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36th Chamber Of Shaolin: on UK DVD at last!

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Next Monday quite possibly the best martial arts/kung fu film ever finally makes its way on to DVD in UK! (more…)

Posted in Hong Kong, News, Releases, UK, _Clips and trailers | No Comments »

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 »

Ashes Of Time Redux

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Wong Kar-wai returns to his 1994 classic to produce a definite version – but is it really any better…? (more…)

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

Bruce’s Legacy

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006

More than 30 years after his death, the ‘Little Dragon’ has never been more popular – but isn’t it time we left his memory alone? (more…)

Posted in Actors, Editorials, Features, Hong Kong | 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 »

DVD: Triangle

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Three undisputed masters of contemporary Hong Kong cinema – Tsui Hark (Seven Swords; Zu Warriors; Once Upon A Time In China), Ringo Lam (Full Contact; City On Fire) and Johnny To (Mad Detective; PTU) – join forces for the first time ever to apply their directorial skills ‘exquisite corpse’ style to Triangle, an “inventive, and darkly comic” (Mail on Sunday) crime thriller starring Louis Koo (Flashpoint), Simon Yam (SPL; Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life), Honglei Sun (Mongol; Seven Swords), Lam Ka Tung (Mad Detective; Infernal Affairs) and Kelly Lin (Mad Detective; Zu Warriors).

Read our review of Triangle here »

Posted in Calendar, News, Releases | No Comments »

Election

Thursday, November 10th, 2005

Johnnie To’s triad epic may not offer anything new to the gangster genre, but his ensemble cast are a delight to watch… (more…)

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

Fist Of Fury

Tuesday, March 8th, 2005

Bruce Lee’s landmark movie gets another outing – but what does the new double-disc DVD release add the existing UK version?… (more…)

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

Golden Swallow

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Not the sequel to Come Drink with Me you might be expecting, but a damn fine tale of heroic chivalry from Zhang Che… (more…)

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

Hapkido

Thursday, August 17th, 2006

Fist Of Fury gets the feminine touch in this rediscovered old school kung fu classic… (more…)

Posted in Films, Hong Kong, Martial arts, Reviews | 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 »

House Of Flying Daggers

Monday, October 18th, 2004

A beautiful tale of romance and bitter betrayal, Zhang Yimou’s follow-up to Hero is even better… (more…)

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

Invisible Target

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Heralded as something of a return to heyday of Hong Kong action movies, Invisible Target isn’t quite that, but it sure ain’t half bad. (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Martial arts, News, 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 »

King Boxer

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Better known under its deliriously exploitative US title Five Fingers Of Death, another kung fu bona fide classic finally makes its way onto UK DVD – bring it on…! (more…)

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

LFF: The Warlords

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Peter Chan’s take on the historical wuxia drama is far grittier and more grounded than we’re used to, with a fine performance by Jet Li that will surprise his critics – but do we really need another film like this? (more…)

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

Magnificent Bodyguards / The Protector

Thursday, March 15th, 2007

Yet more Jackie Chan films from the archives, but do we really need them in ‘Ultra-bit’ quality?… (more…)

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

On DVD today: The Warlords

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Peter Chan’s The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kineshiro, is released in the UK on two-disc DVD and Blu-ray today by Metronome.

You can read our review here »

Posted in News, Releases, UK, _Clips and trailers | No Comments »

One-Armed Swordsman

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Zhang Che directs Jimmy Wang Yu in the Shaw Brothers classic that made both their careers… (more…)

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

Red Cliff

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Yet another historical drama, over blown, over acted and over long – but it’s still easily the best thing John Woo has done in a long time…! (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, China, Films, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | 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 »

Shinobi

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

A nicely played and well-directed swordplay film – but haven’t we seen it all before? (more…)

Posted in Films, Japan, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | 1 Comment »

The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin

Friday, December 16th, 2005

Gordon Liu (Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2) stars in a kung fu classic that is so much more than your average revenge movie… (more…)

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

The Assassin

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006

Director Zhang Che on top form with a real gem of a film, but if you’re expecting the usual bloodthirsty, simplistic, macho approach, think again!… (more…)

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

The Blood Brothers

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

A morality tale from the master of the ‘extreme close-up’ Zhang Che on why its best not to shag your best mate’s wife… (more…)

Posted in Films, Hong Kong, Martial arts, 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 Machine Girl

Monday, May 18th, 2009

A girl with a gatling gun for an arm, high school ninja clubs, tempura arms, general dismemberment, a flying guillotine, flesh ripping bras and more gruesome carnage than a shelf full of Italian horrors, it’s easy to see why Machine Girl has already become something of a cult classic… (please note this trailer is for over 18s only!)
(more…)

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

The Warlords in UK cinemas today

Friday, November 7th, 2008

Peter Chan’s The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kineshiro, is on limited release in London and around the UK by Metrodome.

You can read our review here »

Posted in News, Releases, UK, _Clips and trailers | No Comments »

Triangle

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Three of Hong Kong’s most respected directors – Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To – each take one half-hour segment of the same plotline, each with complete creative control – but is it any more than an self-indulgent experiment? (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Films, Hong Kong, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Vengeance!

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

Zhang Che’s landmark film – a bitter tale of revenge and the template for every kung fu movie of the seventies… (more…)

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

Young at heart

Sunday, January 8th, 2006

Hong Kong directors are ditching young stars for old veterans who’ve hardly been on screen in twenty years or more, but the real surprise is they’re giving them the best roles (more…)

Posted in Actors, Editorials, Features, Hong Kong | No Comments »

Zatoichi

Wednesday, December 1st, 2004

‘Beat’ Takeshi’s (Violent Cop, Battle Royale) reinvention of the popular 60s samurai b-movie character for the 21st century, the blind, gambling masseur who also happens to be a master swordsman… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Cinema Club – The finest in Asian film, Films, Japan, Japanese classics, Martial arts, Reviews, Wuxia / Swordplay | No Comments »
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