Reviews

An unpredictable sort of cliche

They say hindsight is 20/20, and in hindsight I really don’t think this movie offers any new plots or characters. But for once, that didn’t affect my viewing experience at all and I actually didn’t see the story coming, despite a lot being revealed in the first five minutes of the movie.

This movie was a tearjerker for sure; I was really surprised at how many emotions I felt even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the female lead in particular and probably wouldn’t agree with some of the decision-making.

There was some explorable opportunities for the second leads, both of which I felt were left behind and kind of just served as plot devices, but other than that, this was a really beautiful friends-to-lovers story and it really tugged at the heartstrings.

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WOW, I really liked this it's a lot! :)
This is such a great film, very hallmark.
I love the combo of the Philippines and South Korea.
I also love how they played songs in both countries, it makes it authentic between them.
The cinematography is great, shots were on point.
The main actors have strong chemistry that you'll fall in love with them instantly.
Whoever cast Kim and Jayson, well done.
Kim is beautiful and Jayson is super handsome.
I think I was impressed by how great their English was.
It's a very cinderella story.
It's one of those films that make you say aww in so many moments.
Also, I'm a sucker for romantic movies that makes me smile the whole way thru.
It's cute, sweet, and not cheesy.
Trust me you won't be disappointed. Why not watch it?!!

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Cute story

Do you like feel good stories? High school slice of life? Stories about k-pop?
Then this movie is for you. The basic plot, without giving too much detail away, is a girl from the fictional K-pop group is in the midst of conflict with one of her fellow group members. She decides to move out of the dorm to start attending school again. She sees ML in front of her apartment and upon finding out he likes the girl in her group, who she is in the middle of conflict with, and thinks he might know why she is getting bullied by fans. She befriends him with that ulterior motive, but will she become true friends with him or will she use him and leave him in the dust? You'll have to watch and find out.

I think this is a good story that depicts some of the struggles a deaf person has fitting into the hearing society. Friendships and school aren't easy for any teenager, but being deaf makes them much more difficult. Will he be able to accomplish his goals and figure out his future?

It also depicts some of the struggles k-pop idols may have, since the female lead dealt with crazy fans, rumors, and pressure from her company. How does she navigate all of this and try to figure out what the best path for her career is?

I thought this was a cute slice of life that combined both the struggles of a disabled person and the struggles of a k-pop idol as they navigate high school, friendships, and their futures. Is the story fairly predictable, yes, but it was well done and an enjoyable.

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Compared to the other remakes, the storyline were pretty much the same. However I found myself interested more in Zhou Quan's character and the way he adapt to his new life.
I feel like this version have the best choice for music. I really like the song that played on the credits scene.
Comedy flows naturally and wasn't exaggerated
The romance were subtle and heartwarming
Cinematography were eye pleasing

Overall it's a good watch
The only problem i have were the fighting part. I'm really sensitive with blood. And there were a lot of scenes with blood in it. So if you're uncomfortable with blood, you probably just want to skip this.

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Feel Good :)

- Sorry I Don't Have Time To Write...:



What A Movie!!
A Perfect Dish For 'New Year And Xmas'
It's A Feel Good Movie With Fun, Emotions And Easy To Watch...


What A Movie!!
A Perfect Dish For 'New Year And Xmas'
It's A Feel Good Movie With Fun, Emotions And Easy To Watch...


What A Movie!!
A Perfect Dish For 'New Year And Xmas'
It's A Feel Good Movie With Fun, Emotions And Easy To Watch...



What A Movie!!
A Perfect Dish For 'New Year And Xmas'
It's A Feel Good Movie With Fun, Emotions And Easy To Watch...

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The most beautiful story I've ever watched

• Story? Honestly I watch because there is one actor that I like. And I didn't expect the story to be so incredibly cool. Their friendship is very cool, I was made to smile and laugh watching this film. You will feel a very beautiful and happy life, and then sad when watching this. I'm crying.
• Acting/Cast? GOOD VERY GOOD! All the roles were well acted, I was able to get into the story and feel they weren't acting, it was like real.
• Music? Idk but its good, i get into the movie. So its good.
• Rewatch? To be honest, I'm not interested in rewatching it, but it's cool I just don't want.

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One of the best movies! Must watch ♡

No one's rating this or reviewing so I'll do it. I guess maybe because it's also hard to find this movie.

This exceeded my expectations, for real. I was looking everywhere for me to watch this, and finally I found one T^T it was so hard.

I even watched it without any subtitles and had to translate it everytime using a translator. It was all worth it though. So many plot twist, I cannot even guess what would really happen next. It was so so good, the actors and actresses impressed me so much !! They are really good! Must watch their other movies and series too! I was a bit confused with the plot and the story because it has no subtitles. Nonetheless, because of the acting, I still felt the emotions and understand the flow.

Not gonna tell the story because that's for y'all to see. And, the only thing I'm frustrated about is the ending T^T I'm a sucker for happy endings y'all, I mean it did end good. I just hope 014 didn't die T^T I cried so much aasddffghhjk

But overall, it was a really good movie!! Worth it to watch!!

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Kung fu and aliens not a winning formula for Tiger Chen

Stuntman turned actor has had an interesting career of late his friendship with Keanu Reeves had helped him in securing a leading role in Reeves’ directional debut Man of Tai Chi. It was a promising start and we all know that Chinese cinema is in need of some fresh martial arts actor, sadly Tiger Chen does not quite deliver the goods. Tiger Chen’s latest feature Kungfu Traveler is produced by iQiyi. iQiyi’s web based site champions original features and series, churning countless projects that may sound good in theory but its not quite so, often quantity is satisfied rather than quality.

It’s 2147 the world has been invade by aliens and humans are losing the war. During the humans last stand in protecting there command base Chen Hu (Tiger Chen), his team mate Zi Yin (Wang Zhi) and his team of robots fights a losing battle. Chen Hu uses his martial arts, Nan Quen to successfully take down one of the alien foes. Retreating to there command centre the high commanders make a decision that the only way to defeat the aliens is to program all there robots with Chen Hu’s martial arts but Hu thinks that his skills is not good enough and they need to learn from the very best. So they formulate a plan to travel to the past and find the best Nan Quen master, Zhou Cheng Lin (Yang Zhe). Zi Yin creates a robot with the look of Chen Hu and they travel together to 1885. Masquerading as a foot soldier, Ah Jie, he immediately meets Zhou Cheng Lin who refuses to take disciples but agrees to have his brothers to teach him because Zhou’s daughter, Xiao Hua (Ye Yun Fei) has a thing for Ah Jie and he believes Ah Jie has a good heart. Soon each master is mysteriously killed off one by one resulting in Zhou taking Ah Jie as a student. Along the way Big Brother (Sheng Gang), Zhou Cheng Lin’s long lost disciple as well as Xiao Hua’s greatest love reappears after being presumed dead. Ah Jie soon finds out learning martial arts isn’t as easy as it seems for a robot, to fully learn the art he will need to be able to feel nature so Zi Yin programs Ah Jie with the ability to feel emotion. Having finally mastered all he can there assignment is near completion, there final task is to upload the data on to a memory stick and place the item in the designated location where the future can find it but Ah Jie with his new found emotions towards Xiao Hua and his comrades makes a decision to stay and fight besides them.

Tiger Chen never really had the presence to carry a full feature film, his leading debut in Man of Tai Chi was passable if a little mundane and the Kungfu Man was lack lustrous, Kungfu Traveler pretty much treads the same path. Chen’s performance is very one note and flat demonstrating little range in emotions. Future Chen also sports a horrible hairstyle. Wang Zhi’s emotions are highly exaggerated with most of her time spent looking at computer screens. Sheng Gang borders on comical as the villain most of time it involves him scouring at people and having half his hair covering his face to remind everyone how evil he is. His very appearance is transparently evil so any mystery is removed.

There are so many lapses in logic that one would struggle to begin with. Why send Chen Hu back to the past to learn one specific kung fu? Why not learn them all to give them an advantage in the war? Why bother learning kung fu if they have a time machine where they can travel in any point in time to turn the tide of war? Where are they getting their technology and electrical power in 1885? How does the alien race know they have travelled to the past to learn kung fu? How are the aliens able to travel back in time? Most of these are left unanswered. Things are very predictable and progresses in the way that one would expect. Everything is telegraphed very early on so they there is little emotional pay off.

The visual effects is serviceable though the creations have little personality matters made worse for how little screen time is given to them resulting in human races annihilation barely registering. Animation for the aliens and robots are not smooth sometimes coming across like a poor man’s computer game. For those expecting lots of kung fu versus alien fights will be disappoint as about 90 percent of the film is set in the past, aside from the opening shoot out/fight everything else is set in 1885. The fights themselves are uninspired borrowing a lot of moments that we have witnessed before in better films. There is a healthy quantity of fights through out the film but they rarely excite. Chen’s heightened abilities and photo memory should in all logic provide with an advantage but he just comes across as a regular fighter. Wang Zhi passes of as a capable fighter but has rarely any moments to demonstrate this. All the costars handle themselves in the action just fine but there is no stand out moment to make it register. Tiger Chen is an accomplished martial arts stuntman but he is not used to any great degree here. The final fight between Chen and Gang emulates the Wolverine/Sabretoth versus Deadpool fight from X-men Origins. Here our heroes stand back to back while the villain teleports back and forth exchanging punches and kicks. This moment last longer than necessary for it never impresses, with the camera lingering in a static position for a far too long. There is also a moment where its very reminiscent of the fight between Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Sheng Gang attempts to flee up a wall while fending of Chen, Chen on numerous occasions drags Gang back down. It’s too similar and lacks the fluidity and excitement of CTHD. 87eleven stunt team (action team for countless Hollywood productions; The Matrix, 300, John Wick etc.) serves as choreography consultant but one has to wonder to what capacity they aided in for nothing really stands out and as to why they would need to bring in external help considering Asia’s abundance of capable action choreographers themselves is baffling.

Budget constraints are apparent as smoke is heavily used on the battlefield to hide draw distance and the lack of extras. The first opening segment set in the future is at odds with the rest of the film; filled with weird angles and transitions mixed with strange use of overlaying frames where as the past segments settles down a bit more as a more standard affair. The film sells on the gimmick of kung fu versus aliens that it never fully capitalise on, with very little of the alien appearance. China has failed on many occasions with incorporating martial arts with robot and aliens, Jeff Lau’s terrible Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg and Wong Jing’s Future X-Cops are prime examples and now we can add Kungfu Traveler to the list. Souring matters is the 2018 more successful release of Beyond Skyline that demonstrated it is possible to make a decent martial arts mixed with aliens film.

Tiger Chen serves as one of the many producers in Kungfu Traveler and can share some of its blame. Kungfu Traveler neither satisfies the sci fi fans nor the action junkies.

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Semblance of old school wuxia stylings with a very unambitious story.

Benny Chan is no stranger to action orientated affairs; Gen X Cops, New Police Story, Invisible Target and Heroic Duo all provide a great levels of action entertainment. Though his decline in quality output recently has become more apparent in recent times with shakier exploits such as the misguided City Under Siege, a disappointing Shaolin though Call of Heroes is not as bad as the two aforementioned films it a rather meek affair.

Following the dissolution of the Qing Dynasty, China has become ravaged in the military takeovers. A son of a military governor, Marshal Cho (Louis Koo) wonders the cities indiscriminately killing and robbing individuals and derives pleasures from his misdeeds. During one of his killing sprees a school teacher Pak (Jiang Shuying) manages to escape and flees to a small town called Pucheng which is under the temporary protection of Yeung (Lau Ching-Wan), leader of the local militia. Also present is wanderer Ma Fung (Eddie Peng) and Pak enlists in his help to protect the children but he refuses. Marshal Cho soon arrives at the town of Pucheng and murders the school teacher and a few others along the way. Cho is quickly apprehended and sentenced to death but not too long after, the presence of Cho’s loyalist arrives, led by Cheung Yik (Wu Jing) and demands his release giving them till the morning to make a decision or there town will be massacred. Fearing there safety the town pleads Yeung to release Cho to spare their own demise and Yeung eventually relents but Cho still attacks the town and at the end Yeung and his remaining followers have to band together to save the town.

There are a good few points in the film that harkens back to the old days of Hong Kong 80’s cinema, with a simple story of brotherhood, triumphing against unsurmountable forces with sprinkling of martial arts thrown in. The story is simple to a point and there’s little in the form of surprises which is not necessarily a bad thing. Holding the film back is Louis Koo’s performance which goes to extreme territories and it seriously derails the film to new levels of absurd. His performance is so over the top its hard fathom how this was passed as a good performance by the director. Eddie Peng and his odd facial hair makes a welcome turn in a rather pointless role, his carefree nature and heroic acts is something that has been done to death but Peng fits the bill just fine. Lau Ching-Wan is reliable as always as the ambivalent leader but it’s hard to buy that he’s a credible martial arts master, he exudes a great authority and as a fine father figure in guiding his towns people and his eventual downfall is wonderfully acted. Wu Jing is just a side character whose sole purpose is to fight and acts as a lackey to the villainess Koo. Jing’s is properly the most multi layered character in the film but his plight is rather cliched and his connection with Eddie Peng’s character is typical film convenience.

Handling the fights is the legendary Sammo Hung and though occasionally satisfying, it is highly hindered by some very obtrusive wire work that seriously pulls viewers away from the fights. Hung is no stranger to odd uses of wire work in his films but they are usually in small dosages but Call of Heroes goes overboard with the weirdness and physics are very jarring, (I know it’s weird talking about physics in a Wuxia film). It’s not the floaty or balletic type found in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but there are some very strange body movements that just don’t work in context of things. Fights also tend to end pretty much as it gets going which is not a good sign for a film that sells itself on martial arts. Lau Ching-wan don’t quite look the martial artist but he is artfully doubled throughout and his style rarely requires him to perform the more flamboyant movements that is afford to Wu Jing or Eddie Peng. Lau Ching-wans weapon of choice is the whip which is, for most parts put to creative use but nothing to make it standout. The best fight is the night ambush where the henchmen gather to rescue there master, the fight allows each bit player to demonstrate the move set and it is possibly the most grounded fight scene in the film. The finale sees an all-out brawl in the Pucheng village and it is rather underwhelming with Lau Ching-wan not able to participate much in the action. The main draw is the fight between Eddie Peng and Wu Jing which is hindered by an over use of wire work, as the combatants stand on a pile of wine jugs to do battle.

Benny Chan does attempt to add layers of character but it fails to really elicit any excitement or emotional impact. The usage of a truly detestable villain is a very weak plot ploy to elicit triumph but Benny Chan is not known for his intricacy in dealing with plots and characters but usually the action and melodrama makes it for those shortcomings, Call of Heroes does become a bit tiresome for its lack of story ambition.

Call of Heroes is not a terrible film but it is definitely a step down from his more entertaining features such as Invisible Target, New Police Story and Gen X Cops days.

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Yuen Woo Ping once again demonstrates why he is the master

During the heyday of Hong Kong cinema Hong Kong released countless traditional kung fu films especially after the success of Jackie Chan’s Snake in the Eagle Shadow and Drunken Master. It is safe to say that many martial arts fans have seen these films as well as seeing the other better-known titles such as Prodigal Son, Warriors Two, Knockabout and countless others. Sometimes there are those that fall under the radar, unless you are a die-hard fan you will more than likely not heard of these gems. Buddhist Fist is such a film, rarely is it mentioned in the same light as the fore mentioned films but just as much deserving acclaim. Directed and choreographed by none other than Yuen Woo Ping with Tsui Siu Ming serving as co-director and one of the lead actors along with Woo Ping’s brother, Yuen Shun Yi. It’s one of the few opportunities to see Sui Ming in front of the camera and here he and Shun Yi are a joy to behold.

Young Ah Hsiang and young monk Siu Ming become childhood friends as a stolen potato by Sui Ming leads to the two fending of a bunch of kids. Ah Hsiang joins Siu Ming in studying kung fu. Fast forward some years and both adult Ah Hsiang (Yuen Shun Yi) and Sui Ming (Tsui Siu Ming) have become proficient in martial arts. With the blessing of his godfather (Cheung Hei) Ah Hsiang departs to the big city to earn money as a barber. Due to some misunderstanding and careless behaviour Ah Hsiang and his buddy Yu (Chan Lung) gets fired from their jobs resulting in his return back to his town. Meanwhile back at his hometown a mystery mastermind, who is after a priceless jade statute at the temple, is setting up a monk (no surprise who this is) with frolicking and the murder of a prostitute, with the plan to blackmail him into doing his bidding. Ah Hsiang returns to find that his godfather has gone missing and sets about in locating his whereabouts. His search leads him to an old friend working at an incense store owned by Mr Chen (Lee Hoi San) without any information he continues his search around town, which draws various assassination attempts. Eventually locating his godfather he finds out that it was his witnessing of the assailants attempts to steal the statute that lead to his predicament. The mastermind is unveiled and the audience is treated an epic showdown of great martial artists duking it out.

Yuen Woo Ping is a very competent action choreographer his films is widely recognised as some of the best in martial arts cinema but there are times where his films fall short of expectations such as The Miracle Fighters or Snuff Bottle Connection. Buddhist Fist is definitely one of his better films from his vast library of films, the kung fu on display here is phenomenal, with intricate choreography and complex movements. It is helped by Yuen Shun Yi who is in fine form and is capable of delivering some very complicated moves and shows off how nimble he is. It is such a shame that Shun Yi never got the recognition he deserves as he is on par with the likes of Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. The surprise is Tsui Siu Ming (better known for being behind the camera as action coordinator) makes a rare on screen appearance, his movements and techniques are very crisp and clean, making it a shame that he did not subsequently star in more kung fu films. The film consists of many fights and each one progresses in imagination, Shun Yi shoulders much of the reasonability as the main protagonist and gets to go toe to toe with some fine stunt actors in the industry. Each situation presents a unique encounter; Shu Yi fights with a fortune-teller (Sung Gam Loi) with the aid of his sifu (Fan Mei Sheng), a confrontation with a hunchback (San Kuai), a weapons duel with Lee Hoi San and various exchanges with Tsui Siu Ming. Despite Hong Kong’s assorted mix of traditional kung fu films Buddhist Fist still feels refreshing to watch and that falls down to the creative choreography.

Yuen Shun Yi is a fine actor whether he is the villain or the lead he portrays each one convincingly, here he shows general likability. Tsui Siu Ming again deserves credit for his performance as the monk; possessing vulnerability and innocence. Chan Lung makes a welcome friend but a shame that he does not show off his martial arts skills. Also making welcome appearances are the other Yuen sibling’s Brandy Yuen Jan Yeung, Yuen Yat Choh and Yuen Cheung Yan as well as father, Simon Yuen Siu Tin.

Those seeking a coherent story will be disappointed as it meanders all over the place with weird and often pointless characters introduced throughout. Also a Yuen Woo Ping staple is wacky humour and it is a regular occurrence during this film though at times it can be at odds with some of the more serious or violent moments. Credit has to be given to Yuen and Tsui (who also serve as writer) in attempting a different storyline from the traditional revenge, learn new kung fu and avenge storyline, but sadly it’s not that engaging. Fortunately there is enough fight scenes to saturate the weak story line.

A big problem that I encountered with the film is that there are moments where the film is shot in darker environments or night-time and during these moments it is particularly hard to see what’s going on, though these scenarios are few and far between.

For kung fu fans this is major gem. It is the Yuen clan at their best with some of the most creative and intricate choreography. With fine martial arts performances from all on board with special mention going to Tsui Siu Ming. I strongly recommend those who love their traditional kung fu films to seek this out.

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Old school styled fight scenes makes up for the heavy-handed approach to patriotism

Tsui Siu Ming may not be the household name for western audiences but he is a highly accomplished action director and director. Though his library is not as extensive as the likes of Yuen Woo Ping, Sammo Hung, Tony Ching Siu Tung, Tung Wei etc. his body of work provides enough qualities. Just look at his directional films such as Buddhist Fist, The Gang Master and Bury Me High for some quality martial arts films.

Tsui Siu Ming still adheres to the old school formula of throwing everything together, 2007 saw his return to the silver screen serving as action director, writer and producer on Twins Mission starring Sammo Hung, Wu Jing, Yuen Wah, Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung. It was a mismatched product of old school and new school that did not quite successfully balance the two. 2008 sees Tsui Siu Ming return to the director’s chair in the propaganda film Champions to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the 1930’s a group of athlete students wish to participate in the Olympic Games but there dreams are squandered by the fees required to send the participants abroad. In hopes to raising the amount they set about in various fund raising activities. Lead by martial arts student Cheung Fung (Dicky Cheung Wai Kin) they embark on street performances, side shows, menial jobs and sports participation. Along the proceedings fellow martial arts student Kwan Shue Po (Xie Miao), in a chance encounter rescues a baby boy of a wealthy businessman from his conniving nephew, So Sam Pei (Chi Long). While Cheung Fung and Shue Po’s master Cheung Chi Kong (Yu Rong Guang) becomes a representative of the Chinese martial arts community which enrages rival master On Yung (Xu Xiang Dong) who suggest that a martial arts competition of ‘winner of the fittest’ should be a fairer judgement of the best martial artist. The outcome is a martial arts tournament that means the winners gets to participate in the Olympics.

Champions can be a hard film to stomach filled with heavy dosages of melodrama and heavy-handed messages of the greatness of China. Subtly is clearly not Tsui Siu Ming’s intentions with things like if we work together we are greater, the unity of people are better and the power of the Chinese spirit are all messages that Tsui Siu Ming forces down the audiences throat. Brass comedy, nonsensical plot, over wrought emotions, undying love, self sacrificing heroism and martial arts fights creates a product that would not be out of place in the 80’s. Amidst the story is some very dull side plots that drags proceedings down but thankfully they don't linger too long before the fight scenes occur. The track race competition in particular is shot in a very mundane manner lacking tension or excitement. Though the film still somehow manages to entertain with its old school approach throwing everything on the table and shuffling it into an enjoyable end product.

Xie Miao is probably best remembered as the son of Jet Li in My Father is a Hero and The New Legend of Shaolin, here he shares costar status and does a fine job as the good intentioned Shue Po. Dicky Cheung performs adequately as the loud mouth cocky lead but can sometimes border on irritating with his constant barrage of jokes and antics. Priscilla Wong Chui Yu over acts as the track runner and love interest of Dicky Cheung. Her emotions don’t quite hit the mark and her pain and suffering is thrust in the faces of the audience opposed to slowly developed. Playing her rival track runner is Debbie Goh who leers and delivers lines of angst in a flat manner. Chi Long who plays the criminal boss gives a cartoon performance that is laughably bad. Yu Rong Guang most will recognise from Iron Monkey and the lead villain in My Father is a Hero opposite Jet Li and Shanghai Noon opposite Jackie Chan. Here he is a pleasant surprise as the master, he carries an air of authority with a sense of honorable pride. Rival martial arts master Xu Xiang Dong is probably best remembered in Tai Chi 2 fighting Wu Jing during the finale and a fellow comrade of Jackie Chan in Dragon Blade, here he is gives one of the better performances successfully capturing his arrogant pride and cocky attitude. Most of the problems of the actors can be attributed to the lousy script.

Being a product of Tsui Siu Ming there is a healthy amount of martial arts action that makes up for everything that precedes it. Collaborating once again with Benz Kong To Hoi (Director of Twins Mission), Tsui and Benz crafts some very creative old school fights where a lot of forms and shape are thrown in. Helped by some long takes and wider angles it’s definitely a welcome product of this day and age of choppy editing, tight framing and shaky cam. The use of actual martial arts talents is a great choice, as the martial art movements are smooth and convincing. Dicky Cheung one of the few non martial arts artist given prominent fight scenes delivers the fight moves convincingly and demonstrates a great grasp of the style he is made to use. The eagle claw and mantis fist are given a lot of screen time and everyone performs adequately. Xie Miao is a welcome talent on board and demonstrates some fluid body movements, it is help that he is an actual practitioner of the mantis fist. Yu Rong Guang makes a welcome return in a fighting role after appearing as bit roles in films like The Myth and New Police Story, though not as agile as witnessed in films such as Iron Monkey or Project S he delivers some great hand to hand combinations against fellow martial arts actor Xu Xiang Dong. Xu Xiang Dong performs the eagle claw with ease providing great power and threat with his smooth movements. Xu Xiang Dong and Yu Rong Guang’s fight is a great demonstration of the eagle claw and tai chi showing great use of locking and reversals. Making a brief appearance is real life tai chi practitioner Lee Fei best remembered in the Iron Monkey as the Witch, here she engages in some brief tightly choreographed scuffles that she gracefully demonstrates nice use of tai chi. A surprising turn is actor Xiao Ming Yue (The Legendary Amazons) who shows much grace in his kicking combinations. A slight drawback is the over abundance of wire enhanced moves that usually involves lifting the talents in the air to deliver an otherwise impossible amount of kicking combination. There is a health amount of fights scattered throughout and each one provides enough variety.

If you can stomach the melodrama and the heavy handed approach of patriotism then underneath is an old school film created in the modern generation that provides quality fight scenes.

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Jovovich’s first Chinese film is an overstuffed spy caper that fails to be above average.

After his foray as director in 2013’s Firestorm starring Andy Lau, scriptwriter Alan Yuen Kam Lun returns once again with his latest feature film The Rookies. From a script written by Yuen himself, The Rookies is a spy caper high on comedy with a sprinkling of action, aided by foreign locations and an extended guest appearance from Mila Jovovich. It all sounds good but the final outcome is a very standard affair. Released only in a select few cinemas The Rookies made little impact in the Chinese cinema box office.

Zhao Feng (Darren Wang Dalu) is an internet sensation whose fans adore him for his extreme stunt antics. His latest stunt involves a 2 man race up a high rise building all the while live streaming. Due to a mishap in his latest stunt he ends up in the middle of a black market exchange of a deadly weapon, fortunate for Zhao super spy Bruce (Mila Jovovich) crashes in to stop the transaction. Bruce decides to recruit Zhao in joining there espionage organization sending Zhao to Budapest with the hopes of stopping a terrorist group lead by Iron Fist (Dave Lee McInnis) who intends to release a deadly toxin upon the world. Miao Yan (Sandrine Pinna), a bipolar cop that now resides in the last department that is willing to accept her is sick of her inept department and chief (Lam Suet) so she ventures to pursue Zhao after witnessing his live stream. Miao Yan lands in Budapest and join forces with Zhao as well as lifelong friend Ding Shan (Xu Weizhou) and LV (Liu Meitong) in an attempt to stop the evil Iron Fist.

The name Alan Yuen may not be instantly recognizable but he is an accomplished script writer having penned the script for Jackie Chan’s New Police Story, Rob-B-Hood, Shaolin and the highly acclaimed Monster Hunt. His previous directional feature Firestorm was a commercial success that hinted at a bright future ahead for Yuen, surprisingly it took him this long to have his next directional film. Though The Rookies is not a complete mess of a film, it fails to successfully meld all its ingredients into a logical and cohesive product demonstrating Yuen’s scatter gun approach and inability to juggle multiple elements. Yet fun can be derived from the film as its spontaneous and randomness helps makes the proceeding easier to sit through. At 113 minutes the film moves at surprisingly brisk pace spending little time to settle down or in establishing relationships and characters, with a romantic love angle coming out of nowhere and never really convinces. The abundance of characters also harms proceedings as Yuen has little time to establish a clear motive for the lead villain whose plans is generic to a fault, not too dissimilar to any of the early Bond villains, in which clearly Yuen draws much of his inspiration from. The film is also tonally inconsistent and the abrupt changes can be quite jarring with moments of violence that heavily juxtaposes the comedy that played before; legs gets sliced, fingers chopped and people get shot. A huge problem that the film does suffer is the editing which is so erratic it can be disorientating, even the briefest of gestures are cut making movements feel choppy and this also transitions into the action scenes.

Handling the action is Stephen Tung Wei (Scooby Doo, Hitman) and what is displayed is fun and creative if a little over edited. The film has a heavy serving of action and there is enough variety to keep things interesting. The opening sees Bruce crashing an illicit transaction, the fight that proceeds is a fun introduction demonstrating creative use of the environment with Bruce effectively disarming her opponents, weaving from the chandelier, under the stairs and along the walls, though the action is often hidden in some rather erratic editing, it may be used to disguise the fact that Mila is doubled for most parts. Midway we are presented with a car chase which employs inventive camera movements and highlights some great driving skills from the Hungarian stunt drivers. A three wheeler motor car chase through a festival and onto the streets is an interesting moment with creative use of the vehicles hitting a briefcase around as our each party attempts to catch the case. The finale ends in a Bond-esque villain base, audience is treated to an extended action sequence mixing gun fire, parkour chases and fights. Those expecting long intricate choreography may be disappointed instead Tung utilizes a combination of quick strikes and throwdowns similar to what he employed in Heroic Duo or Mekong Operations. It can occasionally feel odd that our non-trained protagonist are able to evade and take out a whole base full of enemies but it is the type of film where you have to suspend your logic. Miao Yan serves most of the fist cuffs while Zhao is more evasive maneuverers.

If you approach the film with the expectation of it being a live action cartoon then it can satisfy to a certain extent, the heavy amount of screen animation such as floating on screen text to emulate live internet feeds and text messages all help to create the illusion. The costumes and sets are also highly exaggerated with flamboyant dress codes and lolita costumes lending itself not to be taken seriously. Sets often are highly larger-than-life and the toys provided for the protagonists are often silly.
It maintains a level of visual appeal and can be fun witnessing the quirkiness on display, sometimes pulling random moments that come out of nowhere. Surprisingly the visual effects are of a high standard and that is important considering the abundance of it on display. A large portion of the film was shot in Budapest and the beautiful locations help in creating visual appeal as well as leading an international feel.

Lead Taiwanese actor Darren Wang’s smug performance can irritate at times but this matches his onscreen persona effectively. Sandrine Pinna fares much better in her role fluctuating between nerdy to hot head with ease, her bipolar tendencies can often become over the top. Dave Lee McInnis best known for his role as Raiden in the web series Mortal Kombat does the best with what he can trying his hardest not to cross the line of cartoon villainy which is not helped that his character is written as such. He carries certain gravitas and charisma in his scenes and it’s a shame to see him in such a weak role. Xu Weizhou plays the odd ball inventor of the team with enough charm and fun but his role is not established enough to give any real meaning or purpose to the character. Then there is his onscreen love interest LV played by Liu Meitong who does the sweet and bubbly assistant bid well. Sadly Mila Jovovich fares the weakest out of the lot with an over exaggerated performance and coarse voice to emphasis her level of mystery and forced coolness. Weirdly she spends the latter half of the film sitting out in most of the action which becomes a little of a shame considering her impressive intro. Familiar faces pop up such as Lam Suet as the safe playing police chief, Lo Meng as the unfortunate colleague, Kathy Chow as the hip mum and Danny Chan as the cool triad boss, all bringing some weirdness and quirks to add to the fun of the film.

It does feel that Allan Yuen wanted to attempt to much but never really settling on comfortable genre. With so much rubbish that China and HK have been releasing of the late The Rookies don’t quite fall that low into that category but it does not reach the heights that it should have. Despite its many flaws there is fun to be deemed from the occasionally amusing comedy and the often satisfying action sequences.

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China’s most expensive film creates cinematic history after a disastrous opening

Sporting a collective of talents from around the world, adopting Hollywood’s skills and employing Chinese ethos into the fantasy epic, Asura which to this date is China’s most expensive film with a budget of 113 million US dollars. Boasting talents such as Oscar winner costume designer Ngila Dickson (The Lord of the Rings), VFX expert Charlie Iturriaga (Deapool), veteran audio director Martín Hernandez (Bridman) and Hollywood stunt coordinator Damien Walters (Kingsman). Charged with bringing the new proposed trilogy is director Zhang Peng, a veteran fight choreographer who has made a name for himself in Hollywood with a filmography consisting of Scott Pligrim, Twilight, Kick-ass to name a few.

Chinese obsession with CGI filled epics has become the norm these days with an over saturation of hollow films that pleases on a visual level but feels empty. Films like League of Gods, Wu Kong, The Monkey King trilogy, The Thousand faces of Huada are just a few some of the films that embraced CGI but failed to engage in story telling. Asura sadly continues this trend.

Asura follows the story of a young boy named Ruyi (Leo Wu Li) who begins his life as a humble sheep herder. Unknown to him is that he is the brother of the Asura King (Tony Leung Ka Fai and Carina Lau Ka Ling) who wishes to reunite with Ruyi so they can merge together allowing him to unlock the ‘great power’ within him and rule all of Asura realm. Ruyi is retrieved by Asura King’s right hand man Shi Po Lo (Feng Jia Yi) and introduced to the realm of Asura where will be ruling over. Ruyi’s arrival is attacked by the Rebels, lead by Hua Rei (Zhang Yi Shang) and her team of followers who opposes the King’s rule. After meeting the Asura King he soon realises the Kings dastardly plans and with the help of his pumpkin sidekick Tuka he seeks the rebels for help in putting a stop to his rule.

Released on July 13th 2018 the film immediately received a lot of negative reviews from audiences. Since July 15th 2018, just 3 days of release the film is pulled from the cinema screens. The decision made not by any government authorities or cinema chains but by the very producers themselves. The producers state that the negative press from certain individuals were deemed biased and with intentions to “sabotage’ the reputation of the film. During its 3 day run the film earned a measly 7 million US dollars, which is very low for a film of this calibre. As of now the film is going through some reediting and will be once again put back onto cinema screens at a later date.

Its not surprising if you have not heard of Zhang Peng but its more than likely you have witnessed his work as action choreographer in Hollywood such as Hellboy 2, Ant-man and 47 Ronins. Asura is Peng’s first directional debut and he demonstrates great use for spectacle but little finesse in pacing and performances. Deaths lack conviction and is almost inconsequential as we care little for the character or the emotional baggage that is suppose come with it. The opening alone has 2 major deaths that barely register for the characters are never set up enough for audiences to care. The death of a particular rebel at the beginning is so uneventful that it is laughable we don't even see the face of the character that dies just a body falling to its death. The Asura King is one note with very little characterisation its almost cartoon like. The multiple heads the makes the whole of Asura King is utilised in a mundane way and almost feel like a gimmick. At over 141 mins its way too long to sit through where nothing really develops into anything engaging. The mid section sags as action set pieces take a back seat and drama is placed in the forefront with overlong expositions and an undercooked romance. Leo Wu and Yi Shang have little chemistry and there love for one another just happens opposed to built towards. The other important romance between Tuka and Qi Ya offers little emotional pay off as they have very little on screen time spent together.

Names are given to much of the background characters but you will be hard pressed to remember who is who as they have little to do other than to participate in fights and languish in the background. Performance all round is pretty poor even from the veterans. Tony Leung’s performance is a caricature. Carina Lau only has a head for performance delivering her lines in a flat manner. Leo Wu does care free and happy very well but drops the ball once he has to emote rage and sadness. His emotional monologue never fully convinces. Newcomer Zhang Yi Shang lacks conviction as bad ass warrior and leader as well as sporting very little facial expressions. Rounding of the Rebel team is Paul Clarke (Kung Fu Yoga) who scrunches his face far too often in displays of anguish, Mathew Knowles (Love Me If You Dare?) is there as the big guy of the team, Caitlin Dechelle (Chinese Zodiac and Wonder Woman’s stunt double) and UK contortionist Bonetics makes brief appearances here and there but seems to be interchangeable with other rebels. Damien Walters protégé Greg Townley (Kingsman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) has little to offer in screen performance but displays some fine acrobatic movements.

Production design is fantastic with great elaborate sets matched with great cinematography. Much of the film draws inspiration from The Lord of the Rings, with sets feeling organic and inhabitants of different varieties feeling natural. Sadly the Asura realm created feels too unpopulated and undeveloped for audiences to really feel for the citizens. Visual effects by and large is top notch with the occasional dip in quality here and there, most often is the background plates not matching with the character. Creature design is great but sadly execution is not always matched, in Asura the horse’s head is a creature of its own and as our soldiers ride said horses, the heads takes flight as a winged creature, the idea is sound but when we witness the transition it does not quite feel natural. With so much going on the film tries to cater to all audience resulting in half baked scenarios.

Musical score is of a high quality hitting the correct emotional beats as well as giving the feeling of a fable or fairy tale on par with The Lord of the Rings sadly the biggest problem with the score is that its too frequent. So many moments are punctuated by a musical score but silence would have been more fitting.

Zhang Peng has made a name for himself as a fantastic action choreograph so one would expect exceptional fight action in Asura. Collaborating with his regular cohort Damien Walters and Gao Xiang (Hellboy 2) they craft some fantastic set pieces but sadly in most occasions there is some minor things hindering the exceptional fight choreography. The fight set pieces are varied and offer enough variety to entertain. The opening fight scene takes place on 2 mountain tops linked together by rope bridges, though its really hard to decipher the information and geography for the lighting is way to dark which obscures much on display. The occasional moment that we do see it becomes a great showcase of some great fight choreography and acrobatic display. Following this is an aerial and ground battle that fluctuates between entertaining and frustrating. For the aerial battle the combatants are connected by a CGI creature that allows them flight but most of the time these CGI beings obscure the view of what the live action talents are performing so mostly it looks like clashes of CGI creatures opposed to careful orchestrated fights. Cutting between the aerial fight is the ground battle, which provides some impressive stunt and wire-work mixed with some interesting fight choreography. An interesting note is that much of aerial fight was filmed on actual location, which is an impressive feat. The best set piece of the film is the fight between the narrow cliff faces. Featuring a remarkable display of acrobatic movements between the rock faces mixed with some extraordinary stunt work. The only quip about this is that there is so much going on it can be rather chaotic on screen making it difficult to focus on the central action. Just like every other CGI fantasy film from China, Asura’s finale is an orgy of CGI with little fighting involved. The technical side in achieving this scene is impressive; sporting one of the largest LED rooms ever made just for a scene but it provides little satisfaction for the audience. Pseudo single takes are utilised in the fight scenes giving a very nice flow in movement it is a technique dubbed “morph” employed similarly in Kingsman.

The impressive team that Asura had assembled has paid of from a visual stand point; sporting some great cinematography, impressive production design, intricate fight choreography and top notch visual effects but sadly story and pacing are neglected in the process resulting in a sub par film. It will be intriguing to see what the announced new reedited version will be like, some streamlining and cutting of the excessive fat is definitely necessary.

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The final instalment in the legendary Wong Fei Hung saga is an entertaining slice of action cinema.

Vincent Zhao Wen Zhuo returns for a second outing as the legendary Wong Fei Hung, in sadly the last part of Tsui Harks epic saga (not counting the unofficial films and TV series). After the rather disappointing fourth film directed by Yuen Bun that featured way too many lion dance action as well re-treading similar territory as its predecessors, Once Upon a Time in China V makes a more welcome return with Tsui Hark once again in the directors chair.

Once Upon a Time in China V (OUTIC V) is much more brisk than its previous outings, this time round there is less political and historical exposition. Though these elements are in place they are not as grand as the usual Fei Hung films instead we are regulated to a small southern town where the governing body has fled after the abandonment of the Empress Dowager, leaving the town in state of poverty and unrest. Following after the events of the fourth instalment Fei Hung accompanied by Leung Fu (Max Mok), Club Foot (Xiong Xin Xin), Wong Kei Ying (Lau Shun) and Aunt May (Jean Wang) make there way to a small town to meet Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan), Butcher Wing (Kent Cheng) and Buck Tooth (Roger Kwok – replacing Jackie Cheung from the first instalment) before venturing to Hong Kong. Fei Hung’s sense of justice prevents him from leaving this town and with his team he sets about restoring justice. Along the way he discovers a governless court kept going by a band of righteous court magistrates (lead by Cheung Tit Lam in a different role from OUTIC II) who aid Fei Hung, pirate ridden seas keeping the town under siege lead by the notorious pirate leader Junior Cheung (played by HK action director Stephen Tung Wei) and his right wing commander Ying (Elaine Liu) and a rice seller (Tam Bing Man) who takes advantage of his towns people.

To restore order Fei Hung leads Leung Fu, Butcher Wing, Club Foot and Buck Tooth into the pirate’s den, taking on the father of the pirate leader, Cheung Bo Jai. Fei Hung’s success leads the remaining pirates to attack the town resulting in a final showdown between the two factions. Amidst all this are much comedic antics from his students revolving around Fei Hung’s love triangle between Aunt Yee and Aunt May.

Though complaints have been made about the comedic elements, I for one believe that the dosage was just about right it never devolved into mindless antics and when it was becoming too much Tsui Hark moved on to his next set piece. Both actresses; Rosamund Kwan and Jean Wang do admirable jobs in there rolls, with Wang providing a much more likeability. Lau Shun is in fine form returning as Wong Kei Ying but is given little to do. Max Mok has certainly made Leung Fu his own after taking over from Yuen Biao, his character provides much of the comedy with his relentless bickering between his brother in arms Butcher Wing and Club Foot. Kent Cheng is mainly reprising his role introduced in the first outing. As with before he makes a convincing portrayal of Butcher Wing. Once again Xiong Xin Xin steals the show as Club Foot his mentally challenged character is a highlight of the series and Xiong adds much flair to Club Foot. Roger Kwok makes an interesting turn as Buck Tooth but seems at odds with the originally introduced character of the first in the series depicted by Jacky Cheung, here his character is more action savvy and holds his own with the rest of the team where originally his character was just a medical student. Elaine Liu makes a surprising turn as the right hand commander of the pirates. Sadly it is Tung Wei that is a bit weak as the pirate leader, though his performance is serviceable he spends most of his time snarling and leer with his wide eyes.

Much unfair negative comment has been lamented on Vincent Zhou’s turn as the legendary Wong Fei Hung, Zhou’s carries much poise and confidence as Fei Hung as did Jet Li’s portrayal. Though his romantic chemistry with Rosamund Kwan’s Aunt Yee is given less screen time he still provides the same bumbling dumbfounded innocence of love when around Yee’s antics. Zhou carries an air authority of a great master.

As for the action OUTIC V does not quite reach the dizzying heights of episode 2 or the iconic ladder fight of the first instalment, if anything it is more akin to part 3 in the saga. Though there are many fights scattered throughout, many of them are short and as it gets going it ends pretty quick. Much of the action is wire assisted which may irk a lot of people but it has to be said that Yuen Bun has made creative use of the wire work. Vincent Zhou is a competent martial artist and when he lets loose he is a sight to behold, his fight in the pirates den with the century old pirate is creative display of choreography once the audience accepts the wire assisted moves. Buck Tooth also joins in with the action with duel wielding guns. The likes of Elaine Liu, Max Mok and Kent Cheng makes for convincing fighters. It is once again Xiong Xin Xin that steals the show with his lightning fast kicks and acrobatic movements. The raid in the courtroom is one of Xiong’s highlights as he kicks multiple opponents while balancing on a chair, though he is strapped to wires it does not diminish from the skills on display. Unfortunately the final throw down between 2 great martial artists; Vincent Zhou and Stephen Tung Wei is a bit of a letdown as the 2 combatants spend most of the time performing exaggerated movements with little actual martial arts fighting and when it happens it is over very soon.

As with all the OUTIC entries the production value is phenomenal with some creative set designs and costumes. The musical score is also of a high standard as is expected from a Tsui Hark production.

The fifth entry is actually a refreshing take on the Fei Hung saga. The previous entries can sometimes feel bogged down by the political turmoil’s and Tsui Harks heavy-handed expositions. Once Upon a Time in China V does not suffer from this allowing it to breath and breeze along. The film is fun and entertaining helped by some healthy dosage of action once one gets past the fact that its use of wires.

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