Shaw Classics: Monkey – Journey To The West (1966)

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Posted on June 1, 2008 by Justin

The Shaw Brothers loved adapting classical stories from Chinese literature and folklore: during their time as a motion picture studio they filmed several stories from the great classical novels (Journey to the West, The Water Margin, The Dream of the Red Chamber and The Golden Lotus, to start with). Hitherto, the only filmed version of Journey to the Westthat I had seen (other than Stephen Chow’s not-exactly-canonical Chinese Odyssey films) was the much-beloved Monkey! TV … (read more)

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Love and Honor (2006)

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Posted on May 18, 2008 by Deni

There’s something inherently warm – possibly even nostalgic – about the third and final film in Youji Yamada’s informal Samurai period trilogy. While The Hidden Blade seemed predominantly cool and blue, and The Twilight Samurai appeared raw with Spring and all it’s free colour, it’s the burnt hues of autumn, of summer at its hottest, that seem to leave the most lasting impression in Love and Honor, making the film look simple, bare, pared down to it’s most essential … (read more)

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Fong Sai Yuk 2 (1993)

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Posted on May 15, 2008 by Samson

The original Fong Sai Yuk is a highly entertaining film. It features breathtaking action, interesting plotlines, and a lot of chemistry between Sai-Yuk Fong (Jet Li) and Mrs Fong, i.e. his mother (legendary actress Josephine Siao). Combining all these elements successfully is not an easy task, and it is therefore perhaps not surprising that the sequel doesn’t quite deliver the same kind of magic as the first film.

Fong Sai Yuk 2 picks up where the first movie left off. … (read more)

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Exploitations from the Far East (DVD box set) (1975)

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Posted on May 4, 2008 by Justin

As they did with their Wuxia box set, Siren Visual have put together a set of five films from the Shaw Brothers with similar themes, packaging them up in rather a nice-looking box set with new artwork and menus on all the discs. This one’s rather less high-minded than the tales of chivalry and heroism in the last one, though — it’s a box of Shaws’ less salubrious fare from the late 70s and early 80s, when they moved … (read more)

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Baki the Grappler (2001)

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Posted on April 20, 2008 by Tom

Anime has a long tradition of making shows about fighting. Dragon Ball Z, Street Fighter, S-Cry-Ed and many others exist in a genre that’s all about beating each other to a pulp. Some go beyond their conventions to be something special that fans remember for years and that hold a special place in their hearts, while other shows languish and stay stuck in the clichés that abound the genre. Baki the Grappler is unfortunately one that sits in … (read more)

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Basilisk (2005)

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Posted on April 20, 2008 by Deni

A little while back you might remember I reviewed the Shiny Eyed People mov- Err, I mean, Shinobi. Well, I’m back with the shiny-eye references in this review – same tune, different medium, and possibly a lot more violence. Come on, what did you expect? This is anime.

Based on the same story, written in the 1950’s by Futaro Yamada, and adapted from the more recently serialised manga Basilisk by Masaki Segawa (now publishing in English by Del … (read more)

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Death Note (2006)

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Posted on April 19, 2008 by Deni

It’s impossible when reviewing Death Note not to end up coming across just a little bilingual. I don’t mean as in Japanese English; I mean in terms of analogue to digital medium. Death Note, for the one or two people in the world who don’t already know, started as a manga conceived and written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Hikaru no Go’s Takeshi Obata. It was serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump starting December 2003 and the 12 volume … (read more)

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32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival 2008

Posted on April 6, 2008 by Deni
Day 8

I am sad yet relieved because today was the last day of screenings for me, but it also means that at last, I get to do some mad shopping in the last days before I go home. Hooray!

The Drummer was up first today. Starring Jaycee Chan and directed by Kenneth Bi, The Drummer was about Sid (Jaycee) who sleeps with Steven’s wife. Steven is a powerful businessman who finds out about the affair and demands from Sid’s … (read more)

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