KILL ZONE 2 making home video debut on July 19th from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

Presents

Kill Zone 2 (a.k.a. SPL 2: A Time for Consequences)

Directed by Pou-Soi Cheang

Starring Tony Jaa, Zhang Jin, Simon Yam and Louis Koo

Hong Kong/China, 2015, 120 minutes

In this giddily frenetic follow-up (though not a sequel) to modern martial arts epic Kill Zone (aka SPL: Sha Po Lang), action icons Tony Jaa (Furious 7, the Ong Bak franchise) and Zhang Jin (Ip Man 3) team up with Hong Kong megastars Simon Yam (Ip Man), Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior) and Louis Koo (Drug War) for the critically-acclaimed, action-packed martial arts extravaganza Kill Zone 2, debuting on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 19 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Directed by Pou-Soi Cheang (Accident, Motorway), the film is a breakneck story of dirty cops, prison riots, and black market organ transplants, all brought together by a non-stop series of inventive, bone-crunching setpieces. Rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Kill Zone 2 was named a “Film of Merit” at the 2016 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and Chung Chi Li (Ip Man: The Final Fight) won a Golden Horse at the 2016 Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Action Choreography. Bonus materials include a deleted scenes and a 3-part making-of featurette.

Synopsis:
When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate, his cover is blown. Double-crossed and under a false identity, he's thrown into a Thai prison, where a guard discovers the inmate - claiming he’s a cop - is a bone marrow match for his dying daughter ... and his warden may have an even deadlier operation hidden within the prison walls.

CROSS available today on DVD and Digital HD from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

Presents

 Cross / Tian ma xing xiong

Directed by Daniel Chan Yee-Heng

Hong Kong, 2012, 86 minutes

Cross is a psychological crime thriller about an ultra-religious serial killer. It debuts on DVD and Digital HD in North America today, June 23rd from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam (Dr. Lamb, Naked Killer, SPL, and 200 other credits that are listed on his home page at IMDb) stars as Lee Leung, an optician. The film begins with him going to a police station where he confesses to having killed several people and provides evidence of his actions. He explains that his wife had leukemia and that after she committed suicide, he was convinced that she wouldn't go to heaven because such an act is a most serious sin.

To save others who were inclined to kill themselves from eternal damnation -- and to possibly redeem his wife's sin -- he began to frequent an online forum for those contemplating suicide. There he communicated with some individuals and arranged to dispatch them so that they would not be damned. Thus he thought of himself as not a murderer, but as God's agent, saving individuals from the sin of committing suicide. He absolutely believed that their deaths had to be with "serenity and joy." A death that turned out to be not peaceful was the reason for him coming to the police.

As two individuals investigate the crimes, it begins to appear that things may not be as straightforward as they seem. More and more, the evidence starts to suggest that Lee has actually not been acting on his own, but rather has been manipulated by someone to unknowingly do their murderous bidding.

The premise is a fine one: a religious fanatic who believes he's doing God's will, but instead may be little more than a puppet for someone with a totally unholy agenda. It could also serve as a cautionary tale about relying on information found on the Internet.

Unfortunately the film is a total mess. Maybe it's a problem with the subtitles, but the two individuals who investigate the murders are never precisely identified. In any case, one of them goes to Lee's home, where he puts on Lee's clothes and acts as if he were Lee, presumably to "get into" Lee's head. Just how the conclusion is reached that Lee has been manipulated isn't at all clear, not even remotely. The situation is not helped either by one significant character, for no apparent reason, being played by two different actors, one in the present, the other in flashbacks, of which there are many.

I was so amazed by how bad the film was that I wondered if I had just missed everything that would make it something better. Unable to find it at IMDb, I went to the film's Wikepedia entry. There I found a link to the film's IMDB page (where it is listed as Tian ma xing xion and has a deservedly dismal rating of 4.4 out of 10 from 45 users) as well as links to a few other reviews.

According to several sources I consulted (including the Hong Kong Movie Database, Love Hong Kong Film, and Asian Film Strike), a total of four directors (who also served as scriptwriters) worked on the film over the course of well over a year, a very long time for such a short final product. (Besides Daniel Chan, the only director listed at IMDb, the other directors/scriptwriters were Steve Woo, Lau Kin-Ping and Hui Shu-Ning.) Each of the reviewers had pretty much the same negative opinion of the final work as I did. So the fault seems to be with the film, not with my reaction to it.

AsianCineFest Rating: 1 out of 4 stars, i.e., "poor." Overall a waste of time and talent, most particularly Simon Yam's.

[Note: a slightly different version of this review was cross-posted at the VCinema website.]

Crime thriller CROSS coming to DVD and Digital HD on June 23rd

Well Go USA

Presents

Cross

Directed by Daniel Chan Yee-Heng

Hong Kong, 2012, 86 minutes

Hong Kong Superstar Simon Yam Stars in the Crime Thriller

Debuting on DVD & Digital HD June 23rd

Internationally-acclaimed Hong Kong superstar Simon Yam (Ip Man franchise, Iceman, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) stars as a serial killer in the horrifying crime thriller Cross, debuting on DVD and digital HD June 23rd from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Synopsis: Devastated by his wife’s suicide, which according to his beliefs condemns her to hell, Lee Leung (Yam) decides to save as many souls as he can by killing suicidal people before they do it themselves. After surrendering himself to the police, he realizes that someone may have been pulling his strings all along.

Written (along with Steve Woo) and directed by Daniel Chan (Triad), Cross also stars Jason Chang (Poker King), Kenny Wong (Tomorrow is Another Day), Morning Mo (Canapy), Kageyama Yukihiko (Kano), Liu Kai Chi (The Stool Pigeon) and Nick Cheung (Triad Election, The Stool Pigeon).

Well Go USA announces two new Chinese language film acquisitions

Well Go USA has announced the acquisition of two new Chinese language films, The Assassin (Taiwan) and Wild City (Hong Kong).

The Assassin, starring Shu Qi and Chang Chen, heralds the long-awaited return of master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The martial arts epic made John Powers' "10 Must-See Movies At This Year's Festival" in Vogue magazine (April 16th), and Well Go USA has acquired all North American rights to the film. "We have a proud history of supporting films from Taiwan, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien is a legend," said Well Go USA President/CEO Doris Pfardrescher. "It's like someone made a wish list, and we got everything we could have hoped for: Iconic director, stellar cast, and this exciting, moving story - we're very excited to bring this to North America."

Well Go has also acquired Ringo Lam's Wild City, starring Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Philip Ng, and Shawn Yue, with plans for a North American release to coincide with the July 31 theatrical date in China and Hong Kong.

AS THE LIGHT GOES OUT is available today from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

As the Light Goes Out / Jiu huo ying xiong

Written and Directed by Derek Kwok

Starring Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Simon Yam & Andy On

Hong Kong, 2014, 115 minutes

In Cantonese with English subtitles available

As the Light Goes Out, Derek Kwok's take on courageous Hong Kong firefighters, debuts today on Blu-ray™ (SLP: $29.98), DVD (SLP: $24.98) and digital Nov. 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. This review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

The film begins, as so many recent Chinese films seem to do, with expository comments. In this case they pertain specifically to the dangers of thick smoke, which "is much more deadly than actual fire." Live action begins in December, 2012 when three firefighters -- Sam, Chill and Yip -- are being questioned as to who was responsible for countermanding an order not to proceed to a certain floor at a fire. Chill takes the blame, but without any real serious consequences. A year later, on Christmas Eve 2013, Yip has risen to be in command of a fire station. It's Sam's last day there, as he's being transferred, but Chill will be staying on.

Chill (foreground center) and Sam (right)

That day, there's a serious blaze at a winery to which the firemen at the station (including one veteran played by Simon Yam) respond. After taking care of it, they return to the station, but Sam is uneasy. He is concerned about the heat that was generated by the fire possibly endangering a nearby pipe carrying natural gas to a huge power station. Yang Lin, a female worker at the power station has similar concerns.

Wouldn't you know it, Yip, who is still Sam's superior, and Yang Lin's superior both are more concerned with "looking good" to their own superiors than with seriously considering the danger. Consequently, a major conflagration occurs, destroying the power station and plunging Hong Kong into a blackout on Christmas Eve. Naturally a number of individuals are caught inside the power plant and various firefighters engage in valiant efforts to rescue them.

As the Light Goes Out is not a bad action film, but it does suffer in several regards. First off, I found it somewhat hard to suspend disbelief in the wake of way too many coincidences. Everything that could possibly go wrong, does -- from the decisions of the cardboard cut-outs of the self-interested superiors at both the fire station and the power plant to the three youths (one of whom is the son of a firefighter!) who just happen to be left at the power plant and trapped inside. And let me not forget to mention that Typhoon Henry is approaching Hong Kong! Also, there are too many scenes of an individual about to fall to his death but saved at the last moment by an outstretched arm and hand. Finally, the melodrama is just way overwrought on several occasions.

The film does feature a funny self-referential cameo by Jackie Chan in a recruitment commercial for the fire department. This of course is a nod to his similar recruitment commercial for the police in the Police Story series.

The only extra on disc is a trailer for the film.

AsianCIneFest Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars; a bit better than fair, but beset with too many implausibilities to qualify as a good film.

ICEMAN arrives today

Well Go USA

presents

Iceman / Bing Fung: Chung Sang Chi Mun

Directed by Law Wing-Cheong

Starring Donnie Yen, Eva Huang, Wang Baoqiang,
Simon Yam, and Lam Suet

China/Hong Kong, 2014, 105 minutes

Iceman, a multi-genre film from Law Wing-Cheong, debuts today on Blu-ray™ (SLP $29.98), DVD (SLP $24.98) and Digital from Well Go USA Entertainment. It's a remake of the 1989 film Iceman Cometh which starred Yuen Biao and Maggie Cheung. (Can't comment on the original as I've never seen it.)

In this new version Donnie Yen plays He Ying, a 4th rank general of the Ming Emperor's royal bodyguards. In 1621 A.D. he is supposed to bring an important artifact from India to the emperor. Unfortunately he's wrongfully accused of treason for killing a Chinese official and for aiding Japanese pirates. He flees with two of his former comrades in "hot" pursuit down a snow covered mountain. (Who knew that the Chinese invented snowboarding by using their shields?) Most unfortunately they're buried in an avalanche, where they remain frozen until they are somehow discovered in contemporary China (the film doesn't explain this at all).

He Ying (Donnie Yen) in restraints

The three are brought to Hong Kong in secure containers, but on the way the truck in which they are being transported crashes off a bridge and the containers are broken. He Ying regains consciousness first and takes a not surprisingly huge -- and I do mean huge -- piss.

In Hong Kong, he meets May Kwok, played by Eva Huang, a.k.a. Shengyi Huang, who made her film debut in Kung Fu Hustle (2004). She's a young, hip, contemporary Hong Kong woman who also loves her mother, who's in a care facility for the elderly.

He Ying's pursuers, Sao (Wang Baogiang of Lost in Thailand) and Neihu, who's become fond of modern pistols, somehow became gang leaders (again, something not explained in the film) and use their underlings to try to locate him.

He's also pursued by Police Commissioner Cheung (Simon Yam) and Mr. Tang, a politician who's in cohorts with Cheung.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the film is multi-genre, which in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. Lots of movies have their toes in more than one genre. Unfortunately Iceman is a real mishmash, a confused blend of genres that doesn't have any real center. Since it stars Yen, one could say that it's fundamentally a martial arts action film. But even as such, it's not so hot. the action containing way too much wire-fu, in my opinion.

It's also partially a science fiction, time-travel fantasy and a "fish-out-of-water" tale, with comedic elements (an exploding toilet, as well as the aforementioned huge piss) and a bit of romance thrown in to boot.

May (Eva Huang) and He Ying (Donnie Yen) visit her mother

Oh, and it was originally filmed in 3D, so many scenes contain sophomoric shots that were obviously intended to wow audiences with a "ain't this thing coming out of the screen at you really neat?" quality.

It's also important to note that Iceman is actually the first of a planned multi-film story. (Iceman 2 is in post-production and is scheduled to be released in February 2015 in China.) Thus, this Iceman really should be called Iceman, Part 1, or Iceman, Vol. 1, like the Kill Bill films. Iceman's ending leaves one hanging in mid-story.

The action scenes are okay, but nothing special, and again, there's a lot of wire-fu.

Personally, I think the best thing the film has going for it are Eva Huang's lovely, slim sensual legs.

DISC STATS:
- Audio Options:
  - Chinese 5.1 DTS HDMA
  - Chinese 2.0 Stereo
  - English 5.1 HD DTS
  - Spanish Dolbt 5.1
  - French DOlby 5.1
- Subtitles:
   - English
  - Spanish
  - French
  - Off
- Bonus:
  - Making Of (a seven-part featurette)
  - Trailer

AsianCineFest Rating: 2 out of 4 stars; mediocre, somewhat of a disappointment considering the talent involved.

ACF 1836: Happy Birthday wishes to Hong Kong actor Simon Yam

Simon Yam in PTU: Police Tactical Unit

Veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam was born in that city on March 19th, 1955. His IMDb filmography lists over 188 films and TV appearances, most of the latter from early in his career, which began in 1977. He's played a wide variety of roles on both sides of the law. (Interestingly, his father and elder brother Peter Yam Tat-Wing were both law-enforcement officers.)

Simon Yam as the serial killer in Dr Lamb

Some of his films that are better known in the West include:

Bullet in the Head (1990)

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Dr. Lamb (1992)

Full Contact (1993)

The Mission (1999)

PTU (2003)

Breaking News (2004)

Election (2005)

Kill Zone, a.k.a. S.P.L. (2005)

Election 2 (2006)

Exiled (2006)
Ip Man (2008)

Sparrow (2008)
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Simon Yam in Black Ransom (2010)

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of meeting Simon during the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival, at which he received the festival's first Star Asia Award. We chatted some, during which I told him about how I'd come to be interested in and to write about Hong Kong and other Asian films. A few moments after we separated, I felt a hand gently touching my arm. It was Simon; he'd come back to say that he just wanted to thank me for caring so much about Hong Kong films! I was so taken aback that all I could say was probably something like it was my pleasure. I mean, here was this major Hong Kong actor going out of his way to come back over to me and express his thanks.

So, Happy 58th Birthday, Simon Yam, and may there be many happy returns of you to the screen in years to come.

ACF 940: Happy Birthday, Simon Yam!

Simon Yam in PTU: Police Tactical Unit

Veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam was born in that city on March 19th, 1955. His IMDb filmography lists 172 films and TV appearances, going back to 1977. He's played a wide variety of roles on both sides of the law. (Interestingly, his father and elder brother Peter Yam Tat-Wing were both law-enforcement officers.)

Yam as the serial killer in Dr Lamb

Some of his films that are better known in the West include:

Bullet in the Head (1990)

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Dr. Lamb (1992)

Full Contact (1993)

The Mission (1999)

PTU (2003)

Breaking News (2004)

Election (2005)

Kill Zone, a.k.a. S.P.L. (2005)

Election 2 (2006)

Exiled (2006)

Sparrow (2008)

Yip Man 2 (2010)

So, Happy 56th Birthday, Simon Yam, and may there be many happy returns of you to the screen in years to come

ACF 599: Simon, Sammo, and Me!

Last night, between the screenings of Eastern Condors and Echoes of the Rainbow at The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater, The Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, New York and The New York Asian Film Festival held an invitation-only reception to honor Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, and this year's line-up of Hong Kong films. And yours truly was one of the most-fortunate invitees. Not only that, but I got to meet and speak, albeit briefly, and get my picture taken with both Simon Yam and Sammo Hung. (The previous night, Friday, Simon received the Star Asia Award, while Sammo got the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by Angela Mao, to Sammo's utter surprise and shock.)

Both of these gentlemen and huge stars of Hong Kong Cinema were very gracious to all. Both posed for numerous photographs and signed both programs and DVDs that people had brought. Truly class acts.

Simon Yam and me

Simon arrived at the reception first, while Sammo was still at the Q&A following Eastern Condors. I told Simon how much I'd enjoyed him in PTU: Police Tactical Unit and so many other films. I also briefly described how I'd come to be interested in and write about Asian films. I was so touched when, a few minutes after we'd parted, he came over to me and thanked me for my interest in and love of Hong Kong movies.

Sammo Hung and me
(That's Joyce Mina Godenzi, Sammo's wife,
in the background behind my right shoulder)

Sammo arrived a bit later. I'm not a celebrity whore by any means, but I was in total awe of being in his presence. I mean, above and beyond his extensive credits as actor, director producer, action choreographer, etc. this guy went at it with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon!

My wife took two shots of Sammo and me. After taking the first, she told me that I should smile. When I later looked at the first photo, I saw that I looked like I was terrified, probably because I was so nervous just being next to a legend whom I admire immensely. So glad this second one came out as it did.

After thanking Sammo for all of his wonderful work, I told him that I was sorry if what I was about to say brought up any unpleasant memories. I then told him that I thought that his series Marshal Law was one of the greatest things that had ever happened on American TV, and that I was so sorry that it had been ruined by others. (By this I meant those who decided to turn the "fish-out-of-water" police actioner into a TV version of Rush Hour by bringing in Arsenio Hall, though I didn't mention this specifically to Sammo.) Sammo seemed to take this in stride, but in any case I just had to let him know what a great show it had been to watched initially.

The New York Asian Film Festival has been off to a great start this weekend, and I expect that it's going to be a phenomenal success this year. In the meanwhile, it's provided me with one of the most memorable evenings and photo mementos of my life. Thanks to The Hong Kong Economic Trade Office and to all those at SubwayCinema which presents the NYAFF.

P.S. - The food and drink were both plentiful and delicious!

ACF 598: The Storm Warriors - a NYAFF 2010 Preview Review

The Storm Warriors
Directed by The Pang Brothers (Oxide and Danny Pang)

Starring Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse
Hong Kong, 2009, 110 minutes
In Cantonese with English subtitles
U.S. Premiere

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Sunday, June 27th at 12:00 noon (Simon Yam is scheduled to be at this screening)
- Thursday, July 1st at 9:00 PM

As I sometimes like to do with films I'm reviewing (as opposed to one's I'm just putting out the word on), first I'll present the publicity statement, then my own take on the film. I especially feel the need to do this here to be as fair as possible. You'll understand when you read my review comments at the end of the post.

Here's what SubwayCinema.com had to say:

In 1998 the Hong Kong film business was in danger of disappearing, but out of nowhere came THE STORM RIDERS, a special effects extravaganza based on a popular comic book and directed by Andrew Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS). A massive hit across Asia, it single-handedly saved the Hong Kong film industry. Now, 12 years later, comes THE STORM WARRIORS, based on the same Ma Wing-shing comic and with some of the same cast, but otherwise a standalone flick that is the closest cinema has ever come to putting Chinese martial arts comic books, with all of their surreal techniques and freaky superpowers, on the silver screen.

From the very first frame the choirs are wailing like a death metal concept album times infinity, and every shot is a blast-beat drum solo, every edit is a power chord and when the characters fight it's like two planets smashing into each another. Cloud (pop star gone supernova, Aaron Kwok) has been captured by Lord Godless (Simon Yam, playing an evil Japanese warlord) along with his master, Nameless (Kenny Ho, playing one of the original comic's most popular characters). Their armies are destroyed, their powers have been stripped and things look grim. Suddenly, Wind (Cheng) swoops to the rescue and the good guys take to the hills. Nameless informs Cloud and Wind that they're going to have to level up to defeat Lord Godless, and while he helps Cloud invent a new style of sword-fu, Wind is sent off to learn Evil Power from Lord Wicked.

With special effects layered so heavily they transform battles into dreamy, psychedelic abstractions, even the actors are digitally enhanced as Evil Power turns Wind into a brooding goth dreamboat that not even TWILIGHT's Edward Cullen can rival. Swords are so powerful they cut the weather in half, ultimate weapons are made from the spinal columns of dead gods and everything ends on a note of rock opera tragedy. What other summer blockbuster concludes with the hero traumatized and wounded, raving "Why didn't you kill me?!?" A happy ending? Happy endings are for sissies.

Won the 2009 Hong Kong Film Award for "Best Visual Effects."

AsianCineFest Review:

First, a couple of positive thoughts. There will certainly be those who'll really enjoy this supernatural martial arts fantasy which is based on the hit Hong Kong comic series Storm Riders by Wing Shing Ma. And many of the special CG effects are indeed top-notch.

On the other hand, I myself didn't care for the film much at all. The "story line"is really thin, even for this sort of fare, from which one doesn't tend to expect much. The directing is uninspired, which seems to be the way the Pang Brothers have been going lately, as in 2008's Bangkok Dangerous.

For me there wasn't any evidence of actual "acting" by anyone on the screen. And we all know that even when doing a film based on a comic book (or a video game, for that matter), and even when working in front of a green screen, it's still possible to "emote." I just didn't see any evidence of it here.

So overall I really can't recommend the film, which is a successor to 1998's The Storm Riders. (There's a Storm Warriors III currently in production, for which I don't hold out much hope of redemption.) But if supernatural martial art films are your thing, or if you simply can't miss seeing Aaron Kwok (Cloud) or Ekin Cheng (Wind), feel free to give it a try. You very well may enjoy it.

ACF 503: Happy Birthday, Simon Yam!

Simon Yam in PTU: Police Tactical Unit

Veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam was born in that city on March 19th, 1955. His IMDb filmography lists 172 films and TV appearances, going back to 1977. He's played a wide variety of roles on both sides of the law. (Interestingly, his father and elder brother Peter Yam Tat-Wing were both law-enforcement officers.)

Yam as the serial killer in Dr Lamb

Some of his films that are better known in the West include:

Bullet in the Head (1990)

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Dr. Lamb (1992)

Full Contact (1993)

The Mission (1999)

PTU (2003)

Breaking News (2004)

Election (2005)

Kill Zone, a.k.a. S.P.L. (2005)

Election 2 (2006)

Exiled (2006)

Sparrow (2008)

Yip Man 2 (2010)

So, Happy 55th Birthday, Simon Yam, and may there be many happy returns of you to the screen in years to come