Category Archives: Cinema Screenings

This week in cinemas: ‘The Act of Killing’

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Justin

There’s one more film opening this week that it would be remiss of me to leave out, and that’s this confronting, international documentary. The Act of Killing is a documentary centered on a collection of Indonesian paramilitary fighters that fought in death squads in the 1960s, participating in the torturing and murder of more than a million people — Communists, intellectuals and ethnic Chinese.

Since they’ve been treated as heroes of a sort and never punished for their deeds, they’re … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon’ (China)

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Justin

Also in cinemas this week is director Tsui Hark’s prequel to 2010’s fun Andy Lau-starring period detective film Detective Dee, which we here at HC rather enjoyed.

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon turns the clock back to the start of Dee Renjie’s career and swaps Andy Lau (who probably couldn’t play the youngster, despite his enviable apparent immunity to aging!) for Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao in the lead. Also appearing in the film are Feng Shaofeng, … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Out of Inferno’ (Hong Kong, China)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Justin

Opening this week in Oz cinemas is the newest film from Hong Kong directors Danny and Oxide Pang, one that looks like it will take full advantage of the specialisation in special effects and CGI they have developed over the years.

Out of Inferno is a disaster movie that pits a group of heroic firefighters against a building engulfed in flames, perhaps a little reminiscent of Hollywood’s Backdraft from 1991.

The film stars Louis Koo, Sean Lau, Lee Sinje, Cheung … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘My Lucky Star’ (China)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Justin

Coming to cinemas this Thursday September 19 is Chinese comedy My Lucky Star, starring two actors who should need no introduction — Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, The Grandmaster, you know her well!) and Wang Leehom (Lust, Caution). Interestingly, it’s helmed by Hollywood director Dennie Gordon, who’s worked in American TV since the mid-90s, as well as directing New York Minute, What a Girl Wants and Joe Dirt.

Though it’s described in various … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Hardcore Comedy’ (Hong Kong)

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Justin

I almost missed this movie’s appearance on our shores! Hong Kong film fans who’ve enjoyed the last few exploitation films to come over here (following the trail blazed by Pang Ho-cheung’s Vulgaria) might be interested in Hardcore Comedy, from first-time HK directors Henri Wong, Chong Siu-wing and Law Yiu-fai.

It’s an omnibus comedy: three stories rolled into one film that looks like it goes for some lowest-common-denominator cheesy silliness… complete with enough nudity, violence and drug use to … (read more)

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Madman bringing Miyazaki’s ‘The Wind Rises’ to cinemas in 2014

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Justin

A press release came in on the wire today from our friends at Madman, announcing their acquisition of The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ, Kaze Tachinu), which famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has said will be his final film.

The story follows an aircraft engineer in pre-war Japan, loosely based on Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the Zero fighter plane used in WWII. It’s an interesting choice of subject matter for the staunchly pacifist director, who has recently spoken out against … (read more)

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Action, Hong Kong Style at GOMA (Brisbane, 6 Sep to 8 Nov)

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Justin

If you go to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, and you ask it for the earliest version of Heroic Cinema they have on file (Nov 3, 1999), you’ll find that we used to have a tagline on the front page: “Hong Kong movies are the best movies.”

It appears that the amazing people at GOMA in Brisbane agree with us, as they have just announced a huge program called Action, Hong Kong Style, an in-depth retrospective of Hong Kong’s … (read more)

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This week in cinemas: ‘Unbeatable’ (HK/China)

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Justin


Hitting (and kicking, and throwing…) Australian cinemas this week is HK/Chinese mixed martial arts film Unbeatable, from director Dante Lam (Beast Cops, Fire of Conscience, The Viral Factor). It’s an action/drama piece set in Macau about three down-and-out characters: a former boxer (Nick Cheung), his younger protege (Eddie Peng) and a single mother (Mei Ting).

The trailers on YouTube overwhelmingly focus on the film’s MMA fight sequences, but this review from HK film experts LoveHKFilm … (read more)

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