Voting is now officially closed for the Top 50100 Hong Kong Films of the Nineties. Thanks to everyone who sent in ballots — all 130+ of you. Turnout was less than last time’s 150+, but considering the subject, that’s not a surprise. After all, it’s likely that many of this site’s readers were BORN during the nineties.

One day this kid will be ready to vote for the Top Hong Kong Films of 2010-2019.

This is probably my oldest fan

Generally speaking, the results were not hugely surprising, though my early pick for the Top Film actually did not win. I guess I don’t know the site readership as well as I thought I did. Also, a lot of great films got shafted; some terrific films got nominated, but received little support. If you see something missing from the final list don’t be surprised.

Maybe when the whole thing is over I’ll post up an occasional blog entry pointing out one or two films that people might have forgotten. An elaborate countdown of the results should start sometime in mid-March, assuming I can figure out how to manage my time correctly. I’ll probably announce the actual start time on the regular LoveHKFilm site after I get my bearings.

Once this whole thing is done, we’ll have to consider a vote for the Top Hong Kong Films of the 80s. Honestly, though, I’m leaning towards a vote for the Worst 100 Hong Kong Films Ever. Debate would be lively, if not positive.

In the meantime, Happy Year of the Tiger! Louis Koo says “Hi.”

“Thanks for voting for ON FIRE!”

Happy Lunar New Year! This photo is from last year, but Stephy Tang wants to wish you a great Year of the Ox Tiger.

“This year, I want to play a smart person!”

She can do it! You go, Stephy!

Anyway, there’s a lot coming up for Hong Kong movies and LoveHKFilm.com this year, but we’ll start by partying like it’s 1999. Late last year, we completed a reader vote for the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Aughts. Even though it’s only February 2010, we’re going to be running yet another reader vote.

“Really, again? Can’t you try
something a little more original?”

We pretty much like to run things into the ground around here. Sorry, Fiona.

In the second of LoveHKFilm.com’s intermittent, poorly scheduled reader votes we’re asking for site readers to help select the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Nineties. By readers, we mean everyone: teenagers, sixty year-old retirees, single mothers, agoraphobic technophiles, and even Donnie Yen. You all have an equal say.

“You’re going to vote for all my movies, right?
Don’t forget about COME FLY THE DRAGON!”

We’ll run this vote in a much more relaxed fashion than the last one, as timeliness is not an issue. It’s not like the nineties are going anywhere. To participate, please follow these handy rules:

1. Use the LoveHKFilm.com Contact Form to send a list of your top films from the years 1990-1999.
2. You may list either 10 or 20 films* on your vote, and order them with #1 being the top-rated film and #10 or #20 being at back of the pack.
3. Please print in the subject line of your email “TOP 90s MOVIES”.
4. It’s optional, but you can write a few sentences or words about your faves. We may end up using them when the results are published.
5. Send in your votes by end of day on February 28th. I’m not pushing the whole GMT, PST, EST thing so there’s some leeway. As long as I don’t get your vote on March 2nd, you’l be fine.

*The big asterisk is here to explain why we’re letting you rank 10 or 20 films for your list. Simply put, a ton of movies came out during the nineties, and people may want to list more than just 10. If that’s your deal, go ahead and list 20.

However, please note that this WILL make a difference for the points that your films get. If you vote for only 10, then #1 gets 10 points and #10 gets 1 point. However, if you vote for 20 films, then #1 gets 10 points, #2 gets 9.5 points, and so on. To illustrate, a #10 film gets 5.5 points, and #20 gets 0.5 points. Voting for 20 films means 1/2 point steps between each films, as opposed to the 1 point step between each film.

Are you getting this? Probably not, but rest assured it’s all being done to make this vote even more complex for me to run. I’m all about doing things the hard way.

“I know you’re voting for my films,
so I won’t even act like I care. I shouldn’t
even bother to make movies. Just hand me cash
and we can cut out the middleman.”

Now, which films qualify? During the last vote, the question “What is a Hong Kong film?” was quite tricky. There were foreign co-productions, Pan-Asian casts, movies with Jude Law, etc. It got kind of messy.

However, identifying qualifying films is much easier for this vote as the nineties were a simpler time. Aside from more appearances by Michael Wong and Chingmy Yau, few if any films from the nineties qualified as foreign co-productions. Here are the simplified rules:

1. The film has to be from Hong Kong and released theatrically during the years 1990-1999.
2. Not a single Zhang Yimou film qualifies for this vote. Sorry.
3. If Chen Kaige is your 5th generation director of choice, you may only vote for TEMPRESS MOON.
4. RUSH HOUR, THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, and any John Woo film after 1992 do not count.
5. Is Jean-Claude Van Damme in the movie? Then it doesn’t count.
6. All series can only be voted for via their individual entries, e.g. the YOUNG AND DANGEROUS movies do not count as a vote. You have to vote for YOUNG AND DANGEROUS, YOUNG AND DANGEROUS 2, and SEXY AND DANGEROUS as separate films. The exception: CHINESE ODYSSEY 1 and CHINESE ODYSSEY 2 can count as a single film.
7. If you’re curious if a film qualifies or not, feel free to ask in the blog comments. I’ll say “yes”, “no” or “nice try, buddy.”

There, totally simple. The most important rule is this one, though: HAVE FUN. You don’t have to select the most award-worthy or acclaimed films - you can just choose movies that you enjoy. As such, I expect to see appearances on this vote from BOYS ARE EASY, SATAN RETURNS, I’M YOUR BIRTHDAY CAKE and, of course, GIRLS UNBUTTON. Loletta Lee fans, this is your time.

This is the only Loletta Lee picture on my
hard drive where she’s wearing clothes.

If you can’t figure out what movies came out when, uh, sorry. There are some online resources that you can use, however, including a downloadable PDF from the Hong Kong Film Archive which lists every film up to 2006. The nineties comprise 99 out of 749 pages, so happy reading. Thanks to Tim Youngs and Kevin Ma for pointing me in its direction!

Alternately, you can use the Awards Archives on LoveHKFilm.com to jog your memory of films released during the nineties. Also, you can visit the handy database at Hong Kong Cinemagic, where you can sort by year to figure out what came out when.

Results will be up sometime in March! I’m hoping for a similar turnout to last time. However, if the results are as diverse as I hope they are, I may expand this whole Top 50 thing to a full Top 100.  As usual, tell your friends and enemies to participate to make it this a more comprehensive, interesting and/or exciting vote. Hopefully, the results will better introduce people to recommended films than the incredible denseness of the site review archive. That would be nice anyway.

Vote early to support nineties-era Ekin!

During the nineties, Ekin Cheng was
more popular than this stuffed bunny.
Now the reverse is true.

In the last installment of this two-entry catch-up of 2009 movies, I wrote about 4 films that Kevin Ma reviewed and I didn’t. Here are 5 more movies that I didn’t review, written up here in glorious, snarky and completely unprofessional blog review format. Try to contain your excitement and/or anger. Eason Chan didn’t, and look what happened to him:

“As soon as my nose stops bleeding,
your website is going down!”

Onward and upwards:

TURNING POINT

“You do NOT make fun of my hair! Got that?!?”

Viva TVB! Hong Kong’s leading entertainment monopoly threw their hat back into the movie arena with this “prequel” to their hit drama E.U., which tells the backstory of Michael Tse’s undercover cop/gangster character Laughing Gor. Laughing Gor was apparently so popular on E.U. that when he died midway through the drama, it created an outpouring of support. Laughing Gor must be pretty kickass.

Well, Laughing Gor might have been hot stuff in E.U. but in TURNING POINT he takes a backseat to the scene-stealing antics of Anthony Wong and Francis Ng. Both overact, but deceptively. Wong does so via his bizarre wardrobe and completely unnecessary character tics, whereas Ng does it via a blustery triad character who turns out to be pretty damn awesome. When people discuss who Hong Kong’s best actor is, it’s fair to throw both Anthony Wong and Francis Ng’s hats into the ring. This time Ng emerges victorious, with both he and Wong earning a decisive victory over the comparatively uninteresting Michael Tse.

The film itself? Entertaining despite being over plotted and full of egregious product placement. Considering its TVB backing, TURNING POINT is fun, above-average stuff that more-or-less earned its status as one of the year’s highest-grossing locals films. Herman Yau isn’t the flashiest director around, but he knows when and where to take control of his films. With TURNING POINT, he goes smartly commercial. That, and the super-packed cast (Including Yuen Biao. Yuen Biao!), make this one of the year’s better diversions.

I give this 7 out of 10 sticks of Anthony Wong-endorsed lip gloss.

Kevin Ma’s review

VENGEANCE

“Aim for the fat guy in the third row.”

Johnnie To, we love you, but when you get too self-referential it can get a bit trying. VENGEANCE earned some critical disapproval because it pretty much tread on Johnnie To’s old territory, recycling themes of brotherhood, honor, and the age-old “I’m losing my memory” trope that seems to appear in at least one Hong Kong film per year. Not one to tire of a good thing, To and co-conspirator Wai Ka-Fai revisit the quirky, ironic hitman genre with VENGEANCE.

The generic elements aren’t hard to catch. VENGEANCE involves a French chef (Johnny Hallyday) who was once a FULLTIME KILLER, but now he seeks FINAL JUSTICE against the EXECUTIONERS who put his daughter (Sylvie Testud) in the hospital and her family in the morgue. A HEROIC TRIO of gangland assassins (Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, Gordon Lam) offers to HELP him with his MISSION while risking being EXILED by their over-the-top triad boss (Simon Yam). However, the chef is RUNNING OUT OF TIME thanks to a BULLET IN THE HEAD that may result in a SCARRED MEMORY. Yes, Johnnie To was not involved in all those films. Sorry for stretching this joke out.

VENGEANCE is actually better than the disappointment that its enlarged expectations might engender. Its action sequences are somewhat ridiculous, the storyline lathered in Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai’s trademark irony, and there are glaring errors in continuity and logic. Also, some touches are just flat-out cheese. At the same time, VENGEANCE is stylish, creative and more fun than it really should be. This is Johnnie To in EXILED mode, i.e. delivering something for the fans, with the two films containing a similar amount of self-amused, postmodern action movie touches. It is pretty much a retread from To, but a fairly acceptable one.

Let’s look at it this way: would people prefer a mix of RUNNING OUT OF TIME and EXILED, or do they want another LINGER? I’d actually go for another NEEDING YOU, but I’m sure many people in Europe and North America would prefer my fiery death before Johnnie To stooped to that. So yeah, VENGEANCE is good enough for Milkyway fans. For now. And hey, Gordon Lam and Lam Suet are dubbed by Terence Yin and Conroy Chan. The film also introduces a fine solution to dirty dishes: skeet shooting! Just for those touches, VENGEANCE is the very definition of awesome.

I give this 6 out of 10 bullet-riddled jackets.

Kevin Ma’s review

THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC

“You appeared in SNIPER? What the hell were you thinking?”

As good as a movie about the founding of the Chinese Communist Party could possibly be, and I say that with all sincerity. FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC is a commercial for Mao Tse-Tung (Or is it Mao Zedong? Someone tell me before I’m arrested.), but it’s interesting and even a little surprising, actually making both Mao Tse-Tung and Chiang Kai-Shek into sympathetic, likable guys. Chiang Kai-Shek is actually more compelling than Mao Tse-Tung here, a very unexpected move from the filmmakers. Many of the other characters are merely names or ciphers, but since they’re played by a who’s who of Chinese cinema actors, any star-gazing audience should not complain.

Ultimately, the whole thing turns out to be a whole lot better than the “our way or the highway” film that FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC threatened to be. There’s a lot that’s flawed - needless roles, pointless “moments” and some ill-placed humor - but overall, this is a decent historical panorama that can intrigue uninitiated audiences. That is, if those audiences are prepared for a 150 minute epic about a bunch of meetings. Really, that’s what this film is: lots of people talking, talking, before moving elsewhere to talk some more. Sometimes there’s some tension, but usually it’s resolved by someone talking to someone else. If you can handle that, then this movie delivers more than a bunch of babbling. It’s well made, has oodles of pretty (and not so pretty) faces, and provides some human drama beneath the political maneuvering and pontificating.

For an even easier recommendation, ask yourself this: do you like China? Or do you loathe China? FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC will not change the mind of either side, so if you adhere to one opinion staunchly then you’re already halfway to liking or hating the film. The other half of the equation? Whether or not lots of dialogue puts you to sleep.

My rating: 7 out of 10 quick cat naps in the the cinema.

Kevin Ma’s review

KJ

Wong Ka-Jeng at the 10th Anniversary
screening of PARA PARA SAKURA 

KJ contains the best character in any film this year - he just happens to be a real person. Music prodigy Wong Ka-Jeng (or KJ) is a real piece of work, and a guy that you can like while simultaneously being annoyed with. It’s easy to appreciate his musical talent and drive for perfection - though that appreciation is tempered by the amusement or apprehension gleamed from the self-righteous emotions and possible twisted personality that he displays. A charismatic, self-absorbed iconoclast, KJ would be a great movie character. However, this documentary pretty much reveals why movie characters only work in the movies - because in real life, those people would be hell to hang around with.

There are some choices made in Cheung King-Wai’s documentary that earn a raised eyebrow. Cheung manipulates information and audience knowledge, revealing some should-be-known information in near-narrative fashion. Such technique is not always kosher in the supposedly impartial world of documentary, but KJ is a strong and very moving film, and ably conveys the complexities and even tragedies associated with being a talented, mercurial human being. KJ is about a talented, self-centered, insufferable jerk and it makes you care, sympathize and even admire him - and that’s a real accomplishment. The crying at my screening rivaled the bawling I witnessed at DEPARTURES.

FYI, I was not among the crying. The only movie I’ve ever cried at was THE WESLEY’S MYSTERIOUS FILE, because someone I knew saw me there. I killed him afterwards.

I give this 9 crying violinists out of 10. And I’m probably being mean.

Kevin Ma’s review

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS

“Nic, it’s just Edison! You don’t have to kill him! He’s not worth it, man.”

This is the tale of two movies. The first movie: a rousing political thriller about a conspiracy to take down Sun Yat-Sen, and the brave, sometimes average individuals who band together to protect him from death - which, by the way, will destroy more than just one man. IT WILL END THE FUTURE OF AN ENTIRE NATION. Wow, that’s drama, and it’s especially potent with a fat rearview mirror telling us that Sun Yat-Sen was a successful rabble rouser. He who writes history decides what matters. This first movie is intriguing and involving, despite some odd casting choices and a somewhat overwrought nationalism.

The second movie? A balls-to-the-wall action epic about some kickass martial arts masters who somehow can take down armies of Chinese people in finely-tailored western suits while also bravely facing their own deaths - all because they know that what they do will decide the fate of a nation. Once again, a rearview mirror is fully in effect, but who cares when the action includes NBA giant Mengke Bateer (3.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) dunking melons on some bad guy’s head, while China popstar Li Yuchun (0 ppg, 0 mpg) whales away with fetching tomboy ferocity. There’s also a man called Donnie, who kicks so much ass that it’s shameful. One major action sequence involves super wirework and a battle cry from Donnie Yen that he stole from one of his earlier movies. BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS also introduces us to a matchup for the ages: Donnie Yen vs. Horse. It doesn’t matter who loses - the audience wins either way.

The bad news: neither of these halves really fits together comfortably, because the whole thing is told with such overwrought self-importance that it misplaces its historical relevance. At the same time, the film engages and entertains enough that it can easily get some audiences to do their own research on what was true and what was not. Those who aren’t interested in history at least get Nicholas Tse, who better win something for his affecting turn as a simpleton rickshaw driver who volunteers to have his ass kicked by Hu Jun because IT WILL SAVE A COUNTRY. I really didn’t care if the bodyguards saved Sun Yat-Sen, but I cared a hell of a lot whether or not Nic Tse would make it to the end. And I cared about Leon Lai because he stole Ekin Cheng’s hair and moves from A MAN CALLED HERO. BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS does enough well to earn a thumbs up.

Long story short: BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS is a modern, overwrought equivalent of a ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA movie. This is an action-packed epic that plays fast-and-loose with history in order to impress, educate and entertain. Does it do so evenly? Not at all. Convincingly? Sure - if you want a tense historical drama that transforms into an emotionally-charged action movie AND if you’re perfectly cool with Donnie Yen trying to heist the whole thing when the third act rolls around. BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS won’t make my Top 5 of 2009, but Top 10? It may squeeze in.

I give BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSIN 8 out of 10 unfortunate CGI horses.

Kevin Ma’s review

That’s it for this catch-up entry! After this, it’s back to the overwritten, boring and stodgy reviews at the main LoveHKFilm.com site. You know, the part of this website that fewer people read.

This past year Kevin Ma helped me a lot by reviewing new Hong Kong movies for LoveHKFilm.com. He reviewed 7-8 major Hong Kong or China releases, freeing me up to write about important stuff like FIT LOVER and HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Someone somewhere must be happy.

Karena Lam, star of FIT LOVER, approves:

In turn, we approve of Karena Lam’s dress.

It’s great that Kevin helped out because he has a burgeoning career as a freelance writer to tend to, and yet he’ll still take the time to help out a rapidly-becoming-irrelevant website like this one. His loyalty and/or pity is appreciated.

However, I still have an opinion about those 7 or 8 films that he reviewed, and for the 5-6 people who wonder what I actually thought I’ll write about them here in glorious, informal blog-speak. Normally when I write reviews I try to maintain a consistent tone that’s aimed towards the reader, but here I’m free to be the self-serving, arrogant and annoying jerk that I am in person. If you’ve met me, you know what I’m talking about.

“Damn that Kozo! Why does he have to review our movies!”

So, starting at the beginning of the year:

LOOK FOR A STAR

“This ring takes care of last night, correct?”

If this film didn’t exist, POKER KING would be the official cinema tourism ad for Macau, but since it does, POKER KING should slink away in embarrassment. LOOK FOR THE STAR is the glossy story of how Andy Lau knows a bunch of people who are rich or poor and also in love. Sadly, they’ve also lost love, so they appear on a cringeworthy game show and admit their love to the one who got away, all in front of a national audience. Making matters worse, the show is hosted by Cheung Tat-Ming.

One of the people who’s pining for love is played by Zhang Hanyu, who possesses more integrity than any actor EVER. The one he pines for is played by Denise “HOCC” Ho, and their rich girl-poor guy romance is actually quite enjoyable, compensating for the rather perfunctory one involving Lam Ka-Wah. Overall, nothing that happens here is noteworthy, and the stars, aside from Zhang “I could play Obama” Hanyu, possess much less charisma than the people who populated the nineties variants on these types of Lunar New Year flicks.

But, those films didn’t have Andy Lau. Here, Lau basically plays himself as a super billionaire who falls in love with lower class dancer Shu Qi, but their uneven incomes cause a potential rift in the fabric of reality. Everything is, of course, resolved predictably and happily, and with an amount of suspense comparable to a game of marbles. Andrew Lau directed LOOK FOR A STAR, meaning it looks absolutely fabulous and possesses glib, easily-digestible emotions.

The saving grace for this thing: Shu Qi, who’s shockingly good while acting in a genre that usually doesn’t call for or even deserve good acting. Too bad about the ending, which is interminable and a real drag. Thanks to that, I give LOOK FOR A STAR 4 out of 10 smarmy Andy Laus.

Apologies to Heroic Cinema for stealing their rating system.

Kevin Ma’s review

LOVE CONNECTED

“We’re in another Patrick Kong film?
Our careers are f*cked! Just shoot me now.”

I probably would have reviewed this local romance way back in early 2009 if not for the fact that I fell asleep during the crucial plot twist that revealed that A) someone is really a cheating bastard when they appeared not to be, B) someone appeared to be a cheating bastard but really wasn’t, or C) Stephy Tang really wasn’t deaf, and instead pretended to be to hide from the numerous suitors who think she resembles a Japanese AV star. To find out which of the three twists actually does occur, see the movie.

As Patrick Kong-directed films go, LOVE CONNECTED is not among his worst (FORGIVE AND FORGET) or his best (L FOR LOVE, L FOR LIES), but it resembles them enough that one would be hard-pressed not to call it a successful endeavor for what it is. The film has loads of barely-known popstars (including the first appearance of chipmunk-cheeked teen singer G.E.M) and is very much geared towards locals, in that it plays to its Hong Kong demographics fears and concerns. Also, the film takes place at Tsuen Wan’s fab “green” shopping mall City Walk - which must mean something to somebody.

Is it a good film? Absolutely not, and Patrick Kong’s inability to put something professional-looking together is still a major problem. His films may be cheap, but do they always have to look so terrible? Still, the trailer for LOVE CONNECTED, which parodies Benny Chan’s CONNECTED and features DJ Sammy as Louis Koo, is totally awesome. I give LOVE CONNECTED 3 out of 10 deaf Stephys.

Kevin Ma’s review.

A VERY SHORT LIFE

“We’re going to make you watch MURDERER if it’s the last thing we do.”

When this came out in Hong Kong Cinemas, my mother was visiting and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to take her to a Category III chiller about child abuse starring Samuel Pang. At the same time, the film was directed by property developer Dennis Law, meaning it should not be ignored, lest my housing estate collapse mysteriously. I rolled the dice and skipped it anyway, choosing to take Mom to see that dreamy Takeshi Kaneshiro in K-20. I think I made the right choice. In other news, my housing estate fell apart last week.

Flash forward to the end of 2009 and I still haven’t seen A VERY SHORT LIFE. The DVD has been sitting around waiting for me to get to it, but I’ve promised myself to watch the Christian film TEAM OF MIRACLE first, not to mention all those still not-seen TACTICAL UNIT films. As I still haven’t seen those either, I can only conclude that I’ve failed miserably at keeping up with my DVDs, and should hereby be fired from the Official Coaltion of Cool Internet Film Reviewers, which I don’t belong to anyway after they rejected my application for membership back in 2003.

My grade for A VERY SHORT LIFE: incomplete. Personally, I give myself 0 out of 10 abusive Samuel Pangs.

Kevin Ma’s review

I CORRUPT ALL COPS

“I do know how to make films, really! No, not the probe!”

Wong Jing says he held onto this script for years because he wanted to get it done the right way. Points to the big man for eyeing quality, but if he really wanted the best for his screenplay, why didn’t he get someone else to direct it?

Wong’s limitations as a filmmaker are readily apparent in I CORRUPT FOR COPS, e.g. inconsistent acting, lousy staging, poor plot development and transparent dialogue. For example, when one character meets another, the dialogue goes something like this:

CHARACTER A
Hey, who’s that guy?

CHARACTER B
Oh, that’s [Character Name].
He’s been a cop on the force for 10 years.
He’s loyal and trustworthy, but kind of weak.
He’s in his mid-thirties and of medium height and build.
His wife is played by Kate Tsui. Think of a Eason Chan-type.

CHARACTER A
(looks directly at camera)
Hmm, thanks. I hope other people can
now understand this person as I do.

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but it’s very nearly there. These debits help mar what’s otherwise an entertaining and meaty, if not sometimes exaggerated crime drama. There’s lots to enjoy in I CORRUPT ALL COPS, from the cool period detail to the minor characters and key plot twists. It’s just not Best Picture material, and could have been a hell of a lot more had someone more detailed and considerate of theme and character been at the helm.

Still, Wong Jing is a businessman and that’s what he does here: business. The film ends with a salute to the Handover and how corruption afterwards is nonexistent. Sure, like that’s really true. Regardless, I’m sure that reference — along with the visual image of the Hong Kong-under-China flag flying proudly in the wind — made some people out there happy. More specifically, the people up north.

My rating for I CORRUPT ALL COPS: 6 out of 10 overacting Tony Leungs.

Kevin Ma’s review

Coming up in Part 2 of this mini-review feature: TURNING POINT, VENGEANCE, FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC and BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS.

I’m back from vacation, back in Hong Kong, and hip-deep in work. As such, this long-belated Kozo-approved Best of the Decade list is going old school. That means no countdown, few if any photos and only minor comments after each film. I’d prefer to save all my effort for the lists voted upon by the readers.

First, the standard disclaimer. The picks in my Top 20 hew pretty close to my personal faves of the decade, though I did pay extra attention to things like originality, relevance to Hong Kong Cinema, or just plain awesomeness. There are A LOT of films I regret leaving off of this list, so if you have to ask “Where is XXXX movie?” then here’s your answer: it’s probably at the #21-25 area.

Enough chatter. Here’s the list:

20. NEEDING YOU… (2000), directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai
Old habits die hard, and that’s why NEEDING YOU… comes in at #20. I’m not as crazy about this movie as I used to be, but I’d still watch it again before at least 10 other movies on this list.

19. CRAZY N’ THE CITY (2005), directed by James Yuen
I was initially hesitant in my praise of CRAZY ‘N THE CITY because it was the first film released in 2005, and I thought many better pictures would be released that year. I was wrong.

18. HIGH NOON (2008), directed by Heiward Mak
Twenty-four year-old director Heiward Mak’s youth drama has its flaws, but its a startling and accomplished debut. Sometimes pretentious too - but you know what? HIGN NOON earns it.

17. DUMPLINGS (2004), directed by Fruit Chan
Genuinely horrifying because you believe someone would do it. An aging actress elects to eat fetus-filled buns simply in hopes of looking a little younger? I’d buy that. Fruit Chan later-career foray into commercial filmmaking proves unsurprisingly better than its contemporaries.

16. ONE NITE IN MONGKOK (2004), directed by Derek Yee
An exciting crime thriller marred only by a last minute dip into pretension, this is Derek Yee at his laser-precise best. Yee’s strict attention to local geography and detail is especially good here. Johnnie To should pay attention.

15. RED CLIFF I (2008) and RED CLIFF II (2009), directed by John Woo
China made this movie possible, but it’s got John Woo from head to toe - and that makes this one of the best Hong Kong movies of the decade. Probably worth watching again and again.

14. THE EYE (2002), directed by the Pang Brothers
The Pang Brothers haven’t lived up to their promise, but that doesn’t mean we should disregard THE EYE. The elevator scene is still scary today. Too bad about that Hollywood remake, though.

13. LOVE UNDERCOVER (2002), directed by Joe Ma
Super silly and super commercial, but LOVE UNDERCOVER was probably a better time at the movies than 75% of this list. Hong Kong movies are more than just Johnnie To and Donnie Yen.

12. INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 (2003), directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak
Instead of replicating the thrills of the original, Messrs. Lau, Mak and Chong wisely tried something else: a rich gangland drama. INFERNAL AFFAIRS may have started everything, but this sequel is good enough on its own  that it deserves a mention.

11. AFTER THIS, OUR EXILE (2006), directed by Patrick Tam
A precise, harrowing character drama that still resonates four years later. AFTER THIS, OUR EXILE showed us that A) Patrick Tam should not be forgotten, B) Aaron Kwok’s acting awards aren’t flukes, and C) sometimes the big Awards shows do get their picks right.

10. THROWDOWN (2004), directed by Johnnie To
Johnnie To’s THROWDOWN is a judo smackdown of rich cinema goodness, and a love letter to everyone who’s seen better days. Probably the most enjoyable film Johnnie To has ever made.

9. SHAOLIN SOCCER (2001), directed by Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow brought his game to a whole new level with SHAOLIN SOCCER. A satisfying and even bittersweet bridge between Chow’s mo lei tau past and his SFX-heavy, let’s-appeal-to-a-global audience present.

8. MY LIFE AS MCDULL (2001), directed by Toe Yuen
Three words: dim-witted animated pig. The fact that he lives in Tai Kok Tsui, faces genuine local Hong Kong issues, and kicks ass at bun snatching is just a plus. We all could use a mom like Mrs. Mak.

7. INFERNAL AFFAIRS (2002), directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak
In retrospect, this crime thriller seems a little too slick, but that may be our over-loaded geek movie brains talking, especially since IA defined the look, feel and entire content (Hello there, DEPARTED.) of countless other films. For what it is, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is nearly flawless.

6. HOLLYWOOD HONG KONG (2004), directed by Fruit Chan
A movie about Hong Kong, China and urban redevelopment but also one of the most original and oddly entertaining films to come out during the Aughts. Fruit Chan’s work is creative and startlingly assured, and it’s a crime that he’s produced so little since.

5. THE WAY WE ARE (2008), directed by Ann Hui
The most honest and genuine Hong Kong film of the decade, and you know why? Because NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS. That Ann Hui can make that journey so familiar and compelling tells us everything we need to know about her directorial skill.

4. RUNNING ON KARMA (2003), directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai
The odd tone and Andy Lau muscle suit are off-putting, but pound for pound, RUNNING ON KARMA may be the most uniquely Hong Kong movie of the decade. Johnnie To and Wai Kai-Fai go crazy with their Buddhist themes here.

3. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (2000), directed by Ang Lee
So influential that it should be at the Top 5 of any Hong Kong film list. Some people say its not a Hong Kong film, but the Hong Kong Film Awards disagrees. Bill Kong of Edko Pictures probably disagrees too.

2. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000), directed by Wong Kar-Wai
This movie seems even better in light of the rest of the decade, where Wong Kar-Wai seemed to be recycling just about everything. Pretty much the pinnacle of his filmography up to now.

1. ELECTION 2 (2006), directed by Johnnie To
Because I put ELECTION 2 at #1 on this list, I left off ELECTION, so hey - it’s not a oversight. Either film could be put at the top of this list, but I vote for ELECTION 2 because of how it brilliantly tells its darker-than-dark triad politics tale AND folds in nifty commentary on how the government to the north chooses to roll. Calling Johnnie To the director of the decade is not a stretch either.

Yay, wasn’t that cool? Obviously it wasn’t, but I can dream, can’t I? My one regret here is that this list did not count towards the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade vote because I didn’t come up with it earlier. I’ll try to rectify that when I run the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Nineties vote, which should appear in a couple of weeks or so.

Other stuff happening in 2010: I’m also going to be working on this year’s entry in the LoveHKFilm Awards, which includes the same seven people as last year. We might also get one more blog on the site. Maybe I’ll go to Italy again. Another goal is avoiding hospitalization. It’s going to be quite a year.

NOTE: If you’re just discovering this list of the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade, I suggest you head all the way back to the beginning at #50 and read starting from #1. It’s more fun, makes more sense, and will manufacture completely unnecessary suspense. Do it.

On to the regular blog entry:

Following up on December’s vote of LoveHKFilm readers, here’s a full list of the Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade, including the Top 50 (and bonus 2) followed by the 125 films that were voted upon.

Because it would be a massive task to link every single film, I would humbly request that readers do a “copy and paste” of film titles into the LoveHKFilm search box to the left if they wish to read a review. Nearly every film listed here has an accompanying review on the site, except A GAMBLER’S STORY (2001) and DURIAN DURIAN (2000), which were never written because I was lazy during the early Aughts. Or maybe I was drunk. We’ll never know.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. I’m having connectivity problems in my current (non-Hong Kong) location. If/when it ever gets resolved it’s back to funny celeb photos.

The list first, with fun facts and statistics afterwards:

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Happy New Year! I’m still putting together a full list of titles voted on for the Top 50 Hong Kong Movies of the Decade, and it should hopefully be ready soon.

Just an FYI to those who participated: the full list of the Top 52 plus all the write-ups has been republished over at YesAsia.com. You can find the article over here.

This came about for a number of reasons. For one thing, it makes sense because it might help people who surf YesAsia to find decent titles outside of the usual promoted ones. Also, it’s an easy shortcut if anyone wants to see if certain titles are still available.

More important, however, I do work at YesAsia and they’re the primary reason that I now live in Hong Kong and am able to see first-run Hong Kong movies reasonably soon. They recruited me to work in their Hong Kong office five years back, and much of the site’s progression in the last few years can indirectly be attributed to them.

So, occasionally providing YesAsia with relevant content - like the numerous reviews that get cross-posted over there - seems the least that LoveHKFilm.com can do for them. I’m not sure that I’ll share any other Top 50 lists from this site in the future. It definitely won’t happen if we do a poll for the Worst 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade.

Back in a day or so with the full list!

We’re finally here. The Top 3 films of our reader-selected Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade are listed below. Sorry to drag this thing out an extra day, but I decided to split the Top 3 from the rest of the Top 10 because of the sheer disparity in points and votes between these three films and the rest.

An illustration via nifty statistics: the #4 film KUNG FU HUSTLE had 219 fewer points than the #3 film. 20% of all available points were given to the top three films. Also, the top three films received 45% of all first-place votes. Most shocking of all, Johnnie To has nothing to do with any of them.

In case you’re new and want to read up on the previous 47 films, you can do so here:
Numbers 50-41
Numbers 40-31
Numbers 30-21
Numbers 20-11
Numbers 10-4

Oh, and sorry for the post with the fake Top 3. Actually, I kind of like PLAYBOY COPS.

Let’s get this over with:

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UPDATE: Sorry, this is fake. Our clock is set four months ahead and we thought it was April 1st. Feel free to skip this blog entry and read the other ones. Our apologies to Stephen Chow. And Jay Chou. And also Obama.

And here are the Best 3 Hong Kong Movies of the Decade, presented early for your pleasure and/or annoyance.

Here we go:

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We’re getting there. Numbers 10 through 4 of our LoveHKFilm reader-appointed Top 10 Hong Kong Films of the decade list can be found after the jump. Are there any more Johnnie To movies left to add to this list? The man made 23 films during the Aughts and 14 remain unaccounted for, so the 10 slots left are not enough for them all. I guess that means no love for LINGER.

Previous updates:
Numbers 50-41
Numbers 40-31
Numbers 30-21
Numbers 20-11

Let’s get to it:

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