Love Undercover 2: Love Mission (2003)

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Posted on August 21, 2003 by Mark Morrison

About 20 mins into this harebrained Canto comedy, Miriam Yeung shrugs her shoulders and says “I’m a goof!” Daniel Wu asks her to be serious; she looks at him firmly and says slowly, “I… am… a… goof…”.

That pretty much sums up why it is hard to take her or the film seriously; she’s just goofing around. The flick has its moments, mostly at the start, with a couple of nifty sequences which show how she was demoted after her … (read more)

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Robotech (1982)

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Posted on August 21, 2003 by Eugene

Ah nostalgia. It’s not quite what it use to be.

Having grown up on Saturday morning cartoons, it was hard not to be impressed when Robotech first came onto the airwaves. After all, it was probably the first time I had come across Japanese anime – well apart from Speed Racer, Kimba the White Lion, Astroboy… OK taken a serious interest in Japanese anime.

The thing is, though, when I came across Robotech, it wasn’t my first … (read more)

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Blind Shaft (2003)

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Posted on August 21, 2003 by Eugene

OK, I have to admit to not really paying much attention to the blurb before walking into this one. Latest flick from China that’s sitting on the banned list? Cool. Has some awards around some other film festivals? Even better.

So there I am watching the beginning of the movie knowing it had something to do with mining and having an expectation akin to a disaster movie with the tragedy of lives lost due to poor mining standards like some … (read more)

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Warm Water Under A Red Bridge (2001)

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Posted on August 19, 2003 by Ching Yee

Once a successful businessman, Yosuke is now unemployed and penniless. Taro, a friend, tells him about a golden Buddha he hid in an old wooden house overlooking a red bridge on the Noto Peninsula of the Japan Sea. After Taro dies, Yosuke heads off in the hope of finding the treasure and turning his life around, and meets a beautiful woman named Saeko who lives in an old wooden house, just as Taro described. Saeko confides in him that she … (read more)

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Good Times, Bed Times (2003)

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Posted on August 14, 2003 by Ching Yee

OK, this isn’t so much a movie but a series of gags, some good some bad, strung together with a loose narrative. Written by Chan Hing Kar and directed by Patrick Leung, it is the team who brought you La Brassiere and its follow up Mighty Baby. Unfortunately Good Times, Bed Times is more the puerile Mighty Baby than the snappy La Brassiere. Although it builds itself as a sexy sophisticated farce, the material is quite shallow with … (read more)

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HK vs Hollywood: Ten Reasons Why…

Posted on August 10, 2003 by Alison

We’ve all railed at the fact that Hollywood produces, well, good agricultural material, while HK often (not always, but often) produces true gems of cinematic genius. Here’s why…

  • Recipes for a film run along the following lines.
    HK: Throw in whatever’s fresh in the market that day. Cook fast, serve hot, and end up with something fresh, spicy, and interesting.
    Hollywood: Take a successful recipe and remove everything but the cabbage. Add extra lard, cook for 18 months, and serve
    • … (read more)
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    Top Ten Breathtakers in Hong Kong Films

    Posted on August 10, 2003 by Alison

    One of the things I most like about HK films is the ability to surprise: that scene where you’re really, truly, not at all sure what’s going to happen. Or, indeed, that what just happened really did happen. So I’ve compiled a list of my favourite breathtakers. Here they are, in no particular order. Go for your life.

    SPOILER alert: if you don’t want to know what happens, then don’t read further…

    1) I’ll have to start with Bride With … (read more)

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    Why Hong Kong action movies?

    Posted on August 4, 2003 by Mark Morrison

    For sheer excitement, Hong Kong action movies cannot be matched. A Hong Kong action movie never pauses to dwell on the improbability of an event, the ludicrous danger of a stunt, or the coincidence of an encounter. Except for the inevitable cantopop video clip in the middle of the film (usually to reinforce the binding love between hero and heroine before one or both meet a tragic end), these movies go go go. Standard production turnaround for a Hong Kong … (read more)

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