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

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

Killer (2000) Movie Review

Movies like Billy Chung’s “Killer” makes me break out that old standby: It ain’t bad, but it ain’t all that good, either. “Killer”, not to be confused with John Woo’s “The Killer”, stars Jordan Chan (”Bio-Zombie”) as Tung, one of...

July 3rd, 2003 | Read More

Extreme Crisis (1998) Movie Review

Movies like “Extreme Crisis” have inspired me to create a new terminology. I’m going to call it Because the Script Says So, or BSSS. In short, BSSS means this: movies have situations or characters that makes absolutely no sense, and these anomalies can appear at just about any time...

July 1st, 2003 | Read More

Double Tap (2000) Movie Review

Is it wrong of me to wish that the cold-blooded killer played by Leslie Cheung would come up on top? That before he’s done with his killing spree, he gets the chance to take out all the cops that act like jerks, including leading man Alex Fong? In the world of “Double Tap”, where a...

June 27th, 2003 | Read More

Martial Angels (2001) Movie Review

“Martial Angels” has the makings of a good movie. It’s got a terrific cast, including Qi Shu as a retired thief forced back into the life when her ex-boyfriend (Julian Cheung) is kidnapped by the Russian mob. The target? A super duper anti-virus computer software. Now you may be asking...

June 17th, 2003 | Read More

Love in Garden Street (2002) Movie Review

All moviegoers know that Movie Coincidences (that is, the type of convenient coincidence that can only happen in movies) is a fact of moviegoing life. On rare occasions, your average moviegoer will be generous enough to accept one, sometimes even two, big Movie Coincidences. But if your movie is built...

June 13th, 2003 | Read More

Double Vision (2003) Movie Review

Kuo-fu Chen’s “Double Vision” was written, executed, and intended for international audiences, so maybe this is why the film lacks a more “Asian” feel. Oh sure, the screenplay by Chen and Chao-Bin Su makes mention of Taoism, of demons and “unseen supernatural forces”...

May 28th, 2003 | Read More

Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster (2003) Movie Review

It just doesn’t pay to be a reporter in a horror movie nowadays. Mixing elements of “Ring” with “The Blair Witch Project”, the Hong Kong product “Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster” is not as silly as you might think by the, well, silly title. The reporter here...

May 17th, 2003 | Read More

The Story of Ricky (1991) Movie Review

About halfway through “Story of Ricky”, the titular hero is engaged in a prison yard fight to the death with a rival when the rival, armed with a hunting knife, decides to cut open his own gut and use his own intestines to strangle Ricky! That one line of description tells you pretty much...

May 14th, 2003 | Read More

Bullets Over Summer (1995) Movie Review

“Bullets Over Summer” is a Buddy Cop action-comedy with strong doses of drama and, dare I say it, Asian melodrama toward the end. Francis Ng (”2000 A.D.”) stars as Mike, a veteran cop teamed up with the young and hormonally-challenged Brian (Louis Koo). After a criminal name Dragon...

May 7th, 2003 | Read More

Option Zero (1997) Movie Review

I have to admit, Hong Kong really does cop movies well; they somehow manage to weave the personal lives of the cops seamlessly with the complications of being on the job. “Option Zero” is another movie by Dante Lam (”Hit Team”) that proves that the Chinese really know what they’re...

May 5th, 2003 | Read More