More Shaws HK Classics on iTunes (and finally easier to find!)

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Justin


Following up on my post from late last year noting that the Celestial releases of the classic Shaw Brothers films from Hong Kong had started appearing on iTunes, I just thought I would note that they have finally organised a way for fans to find all of the Shaws films available there.

According to a recent Facebook update from Celestial, this link should work for all of the countries where they’ve released their films:

http://www.itunes.com/shawbrothers

It’ll open in iTunes on … (read more)

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Run Run Shaw has died

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Justin

On Tuesday 7 January, one of the most important figures in Hong Kong movie history, Sir Run Run Shaw, passed away at home at the age of 107.

Shaw co-founded movie studio Shaw Brothers (in 1958) and television broadcaster TVB (in 1967), both of which have contributed so much to Hong Kong’s cinema and television output over the years. I’ve seen his name flash by in the opening credits of Shaws films for years — the studio he built defined … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Personal Tailor’ (China)

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Justin

I’m late on this one! This past Thursday (19 December), the new film from prominent Chinese director Feng Xiaogang (Big Shot’s Funeral, A World Without Thieves, Aftershock) arrived in cinemas, just in time to distract us from Christmas.

This film, Personal Tailor, is a comedy about a service that purports to make fantasies come true — however briefly — for their clients. It’s a sequel of sorts to Feng’s 1997 film Dream Factory, and … (read more)

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Cold Eyes (2013)

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Posted on December 19, 2013 by Yee-Yin

Cold Eyes is the Korean remake of the popular Hong Kong cops-and-robbers thriller Eye in the Sky from 2007. Although it is harsher and quicker paced, comparisons between the two versions are inevitable, as the remake offers many resemblances to the original version, with quite a few scenes reshot only slightly differently (and not to mention a Simon Yam cameo appearance).

The story follows an elite police taskforce in Seoul which uses surveillance and undercover tactics as its modus operandi … (read more)

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Firestorm (2013)

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Posted on December 16, 2013 by John Snadden

The night I saw Firestorm, I was surprised that there were no posters or advertising material on display in the theatre for this new big-budget Hong Kong film. And I was even more surprised to see at the main entrance of the Century City multiplex an over-sized poster for Feng Xiaogang’s new movie Personal Tailor – which has yet to be released! Two hours later, I had a much better understanding of why there was a lack of advertising for … (read more)

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Fairytales and Fables at GoMA

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Deni

Ooooh! Relevant to our interests, the Cinematheque at GoMA comes through for Brissie fans again, with several Asian films as part of their just released program, Fairytales and Fables, running from January 10 until March 30.

The more than awesome programme (pretty sure I’ll be doing some extracurricular viewing this time too) includes Kim Jee-Woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters, Bong Man-Dae’s Cinderella, Yim Pil-Sung’s Hansel and Gretel, Studio Ghibli’s delightful Ponyo, and Richard … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Firestorm’ (3D, Hong Kong)

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Justin

Opening on 12 December (the same day as its release in China, and a week before its HK release!) in cinemas across Australia is hard-boiled, firepower-heavy Hong Kong police film Firestorm. It’s even being shown in 3D, though it sounds like it’s a post-production conversion rather than something they shot for from the get-go.

The film is the directorial debut for Alan Yuen from his own screenplay, and it stars HK megastar Andy Lau, along with Gordon Lam, Hu … (read more)

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Interview: Director Anthony Chen on ‘Ilo Ilo’

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Yee-Yin

Ed: Yee-Yin saw Ilo Ilo (read her review first!) at the 2013 Stockholm International Film Festival, and she was lucky enough to secure an interview with the film’s director, Anthony Chen, on November 7, 2013.… (read more)

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