Yang Ya-che The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful (Yang Ya-che, 2017) The winner of this past year’s Golden Horse Awards Best Picture is shockingly bad. Generally considered the top awards body for Chinese language film, The Golden Horse has a sterling reputation, though perhaps that is unearned. Looking back over recent winners reveals more than one questionable decision (2013’s
The Enigmatic Cases The Enigmatic Cases Capsule Reviews Hsu Tseng-hung: Temple of the Red Lotus (1965) — June 23, 2015 The Shaw Brothers dove headfirst into wuxia in 1965 with this, the first in a trilogy previously adapted as an epic serial (one of the longest movies ever) in 1928. Future luminaries abound, from Jimmy Wang Yu and Lo
Good Men, Good Women Ho Meng-hua Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/ho-meng-hua/]: The Flying Guillotine [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-flying-guillotine-ho-meng-hua-1975/] (1975) — December 20, 2012 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/ho-meng-hua-capsule-reviews/]: Cave of the Silken Web (1967) — June 3, 2015 Vengeance is a Golden Blade (1969) — October 28, 2010 Black Magic (1975) — October 15, 2018
Johnnie To The Mission (Johnnie To, 1999) After a few rough years at the start of his Milkyway Image studio, producing great movies that never really caught on at the box office, and constantly at odds with his subordinate directors, in 1999 Johnnie To just decided to give up the pretense and begin directing most of his
It's a Drink, It's a Bomb Poon Man-kit Capsule Reviews To Be Number One (1991) — Sept 24 2017 Epic trash/trash epic about real-life gangster Crippled Ho. Ray Lui plays Ho, chronicling his rise from early 60s Mainland immigrant to heroin kingpin, mainly focusing on his rivalry with fellow gang leader Fat Kwan (Kent Cheng). This is higher level gang
Wilson Yip Wilson Yip Capsule Reviews Bio Zombie (1998) – September 25, 2023 This Wilson Yip should come back as a zombie to eat the face off the Wilson Yip who directed the Ip Man movies. Flash Point (2007) — November 18, 2014 About 20 minutes into the climax of the movie, after he has been beating the
Crippled Avengers Wilson Yip Reviews: SPL: Sha Pol Lang (2005) — October 1, 2016 Ip Man 3 (2015) — January 22, 2016 SPL: Paradox (2017) — October 8, 2017 Ip Man 4 (2019) — December 27, 2019 Capsule Reviews: Bio Zombie (1998) – September 25, 2023 Flash Point (2007)— November 18, 2014 Ip Man (2008)- April 4, 2019
Crippled Avengers Daniel Lee Capsule Reviews Black Mask (1996) — March 22, 2016 Saw this dubbed when it got released in the US in 1999. Surprisingly enough, it’s better in the original language. Best part of rewatching these movies now is recognizing the character actors: Lau Ching-wan as Jet Li’s cop buddy, Anthony Wong as
Dante Lam Dante Lam Capsule Reviews Beast Cops (1998) — August 5, 2017 Not only does this have Anthony Wong at his most righteously sleazy playing the streetwise cop who bends but doesn’t quite break the rules in the interest of maintaining the delicate balance of the community under his protection (ie: the Triads are OK
It's a Drink, It's a Bomb Dante Lam Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/dante-lam/]: Operation Mekong [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/operation-mekong-dante-lam-2016/] (2016) — October 1, 2016 Operation Red Sea [https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/contemporary-chinese-cinema-lunar-new-year] (2018) — February 28, 2018 The Rescue [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-rescue-dante-lam-2020/] (2020) — November 25, 2021 The Battle at Lake Changjin (Parts I &
Wong Jing Wong Jing Capsule Reviews The Buddhist Fist (Yuen Woo-ping, 1980) — June 21, 2013 Maybe the biggest gap between quality of acting/storytelling and choreography/action I’ve ever seen. It’s the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers of kung fu movies. To what degree that is the result of the copy I saw being
Good Men, Good Women Wu Ma Capsule Reviews The Dead and the Deadly (1982) — June 2, 2017 Nastier than Winners & Sinners-era Sammo Hung or the Mr. Vampire series, with Wu Ma directing as well as starring, playing a grotesque con artist who gets good guy Sammo to avenge his murder at the hands of his co-conspirators. A
Derek Kwok Derek Kwok Capsule Reviews Gallants (2010) — January 28, 2018 Seeing this now at home, alone, more than seven years after catching it in a massive yet still overstuffed festival venue (the no longer operating Ridge in Vancouver), and being significantly more familiar with the cast and the kung fu classics it’s riffing on
Andrew Lau Andrew Lau Capsule Reviews Young and Dangerous (1996) — November 5, 2014 The Muppet Babies of Heroic Bloodshed films. Equivocation, extenuating circumstances, and context are the wisdom of the adult; the young see only absolutes, the letter of the code. These kids know the rules, but they don’t understand their own code. When Ekin
Good Men, Good Women Lau Kar-wing Capsule Reviews Odd Couple (1979) — July 20, 2017 Going from Sammo Hung’s early 70s supporting work in something like The Skyhawk to this, made only a few years later, is a trip. No longer held back by co-stars who can’t keep up or unimaginative casting that refuses see him as
Good Men, Good Women Derek Kwok Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/derek-kwok/]: Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/journey-to-the-west-conquering-the-demons-stephen-chow-derek-kwok-2013/] (Stephen Chow & Derek Kwok, 2013) — April 3, 2014 Schemes in Antiques [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/schemes-in-antiques-derek-kwok-2021/] (2021) — December 16, 2021 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/derek-kwok-capsule-reviews/]: Gallants (Derek Kwok
It's a Drink, It's a Bomb Andrew Lau Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/andrew-lau/]: Infernal Affairs [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/infernal-affairs-andrew-lau-alan-mak-2002/] ( Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2002) — March 19, 2013 The Captain [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-captain-andrew-lau-2019/] (Andrew Lau, 2019) — October 17, 2019 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/andrew-lau-capsule-reviews/]: Young and Dangerous (1996) — November 5, 2014
Clifton Ko Clifton Ko Capsule Reviews Chicken and Duck Talk (1988) — March 18, 2017 Michael Hui owns a slovenly BBQ duck restaurant that’s threatened by the ultra-modern fried chicken joint moving in across the street. Highlights include Michael and Ricky Hui fighting while dressed as giant fowl, Sylvia Chang brightening an otherwise throwaway role as
Ho Meng-hua Ho Meng-hua Capsule Reviews Cave of the Silken Web (1967) — June 3, 2015 An impressive collection of legs. Transitional film for the Shaws, half a huangmei musical, half an action film. Not a state-of-the-art swordplay film in the style King Hu and Chang Cheh were making in 1967, but an older, more theatrical kind
Good Men, Good Women Clifton Ko Reviews: Happy Ghost I and II [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/happy-ghost-series/] (1984 and 1985) — November 26, 2013 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/clifton-ko-capsule-reviews/]: Chicken and Duck Talk (1988) — March 18, 2017 Alls Well Ends Well (1992)— December 9, 2013 List: Clifton Ko Movies [https://letterboxd.com/theendofcinema/list/clifton-ko-movies/
Good Men, Good Women Stephen Fung Reviews: Tai Chi Zero/Tai Chi Hero [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tai-chi-zero-and-tai-chi-hero-stephen-fung-2012/] (2012) — May 1, 2014 The Adventurers [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-adventurers-stephen-fung-2017/] (2017) —August 16, 2017
Alan Mak Alan Mak & Felix Chong Capsule Reviews Infernal Affairs II (2003) — June 29, 2017 Everything with Anthony Wong, Carina Lau, and Eric Tsang is excellent. And Francis Ng is pretty good too, though he seems to have time traveled two years into the future to steal Simon Yam’s Election performance. Chapman To and Roy Cheung do
Patrick Tam Final Victory (Patrick Tam, 1987) A pair of eyes stare at us from under a green bowler hat. Then Eric Tsang looking uncomfortable, also facing us. Back to the hat, now revealing the whole face under it, that of Tsui Hark: pale, bearded, and glaring. Back to Eric Tsang, scared perhaps by Tsui, perhaps by
Crippled Avengers Alan Mak & Felix Chong Reviews: Infernal Affairs [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/infernal-affairs-andrew-lau-alan-mak-2002/] (Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2002) — March 19, 2013 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/alan-mak-felix-chong-capsule-reviews/]: Infernal Affairs II (Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2003) — June 29, 2017 Overheard (2009)— May 6, 2015 Overheard 2 (2011) — May 8, 2015 Overheard 3 (2014)
Crippled Avengers Gordon Chan Capsule Reviews Fight Back to School (1991) — April 15, 2019 Is to Ringo Lam’s On Fire films what Hot Fuzz is to Michael Bay. With a little bit of Kindergarten Cop thrown in, because why not. Beast Cops (1998) — August 5, 2017 Not only does this have Anthony Wong at his
