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Last Site Update: July 14th, 2008	Site Review Count: 1663

La Lingerie Coming to Hong Kong cinemas just in time for the Olympics is La Lingerie, the new flick from those geniuses behind La Brassiere, Mighty Baby, and Simply Actors. It has something to do with pretty girls and underwear, so you can count us in. Basically, we hope this is a good movie, though who the hell knows if it'll be one? Stephy Tang leads a cast of young, cute, and generally unknown girls, with Ronald Cheng and a few other people preventing the film from being a convention of total unknowns. The sad thing is this is one of only five Hong Kong movies coming out this summer. We would cry but we're all out of tears.	Recent Stuff - Review: Red Cliff Added 7-14 - Review: The Children of Huang Shi Added 7-14 - Review: Kabei - Our Mother Added 7-14 - Review: Gachi Boy, Wrestling With A MemoryAdded 7-14 - Review: Bare-Assed Japan Added 7-14 - Review: City Without Baseball Added 7-1 - Review: Cyborg She Added 7-1 - Review: Don't Laugh at My Romance Added 7-1 - Review: Soul of a Demon Added 7-1 - Review: Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! Added 7-1 - Review: A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies Added 7-1 - Review: Forever the Moment Added 7-1 It's a Chinese movie Posted 7-14-08 It's not a Hong Kong movie, it's a China movie. Maybe. Nowadays it's hard to tell exactly what qualifies as a Hong Kong movie anymore. Practically nothing is aimed at local Hong Kong audiences, and co-production status makes the whole thing impossible to figure out. As a result, we'll sort Red Cliff under Hong Kong movies, even though everything about it screams "China". Yes, we're reaching. Rounding out the latest non-Hong Kong movie update are four other films, THREE of which are Japanese, and one a China co-production. At least it has Chow Yun-Fat. The movies: The Children of Huang Shi, Gachi Boy, Wrestling with a Memory, Kabei - Our Mother, and Bare-Assed Japan. The reviewers: Kozo and Kevin Ma. The date: July 14, 2008. The place: somewhere in Hong Kong. The significance: absolutely none. Next time: hopefully, there will be a next time.

News, Notes and Nonsense

Updated July 1st

Previous Updates archived at LoveHKFilm.com - MySpace

We love Japanese movies
Posted 7-01-08
We should change our name to LoveJapanFilm, because that's all we apparently see. This update sees reviews of FOUR Japanese films, with one film each from Taiwan, Korea, and that forgotten place known as Hong Kong.

The lack of new Hong Kong movies bothers us - so much, in fact, that we're considering moving to India to immerse ourselves in the magic of Bollywood. At least new movies come out there.

This update: a review of the Hong Kong film City Without Baseball, plus those four Japanese films: Cyborg She, Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!, Don't Laugh at My Romance, and A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies. Yes, puppies. Plus reviews of Soul of a Demon and Forever the Moment.

Next time: RED CLIFF, finally.

Nothing Doing in July
Posted 7-1-08
2008 marks the worst year for Hong Kong movies ever, so it's appropriate that the summer suck hard too. June brought only 3 Hong Kong movies, two of which premiered at film festivals months ago. At least one of those movies was directed by Johnnie To.

If June was terrible, July is the absolute pits. As far as we know, only Red Cliff is scheduled for release, and that's really a China film. There's also possibly Kung Fu Pop (a.k.a. Kung Fu Hip Hop) , but that's also a China film. Our only consolation is The Dark Knight starring Edison Chen. We don't think that's a China film.

Anyway, we at LoveHKFilm.com find ourselves in the odd position of having nothing to talk about for a long time. Sure, we could review PanAsia films all the time - in fact, the vast majority of new site content is now PanAsia - but that has never been the site focus, nor do we really want it to be. With Hong Kong refusing to help, we don't know what we can do to keep this site relevant and/or interesting. Maybe we can start reviewing Hollywood blockbusters. Kung Fu Panda is PanAsia, right?

Next week: our review of Sex and the City.

NOTE: Updated on 7-5-08 to fix a couple of egregious typos. This is what happens when we try to update this site at 3 a.m. If we could fire ourselves, we would.

The inevitable slowdown
Posted 6-18-08
After jamming out 38 reviews in the past seven weeks, LoveHKFilm.com is now ready to go on the inevitable little vacation. Our problems are numerous: rampant exhaustion, plus a review backlog of 7-8 films. Sadly, none are actually Hong Kong films, which begs the question: what exactly is this site doing?

In the meantime, we've posted Kozo's review for Tsui Hark's new film Missing. Kozo also offers his opinion on In the Pool (JAPAN 2005) and The Rebel (VIETNAM 2007). Kevin Ma bats clean-up with looks at Radio Dayz (KOREA 2008), The Wall Man (JAPAN 2007), and Fine, Totally Fine (JAPAN 2008). That's 1 film from Vietnam, 1 from Korea, 3 from Japan, and only 1 from Hong Kong. Yeah, something's definitely wrong here.

In the coming weeks, maybe one of those non-updating LoveHKFilm.com Blogs will see some new content. Or maybe not. Hard to tell.

A rainy June
Posted 6-7-08
Intermittent downpours characterize June in Hong Kong, but when we're not getting wet, we're still watching movies. The site's first and hopefully not only June update comes with 8 reviews, including the new Shawn Yue film The Moss, plus the Japan-produced Shaolin Soccer spinoff Shaolin Girl. Kozo saw both, and also relates his experience with the Japanese film Adrift in Tokyo.

In addition, Kevin Ma reviews the Taiwanese film God Man Dog as well as Japanese films Maiko Haaaan!!! and Glasses. JMaruyama provides his take on the gory Japanese flick Machine Girl, while Sanjuro rounds things out with a look at the 1975 film The Man From Hong Kong.

Next: Tsui Hark's Missing. Maybe.

Previous Updates

NEW for July 14th, 2008
- Added Kozo's reviews of Red Cliff (2008), The Children of Huang Shi (2008), and Kabei - Our Mother (JAPAN 2007).
- Added Kevin Ma's reviews of Gachi Boy, Wrestling with a Memory (JAPAN 2008), and Bare-Assed Japan (JAPAN 2005).

NEW for July 1st, 2008
- Added Kozo's reviews of City Without Baseball (2008), Soul of a Demon (TAIWAN 2008), Forever the Moment (KOREA 2008), and Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (JAPAN 2007).
- Added Kevin Ma's reviews of Don't Laugh at My Romance (JAPAN 2008) and A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies (JAPAN 2007).
- Added JMaruyama's review of Cyborg She (JAPAN 2008).

NEW for June 18th, 2008
- Added Kozo's reviews of Missing (2008), In the Pool (JAPAN 2005), and The Rebel (VIETNAM 2007).
- Added Kevin Ma's reviews of Fine, Totally Fine (JAPAN 2008), The Wall Man (JAPAN 2007), and Radio Dayz (KOREA 2008).

NEW for June 7th, 2008
- Added Kozo's reviews of The Moss (2008), Shaolin Girl (JAPAN 2008), and Adrift in Tokyo (JAPAN 2008).
- Added Kevin Ma's reviews of Glasses (JAPAN 2007), God Man Dog (TAIWAN 2007), and Maiko Haaaan!!! (JAPAN 2007).
- Added Sanjuro's review of The Man From Hong Kong (1973).
- Added JMaruyama's review of Machine Girl (JAPAN 2008).

Featured Review

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Red Cliff
It's big, entertaining, and the only game in town. Red Cliff is your 2008 Chinese summer blockbuster of choice, whether you like it or not - after all, there really isn't much else in Chinese cinemas this summer. John Woo's adaptation of the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms - which is available in novel, TV drama, video game, and unlicensed collectible variations - isn't as compelling as it is merely large. Woo slants the source material towards his pet themes, front-loads the production with big stars and big names, and assembles a spectacle that's respectable, involving, and absolutely worth a look. What the film doesn't provide is the compelling emotion that has punctuated many a Woo production, and the film's climax doesn't serve up the "wow" factor that one expects of a film of this scale. But any disappointment could be premature; Red Cliff is only the first of two films, and Woo could be saving the best for last. One would hope, anyway. (more)

New HK Reviews

New PanAsia Reviews

Too much information

City Without Baseball

Hong Kong is a city with few baseball diamonds and little awareness for the sport, and yet it possesses its own official team. (more)

I see disappointing movies

Missing

Have you ever wished that a movie would never end? Well, Tsui Hark's Missing is here to grant your wish. (more )

Lots of umbrellas

Sparrow

Was it worth the wait? Three years is a long time to make a film, especially one as short and slight as Johnnie To's Sparrow. (more)

The Homeless Hitman Strikes

The Moss

The Moss shares a few things in common with Derek Kwok's debut film, the pretentious, but still engaging and stylish Pye-Dog. (more)

City of neverending grief

Besieged City

If Besieged City is to be believed, then Tin Shui Wai is probably not a place you want to visit. Director Lawrence Lau returns... (more)

She's also a bad actress

My Wife is a Gambling Maestro

Wong Jing returns to the well for My Wife is a Gambling Maestro, the latest attempt by the Jingster to recapture that gambling movie magic of old. (more)

The sequel you didn't ask for

Happy Funeral

Given that her last movie was the unfortunate Wonder Women, director Barbara Wong can only improve - and she does just that with her new film Happy Funeral. (more)

Who's your daddy?

Run Papa Run

Louis Koo returns to triad territory in Run Papa Run, but this isn't your typical triad movie about gang violence... (more)

Mr. Short Term Memory

Gachi Boy,
Wrestling with a Memory

Japan has always excelled at commercial comedies in which underdogs achieve victory through hard work and lots of bonding. (more)

Get your tissues

Kabei - Our Mother

Yoji Yamada's Kabei - Our Mother is a nominal tearjerker, but it surprises in a subtle and yet very compelling way. (more)

Respect the man, not the movie

The Children of Huang Shi

The Children of Huang Shi (a.k.a. Escape From Huang Shi) deserves respect. Or at least, the story behind it does. (more)

Hope for Japanese cinema

Bare-Assed Japan

At a Takashi Miike-like pace, director Yuya Ishii has made four films in the last two years, all of which were screened at film festivals in Rotterdam and Hong Kong. (more)

She's more than ok

Cyborg She

When Park Chan-Wook's quirky I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay debuted in 2006 it received a mixed reaction both in its native South Korea and abroad. (more)

Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Don't Laugh at My Romance

Thanks to the success of the Death Note movies, Kenichi Matsuyama had one of his biggest years in 2007, when he had the chance to headline his first television drama. (more)

Wow, my family sucks

Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!

Dysfunctional families don't get much more entertaining than the one in Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (more)

Almost nauseating cuteness

A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies

In the 1988 film The Bear, two bears braved the dangers of the wilderness in order to survive. The Bear featured very little human dialogue... (more)

Previous Updates

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Newer Hong Kong Reviews:
- Beauty and the 7 Beasts
- Besieged City
- The Big Boss
- Blood Brothers
- Breeze of July
- Brothers
- Bullet & Brain
- City Without Baseball
- CJ7
- The Detective
- The Drummer
- An Empress and the Warriors
- Exodus
- Fatal Move
- Flash Point
- Happy Funeral
- High Noon
- Hooked on You
- Hong Kong Bronx
- In Love with the Dead
- Invisible Target
- Kung Fu Dunk
- L For Love, L For Lies
- Linger
- Love is Elsewhere
- Lust, Caution
- Mad Detective
- Magic Boy
- The Man From Hong Kong
- Missing
- The Moss
- Mr. Cinema
- My Wife is a Gambling Maestro
- Naraka 19
- Playboy Cops
- Red Cliff
- Run Papa Run
- scare 2 die
- Secret
- See You in You Tube
- Shamo
- Sparrow
- Tactical Unit - The Code
- Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon
- Triangle
- Trivial Matters
- The Warlords
- The Way We Are
- Who's Next
- Yes, I Can See Dead People

Newer China reviews:
- The Assembly
- Call For Love
- The Children of Huang Shi
- Lost in Beijing
- Love in the City
- The Magic Gourd
- PK.COM.CN
- Red Cliff
- The Sun Also Rises
- Two Stupid Eggs

Newer Taiwan reviews:
- Candy Rain
- Drifting Flowers
- God Man Dog
- Island Etude
- Keeping Watch
- The Most Distant Course
- Soul of a Demon
- Summer's Tail
- Winds of September - The Taiwan Chapter

Newer Japan reviews:
- Adrift in Tokyo
- All About Lily Chou-Chou
- Always
- Always 2
- Bare-Assed Japan
- Bugmaster
- Christmas on July 24th Avenue
- Crows - Episode 0
- Cyborg She
- Dog in a Sidecar
- Don't Laugh at My Romance
- Fine, Totally Fine
- Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!
- Freesia
- Gachi Boy, Wrestling with a Memory
- Gegege no Kitaro
- Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Glasses
- The Glorious Team Batista
- Hero
- Hula Girls
- I Just Didn't Do It
- In the Pool
- Into the Faraway Sky
- The Inugamis
- Kabei - Our Mother
- L: Change the World
- Like a Dragon
- Machine Girl
- Maiko Haaaan!!!
- Memories of Tomorrow
- Midnight Eagle
- Monkey Magic
- Rainbow Song
- Sakuran
- Shaolin Girl
- Sukiyaki Western Django
- A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies
- Talk, Talk, Talk
- Tokyo Serendipity
- Tokyo Tower
- Udon
- Vexille
- The Wall Man
- Waters
- Welcome to the Quiet Room
- Yellow Tears

Newer Korea reviews:
- Attack on the Pin-Up Boys
- Breath
- Black House
- Crazy Waiting
- D-War
- A Day for an Affair
- For Eternal Hearts
- Forever the Moment
- Going By The Book
- His Last Gift
- Hot for Teacher
- Hwang Jin Yi (2007)
- Like a Virgin
- Little Prince
- Love Exposure
- M
- My Father
- My Wife is a Gangster 3
- Open City
- The President's Last Bang
- Radio Dayz
- Resurrection of the Butterfly
- The Restless
- Seducing Mr. Perfect
- Seven Days
- Soo
- Swindler in My Mom's House
- The Worst Guy Ever

Other PanAsia reviews:
- Anna and Anna
- Chocolate
- DOA: Dead or Alive
- The Forbidden Kingdom
- Handle Me With Care
- Jade Warrior
- Just Follow Law
- Muay Thai Chaiya
- My Blueberry Nights
- The Rebel
- Rush Hour 3
- War

Site Resources
- Glossary of HK film terms

Regional Coverage:
Hong Kong
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Los Angeles, USA
- The Asian Film Foundation
San Franciso, USA
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