Chinese films appreciation thread!

[TrolleyDave]

I've always been a huge fan of Chinese cinema since I was a kid. Ever since seeing my first Run Run Shaw film "The Five Venoms". Of course, Chinese cinema has come a long way since the Run Run Shaw/Golden Harvest films dominated the market (or at least the Western market!). Films are no longer dubbed after completion, special effects have improved, and just the quality in general has improved. It began to really improve in quality during the John Woo/Tsui Hark days. Stuff like Hard Boiled, The Killer and Once Upon A Time In China took Chinese cinema to another level.

There isn't really much talk on the temp about Chinese cinema, so being the kind soul that I am I thought I'd open one up to introduce the world of Chinese cinema to those who might not have had a chance to appreciate some of the finer titles available. If you're an action fan or martial arts film then Chinese cinema is a must. We hear of actors like Jackie Chan and Jet Li obviously, but we hear very little about actors like Simon Yam, Donnie Yen, Tony Leung and many other fine actors. Directors like Ang Lee and John Woo have of course broken out into the Western market but we don't hear about directors like Johnnie To, Wilson Yip, Wong Kar Wei or others.

So here's your chance to talk about some of your favourite films, actors, directors or whatever you choose! Make suggestions so those who haven't seen some of the greats can experience them for themselves.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

Didn't you and I talk about Chinese cinema before or was it someone else?

 

[TrolleyDave]

Didn't you and I talk about Chinese cinema before or was it someone else?

It was me and you! We were talking about Jackie Chans Hong Kong stuff and how awesome Donnie Yen is!

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

Didn't you and I talk about Chinese cinema before or was it someone else?

It was me and you! We were talking about Jackie Chans Hong Kong stuff and how awesome Donnie Yen is!

I remember! And we recommended movies to each other

*has the urge to translate more and watch an old Chinese movie*

 

[TrolleyDave]

Didn't you and I talk about Chinese cinema before or was it someone else?

It was me and you! We were talking about Jackie Chans Hong Kong stuff and how awesome Donnie Yen is!

I remember! And we recommended movies to each other

*has the urge to translate more and watch an old Chinese movie*

Yep! I'm already ahead of you in watching a Chinese film though. I'm currently watching Twins Mission! lol

 

[Icealote]

So what have you guys seen? So far I'm getting back into watching the HK movies I never got to when I had the time.

Recently I've watched an Andy Lau with Loius Koo in Century of the Dragon. It's an old 90s gangster film yet I like because of the manipulations that happen within the triads.

I'd name more but I'd have to look into what I got first!

 

[TrolleyDave]

I've not seen Century of the Dragon, keep meaning to grab it. A couple of my favourite gangster films have been the 2 Election films and Hong Kong Godfather. I really enjoy the HK gangster flicks as they're very different to Western ones. Not just in style but in the way the gangsters themselves are.

edit : Oh, and I really enjoyed Exiled when I saw it not long ago.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

I think I've already seen Twin Mission.

 

[TrolleyDave]

I think I've already seen Twin Mission.

Yeah, I've seen several times! Woke up today and had the sudden urge to watch all 3 Twins films though. lol

 

[Icealote]

Well I'm trying to avoid the 80s stuff only because I'm so used to the 90's antics in HK movie making (and well the film back then are too gritty for my eyes o.O)

I haven't seen Exiled quite yet. I'm trying to get a hold of the Mission which is before that.

Since you mentioned Donnie Yen earlier... I hope you had a look besides the Ip Man movies like Flash Point, Sha Po Lung (a.k.a Killzone), the not so great movie called Dragon Tiger Gate (lol don't know why I mentioned this and also has Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in it). ANDDDDD I'm still waiting for his film coming out later this year called "The Legend of Chen Zhen".

Jackie Chan's movie has been too "Hollywoodish" therefore crap. I'd prefer he stick to HK types as this really brings his performace to a high. There's a action-comedy (not sure how to classify this) called Little Big Soldier. He's a farmer/soldier who kidnaps a Wei prince/general in attempt to get some acres of land. I liked this however Jackie doesn't fight which is something new. Like his first drama movie in Shinjaku Incident.

I think I've already seen Twin Mission.

Yeah, I've seen several times! Woke up today and had the sudden urge to watch all 3 Twins films though. lol

You like the film or just the so called "twins"

 

[TrolleyDave]

Yeah I know alot of people that won't watch pre-Bullet Ballet era stuff because it looks and sounds cheap, but I've been a fan since the 70's so have got used to it. You're missing out on alot of great flicks if you skip the Run Run Shaw era. Although I gotta admit, they are an acquired taste!

Exiled is a fantastic watch. Very slow paced, but very tense and very well acted. It's watchable as a standalone film as well.

Heh, of course I've seen more than the Ip Man films! I've been a fan of Donnie Yen since Drunken Tai Chi! Not one of his best flicks but you could see he was great back then and was gonna go places. I've been telling people for over a decade how great he is, and with each film he gets better and better. Flash Point and SPL are two of my favourites though. And what's wrong with Dragon Tiger Gate! lol It's a little cartoony and a little cheesy but still an enjoyable watch! Some great action scenes in it, the fight in the restaurant at the beginning was great! Seven Swords is another one of my favourites.

I know exactly what you mean about Jackie Chan films as well. They're far too worried about insurance costs to let him really do his own thing. His first couple of American films (not very well known films), Battlecreek Brawl and The Protector, weren't too bad. Battlecreek Brawl was handled by Golden Harvest though so that really helped alot.

edit : Heh, well "the twins" help alot! lol They are decent action flicks though! The first was just average but Twins Effect 2 and Twins Mission are good old fashioned no-brainer action films!

 

[Icealote]

I was born in the late 80's so I was raised with the 90s stuff lol! I still remember watching one of Jackie's first movies where he wasn't the lead and died a slow painful death. Can't remember what it was but I do know I was like "aww he died" switched the tv off afterwards.

Was it just me or was Donnie wearing mascara back then? lol I noticed quite a bit in the early movies, especially facing Jet Li in Once Upon in China

 

[George Dawes]

I'm a big fan of some asian cinema, but I don't find a lot of it very conversation inducing (understatement of the year). :-)

Goodbye Mr Cool (九龙冰室 / Jiu Long Bing Shi / Gau Lung Bing Sat) by Jingle Ma and starring Ekin Cheng Yee Kin is the last HK movie I watched (also saw it about 8 years ago on TV and loved it - forgot all about it until this week so had to get it to see if it was as good as I remembered).

Lots that you would expect from HK cinema (former triad boss out of prison and wanting to reform but ex-partners and former rivals not taking it well, along with life in general conspiring against him), but some stuff done differently (the way the relationships are built, whilst pretty generic do have some interesting twists). ...but I'm no critic, so read a full review or give it a watch yourselves.

 

[elixirdream]

talking about donnie yen
then you should try ip man
ip man is bruce lee's teacher

EDIT: wait you had seen it... but make sure you don't miss the new one

Jackie? a couple of his action movie during the 80's are pretty nice

you should try to catch them all

Ever watched those chinese vampire show?

 

[TrolleyDave]

I was born in the late 80's so I was raised with the 90s stuff lol! I still remember watching one of Jackie's first movies where he wasn't the lead and died a slow painful death. Can't remember what it was but I do know I was like "aww he died" switched the tv off afterwards.

Was it just me or was Donnie wearing mascara back then? lol I noticed quite a bit in the early movies, especially facing Jet Li in Once Upon in China

I never noticed before so just had a look on my Once Upon a Time 2 DVD and yeah, it does look like he's wearing eyeliner! lol I'm just about to check a few more. If he is that's really odd!

I'm a big fan of some asian cinema, but I don't find a lot of it very conversation inducing (understatement of the year). :-)

Goodbye Mr Cool (???? / Jiu Long Bing Shi / Gau Lung Bing Sat) by Jingle Ma and starring Ekin Cheng Yee Kin is the last HK movie I watched (also saw it about 8 years ago on TV and loved it - forgot all about it this week so had to get it to see if it was as good as I remembered).

Lots that you would expect from HK cinema (former triad boss out of prison and wanting to reform but ex-partners and former rivals not taking it well, along with life in general conspiring against him), but some stuff done differently (the way the relationships are built, whilst pretty generic do have some interesting twists). ...but I'm no critic, so read a full review or give it a watch yourselves.

I've not seen that, will hunt a copy down. It's one of the things I like about the UK crime films, they put alot of emphasis on the relationships of characters. Exiled and Election 1/2 are perfect examples of it.

QUOTE(elixirdream @ Aug 1 2010, 12:16 PM)

talking about donnie yen
then you should try ip man
ip man is bruce lee's teacher

EDIT: wait you had seen it... but make sure you don't miss the new one

Jackie? a couple of his action movie during the 80's are pretty nice

you should try to catch them all

Ever watched those chinese vampire show?

Seen it and own it! lol The second one is very different to the first. It's like each one pays respect to the film style of where it's set. The first was set in Mainland China and is alot more character driven, with lush scenery and a more detailed story with more going on. The second one set in HK pays alot more respects tot he style of HK cinema. More focus on and driven by the action, grittier scenery, very different character styles. Both equally as good as each other obviously, but still very different.

Not seen Chinese Vampire Show but just looked it up and it sounds great. Gonna try and hunt a copy down. There's no sign of it on Play-Asia or YesAsia.

 

[Icealote]

I'm a big fan of some asian cinema, but I don't find a lot of it very conversation inducing (understatement of the year). :-)

Goodbye Mr Cool (???? / Jiu Long Bing Shi / Gau Lung Bing Sat) by Jingle Ma and starring Ekin Cheng Yee Kin is the last HK movie I watched (also saw it about 8 years ago on TV and loved it - forgot all about it until this week so had to get it to see if it was as good as I remembered).

Lots that you would expect from HK cinema (former triad boss out of prison and wanting to reform but ex-partners and former rivals not taking it well, along with life in general conspiring against him), but some stuff done differently (the way the relationships are built, whilst pretty generic do have some interesting twists). ...but I'm no critic, so read a full review or give it a watch yourselves.

Speaking of that movie, ah memories of hate. I despised the ending! And I'm sure most people would too when they see it if they were a fan of Ekin Chengs earlier works. Nowadays he really makes either a cheesy comedy types or those weird kinds of movies (e.g. My Wife is 18 or #1 Rule: There is no Ghosts

 

[ZPE]

Love all the Chinese films Sammo Hung was in back in the "days" including the likes of Project A and Encounters of the Spooky Kind (that gave me nightmares when I was a kid).

 

[FAST6191]

With the exception of die hard 1 and 2 which are Christmas films it seems if we ever need a cheesy film (or just something action based we know to be good) the Chinese seem to have us covered and Ip Man was a much needed breath of fresh air for my friends and I. Indeed part of the reason I no longer watch TV/film channels is because I know if they play hard boiled that night I will be there in until it ends adverts and all.

One I did actually enjoy somewhat recently was The Sniper- never would I knock Golden Harvest (indeed their credit sequence is up there with transformers, sonic drowning and various tetris music in things that will make me pay attention) but it was nice to see something different.
I also saw a psuedo history type film (edit: I Corrupt All Cops was the name) of the pre handover HK police and corruption in it but I have forgotten the name- the director is usually known for bad comedy films but this one put me in the same mindset as Get Carter (the 1971 version naturally) and if I dare say the Infernal Affairs series.

I will have to pick up Twins Effect 2 though, the first I did not regret watching but it was close and if the second is good for the mindless action I am game.

This being said I am not enjoying much of the OTT CGI these days- damn near ruined Dragon Tiger Gate, Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer (not that I care about football so I was onto a loser from the start really) for me. It can be done right (the obvious example being Crouching tiger and some of Jet Li's last few "epic" films) but for me those did not sit well.

Naturally I am going to end on a zombie film- Sun faa sau si aka Bio Zombie. Almost took my mind off my mistaken watching of the last few offerings from Romero.

 

[Icealote]

lol At least someone agrees with me with Dragon Tiger Gate. I bought it and I'm disappointed about it.

IMO I loved Conman movies with Andy Lau and Nick Cheung is such a crackup!

I would link some videos yet I haven't gotten the grasp of how to work it (thanks to TrolleyDave for the previous link!)

 

[Ryukouki]

OMG Ip Man and Dragon Tiger Gate, fuck YES!