Friday, May 24

Movie review: The Devil Shadow

The late 1990's were tough times financially for Hong Kong film productions. The Devil Shadow shows what many stars found themselves working on during this period, a cheaply-made and boring affair really only notable as being one of the few times that Yuen Wah has been seen onscreen clean-shaven.

Full review here

Thursday, May 23

Movie review: Vampire Kids

Even considering the (at least to most western viewers) odd nature and happenings of kyonsi ("hopping vampire") movies, 1991's Vampire Kids (released as Vampire Resurrection via budget label Brentwood's "Eastern Horror" line) is tough to follow.

Full review here

Wednesday, May 22

New Blu-ray/DVD release: Girl$

FUNimation has recently released Girl$ on a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Directed by Kenneth Bi (The Drummer), the film is a harrowing look into Hong Kong's black market sex trade. A full review is forthcoming, but for now, you can check out the official trailer on YouTube.

The movie is available to buy from Amazon.

Monday, May 20

Movie review: The Great Magician

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Lau Ching-Wan lead an all-star cast in The Great Magician. Their chemistry and star power carries the film a long way, which is a good thing, because director Derek Yee seems to be a bit lost helming this lighter Lunar New Year picture.

Full review here

Sunday, May 19

Movie review: Blood Money

Film-makers have long tried to merge the worlds of hip-hop and martial arts. Most of these results have been fair to middling, but that hasn't stopped producers from trying to strike gold, as evidenced by 2012's Blood Money, a straight-to-DVD effort featuring the rapper Pitbull.

Full review here

Thursday, May 16

Movie review: The Hong Kong Happy Man

The word "dopey" doesn't even begin to describe The Hong Kong Happy Man, a low-budget effort that tries to be a fun T&A themed comedy, but forgets some major points. One, most of the comedy featured here is anything but funny, and two, there's hardly any T and absolutely no A present.

Full review here

Upcoming Blu-ray+DVD release: The Bruce Lee Legacy Collection

Shout! Factory will be releasing The Bruce Lee Legacy Collection, a massive 11-disc set that includes the North American Blu-ray premieres of The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury, The Way Of The Dragon, and Game Of Death. The DVD versions are also included, as well as hours of featurettes, commentaries, and interviews, a 68-page book containing rare and never before seen photos, and three feature-length documentaries. Needless to say, if you are a fan of Bruce Lee, this looks to be one of the definitive collections released of his work and you should be pre-ordering it from Amazon and getting a space on your shelf ready for it when it comes out on on August 6th.

Tuesday, May 14

Movie review: In Love with the Dead

In Love with the Dead starts out as a fairly standard weepy cancer-driven drama. But as this film was directed by Danny Pang, you know there's a twist ready to pop out, and lo and behold, the phrase "I see dead people" soon becomes appropriate.

Full review here