TOPIC

Chinese language cinema

Liu Chu-ping (left) and Wu Kang-ren in a still from The Chronicles of Libidoists.

Review | The Chronicles of Libidoists: Wu Kang-ren leads sexually explicit tale

Four lonely souls in Taipei engage in extreme sex in a search for meaning to their lives. They bare their bodies but not their souls.

Four lonely souls in Taipei engage in extreme sex in a search for meaning to their lives. They bare their bodies but not their souls

23 Sep 2024 - 7:22PM

4 Hong Kong martial arts films that celebrate deadly ‘flying guillotine’

22 Sep 2024 - 7:45AMvideocam

Hong Kong picks action movie set in Kowloon Walled City for Oscars race

21 Sep 2024 - 11:58PM

Maggie Cheung turns 60: from beauty queen and Hong Kong icon to global fame

Her last major roles were 20 years ago – since then, she’s been busy with her music and philanthropic work, and was named Unicef ambassador to China

19 Sep 2024 - 10:00AM

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung won international acclaim in the 1990s and 2000s. Photo: @zhangmanyuofficial/Instagram

The future of filmmaking in Hong Kong, according to the next generation

The fate of the Fresh Wave film festival that’s nurtured generations of budding directors now hangs in the balance after the arts council slashed funding

23 Sep 2024 - 3:58PM

Review | Once in a Blue Moon: bittersweet drama set in pandemic-era Hong Kong

Happiness director Andy Lo delivers an emotional, endearing and bittersweet family drama set in Hong Kong during the Covid-19 pandemic.

17 Sep 2024 - 11:15AMvideocam

How The Eye movies led Hong Kong horror in the early 2000s

Oxide and Danny Pang’s supernatural thriller The Eye established their reputation as horror directors; two equally good sequels followed.

15 Sep 2024 - 7:45AMvideocam

Angelica Lee Sinje in a still from The Eye (2002), directed by twin brothers Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang Fat.

5 of the best Mid-Autumn Festival things to do in Hong Kong

Lanterns, fire dragon dances, a moon-themed tea, a chance to see the No 1 Hong Kong film of 2024 – stay entertained this Mid-Autumn Festival.

13 Sep 2024 - 3:15PMvideocam

Review | Love Lies: Sandra Ng, Michael Cheung in online dating scam dramedy

Ng plays an emotionally stunted doctor who falls prey to an online dating scam in a film with a profound message hidden beneath its comedy.

11 Sep 2024 - 1:30PMvideocam

Review | Tales of Taipei: anthology movie with Sammi Cheng a mixed bag

Also featuring Karena Lam and Stephy Tang, Tales of Taipei doesn’t have much to do with that city nor its 10 component films with each other.

10 Sep 2024 - 6:15PMvideocam

Chang Chen (left) and Ronald Cheng in a still from Tales of Taipei.

How Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat led Hong Kong’s gambling movie craze

Wong Jing set Hong Kong’s gambling movie genre in motion in 1989. We recall three of the best, including a parody that saw the most success.

8 Sep 2024 - 10:24AMvideocam

Andy Lau in a still from Casino Raiders (1989). Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Review | Youth (Homecoming): Wang Bing’s compelling portrait of Chinese workers

Wang Bing spent three years compiling this documentary about migrant workers in Hebei and the moments of joy they find in their harsh lives.

6 Sep 2024 - 10:36PM

5 movies or shows to watch in Hong Kong this weekend, September 6-8

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice sequel hits cinemas, Nicole Kidman stars in a Netflix murder mystery and an Emmy-nominated British spy show returns.

5 Sep 2024 - 1:21PMvideocam

Review | Mistress Dispeller: documentary has unique take on love in China

A wife in China, suspecting her husband of an affair, hires a woman to break it up. Remarkable for the access she, the couple, and the mistress grant filmmaker Elisabeth Lo, its finale is extraordinary.

6 Sep 2024 - 10:56AMvideocam

Mistress Fei Fei (a pseudonym) getting a haircut in a still from Mistress Dispeller. Photo; Marcona Media

How Derek Yee used genre crime films to tell truths about Hong Kong

Derek Yee Tung-sing’s crime films One Nite in Mongkok, Protégé and Triple Tap were gritty and realistic, and refused to glamorise the underworld and crime. We unpack these three classics.

1 Sep 2024 - 7:45AMvideocam

Daniel Wu (left) and Andy Lau in a still from Derek Yee’s Protégé.

Profile | Asia’s first female UFC champion Zhang Weili relives her rise in Unstoppable

Chinese MMA fighter Zhang Weili has been credited with inspiring a generation of young women after claiming her country’s first UFC title, a story told in this gripping new documentary

30 Aug 2024 - 2:45PM

Profile | How Hong Kong’s ‘good girl’ Vivian Chow became beloved Cantopop star

Vivian Chow Wai-man was one of the most popular Cantopop singers of the 1990s and also a noteworthy actress, famous for her good-girl persona – and her up-and-down relationship with husband Joe Nieh.

30 Aug 2024 - 7:11AM

5 movies or shows to watch in Hong Kong this weekend, August 31-September 1

This weekend watch Nicolas Cage as a serial killer or see a princess K-drama, a new Hong Kong gangster film, or an absurdist Greek triptych.

30 Aug 2024 - 10:05AMvideocam

Maika Monroe in a still from Longlegs, one of five movies or shows to watch in Hong Kong this weekend, August 31 to September 1.

Review | The Unwavering Brotherhood: watchable Hong Kong gangster film

A genre film par excellence, Terry Ng’s film about three mid-level gangsters who land in big trouble is well enough acted. If you like gangster movies, you will love The Unwavering Brotherhood.

27 Aug 2024 - 11:36PMvideocam

Jackie Chan to carry torch ahead of Paralympics opening ceremony

Hong Kong-born martial arts actor will carry the flame on Wednesday in Paris, hours before the opening ceremony, the organising committee said.

26 Aug 2024 - 12:53PM

Why 1984’s Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s best films

Lively, with slapstick humour and full of romcom tropes, Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s favourite films; 40 years after its release, it was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

25 Aug 2024 - 7:53AMvideocam

Sylvia Chang in a still from Shanghai Blues. Photo: Film Workshop

Review | The Killer: John Woo’s gender-flipped remake of his classic is a dud

John Woo’s Paris-set remake of his action masterpiece, with Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy in place of Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee, lacks the original’s dynamism and seems destined to die a quick death.

23 Aug 2024 - 3:00PMvideocam

Omar Sy and Nathalie Emmanuel in a still from The Killer, directed by John Woo. Photo: Christine Tamalet/Universal Pictures International

How to shoo away a cheating partner’s lover? Chinese documentary sheds light

In her new documentary, premiering at the Venice film festival, Elizabeth Lo, a Hong Kong-born filmmaker, follows a professional mistress dispeller in China who breaks up extramarital affairs.

22 Aug 2024 - 10:38AM

Review | Is lowbrow Chinese comedy Successor a critique of state control?

Its humour is mostly unfunny and its message baffling. Successor depicts a father untouched by China’s economic progress, yet we soon learn this is part of an elaborate ruse involving his schoolboy son.

19 Aug 2024 - 7:15PMvideocam

Is Bullet in the Head John Woo’s best film? A deep dive into the movie

John Woo’s Bullet in the Head, loved by critics and fans alike, is an anti-war film centred around male friendship, a frequent theme for the director, and a political commentary on Hong Kong of its era.

18 Aug 2024 - 11:15AMvideocam

Tony Leung Chiu-wai (left) and Jacky Cheung (right) in a still from Bullet in the Head, a John Woo film that has long been loved by critics and fans alike.

Profile | Meet Sammy Leung, one half of Hong Kong’s favourite radio host duo

You may know Sammy Leung as the host of your favourite Hong Kong radio show or TV variety show, or from his acting in films. Better known as Sum-mei, he’s co-presented with Kitty Yuen for most of his radio career.

16 Aug 2024 - 3:17PM

TVB game show hosts and Commercial Radio DJs Sammy Leung and Kitty Yuen Siu-yee. Photo: courtesy of TVB

Review | Dead Talents Society, hilarious supernatural comedy starring Gingle Wang

Gingle Wang plays a young woman who has recently died and is trying to prove herself worthy of being a ghost by going through contests and auditions, in John Hsu’s screwball comedy.

14 Aug 2024 - 5:45PMvideocam

Late Hong Kong action filmmaker Corey Yuen’s 5 best movies

As a director, Corey Yuen gave Michelle Yeoh her debut, was one of the first to feature Jean Claude Van Damme, and steered Jet Li’s career. He was also an action choreographer and actor.

13 Aug 2024 - 3:02PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Chinese language cinema

From Andy Lau to John Woo, from Jiang Wen to Tsai Ming-liang to Sylvia Chang, and from triads to kung fu to hopping vampires to costume epics, this is the place to go for features, interviews and reviews about Chinese-language movies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.

last updated:

9 September, 2024