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A Better Tomorrow II

Monday, August 28th, 2006

It’s John Woo all right, but turned all the way up to 11!… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Hong Kong, Hong Kong classics, Reviews | No Comments »

A Bittersweet Life

Thursday, March 3rd, 2005

The latest from Kim Ji-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family), a slick tale of that revenge resounds with amazing style and wit, but ultimately do we really care?… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Reviews, South Korea | No Comments »

Bangkok Dangerous

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

This impressive debut by the Pang brothers is a heady mix of dazzling imagery and a violent tale of love, betrayal and redemption… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Reviews, Thai classics, Thailand | No Comments »

Confucius? You will be…

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

Chow Yun-fat, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Killer and the upcoming live-action Dragonball: Evolution, is set to bring the historical character of Confucius to the screen, according to Times Online. (Well, he has rather become the Asian version of Morgan Freeman of late – the father stroke God figure dishing out advice and wisdom to the lead characters, hasn’t he?)

You can read the full article here, which also includes some pearls of wisdom from both men. (Including “Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, but hot dog buns only come in packages of just eight?” from Chow Yun-Fat in Bulletproof Monk…

Posted in Actors, China, Hong Kong, News | No Comments »

Death Duel

Monday, May 7th, 2007

Chor Yuan directs Derek Yee in this classic Wuxia tale from Shaw Brothers… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Hong Kong, Hong Kong classics, Japan, Releases, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »

Don’t like what’s happening in the real world? Blame the movies…

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

In the wake of the tragedy at Virgina Tech, all the media can seem to fixate on is the fact that the assailant may have watched Oldboy a few times too many… (more…)

Posted in Editorials, Features | No Comments »

Forest Of Death

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Danny Pang proves he can no longer see the wood for the trees in this disappointing, ill-conceived, badly scripted horror-thriller… (more…)

Posted in Films, Hong Kong, Horror, Reviews, Sci Fi / Fantasy | No Comments »

Heroes Shed No Tears

Monday, July 10th, 2006

It’s John Woo at his most brutal and explosive, but Woo fans beware – there was a reason this film originally stayed on the shelf for a couple of years… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Hong Kong, Reviews | No Comments »

Infernal Affairs

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

They don’t come much slicker than this – Tony Leung and Andy Lau shine in this classy thriller… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Hong Kong, Hong Kong classics, Reviews | No Comments »

John Who?

Thursday, January 1st, 2004

Sorry, I thought you were someone else. You know, that fella that made The Killer and Hard Boiled? What, you are? Then what is all this business with that Ben Affleck geezer, a man who could take acting lessons from the cast of Thunderbirds, his acting’s so wooden? (more…)

Posted in Directors, Editorials, Features, Filmmakers, Hong Kong | No Comments »

John Woo to receive lifetime honour

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Arguably it would have been unimaginable 20 years ago, when his crowning glory The Killer was originally released – if only because few filmmakers from Hong Kong were lauded at the time – yet next year John Woo will be presented with a lifetime achievement honour at the Venice Film Festival.

Some may indeed scoff (and some of Woo’s back catalogue, such as Payback, may well be better glossed over) but his influence over cinema in the last 30 years, particularly action films, is undeniable.

Organisers praised him for being “an innovator of the contemporary language of cinema”. Continuing: “Woo is considered a master who has changed the language of contemporary film for generations of filmmakers.”

The award will be presented next September.

Read more on the BBC News website »

Posted in Festivals, Filmmakers, Hong Kong, News | No Comments »

Law with Two Phases

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Danny Lee (The Killer, City On Fire) in the film that made him a star… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Hong Kong, Reviews | No Comments »

On DVD and Blu-ray today: The Forbidden Kingdom

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Okay, sure it’s Hollywood! Sure it’s a kids movie! But this Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King) movie starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan – together for the first time ever – is a whole lot better than you’d expect! And with action scenes directed by Yuen Woo-ping, there’s plenty for adults too, so if you missed this at the cinema it’s well worth catching up on…

You can read our review here »

Posted in News, Releases, UK | No Comments »

Red Cliff II

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Say what? Another two hours to find out how the Battle of Red Cliff actually goes? Is it worth it? Oh yes, all you John Woo fans out there, it really is… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »

Saviour Of The Soul

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Corey Yuen and Daniel Lai co-direct this superb comic book nonsense… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Hong Kong, Hong Kong classics, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »

So Close

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Three ass kicking babes in some of the best action sequences in ages – Charlies Angels eat your heart out… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Hong Kong, Reviews | No Comments »

The Curse Of The Golden Flower

Thursday, April 12th, 2007

Director Zhang Yimou’s latest swordplay inspired movie is a visual delight, but this one won’t please the martial arts fans… (more…)

Posted in China, Drama, Films, Hong Kong, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »

The Fearless Hyena / Hand Of Death

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

Hong Kong Legends launch their ‘Ultra-bit’ tag with two formative films from the career of Jackie Chan… (more…)

Posted in Films, Hong Kong, Martial arts, Reviews | No Comments »

The Forbidden Kingdom: UK Preview

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Jet Li and Jackie Chan – together for the first time ever…! (more…)

Posted in China, Films, Martial arts, Reviews, USA, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »

The Top Ten Hong Kong movies…

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

The bite size guide for those of you who loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but were too afraid to ask where to go next… these are the ten Hong Kong movies you MUST see! (more…)

Posted in Bluffer's guide, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Features, Hong Kong, Hong Kong classics | No Comments »

The Touch

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Michelle Yeoh both produces and stars in this good looking, enjoyable action film by Peter Pau, the Oscar-winning cinematographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But as possibly the first Hong Kong/Chinese production entirely in English, does it work?… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, China, Films, Hong Kong, Martial arts, Reviews | No Comments »

Windtalkers

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

An outdated and disappointing war movie from Hong Kong’s most successful export John Woo… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Reviews, USA | No Comments »
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