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“Mr Six” is one of these extremely rare films where commercial success (more than $137 million at the box office) is combined with artistic excellence (awards in a plethora festivals), in a combination that results in one of the best productions of the latest years.

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The movie tells the story of elder, former criminal Xuejun, who is known in the underworld as Mr. Six and is currently in hiatus, enjoying the respect of both authorities and gangsters alike, and acting as the peacekeeper of his neighborhood, along with former associates Scrapper and Lampshade and his love interest, Chatterbox.

Eventually, his son Bobby makes the grave mistake of sleeping with Kris’s girlfriend, who is the leader of a drag-racing gang, and even scratching the door of his Ferrari. The particular gang may be consisted of 20-something members that look and dress like movie stars; however, their fathers’ money...

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.

Werner Herzog’s thriller Salt And Fire will have its world premiere at the festival.

Longman Leung and Sunny Luk’s Cold War 2 [pictured], the sequel to Edko Films’ hit 2012 action thriller, will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (June 11-19).

Meanwhile, Werner Herzog’s Salt And Fire, Bruce Beresford’s Mr Church and Cao Baoping’s Coke And Bull are among the films selected for the Golden Goblet Awards (see full list below).

As previously announced the competition jury is headed by Emir Kusturica and also includes Atom Egoyan, Daniele Luchetti, African filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako (Timbuktu), Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden (Tharlo), Hong Kong actress Karena Lam and Chinese writer Yan Geling.

Japanese filmmaker Kazuo Hara will oversee a separate jury for documentaries, while Swiss animation director George Schwizgebel heads the jury for animated films.

Siff also unveiled nominations in six categories for the Asian New Talent Awards, which has a jury...

Flagship Entertainment, a joint venture between Warner Bros, China Media Capital (Cmc) and Tvb, has unveiled its debut slate, including projects from Hong Kong filmmakers Peter Chan, Wong Jing and Stephen Fung.

Launched last year, the Hong Kong-based joint venture aims to produce a slate of Chinese-language films, including global tentpoles, for Chinese and international distribution. The first titles will be released in 2016.

Peter Chan is set to direct drama Murder Of The Husband – about a woman whose suffering gave rise to the revolution of women’s social rights in China – and will also partner with Brett Ratner to produce romance Beautiful Coma, chronicling a love that transcends every challenge.

Wong Jing will direct action comedy In Love With The Thieves, starring Andy Lau, Huang Xiaoming and Shen Teng, while Stephen Fung is attached to action romance The Adventurers, starring Feng Shaofeng in a story about an overseas treasure hunt.

In addition...

The Octopus Man cometh in the new teaser for Stephen Chow's The Mermaid! Chao Deng, Lin Yun, Kitty Zhang, Show Lo, Shangzheng Li, Zhang Wen, Zhang Meie, Ke Bai and Lianshun Kong star in the latest from the director of Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle and the general level of insanity appears to be right about where you would expect from Chow.Along with a new teaser comes a quartet of character posters for the film, check them all out below!...

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

Stars: Jet Li, Zhang Wen, Shishi Liu, Michelle Chen, Yan Liu, Collin Chou, Stephen Fung, Raymond Lam, Ka-Yan Leung, Siu-Lung Leung, Yili Ma | Written by Tan Cheung | Directed by Tsz Ming Wong

Jet Li, star of countless classic martial arts movies, teams up with the producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kung Fu Hustle for Badge of Fury (aka Badges of Fury) a crime drama caper that is more caper than crime… Even though, at least on paper this would seem like a perfect Hong Kong action flick:

When a spate of murders erupt across Hong Kong, two kick-ass cops are assigned to the case. Chaos soon escalates when they reach a dead end and the detectives must play a deadly game to lure the killer out.

You see from that synopsis I was expecting something special, along the lines of New Police Story or (an undoubtedly sub-par) Infernal Affairs,...

‘Journey to the West’ is a loose comedic adaptation of the namesake Chinese novel published in the 16th century (better known as simply ‘Monkey’, an abridged translation, in the west, as its more charismatic character is no other than the mischievous Monkey King). More precisely, this film revisits a specific part of the novel in which Buddhist-with-hair monk Xuan Zang (played by Zhang Wen) defeats a quaint group of demons in dire need of redemption… and some ass-kicking. Although this movie’s story is complete and self-contained, it’s also an obvious attempt to establish an epic saga that would show us the rest of the tale in future installments. Given the huge box-office success that ‘Journey to the West’ enjoyed, we can rejoice on the fact that sequels are more than probably coming our way. And that’s good news, because this is a good twist on a good story,...

This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering. Young demon hunter Xuan Zang, fearlessly guided by his belief in "giving himself for the greater cause," risks his all and conquers a water demon, a pig demon and the demon of all demons, Sun Wukong. He embraces them as his disciples, and melts them with love. Meanwhile, Xuan Zang discovers the true meaning of Greater Love himself. In order to atone for their own sins and save the common people, the four of them embark on a journey to the West that's full of challenges...We have an exclusive TV spot for director Stephen Chow's delightful fantasy adventure Journey to the West, available on VOD and in select theaters March 7.

Journey to the West was released March 7th, 2014 and stars Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang, Show Luo, Shing-Cheung Lee, Bingqiang Chen, Sihan Cheng,...

A Demon in My View: Chow Returns with Rousing, Comedic Action

Director Stephen Chow returns with Journey to the West: Conquering Demons, his first film since the effervescent CJ7 (2008), this time granting co-director credit to Derek Kwok. Adapted from a famous 16th century novel (which in English, is known as Monkey), it’s considered one of the four great classics of Chinese literature, though those familiar with Chow’s frenetic mix of slapstick humor and striking visuals should rightly assume that considerable liberties have been taken in adapting the source material. Chow certainly stands as one of the very few directors who can smartly mix sappy with sweet, silly with exhilarating, and box it all in a mainstream composite of galvanizing aesthetic. While his latest starts to feel a bit batshit crazy by the time we get to the final lap, it’s easy to forgive the sometimes rampantly unfocused broad strokes.

Magnet Releasing has announced that they will be releasing Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons on iTunes/On Demand and in theaters starting March 7, 2014.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is an action-comedy film by Chinese director, producer and actor Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7) and Derek Kwok (Gallants, The Pye Dog). The film is loosely based on a Chinese literary classic Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng’en.

The story is centered on a Buddhist Tang Sanzang who is trying to protect the village from the demons; his emerging feelings for a powerful demon hunter Miss Duan who helps him fight the demons, and his transformative encounter with the Monkey King. Journey to the West stars Qi Shu (as Miss Duan), Zhang Wen (as Xuan Zang) and Bo Huang (as Sun Wukong).

Synopsis

This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering.

Journey To The West   Magnet Reviewed for Shockya by Harvey Karten. Data-based on Rotten Tomatoes Grade:  B Director:  Stephen Chow Screenplay:  Stephen Chow Cast:  Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang, Show Luo, Shing-Cheung Lee, Bingqiang Chen, Sihan Cheng, Yu Xing, Zhengyu Lu, Chi Ling Chiu Screened at:  Review 1, NYC, 2/11/14    Opens:  March 7, 2014 Every country takes pride in its legends.  The best known might be the Twelve Labors of Hercules, wherein the man had to slay a lion and a hydra, capture a Boar and a Cretan Bull, and, hardest of all, to steal a girdle.  China is not about to sit back and let Greece  [ Read More ]

The post Journey to the West Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Stephen Chow has more fun making movies than you do – and by “you,” I mean the average Hollywood director. Chow isn’t bothered by trends or popularity, weaving tales of ancient fantasies and magical worlds filled with powerful warriors, brooding demons, and colorful locales that breathe wonderful creativity. Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons is the latest film to exemplify our writer/director’s vivacious talents, as we’re hooked from the very first visual of a bright, lively harbor town full of charismatic townsfolk. We’ve become so used to dark, gloomy films like 300, Man of Steel, and every other overly morose action adaptation – enough of the darkness. Follow Stephen Chow on a Buddhist martial-arts adventure into the light, focusing on exploratory, original storytelling much like Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer. Enlightenment is simply a film experience away…

In a mystical world where demons roam free, “demon...

Watch the trailer and check out the poster for Magnet Releasing's "Journey to the West," starring Qi Shu, Zhang Wen and Bo Huang. This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering. Young demon hunter Xuan Zang, fearlessly guided by his belief in “giving himself for the greater cause”, risks his all and conquers a water demon, a pig demon and the demon of all demons, Sun Wukong. He embraces them as his disciples, and melts them with love. Meanwhile, Xuan Zang discovers the true meaning of Greater Love himself. In order to atone for their own sins and save the common people, the four of them embark on a journey to the West that’s full of challenges…...

Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow has garnered a fair share of acclaim in the international film community over a filmmaking career that has spanned almost 20 years. With movies such as Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, many fans were excited to learn that Chow was working on his first feature since 2008. Chow stays behind the camera this time around, taking on directing and screenwriting duties, and working with a cast that includes Qi Shu, Bo Huan, Zhang Wen, and Show Luo. A Us trailer for the film, titled Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons, has now been released, and can be seen below.

(Source: Twitch)

The post ‘Journey To The West’, the newest Stephen Chow film, releases a Us trailer appeared first on Sound On Sight.

About a year ago, we posted the Hong Kong trailer for Stephen Chow's Journey to the West. The film centers on a group of demon hunters who use the power of love to save people and embark on a journey to the West. That plot doesn't really come through in this new U.S. trailer, which is more about Chow's general energetic, madcap visuals. The look of the movie should come as no surprise to those who have seen his previous films, Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. This time around, Chow is playing heavily with CGI, and while the CGI doesn't look particularly good, it does fit with the cartoony style he's apparently going for. Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film stars Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang, and Lo Show. Journey to the West will be available on iTunes and in theaters on...

"A quest to vanquish evil from this Earth will lead the world's greatest demon hunters to their ultimate challenge." Magnolia has debuted the official Us trailer for Stephen Chow's latest movie Journey to the West, based on the classic Chinese story. This is the new film from the crazy mind behind Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle telling an old Chinese story but it still looks wacky. There's mythical beasts, mythical vehicles, flying weapons galore, a Monkey King, goofy CG-enhanced violence and an Earth-sized colorful Buddha doing who knows what. The story follows a Buddhist trying to protect a village from three demons. The cast includes Qi Shu, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang and Lo Show, but not Stephen Chow. Check this out! Here's the full Us trailer for Stephen Chow's Journey to the West, in high def on Apple: This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering.

Director Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) brings his unique style of filmmaking back to the big screen in Journey to the West. Magnolia Pictures has released the second trailer, which follows demon hunter Xuan Zang (Zhang Wen), who goes on a journey with three demons to atone for his sins. In addition, we also have the new poster (inspired by the classic designs of Drew Struzan) for this martial arts action-adventure, debuting in theaters and on iTunes March 7.

This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering. Young demon hunter Xuan Zang, fearlessly guided by his belief in "giving himself for the greater cause," risks his all and conquers a water demon, a pig demon and the demon of all demons, Sun Wukong. He embraces them as his disciples, and melts them with love. Meanwhile, Xuan Zang discovers the true meaning of Greater Love himself.

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.

The Well Go USA action adventure starring Zhang Wen and Xiaoming Huang, opens On Demand on May 14th, and hits theaters on June 14th. Also in the cast of Xue di zi are Shawn Yue, Yuchun Li, Ching-Tien Juan, Stephy Tang and Boran Jing. A secret brotherhood of assassins – The Guillotines – once favored by the Emperor, are now a force of terror and oppression under a new regime. Exiled to a remote village and hunted by a squad of fighters with firearms that challenge their cold steel, The Guillotines must now outwit and outfight enemies from both sides.

Chicago – “The Sorcerer and the White Snake” is a title that suggests the sort of tall tale that would entrance a crowd of scouts around a camp fire. It’s chockfull of fantastical creatures and action-packed setpieces, but its shoddy special effects cause it to fall short of pure enchantment. As for the story itself, it’s pure silliness.

Jet Li receives top-billing solely because he happens to be Jet Li, but he could hardly be considered the main character. This is primarily a star-crossed romance between a good-hearted physician, Xu Xian (Raymond Lam), who unwittingly falls in love with a demonic snake that takes the form of a seductive woman (Eva Huang). Their love appears to be genuine, especially after the snake saves his life, but master monk Abott Fahai (played by a bored Li) won’t allow such an outlandish union to take place, inspiring gloriously silly dialogue like,...

The first trailer and poster have debuted for the upcoming martial arts fantasy flick Journey to the West, a.k.a A Chinese Odyssey, a.k.a Odyssey.

This is Stephen Chow‘s new film, which does not yet have a U.S. release date, but does have English subtitled trailer, which can be seen below.

However, subtitles don’t do much to provide necessary context as to what’s going on here, except this madness came from the mind of Chow, who has been quiet since 2008s CJ7.

A new martial arts comedy directed by Chow and Chi-kin Kwok, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is set to open in theaters in Hong Kong on February 7th, 2013, which is just in time for the Chinese New Year.

The film stars Qi Shu, Stephen Chow, Chrissie Chow, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang, Show Luo.

Although Chow isn’t afraid of...

The first trailer and poster have debuted for Journey to the West, a new martial arts comedy directed by Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7) and Chi-kin Kwok. No plot details have been released, and you'll be hard pressed to figure out exactly what this bizarre action romp is really about from the trailer. We do get a lot of zany humor, a strange man-pig hybrid, and a monkey wielding a spear. Check out this unique footage, along with the one-sheet. The comedy debuts in Hong Kong February 7, but an American distributor has not been secured yet.

Journey To The West - Trailer

Journey to the West comes to theaters in 2013 and stars Qi Shu, Stephen Chow, Chrissie Chow, Zhang Wen, Bo Huang, Show Luo. The film is directed by Chi-kin Kwok, Stephen Chow.

Following the first trailer that debuted last month, Magnolia Pictures has unleashed a new featurette for The Sorcerer and the White Snake. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who tries to save a man who has fallen in love. What the man doesn't know is this woman is actually a poisonous snake in disguise. Go behind-the-scenes and take a look at Jet Li rehearsing for his fight scenes, along with split-screen footage from the set and the final product to see how the these sequences were created. This action-drama is currently available on iTunes before hitting theaters February 8.

The Sorcerer And The White Snake - Featurette

The Sorcerer and the White Snake comes to theaters February 8th, 2013 and stars Jet Li, Shengyi Huang, Raymond Lam, Charlene Choi, Zhang Wen, Vivian Hsu, Miriam Yeung Chin Wah, Kar-Ying Law. The film is directed by Siu-Tung Ching.

While there is little denying that the second teaser for Stephen Chow's Journey To The West has left us little more than nonplussed with dodgy CGI, the one thing that did look good about that teaser was Shu Qi. And to satisfy our pining for more Shu Qi we have a collection of stills from the film to share with you that feature the Tawainese stunner. And if the production can start work on a third teaser and collection of stills featuring Zhang Wen it would mean a lot to me personally. And if they want to throw in a fourth featuring Chrissy Chow I am sure no one else would protest either. ...

One thing is very clear about the upcoming box office duel between Stephen Chow's Journey To The West and Soi Cheang's The Monkey King. There's going to be a lot of dodgy CGI.Both based on the same popular legends, Cheang's Donnie Yen starring project was first to get some actual footage to the fans (an earlier teaser for the Chow film featured no actual footage) and the fan response was less than impressed. Now Chow's Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow starring effort - written, produced and co-directed by Chow with Derek Kwok - has followed suit and I fear the result will be the same. We get our first look at some key characters here and while the physical...

News updates on the upcoming fantasy comedy A Chinese Odyssey, produced by Stephen Chow and directed by Derek Kwok (Gallants), have been kept tightly under wraps since the project was first announced back in July of last year. If you're just as hungry as I am for any bone that they can throw at us, though, here is a little something to whet your appetite.  It's the first promo poster featuring concept art of the Monkey King. Beside Chow playing the main role of the Monkey King, the cast will also include Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow. The film is currently in post-production and its expected to be released in 2013 during the New Year....

In a world of magic and demons, a sorcerer (actually he’s an abbot) played by the renowned Jet Li and his apprentice (Zhang Wen) roam the earth in pursuit of malevolent entities. Once caught, these entities are then confined within the walls of Lei Feng Pagoda to reflect on their past deeds and hopefully change their wicked ways.

A White Snake female spirit/demon (Shengyi Huang) falls for a mortal after saving his life from a cruel twist-of-fate engineered by her twin, the Green Snake (Charlene Choi). The man in question is Xu Xian, a herbalist/ferryman, played by Raymond Lam. And so, the snake-ladies venture out of the safety of their mountains to find White’s mystery man, ever increasing their chances of running into the magic monk duo. But Jet Li better be careful ‘cuz hell hath no fury like a snakewoman scorned.

Tony Ching created in...

 

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th! I went and saw Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and I Loved it! Can't wait for it to come out on DVD. Anywho let's move on to this week's releases. Here are the highlights of the week.

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and rebellious computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) team up to investigate the unsolved disappearance of wealthy Henrik Vanger's (Sven-Bertil Taube) teen niece (Ewa Fröling), only to uncover dark secrets about Vanger's powerful family. Niels Arden Oplev directs this Swedish thriller based on the first novel from Stieg Larsson's best-selling trilogy.

Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace

Director: Niels Arden Oplev

*You can play this in English as well*

From what I have heard this movie is amazing! I can't wait to watch it. I had it on my...