Passion Island

May 152013

Passion Island (2012) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 热爱岛
Title in Pinyin – Re Ai Dao

Genre – Romance and drama

Subject/theme – An island growing purple passion weed is investigated by FDA

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
China – 1 June 2012
Hong Kong – 6 September 2012

Movie Runtime – 93 minutes

Director – Kam Kwok-leung

Cast & Role Played
Simon Yam – Simon Boss
Joan Chen – Joanna
Francis Ng – Chu Yu
Janice Man – Janice
Chang Chen – Chuel Kim
Song Jia – Fan Li

Plot
Simon Boss runs an island and holiday spot called Passion Island that grows a purple narcotic plant called passion weed. This weed is under investigation by the FDA who send Joanna, Simon’s ex wife, to investigate. Two guests at the island are wheel chair bound Fan Li and her fiancé Chu Yu. Fan Li is hoping passion weed will cure the hopelessness that Chu Yu and she feel. The other two people on the island are Janice who is Simon’s god daughter and the man she is guiding, Korean Chuell Kim.

The plot revolves around the interaction of these six characters and includes a massive DVD collection, paintings by corn eating monkeys and urinating on a stolen car.

Passion Island Links
IMDb Movie Database for Passion Island

Passion Island Movie Posters

Law Chi-leu

May 142013

Law Chi-leu Director Information

Names
English name – none
Chinese name –罗志良
Pinyin – Luo Zhi Liang

Details
Place of Birth- Hong Kong

Filmography for Chinese Movies and Films

2012 The Bullet Vanishes
2010 Curse of the Deserted
2007 Kidnap
2005 Bug Me Not!
2004 Koma
2002 Inner Senses
2000 Double Tap
1996 Viva Erotica

Oxide Pang

May 132013

Oxide Pang Director Information

Names
English name – Oxide Pang
Chinese name –彭順
Pinyin – Peng Fa

Details
Date of birth – 1965
Place of Birth- Hong Kong

Filmography for Chinese Movies and Films

2013 Inferno
2013 Conspirators
2011 Sleepwalker
2011 The Detective 2
2010 The Child's Eye
2009 Storm Warriors
2009 Basic Love
2007 The Detective
2007 The Messengers
2006 Diary
2006 Re-cycle
2005 The Eye 3
2004 The Eye 2
2002 The Eye

Filmography for International Movies and Films

2009 Oi chut mao
2008 Bangkok Dangerous
2004 Sei mong se jun
2003 The Tesseract
2001 Bangkok Haunted
2001 Som and Bank: Bangkok for Sale
1999 Bangkok Dangerous
1999 Who Is Running?

Young and Dangerous 3

May 012013

Young and Dangerous 3 (1996) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 古惑仔之只手遮天
Title in Pinyin – Gu Huo Zai Zhi Zhi Shou Zhe Tian

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – A triad leader is framed by the crazy boss of a rival gang

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 29 June 1996
Japan – 4 October 1997

Movie Runtime – 98 minutes

Director – Andrew Lau

Cast & Role Played
Ekin Cheng – Chan Ho Nam
Jordan Chan – Chicken Chiu
Karen Mok – Shuk fan / Wasabi
Anthony Wong – Tai Fai
Michael Tse – Dai Tin-yee
Gigi Lai – Smartie / stammer
Simon Yam – Chiang Tin-sung
Roy Cheung – Crow
Spencer Lam – Father Lam

Plot
Several weeks after events at the end of “Young and Dangerous 2” Chan is named as boss of the Causeway Bay branch and Chicken is made a member of the Hung King society again. This time with a junior member as his boss which he finds hard to take. At the same time the rival Tung Sing society with links in the Netherlands led by Camel is threatening them by opening bars adjacent to their territory. A Tung Sing boss Crow is very aggressive with Chan only pressure from society bosses maintains the peace. While all this is going on, Chan’s girlfriend Smartie wakes up from a coma but has no memory of Chan or his friends. Father Lam introduces Chicken to his daughter Wasabi and they quickly become a couple. Wasabi also befriends Smartie and helps her deal with her memory loss.

Chan, Hung King boss Chiang and Chang’s girlfriend go to Amsterdam as the guest of Crow to discuss business. The discussion was a set up and Crow kills Chiang, kidnaps his girlfriend. Using a forced testimony from Chiang’s girlfriend, Crow frames Chan for the murder. To make matters worse, Crow returns to Hong Kong, confronts his boss and secretly kills him.

Editor’s Review of Young and Dangerous 3 – 7/10
The third movie continues straight after the second with the introduction of two new characters. Roy Cheung plays the psycho triad boss with an excellent and believable performance and Karen Mok has one of her earliest screen appearances as the priest’s gutsy daughter. Ekin Cheng’s acting is wooden as you’d expect and Jordan Chan gets less screen time which is a shame. There are a few more plot holes than the two earlier movies but number 3 is still a cinema classic and great to watch.

Young and Dangerous 3 Links
IMDb Movie Database for Young and Dangerous 3

Young and Dangerous 3 Movie Posters

Connected

Apr 282013

Connected (2008) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 保持通话
Title in Pinyin – Bao Chi Tong Hua

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – A kidnapped woman uses one phone call to randomly find help

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 25 September 2008
Singapore – 1 October 2008
Japan – 1 August 2009

Movie Runtime – 110 minutes

Director – Benny Chan

Cast & Role Played
Louis Koo – Bob
Liu Ye – Inspector Fok
Barbie Hsu – Grace
Nick Cheung – Detective Yu

Plot
Grace is abducted by a corrupt police inspector Fok while driving her car. Fok takes Grace back to her home, kills her maid and searches her home. Fok and his men then take Grace to an abandoned house. Grace manages to repair a destroyed telephone and makes a random call for help. A debt collector and single father Bob receives her call and agrees to help her.

Bob then begins a cat and mouse game with Fok and his men, trying to evade them, save Grace’s daughter, convince police that Grace’s call is not a prank and fulfil his responsibilities as a divorced father. The situation rapidly spirals out of control with Bob barely managing to stay alive.

Connected Links
IMDb Movie Database for Connected

Connected Movie Posters

The God of Cookery

Apr 232013

The God of Cookery (1996) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 食神
Title in Pinyin – Shi Shen

Genre – Comedy

Subject/theme – The god of cookery fights back after being betrayed and humbled

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 21 December 1996
Japan – 5 July 1997

Movie Runtime – 95 minutes

Director – Stephen Chow and Li Lik-chi

Cast & Role Played
Stephen Chow – Stephen Chow, god of cookery
Karen Mok – Turkey
Ng Man-tat – Uncle
Lam Suet – Fat triad member
Nancy Sit – Competition judge
Vincent Kok – Bull Tong
Lee Siu-kei – Goosehead

Plot
Stephen Chow is the arrogant and pompous god of cookery who has a culinary empire and runs cooking competitions rigged to make him look good. His partner Uncle and right hand man cum flunky Bull Tong cannot bear being humiliated and tormented by him any more and betray him. Stephen is exposed as a fraud, stripped of his empire and begs on Temple Street which is full of food hawkers. While on Temple Street he becomes involved in a gang war between two rival hawkers Turkey and Goosehead.

Using his cooking brilliance he creates peace with Turkey and Goosehead by creating the perfect fish ball. The three of them partner up and plan to take Hong Kong by storm with their fish balls. Stephen also has his eyes set on regaining his lost title of the god of cookery revenge on Uncle and Bull Tong.

Editor’s Review of The God of Cookery – 6/10
The God of Cookery is not one of Stephen Chow’s better movies but it is still worth watching. It is his only movie where Ng Man-tat takes a minor role and that does detract from the quality of the movie. Karen Mok is excellent as the ugly hawker Turkey. Hard to imagine that the character in the movie is played by a gorgeous actress.

The God of Cookery Links
IMDb Movie Database for The God of Cookery

The God of Cookery Movie Posters

From Beijing With Love

Apr 212013

From Beijing With Love (1994) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 国产凌凌漆
Title in Pinyin – Guo Chan Ling Ling Qi

Genre – Action Comedy

Subject/theme – A Chinese secret agent faces betrayal by his new partner

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 13 October 1994
Japan – 10 November 1995

Movie Runtime – 94 minutes

Director – Lee Lik-chi and Stephen Chow

Cast & Role Played
Stephen Chow – Ling Ling Qi (007)
Anita Yuen – Li Xian Qin
Law Kar-ying – Da Wen Xi
Wong Kam-kong – Golden Gun
Pauline Chan – Mystery Woman
Jo Cheng – Metal Mouth killer
Yu Ruangguang – secret agent

Plot
Golden Gun is a villain with a high tech suit of armour and gun who steals China’s only fossil dinosaur skull. Chinese secret agent Ling Ling Qi is brought out of retirement to go to Hong Kong and chase down Golden Gun and retrieve the missing skull. Unknown to Ling Ling Qi, his superior officer is actually Golden Gun and pairs Ling Ling Qi with a beautiful assassin Li Xian Qin.

Ling Ling Qi comes across as a village idiot with no ability and Li Xian Qin sees him as an easy target. As the mission progresses, Li Xian Qin who is being blackmailed by Golden Gun starts to like Ling Ling Qi and finds herself reluctant to kill him. Ling Ling Qi is actually a master of the knife with deceptively incredible fighting skills who manages to both woo Li Xian Qin and muddle his way through the mission.

Editor’s Review of From Beijing With Love – 7/10
From Beijing With Love is a very blunt spoof of the James Bond movie from Russia With Love. Even the movie’s name in Chinese which means made in China with a word play on 007 pokes fun at James Bond. Stephen Chow is excellent as the idiotic looking and naïve Chinese secret agent and Anita Yuen does a good job and a reluctant killer with attitude. This is one of Stephen Chow’s better movies that has a good blend of serious action with slapstick humour.

From Beijing With Love Links
IMDb Movie Database for From Beijing With Love

From Beijing With Love Movie Posters

Legendary Assassin

Apr 202013

Legendary Assassin (2008) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 狼牙之阿布
Title in Pinyin – Lang Ya Zhi A Bu

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – An assassin and a female police office face a common enemy

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Singapore – 20 November 2008
Hong Kong – 4 December 2008
Germany – 8 February 2009

Movie Runtime – 89 minutes

Director – Wu Jing and Nicky Li

Cast & Role Played
Ronald Cheng – Uncle Zhi, restaurant owner
Wu Jing – Bruce, assassin
Celina Jade – Holly, police officer
Hui SHiu-hung – Guan Gong, veteran cop
Alex Fong – Handsome Bao, cop with issues
Sammy Leung – Tarzan, cop with inferiority complex

Plot
Bruce is an assassin who is trapped on one of Hong Kong’s smaller islands and befriends Holly, a female police officer. Their friendship is put to the test when the body of a murdered drug lord is discovered and his followers go on a rampage. Bruce and Holly must work together as hardened criminals ravage the streets of the back water island town.

Legendary Assassin Links
IMDb Movie Database for Legendary Assassin

Legendary Assassin Movie Posters

Love Is… Pyjamas

Apr 172013

Love Is… Pyjamas (2012) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 男人如衣服
Title in Pinyin – Nan Ren Ru Yi Fu

Genre – Romantic Comedy

Subject/theme – Rivalries and love breaks out when a fashion house launches a new label

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 11 October 2012
Singapore – 25 October 2012

Movie Runtime – 99 minutes

Director – Vincent Kok

Cast & Role Played
Ronald Cheng – Fei
Teresa Mo – Spring
Karena Ng – Karena
Raymond Wong – Hugo
Hai Qing – Muse
Lyn Xiong – Jojo
Raymond Lam – Owen

Plot
Spring and Karena are a mother and daughter pair working in a men’s underwear company founded by Sping’s brother Hugo. Hugo wants to woo back his ex girlfriend Muse who is a world class fashion designer and comes up with a brilliant plan. Pretend his business is in trouble and that only Muse can help. Muse accepts Hugo’s offer but not to help him, to get revenge for Hugo’s past belief that women are inferior.

Muse’s acceptance is only on the condition that Hugo starts up a new label. Hugo agrees and sets up Spring and a new employee Jojo to compete and see who can make the best design. The competition rapidly spirals out of control with potentially disastrous results.

Love Is… Pyjamas Links
IMDb Movie Database for Love Is… Pyjamas

Love Is… Pyjamas Movie Posters

Rule Number One

Apr 132013

Rule Number One (2008) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 第一诫
Title in Pinyin – Di Yi Jie

Genre – Thriller

Subject/theme – A detective joins a secret police department that fights ghosts

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Singapore – 13 March 2008
Hong Kong – 4 September 2008
UK – 18 June 2009

Director – Kelvin Tong

Cast & Role Played
Ekin Cheng – Inspector Wong
Shawn Yue – Sergeant Lee Kwok-keung
Stephanie Che – Esther
Renee Lee – Siu-man

Plot
Sergeant Lee is a beat cop who discovers the body of a girl in the back of a car. The girl’s killer gets the drop on him as he investigates the body and shoots him several times. Before the killer can finish him of, the girl’s body rises from the dead, giving Lee a chance to fight him off. Lee’s superior does not accept his explanation that a ghost saved him and reassigns him to a backwater unit in a old worn out building containing only two members.

Lee is immediately sent on his first investigation which is to check out a swimming pool that has shrieks emitting from it. During the investigation Lee he finds a 40 something year old man in a trench coat who turns out to be his boss, Inspector Wong. Wong explains to Lee that the role of their department is to secretly investigate supernatural disturbances while lying to the public for their own good and telling them the rule number one rule, there are no ghosts. Ghosts are very real and very powerful and a particularly nasty goes shows up and takes an interest in both Lee and Wong.

Rule Number One Links
IMDb Movie Database for Rule Number One

Rule Number One Movie Posters

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