Tag Archives: Hong Kong
Review: The Big Call (China/HK 2017) – NYAFF 2018
The Big Call, the latest from Oxide Pang, is so hilariously overwrought (even by Hong Kong standards) for its subject matter that I spent most of the first half of the movie convinced it was a sly parody. No such … Continue reading
Chang Cheh at the Quad Cinema in NYC
The Quad Cinema in New York will be continuing its Chang Cheh retrospective – “Vengeance Is His: Chang Cheh’s Martial Lore” – over Memorial Weekend. There are still lots of great films to see, including the stone cold classic Five … Continue reading
Review: The Avenging Eagle AKA: Long xie shi san ying; Cold Blooded Eagles (Hong Kong 1978)
Avenging Eagle is solid old school kung fu from the Shaw Brothers. It’s no pinnacle of the genre – there really isn’t that much to distinguish it from most Shaw martial arts films – but a good cast, baroque weaponry, … Continue reading
Review: Face Behind the Mask (Hong Kong 1974)
Chen Chi-hwa’s Face Behind the Mask is a solid piece of wu xia entertainment. It’s not revolutionary, and it really doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before. However, all the elements come together nicely to create a quick-paced piece … Continue reading
Review: Reign of Assassins aka Jian Yu (Taiwan/China/Hong Kong 2010)
Reign of Assassins is one of the best wu xia films of the past decade, marrying old school pleasures with comic book aesthetics and inventive action instead of relying on the grim seriousness mandated by the Hero model. Characterization is … Continue reading
NYAFF 2017: Interview with Director Alan Lo and Actress Carrie Ng about Zombiology
Alan Lo’s first film, Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Hong Kong 2017), starring Carrie Ng (Naked Killer), Alex Man (Rouge), Michael Ning (Port of Call), and Louis Cheung (Ip Man 3), opened July 18 as part of the 16th New York … Continue reading
Review: Twin Dragons aka Brother vs. Brother (Hong Kong 1992)
Twin Dragons is simultaneously very stupid and very fun. The tale of two brothers, separated at birth and both played by Jackie Chan, is both a cross-cultural fish-out-of-water tale and a rollicking action flick. It’s not one of the better … Continue reading
Review: Crocodile Fury (Hong Kong/Indonesia 1988)
Easily the most entertaining Godfrey Ho movie I’ve ever seen, Crocodile Fury is an almost non-stop parade of ludicrous reptilian carnage, interrupted only for nonsensical interludes with hopping vampires. The crocodile special effects in particular are mind-blowing. The crocs on display … Continue reading
Review: The Treasure Hunters (Hong Kong 1981)
Certainly not one of Shaw Brothers’ best, this wacky kung fu comedy stars Alexander Fu Sheng and his brother Chang Chen Peng as petty crooks out to steal a big treasure. Everybody does their usual schtick – Fu Sheng is … Continue reading
Review: Dragon Lord (Hong Kong 1982)
Within the two years after Dragon Lord’s release, Chan would enter into his golden age with the quadruple punch of Project A, Winners and Sinners, Wheels on Meals, and Police Story, catapulting him into superstardom and cementing his reputation as … Continue reading