Blog Archives

The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)

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Posted on February 8, 2012 by Justin

Remaking Hong Kong cinema’s greatest hits seems to have been all the rage lately. Last year we had Wilson Yip’s swing at remaking A Chinese Ghost Story and Tsui Hark’s second go at King Hu’s classic Dragon Inn. To be fair, Tsui’s Flying Swords of Dragon Gate ended up as more a sequel to New Dragon Gate Inn than a remake, and it was considerably more fun than I was expecting — I’ll write it up when I get … (read more)

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New Police Story (2004)

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Posted on March 11, 2007 by Alison

See Jackie laugh! See Jackie cry! See Jackie get drunk and throw up in the gutter!

New Police Story opens in a very unconventional way: the camera pans slowly, in loving and almost surgical close-up, over the stubbly, tear-stained face of the waking Inspector Wong. We know straight away that this is not going to be a humorous waking. There’ll be no knuckles in the mouth, horrified memories of the night before: “Did I really strip down to my underwear … (read more)

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Blade Of The Rose (2004)

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Posted on January 8, 2006 by Alison

Of all sequels, this is the one that should never have been made. The original Twins publicity vehicle, The Twins Effect, was not a strong enough film to warrant a sequel, which is probably why the film-makers decided to use a completely different story. Bad move. Exceedingly bad move.

The story is complicated, but not well-thought out. It doesn’t hang together, and helps to make the whole film look rather like an undergraduate effort: full of grand ideas rendered … (read more)

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The Twins Effect (2003)

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Posted on January 7, 2006 by Alison

This is nothing more nor less than a promotional effort for The Twins, that ebullient Cantopop duo made up of Gillian Cheung and Charlene Choi. But for all that, it’s not a bad piece of froth, provided you disengage your brain while you watch.

One of the highlights, for cinema aficionados, is the presence of the consummate actor Anthony Wong. Although he has a reputation for sleepwalking through roles which fail to engage his interest, here he adds sparkle as … (read more)

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The Death Curse (2003)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Eugene

Let’s not beat around the bush. This film is a Star vehicle for our lovely little Canto-pop stars, Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung aka Twins so that alone lends itself to somewhat low expectations. Which is odd because their two previous cinematic outings together, Just One Look and The Twins Effect, have actually been quite a bit of fun to watch. So is The Death Curse third time unlucky?

Well no, not really. Like The Twins Effect we have … (read more)

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House Of Fury (2005)

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Posted on August 28, 2005 by Alison

Well, it’s not Doctor Zhivago. But then, who thought that it would be? Director “Dimples” Fung shows once again that he’s got a fair grip on the mechanics of film-making, and can direct a popular film.

Okay, the star roster doesn’t hurt: there’s Dimples and Daniel Wu for those that like looking at pretty young men, there’s both Twins for those that like them, and there’s Anthony Wong and Wu Ma for those who enjoy watching good acting. And … (read more)

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Hidden Heroes (2004)

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Posted on September 26, 2004 by Eugene

It’s a rare event that I walk out of a Ronald Cheng comedy not completely appalled at the completely over-the-top antics and toilet humour that force me to just cringe and pretend it never happened.

With Hidden Heroes it seems there is a spark of promise that may make the next one to come out actually worth watching. Either that or an intense night out beforehand perhaps makes these things somewhat more palatable. So much for a detached objectivity.

The … (read more)

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Fantasia (2004)

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Posted on January 26, 2004 by Eugene

Yeah! Chinese New Year! Fireworks, Lion Dancing, Dragonboating, the colour, the energy, the food… and of course the mandatory CNY films out of Hong Kong to give us a kickstart into the new year of the Monkey.

And yes, Fantasia is one of those films that gives us a kick. Unfortunately not exactly the kind of kick you want to start the new year with (unless of course you LIKE rolling around the floor in pain – but who am … (read more)

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