Tricky Brains Wai Ka-fai Reviews: Peace Hotel (1995) – March 21, 2023 Running on Karma (2003) — January 1, 2018 Detective vs. Sleuths (2022) – July 30, 2022 Capsule Reviews: Too Many Ways to be №1 (1997) — February 24, 2013 Needing You (2000) — February 25, 2013 Help!!! (2000) — March 9, 2013 Fulltime Killer (2001) — February 23, 2013
Fallen Angels Sammo Hung Glory to the Fat Dragon! — August 14, 2017 Reviews: The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977) — June 8, 2013 Warriors Two (1978) — May 30, 2013 Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)— June 1, 2013 Winners & Sinners (1983) — June 4, 2013 Heart of Dragon (1985) – June 8, 2023 The Millionaires' Express (1986)
Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Capsule Reviews The Prodigal Son (1981) — June 26, 2013 Lam Ching-ying is one of the great supporting actors of kung fu cinema, and this is a great showcase for both his acting and fighting. He plays an opera actor (specializing in female roles, as Lam himself did when he was a stage
Ching Siu-tung Ching-Siu-tung Capsule Reviews Duel to the Death (1983) — April 10 2018 An end of the line wuxia starring Damian Lau, who began his career specializing in this kind of thing with John Woo’s Last Hurrah for Chivalry and Johnnie To’s The Enigmatic Case, and directed by Ching Siu-tung, who choreographed maybe
Tricky Brains Ching Siu-tung Reviews: Monkey Kung Fu (John Law Ma, 1979) – May 26, 2022 Swordsman and Swordsman II (Ching Siu-tung, et al, 1990 and 1992) — Sep 26, 2012 The Heroic Trio (Ching Siu-tung & Johnnie To, 1993) — August 1, 2015 Capsule Reviews: Duel to the Death (1983) — April 10 2018 A Chinese Ghost
Ringo Lam Ringo Lam Capsule Reviews Aces Go Places IV: You Never Die Twice (1986) — December 11, 2013 Sylvia Chang, who’s mostly been wasted in this series since halfway through the first entry, absolutely broke my heart at the end of this one, when it looks as though Karl Maka’s Baldy has died. That
Li Han-hsiang Li Han-hsiang Capsule Reviews Diau Charn (1958) — March 3, 2017 The Shaw Brothers’ first color film, a huangmei musical based on the story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms about the woman who tempted the great general Lü Bu into murdering his patron and father-in-law, the usurping Prime Minister Dong Zhuo, in the latter
Fallen Angels Li Han-hsiang Capsule Reviews: [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/li-han-hsiang-capsule-reviews/] Diau Charn — March 3, 2017 The Enchanting Shadow — July 29, 2014 The Love Eterne — June 11, 2014 Beyond the Great Wall — October 23, 2014 Dream of the Red Chamber — June 21, 2014 A Ghost Story — October 19, 2018 List: Li Han-hsiang Movies [https:
Liu Jiayin Liu Jiayin Capsule Reviews Oxhide II — April 11, 2010 The best film I saw at the 2009 Vancouver Film Festival was this realtime chronicle of the director Liu Jiayin and her parents preparing, cooking, and eating dumplings. It consists of only nine shots, with each setup spaced 45 degrees clockwise from the last. This
Pang Ho-cheung Pang Ho-cheung Capsule Reviews Exodus (2007) — November 10, 2014 Very stylish Pang Ho-cheung film (Hong Kong has never looked more eerily alien) in which a cop suspects there may be a conspiracy of women to kill all the men on the planet. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know
Fallen Angels Pang Ho-cheung Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/pang-ho-cheung/]: Isabella [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/isabella-pang-ho-cheung-2006/] (2006) — August 1, 2014 Aberdeen [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/aberdeen-pang-ho-cheung-2014/] (2014) — December 4, 2014 Love Off the Cuff [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/love-off-the-cuff-pang-ho-cheung-2017/] (2017) — May 2, 2017 Missbehavior [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/missbehavior-pang-ho-cheung-2019/] (2019) — February 7, 2019
Patrick Tam Patrick Tam Capsule Reviews The Sword (1980) — August 24, 2013 Patrick Tam’s feature debut is a melancholy end of the line wuxia about a swordsman who learns that running around challenging people to duels for no reason other than pride in your own hierarchical ranking tends to have unintended consequences, namely a bunch
Fallen Angels Ringo Lam The Incendiary Cinema of Ringo Lam — January 10, 2019 Reviews: Prison on Fire (1987) — November 27, 2013 Undeclared War (1990) – February 8, 2023 Wild City (2015) — July 30, 2015 Sky on Fire (2016) — December 2, 2016 Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (Various, 2020) – September 29, 2022 Capsule Reviews: Aces
Fallen Angels Liu Jiayin Reviews: Oxhide (2005) — August 4, 2014 All Ears (2023) – December 21, 2023 Capsule Reviews: Oxhide II — April 11, 2010 607 — October 6, 2010
Fallen Angels Patrick Tam Reviews: Nomad (1982) — August 20, 2013 Nomad (1982) – July 25, 2023 Final Victory (1987) — April 6, 2018 My Heart is that Eternal Rose (1989) — September 2, 2013 My Heart is that Eternal Rose (1989) – August 4, 2023 Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (Various, 2020) – September 29, 2022 Capsule Reviews:
Michael Hui Michael Hui Capsule Reviews Games Gamblers Play (1974) — January 7, 2014 Less episodic than some of the Huis’ later films, it follows a mostly conventional plot structure about gamblers trying to make it big. Neat twist with Sam being terrible while Michael is actually a pretty good guy. The Private Eyes (1976) — December 5,
Fallen Angels Michael Hui Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/michael-hui/]: The Contract [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-contract-michael-hui-1978/] (Michael Hui, 1978) — June 5, 2017 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/michael-hui-capsule-reviews/]: Games Gamblers Play (Michael Hui, 1974)— January 7, 2014 The Private Eyes (Michael Hui, 1976) — December 5, 2013 Security Unlimited (Michael Hui, 1978)
Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan Capsule Reviews Women (1985) — March 11, 2018 Stanley Kwan’s first film starts with Cora Miao abruptly telling Chow Yun-fat she wants a divorce. Seems he’s been cheating on her, with Cherie Chung no less, and she’s had enough. She takes their son and moves in with her mom while
Fallen Angels Stanley Kwan Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/stanley-kwan-capsule-reviews/] : Women (1985)— March 11, 2018 Love Unto Waste (1986) — March 25, 2018 Rouge (1988)— August 20, 2013 Full Moon in New York (1989) – May 17, 2018 Centre Stage (1991)— May 1, 2015 Podcast: Centre Stage [http://thegeorgesandersshow.blogspot.com/2015/05/episode-59-clouds-of-sils-maria-and.html]
Sono Sion Sono Sion Capsule Reviews Tokyo Tribe (2014) — February 20, 2015 I’d love to see this play on a double bill somewhere with The Midnight After. I would totally show this movie to a class to explain the society and culture of early Anglo-Saxon Britain. Somewhat related: no one wants me teaching their history
Devils on the Doorstep Sono Sion Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/sono-sion/]: Bicycle Sighs [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/bicycle-sighs-sono-sion-1990/] (1990) —August 8, 2016 Suicide Club [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/suicide-club-sono-sion-2001/] (2001) — August 15, 2016 Love Exposure [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/love-exposure-sono-sion-2008/] (2008) — August 22, 2016 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/sono-sion-capsule-reviews/]: Tokyo Tribe (2014)
Crippled Avengers Chung Mong-hong Capsule Reviews The Fourth Portrait (2010) — October 6, 2010 This Taiwanese film is about a precocious young boy named Xiang whose father dies, sending him first into the helpful hands of the school janitor, and then back to his mom, a prostitute (naturally) and step-father (who’s pretty much pure evil). Director
Fallen Angels Fei Mu Song of China (Fei Mu & Luo Mingyou, 1935) – March 3, 2017 There’s a lot of really interesting background on this film, its production, and eventual release in the US at The Chinese Mirror [https://web.archive.org/web/20101231195539/http://www.chinesemirror.com:80/index/2010/09/1935-fei-mu-lianhua-and-song-of-china.
Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Capsule Reviews Final Justice (1988) — December 19, 2013 Stephen Chow, in his breakthrough film role (he won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Horse award) is introduced as a young car thief who wears a denim jacket with the word “FUCK” spelled out in rainbow colored stickers across the back. Apparently this is
Fallen Angels Stephen Chow Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/stephen-chow/]: A Chinese Odyssey [https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/the-wacky-existentialism-of-jeffrey-lau-s-a-chinese-odyssey] (Jeffrey Lau, 1995) — August 12, 2019 Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/journey-to-the-west-conquering-the-demons-stephen-chow-derek-kwok-2013/] (Stephen Chow & Derek Kwok, 2013) — April 3, 2014 The Mermaid [https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/