Beast Cops (1998) Movie Review

“Beast Cops” cleaned up the hardware in its native Hong Kong’s annual movie awards in 1998. The film was highly acclaimed by the critics and was, most importantly, a box office hit. The screenplay is by Gordon Chan and Hing-Ka Chan, with Chan (“2000 A.D.”) and Dante Lam...

September 9th, 2003 | Read More

Tube (2004) Movie Review

Two things about “Tube”: In the beginning, during a shootout at the airport, just ignore the fact that you never see anyone reload, even though there are enough bullets flying back and forth to arm the entire Iraqi army. (Actually, I only saw a character reload once in the entire movie.)...

August 28th, 2003 | Read More

Asian Charlie’s Angels (2001) Movie Review

Here’s the odd thing: most of Christy Chung’s co-stars record their dialogue using sync sound, but only Chung’s dialogue is entirely dubbed from beginning to end! It would be interesting to find out why this is the case. I’ve seen Chung in numerous non-Chinese films, like the...

August 27th, 2003 | Read More

Drunken Monkey (2003) Movie Review

I must confess that when it comes to Old School Hong Kong martial arts period films, I’m not privy to a lot of background. For instance, I am familiar with exactly zero actors in the new movie “Drunken Monkey”, even though from everything I’ve read these are well known names within...

August 17th, 2003 | Read More

Shogun Assassin (1980) Movie Review

Shogun Assassin is actually a series of movies made in the 1970s masquerading as an American release. Shogun Assassin was originally called Lone Wolf and Cub: (Enter Secondary Title Here), and I believe there were 6 or 7 feature-length installments in the series. The movies all centers around a skilled...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Sopyonje (1993) Movie Review

What makes “Sopyonje” stand out is its unflinching look and interpretation of a Korea under assault — not assault from foreign attacks or invaders, but from something just as deadly: cultural imperialism. It is impossible to gauge the low-level intensity of the acting, the directing,...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Versus (2000) Movie Review

What “Versus” gives in place of a storyline is this: apparently there is a portal to some unknown dimension that promises good things for those who can open, and then enter, it. To achieve this end, an apparently unsavory fellow has hired some Yakuza thugs to help a convict escape. Everyone...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Chilsu and Mansu (1994) Movie Review

“Chilsu and Mansu” is a familiar movie. Taken in context as a South Korean movie, made at a time when the country itself was going through a tremendous upheaval, the movie might be better than I give it credit for. At the time the movie was made and released, South Korea was, quite literally,...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Peppermint Candy (2000) Movie Review

First off, let me assure you that I am not spoiling anything by telling you that Yongho, the main character, commits suicide. This takes place in the movie’s first sequence, about 5 minutes into the movie. The film is told in reverse order, akin to the masterful “Memento”, only the...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Our Twisted Hero (1992) Movie Review

“Our Twisted Hero” is a terrific movie with perhaps the worst subtitles of all modern cinema. It’s perplexing why the producers/distributors did such a shoddy job with the translation, as such a ridiculously poor effort would seem to indicate an attempt at self-sabotage. We’re...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Sanjuro (1962) Movie Review

Sanjuro is the sequel to Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, and returns star Toshiro Mifune as the title character. In this installment, sword-for-hire Sanjuro stumbles into more trouble — or rather, trouble comes to the shack he’s currently crashing for the night. As always, Toshiro Mifune...

August 11th, 2003 | Read More

Heroic Duo (2003) Movie Review

I’ve never been a big fan of Ekin Cheng. Whatever it is that the Hong Kong film industry sees that makes them give the guy 10 movies per year is a mystery to me. Leon Lai elicits about the same response; the pop singer could rival Cheng for having the same level of ability to project passion —...

August 5th, 2003 | Read More

Shaolin Soccer (2001) Movie Review

Computer effects have become a bane for many filmmakers. So many movies are so CGI-reliant these days that the movie themselves have lost any sense of personality. One effects-laden movie has begun to look like the next, with story serving only as an excuse to move onto the next sfx sequence. Recent...

August 4th, 2003 | Read More

Legend of Zu (2001) Movie Review

I will first admit to not having followed the career of Tsui Hark, the writer/director of “Legend of Zu”, besides what I have seen of his work in such American fare as “Knock Off” and “Double Team”. Both American films having the unenviable distinction of starring...

August 4th, 2003 | Read More

Forbidden City Cop (1996) Movie Review

Stephen Chow is, I am told, a pretty big star over in his native Hong Kong, although I’ve only seen him in “Shaolin Soccer” — and if he was in other movies I’ve seen, then I don’t recall them. Having seen “Soccer”, I can safely say that 1996’s “Forbidden...

July 31st, 2003 | Read More

Contract Killer (aka Hitman, 1998) Movie Review

This review of “Hitman” is based on the American version, which is dubbed in English and was re-released under the title “Contract Killer”, with an all-new poster (that is also a bit misleading) and, if I’m correct, a completely new “Americanized” soundtrack,...

July 30th, 2003 | Read More

Colour of the Truth (2003) Movie Review

“Color of the Truth” sports such a dubious pedigree that I sat on it for nearly a month before finally taking a stab at it today. Yes, I’m talking about the presence of the name “Wong Jing”. What worries me the most is that Jing is not only the writer, but also the co-director...

July 23rd, 2003 | Read More

Looking for Mr. Perfect (2003) Movie Review

If you’ve seen enough Hong Kong movies you may start to notice that a lot of the same people keep showing up in the same movies. It’s because the present Hong Kong film industry has a system in place that mirrors the Studio System of Hollywood’s “Golden Age”. Many actors...

July 16th, 2003 | Read More

Haunted Office (2002) Movie Review

“Haunted Office”, a 2002 offering from Hong Kong, is a horror anthology consisting of 3 episodes set in the same haunted office building. Unlike other anthologies, there isn’t a middleman (e.g. the Crypt Keeper) to “tell” the stories, but instead the writers have interweaved...

July 12th, 2003 | Read More

The Twins Effect (2003) Movie Review

Using manipulative music in movies is nothing new. Steven Spielberg used to make a living off it. Such is the case with “The Twins Effect”, the new “it” movie from Hong Kong starring two popular teen idols, a has-been teen idol, and an old has-been action idol. Every scene of...

July 7th, 2003 | Read More