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Rob N Roll (2024) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Gordon Lam (Actor)
| Aaron Kwok (Actor)
| Richie Jen (Actor)
| David (John) Chiang (Actor)
I initially passed on watching Albert Mak's Rob N Roll when it came out due to the caricaturish demeanor and buckteeth of Aaron Kwok's character in the trailer. The film re-entered my radar after it received Best Screenplay from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, so I finally watched it recently. Though it would not be my pick for Best Screenplay, I can definitely appreciate why it’s a worthy choice. The dark and rollicking crime comedy of errors rides hard on its ambitiously slippery screenplay and its trio of leading actors who can deliver relatable comedy and emotional gravitas in equal measures. Richie Jen and Gordon Lam play tired, everyday Hongkongers just trying to keep it... [read more]
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Mad Fate (2023) (DVD) (Taiwan Version)
Lokman Yeung (Actor)
| Gordon Lam (Actor)
| Wong Man Wai (Actor)
| Chan Charm Man (Actor)
Soi Cheang has been on a run in recent years with 2021's Limbo and 2023’s Mad Fate winning major awards, and this year’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In winning the box office. The Hong Kong director has cycled through various genre specialties over the years, but atmospheric crime action is where he does his best work. Mad Fate premiered last year at the Berlin Film Festival and won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Though the uncanny thriller has received less attention than Twilight of the Warriors or even Limbo, Mad Fate has the distinction of bearing the increasingly rare Milkyway Image signature. Johnnie To is one of the film's... [read more]
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Everything Under Control (2023) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Ivana Wong (Actor)
| Hins Cheung (Actor)
| Carl Ao Ieong (Actor)
| Chung Suet Ying
For some reason, the 2004 Korean horror comedy To Catch a Virgin Ghost has inspired not one but two Chinese-language remakes in recent years – Taiwan's Treat or Trick in 2021 and Hong Kong's Everything Under Control in 2023. Both remakes follow the same premise of a desperate guy and a gang henchman entering a creepy remote village in search of a colleague who ran off with stolen diamonds that the mob wants back. Each film localizes in different ways, particularly in the relative emphasis of the comedy, mystery and horror elements. Comedy comes first for Everything Under Control which was released in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Singer Hins Cheung makes a rare leading film appearance... [read more]
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Old Fox (2023) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version)
Bai Run Yin (Actor)
| Akio Chen (Actor)
| Liu Kuan Ting (Actor)
| Hsiao Ya Chuan (Director)
Nearly four decades of martial law came to an end in Taiwan in 1987. Along with the lifting of martial law came ripples of changes to Taiwanese life and society. Hsiao Ya Chuan's Old Fox is set in 1989 during this transitional era of myriad economic and social changes. These changes at first elude Liao Tai Lai (Liu Kuan Ting), an honest and hardworking restaurant server who lives frugally with his 11-year-old son Liao Jie (Bai Run Yin). Tai Lai has been slowly saving up to buy a home, but unbeknownst to him, property prices have surged beyond his expectations. While Tai Lai takes the news in stride, reality hits hard for the young Liao Jie who has stubbornly latched on to the hope of having... [read more]
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The Narrow Road (2022) (DVD) (Taiwan Version)
Angela Yuen (Actor)
| Louis Cheung (Actor)
| Tommy Chu (Actor)
| Patra Au (Actor)
There's a Chinese saying that enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road. While there are no concrete enemies in Lam Sum's 2022 film The Narrow Road, there are many tangible troubles that are clearly coming and yet can't be avoided when all of life itself is a narrow road for those living hand to mouth. Set during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the poignant yet low-key drama offers a realistic look into the daily lives and struggles of Hong Kong's low-wage working class. Louis Cheung is excellent as Chak, a decent hardworking everyman who runs a small one-man cleaning company. While it may seem like pandemic is great business for cleaners, he is barely getting by with limited help... [read more]
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Lost Love (2022) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Sammi Cheng (Actor)
| Alan Luk (Actor)
| Hedwig Tam (Actor)
| Ka Sing Fung (Director, Writer)
Sammi Cheng's award-winning performanceSammi Cheng was nominated for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards eight times previously before finally winning the prize this year with her performance in Lost Love. Different from the lovable, quirky romantic heroine roles she's best known for, Sammi Cheng's character Mei in Lost Love is a normal, slightly gloomy woman carrying an unspeakable pain. When we first meet Mei, she seems like a typically jaded, irritable and resourceful working Hong Konger who takes up foster parenting at least partially for the foster care allowance. We gradually learn that Mei and her husband Bun (Alan Luk) lost their son when he was three-years-old, and she has never really come out of the grief. Mei's... [read more]
September 30, 2023 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
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The Falls (2021) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Taiwan Version)
Alyssa Chia (Actor)
| Gingle Wang (Actor)
| Huang Hsin Yao (Actor)
| Jennifer Hong (Actor)
Misfortunes never come alone. The COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020 and eventually affected every corner of the world, changing the way we lived and the way we died. In the years when life seemingly stood still with home isolation and social distancing, the public health crisis ushered in ripples of personal crises as many individuals and families struggled with stress, mental health and financial strain. Chung Mong Hong's The Falls starts in March 2020, with daughter Xiao Jing (Gingle Wang) having to home quarantine due to a positive case in her class. Xiao Jing's stressed-out mother Pin Wen (Alyssa Chia) also gets told to stay home by her company. During the quarantine period, the... [read more]
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Detective VS. Sleuths (2022) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Charlene Choi (Actor)
| Lau Ching Wan (Actor)
| Ma Rui Han (Actor)
| Carman Lee (Actor)
Detective vs. Sleuths is Wai Ka Fai's first directorial effort in over a decade, and apparently he put all his creative juices into this, because it is impressively over the top. The writer-director packs twist after twist and a whole variety of unhinged characters into this wild Hong Kong crime action thriller with a very high body count. Lau Ching Wan – always the first pick to play Wai Ka Fai characters who are losing a handle on reality (see: Written By and Mad Detective) – anchors the madness as the protagonist who is the maddest yet shrewdest of them all. Detective vs. Sleuths begins with vignettes of notorious past murder cases before introducing crimes happening in the present day.... [read more]
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Raging Fire (2021) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Nicholas Tse (Actor)
| Donnie Yen (Actor)
| Qin Lan (Actor)
| Angus Yeung (Actor)
When people think of Hong Kong's greatest action film directors, Benny Chan may not be among the first few names to come to mind – but he should be. From the late 90s onwards, there have been few directors as reliable for solid, unpretentious and entertaining Hong Kong action as Benny Chan. From Big Bullet, Divergence and Rob-B-Hood to Connected, The White Storm and Call of Heroes, his films may not have traveled as many fests and won as many awards as those of his more famous contemporaries, but they sure were fun to watch. Even the bad Benny Chan films, like City Under Siege and Meow, were spectacularly bad rather than bleh. Benny Chan's final feature Raging Fire is everything great about... [read more]
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Man In Love (2021) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Roy Chiu (Actor)
| Tiffany Ann Hsu (Actor)
| Chung Hsin Ling (Actor)
| Tsai Chen Nan (Actor)
Man in Love remake that improves on the originalBefore watching Yin Chen Hao's blockbuster romance Man in Love, I was rather surprised about its box office success. I did not love the original Korean film from which it was adapted, and was skeptical of how the remake managed to enter Taiwan's top ten domestic films of all time. After I watched it, I completely understood why it's such a crowd-pleasing hit. On paper, the Taiwan remake of Man in Love tells just about the same story as the Korean film. Ah Cheng (Roy Chiu) is a street gangster who collects debt for a living. Though he's quick to yell and fight, he has a kind heart, and looks out for struggling debtors in his own way. He coerces bank clerk Hao Ting (Tiffany Ann Hsu) to take... [read more]
January 21, 2022 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
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Endgame (2021) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Andy Lau (Actor)
| Xiao Yang (Actor)
| Wan Qian (Actor)
| Frant Gwo (Actor)
Uchida Kenji's 2012 comedy-drama Key of Life about a hitman and a failed actor swapping identities picked up a slew of prizes, and its 2016 Korean remake Luck-Key was a box office hit. In 2021, the third iteration of the story arrives with the ambiguously titled Chinese remake Endgame. So what does this version offer that hasn't already been covered in the previous two films? Well, for one thing, it has Andy Lau. Endgame also has director Rao Xiaozhi, who brings a different vibe to this same story. Andy Lau wears the heck out of a black suit as precise and unflappable professional killer Zhou Quan whose downfall turns out to be a slippery bar of soap. After taking a fall at the bathhouse,... [read more]
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The Magician On The Skywalk (2021) (DVD) (Ep. 1-11) (End) (Taiwan Version)
May Sun (Actor)
| Yang Da Zheng (Actor)
| Kaiser Chuang (Actor)
| Lu Yi En (Actor)
Life, death and disappearance in 1980s TaipeiChunghwa Market was an expansive integrated shopping mall located in Taipei's Ximending area from 1961 to 1992, when it was closed to make way for urban redevelopment. A skywalk over an intersection of roads carried foot traffic directly to the second level of Chunghwa Market, which bustled with people and activity as one of the city's most popular landmarks. This shopping market of yesteryear serves as the setting of the acclaimed 2021 PTS drama The Magician on the Skywalk, which won Best Television Series, Best Director and other prizes at the 56th Golden Bell Awards. Yang Ye Che honed his talent for telling human stories at PTS in the 2000s before going on to direct feature films like... [read more]
October 29, 2021 Picked By Sanwei See all this editor's picks
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Tears on Fire (2021) (DVD) (Ep. 1-10) (End) (Taiwan Version)
Austin Lin (Actor)
| Xia Teng Hong (Actor)
| Liu Kuan Ting (Actor)
| Hu Shi An (Actor)
On days of disaster and tragedy, we laud the heroics and sacrifices of firefighters and first responders. But are we providing the needed resources and understanding to support their work and livelihood every day of the year? The ten-episode PTS series Tears on Fire depicts the experiences and challenges of firefighters and EMTs in Taiwan. The drama follows a typical brigade in the Tongan Branch of Dayuan City Fire Department. The team, which includes James Wen, Annie Chen, Liu Kuan Ting and Austin Lin, works around the clock to respond to emergency calls. In Taiwan, EMS (emergency medical service) is provided by the fire department, so firefighters are also trained as EMTs (emergency... [read more]
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Detective Chinatown 3 (2021) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Tsumabuki Satoshi (Actor)
| Wang Bao Qiang (Actor)
| Liu Hao Ran (Actor)
| Nagasawa Masami (Actor)
Out of all the films that were originally set for theatrical release in China for Chinese New Year in 2020 and then pushed back due to COVID, only two films delayed their release dates all the way to 2021 Chinese New Year – the cartoon feature Boonie Bears: The Wild Life and Detective Chinatown 3. Most of the other big-name titles, like Leap, Vanguard and Jiang Ziya, opened later in 2020 or, in the case of Lost in Russia, premiered on digital platforms instead. Detective Chinatown 3, however, was held an entire year for the Spring Festival opening, because it's very much a Lunar New Year film. Despite the detective buddy comedy being a surefire blockbuster anytime of the year based on its... [read more]
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The Con-Heartist (2020) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Nadech Kugimiya (Actor)
| Baifern Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul (Actor)
| Bank Thiti Mahayotaruk (Actor)
| Phuak Pongsatorn Jongwilas (Actor)
When it comes to glossy commercial films that hit you in the feels and the funny bone, it's hard to go wrong with GDH. The 2020 comedy The Con-Heartist deploys the blockbuster studio's tried-and-true formula of pretty people engaging in cute romance and wacky comedy, but this crowd-pleaser leads with crime caper elements. Romcom favorite Baifern Pimchanok gives one of her most lovable performances as Ina, a humble banker who wears her heart on her sleeve. That's how she ended up getting scammed by ex-boyfriend Petch (a wily, smiley Thiti Mahayotaruk) and saddled with debt. When she encounters suave con artist Tower, played by Channel 3 heartthrob Nadech Kugimiya, she ropes him into helping... [read more]
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Future Cops (1993) (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)
Chingmy Yau (Actor)
| Jacky Cheung (Actor)
| Aaron Kwok (Actor)
| Andy Lau (Actor)
Some people may say that Future Cops is a terrible motion picture. And those people would not be wrong, but that doesn't stop me from wholeheartedly loving this wacky 90s Hong Kong classic. The sci-fi action comedy is directed by – who else? – Hong Kong cinema's king of low-brow comedies Wong Jing, and it aims to entertain by throwing everything but the kitchen sink into its nonsensical fun. One of the biggest draws of Future Cops is that it's packed with stars, and they all dress up in ridiculous cosplay-quality costumes, as the film giddily rips off characters from Street Fighter II. Future Cops enjoys the distinction of having three Heavenly Kings – Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung and Aaron Kwok... [read more]
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A Little Reunion (2019) (DVD) (Ep. 1-49) (End) (China Version)
Huang Lei (Actor)
| Hai Qing (Actor)
| Wang Yan Hui (Actor)
| Sha Yi (Actor)
With the family drama A Love for Dilemma currently trending in China, now seems like a good time to revisit the acclaimed 2019 series that came before it, A Little Reunion. A Love for Dilemma, A Little Reunion and 2016's A Love for Separation are all family stories based on novels by Lu Yingong. All three are worthwhile watches, but A Little Reunion is the highest-rated on Douban for good reason. A Little Reunion is centered around three families during a crucial period: the final year of high school when students prepare for the gaokao, China's all-important national college entrance exam. A Love for Separation's Huang Lei and Hai Qing return as parental figures of free-spirited,... [read more]
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Get The Hell Out (2020) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Lin He Xuan (Actor)
| Gao Hui Chun (Actor)
| Wang Zhong Huang (Actor)
| Bruce Hung (Actor)
The zombie genre gets a zany, blood-spurting entry in the Taiwan horror action comedy Get the Hell Out. If you've ever thought politicians are just blood-sucking creatures who prey on the people, then Wang I Fan's debut feature is here to validate your suspicions with unsubtle satire and lots of blood. Bruce Hung plays Wang You Wei, who is on security detail at the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament, for his alternative military service. He has a crush on short-tempered legislator Hsiung Ying Ying (Megan Lai), who became a politician to block the construction of a foreign chemical plant in her hometown. Rumors are that the chemicals are linked to a new rabies virus. After Hsiung is... [read more]
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We Are Champions (2019) (DVD) (Taiwan Version)
Fandy Fan (Actor)
| Berant Zhu (Actor)
| Li Lin Fei (Actor)
| Luo Zhang En (Actor)
High school basketball is a pretty big deal in Taiwan. While the island's professional leagues have struggled in recent years to maintain attendance and a sustainable business model, the High School Basketball League (HBL) has ballooned in popularity over the past decade. Bolstered by government support, big-name brand sponsorship and broadcast deals, the HBL commands a considerable following and boasts way higher attendance than the beleaguered SBL. HBL's Division 1 tournament is Taiwan's answer to March Madness, with final games held in packed stadiums. It's the HBL championship tournament that provides the crucial backdrop for Chang Jung Chi's 2019 youth film We Are Champions. The... [read more]
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Joy of Life Season One (2019) (H-DVD) (Ep. 1-46) (End) (China Version)
Li Qin (Actor)
| Zhang Ruo Yun (Actor)
| Chen Dao Ming (Actor)
| Ko Chu Kong (Actor)
One of the dramas I'm most looking forward to in 2021 is the second season of Joy of Life. The first season that aired in 2019 was a big hit in China and made our year-end picks, thanks to its unique mix of wuxia, suspense, fantasy and pure wit. Based on Mao Ni's novel Qing Yu Nian, the period series stars Zhang Ruoyun as silver-tongued swordsman Fan Xian, who lives in ancient times but has modern-day knowledge. His mysterious origin links back to his even more mysterious mother, who came from an unknown place and left behind a great legacy of innovation and larger-than-life legends. Summoned to the capital by his father and the Emperor (Chen Daoming), Fan Xian searches for his origins and... [read more]
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