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: The Making of an Ordinary Woman (2019) (DVD) (Ep. 1-10) (End) (Taiwan Version) Wayne Song (Actor) | Chen Jia Kui (Actor) | James Wen (Actor) | Hsia Ching Ting (Actor)

It's not easy being an Ordinary Woman
August 31, 2020 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Following her Golden Horse Best Actress win for Dear Ex, Hsieh Ying Hsuan gives an even better performance in the 2019 CTS mini-series The Making of an Ordinary Woman. The ordinary woman in question is 39-year-old Chen Jia Ling, who's lived in the big city of Taipei for two decades but has yet to become a true city girl. She's not doing that bad, but she's also not doing that great. Marriage, success and just the grace and poise of being an adult woman – all these continue to elude her as she tolerates a stagnant job and relationship, and regularly gets herself into unlucky, embarrassing situations. Based on writings by Jiang E, The Making of an Ordinary Woman's heroine and crossroads are... [read more]

: Men On The Dragon (2018) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Francis Ng (Actor) | Nancy Wu (Actor) | Kenny Wong (Actor) | Liu Jun Jiang (Actor)

A slice of Hong Kong midlife
June 24, 2020 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
With this year's dragon boat races cancelled due to the pandemic, it's time to revisit the 2018 film Men on the Dragon instead for the Dragon Boat Festival. A critical and commercial hit in Hong Kong, Sunny Chan's comedy-drama follows four ordinary men facing midlife crises who invigorate their lives through dragon boat racing. Francis Ng is at his natural best as the affable, unmotivated Lung who works for a broadband service provider. He and his co-workers Suk Yi (theater actor Poon Chan Leung) and William (Weeds on Fire's Tony Wu) fulfill your general expectations of those tech-support guys who show up late to set up your internet. Lung holds an obvious torch for his neighbor Coral (TVB... [read more]

: You Are The One (2020) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Patrick Kong (Director, Producer, Writer) | Carlos Chan (Actor) | Gladys Li (Actor) | Sun Hui Xue (Actor)

This is the one Patrick Kong film I like.
April 17, 2020 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
I never thought the day would come when I would recommend a Patrick Kong film. But hey, the end of the world doesn't feel so far off this year. Released during Chinese New Year, You Are the One was actually the last film I watched in cinema before entering social-distancing mode, so it now holds a special place in my heart. Writer-director Patrick Kong has made a name for himself over the past decade by cornering the Hong Kong market for local urban romances. Many of his films are quite forgettable though, unless they happen to star Stephy Tang and Alex Fong (and that well has dried up). Given Patrick Kong's past work and the film's cringe-worthy Chinese title, I went into You Are the One... [read more]

: Bodies At Rest (2019) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Richie Jen (Actor) | Nick Cheung (Actor) | Yang Zi (Actor) | Clara Lee (Actor)

High-concept actioner in a morgue
January 15, 2020 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Sometimes you want complex stories and characters in your films. But when it comes to action movies, sometimes you just want the simplest story with the most bodily damage. And that's exactly what you get in Renny Harlin's high-concept action thriller Bodies at Rest. After moving his career to China, Harlin directed Jackie Chan's Skiptrace (2016) and the period fantasy Legend of the Ancient Sword (2018), both of which are about as not good as his 2000s Hollywood output would predict. Bodies at Rest, however, is right up the director's Die Hard 2 lane. The ever busy Nick Cheung plays forensic pathologist Dr. Chan, who is settling in for a Christmas Eve at the lab with intern Lynn (Yang Zi).... [read more]

: The World Between Us (2019) (Blu-ray) (Ep. 1-10) (End) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version) James Wen (Actor) | J.C. Lin (Actor) | Chen Yu (Actor) | Alyssa Chia (Actor)

The distance between humanity and tragedy
September 26, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Taiwan television reaches a new high with The World Between Us, which is absolutely one of the best series to come out of Asia this year. Set in the aftermath of a random mass shooting, the ensemble drama explores the impact, coverage and consequences of the senseless tragedy in a manner that is both deeply personal and widely relevant. Over ten episodes, Lu Shih Yuan's script weaves different characters and conflicts together, posing many difficult and thought-provoking questions along the way about justice, ethics, compassion, grief, mental health and the media. The World Between Us begins a few years after a mass shooting incident, the details of which are gradually revealed over the... [read more]

: A Family Tour (2018) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Nai An (Actor) | Pete Teo (Actor) | Tan Xin Yue (Actor) | Gong Zhe (Actor)

Dispatch from a Chinese filmmaker in exile
June 26, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
In 2012, indie Chinese director Ying Liang completed the film When Night Falls based on the controversial 2008 case of Yang Jia, who stormed a Shanghai police station and killed six police officers. The case drew great attention not only for the shocking violence, but also for how the authorities handled the case. Yang Jia, who was previously mistreated by the police and tried behind closed doors, drew sympathy from pockets of the Chinese internet that aired their discontent with China's opaque justice system. Ying Liang brought When Night Falls, which recounts the case from the perspective of Yang's mother, to overseas film festivals without official permission and refused to yield to... [read more]

: Fall In Love At First Kiss (2019) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Jelly Lin (Actor) | Darren Wang (Actor) | Zhang Li Dong (Actor) | Dino Lee (Actor)

Sign me up for another Kiss
May 31, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
There are some stories that are clearly shallow, juvenile and cliched, and yet they keep getting told and we keep watching them. Even as I griped about there being yet another Itazura na Kiss adaptation when Fall in Love at First Kiss was announced, I knew I was going to watch it – because of course I am. After Hana Yori Dango, Itazura na Kiss has to be the most popular shojo manga for adaptation, and it's especially beloved in Taiwan because of the classic idol drama It Started With a Kiss. Just three years ago, there was a new Taiwan TV adaptation of Itazura na Kiss. Now we get a movie. Iconic source material aside, Fall in Love at First Kiss does have another big selling point: the... [read more]

: Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story (2018) (DVD) (Taiwan Version) Frank W. Chen (Director)

Bottom of the ninth
May 28, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
I was living in Taiwan in 2005 when Wang Chien Ming made his Major League debut as a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. The Taiwan-born ace was all over the local news and sports channels, and a frequent conversation topic among my middle school students. The pride and fervor surrounding the third ever Taiwan baseball player to make it to the MLB was huge at the time. His talent, humility and sick sinker made even a lifelong Red Sox fan like me want to root for him (only him, not the Yankees). After consecutive 19-win seasons in pinstripes in 2006 and 2007, it all came crashing down in 2008. Wang suffered a foot injury while rounding the bases in an interleague game. All athletes... [read more]

: Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Max Zhang Jin (Actor) | Tony Jaa (Actor) | Michelle Yeoh (Actor) | Yuen Wah (Actor)

No Ip Man, No Problem
March 28, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
No Ip Man, no problem – at least when it comes to the spin-off film Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy. In 2015's Ip Man 3, Max Zhang left a strong impression as Wing Chun practitioner Cheung Tin Chi, who persistently challenged Ip Man for the title of Hong Kong's top martial artist. While not an antagonist, the character was an adversary to Ip Man for much of the film and provided various scene-stealing moments for Zhang. Three years later, the actor stepped back into the shoes of Cheung Tin Chi to headline his own film set after the events of Ip Man 3. Having closed his martial arts school and set aside the chip on his shoulder since we last saw him, Cheung Tin Chi is now content with running a... [read more]

: Project Gutenberg (2018) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Aaron Kwok (Actor) | Chow Yun Fat (Actor) | Zhang Jing Chu (Actor) | Catherine Chau (Actor)

Chow Yun Fat's greatest hits
February 14, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Felix Chong's Project Gutenberg just garnered a ridiculous 17 nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards so there are many nice things that could be said about the film's twisty plot, slick pacing and tight direction. I'd like to focus on the single most important factor that makes the crime thriller a must-watch for Hong Kong film fans (or at least me): Chow Yun Fat. Chow Yun Fat is in peak Chow Yun Fat form in the role of a criminal mastermind behind a counterfeiting operation. His commanding and charismatic performance in the film channels the classic effortless charm that captured a generation of Asian cinema fans and also the dangerous, unreadable duplicity of later roles in films like... [read more]

: House of The Rising Sons (2018) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Carlos Chan (Actor) | Tan Yu (Actor) | Jonathan Wong (Actor) | Deng Jia Le (Actor)

Friendship wyns
January 16, 2019 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
It's hard to muster up much expectation for a biopic about an aged cookie-cutter Hong Kong pop band directed by one of the band members, but House of the Rising Sons turns out to be an appealingly amiable and nostalgic film whose overall niceness actually feels right. Formed by Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan, Bennett Pang and Danny Yip, The Wynners were arguably Hong Kong's first idol band. The band exploded into popularity in the 70s with feel-good English and Cantonese pop numbers that appealed to a younger generation. By the early 80s, Alan Tam and Kenny Bee had shifted focus to solo careers. However, The Wynners never disbanded. The band has remained intermittently active over the... [read more]

: Detective Chinatown 2 (2018) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Wang Bao Qiang (Actor) | Xiao Yang (Actor) | Liu Hao Ran (Actor) | Tsumabuki Satoshi (Actor)

The birth of a detective comedy franchise
October 31, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
There is no shortage of crime mystery and suspense productions in China, but most with buzz and budget of late are based on novels – and often the same ones. Criminal Minds, Yu Zui and Qin Ming adaptations abound and no Nan Pai San Shu or Tianxia Bachang story is left unturned. In that sense, Chen Sicheng's blockbuster Detective Chinatown film series stands out for being a successful original creation rather than an extension of a pre-existing IP. Following his success with Beijing Love Story, actor-turned-director Chen Sicheng tried his hand at mystery in 2015 with the sophomore directorial effort Detective Chinatown. The film brought together the unlikely detective duo of comedy veteran... [read more]

: Goodbye Mr. Loser (2015) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Ma Li (Actor) | Yin Zheng (Actor) | Shen Teng (Actor) | Ai Lun (Actor)

From Mr. Loser to Mr. Billionaire
August 27, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Since opening last month, Yan Fei and Peng Damo's comedy Hello Mr. Billionaire starring Shen Teng has grossed around 2.5 billion yuan to storm into China's top ten grossing films of all time. This is the third time in as many years that a Shen Teng film has broken into the top ten of China's rapidly refreshing box-office records, following 2017's Never Say Die and 2015's Goodbye Mr. Loser. In a mere three years, Shen Teng has gone from a mainly stage and skit actor into a household name and box-office force. The film that started it all is the sleeper hit Goodbye Mr. Loser. In 2015, directors Yan Fei and Peng Damo, star Shen Teng and other members of the Beijing theater troupe Mahua Fun Age... [read more]

: Legend of the Demon Cat (2017) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Chen Kaige (Director, Writer) | Huang Xuan (Actor) | Sometani Shota (Actor) | Abe Hiroshi (Actor)

Magic, mystery and romance of the Tang Dynasty
April 27, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
How far can movie magic get you? Quite far in the case of Chen Kaige's splendidly strange fantasy mystery Legend of the Demon Cat. Based on a novel series by Japanese sci-fi/fantasy writer Yumemakura Baku, Legend of Demon Cat has the kind of story that one would be hard-pressed to explain out loud without sounding a bit silly. A bemused young monk (Sometani Shota) from Japan arrives in Chang'an, the capital of Tang Dynasty China, to exorcise demons for Emperor Xuanzong (Zhang Luyi), who dies mysteriously. He befriends the palace scribe, a moody poet (Huang Xuan) who swings between being super excited and dramatically devastated about his poem-in-progress, and the two investigate the strange... [read more]

: Nirvana in Fire II (2017) (DVD) (Ep. 1-50) (End) (China Version) Liu Hao Ran (Actor) | Huang Xiao Ming (Actor) | Tong Li Ya (Actor) | David Chen

Nirvana in Wind
April 23, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
On Douban, China's largest peer film review ratings site, the 2015 period series Nirvana in Fire tops nearly all Chinese TV dramas with a score of 9.1. Out of over 200,000 ratings, Nirvana in Fire earned five stars from over 70% of users, and four or five stars from over 90%. Those are staggering numbers for a local recent production and a reflection of the near universal acclaim for the drama from critics and everyday audiences alike. Nirvana in Fire essentially captured lightning in a bottle with its sublime script, cast and production values that reached an appreciative audience. Two years later, Nirvana in Fire II: The Wind Blows in Changlin arrives with a story set several decades... [read more]

: Wu Xin: The Monster Killer 2 (2017) (DVD) (Ep. 1-27) (End) (China Version) Elvis Han (Actor) | Ian Wang (Actor) | Landy Li (Actor) | Sebrina Chen (Actor)

Wu Xin is still good the second time around
February 28, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
Wu Xin: The Monster Killer 2 has one undeniable shortcoming common to sequels: it's not as good as its predecessor. However, that doesn't mean it's not good. Wu Xin 2 picks up the adventures of Elvis Han's demon-exorcising immortal some two decades after he has lost memories of the events and people from the first season of the supernatural period fantasy series. Continuing the cycle of his endless wanderings, the good-natured Wu Xin resets with new encounters, exorcisms and enemies. Along with the reset, the supporting cast also sees some changes. Sebrina Chen, Ian Wang and Mike D'Angelo return but Gina Jin and Zhang Ruoyun do not, which does hurt the cast appeal. Landy Li joins as Wu... [read more]

: Our Shining Days (2017) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Peng Yu Chang (Actor) | Xu Lu (Actor) | Yan Ni | Liu Yong Xi

The sound of dreams
February 27, 2018 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
In many Chinese communities, people tend to learn classical western music because traditional Chinese music is often thought to be old-fashioned. Pitting traditional music against classical music, the teen romcom Our Shining Days revives the image of Chinese music and reminds people of their initial dreams. Chen Jing (Xu Lu, Tribe and Empires: Storm of Prophecy) is an optimistic yet aimless music student who plays the yangqin, a traditional hammered dulcimer. To impress her love interest Wang Wen (Luo Mingjie), a cold and supercilious piano major, Jing recruits her buddy Li You (Peng Yuchang, Go Princess Go) and a group of cosplay-loving outcasts to form a traditional music ensemble. Since... [read more]

: The Posterist: The Art Of Yuen Tai-Yung (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version) Yuen Tai Yung | Hui See Wai (Director) | Kenny Bee | Ryan Hui

He who drew the stars
January 24, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
The name Yuen Tai Yung won't ring a bell for most people, but if you're a fan of 70s and 80s Hong Kong films, you'll recognize Yuen's artwork immediately. Yuen's distinctive and eye-catching illustrations graced the movie posters (and VCD/DVD covers) of hundreds of films from Hong Kong cinema's golden age. The self-taught artist was uncannily good at capturing the biggest stars of the day and the tone of action and comedy films. His poster artwork for Bruce Lee films emblazoned the martial arts superstar's name in bold block letters across the top and animated his stunning aura with muscles rippling and limbs flying. Meanwhile, his funny caricature-like drawings for Hui Brothers classics... [read more]

: Heart Attack (2015) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Sunny Suwanmethanon (Actor) | Davika Hoorne (Actor) | Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Director)

You should get that looked at
January 19, 2018 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
The marketing visuals of Heart Attack would have you think that it is a cute romantic comedy of the type that GTH was very good at producing. However, the film's protagonist probably spends more time flirting with the medical meaning of the title than with the doctor he develops a crush on. Directed by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, the award-winning comedy-drama offers a hint of romance and a multitude of warning signs about the unhealthy workaholic lifestyles of urban professionals. Sunny Suwanmethanon is hilariously relatable as sloppy-looking freelance graphics designer Yoon, who's known as the best in the business. In order to keep that title and the jobs coming in, he must toil quickly... [read more]

: Bad Genius (2017) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying (Actor) | Eisaya Hosuwan (Actor) | Teeradon Supapunpinyo (Actor) | Thaneth Warakulnukroh

Cruel truth behind exam cheating
November 30, 2017 Picked By Pisces See all this editor's picks
Education is important for young people to acquire not only knowledge but also proper social and moral values. However, these values can easily vanish in a goal-oriented education system, under which cheating may become a "strategy" to score high marks in exams. Inspired by the large-scale exam-cheating scandal that happened in Thailand in 2014, director Nattawut Poonpiriya (Countdown) calls for serious reflection on the country's education system and social inequality in the mind-blowing high-school heist thriller Bad Genius. Played by model-turned-actress Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, math prodigy Lynn is admitted to a prestigious school on a scholarship thanks to her great academic... [read more]

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