This week in cinemas: ‘Cold War’ (Hong Kong)

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Justin

This Thursday (8 November) brings us a new film in the modern (well, post-90s) tradition of gritty Hong Kong police films: Cold War, the first film as co-directors for Sunny Luk and Longman Leung. It stars HK veterans Tony Leung Ka Fai and Aaron Kwok in the lead roles, and it has a cameo from Andy Lau for the Lau completists out there!

The story follows two senior cops bucking for a promotion as a crisis overturns their precinct: … (read more)

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Tai Chi Hero (2012)

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Posted on November 5, 2012 by Justin

So, a month or so after Tai Chi 0 hit cinemas, its sequel has arrived: Tai Chi Hero, filmed back-to-back with its predecessor on a shared budget. Accordingly, most of what Rhys says in his review of the first film holds true for this one: it’s a 3D action-comedy-adventure film with a steampunk feel to the art direction, solid action choreography from action legend Sammo Hung, and some modern CGI crammed in for today’s effects-hungry audience.… (read more)

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BIFF schedule is out

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Deni

I’m a bit slow on the uptake at the moment – work’s been slamming me. But now that I’m back on track (more or less) there’s one bright spot in my sky – the Brisbane International Film Festival’s 2012 program guide is on the streets and there’s a ton of awesome relevant-to-your-interests stuff to see.

Featuring in their massive World Cinema program is Miike’s Hara-kiri, USA/HK production The Man with the Iron Fists (with Russell Crowe?!), Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta … (read more)

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Giveaway: Tickets to ‘Tai Chi Hero’ (Closed)

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Justin

Thanks again to Icon, we’ve got five double passes to Tai Chi Hero to give away!

It’s the sequel to 3D steampunk martial-arts film Tai Chi 0, which we had out in cinemas here a month ago. Given that the two films were shot back-to-back on a shared budget, I’d expect this film to be pretty tightly coupled to the storyline of the last one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go in unaware (or armed with a … (read more)

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Battle Royale – Director’s Cut (2000)

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Posted on October 25, 2012 by Kit

If the popularity of The Hunger Games (2012) has sparked thousands of socially-networked Gen-X grumblings about the film just being a sappy version of Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (as in the “do you know what they call Hunger Games in France/Japan” meme or just superficial nit-picking), there’s at least the consolation that a new fascination with teenage death games has led to Battle Royale re-entering the cultural consciousness, even if only as a point of comparison. This isn’t such … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Tai Chi Hero’ (China)

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Justin

Hot on the heels of Chinese steampunk martial arts film Tai Chi 0 comes its sequel, Tai Chi Hero. The two films were shot back-to-back on a shared budget, and it’s in Part Two that we get to see what becomes of Yang Luchan, now that he’s mastered Chen-style tai chi.… (read more)

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Tai Chi 0 (2012)

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Posted on October 15, 2012 by Rhys

Tai Chi 0, the latest offering from actor-turned-director, Stephen Fung, is a throwback to period kung fu comedies from the early nineties. The film’s style steps away from the swordplay movies re-popularized in the west, towards the more simplistic kung fu genre. Avoiding supernatural themes, the film embraces an en vogue steampunk style; this time, hostility towards industrialization represents the typical anti-European sentiment familiar to the genre. Unfortunately, Tai Chi 0 is overcrowded by some CG comic book and … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Bangkok Revenge’ (France/Thailand)

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Justin

Reading Cinemas have French/Thai martial arts film Bangkok Revenge (originally titled Rebirth) opening on October 18 at selected cinemas — it’s an 82-minute action film starring stuntman and wushu practitioner Jon Foo (Tom Yum Goong), directed by Frenchman Jean-Marc Mineo.… (read more)

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