The Counterfeiter aka Project Gutenberg (Mou seung) China/Hong Kong (2018) Dir. Felix Chong If a picture paints a thousand words, films wouldn’t need to be two hours long. As much as an image can tell a story, there is always need for nuance, detail, and clarification as the eye can miss so much from looking … Continue reading Movie Review – The Counterfeiter aka Project Gutenberg (Mou seung)
Movie Review – The Eight Hundred (Ba bai)
The Eight Hundred (Ba bai) China (2020) Dir. Guan Hu “The nature of war is always politics.” I’ve always wondered what the phrase “Theatre of War” meant, assuming it was a poetic term for the drama that plays out on the battlefield. Instead, it refers to any area where warfare takes place. If we were … Continue reading Movie Review – The Eight Hundred (Ba bai)
Movie Review – Sheep Without A Shepherd
Sheep Without A Shepherd (Cert 15) Digital/VOD (Distributor: Cine Asia) Running Time: 112 minutes approx. Release Date – April 26th “Why do my actions have consequences?” It won’t surprise you to learn this epigrammatic lament came from Homer Simpson, but for the people involved in this messy tale who should really know better, they learn … Continue reading Movie Review – Sheep Without A Shepherd
Movie Review – Chinese Zodiac (Sap ji sang ciu)
Chinese Zodiac (Sap ji sang ciu) Hong Kong/China (2012) Dir. Jackie Chan Disclaimer: the version of this film under review is from Amazon Prime and is the US cut, meaning not only is there a horrible English dub but also, per Jackie Chan himself, 20 minutes was cut to make it faster paced for American … Continue reading Movie Review – Chinese Zodiac (Sap ji sang ciu)
Movie Review – Vanguard
Vanguard China (2020) Dir. Stanley Tong Q: What do rock legends The Who, wrestlers Terry Funk and Atsushi Onita, and Jackie Chan have in common? A: They have all reneged on promises to retire from their chose occupations. Although to be fair to Chan, he never said he would retire from acting, just kung fu … Continue reading Movie Review – Vanguard
Movie Review – Maoshan
Maoshan China (2021) Dirs. Shuai Yang & Zhong Weixi “There's a hero / If you look inside your heart” No, I didn’t expect to find myself quoting Mariah Carey in a review for a martial arts film but stranger things have happened. But it is apposite as this is your typical story of a lowly … Continue reading Movie Review – Maoshan
Movie Review – Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin)
Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin) China/Taiwan (2017) Dir. Sylvia Chang As time moves on and social attitudes change, some old traditions become redundant and more often than not, illogical to modern thinking, and with the separation between rural and metropolitan life, there will be a clash of opinions about this. Then again, not every … Continue reading Movie Review – Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin)
Ju Dou
Ju Dou China (1990) Dirs. Zhang Yimou & Yang Fengliang We reap what we sow. If you kick a dog long enough it will bite you back. You deserve to be bitten. Once the tables are turned, the dog must learn it to stop biting. Humility and a change in attitude is required by both … Continue reading Ju Dou
The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona)
The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona) Russia/China (2019) Dir. Oleg Stepchenko Marketing in cinema is everything. Get that wrong and you can kiss goodbye to all the hard work of the filmmaker turning a profit, no matter how good the film might or might not be. This Chinese-Russian co-production exemplifies the problem of the metaphoric … Continue reading The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona)
The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong)
The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong) China (2018) Dir. Lin Zhenzhao Many countries have their own folk heroes and legends immortalised in film, and for the Chinese it is the martial arts master and medical practitioner Wong Fei-hung. Already the subject of numerous films and TV series, Fei-Hung is back … Continue reading The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong)
