ENTER THE FAT DRAGON Debuts on Digital, Blu-ray™ & DVD on July 14th

Well Go USA

Presents

Enter the Fat Dragon / Fei lung gwoh gong

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki

Hong Kong, 2020, 97 minutes

International martial arts icon Donnie Yen [Ip Man, Mulan (2020), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story] is back in the action-comedy Enter the Fat Dragon, “a hilarious, hyper-paced, rock-em sock-em blast of a movie!” (Ultimate Action Movies) debuting on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD July 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

The film chronicles the events that transformed super-fit super-cop Fallon Zhu (Yen) into a records clerk with a major snack cake habit—and one shot to regain his job and his fiancée. A hilarious parody of Bruce Lee's 1972 film Way of the Dragon and a reimagining of the popular comedy martial arts film starring Sammo Hung, Enter the Fat Dragon was directed by Kenji Tanigaki (Legend of Seven Monks) and costars Teresa Mo (Hard Boiled), Niki Chow (Heavenly Mission) and Wong Jing (Kung Fu Mahjong).

Synopsis:

Enter the Fat Dragon is a hilarious chronicle of the events that transformed super-fit super-cop Fallon Zhu (martial arts phenom Donnie Yen) into a glorified records clerk with a major snack cake habit. After a desperate request from an old colleague, Zhu teams up with a wily, wok-wielding restaurateur to solve a mysterious murder—and take his one last shot at regaining both his job and his fiancée.

Hong Kong actioner VIXEN arrives on digital streaming platforms today

TriCoast Studios

Presents

Vixen

Directed by Ross W. Clarkson

China, 2018, 90 minutes

Vixen, a Hong Kong a female driven take on Die Hard, arrives on digital streaming platforms (Amazon, DirecTV, AT&T, FlixFling, Vudu, Vimeo on Demand, XBOX, Sony, Google Play, FANDANGO + Sling/Dish) today, May 6th. The film stars former stuntwoman Li Ran. Also featured are such action legends and martial art experts as Bryan Larkin (Dead End, Outlander) and Jai Day (Transformers, Pacific Rim: Uprising). Africa’s most famous Chinese martial arts expert, Luc Bendza, who graduated from Beijing’s prestigious Sports University, plays the film’s Machiavellian main villain.

Synopsis:
Vixen is a femme-centric Hong Kong action film about a Chinese security expert who fights a lone battle against a European criminal gang that has seized the world’s tallest building, where a massive, high-tech international conference is taking place. With the building under lockdown, the lone expert, Sunny Liu (former stuntwoman Li Ran) must use all her courage, intelligence and martial arts prowess to outwit, outlast and outfight the terrorists. She’s beautiful, she’s deadly, and she always knows – a woman’s work is never done.

STILL HUMAN receives several 38th Hong Kong Film Awards nominations

Golden Scene

Presents

  Still Human

Written and directed by Chan Oliver Siu Kuen

Starring: Anthony Wong, Crisel Consunji, Sam Lee, Cecilia Yip, Himmy Wong

Hong Kong, 2018, 111 minutes

In Cantonese, English and Tagalog

Still Human, director Chan Oliver Siu Kuen's feature film debut, has received eight nominations at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards (coming on April 14th), including noms in all four major categories: best film, director (Chan), actor (Wong) and actress (Consunji).

The film and cast have already received four award wins, including the NETPAC award at the 38th Hawaii International Film Festival, and another four nominations. (Details of those wins and nominations can be found here.)

Synopsis:
A paralyzed and hopeless divorcé, Cheong-wing (Anthony Wong) is in need of a caretaker. He meets his new live-in Filipino domestic helper, Evelyn (Crisel Consunji), who has put her dream on hold to come to Hong Kong to earn a living. Living under the same roof, these two strangers develop an unlikely relationship. As they get to learn more about each other, they also rediscover themselves -Cheong-wing begins to reconnect with his estranged son; Evelyn reignites her dream of being a photographer. Together, they help each other through ups and downs, twists and turns, love and loss and experience the different seasons of life. Just when they think they have lost all hope, little do they know, life still has a lot to offer.

The trailer is available here.

CALL OF HEROES to debut on Blu-ray and DVD on December 6th

Well Go USA

Entertainment

Presents

Call of Heroes

Directed by Benny Chan

Hong Kong, 2016, 120 minutes

Award-winning Director Benny Chan (Shaolin, New Police Story) assembles a star-studded powerhouse lineup of action stars for the martial arts-packed drama Call of Heroes, which will debut on Blu-ray™ and DVD next Tuesday, December 6 from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on Digital since November 8th.)

A “Chinese wuxia epic with obvious echoes to classic spaghetti Western films and Akira Kurosawa’s samurai dramas,” (Edmund Lee, South China Morning Post), Call of Heroes stars Sean Lau (Mad Detective), Louis Koo (Drug War), Eddie Peng (Cold War 2) and Wu Jing (Shaolin), with the legendary Sammo Hung on board as the action director. Set in 1914 following the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the epic film tells the story of a group of brave villagers standing up to a cruel young warlord. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.

Synopsis:
Louis Koo stars as Cao, the spoiled son of a powerful General who has grown into a vicious and depraved warlord. Although Cao is accused of triple murder, his father will destroy the town if his son is convicted and sentenced to death. But injustice cannot go unanswered, and the villagers prepare for the repercussions of punishing a guilty man.

THE MIDNIGHT AFTER coming to home video on June 21st

Well Go USA

Presents

The Midnight After

Directed by 

Hong Kong/China. 2014, 124 minutes

Innovative Director Fruit Chan (Made in Hong Kong, Durian Durian) seamlessly blends a variety of genres -- including mystery, thriller, sci-fi and comedy -- for the critically-acclaimed, end-of-the-world satire The Midnight After, debuting June 21 on DVD and digital from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Variety’s Maggie Lee noted that “Fruit Chan bends genre like it’s putty in his hands, distilling the macabre from the everyday and making the apocalyptic seem absurdly matter-of-fact.” In Hong Kong, a group of 16 people on a city bus emerge from a tunnel to find the entire population of the city has vanished. Based on a cult internet novel by “Mr. Pizza,” the film follows the eclectic group as they deal with horrific discovery …

The cast includes Simon Yam (Kill Zone 2), Wong You Nam (IP Man), Janice Man (Turning Point 2), Kara Hui (Lock Me Up, Tie Him Down), Chui Tien You (Contagion), Lam Suet (Kung Fu Hustle), Vincci Cheuk (Kick Ass Girls), Lee Sheung Ching (Stool Pidgeon), Sam Lee (Lost in Hong Kong) and Cherry Ngan (Mojin: The Lost Legend).

Following its premiere at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival, The Midnight After was nominated for eight Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor & Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Screenplay, winning for Original Film Score. In addition, the film received Best Picture and Best Director nods at the 2015 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Synopsis:

16 strangers on a bus. An apocalyptic accident. A downtown full of people: Vanished. The newly-dead: Instantly Decaying. Ominous glimpses of men in gas masks. What’s happened to the world, and how far would you go to get your life back?

An evening with WONG KAR WAI at MoMA NY on May 23rd

MoMA

Presents

Brigitte Lin in Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express (Hong Kong, 1994)

An Evening with Wong Kar Wai

When: Monday, May 23rd, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

11 West 53rd Street, NYC

T1, Titus Theater 1

Map

Tickets go on sale May 9th

Known for his striking visual sensibility, Wong Kar Wai, cinema’s reigning aesthetician, has taken films about romance and heartbreak to a whole new level, earning the hearts and minds of critics and cinephiles alike who favor loftier philosophical and moral inquiry. Lovelorn and lonesome souls, always played by the most glamorous film stars, inhabit a richly constructed world saturated with elaborate visual and sonic details. Lush colors, sensuous music, and sinuous movements combine with kinetic camerawork, shifting film speeds, and exhilaratingly fast editing to create a total sensory overload whereby Wong explores themes of time, memory, love, and loss.

Born in Shanghai in 1958, Wong studied graphic design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University before enrolling in a training program offered by a local television station. He became a screenwriter, first in television, then in film, and made his directorial debut with As Tears Go By in 1988, during the heyday of Hong Kong cinema. This gangster film combined genre conventions with an unusual visual flair, signaling a gift for formal experimentation that has continued in his subsequent work—and earned him a place among the greatest living auteurs.

Wong Kar Wai joins La Frances Hui, Associate Curator, Department of Film, to discuss his films (along with short film clips), work processes, and partnerships with various long-term collaborators, both on and off screen.

The program is followed by a book signing and sale of Wong Kar Wai and John Powers’s WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai (Rizzoli, 2016).

Sci-fi fantasy THE AVENGING FIST to debut October 6 from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

presents

The Avenging Fist / Kuen sun

Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung and Corey Yuen

Hong Kong, 2001, 98 minutes

This science fiction action fantasy from 2001 will debut on DVD only on October 6 from Well Go USA. The film stars the legendary Sammo Hung (IP Man franchise), Wang Lee Hom (Lust, Caution), Steven Fung (Tai Chi Zero, Badges of Fury), Gigi Leung (The Monkey King) and Kristy Yang (Young Bruce Lee).

Here's Well Go USA's synopsis of the film:

Scientists' experiments on Power glove are on the verge of success. Power glove is designed to activate the hidden potential in human's brain to empower the force of human beings. Special agent Dark, Thunder and War 21 are the only survivors in that experiment. Ambitious War 21 gets evil. He captures Thunder with a power glove and disappears... He has become Dark's fugitive for 20 years. Two decades later, War 21 comes back with brainwashed Thunder and his underground troop aiming to rule the world. Dark is failed to eliminate them but he realizes Thunder has a son who also has the DNA, which enables him to use the power glove to challenge War 21, eventually...

FIRESTORM available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital today, September 23

Well Go USA

presents

Firestorm / Fung bou

Written and Directed by Alan Yuen

Starring Andy Lau

Hong Kong/China, 2013, 109 minutes

Tagline: A citywide outbreak

Firestorm is an  action-packed crime thriller that is now available on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital from Well Go USA Entertainment. This review is based on the Blu-ray release.

As a severe storm approaches Hong Kong, an audacious and ruthless gang of criminals perpetrate a series of armed robberies. Just how audacious are they? Well, I'd say their using a huge crane to hook a moving armored car is way up there on the list. And as for ruthless, let's just say that they have no qualms about letting loose with fusillades of gunfire on public streets, totally indifferent as to whether they're killing and injuring civilians or police officers.

The forces of the law are led by Police Inspector Lui (Andy Lau, who also co-produced the film). He's a by-the-books kind of officer, but he increasingly turns to extra-legal and morally questionable actions to kill or capture the criminals.His frustrations are complicated by the cops under his command, whom he describes as being "drunks, divorced or gamblers."

The fine cast also includes:
- Michael Wong (Triple Tap)
- Ray Lui Leung-Wai (Transformers: Age of Extinction)
- Ka Tung Lam (Drug War, Ip Man)
- Jun Hu (Bodyguards & Assassins)
- Chen Yao (Caught in the Web)
- Vincent Sze (Vengeance)
- Chi-yin Wong (Life Without Principle)
- Shing-Ban Lam (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded).

Disc Stats:
Soundtracks:
- Cantonese 5.1 DTS HDMA
- Cantonese 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:
- English
- Off
Bonus Materials
- “The Making of Firestorm” which includes very good mini-featurettes on:
   - Andy Lau
   - Yao Chen
   - Lam Ka Tung
   - The Criminals
   - Action Choreography
   - Action Scenes
   - Visual and Special Effects
   - Crossfire Scene
- Firestorm Trailer
- Trailers for three other Well Go USA offerings

Firestorm had its New York Premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival this past July, where it was shown in its original 3D format as Firestorm 3D. Regretfully, it was one of numerous screenings that I would have liked to have seen, but couldn't make. So I can't comment on how the film looks in 3D, but some of the scenes were clearly shot with the intention to have maximum impact in that format. In any case, the film doesn't seem to suffer at all in 2D. It looks quite fine, as far as I'm concerned.

If, like me, you're a big fan of the street shootout in Michael Mann's Heat (1995), or if you just like your action film filled with several balls-to-the-wall action sequences, you will absolutely love Firestorm.

AsianCineFest rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars, very highly recommended.

Happy Birthday Wishes to Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong Chau-Sang

Anthony Wong in "Ip Man: The Final Fight"

Anthony Wong was born in Hong Kong on September 2, 1961. His filmography at IMDb lists 187 credits as an actor, and two each as writer and director. I believe the first film I saw him in was The Heroic Trio (1993). He played Kau, who as I recall used a flying guillotine.

Wong's early career was marked by several appearances as a crazed madman. These included The Untold Story (1992, co-directed by Danny Lee and Herman Yau) and Yau's Ebola Syndrome (1996). In recent years he's tended to be cast as more respectable personages, in such films as the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002-2003), Exiled (2006, helmed by Johnnie To), and Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013, again for Yau).

I think it's fair to say that with his many and diverse rolls. for which he's won several awards, WOng is a highly beloved Hong Kong actor, both there and among Asian film fans in the West.

So best wishes for a happy 53rd birthday, Mr. Wong. May you have many more and may we be delighted by your presence in films for many years to come.

TRIAD is available today

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Triad / Jat jik

Directed by Daniel Chan

Hong Kong, 2012, 92 minutes

Triad, the 2012 Hong Kong gangster film directed by Daniel Chan (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded), debuts today on DVD (SLP $24.98) and Digital from Well Go USA. The film centers on three young men and how their lives & friendships are affected by their membership in a triad.

The film begins in 2003 at the funeral of Brother Ming. An anonymous young triad member identifies no less than six figures attending the burial. These include Boss Mun, the triad's godfather; he's also known as the Dragon Head. Patrick (Patrick Tam, Zu Warriors) is Mun's favorite under-boss. Sister Irene (Irene Wan), who built a crime kingdom with her husband, the deceased, is at an equal level to Patrick in the hierarchy. (Note that the first names of almost every one of the main characters corresponds to the first names, in English, of the actors who are playing them. It's also interesting to note that in this introductory scene, we're not introduced to any of the three main characters.)

From the funeral, the film then jumps back in time to 1997, the year that Hong Kong was "handed off" from the British to mainland China. William (young and handsome William Chan, As the Light Goes Out) is a college student. His mother sells oranges from a cart in an open-air market. When some toughs attempt to extort protection money from her, glasses-wearing William comes to her aid and gets soundly thrashed for his trouble. Fortunately, his friend Derek sees what's happened and calls on Patrick to help out, which he does. In this sequence we also meet Edward, who's given to wearing sleeve-less shirts, the third friend of the group.

The film then follows their induction into the triad and the paths their lives take. William, who no longer wears glasses (guess he outgrew the need for them, or maybe he got contacts), specializes in debt collection for various clients, including Mr. Wong, a businessman, and Mr. Ho, a tycoon. William also becomes involved with Michelle (Michelle Wai, Golden Chickensss and Hardcore Comedy), Wong's daughter. After bringing us back up-to-date at the 2003 funeral, the film continues on to 2006, when William, like Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, aspires to have the gang's enterprises go legit.

Meanwhile there have been conflicts not only between rival gangs, but between factions within the triad to which William, Derek and Edward belong. Two of these conflicts arise over women at nightclubs. Edward comes to the aid of Kathy, who's drink has been spiked by the member of another gang; Edward and Kathy eventually marry and have a son.

William first comes to Michelle's aid when Irene bumps into her at a club. Some of Michelle's drink spills on her and she tosses the remainder at Irene. William and Michelle's romance is of the "on-again, off-again" variety, primarily because his involvement in the triad precludes a commitment to her.

There are some decent fight scenes, courtesy of action choreographer Fai Wong, in which large groups of gang members go at each other. Also a few scenes of individuals getting the crap beat and kicked out of them. But nothing that hasn't been seen before and nothing done in an exceptional way.

And that's pretty much true of the film as a whole. It never really grabbed me. It seemed to be primarily a showcase for some young, good-looking actors and actresses. Nice to look at, but not much substance or depth. Part of the problem may be attributed to the fact that the opening credits list eight (8) "screenplay by" credits. That many scribes is usually a sign of a troubled story-line, and that certainly seems to be the case here.

All-in-all, Triad is an okay film, a slight touch above mediocre, but it definitely falls short of being really good and engrossing. At IMDb, it currently carries a rating of 5.0/10 from 228 users. In this case, the IMDb rating happens to be pretty close to my opinion.

AsianCineFest Rating: 2.0 out of 4 stars; a fair, rather run-of-the-mill film.

Disc Specs:
Audio
- Cantonese 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Cantonese 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles
- English
- Off
Bonus Features
- "Making of" featurette (approximately 5 minutes)
- Trailer
- Previews (trailers of other Well Go USA offerings)

TRIAD to debut on DVD and Digital on August 26 from Well Go USA

Triad / Jat jik

Directed by Daniel Chan

Starring William Chan, Michele Wai & Derek Tsang

Hong Kong, 2012, 92 minutes

Director Daniel Chan (Young and Dangerous: Reloaded) assembles an up-and-coming young cast for the Hong Kong crime thriller TRIAD, debuting on DVD and Digital Aug. 26 from Well Go USA Entertainment. William Chan (As the Light Goes Out), Michele Wai (Hardcore Comedy) and Derek Tsang (The Thieves) star in the story of three childhood friends who join the Hong Kong Triads, only to discover that fame and fortune will ultimately break them apart as only one can become the leader of the gang.

Synopsis: Three childhood friends join the Hong Kong Triads, only to discover that fame and fortune will ultimately break them apart as only one can become the leader of the gang.

Bonus Materials Include:
- “The Making of Triad” featurette
- Trailer

Look for a review here at AsianCineFest on or just before the August 26th release date

RIGOR MORTIS at NYAFF on Friday

Rigor Mortis / Geung si

Directed by Juno Mak

Produced by Takashi Shimizu and Juno Mak

Hong Kong, 2013, 101 minutes
When: Friday, July 4th @ 2:00pm
Where: The Film Society of Lincoln Center's
Walter Reade Theater, 165 W 65th Street, NYC
Buy tickets

Rigor Mortis will be shown at the New York Asian Film Festival as part of a Chinese "hopping-vampires" double-feature with Mr. Vampire (1985). The showtime for Friday is indicated as 2:00pm, and I believe that Mr. Vampire will be shown first.

In Juno Mak's 2013 film, Chin Siu-Ho stars as a has-been actor who moves into a decrepit tenement building complex. He had left his village when he was 13 and become a leading actor by 16, but has fallen on hard times. Divorced, or at least separated (it's not clear which and doesn't really matter), he dearly misses his son. Not helping his depression is the fact that his room, number 2442, is inhabited by the ghosts of twin sisters who died there under horrific circumstances.

Chin Siu Ho moves in

The tenement's denizens are a strange bunch. Yau (Anthony "Friend" Chan, in his first film in nearly 20 years) is the last in a line of vampire hunters. He saves Chin when he hangs himself from the ceiling fan in his room. Yeung Feng (Kara Wai, My Young Auntie) used to live in #2442 with her husband and son Pak. Now she wander the halls and lives with Pak in an area provided by Uncle Yin (Lo Hoi Pang, Blind Detective, Drug War), the building's 72-year-old security guard.

Yau, the vampire hunter

Auntie Mui (Nina Paw, a.k.a. Hee Ching Paw, Bullet in the Head, Special ID) has diabetes; she does sewing and takes care of children. Her "Old Man" is Tung (Richard Ng, Once Upon a Time in China and America), who has a serious fall in one of the building's stairwells.) Finally there's Gau, who dabbles in the black arts.

Auntie Mui

The film genre of Chinese hopping vampires is known as Geung Si. Although termed "vampires," to me they're more like zombies. But unlike their Western counterparts, these creatures are extremely rigid (hence the title Rigor Mortis) and can only ambulate by hopping around. (Mr. Vampire, in which Chin Siu-Ho was one of the stars, was of the most popular Geung Si films. That 1985 film's success led to a number of sequels.)

Yeung Feng and son Pak

Rigor Mortis is an homage to these classic genre movies, but one with a modern day visual sensibility. It's dark and eerie, and it'll keep you enthralled.

AsianCineFest rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

The sisters from Room 2442

For those interested in reading more about Chinese hopping vampire films, I strongly urge you to check out Grady Hendrix's Film Comment article Kaiju Shakedown: Hopping Vampires Edition. Grady was one of the founders of Subway Cinema, the organization that began the annual New York Asian Film Festival.

The New York Asian Film Festival 2014 runs through July 14, 2014.

GOLDEN CHICKENSSS at NYAFF

Star (and producer) Sandra Ng (fourth from left) and some of her "Golden Chickens"

Golden Chickensss / Gam Gai SSS

Written and Directed by Matt Chow

With: Sandra Ng (who also produced), Ronald Cheng, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung,
Anthony Wong, Dayo Wong, Chin Ka-lok, Chapman To, Jinny Ng,
Elena Kong, Eman Lam, Rainky Wai, Monna Lam, Fiona Sit,
Michelle Wai, Ivana Wong, Carl Ng, Eason Chan,

Lo Hoi-pang,Tony Leung Ka-fai,… and others

Hong Kong, 2014, 102 minutes

Language: Cantonese with English subtitles

When: Friday, June 27, 8:30pm

and Tuesday, July 1, 4:00pm

Where: The Film Society of Lincoln Center

Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, NYC

North American Premiere

Purchase Tickets

In the Hong Kong comedy Golden Chickenss, Sandra Ng Kwan Yue reprises her role as Kam, first seen as a charming prostitute (i.e., a "Golden Chicken") in Golden Chicken (2002) and then in Golden Chicken 2 (2003). After this eleven year hiatus, Kam is now a highly successful madam with a large roster of her own "chickens." (Ms. Ng will attend the Friday evening screening of  Golden Chickensss and will be presented with the Star Asia Star Award. Golden Chicken will be shown at NYAFF on Saturday, June 28th at 12:30pm)

She shepherds them to clubs, beach parties, whatever and wherever there's a way to cash in on the "do-anything-for-money spirit" of Hong Kong. She even goes with two of her girls to Japan to learn about their blowjob parlors, where customers stand on one side of a wall while the employees -- including Takuya (Wyman Wong), a man who excels at his job -- sit on the other. Access is provided by holes in the wall. Other lessons are learned in the "20 second subway grope" cars.

As you can tell from the above partial list of those appearing in the film, there are a ton of Hong Kong's film stars who are present, some in significant roles, others in brief cameos. My favorite occurred early on in a brief scene in which Donnie Yen plays Ip Man, only he's dressed like Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Ip Man in Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster! Hilarious!

Louis Koo has a terrific bit as a Lous Koo look-alike from -- get ready -- Bumfuck, China. And be sure to stay through the credits or you'll miss Sandra Ng wrestling with Andy Lau in a spoof on his popularity. (A running joke in Hong Kong is that he's so beloved that he could be elected Chief Executive.)

I really enjoyed Golden Chickensss. Just about all the comedy comes across well, which is not an easy thing in a film with subtitles, especially one from a place that has its own idiosyncratic sense of humor. There's more to appreciate in the film if you're familiar with Hong Kong cinema and its major screen personalities. I recognized quite a few, but there were some that I didn't until I saw who they played on the film's IMDb cast page.

AsianCineFest rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

These screenings of Golden Chickensss, presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York, are part of the HONG KONG FOREVER! spotlight section of the New York Asian Film Festival 2014.

THE ANGELA MAO YING COLLECTION is available today

Shout! Factory

Presents

The Angela Mao Ying Collection

Six Hong Kong action films on three DVDs

SRP: $34.93

There are really only two words I need to say about this outstanding collection:

BUY IT!!!!!

OK, having said that, let me elaborate for those interested in the particulars.

Angela Mao (as she's usually credited in the Western releases of her films) was the first lady of Hong Kong action films in the 1970s. Born on September 20, 1950 in Taiwan, she was fast with her fists and her feet. (I'm particularly partial to her spinning back kick.) She was a more than adequate actress for what her roles tended to call for, and she was lovely looking to boot.

These six films, all from Golden Harvest and produced by Raymond Chow, were released  from 1973 to 1977 and marvelously showcase her immense talent.

Each of the films offers optional English subtitles and a choice between Mandarin and English-dubbed soundtracks. (I watched all six in Mandarin with English subs.) The only extras are trailers for four of the six films.

The Angela Mao Ying Collection is a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. By this I mean that, although not all of the films are outstanding, the collection as a whole merits an AsianCineFest Rating of 4 out of 4 stars; most highly recommended. Or as I said before, "BUY IT!!!!!"

The following are brief descriptions of each of the films in the order in which they appear on the three DVDs (as opposed to chronological order):

Broken Oath (1977)

Directed by Chung (a.k.a. Jeong) Chang-wha

Action Directors: Yuen Wo-Ping and Hsu Hsia 

Angela plays Jie Lian (meaning Pure Lotus) who was born in prison. Her father had been murdered by four underlings and her mother was imprisoned for stabbing one of them. It's a revenge tale and if the plot seems familiar, it's because Broken Oath is obviously a version (or ripoff, if you prefer) of the Japanese film Lady Snowblood, which came out in 1973.

When Taekwondo Strikes (1974)

Directed by Huang Feng

Fight Instructor: Sammo Hung

Set in Korea in the 1930s, when that nation was colonized by the Japanese, it's a tale a revolt. Angela plays Huang Lizhen, a Chinese who grew up in Seoul, works in her mother's noodle shop, and is a non-stop hapkido whirlwind. Jhoon Rhee, the "Father of Taekwondo, U.S.A.," plays Uncle Li a prominent figure in the Korean opposition movement. This is one of four films in the collection directed by Huang Feng and featuring Sammo's contributions to the action.

Stoner (1974)

Directed by Huang Feng

Action Director: Sammo Hung

George Lazenby stars as the titular character, an American (or perhaps Australian, it's a bit confusing) law enforcement agent who comes to Hong Kong to track down the makers and distributors of a powerful drug. Angela Mao plays a law enforcement agent from Taiwan who's investigating the same operation, but from a different perspective. The film offers some decent action scenes and lots of nudity, as the drug is a powerful aphrodisiac. In a way, the it prefigures the pairing of Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies. (Lazenby, of course, was the "one-time-only" James Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty's Secret Service.)

A Queen's Ransom (a.k.a. International Assassin)

Directed by Shan-hsi Ting (a.k.a. Ting Shan-si)

Action Director: Tsun Lu

I have no idea what E tan qun ying hui, the film's Chinese title means, but the English title is misleading, as there's no ransom involved at all. George Lazenby leads a group that's planning to assassinate Queen Elizabeth while she's visiting Hong Kong in May, 1975. Angela has a minor role in it, as a Cambodian princess who's fled to Hong Kong.

Bolo on the extreme left, Lazenby center, and Jimmy Wang Yu extreme right

The action sequences are rather uninspired. For me A Queen's Ransom is  the only clunker in the collection, which is really a shame since the cast also includes Bolo and Jimmy Wang Yu (who'll receive the lifetime achievement award at the upcoming NY Asian Film Festival).

The Himalayan (1976)

Directed by Huang Feng

Action Director: Sammo Hung

Angela Mao plays the only child of a wealthy Tibetan. She and her father are targets of a nefarious plot by Gao Zhen, who covets their riches.

The Tournament ((1974)

Directed by Huang Feng

Action Director Sammo Hung

Angela is Lin Xiaofeng, the daughter of a martial arts instructor. She and her brother, played by Carter Wong, seek to restore the honor of their father, his school and of Chinese kung fu against professional Thai kickboxers. While the climactic fight scene at the end of the movie is great, I was even more impressed by a somewhat earlier sequence in which Angela takes on a Japanese karate sensei, then Sammo as a member of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Association, then two more members of MAA at the same time, before finally facing off against another MAA member on uneven vertical wooden posts!

RIGOR MORTIS opens today!

Well Go USA

Entertainment

Presents

Rigor Mortis / Geung si

Directed by Juno Mak

Produced by Takashi Shimizu and Juno Mak

Hong Kong, 2013, 105 minutes

Hong Kong hopping vampire flick Rigor Mortis opens today in North America. Theatrical markets include New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco/Bay Are, San Diego, Seattle, and Honolulu. The roll-out will continue this month in Austin, Houston and Lubbock, Texas and in Toronto. (Check local listings or the Rigor Mortis page at wellgousa.com.)

Chin Siu Ho moves in

Chin Siu-Ho stars as Chin Siu Ho, a has-been actor who moves into a decrepit tenement building complex. He had left his village when he was 13 and become a leading actor by 16, but has fallen on hard times. Divorced, or at least separated (it's not clear which and doesn't really matter), he dearly misses his son. Not helping his depression is the fact that his room, number 2442, is inhabited by the ghosts of twin sisters who died there under horrific circumstances.

Yau, the vampire hunter

The tenement's denizens are a strange bunch. Yau (Anthony "Friend" Chan, Twin Dragons, in his first film in nearly 20 years) is the last in a line of vampire hunters. He saves Chin when he hangs himself from the ceiling fan in his room. Yeung Feng (Kara Wai, My Young Auntie) used to live in #2442 with her husband and son Pak. Now she wander the halls and lives with Pak in an area provided by Uncle Yin (Lo Hoi Pang, Blind Detective, Drug War), the building's 72-year-old security guard.

Auntie Mui

Auntie Mui (Nina Paw, a.k.a. Hee Ching Paw, Bullet in the Head, Special ID) has diabetes; she does sewing and takes care of children. Her "Old Man" is Tung (Richard Ng, Once Upon a Time in China and America), who has a series fall in one of the building's stairwwells.) Finally there's Gau, who dabbles in the black arts.

Yeung Feng and son Pak

The film genre of Chinese hopping vampires is known as Geung Si. Although termed "vampires," to me they're more like zombies. But unlike their Western counterparts, these creatures are extremely rigid (hence the title Rigor Mortis) and can only ambulate by hopping around. One of the most popular Geung Si films was Mr. Vampire (1985), in which Chin Siu-Ho was one of the stars.The film's success led to a number of sequels.

The sisters from Room 2442

Rigor Mortis is an homage to these classic movies, but one with a modern day visual sensibility. It's dark and eerie, and it'll keep you enthralled.

AsianCineFest rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

For those interested in reading more about Chinese hopping vampire films, I strongly urge you to check out Grady Hendrix's  Film Comment article Kaiju Shakedown: Hopping Vampires Edition. Grady was one of the founders of Subway Cinema, the organization that began the annual New York Asian Film Festival.

RIGOR MORTIS to open theatrically in North America on June 6th

Wel Go USA Entertainment

and

Kudo Films Limited

Present

Rigor Mortis / Geung si

Directed by Juno Mak

Hong Kong, 2013, 105 minutes

Cantonese with English Subtitles

Rigor Mortis, an eerie, chilling homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980s, is set to open in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Honolulu, and Toronto on June 6th. Co-produced by J-Horror icon Takashi Shimizu, the film marks the directorial debut of Hong Kong film maverick Juno Mak and reunites some of the original cast members of the classic Mr. Vampire series.

Synopsis: A washed-up actor, desperate and suicidal, moves into a haunted Hong Kong apartment housing tower where supernatural creatures, ghost hunters, taoist exorcists, and the souls of the undead walk among his neighbors.

I'm planning to attend a press screening in New York at the end of may and expect to have a review up on or before the release date, so be sure to check back at AsianCineFest.

Happy Birthday wishes to Johnnie To

Writer, producer and director Johnnie To was born in Hong Kong on April 22, 1955. He's probably best known for his crime/action or policier films. Among the more than 50 movies he's directed are:

The Mission (1999

 

PTU (2003)

 

Drug War (2012)

 
Such well known Hong Kong stars as Simon Yam, Andy Lau, and Suet Lam frequently star in To vehicles.

So Happy 59th Birthday wishes to you Johnnie. Looking forward to more great films from you in the future.

ACF 2035: Remembering Bruce Lee

Bruce Jun Fan Lee

Born November 27, 1940, San Francisco

Died July 20, 1973, Hong Kong

Bruce Lee was the single person most responsible for reinventing and reinvigorating the Asian martial movie and making the genre popular in the United States and other western countries. He would have celebrated his 73nd birthday today if he had not died such a tragically early death in 1973.

Born in the U.S. to Chinese parents who were touring with a Chinese opera company, he grew up in Hong Kong, but returned to the U.S. in 1959. Most accounts attribute his return to his father's concern for his safety after Bruce got in a fight with the son of a feared Triad [Chinese criminal gang] member. He majored in Philosophy at the University of Washington, where he met his future wife Linda Emery. They later had two children. Son Brandon Lee, was born in 1965 and died in a tragic weapons accident on March 31, 1993 while filming The Crow. Daughter Shannon Lee, born 1969, has worked as both an actress and as a producer. Interestingly her first credited film role was as the "Party Singer" in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, the rather under-rated 1993 bio-pic in which Jason Scott Lee starred as her father.

Lee was the real deal - a true martial arts master. He developed his own martial arts system, known as Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist. A non-formalized style, it emphasized "practicality, flexibility, speed and efficiency." [source: Wikipedia]

Lee appeared in films from a young age because his parents were in Chinese opera. However, it was in the United States, after he began teaching martial arts to such film stars as Steve McQueen and James Coburn, that his career really began. He starred as Kato in the 1966-67 television series The Green Hornet. Reportedly, he felt that his future in Hollywood was limited after he was passed over for the role of Kwai Chang Caine in the Kung Fu TV series, a role that went instead to David Carradine.

While John Saxon (left) looks on, Bruce "connects" with a left to Bolo's face during the filming of Enter the Dragon

Bruce returned to Hong Kong, where film producer Raymond Chow offered him the lead in Tang sha da xiong, or The Big Boss in English. The film was a huge hit, as were his next two films. But it was with Enter the Dragon, co-financed by Warner Brothers, that Bruce's international reputation was immortalized. The final fight in the room of mirrors is one of the most iconic of all martial arts film sequences.

Sadly, Bruce died before the film premiered. He was visiting actress Betty Ting Pei, who gave him one of her prescription pills because he had a headache. He had an adverse reaction, could not be revived, and died later that day of cerebral edema.

Bruce is most fondly remembered for:

The Big Boss (a.k.a. Fists of Fury), 1971

Fist of Fury (a.k.a. The Chinese Connection), 1972

Way of the Dragon (a.k.a. Return of the Dragon) 1972

Enter the Dragon, 1973

Game of Death, 1978 (Most of this film was shot after his death using a stand-in for Bruce. Still, the last sequence, as the real Bruce fights his way up a pagoda, facing increasingly difficult opponents on each successive floor, is fantastic. It plays like a series of boss fights in a live action video game.)

Only the first two of these were released in the United States prior to his death.

Enter the Dragon is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Brothers.

For years the other four films could be found only in the DVD box set Bruce Lee: The Master Collection from 20th Century Fox, which also included a bonus disc of documentary footage. Only the dubbed versions of the films were included.

Shout Factory recently released Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection which has eleven discs, four Blu-ray and seven DVD. The set includes The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury, Way Of The Dragon and Game Of Death, all on both DVD and, for the first time, Blu-ray. Also included are two documentaries Bruce Lee: The Legend (and the original version Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend) and I Am Bruce Lee plus a bonus disc with over two hours of bonus content exclusive to this set. For those interested, here is a direct link to Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection at Amazon.

ACF 2069: Remembering Anita Mui

Anita Mui was born in 1963 in Hong Kong. Her birth name was Mei Yan Fang. She died of cervical cancer on December 30, 2003. She was a highly successful pop-singer (sometimes called the "Madonna of Hong Kong") and an accomplished actress. She won several best actress awards for her performance as Fleur, a performer in one of Hong Kong's "flower houses" (bordellos and night clubs of the 1930's) in Stanley Kwan's Rouge (1988). Her co-star in that film was Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung, who also died tragically in 2003. (He committed suicide on April 1st of that year at age 46.)

Anita in Heroic Trio

Anita is probably best known in U.S. for her roles in two Jackie Chan movies: Drunken Master II (1994; a.k.a. Legend of the Drunken Master) and Rumble in the Bronx (1995). Prior to these, she co-starred with Jackie in Miracles (1989; a.k.a. Mr. Canton and Lady Rose). In his biography I Am Jackie Chan (1998), Jackie wrote: "Out of all the films I've done, this is my favorite" (page 348). With Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung, Anit starred in terrific action fantasy The Heroic Trio (1993) and its lesser sequel Executioners (also 1993).

It's beyond tragic that Anita's life ended so early. When I saw Drunken Master II at Asia Society this past June, I teared up as soon as she appeared on the screen. All we can do is keep her memory alive and cherish her many wonderful performances.

Learn more about Anita Mui at IMDb and at Wikipedia.

ACF 2004: FLOATING CITY - Region 1 Blu-ray review

Floating City

Directed by Yim Ho

Hong Kong, 2012, 105 minutes

Floating City, director Yim Ho's 2012 Hong Kong drama about a businessman who rises from the most humble of roots, becomes available today, Tuesday, August 20th, 2013, from Well Go USA Entertainment. Formats include Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital (video-on-demand, electronic sell-through, and/or streaming).

Bo Wah Chun, second from right, with his son, wife, mother, and daughter

Set initially in the early 1990s, the story is narrated by Bo Wah Chun (played by Aaron Kwok as an adult). He is married to Tai (Charlie Young) with whom he fell in love as a young man, and they have two children (a daughter and a younger son). Mr. Bo has just risen to the top leadership of the Imperial East India Company. He recounts his life (depicted in various flashbacks) which began in extreme poverty. As an infant he was sold to a woman (Josie Ho as the young Mrs. Bo; Nina Paw plays her as an older character) who had had a miscarriage while out on her family's boat in a storm. Mrs. Bo was afraid that she might not be able to get pregnant again, though that turned out not to be the case.

Chun and Tai as a young couple

But the child she buys turns out to be unusual: he has decidedly non-Chinese blue eyes. (Later, when it grows in, his hair will be reddish-brown, and as an adult he will take to dying it black.) The infant also comes with one of his birth-mother's earrings, which will come to play in an extremely touching scene near the end of the film.

Fion Wong assists Mr. Bo in choosing his attire

Because of his looks he is called "mixed" by some Chinese, and "half breed" by Mr. Callahan, a racist British manager/executive at Imperial East, where Chun, as he is more properly called, is able to obtain an entry level position as an office/errand boy. Bright and highly motivated, his talents eventually are recognized by Greg McCordle, the head of the company, who promotes him. He is also mentored by Ms. Fion Wong (Annie Liu), a smart, gorgeous, and worldly-wise young woman who teaches him how to dress like a successful businessman, as well as other social skills.

One might best describe Floating City, which is said to be based on a true story, as a Hong Kong version of the Horatio Alger myth. In over 100 novels written in the 19th century, Horatio Alger, Jr. depicted the rise "from rags to riches" (or at least solid middle-class respectability) of his male protagonists. The formula is usually described as a combination of luck, pluck and virtue, all of which Bo Wah Chun possesses.

Scene set in the anti-British riots of 1967

The script was co-written by director Yim and by Marco Pong. To their credit they have created a rich and balanced film about a turbulent time in Hong Kong's history. There were anti-British riots in 1967 and a great deal of anxiety and concern as colonial rule ended and the territory was returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Far too often, Hong Kong and mainland Chinese films have simply vilified the British.

While I make no apologies for the myriad wrongs inflicted on Hong Kong (and other colonies) by the British (and other imperial powers), I appreciated their being depicted as having various characters, not all being simply villainous cardboard cutouts. Similarly, it's nice to have the negative views of some Chinese addressed. Remember, Bo is called "mixed" by some Chinese and "half breed" by some Britishers, and that he is mentored both by McCordle, who is British, and by Ms. Wong, who is Chinese.

Director Yim Ho, who was born in Hong Kong in 1952, was one of the pioneering auteurs of the Hong Kong New Wave. Two of the previous films for which he is known are Homecoming / Chi sui lau nin (1984) and Red Dust (1991). Floating City is his first film since A West Lake Moment was released eight years earlier in 2004, and it's a most welcome return. He deftly handles material that could easily have been overly melodramatic and saccharine.

ACF rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.