Blog Archives

Full Alert (1997)

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Posted on October 29, 2005 by Mark Morrison

This sensational heist flick comes your way from the fevered brain of director Ringo Lam. In my opinion, he never quite topped his 1987 grand slam of City on Fire, School on Fire and Prison on Fire — that is, until this picture.

Lam leaves aside the more pyrotechnic aspects of the Hong Kong crime genre to weave a claustrophobic account of a policeman’s (Lau Ching Wan) obsession to catch a thief (Francis Ng). Lam brings off not only … (read more)

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The White Dragon (2004)

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Posted on February 24, 2005 by Eugene

White Dragon holds promising individual components, but implements them in such an ordinary way that the result is tragedy, of the unintentional kind.

Cecilia Cheung stars, returning to the petulant drama queen role she tends to fall back on regularly to pay the bills. Her character Hei Fung (aka Little White Dragon) is an immature self-centred brat who obviously grows up a little over the course of the film by coming into contact with Francis Ng’s Chicken Feathers, the tragically … (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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Shiver (2003)

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Posted on October 1, 2003 by Eugene

When one comes across a film like Shiver I’m never sure whether we’re catching the tail end of a fad for ghost stories or serial killings or whether we have movie studios throwing all the components of what was ‘in’ in the hope that they can create something new and exciting.

Of course, it is rare that this happens but then there is the analogy about the amount of manure and needed to grow a flower. That’s not to say … (read more)

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Too Many Ways To Be Number One (1997)

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Posted on July 31, 2003 by Alison

This debut directorial effort from Wai Ka Fai, better known as Johnnie To’s scriptwriter is offbeat to say the least. Lau Ching Wan bumbles around as a small-time gangster who couldn’t get any smaller, led on by his friends, or at least the other small-time triads he hangs out with. There are some other fascinating performances, notably Ruby Wong as the wife (or widow?) of a business partner who wants her share, and takes it out of Ching Wan’s body. … (read more)

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