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Martial arts movies have been a staple genre of Western culture since the 1970s. Pioneers like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan set the standard for epic, fast-paced fight scenes and brought them to the silver screen. Films like Robert Clouse's Enter The Dragon and Yuen Woo-Ping's Drunken Master helped create the world of martial arts cinema that is famous today.

The genre hasn't slowed down since its creation, with many upcoming projects like the long-awaited Karate Kid reboot set to hit screens in 2025. However, certain martial arts movies take themselves more seriously than others. While some plots are centered around character development and realistic fighting applications, other films go the extra mile and focus on downright absurd scenarios. These campy martial arts movies set aside realism and include fighting that is truly ridiculous, but altogether extremely fun to watch.

Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) Clash Of Brothers

Wilson Yip's...

“You always attack a movie scene as late as you possibly can. You always come into the scene at the last possible moment.” This bit of advice from the great screenwriter William Goldman has guided most moviemakers. The overwhelming majority of films begin with trouble already brewing and end before everything can be settled. But sometimes, a filmmaker takes the opposite approach. These visionaries begin as early as possible, even after the opening of a different movie. Thus, the prequel was born.

Seriously though, most prequels come less from the minds of creatives and more from studios trying to milk every dollar from their sweet, sweet IP. For that reason, audiences have rightly developed a general skepticism toward the concept. But every once in a while, a genuinely talented filmmaker finds value in telling the story before the story. They use the plot beats we already know to give their...

Taiwanese screenwriter and director Su Chao Bin wrote this Ming Dynasty wuxia drama primarily for Michelle Yeoh to star in. According to Su and producer Terence Chang, the approach was to do a story in the style of Gu Long's wuxia, populated with multiple characters plus a touch of suspense and mystery. Producer John Woo's input is mainly as an adviser, but he did direct one action scene which featured his daughter and thereby also credited as co-director. Su won the Best Director award for his effort at the 17th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

The story starts off with an interesting animated prologue detailing the arrival of Monk Bodhi from India some eight hundred years ago. He spent his early years preaching in the Palace and then retired to Mt Jinhua where he trained and...

Racing films were all the rage in the early 2000s thanks to the successful launch of the Hollywood “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. A year before that franchise relocated briefly to Tokyo for its third drive, which introduced and focused on the technique of drifting, Hong Kong cinema also turned to Japan for “Initial D”, a feature based on a manga and anime of the same name, which also looked at the world of street racing and drifting in Japan.

“Initial D” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

By day, Takumi Fujiwara works at the gas station of his best friend Itsuki’s father. Come nightfall, he goes down the nearby Mt. Akina and delivers tofu for his father Bunta “Tofuman” Fujiwara’s business in his father’s AE86 car. The Mt. Akina mountain pass is a favourite track amongst underground street racers as well as professionals,...

Racing films were all the rage in the early 2000s thanks to the successful launch of the Hollywood “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. A year before that franchise relocated briefly to Tokyo for its third drive, which introduced and focused on the technique of drifting, Hong Kong cinema also turned to Japan for “Initial D”, a feature based on a manga and anime of the same name, which also looked at the world of street racing and drifting in Japan.

on Amazon

By day, Takumi Fujiwara works at the gas station of his best friend Itsuki’s father. Come nightfall, he goes down the nearby Mt. Akina and delivers tofu for his father Bunta “Tofuman” Fujiwara’s business in his father’s AE86 car. The Mt. Akina mountain pass is a favourite track amongst underground street racers as well as professionals, who test their and each...

This is an authentic Hong Kong cinema experience from maverick filmmaker Pang Ho Cheung set in the old port city of Aberdeen in Hong Kong’s southwest district. “Aberdeen” the movie is a story about an extended Hong Kong family tormented by secrets and insecurities with an all-star Hong Kong cast. The area of Aberdeen is also known indigenously as “Heung Gong Zai” or “Little Hong Kong” and this is also the movie’s Chinese title.

Widowed grandpa Cheng Dong (Ng Man Tat) is a Taoist Priest who performs rituals at funerals to help the dead to reincarnate. However, he was a fisherman before until the government relocated all fishermen to live on land which he considers a curse. Hence, he becomes a Taoist instead, thereby hoping to seek peace spiritually. Nonetheless, he’s now happily living with Ta (Carrie Ng) who’s a much younger nightclub hostess.

She may not be a household name anywhere other than her native China, but Chinese helmer Jia Ling has officially overtaken Patty Jenkins as the world’s highest-grossing female director for a single film.

After an extended three-month run, Jia’s Chinese New Year blockbuster “Hi, Mom,” finally left Chinese theaters Tuesday. It has grossed $838 million (RMB5.41 billion) since its Feb. 12 debut, according to Maoyan data and using an exchange rate of $1 = RMB6.44)

That sum makes it the 79th highest grossing film in the world of all time, behind Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” ($854 million) and just ahead of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” ($837 million). It also finished above Patty Jenkin’s 2017 “Wonder Woman,” which earned $823 million. “Hi, Mom” surpassed “Wonder Woman” in early April, 54 days after its release. (Some sources using different rates of exchange may arrive at different totals and rankings.)

Locally, the title has now surpassed the 2019 animation “Ne Zha...

Despite the ongoing trade war and frostier than ever ties between China and the U.S., “Detective Chinatown 3” producer and financier Shawn Yue (aka Yue Xiang) is still betting on collaboration in the film industry — though perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

Chinese production budgets and visual ambitions have lately begun to outgrow China’s ability to achieve them, given the country’s lack of existing talent and resources to execute such projects. While it might still be cheaper to shoot smaller productions in China, films budgeted over $20 million are actually cheaper to shoot in the U.S., Yue attests.

“It’s weird — if you want to make anything, you outsource it to China, but if you want to make a film, now is a good time to outsource to the U.S.,” says Yue, one of 18 listed producers and “co-producers” for “Detective Chinatown 3” who says...

Hong Kong, as a place and symbol, has transformed over the last century. As first a British colony and then a Special Administrative Region in China, Hong Kong has retained its unique identity as a site where influences from the East and West intermingle to shape its iconic skyline. Nowhere is the indelible personality of Hong Kong architecture more evident than in its housing, itself the basis for countless classic Hong Kong films. While the topic may not be new, the question of what home looks like in Hong Kong, both for its citizens and its cinema, has gained newfound resonance in the 21st Century.

This question frames the presentation of Home in Hong Kong, a season highlighting various films from the last decade. Through different historical eras and wildly disparate genres, these films traverse from tenement housing to upscale penthouse apartments, to pose greater questions about how we define the word “home”. Above all,...

In a Hong Kong southern district, triad boss Jimmy controls five gangs, which are given their own territory to run, but they all work as an extended family. However, Jimmy’s wife is the brains behind their success and they are growing more powerful each day. Consequently, the police are now starting to take notice and planning to take them down permanently.

Jimmy has a right hand man and a trusted bodyguard called Po. One night, Po is given the evening off since it’s his birthday; nonetheless, he ends up getting drunk all by himself. This is also the night when two riders on a motorbike put a few bullets in Jimmy’s back as he enters a restaurant. Jimmy’s wife, who is in Taiwan during the shooting, puts Po in charge temporarily whilst Jimmy is in a coma. In the meantime, she’s flying...

As pro-democracy, anti-police-brutality protests in Hong Kong enter their 10th week, the political unrest has begun to make itself felt in the entertainment world, with actors and other performers caught up in an increasingly vituperative battle between those who support the demonstrators and those who back the local government and mainland China’s tough stance.

One popular singer-actress blacklisted by Beijing has live-streamed and live-tweeted herself attending protests and being tear-gassed. Another veteran actor took part in a pro-police rally – and promptly landed a release date in mainland China for his directorial debut film. Worldwide star Jackie Chan has thrown his lot in with the Beijing regime, putting out a video interview in which he expressed his patriotism in terms that echo mainland propaganda.

The protests – the biggest in Hong Kong’s history – have raged since early June, at their peak drawing nearly 2 million out of the territory’s 7.4 million people to the streets,...

Wong Chun tackles a rather difficult theme in his debut, as he deals with bipolar disorder, in a low budget film that has already received a number of awards, both Chinese and international.

“Mad World” screened at Art Film Fest Kosice

The story revolves around Wong Sai-Tung, a man who suffers from bipolar disorder and has just been released from the mental hospital. Tung was committed there after an accident involving his mother, an abusive woman with mobility issues, whom everyone else in the family has abandoned, including his father. Furthermore, the frustration from his dealings with his mother had an impact to his relationship with his fiancée, Jenny, who had to deal with his violent outbursts and currently, with the debts he left her for the apartment they were living, when he was committed. Now, he finds himself having to live with his estranged father in a two-steps room...

Hong Kong-based Bravos Pictures is handling international sales.

Hong Kong filmmaker Pang Ho-Cheung is directing a three-part adaptation of Jin Yong’s iconic novel The Deer And The Cauldron, which Bravos Pictures is selling internationally.

Produced by Pang’s Making Film Productions, the three installments are being filmed back-to-back with a tentative budget of $80m for each film. Pang will write, direct and produce. No casting has so far been announced.

Bravos is currently in discussions with potential investors on the project here at the Efm.

In the 70 years since its publication, The Deer And The Cauldron has been adapted...

Influential Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter Ringo Lam died Saturday. He was 63.

Lam was found unconscious and unresponsive in his bed on Saturday, according to the Hong Kong publication Apple Daily. When the officials arrived, he was already dead. No foul play was suspected and no further details were released.

Born Ringo Lam Ling-Tung in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam studied acting and then went on to film school in Canada. His first films were comedies and he found success with Aces Go Places IV in 1983. In 1987, he went on to direct City on Fire starring Chow Yun-fat. The crime film was a breakout success and it earned him his first Hong Kong Film Award. Many have said that City on Fire is the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.

Lam went on to make more films that showed the darker side and underbelly of Hong Kong. He...

Based on the smashing Jin Hezai’s web novel Wukong Biography, “Wu Kong” introduces to the public a young and romantic Sun Wu kong, the popular Chinese hero best known as Monkey King.

This umpteenth version, released in China in July 2017 and directed by Derek Kwok (who had also co-directed with Stephen Chow “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” in 2013) follows numerous previous adaptations, spanning from movies to TV series and video games but this time its purpose – as it seems – is to appeal to younger audiences. As a matter of fact, the movie is intended as a prologue of the Ming dynasty novel “Journey to the West” and narrates the adventures of a young Monkey King and the capers that made him the hero-on-a-mission we all know and love. Or at least it tries …

At the beginning of the movie, a long descriptive graphic prologue...

One of the most celebrated recent Hong Kong action films, Cheang Poi-sou’s ‘S.P.L.’ series has been at the forefront of a wave of old-school, hard-hitting action films emerging from the country that once provided the finest examples of the genre ever. While not nearly as groundbreaking or purely enjoyable as those films are, first-time director Jonathan Li, who served an apprenticeship under numerous directors in the scene including Cheang, is clearly indebted to the series with his debut feature ‘Kuang shou,’ or as it is also known as ‘The Brink.’

“The Brink” is part of the Asian selection at Fantasia International Film Festival

Burdened by a troublesome past, detective Sai Gau is determined to put it behind him in order to catch Sheng, a ruthless gangster. Learning from his partner A-de that the trail of destruction he has left behind is due to his quest to retrieve...

Hong Kong company is launching Enter The Fat Dragon and Master Of Ransom at the market.

Hong Kong’s Mega-Vision Project Workshop is launching two new high-profile action titles at Filmart: Kenji Tanigaki’s Enter The Fat Dragon, starring Donnie Yen, and Master Of Ransom with Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo, Gordon Lam and Simon Yam.

Yen plays a cop escorting a convict to Japan in Enter The Fat Dragon, which the star is also producing along with Wong Jing and Connie Wong. Currently shooting in Hong Kong, China and Japan, the film is produced by Bona Film Group, Mega-Vision,...

Contemporary Chinese Cinema is a column devoted to exploring contemporary Chinese-language cinema primarily as it is revealed to us at North American multiplexes.Over the last few years it has become increasingly easy to see mainstream Asian films in North America at the same time they are released in their home countries. Thanks to partnerships with small, international distributors, the major multiplex chains (AMC, Cinemark, Regal) have devoted a handful of screens in major markets to showing new releases from India, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of these titles fall under the radar of both critics and audiences outside the diasporic communities to which they are targeted. They play for a week or two and then disappear, outside of a handful of breakout titles. Last year Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid made headlines for its high per-screen averages in North America as it shattered domestic box office records in China.

Hong Kong's Oscar foreign-language film selection, Mad World, is the debut directorial feature of 28-year-old Wong Chun, who shot the film in Hong Kong in merely two weeks with a tiny $257,000 budget.

The film was mostly shot on location in a subdivided flat – a type of private rental housing unique to Hong Kong that consists of individual rooms divided by newly-built partitions with each room accommodating an individual, a couple, or even a whole family. The film stars three highly established actors in the leading roles – multi-hyphenate Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs), Shawn Yue (Love Off the Cuff), and...

by Nathaniel R

"Bad Ape" is still one of the best movie characters of 2017. He comes courtesy of the ambitious War for the Planet of the Apes, various visual effects technicians, and Steve Zahn who brilliantly embodies him. On the actor's 50th birthday a quick list of our 5 favorite Zahn performances over the years. He's one of Hollywood's most reliable (and most adorable) character actors and still has never really gotten his due. 

01 "Sammy Gray" in Reality Bites

02 "Glenn Michaels" in Out of Sight

03 "Lenny Hase" in That Thing You Do!

04 "Bad Ape" in War for the Planet of the Apes

05 "Fuller" in Joy Ride

P.S. Also celebrating birthdays today: actors Whoopi Goldberg, Gerard Butler, Xiaoming Huang, Frances Conroy, Chris Noth, Joe Mantegna, and Shawn Yue, cinematographer Conrad W Hall, and director Gary Marshall; And though they are departed they are not forgotten: author Robert Louis Stevenson, and actors Hermione Baddeley,...

After a string of scene-stealing supporting roles, a bleach blond Zhang Jin takes the lead in Jonathan Li's The Brink, as a renegade Hong Kong cop on the trail of Shawn Yue’s villainous gold smuggler. Featuring a string of impressively staged action sequences that often stretch the bounds of plausibility, The Brink remains entertaining despite some glaring narrative flaws and wildly inconsistent performances. After hurling a suspect out of a building, only to unwittingly kill a fellow officer in the process, Hong Kong police detective Chang (Zhang Jin) narrowly avoids a manslaughter charge. Instead, he takes legal guardianship of his dead suspect’s daughter (Cecilia So), convinces his partner A-de (Wu Yue) not to retire, and goes on the warpath for a gang of gold...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Cine Asia & Cmc Pictures Presents: Wukong

Directed By: Derek Kwok

Main Cast: Eddie Peng

Other Cast: Ni Ni, Shawn Yue, Ou Hao

Production: New Classics Media

Language: Mandarin with Chinese & English Subtitles

From Director Derek Kwok (Co director of ‘Journey To The West’), Wukong delivers an exciting new vision on the classic Monkey King tale. Starring Eddie Peng (Call of Heroes, Operation Mekong) as the Legendary Sun WuKong, alongside rising stars Ni Ni (Flowers of War) and Shawn Yue (Reign of Assassins).

Synopsis:

Three powers collide. Long ago, Sun Wukong, was born in Huaguo Mountain with a heart of stone. Ji Hua, a powerful general from the heaven planned to terminate him. However Wukong was rescued by Bodhi and became his pupil. Jian Yang, is a being who was given an opportunity to become a strong god, but for this he needs to kill Zixia, the daughter of the Heaven Emperor’s rival,...

Jagga Jasoos and Wukong are among the international cinema titles opening this weekend!Jagga Jasoos and Wukong are among the international cinema titles opening this weekend!Adriana Floridia7/10/2017 12:06:00 Pm

Every week, select Cineplex theatres feature some of the most popular and exciting films from all around the world, from countries like China, India, Korea, The Philippines and more. If you want to try something different at the movies, or simply celebrate your own or a new culture on the big screen, we’re highlighting the International Cinema titles out this weekend that you’ll surely enjoy!

Jagga Jasoos (Hindi w/English subtitles)

Jagga Jasoos is the highly anticipated Bollywood musical, produced by Walt Disney Studios. The film has gone through problems and delays, partly due to the break-up of the lead actors who were dating in real life. The film follows a detective, who is on a quest to find his missing father.

“n 55!w !” this string of characters is the first thing that fills the cinema screen. It is an especially important moment, as only fans of this rom-com trilogy will feel a knowing nostalgic flutter stemming from those random letters, the seemingly unrelated horror story preceding the credits, and the in-depth intricacies and fleeting yet entirely memorable moments two fated lovers share, but, for the uninitiated, let’s go back. In 2009, Hong Kong auteur Pang Ho-Cheung introduced audiences to a quintessential Hong Kong couple Jimmy (Shawn Yue) and Cherie (Miriam Yeung). In the first film Love in a Puff, Pang uses a tool he has mastered already from previous directorial efforts (Men Suddenly in Black, Dream Home); critiquing Hk society, only this time for the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The love story between Cherie and Jimmy, which started in Love In A Puff (2010) and continued in Love In The Buff (2012), now comes to a new chapter in Love Off The Cuff.   Hong Kong director Pang Ho Cheung reteams with stars Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue for the third part of this popular film series.    Thanks to Magnum Films, we have Five double passes for the film to give away to our readers.    For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:   1) Like the Magnum Film Facebook page, and   2) Email your name and postal address to me at: hugo[at]screenanarchy.com   Love Off The Cuff will open in Australian cinemas...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Production and distribution outfit reveals strong slate of titles at Hong Kong market.

Hong Kong-based Sun Entertainment Culture (Sunec) has unveiled a string of titles at Filmart, including crime suspense thriller Schemer from filmmaker Sunny Luk (who won best director at the 2012 Hong Kong Film Awards for Cold War [pictured]); the big-screen adaptation of Louis Cha’s wuxia novel The Book And The Sword from veteran director Jacob Cheung and writer James Yuen; and Chinese New Year action comedy Keep Calm And Be A Superstar by director Vincent Kok.

Also on Sun’s slate are The Neighbour, a remake of German horror The Good Neighbour that will be directed by Stanley Liu and produced by Pang Ho Cheung.

Pang is also the producer of new TV series Women Who Flirt, based on his big-screen romantic comedy of the same name and directed by TV drama director Sammy Ko, and DoP Jason Kwan’s directorial debut A Nail Clipper...

There is a thrilling selection of Chinese-language titles at Filmart this year. Liz Shackleton picks out some of the most promising.

With very few Hong Kong or mainland Chinese sellers making the journey to this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, Filmart offers a chance for buyers to catch up with the Chinese-language titles that will be rolled out in the region for the rest of the year.

After serving up the biggest film of the Chinese New Year holiday — Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong — China’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based sales arm that is selling Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.

Other high-profile action titles new to market include Distribution Workshop’s Extraordinary Mission, from the creative teams behind the Infernal Affairs and Overheard series, and Huayi Brothers’ crime drama Explosion, starring Duan Yihong.

Previously announced...

Director Wong Chun’s debut feature Mad World has been awarded the top prize at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2017. The daring indie drama, which stars Eric Tsang and Shawn Yue, tackles issues of mental illness and the pressures of city life while exploring the relationship between a father and son. A jury comprised of filmmakers Monster Jimenez and Ho Yuhang and actress Nakanishi Miho offered the prize, stating: “We award Mad World the Grand Prix for its unflinching and sympathetic view of a neglected reality. It is harsh but tender, tragic but hopeful. The film is an act of love." Other winners included Most Promising Talent for Hong Konger Fish Liew for her excellent performance in Tracy Choi’s Sisterhood and the Yakushi Pearl Award for...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The Wisconsin Film Festival returns to Madison, running March 30 – April 6. Highlights of the program include James Gray’s “The Lost City of Z,” Terence Davies’ “A Quiet Passion,” Alex Ross Perry’s “Golden Exits,” Olivier Assayas’ “Personal Shopper,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” and a section dedicated to new women directors. Find out more information at their official site.

– The Denver Film Society has announced its full festival program and schedule for the 7th Women+Film Festival on International Women’s Day. The Festival will take place at the Sie FilmCenter April 4 – 9 and individual tickets and all-access passes are on sale now. The Women+Film Festival shines a spotlight on stories by and about women with a high profile, female-centric mix of documentaries, feature presentations and short films.

Pang Ho-cheung’s romantic comedy will have its world premiere at the event.

Pang Ho-cheung’s Love Off The Cuff, the third installment in the Hong Kong filmmaker’s romantic comedy series, will receive its world premiere as the opening film of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff).

Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue are resuming their roles as star-crossed lovers Cherie and Jimmy in the film, which follows Love In A Puff (2010) and Love In The Buff (2012). In this third episode, set in Hong Kong and Taipei, the couple’s relationship is tested when Jimmy’s childhood friend asks him to donate sperm for her artificial insemination.

Hkiff also recently announced that it will screen all seven of late Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang’s films in a section entitled ‘Edward Yang, 10-year Commemoration’.

The festival will also present digitally restored versions of four classics directed by French auteur Robert Bresson and three from Filipino...

Directed by Ho-Cheung Pang , Love In A Puff is a romantic comedy set in the back alleys of Hong Kong, with the changes in the smoking law all of the smokers congregate in small back alley areas to grab a few puffs during work. The plot is pretty bland, the two main characters meet each other, have a few problems and the predictable story conclusion follows.

It’s nothing really new or surprising but the social appeal of the movie is undeniable as it connects with many everyday situations and anyone that has ever had a crush can relate.

The movie features a group of smokers that meet up at their nearby smoking alley and share tales and stories about their respective jobs.

The group is involved in a number of scenes and does deliver some comedy but the main focus is on the relationship between “Cherie” and “Jimmy” played by Miriam Yeung Chin Wah,...

Stars: Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, Wu Jing | Written by Benny Chan, Melody Lui, Rams Ling | Directed by Benny Chan

The paths of a renegade cop (Tse), a rookie police officer (Chan) and a veteran detective (Yue) converge with explosive results, as they each take on their most deadly assignment to date: the arrest of Hong Kong’s most lethal mercenary gang and their ruthless leader, played by Kung Fu impresario Wu Jing. The city becomes a battleground, as both sides break all the rules to defy each other in the ultimate fight for survival, justice and revenge!

Director Benny Chan has made some of the best action-packed police dramas in modern Eastern cinema – Man Wanted, Big Bullet, Gen-x Cops, and the superb New Police Story. With Invisible Target he re-teams with Nicholas Tse for what may be his most gloriously over-the-top, action-filled extravangza ever! And like New Police Story,...

Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue star in third entry in Pang Ho-cheung’s film series.

Hong Kong stars Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue are reuniting for Love Off The Cuff, the third installment in Pang Ho-cheung’s hit series about a star-crossed couple.

Pang and Subi Liang’s Making Film Productions is again producing for Media Asia, which is launching sales on the film here at Afm.

The first two films in the series won awards and were hits across Asia. Love In A Puff (2010) introduced the couple Cherie and Jimmy who meet over a cigarette in the street after Hong Kong has banned indoor smoking. The follow-up, Love In The Buff (2012, pictured), sees the couple break up and reunite in Beijing.

The third installment follows the couple to Taiwan and sees their relationship tested when Jimmy’s childhood friend asks him to donate sperm for her artificial insemination. Paul Chun Pui also stars as Cherie’s estranged...

Wild City marks a very welcome return for Hong Kong director Ringo Lam, best known for City On Fire, Prison On Fire, Full Contact and Full Alert. It is his first feature film in 12 years and the cast includes Louis Koo, Shawn Yue and Chang Hsiao Chuan. Thanks to its Australian distributor Magnum Films, we have Five double passes to give away to our readers. For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:1) Like the Magnum Film Facebook page, and2) Email your name and postal address to me at: hugo[at]twitchfilm.netWild City will open in Australian cinemas on August 20, and this competition will close at 3pm on August 18. -- Good luck!Also, you can find out more about...

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Cast:

Jacky Cheung

Nick Cheung

Chang Chen

Shawn Yue

Wang Xueqi

Helios is the upcoming movie directed by Leung Lok-Man/Sunny Luk and stars Jacky Cheung, Nick Cheung and Chang Chen. Helios is a Action/Thriller about a wanted criminal who has weapons of mass destruction.

The action choreographer for the movie is veteran Chin Kar Lok, who has worked on many movies over the years (In-front and behind the camera), such as Millionaire’s Express, Dragons Forever, Eastern Condors, Operation Scorpio and many more. Helios has a Hk$200 million budget and is being released by many companies, one being Media Asia Films.

Plot:

Number one wanted criminal “Helios” (Chang Chen) and his assistant (Janice Man) stole a quantity of uranium and plan to produce weapons of mass destruction. They are planning to trade with a terrorist organization in Hong Kong. Chief Inspector Lee Yin-ming (Nick Cheung) and Inspector Fan...

Hong Kong filmmaker Ringo Lam has been an active fixture among action movie fans since his debut in 1983, working with the likes of Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan, and Jean-Claude Van Damme on movies in both Cantonese and English. With films such as Maximum Risk and Twin Dragons under his belt, many were interested to learn that he was in the midst of working on a new feature, marking Lan’s first foray back into feature-length filmmaking since the release of In Hell and Looking for Mister Perfect in 2003. Titled Wild City, Lam’s newest film is once again in Cantonese, as he takes on both directing and screenwriting duties, working with a cast that includes Louis Koo, Shawn Yue, and Jack Kao. Variety describes the film as follows.

The big-budget action movie is a Cantonese-noir, with bystanders caught up in a maelstrom of gangsters, greed and betrayal.

Release dates for...

It's Ringo Lam, baby, and that means Wild City is on its way, and it looks like a good ride is a-coming, at least according to this teaser.The film is now in post-production, according to Variety. It's the first to be directed by Lam in seven years, and is described as "a Cantonese-noir, with bystanders caught up in a maelstrom of gangsters, greed and betrayal. The cast is headed by Louis Koo Tin-lok, Shawn Yue Man-lok, Tong Liya and Joseph Chang."Wild City is heading for release this summer. Watch the teaser (via Wildgrounds) below...and believe....

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Company acquires international rights to Wild CIty [pictured] and The Vanished Murderer.

Hong Kong-based Distribution Workshop has picked up international rights to Ringo Lam’s Wild City and Lo Chi-leung’s The Vanished Murderer.

Both titles are currently in post-production and are being lined up for tentative delivery in the second half of 2015.

Produced by East Light Film, Wild City stars Louis Koo, Shawn Yue, Tong Liya, Simon Yam and Chang Hsiao-chuan. The film marks Lam’s return to directing after a seven-year hiatus following his segment of the Triangle omnibus, which also featured segments from Tsui Hark and Johnnie To.

The story of his new film follows a cop-turned-bar owner who befriends a drunken woman at closing hours and finds himself pursued by her former lover and the thugs he employs. The chase turns deadly when the bar owner’s deadbeat brother and a suitcase full of cash enter the picture.

Produced by Beijing-based...

Chow Yun Fat is back in more gambling action this Chinese New Year in Wong Jing's From Vegas To Macau II. Last year's first installment was my personal favourite of Hong Kong's holiday offerings. This time out the action is transplanted to Thailand, with Nick Cheung, Shawn Yue and Carina Lau stepping into Nic Tse and Chapman To's shoes.Produced by Andrew Lau and presented by Media Asia, Shaw Brothers and Bona Film Group, the sequel appears to have upped the ante, while maintaining the same combination of action, humour and gambling escapades that made the first film so winningly nostalgic. We now have a host of stills to share with you, together with an official synopsis, the film's poster and the trailer, all of which...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

First of all, we would like to say Happy New Year to all our readers at Asian Movie Pulse. many thanks for the years of continuous support and we hope 2015 is a great year for you all.

This is part 1 for upcoming movies in 2015 to watch out for, if you feel a movie deserves to make part 2, please comment at bottom of the page.

Dragon Blade

Cast: Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody, John Cusack, Choi Siwon, Lin Peng

Director: Daniel Lee

The Bodyguard

Cast: Sammo Hung, Andy Lau, Deng Chao, Wang Xuebing, Tian Liang

Director: Sammo Hung

Sha Po Lang 2

Cast: Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, Simon Yam, Zhang Jin, Louis Koo

Director: Cheang Pou-soi

The Challenge Letter

Cast: Robert Chen, Nobuaki Shimamoto, Ingrid Yin Hu

Director: Robert Chen, Nathan Colquhoun

Skintrade

Cast: Tony Jaa, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman

Director: Ekachai Uekrongtham

Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island

Cast: Kim Myung Min,...

Director : Derek Kwok Chi-Kin. Review: Chris Sawin. Three firefighters from Pillar Point Station in Hong Kong, Sam (Nicholas Tse), Yip (Andy On), and Chill (Shawn Yue), go against protocol in an attempt to rescue stranded individuals trapped in a burning building. Chill takes the blame even though the three agreed to take credit for the incident together. A year later, it's Christmas Eve and Yip has become the Assistant Divisional Officer of the station while Sam is enjoying his last day with Pillar Point before being transferred. An unstable septic tank behind a warehouse close to a conquered fire at the power station is noted as having a high temperature. While being near gas lines, the call is made to leave it be since the fire nearby was already put out. The fire that evolves from those conditions is one of the most uncontrollable occurrences Sam or anyone else...

A team of dedicated Hong Kong fire-fighters battle an out-of-control blaze that threatens to plunge the city into catastrophic darkness! Yes, As Light Goes Out is blazing (ehem) onto Us Blu-ray and DVD. Written and directed by Derek Kwok (Journey to the West), the action-packed suspense disaster flick stars Nicholas Tse (Shaolin, The Stool Pigeon), Shawn Yue (The Guillotines, Infernal Affairs trilogy), Simon Yam (Ip Man, Election), Hu Jun (Firestorm, Let the Bullets Fly), William Chan (Triad), Bai Bing (The Viral Factor, Shaolin), Andy On (Special ID, White Vengeance) and a cameo by the legendary Jackie Chan (Rush Hour franchise). As The Light Goes Out goes; digital, DVD and Blu...Nov. 18, from Well Go USA Entertainment. Synopsis: It's Christmas Eve in Hong Kong, and while the residents prepare to celebrate, a dedicated band of brothers - the fire-fighters of Pillar Point Division (Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Andy On) – are dispatched to a warehouse fire.

The Pang Brothers failed to set the world on fire recently with Out of Inferno, so forgive me for not getting too excited about the upcoming Hong Kong DVD and Blu-Ray release of As the Light Goes Out, a big-budget disaster thriller from Gallants director Derek Kwok. Okay, so that's maybe brightened my evening a little bit. Sharing the screen for the first time since Dragon Tiger Gate, Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue co-star as two fire-fighters whose friendship is tested in the face of great calamity. Two more reasons to get excited then. Co-starring Simon Yam, Hu Jun and Andy On, As the Light Goes Out topped the Hong Kong box office for four consecutive weeks and earned eight nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It's available to buy from May 22, 2014. Synopsis: Christmas Eve, Hong Kong. Temperature is at an all-time high, and so is the tension between...

The Pang Brothers failed to set the world on fire recently with Out of Inferno, so forgive me for not getting too excited about the upcoming Hong Kong DVD and Blu-Ray release of As the Light Goes Out, a big-budget disaster thriller from Gallants director Derek Kwok. Okay, so that's maybe brightened my evening a little bit. Sharing the screen for the first time since Dragon Tiger Gate, Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue co-star as two fire-fighters whose friendship is tested in the face of great calamity. Two more reasons to get excited then. Co-starring Simon Yam, Hu Jun and Andy On, As the Light Goes Out topped the Hong Kong box office for four consecutive weeks and earned eight nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It's available to buy from May 22, 2014. Synopsis: Christmas Eve, Hong Kong. Temperature is at an all-time high, and so is the tension between...

Stars: Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Shawn Yue, Xiaodong Guo, Barbie Hsu, Josie Ho | Written by Joey O’Bryan, Kam-Yuen Szeto | Directed by Pou-Soi Cheang

I don’t know what it is about cars in movies but they can be very entertaining. Be it The Fast and The Furious in its various forms, Driver or even The Italian Job the non-stop action of high-speed racing and chases has always been popular. Motorway (aka Che Sau) is a film that taps into this popularity and comfortably sites between Fast and Furious and Driver as a understatedly cool “cops and robbers” film that brings some brains to the car chase sub-genre.

When an overconfident rookie is confronted by a getaway driver who appears to be able to do impossible turns through the use of a unique drifting technique he seems to have found his match. Taking him under his wing his veteran partner teaches...

Motorway finds Soi Cheang (Accident) once again teaming up with producer Johnnie To for the latest Milkyway production. Which can only mean one thing, it’s time for another bout of adrenaline-fuelled cool. Realism is the name of the game in Soi Cheang’s latest thrill ride, with exhilarating car chases and jaw-dropping stunts shying away from Bruckheimer style and sheen. You’ll actually feel like you’re part of the action when the pedal hits the metal, alongside Initial D stars Shawn Yue and Anthony Wong, no strangers to unadulterated racing action. Yue and Wong play elite traffic cops in a secret police unit that upholds the law in unmarked police cars. Gordon Lam, Barbie Hsu, Michelle Ye and Josie Ho are along for the ride, not to mention some really fast cars and an icy cool exterior long associated with the Milkyway brand. Available to buy in the...

Cast:

Nicholas Tse

Simon Yam

Hu Jun

Bai Bing

Shawn Yue

Plot:

The firemen of Hong Kong’s Pillar Point division are expecting a quiet night on Christmas Eve to see off their retiring chief when a fire breaks out. The fire is small but it is in an alcohol warehouse next to a nearby power plant and threatens to plunge Hong Kong into darkness. To save Hong Kong from a total black out, retiring workaholic team chief Sam must manage his team of Chao, Pei, Hui and Ocean as well as deal with politics, rivalry and very questionable decisions from his superiors.

source:topchinesemovies...

Thanks to our friends at Magnum Films, we have Five double passes for Sdu: Sex Duties Unit from producer Pang Ho Cheung (Vulgaria, Men Suddenly In Black) to give to our Australian readers! Sdu: Sex Duties Unit stars funnyman Chapman To and Shawn Yue, and looks to be a raunchy sex comedy. For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:1) Name one other movie from Magnum Films' line-up of Hong Kong films for Australian cinemas in the second half of 2013, and2) Email your answer, name and postal address to me at: hugo[at]twitchfilm.netSDU: Sex Duties Unit will open in Australia on July 25 and our competition will close at 3pm on Tuesday July 23. Good luck!...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Andrew Lau’s Qing Dynasty-set action film “The Guillotines,” distributed by Well Go USA, is currently out on VOD and iTunes and will soon be hitting the theaters June 14. If you’re a huge fan of Lau’s films and are excited to see “The Guillotines” in theaters, you have come to the right post; ShockYa has an exclusive clip from the film, and you can take a look a it right below the post, along with the film’s trailer. Here’s more on “The Guillotines,” starring Zhang Wen, Xiaoming Huang, Shawn Yue, Yuchun Li, Ching-Tien Juan, Stephy Tang and Boran Jing: “A secret brotherhood of assassins – The Guillotines – once favored [ Read More ]

The post Watch Exclusive Clip from Andrew Lau’s The Guillotines on ShockYa! appeared first on Shockya.com.

Fear - the ultimate weapon. Today's indie trailer is from Well Go USA for the Us release of Andrew Lau's The Guillotines, a martial arts action-adventure out of China about a secret brotherhood of elite assassins known as The Guillotines. When I first heard that title I wasn't expecting to see anything that great, but I'm impressed. It plays on the concept of old school swords vs. new school firearms in a stylish way, and looks like it will have some incredible fights. The cast includes Shawn Yue, Xiaoming Huang, Zhang Wen and Yuchun Li. The circular flying swords are a little gimmicky, but I'm curious to check this out. Enjoy! Watch the official Us release trailer for Andrew Lau's The Guillotines, in high def from Apple: A secret brotherhood of assassins—The Guillotines, once favored by the Emperor, are now a force of terror and oppression under a new regime.