Hark Tsui Comes Back with Martial Arts Flick Detective Dee

(Article by Rita Xia) Hark Tsui, the famous Hong Kong movie director who has a list of well-received martial arts flicks in his credit, is coming back with an all- star historical martial arts suspense thriller – Detective Dee (and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame). I know, that is a long list of...

June 15th, 2009 | Read More

Magnolia Schedules Ong Bak 2 for October 2009

Wacky stories about how its star and director ditched the production of the expensive Thai movie to meditate in the jungles notwithstanding, Tony Jaa’s directorial debut, “Ong Bak 2″ (forget about the title, the film has no connections to the original movie also starring Jaa) will be...

June 15th, 2009 | Read More

Sorry for the City (2009) Movie Review

Influential Hong Kong classic “Infernal Affairs” gets the Korean comedy treatment with “Sorry for the City” (also referred to as “City of Damnation”). The film marks the reunion of the popular stars and team behind the hits “My Boss, My Hero” and “My Boss, My Teacher”, with helmer...

June 13th, 2009 | Read More

Tactical Unit: Partners (2009) Movie Review

“Tactical Unit – Partners” is the latest and apparently final entry in the new Johnnie To produced “PTU” series. The film was directed by Lawrence Lau, who also helmed the second in the series, “No Way Out”, as well as a number of other recently acclaimed films such as “My Name is Fame”...

June 13th, 2009 | Read More

The Storm Riders (1998) Movie Review

Having reached its tenth anniversary and with a big budget Pang Brothers directed sequel on the way, the remastered re-release of “The Storm Riders” is both timely and welcome. A massive box office hit on its original 1998 release, the film was a milestone in Hong Kong fantasy cinema, boasting a...

June 13th, 2009 | Read More

A Frozen Flower (2008) Movie Review

Although perhaps not as widely recognised as his contemporaries, former poet Yoo Ha is unquestionably one of the most talented directors working in Korea today. Known for never taking the easy or genre approved route, he has yet to make a bad film, and his track record speaks for itself, including the...

June 13th, 2009 | Read More

Laundry Warrior Becomes Warrior’s Way, Gets Ass-Kicking Promo Reel

Originally titled “Laundry Warrior”, Sngmoo Lee’s martial arts-Western-fantasy movie has since been retitled “The Warrior’s Way”, and a slick (albeit of very poor quality) three and change promo reel has landed online. The film stars South Korean star Dong-Kun Jang...

June 10th, 2009 | Read More

Naked Kitchen (2008) Movie Review

The popularity of food related Korean films continues with “The Naked Kitchen” from first time female director Hong Ji Young, who also worked on the recent patisserie-set “Antique”. The film boasts an all star cast in the form of “Princess Hours” heartthrob Ju Ji Hoon (also in “Antique”),...

June 6th, 2009 | Read More

The Sniper (2009) Movie Review

“The Sniper” is a film which hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, thanks to the all-consuming nude photo scandal surrounding star Edison Chen, resulting in a long delay to its release and an apparently drastic cutting down of his role. However, for once this may actually have been a good...

June 6th, 2009 | Read More

A Very Short Life (2009) Movie Review

With Hong Kong cinema not always being known for its sensitive side, a category III rated drama about child abuse and murder may not initially sound like a particularly appetising prospect. Thankfully, “A Very Short Life”, which was written and directed by “Fatal Move” helmer Dennis Law, takes...

June 6th, 2009 | Read More

Wushu: The Young Generation (2008) Movie Review

As a film which is actually about martial arts, it is hard to fault the pedigree of “Wushu – The Young Generation”. Aimed at introducing a new and highly talented bunch of experts, the film also stars the legendary Sammo Hung, and was produced by none other than Jackie Chan. It was directed by...

June 6th, 2009 | Read More

Grudge Director Enters the The Shock Labyrinth

Japanese director Takashi Shimizu has grown tired of holding a grudge, it would appear, and is now ready to enter “The Shock Labyrinth”. Hey, what a coincidink. That also happens to be the title of his new (and probably very franchisable) horror movie, his first in three years since directing...

June 3rd, 2009 | Read More

The Pang Brothers’ Storm Warriors Trailers and Clips

Let’s face it, when some guy name Lord Godless shows up wanting to do damage, it’s your duty to get up and knock him down a couple of pegs. And hey, if you happen to know those fancy martial arts that lets you fly and hop around mountains, that’s cool, too. Check out some new footage...

June 1st, 2009 | Read More

Trailer and Images from Vicky Zhao’s Mulan

Hollywood beat the Chinese to the punch by bringing the legendary story of Mulan to the big screen first, but China isn’t just going to sit idly by and watch their legends be co-opted by the Western dogs. And thus, they’ve done their own version of the Mulan story, this time live-action,...

May 26th, 2009 | Read More

Cutie Honey (2004) Movie Review

A live action version of the enduringly popular Japanese manga and anime series, “Cutie Honey” was directed by Hideaki Anno of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” fame. Originally released back in 2004, the film now arrives on region 2 DVD via MVM Entertainment, finally giving fans a chance to revel in...

May 24th, 2009 | Read More

14 Blades Leaked Footage

Jet who? The upcoming period martial arts epic 14 Blades which is being directed by Daniel Lee (Black Mask) looks mighty cool, based on this leaked footage. Certified Kung Fu badass Donnie Yen has a starring role in the film so that makes it a must see in my book. Set during the Ming Dynasty the movie...

May 23rd, 2009 | Read More

Takashi Miike’s Next Manga Adaptation

Everyone’s favorite whacked out Japanese director is doing the Manga shuffle again, this time with a live action version of Buichi Terasawa’s Takeru. As in the Manga the film would follow the exploits of Takeru Ichimonji, a ninja with blond, curiously styled hair who lives in a sort of hybrid...

May 21st, 2009 | Read More

Magnolia Picks up Jet Li and Andy Lau’s Warlords

It took a while, but someone’s finally nabbed the Jet Li/Andy Lau Chinese epic “The Warlords” for North American distribution. THR reports that Magnolia Pictures, who have been very good at acquiring and treating their Asian movies with some measure of respect (as opposed to, you know,...

May 19th, 2009 | Read More

John Woo’s Legend of The Magic Bell, King’s Ransom

John Woo is one busy man. With his big-budgeted “Red Cliff” scheduled to hit the International circuit very soon, Woo’s already lining up a couple of high-profile projects. The first is finally getting together his “King’s Ransom”, a movie Woo has been attached to...

May 19th, 2009 | Read More

The Sniper (2009) Movie Review

Hong Kong’s “The Sniper” appeals to me because it’s about those mysterious guys who you never see, but who can kill you from three football fields away, and you’d never know it. When done right, like the 1993 Tom Berenger movie “Sniper” or 2001’s “Enemy at the Gates”, sniping is an...

May 17th, 2009 | Read More