung (Actor)
| Paul Chu Kong
There are two John Woos in this world - a grim one and an entertainer - and on the heels of the masterwork of one John Woo A Bullet in the Head, came the masterwork of the other John Woo, Once a Thief. A seven-tiered wedding cake riddled with deep, bubbling veins of caffeinated chocolate, this light-as-champagne romp stars Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung as art thieves on the French Riviera. Orphaned at an early age, these three had no choice but to turn fabulous and make a living pinching high-priced art from frustrated Frenchies. Betrayed by their evil adoptive father, the high life takes a turn for the worse and the three wind up returning to Hong Kong with Chow Yun-fat in a... [read more]
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The Sniper (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Richie Jen (Actor)
| Huang Xiao Ming (Actor)
| Edison Chen (Actor)
| Bowie Lam
Long awaited and perhaps even dreaded, Dante Lam's The Sniper arrives in Hong Kong cinemas with the explosive force of a hollow point bullet splintering flimsy balsa wood. A routine actioner with a pared-down, unfinished storyline, Sniper comes with solid action sequences and a super-serious tone that borders on campy. At less than ninety minutes, the film moves by so quickly and forcefully that one need not linger on the macho stereotypes or hanging plot threads. Instead, one can admire the toned male bodies, badass character types and the abundance of polished gun metal. Tolerance for bombast is a must. Entertainment? That's possible too, with the right expectations. Richie Jen stars as... [read more]
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A Very Short Life (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Maggie Shiu (Actor)
| Leila Tong (Actor)
| Pinky Cheung (Actor)
| Samuel Pang (Actor)
With Hong Kong cinema not always being known for its sensitive side, a Category III rated drama about child abuse and murder may not initially sound like a particularly appetising prospect. Thankfully, A Very Short Life which was written and directed by Fatal Move helmer Dennis Law, takes a serious look at the taboo subject, and whilst following in many ways the old fashioned Category III true crime blueprint, he generally eschews exploitation in favour of depth and sadness. Inevitably controversial upon its initial release, the film does have a feeling of being torn from the headlines, and draws upon tragic real life cases and events. The plot unfolds very much in traditional style, via... [read more]
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Sick Nurses (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Prachya Pinkaew (Producer)
Although the modern Asian ghost genre continues to languish in the creative doldrums, it does throw up the occasional gem, such as the delirious Sick Nurses from Thai directors Thospol Siriwiwat and Piraphan Laoyont. A truly whacked-out and imaginatively grotesque variation on the tired old themes, the film has been gathering somewhat of a cult reputation, playing at festivals and having already earned itself an international DVD release. The basic set up sounds depressingly familiar - a group of nurses at a hospital are haunted and killed by the vengeful ghost of Tahwan (Chol Wajananont), a colleague they murdered after she discovered their black market organ trading. Making matters even... [read more]
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City of Life and Death (DVD-9) (English Subtitled) (China Version)
Liu Ye (Actor)
| Gao Yuan Yuan (Actor)
| Fan Wei (Actor)
| Qin Lan (Actor)
City of Life and Death could potentially inflame audiences without even being seen. Also known as Nanjing! Nanjing!, the film presents a character-based view of the Nanking Massacre (a.k.a. The Rape of Nanking), a period from late 1937 to early 1938 when the Japanese Imperial Army occupied Nanking (or Nanjing), then the capital of China, and reportedly committed numerous atrocities against defenseless Chinese soldiers and citizens. Marked by terrible acts ranging from arson and looting to murder, rape, and mutilation, the incident is a polarizing issue between Japan and China even sixty years later, and given the rising patriotism on both sides, one could easily expect the China-produced... [read more]
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Golden Swallow
Jimmy Wang
| Cheng Pei Pei
| Lo Lieh
Golden Swallow is a classic Chang Cheh movie that brings you to a world of chivalry full of love and blood. The story revolves around a swordswoman dubbed "Golden Swallow" (Cheng Pei-pei), who is by a chivalrous expert Han Tao (Law Lit) and later takes shelter with her rescuer in the Cui Feng Valley. Despite Han's affections, Golden Swallow still maintains her love and loyalty towards another swordsman Xiao Peng (Jimmy Wang Yu). The destinies of these three central characters interweave when Xiao slaughters members of the Golden Dragon gang and, by leaving behind a swallow-shaped hairpin, induces Golden Swallow to step back into the world of chivalry. Now Xiao Peng, Golden Swallow and Han... [read more]
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Desires of the Heart (DVD-9) (English Subtitled) (China Version)
Ge You (Actor)
| Vivian Wu (Actor)
| Fan Bing Bing (Actor)
| Guo Tao (Actor)
Originally conceived as a vehicle for China's top actor Ge You, Desires of the Heart was reworked by director Ma Liwen (You and Me) into an ensemble piece following the lead actor's departure. Instead of the story of one man and his relationships, the film is now about five women and their attempts, successes and failures with love in China's rapidly-changing metropolitan landscape, earmarked by the large offices, grand structures and general finery one associates with the nation's increasingly well-to-do professionals. Sporting an unlikely hairpiece, Ge You now takes on a supporting role as the too-good-to-be-true suitor of middle-aged divorcee Ye Shengying (Vivian Wu of The Soong Sisters).... [read more]
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Claustrophobia (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Ekin Cheng (Actor)
| Karena Lam (Actor)
| Andy Hui (Actor)
| Ivy Ho (Director)
Claustrophobia opens with a Friday evening carpool ride led by Tom (Ekin Cheng), a stable, married Hong Kong guy with one child and one more on the way. Tom is a marketing manager at an import/export firm, and each evening he drives his subordinates home from their office in Aberdeen. His team is a diverse bunch: experienced old-timer Karl (Felix Lok), the geeky and somewhat needy John (Derek Tsang), and the smart-talking, sassy Jewel (Chucky Woo). Rounding out the group is the sensible and pretty Pearl (Karena Lam), who lives in New Territories-located Shatin, and is always the very last to get dropped off on Tom's nightly carpool rides. John and Jewel get into an argument and, emotionally... [read more]
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Ticket (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Nicky Wu (Actor)
| Cecilia Yip (Actor)
| Zuo Xiao Qing (Actor)
| Chin Siu Ho (Actor)
If you can't make a sightseeing tour to rural China, then Ticket may be the next best thing. Based on a collection of short stories originally set in Taiwan, Ticket tells the story of Zeng Yu-Tong (Zuo Xiao-Qing), a young reporter whose foster mother, Catholic nun Tsang (Cecilia Yip), raised her after she was abandoned at the nunnery as an infant. When Tsang takes sick, she asks Yu-Tong to fulfill her dying wish: she wants Yu-Tong to find and meet her original birth mother. She also gives Yu-Tong a long-hidden gift: train tickets found when she was initially abandoned. Presumably, following the tickets will lead Yu-Tong back to where her parents came from, though first the question must be... [read more]
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Tactical Unit - Human Nature (DVD) (US Version)
Simon Yam (Actor)
| Maggie Shiu (Actor)
| Gordon Lam (Actor)
| Lam Suet (Actor)
The new Tactical Unit series inspired by Johnnie To's classic PTU continues with the latest instalment Human Nature, which offers up another tale of morally ambiguous cops and their struggle to uphold the law while battling their own personal demons. With To again serving as producer, the directorial reigns this time were handed to Andy Ng Yiu Kuen, best known to exploitation film fans for The Untold Story 2 back in 1998. Ensuring a welcome sense of continuity are returning series regulars and Milkyway veterans Simon Yam, Maggie Shiu, and Lam Suet, with Gordon Lam jumping onboard in a villainous role. After beginning with a shootout in which robbers from Mainland China manage to evade squad... [read more]
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The China White (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Andy Lau (Actor)
| Carina Lau (Actor)
| Alex Man (Actor)
| Guk Fung (Actor)
The China White was originally released back in 1989 and was the first international film from Hong Kong director Ronny Yu, who has since gone on to helm the likes of Jet Li's Fearless and the forthcoming anime adaptation Blood: The Last Vampire. Having been surrounded by controversy for some time due to its supposed Triad involvement and funding and existing in a variety of different forms, the film is now finally available in its original, longer Hong Kong version, featuring added violence and a flashback scene starring Andy Lau and Carina Lau. The film is set in Amsterdam's Chinatown, and begins as current boss and "nice" Triad Uncle Liu is gunned down in an ambush by rival Mafia and... [read more]
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Triad Story (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Stephen Chow (Actor)
| Ng Man Tat (Actor)
| Shing Fui On (Actor)
| Wu Ma (Actor)
Although Stephen Chow is obviously best known for his comedic genius and hits such as Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, as a young actor he paid his dues in a variety of genres. Inevitably, as with pretty much every other performer of his generation, this saw him making a number of appearances in that most enduring of 1990s trends, namely the Triad drama. The unimaginatively titled Triad Story, directed by Shum Wai, better known as a bit part actor who turned up in the likes of Police Story 3, was one such early role, which saw him star alongside an impressive cast of veterans including Ng Man Tat, Wu Ma, Shing Fui On and Billy Chow. The film begins in familiar style with Triad boss Feng... [read more]
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Iris Chang - The Rape Of Nanking (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Iris Chang
Iris Chang - The Rape of Nanking is a documentary produced in 2007 by the Toronto based Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia - to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre. The film is based upon Chang's bestselling 1997 book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II and charts her own experiences while drawing upon archive footage and interviews from survivors and experts from China, Japan, Canada, and the United States. The results are heartbreaking, shocking and fascinating, despite the bizarre decision to include dramatic recreations of Chang's own life. In these, the writer, who committed suicide in November 2004, is played by... [read more]
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The Sky Crawlers (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Kuriyama Chiaki
| Oshii Mamoru (Director)
| Yahara Shosuke
| Kase Ryo
"Somewhere, in a country similar to ours there are children who do not become adults. They are very similar to us" goes the tagline of Mamoru Oshii's latest film. One that carried the promise (during its production cycle) of a more linear form of story telling after the convoluted Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and the strange Tachigui. I am overjoyed to report that while the story is linear, it is anything but straightforward or simple, and not the least bit diluted or dumbed down in regards to his philosophical and social musings - basically the essence of what makes Oshii stand out from his generation of masters of the Japanese animated feature. Using a pastiche of elements from... [read more]
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Love on the Rocks (US Version)
Gigi Leung (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Charlene Choi (Actor)
| Carl Ng
Louis Koo and Gigi Leung are the two most attractive people in Hong Kong. Drawn together by the force of their overwhelming good looks, they are tragically pushed apart by the fact that they are both annoying on a cosmic level. Louis Koo plays Ming whom Gigi Leungs Annie dumps on Valentines Day because not only does he refuse to buy her flowers, not only does he take her to a discount diner for dinner, not only does he invite a friend along, but he chows down on rooster testicles once theyre there. What woman wouldnt want a refund? Her dad, Hui Siu-Hung, convinces the two to put a freeze on their relationship until Easter rather than break up immediately because all their bickering and... [read more]
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Forever Enthralled (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version)
Leon Lai (Actor)
| Zhang Ziyi (Actor)
| Chen Kaige (Director)
| Sun Hong Lei (Actor)
After the critical mauling he received for his shabby wuxia and would-be epic The Promise, its easy to see Chen Kaige's return to Peking Opera and Farewell My Concubine territory as going back to the well. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, as he certainly has a fascinating subject in the form of Mei Lanfang, a legendary figure known for his portrayal of female roles and for defying the Japanese during the Second World War. Given that Mei Lanfang was the real life inspiration behind Leslie Cheung's character in Concubine, his experiences seem a natural, if perhaps a little unimaginative choice for the director as he attempts to return to his glory days. The film follows Mei Lanfang... [read more]
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Tactical Unit - No Way Out (DVD) (US Version)
Simon Yam (Actor)
| Maggie Shiu (Actor)
| Lam Suet (Actor)
| Johnnie To (Producer)
Tactical Unit - No Way Out is the second in the series of new films spinning off Johnnie To's acclaimed 2003 police thriller PTU. This time around Lawrence Lau, previously responsible for the excellent My Name is Fame, steps up to direct, with To acting as producer. Giving a nice sense of continuity, the cast from the original and first sequel Tactical Unit - The Code all return, including stars Simon Yam, Maggie Siu and Lam Suet, along with familiar faces Derek Tsang and Samuel Pang. Although the series is known for its gritty plotlines and non-judgemental approach, No Way Out is even more downbeat than its predecessors, though no less gripping. The film takes place largely in the Temple... [read more]
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High Noon (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Wan Yeung Ming (Actor)
| Michelle Yim (Actor)
| Anjo Leung (Actor)
| Eric Tsang (Producer)
The Hong Kong chapter of the Eric Tsang-produced Winds of September youth film trilogy, High Noon quickly establishes its own distinct personality. 24 year-old director Heiward Mak introduces the protagonists of her seven-boy bunch in chintzy, even annoying fashion, using a bouncy soundtrack and cheesy freeze frames to identify each boy's face and name, before diving full force into the film's assemblage of hot button high-school issues and hyper-emotional overacting. The film is immediately similar and different from director Tom Lin's Winds of September - The Taiwan Chapter, as it possesses the same general themes of youth and friendship, but it goes about exploring them in a vastly... [read more]
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Breaking News (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Kelly Chen (Actor)
| Richie Jen (Actor)
| Johnnie To (Director)
| Nick Cheung (Actor)
The fact that Johnnie To's latest film Breaking News got an invite to the Cannes Film Festival should tell you something about the director's international reputation. Basically, that reputation exists, but it's also inexorably tied to the crime genre. Films like Love For All Seasons and even the award-winning Running on Karma don't usually get international fans salivating, and this even goes for the Hong Kong Cinema-faithful who'll watch everything that To directs - and who probably gnash their teeth over the latest Johnnie To-Sammi Cheng romantic laffer. All those lingering fears of Johnnie To-lite should be put to rest with Breaking News, an entertaining crime thriller with a few... [read more]
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