The Chinese Cinema (Page 11)

The Chinese Cinema

Sign in Subscribe

Jet Li Capsule Reviews

Jet Li Capsule Reviews

Martial Arts of Shaolin (Lau Kar-leung, 1986) — June 18, 2014 Of interest for the early Jet Li performance and the location shooting in China. A glimpse of things to come in the move out of the Shaws studios and into the big, varied world. Lau Kar-leung keeps putting Li in

Michelle Yeoh Capsule Reviews

Michelle Yeoh Capsule Reviews

Magnificent Warriors (David Chung, 1987) — December 20, 2013 A self-consciously Hollywood-esque period adventure with Michelle Yeoh as an Indiana Jones-inspired hero who helps a small town (set ostensibly somewhere like Bhutan) resist the Japanese with the help of Richard Ng and Derek Yee. Relentlessly-paced, with a series of show-stopping action

Winners & Sinners

Zhang Ziyi

Reviews: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-ang-lee-2000/] (Ang Lee, 2000) — August 28, 2013 Hero [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/hero-zhang-yimou-2002/] (Zhang Yimou, 2002) — March 28, 2017 Sophie’s Revenge [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/sophies-revenge-eva-jin-2009/] (Eva Jin, 2009) — July 29, 2014 My Lucky Star [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/my-lucky-star-dennie-gordon-2013/

Zhang Ziyi Capsule Reviews

Zhang Ziyi Capsule Reviews

House of Flying Daggers (2004) — August 6, 2014 Wife: Why are you watching House of Flying Daggers again? Me: It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it. I’ve watched a lot of martial arts and Hong Kong movies in the last couple of years and I’m curious

Winners & Sinners

Jet Li

Reviews: Once Upon a Time in China (Tsui Hark, 1991) — January 16, 2017 Once Upon a Time in China II (Tsui Hark, 1992) — January 17, 2017 The Master (Tsui Hark, 1992) – June 7, 2022 Swordsman and Swordsman II (Ching Siu-tung, 1990-1992) — September 26, 2012 Once Upon a Time in China

Winners & Sinners

Yuen Biao

Reviews: Game of Death (Robert Clouse, 1978) — July 14, 2020 Project A (Jackie Chan, 1983) — August 2, 2015 Winners & Sinners (Sammo Hung, 1983) — June 4, 2013 The Millionaires' Express (Sammo Hung, 1986) – May 27, 2022 Eastern Condors (Sammo Hung, 1987) — May 24, 2013 Dragons Forever (Sammo Hung, 1988)

Yuen Biao Capsule Reviews

Yuen Biao Capsule Reviews

Dreadnaught (1981) — June 24, 2013 I want to spend a month or five just watching all the movies where Kwan Tak-hing played Wong Fei-hung. There's only like 80 of them dating back to the late 1940s. Should be pretty easy to find. Weird seeing Yuen Biao, who played

The In the Line of Duty/Yes, Madam Series

The Odd One Dies

The In the Line of Duty/Yes, Madam Series

Yes, Madam! (Corey Yuen, 1985) — July 2, 2015 Royal Warriors (David Chung, 1986) — December 19, 2013 Magnificent Warriors (David Chung, 1987) — December 20, 2013 A self-consciously Hollywood-esque period adventure with Michelle Yeoh as an Indiana Jones-inspired hero who helps a small town (set ostensibly somewhere like Bhutan) resist the Japanese

Winners & Sinners

Wu Jing

Reviews: Zu Warriors (Tsui Hark, 2001) — May 30, 2013 SPL: Sha Pol Lang (Wilson Yip, 2005) — October 1, 2016 Wolf Warrior 2 (Wu Jing, 2017)—August 5, 2017 The Wandering Earth (Frant Gwo, 2019) – February 27, 2019 The Battle at Lake Changjin (Parts I & II) (Tsui Hark, Dante Lam,

Winners & Sinners

Donnie Yen

Reviews: The Tiger Cage Trilogy (Yuen Woo-ping, 1988-1991) – August 25, 2022 In the Line of Duty IV (Yuen Woo-ping, 1989) – March 24, 2023 Once Upon a Time in China II (Tsui Hark, 1992) — Jan 17, 2017 New Dragon Gate Inn (Raymond Lee, 1992) — Apr 24, 2014 Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002)

Josephine Siao Capsule Reviews

Josephine Siao Capsule Reviews

Jumping Ash (Josephine Siao & Po-chih Leong, 1976) — July 7, 2017 The intersection between Hollywood exploitation and the Hong Kong New Wave, though the former may be the accidental byproduct of watching a cropped and dubbed version of this, apparently made for some kind of TV broadcast. Co-directed and co-written

Winners & Sinners

Josephine Siao

Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tag/josephine-siao/]: The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-legend-of-fong-sai-yuk-corey-yuen-1993/] (Corey Yuen, 1993) – January 23, 2022 The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk II [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-legend-of-fong-sai-yuk-ii-corey-yuen-1993/] (Corey Yuen, 1993) – January 24, 2022 Capsule Reviews: [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/josephine-siao-capsule-reviews/] Jumping Ash (Josephine

Donnie Yen Capsule Reviews

Donnie Yen Capsule Reviews

Drunken Tai Chi (Yuen Woo-ping, 1984) — December 12, 2017 Yuen Woo-ping spent the better part of a decade trying to make Donnie Yen a star, beginning with this period non-specific kung fu comedy. Donnie plays a badass rich kid who drives a bully insane with fireworks (in self-defense of course)

Wu Jing Capsule Reviews

Wu Jing Capsule Reviews

Drunken Monkey (Lau Kar-leung, 2003) — July 8, 2013 Lau Kar-leung and Gordon Liu together for the last time, passing the torch to a new generation. Lau ends his final fight by grabbing a sword with his bare hand to prevent the killing of the villain. He spends so much of

Evan Yang

Reviews: Sun, Moon, and Stars [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/sun-moon-and-star-evan-yang-1961/] (1961)—December 27, 2017 Capsule Reviews: Mambo Girl [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/tricky-brains-capsule-reviews/] (1957) — March 20, 2017

Fruit Chan

After the End: Fruit Chan, Invincible Dragon and the Decline of Hong Kong Cinema — November 28, 2019 Reviews: Made in Hong Kong (1997) — March 5, 2020 The Midnight After (2014) — September 26, 2014 The Midnight After (2014) — November 1, 2019 Coffin Homes (2021) – February 24, 2022 Capsule Reviews: Finale in

Bruce Lee Capsule Reviews

Bruce Lee Capsule Reviews

The Big Boss (1971) — June 28, 2013 Bruce Lee may be the most narcissistic movie star of all-time, but you can’t help but be entranced by him — he’s just as magnetic as he thinks he is. Immigrant workers in a foreign country, exploited by a rapacious capitalist as

Good Men, Good Women Capsule Reviews

Good Men, Good Women

Good Men, Good Women Capsule Reviews

Chen Sicheng: Detective Chinatown (2015) — February 13, 2018 Maybe the closest a Mainland Chinese film has come to capturing the true spirit of classic Hong Kong action-comedy. The central mystery, a locked room murder, is interesting enough to ground the frenetic pace and goofy characterizations. Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran

Good Men, Good Women

Derek Yee

Reviews: The Sword Master [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/sword-master-derek-yee-2016/] (2016) — December 9, 2016 Capsule Reviews: Viva Erotica [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/good-men-good-women-capsule-reviews/] (1996) — April 14, 2016

Angela Mao Capsule Reviews

Angela Mao Capsule Reviews

Lady Whirlwind (Huang Feng, 1972) — July 8, 2017 Inferior in just about every way to the other Golden Harvest Angela Mao/Sammo Hung/Huang Feng movie paired on this new Shout Factory DVD release, Hapkido, but not without its charms. In particular it’s got a great opening fight between

Winners & Sinners

Angela Mao

Reviews: Hapkido [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/hapkido-huang-feng-1972/] (Huang Feng, 1972) — June 20, 2013 The Fate of Lee Khan [https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/new-kinds-of-heroism-king-hu-s-the-fate-of-lee-khan-restored] (King Hu, 1973) — April 5, 2019 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/angela-mao-capsule-reviews/]: Lady Whirlwind (Huang Feng, 1972) — July 8, 2017 The Fate of Lee Khan

Sandra Ng Capsule Reviews

Sandra Ng Capsule Reviews

Golden Chicken (Samson Chiu, 2002) — July 25, 2014 Life of Oharu, but as the kind of Hong Kong comedy where Andy Lau walks out of a TV and teaches Sandra Ng how to properly fake an orgasm. 25 years of Hong Kong history and popular entertainment as seen in the

Winners & Sinners

Sandra Ng

Reviews: The Inspector Wears Skirts Series [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/the-inspector-wears-skirts-series-wellson-chin-1988-1992/] (Wellson Chin, 1988-1992) – January 21, 2022 Golden Chicken 2 [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/golden-chicken-2-samson-chiu-2003/] (Samson Chiu, 2003) — August 3, 2014 Goldbuster [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/goldbuster-sandra-ng-2017/] (Sandra Ng, 2017) — January 5, 2018 Capsule Reviews [https://www.thechinesecinema.com/sandra-ng-capsule-reviews/

Stray Dogs Capsule Reviews

Unknown Pleasures

Stray Dogs Capsule Reviews

Kevin Chu Yen-ping: Fantasy Mission Force (1983) – July 6, 2024 “How beautiful you are, when you kill.” Honestly an incredible double feature with Rambo. Hsiao Chu-chen: Our Time, Our Story (2002) — August 17, 2020 An excellent doc about the New Taiwan Cinema, told by the people (filmmakers and critics) who

The Untold Stories Capsule Reviews

Unknown Pleasures

The Untold Stories Capsule Reviews

Tony Au: Dream Lovers (1986) — March 12, 2017 Chow Yun-fat plays a conductor who, just as he moves into a new place with his longtime girlfriend, Cher Yeung, begins having weird dreams of himself as a Qin Dynasty terracotta figure. At the same time, Brigitte Lin begins having visions of