The three wise men of HK movies on the Internet are without doubt Ryan (the small
potato), Jerry (the chaffing editor) and Sanney (editor in fluff). Without them, I would
know nothing. Head for:
Hong Kong Movie
DataBase: Ryan has built the
premier HK Movie site on the web. Now, with heroic programming help from Eric and Dave,
the site has a fully searchable database of
movies going back to 1913, the latest box office reports, a review of every new movie as
it is released, photos from movie premieres, Coming Soon section, the
largest poster gallery on the web, and more. ***
HKSAR Top Five Central:
Jerry's terrific news site is updated weekly, and delivers splendid compiled reports about
HK movies and HK movie stars. Don't miss an issue.***
Hong Kong Entertainment in Review:
Sanney's wonderful site dishes up daily news and pics from Hong Kong's
entertainment industry. All the scandal, in living colour. New URL! ***
Australian Sites
Action Hong Kong!: Daniel's site
blasts out of Melbourne, with a fine collection of reviews and star profiles from classic
Hong Kong action cinema. Not updated since 2000, alas. *
Anime
Anytime: this online anime store from Canberra will mail order
anywhere, and is a righteous establishment - all stock is 100% licensed
and legit, no bootlegs here! *
Anime Zone: this fine Box Hill store has buckets of
anime-related stuff. Unfortunately the site is just a shell right now, but
the actual store is cool, so go visit it. *
Anti-Piracy Site:
an article by Christine Mullen from the Jackie Chan Fan Club Australia about the creeping
death that is killing the Hong Kong film industry. Read and be righteous. *
Australian
Asian Film Group: a mailing-list run from Yahoo Groups for Asian
film-makers and artists based in Australia. If that sounds like you and
you'd like to email other creators, join in! *
AV Channel: the new company
which distributes Hong Kong movies and anime on the Madman and Chinatown
Video labels. The site is updated regularly. Read, rent and/or buy! ***
Chiaumania:
Sarah Wheatley's site is devoted to Stephen Chiau, the funniest man in
Hong Kong. Hit the site for comprehensive rundown on all his movies with
lotsa fine screen grabs. *
China Books: a fine Melbourne bookstore
which stocks all things Chinese. Of particular interest is the large range of wuxia
fiction and comics. Mail order is available. **
Chinatown (Melbourne): this
site is a fine guide to Melbourne's Chinatown district - where to eat, where to go, what
to do. The information is a little out of date, but it's still a solid resource. *
Chinatown.com.au (Sydney): this excellent
and up-to-date site is jumping with Asian happenings in Sydney's Chinatown district -
entertainment, food, events, more! In English and Chinese. **
Chinatown Cinema:
Chinese-language site for Melbourne's Chinese cinema. H-C
Chinatown Video: now distributed by the AV
Channel (see above).
Classic Chinatown Doubles: here's where I let
you know what's on at our regular classic Hong Kong double
screenings at Melbourne's Chinatown Cinema. Special guest reviewers! H-C
DoRoHKoM
- The Directory of Reviews of HK Movies: Sharp Tongue's new site is a
database of links to reviews of lesser-known HK movie reviews across the
web. Just starting, so incomplete. *
Empire Magazine: Australian
edition of the UK film magazine, lots of reviews and chat about films at
large. In the past I have written the occasional Asian film or DVD review
for them. *
FAAN: stands for "For
Asian-Australian Needs", and it's a groovy free magazine which hits
the streets of Sydney once a month. Check the site for details of past
issues and the whole FAAN thing. *
Fierce Dragon's Hong Kong Movie Page:
Michael's photo and review site high-kicks out of Adelaide. As you'll
see, he's a bit of a Woo fan! Beware the many crap pop-up ads here though.
*
Film
Buff's Forecast: Melbourne radio show about films, hosted by EG
reviewer Paul Harris. I do some Asian film reviews from time to time.
Catch it on 3RRR
(102.7 FM) 12 midday and 2:00pm. *
Furious Films: this Australian film
company is preparing to shoot Huntsman 5.1, a local sci-fi action movie in the
Hong Kong style! David No will star. The site has all the goss. **
Girl Plus Boy: Diana's
site scans popular culture with a feminist eye, and finds it wanting -
except for Hong Kong gear, which always gets the nod. Check Lars' ode to Chow
Yun Fat for proof! *
Golden Shadows: Melbourne HK film
fan John Snadden is screening classic HK double bills at Cinemedia - now
that's cool! The website has more info on the films and the concept. H-C
G-Zone: this Chinese entertainment site
from Sydney is part of Chinatown.com.au - it's
in Chinese, but that won't stop you enjoying the cantopop concert photos or joining
the G-Club! **
Hong Kong Eclectic:
frozen but beautiful Melbourne site by Wing Mong Yee, alias Jacques Tremblay. His article
"An appraisal" is a perfect summation of the HK movie-going experience. *
Hong Kong Movie Review: James
Brennan has synopses, cast details and short reviews of his favourite HK films. The
site also has Real Audio HK film themes. No longer updated. *
House of Mak
Dave's rockin' site is packed with pics and posters from all manner of
films - it's one of the best Hong Kong movie picture sites on the web, and
it's comin' at ya from Sydney. **
Instantlink Video CD: fine store in
Box Hill (Melbourne) where I rent and buy VCDs. I like the place so much,
I made them a web page! They also have DVDs and DVD players. H-C
Jackie Chan
Fan Club Australia: I reckon the title says it all. If you're a fan of Jackie
Chan, you need to hook up with these fine people, end of story. This website is
just the place to do it. *
The Japan Foundation: this Sydney cultural
institute arranges free screenings of Japanese films -
dramas, comedies and more. The site has the details, and more besides. *
Jet Li
Australia: the official Australian Jet Li site - get all the latest
news on Jet Li here, updated from an Australian point of view; includes
local DVD releases, TV screenings, etc. *
Madman Entertainment: splendid Melbourne video
label under the distribution network of the AV Channel. They mainly release anime
films, but have a small selection of recent HK fare. **
Manga Entertainment: another
Australian anime video
label distributed by the AV Channel. *
Melbourne Anime Society:
a great site from an active club in screening, talking, trading and living
anime. The site is a huge resource for Aussie fans, such as the fine fine shopping guide. *
Melbourne CitySearch
(Film): comprehensive Melbourne entertainment site with screening
times for all films at all cinemas, under the helm of HK-savvy film
editor Trish Maunder. *
Melbourne
International Film Festival: each July in Melbourne,
MIFF is the best place in Australia to see films. New director James
Hewison has upped the Asian content. *
MG
Distribution: Australia's new distributor for Bollywood films - go
here for news of the latest Indian blockbusters screening in all states. *
Minotaur: big old pop culture shop and my
former employer. They stock lots o' Hong Kong vids and DVDs, as well as plenty o' books and mags.
The site is lame, but the shop is chockers. *
Refused
Classification: a guide to film censorship in Australia, with weekly
updates on the latest rulings by the OFLC. Check the archives for info
about how Dr Lamb and other infamous films fared here. *
Robot: my favourite bar in
Melbourne, created by my old friend Andre. Japanese style, very pop, very
robot. The perfect place to wind down after a cantopop concert or
Chinatown double bill. **
Sammi Cinema:
nothing to do with Sammi Cheng, this megasite lists all known Australian
movie release dates. Handy stuff, compiled by the super dedicated Steven
Marshall. **
SBS Television & Radio: the Australian
multicultural broadcaster's on-line program guide. While you're there, jot a note into
their comments form and ask for your favourite HK movie! ***
Senses of Cinema: this serious online film
journal has a few pieces each issue on Asian cinema - such as Stephen Teo's "Local and Global
Identity: Whither Hong Kong Cinema?" *
Sharptongue's Theatre: seminal
Aussie HK review page by Andrew of Sydney, formerly of Adelaide. His well-known internet
handle is Sharp Tongue, Soft Heart (STSH). **
Sharptongue's HK
Movie Poster Swap: STSH has uncovered a trove of Hong Kong movie
posters that he'd like to swap for HK film books or soundtracks. Check the
site and email him soon! H-C
Siren Visual
Entertainment: this Melbourne company have released or distribute many
fine Asian offerings on video and DVD, including Monkey, Jackie
Chan, anime and more. **
Star Wall: the
finest shop in Melbourne! I actually made this site for the store - it has
details and pictures of the books, posters and other Hong Kong movie
collectables on sale. H-C
Starzlight:
promoters who bring Cantopop artists to Australia - check out the site for
profiles on their recent Jacky Cheung, Anita Mui & LMF concerts. **
Sydney
Asia Pacific Film Festival: this excellent Sydney film festival each
August is devoted to new and exciting Asian cinema.
Check the 2000, 2001 & 2002 programs. **
Tim's HK
Movie Reviews: Tim reviews every HK movie he sees and plants them on
aus.films - now he's archived them on this fast-loading all-text site.
Plenty of brand newies and old classics. *
Trash Video: a Brisbane video
store which rents and sells anything from Shaw Bros kung fu to Italian splatter. Don't
miss Tim's HK trash column in their e-zine Trash Confidential! **
TVB Australia website: TVB is a 7-channel package
of Cantonese and Mandarin entertainment available exclusively via dedicated satellite. The
website has all the details. *
Ume Nomiya: another great
Melbourne bar in the Japanese style. Ume goes more for the art and
minimalist school of Japanese culture, and is a great place to chill and
chat. *
World Movies: the website of the Pay TV
channel which serves up a feast of world cinema, including hearty HK fare. It has the
schedule for this week and next week, the month's highlights, their complete movie
catalogue, and details of how to get yourself hooked up. It's well worth it! **
The Rest of the World Wide World
A Better Tomorrow:
Peter keeps this welcoming HK DVD review site right up to date. The layout
is clean and the writing is lean. Lots of reviews, a weekly editorial and
a bundle of links. ***
Alex
in Wonderland: Alex is a man of many interests, most of them related
to guns, women, or women with guns. He also is a keen reviewer of Asian
films - his site has a ton of them. *
Another Hong Kong Movie Page: Tim is an Aussie
ex-pat, now resident in Hong Kong. He is my favourite internet reviewer for Hong Kong
film, and the ones on his site are plenty fresh. ***
Asian DVD Guide:
if you have a DVD player, you need this site. It's packed with info
about new releases on DVD format from HK, Japan and Korea. Where available there are links to reviews. **
Asian Film
Connections: scholarly coverage of films from China, India, Japan,
Korea and Taiwan. Look for on-line video clips, press kits, filmographies, and critical analyses.
*
Asian Film Foundation: a
collective of passionate HK film fans in LA! The site has details of
screenings, a great HK 101 primer, a database of key actors and films, and
more all the time. **
Asian
Films Playing in New York: Goran Topalovic's seminal NYC site has closed, but
Paul still runs a weekly mailing list from here - join up to
catch all the Asian movie action in the Big Apple. *
Asian Media Access: dedicated to
screening current Asian cinema in the Minneapolis region. Their film
database has an excellent selection of synopses of recent and classic HK
film. *
The Bastard Swordsman:
this is a great site from Alex in Amsterdam. His review section is one of the most
entertaining around. Unfortunately, he's got a bit slack lately - what a
bastard! **
Bootmasters Homepage: "So, what
exactly is a Bootmaster? It is a term to describe someone who can kick. I mean REALLY
kick." So writes Simon Wyndham on his great 100% real fu site. *
Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia's Unofficial Web Site:
webmaster Meg has plenty of pictures and info about the fiery witch of wuxia, she of the
finest eyes in motion pictures. Come back, Brigitte! *
Canton Kid: Paul's site is fresh from
Hong Kong. The site is set up like a database, and although the navigation
is dodgy, the reviews are plentiful, and includes the very latest
releases. **
The
China Dragon: this red-and-gold review site covers films from China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan and East Meets West. The Recommended section alone will
get you itching to watch! *
Chinese Character Reader: go
here to download a copy of NJWIN, a neat plugin for Windows. Install and you'll get
pleasing Chinese characters when you browse HK-native sites. **
Chinese Cinema Page, by Shelly
Kraicer:
Shelly is a resident of Toronto, Canada, a hotbed of HK film activity. His reviews are
considered and thoughtful, and you deserve to read them. ***
Chinese
Culture at About.com: a huge collection of links to all aspects of
Chinese culture on the web - including Entertainment, including Hong Kong
film, including Heroic Cinema, bless 'em! *
Chinese Movie Database: this database covers all
Chinese film (not just Hong Kong). Special sections are film awards (Golden Horse, HKFA),
links, poster gallery and Chinese film books. **
CinemAsie:
terrific site with heaps of reviews, news, photos and fresh layout - but
it's entirely in French. Even so, you can still browse for pics and
ratings. ** If you read
French, otherwise... *
Cine-Raider:
subtitled "A critical guide to the world of Hong Kong cinema",
this site has reviews by Ron Murillo, and a Profiles section which links
to sites devoted to current stars and directors. *
Cinespot: nice
cleanly designed site which has latest box office figures, recent reviews,
interviews, wallpapers and more. Available in both Chinese and English
versions. *
City Line HK: Damn handy
English-language movie guide from HK - what's playing where, session
times, synopses, pics and links to the movies' official websites. *
City on Fire: I was digging this page the
moment the opening image loaded up - labelled "Where guys like us are cool".
That sums up the have-fun talk-movies attitude of this rockin' review site. **
Dragon's Den UK: Phil's site is
the only HK movie site I know with a diary of an American road trip included... but it's
also got cool reviews, pictures, bios and an earload of .wav files. Thwack! *
Drunken Fist Bastard: Rob Larsen's site is on
lots of things, including HK movies. Make straight for his articles from Shovel magazine,
reviewing new & old HK classics. Mighty good readin'! **
Fasthack: Nelson cranks this
personal site out from Chicago. He uses the kid from Blood Royale as his
bio photo, which gets points from me. He rants and links about films,
games, and other goodness. *
Giant Robot: a web site for you! The awesome
Asian culture zine's home on the web. Scope out the site, then track down the magazine
(catch my review to learn why you need it!) **
Guardians of Order: the new publishers
of Gareth-Michael Skarka's excellent roleplaying game Hong Kong Action Theatre.
The HKAT rules perfectly capture the spirit of the movies. **
Happy Fortune Screening Room: J.Crawford's
review site is the coolest movie theatre that never existed. Behind the red curtains are
his feature reviews on latest HK films on VCD. *
Heroic
Bloodshed: a nicely presented site by Russell Edwards with solid info
on the big guns of HK action - Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun
Fat, Jon Woo, etc. *
HKAction Films: all the
action, all the time. Curtis G's site has that and more, with news,
reviews, links, US cable TV listings, and many great linked articles about
current film-makers. *
HK
Actors Index: this is part of Brian's Brooklyn
Bridge site, but is so good it deserves its own bookmark. It's a photo
gallery of hundreds of HK stars - handy for working out who's who! ***
HK Cinema 101:
Calvin's site started as a school project, but has evolved into a nice
starting point with key links to Hong Kong film stars, film-makers,
studios, etc. *
hkfilm.net: Mr Blue has cooked up a huge and tasty
slab of stuff for you here - film reviews, HK-influenced video games, book reviews, bios
and a really neat terminology section. Dial 999! **
HK-in-SF - Hong Kong Movies in San
Francisco: Laura does a hero's job laying down what's on in SF:
in cinemas, on TV, wherever. If you're in the shadow of the Golden Gate,
you need this! **
Hong Kong Cinema
UK: comprehensive UK site which has the word on TV screenings, DVD and
VHS releases. Plus, the explanation of that Bruce Lee / Wong Fei Hung
drinking game! *
Hong Kong Cinema - View from the Brooklyn Bridge: a
kickass review site from NYC. Brian has over 450 reviews online, so if you're after a
second opinion from the Noo Yawk, here it is. ***
Hong Kong
Cinemagic: a
cool site from France, but in both English and French. It has a nice feel,
and exclusive interviews, as well as feature articles and reviews. Check
it out! *
Hong Kong Critics Hong Kong Films: an
excellent selection of reviews by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Their collected
perspectives are informed and occasionally infuriating. ***
Hong
Kong Digital: John Charles is the author of the comprehensive The
Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997. His site continues the tradition
with reviews of recent DVDs. ***
Hong Kong Express: coming at you from
Italy in 100% Italian, this site proves once again that action is a
universal language. Si! *
Hong Kong Film Links: if you haven't
yet surfed your fill of sites devoted to your favourite stars, this site will give you a
bunch more URLs to click your way to. *
Hong Kong Movie World: a fine
database of actors and actresses put together by the webmaster of
SimonYam.com. Each entry has a photo, brief bio and filmography. *
Hong Kong
Obscura: Darryl's site is perennial under construction, and will be
killer when he's done - for now, dip into fine info on directors, actors,
studios and a great history of HK. *
Hong Kong Popular
Culture: Clean and friendly site with great synopses of all of the
latest movies in Hong Kong cinemas, plus new music CDs, film reviews,
gossip, and more. *
The Illuminated Lantern: Peter
Nepstad's wonderful site for "Revealing the heart of Asian cinema".
Each issue uncovers an aspect of Asian film, such as The Taoist Priest,
Triads, Ninjas, etc.. ***
Jackie
Chan Action Club: an astounding treasure trove for Jackie fans, his
official site has weekly reports from the set of his latest movie,
filmography, photos, bio and stacks more! *
The Jet Lee (Li) Homepage: the
premiere site about the wushu master. Stanley maintains a great one-stop site for pics,
news, reviews, info, every damn thing. If you're a fan, this is the one! **
Josh's Fayevourite Faye Wong Page: Josh
is a bit of a fan of cantopop diva Faye Wong - well, a lot of a fan. His
site is a boon for non-Chinese Faye fans - discography, titles, lyrics
& links! *
Ka Chun's HK
Movie Links & Guide
to HK Films in Denver and Boulder: the former is a ginormous list o'
links to sites, movies, actors, everything; the latter is the Colorado
lowdown. *
KFC Cinema: the KFC stands for Kung Fu Cult
cinema. I like it like that! This zippy Canadian review site has plenty of screen grabs
& funky graphics. General Tao commands you to visit! ***
Koreanfilm.org: Korea is seen as
having one of the most fresh and inventive film industries in the world
today, and Darcy's excellent site has wonderful in-depth info about the
movies and their makers. **
Kung Fu Cinema: nice new site
with lotsa reviews, lotsa previews, and pretty up-to-date front page about
the latest doings of Asian action stars in both H'kong and H'wood. **
Kung
Fu Superstars: this is the homepage for the lively Kung Fu Superstars
Mailing List - join up and hook up with fight fan films from all over the
world. The site also includes the KFSS webring. *
Love and Bullets: this is a Hong Kong movie
review site which focuses exclusively on DVDs. If you want to know what's sharp and what's
extra in the digital disc world, Matt is your man. *
Love Hong Kong Film: fine review
site from San Francisco which covers all major new releases, including a
neat little database of actors. The reviews are well formatted and right
on the money. ***
Lovely
Asia: Kevin Poston has assembled this marvelous bibliography and compendium of links to
every single roleplaying game supplement ever published with an
Asian setting. **
Made in Hong Kong: site for the UK video
label. Lots of John Woo flicks, and other classics. Mail order is
available, or get 'em from Minotaur (see above in the Aussie Links section). *
Maian
Dream - Hong Kong Cinema: David's site is a great launching pad for HK
film on the web. It has plenty of cool links, a great database of actors
and actresses, and more all the time! *
Martial Artist's Guide to
Hong Kong Films: this crew rates films entirely on the basis of fu -
from 0 ("no martial arts") to 5 ("worth watching in slo-mo").
The reviews are short and punchy. *
Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre:
Jane's site is a one-stop surf for all things Michelle. The gem is her
summary of Wang
Du Lu's novels (the original works used as the story for Crouching
Tiger!). *
Midnight Eye - Japanese Cult Cinema:
an excellent site from Tom, Jasper, Martin & Joep, the four horsemen
of the Region-2 DVD player. Interviews, reviews and features on Japanese
film. *
Mobius Home Video Forum: head straight for the Asian
Cinema Discussion Forum. No pseudonyms allowed, so the posts are intelligent and
interesting. Read up, and join in. ***
Monkey Peaches: a
nifty site which tracks big upcoming Chinese movies, with special pages
devoted to key releases in the making. Lotsa pictures, so you better have
decent bandwidth! **
Mov3.com:
This Chinese language site out of Hong Kong has wonderful galleries of
images and trailers from
movies screening in Hong Kong. I raid it weekly! **
Music Palace Theatre: a sad
site devoted to the Music Palace, the last Chinese cinema in New York
(closed June 2000). Go here and you'll see why you must support
Chinese cinemas in Oz! **
Once Upon a Time in China: not about the Jet
Li films, but instead a site by Eric Yin about his storytelling game
set in China. Even if you don't play RPGs, check his great wuxia
article. H-C
Overlooked Hong Kong Movies: with a
title like that, you know that there is gonna be some good stuff lurking here. Thomas
reckons you know about Woo et al, so he reviews the rest. *
Peter Grimes' Asian Film Reviews: Grimes
doesn't exist, but this site does, and it has solid reviews of recent films. His
"What I've Learned From Watching Hong Kong Films" is a must! *
Screen
Power: this UK website is the home of Screen Power, the
official Jackie Chan magazine, and also Jade Screen, a new Hong
Kong movie magazine. *
Sex Gore Mutants: with a
name like that, it could only be a site devoted to horror films! It also
has a fair whack of HK Cat III reviews, thanks to Aussie gorehound Mike
Thomason. *
A Slash-Fan's Guide to Hong
Kong Cinema: this is priceless. Sockii's entire bent is the homoerotic
content of HK films - she tells you where the hot stuff is! Reviews, pics,
fwoar. *
The Stunt People:
these guys make their own films, good on 'em! But I say get right into
their HK movie reviews, which are kick-by-kick descriptions of the action
scenes. Good articles too. *
Subway
Cinema: a collective of cinephiles in NYC dedicated to bringing Asian
film to the big screen. They've shown retrospective series of Milkyway and
Tsui Hark - their notes are excellent! **
Teleport
City: a slick and groovy site from Keith Allison (aka Ol' Battlemonkey)
with a whole lot of everything - his rockin' martial
arts movies reviews are some of the very best you'll find.**
Toronto's
Other Movies: Donald does for Toronto what I do for Australia - and
for that he has my respect! Go here to get the skinny on what's up HK-wise
in the land of the maple leaf. *
Wasted
Life: Hong Kong Movie Reviews: a happenin' UK review site which is
good for both reviews and also news of the latest HK movie releases in Old
Blighty. *
Wonderful World of Hong
Kong Action Cinema: Steven's site was wonderful once, but many links
are currently broken. But, his Chang
Cheh page is working, and a fitting tribute to the old master. *
All of the websites cited above are run by fine humans who
appreciate your support - so if you find a page you like, then send an email to say so! |
