Wolf Warriors 2 Review 2017 China 战狼2

Wolf Warrior 2 战狼2
Year: 2017
Director: Wu Jing
Writers: Wu Jing, Dong Qun, Liu Yi
Cast: Wu Jing, Celina Jade, Frank Grillo, Hans Zhang, Wu Gang
Running Time: 121 Minutes
Country: China

2017's surprise blockbuster hit Wolf Warrior 2 is one of those rare cases of the sequel not only being better than the original but surpassing the film in every single way.

After the events of Wolf Warrior, Leng Feng (Wu Jing), China's deadliest special forces operative settles into a quiet life on the sea. When sadistic mercenaries begin targeting nearby civilians, he must leave his newfound peace behind and return to his duties as a soldier and protector. A Chinese destroyer arrives to evacuate strictly Chinese civilians caught up in the middle of the civil war, but after overhearing guards talking about needing someone to rescue workers at a factory and an important doctor who knows the vaccination for Lamanla, Leng Feng volunteers.

Viewers will realise within the first few minutes if this film is for them. Kicking off with an immense fight scene between Wu Jing and Somali pirates which takes the fight into the ocean. Cleverly orchestrated, they are submerged underwater into one of the best underwater-fight scenes ever filmed, which is neatly edited to look like one take. It's fun, ridiculously over the top and sets the tone for what's to follow for the next two hours.

Many viewers and critics had issues with the original Wolf Warrior, mainly due to its propaganda feel and the fact it came across like a recruitment video for the Chinese army. This sequel essentially strips all that away. While still being highly Nationalistic, it actually works to the plot and doesn't feel quite as contrived. The film has less in common with The Founding of a Republic and it's more in line with a Chinese version of Rambo. Wu Jing directs the film, as well as starring once again. Wu has improved leaps and bounds as a director and this time he keeps the plot simple and straight to the point, which allows the story to flow without the need to ever over-complicate things. If at any time your mind starts to wander during some of the character development scenes, don't fret because there is another exciting action scene right around the corner.

The location of Africa is also a fresh setting for the series, while not explicitly stating which country the film is set in, it's only ever mentioned as Africa. The setting emerges the viewer right into the heart of Africa. Full of wild interesting locations, including the slums which play host to an exhilarating car chase. There's also the introduction of some very fun African characters. There is a touching relationship with a boy that Wu Jing becomes a godfather too. The boy and his mother are both hilarious characters and inject some humour into the violent action story. The stereotypes of some of the Africans may be bordering on offensive to some, but it all seems in good fun.

Wolf Warrior 2 is probably the best action film of the year thus far! It's filled to the brim with some breathtaking action scenes and set-pieces throughout. The action is on a huge scale and with great stunt work that would make a Hong Kong stuntman proud. There are highly intricate martial arts hand-to-hand fights which Wu Jing shines throughout. There are also plenty of shoot outs full of a wide variety of guns and tanks, topped off with knife fights and loads of explosions. Some of the action scenes are ridiculously over the top, such as Wu Jing stopping a bazooka in the most ridiculous yet entertaining way possible. But that's all part of the fun! Suspend your disbelief and have some fun. Although Scott Adkins is missing from the film, Frank Grillo steps up and plays an excellent villain. Grillo also helps deliver a brutally skilful final fight-scene with Wu Jing which doesn't disappoint at all.

Remain in your seat after the film is finished for a mid-credit Marvel-esque teaser scene that reminded me of a Coors Light commercial... And will give fans of the series something to look forward to.

Wolf Warrior 2 is a highly entertaining film. If you like your old school action films, this is for you. It's fun from start to finish and the action never lets up. Given all of this, it's really not a surprise that the film is doing so well at the box-office. As a side note; this is the first time in years, outside of festivals, that I've watched a film in the cinema that received a round of applause.

7.5/10

Once Upon A Time 三生三世十里桃花 Review 2017 China

Once Upon A Time - Shi Li Tai Hua - 三生三世十里桃花
Year: 2017
Director: Zhao Xiaoding, Anthony LaMolinara
Starring: Liu Yifei, Yang Yang, Luo Jin, Yan Yikuan
Based on: Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles Peach Blossoms by TangQi Gongzi
Running Time: 110 mins
Country: China

Once Upon A Time is the latest Chinese CGI-heavy fantasy-romance drama. Big budget Chinese films brimmed of CGI have become increasingly popular over the years but with many previous films not having special effects up to Hollywood's standard, how does Once Upon A Time compare?

This is the story of Bai Qian, a goddess and monarch from the Heavenly Realms. In her first life, she was the disciple of Mo Yuan. Due to a devastating war, Mo Yuan’s soul was destroyed while sealing the Demon Lord. Seventy thousand years later while Bai Qian was trying to reseal the Demon Lord, she was sent to the mortal realm to undergo a trial to become a High Goddess. There, she meets Ye Hua with whom she falls in love and eventually married. However, their love ends tragically. Many years later, the two star-crossed lovers meet again as deities but all her memories have been erased due to her request. Ye Hua, who is now a crown prince black dragon 90,000 years younger than Bai Qian, gets a second chance at love with her.

Sounds confusing? Well, it is. Prior knowledge of the original book "Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles Peach Blossoms" or maybe even the TV series would have helped. But with this being my first time discovering this story, I was left scratching my head a few times. The confused identities, the forced romance and the convoluted plot would work better over the 58 episode TV series. The enormous task of trying to cram all of this story into under 2 hours was always going to be tricky. That being said, the 2 directors almost manage to pull it off, with only a few of the ideas not entirely clicking. The story revolves around two seemingly star-crossed lovers who continue to encounter each other over numerous lifetimes, in its simplicity. Keep telling yourself that.

Surprisingly Once Upon A Time is actually beautiful to look at. Shot almost entirely against green-screen with limited physical sets and props, the visuals are stunning! Being co-directed with visual-effects artist Anthony LaMolinara, whose credits include Hollow Man and Spider-Man 1 and 2, appears to have certainly helped in that department. The backdrops all look mesmerising and seem to go on for miles; the visual-effects creatures look more real than what most Chinese films have to offer. The costumes are also exquisite with many remarkable embroidered outfits and complex hairstyles which are worthy of recognition. The same praise can be given to the music which is full of traditional sounding Chinese instruments and reminiscent of big blockbuster scores from films such as House of Flying Daggers.

The two lead characters Liu Yifei (Bai Qian) and Yang Yang (Ye Hua) are both great in their respective roles. There is good on-screen chemistry between them and their love story is charming, even if it does seem a little contrived at the beginning. Once you discover more about these complex characters and their stories unfold with twists and turns, it ultimately results in some emotional and heart-warming scenes delivered from the pair.

Another exciting aspect of the film is the action scenes. There is more action in the film than the trailers and advertising would lead you to believe. Some of these are executed fairly well with fun wire-fu sword fighting magic and battles with CGI monsters including a tiger, a dragon and some bizarre giant earth-tree creature. All of these are a welcome break from the drama and they give your brain time to recover.

The film is flawed but still enjoyable overall. With many good elements to it, especially being a treat for your eyes and ears. The plot is bewildering but eventually, the main points become clear and allow you to relax and soak it all in. If you like big fantasy fairy tales then you will enjoy this one, but make sure you keep your thinking cap on!

6/10

Love Off The Cuff Review 2017 Hong Kong 春嬌救志明

Love Off The Cuff 春嬌救志明
Year: 2017
Director: Pang Ho-cheung
Writers: Luk Yee-sum, Wan Chi-man, Pang Ho-cheung
Cast: Miriam Yeung, Shawn Yue, Paul Chun, Jiang Mengjie
Running Time: 120 minutes
Country: Hong Kong-China

Pang Ho-cheung re-teams Shawn Yue and Miriam Yeung for his third installment in the romantic-comedy Love In A Puff series. Is this story starting to show signs of fatigue? Or is this an inevitable set up for a fourth film?

Picking up after the events of 2012's Love In The Buff, Cherie (Miriam Yeung) and Jimmy (Shawn Yue) are now a relatively happy couple, living together and dealing with their daily ups and downs. Jimmy still has trouble growing up and taking the relationship seriously, while Cherie can be a bit overbearing and her demands make it somewhat challenging to live with. Furthering their stress, Cherie's father (Paul Chun) returns to town out of blue to introduce them to his new young fiancee. At the same time, Jimmy's childhood friend, who also happens to be his godmother, comes to visit with the request of wanting Jimmy to father her child through artificial insemination. After a disastrous trip together to Taipei, the couple are finally forced to confront their doubts about their future together.

The plot is very bare, as was the rest of the series, but that's never what drives these films. It's about the characters, their realism and their situations together. It almost has an intimate documentary feel as we peek in to a couples insecurities as we watch Cherie snoop through Jimmy's phone. Or her worrying about their younger lodger walking around the apartment in her bra. Jimmy is constantly doing something wrong or upsetting his partner by accident, which is a character trait that a lot of men, including myself, can relate to. And that's the driving force behind these films, how relatable and real that they feel.

Love Off The Cuff, like the rest of the series, is a very local Hong Kong film. The characters talk and act like Hong Kongers which is part of the appeal of Pang Ho-cheung's work. He isn't afraid to possibly alienate some viewers by keeping it brutally realistic. Some of the humour is distinctive to Hong Kong, so some of the jokes may go over your head. And there are references throughout to HK pop-culture such as jokes about the Young and Dangerous films, Nick Cheung, Leon Lai and even some Canto-pop songs. There is a karaoke scene featuring a pop song(that i'm unfamiliar with) which is used rather effectively and even if you are unfamiliar with the song, you still understand the sentiment. But if you are a local, i'm sure it would have even more depth.

Pang Ho-cheung handles humour excellently in his films, and Love Off The Cuff is dirtier and more outrageous than before. There is a scene involving a gag about "literally shit" as Cherie puts it. It's childish, it's crude, and it's genuinely funny, it received a loud roar of laughter in the cinema hall I was in. There is some situation and shock humour throughout the film, but it's all executed well. A memorable scene has cops finding the 2 leads in a mistaken sexual act situation which gets funnier and funnier as it progresses, this is similar to comedy you may see in American Pie or Superbad. It's not always possible to get humour to work this well for the Hong Kong audience that the Western world also understands, but I think this series has tackled that very well, even if that wasn't their overall intention.

Shawn and Miriam have grew together throughout these films. They have always had great chemistry but now after 7 years, it almost feels like they have became these alter egos and it makes the whole experience more worthwhile. Both do a superb job in their roles, and none of their acting could be faulted. The supporting cast are also great with Cherie's regular friends returning for shenanigans. And her dad played by Paul Chun has some brilliantly funny scenes which boosts the film with some needed energy.

120 minutes didn't feel overly long, but it could have been trimmed down by about 15 minutes or so to help the overall flow of the story progression. There is also one scene which came across as being a bit too dark and startling for this genre of film, it caught me off guard and stayed with me for a while afterwards. But Pang Ho-cheung is a genre busting director at heart, which is evident by his bizarre intros to his films. This time is was a highly entertaining story about Gat Gat Gong... Which almost makes me hope he directs a monster horror film next.

Although I wouldn't go as far to say that fatigue is setting in, I'd rank this film better than part two but not as good as part one, it did feel like more could have been done to progress the characters story further as a lot of the film is familiar territory. With the ending we are left wondering, is this the end of the trilogy? Or will there be a fourth to let us fans know what happens next? I personally think there is enough story left in these characters to make another film. So how about we get the next installment "Love Up The Duff" (That name has been shamelessly stolen from my partner who suggested it after our viewing).

7/10

Love Off The Cuff is currently showing from the 28th April in cinemas across Hong Kong, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK. For more information check here

A Silent Voice Review 2016 Japan 聲の形

A Silent Voice 聲の形

Year: 2016

Director: Naoko Yamada

Writer: Reiko Yoshida

Cast: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yūki, Kenshō Ono, Yūki Kaneko, Yui Ishikawa, Megumi Han, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Mayu Matsuoka

Running Time: 129 minutes

One of the most emotionally charged anime films ever made.

A Silent Voice revolves around elementary school student delinquent Shoya Ishida. When a hearing impaired girl Shoko Nishimya transfers to the school, she starts to get bullied, especially from Ishida. Several years later he meets her again and sets himself on a path to redemption by trying to make it up to Nishimya and to help reconnect her with her old classmates that she never had the chance to befriend.

A Silent Voice is an anime adaptation of the manga of the same name, sometimes translated to The Shape of Voice. The film is produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Naoko Yamada who brought us K-On! and Tamako Market. On release in Japan the film opened at #2, directly behind mega hit 'Your Name'.

Tackling many different subject matters such as bullying, suicide, redemption, friendship and love. A Silent Voice is one of the most ambitious anime films ever made, without using giant robots or time travel or any type of fantasy, it achieves it's praise by focusing just on raw human emotions. Bullying is the main subject of the first act. Often shown lightly and during montages, some of these scenes are actually surprisingly amusing. But you soon realise that this poor girl is being bullied, and it's really not funny at all. Any feeling of amusement you had quickly changes to anger as Nishimya is tormented by her classmates. It's hard to think of an anime film that brings out so much feelings of outrage while you watch on helplessly. And that is ASV's main achievement, it captures and plays on your emotions to the fullest.

Yamada directs her film is a polarizing way with many subtle story telling elements which really need your full attention. There are many characters whose stories aren't fully spelled out or explained. There are choices such as the characters communicating in sign language which don't have any subtitles or voice overs. This leaves the viewer trying to piece together what the characters are expressing and how they feel. A Silent Voice also looks like it's going to be a romance. The posters and trailers make it look like a romance drama, but that's not the case at all. It's there if you look. But it's not the theme of the film. These are all elements which have divided critics and fans with many giving it paradoxical reviews.

The films main shortcoming for me is the amount of underdeveloped characters. Without reading the manga, I can't compare the differences. But there are a few supporting characters who don't receive enough screen time or character development to the point you don't really understand their purpose. Apparently in the manga these characters are more developed, so one can assume these were trimmed for time constraints. But I couldn't help feel some of these characters could have been cut out completely. That being said, a real highlight is Tomohiro Nagatsuka, the loveable loser that Ishida befriends when his classmates isolate him. Nagatsuka offers some real comic relief to the sombre tone of the film. He seems hilariously overprotective of his friend which delivers some laugh out loud moments. And one scene with him smoking a french fry left my cinema audience roaring with laughter.

The animation style of the characters and backgrounds are completely stunning. Although there are animes out there with higher production values which might look technically better, A Silent Voice is bright and sparkling and beautiful to look at. The film's soundtrack is subtly perfect. It might open with a bang as My Generation by The Who kicks off the opening. The audio then transitions in to a lighter soundtrack with piano and soft musical scores which suits the underlying themes.

A Silent Voice is a must see for anime fans. It's not as rewarding a watch as recent emotional anime film hits like When Marnie Was There and Your Name, it's also not as accessible. But it does deliver something much deeper. It's one of the most powerful animations dealing with a subject that is more important than any film, life.

8/10

See this if you liked:
Your Name
Only Yesterday
Tamako Love Story

Coming to the UK from 15th March. Look for screening locations and dates on their official website here or check Anime Limited on Facebook.

I attended the screening of A Silent Voice at the Glasgow Film Festival on the 23rd February.

Headshot Review 2016 Indonesia

Headshot

Year: 2016

Director: Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto (The Mo Brothers)

Writer: Timo Tjahjanto

Cast: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Chelsea Islan, David Hendrawan, Epy Kusnandar, Zack Lee, Sunny Pang, Very Tri Yulisman

Running Time: 118 minutes

If you take The Raid, multiply the violence by 100 and chuck in some Kill Bill and Jason Bourne. You get Headshot!

A young man with a head wound (Uwais) washes up on the shore of a small Indonesian village. He’s taken to a local hospital and cared for by kindly doctor Ailin (Chelsea Islan), who dubs him Ishmael after the book she’s reading, Moby Dick. When he wakes up two months later, he has no memory of his real name or past life. Ailin suggests they go to Jakarta to get the bullet fragments removed from his skull, and she goes ahead of him on a bus ride. However, gang members working for the sinister Lee (Sunny Pang) ambush the bus and kidnap Ailin to draw out “Ishmael”. Ishmael then goes on a rampage to rescue Ailin while flashes of his past life begin returning to his memory.

Directed by Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto(Mo Brothers) this is their follow up release to their 2014 hit 'Killers'. The plot is relatively thin in Headshot, but it's enough to keep you emotionally invested. The story is actually more compelling than The Raid, although it is almost your typical damsel in distress plot. There's also a cheesy love story between the leads which surprisingly almost always works. They even manage to deliver some sentimental moments between Ishmael and Ailin which gives some key scenes a better emotional payoff.

The violence is on another level from any action film in years, it actually puts The Raid to shame. While Gareth Evan's action films have shock moments or "punchlines" during fight scenes to break it up, Headshot seems to have fight scenes to break up the shock moments and gore! No object is safe as bus seats, windows, bullets, chopsticks and even typewriters are used as weapons during extremely bloody brawls. There is definitely more than one moment that will leave you wincing in your seat! In fact, there is probably about 10!

The Mo Brothers use a different style of filming action from most Asian directors which has its positives and negatives. During the tightly choreographed fight scenes the handheld camera is often shaky or spinning around the actors which can actually mask how intricate the Silat fight scenes are and it doesn't let you digest every move you see. However, sometimes these unconventional camera techniques work in the action's favour to deliver exciting scenes such as Iko jumping out of a window while doing a somersault and the camera follows him by also doing a somersault...

Iko Uwais delivers a really good performance, taken out of his comfort zone he has some emotive acting to do this time which he performs effectively. Julie Estelle and Very Tri Yulisman who are more commonly known as Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man from The Raid 2, show up as a pivotal part of the story and both deliver great fight scenes against Iko. Sunny Pang stars as the main villain Lee and although he manages to be chilling and intimidating, some of his dialogue scenes are odd as he talks in English and Iko replies in Indonesian. Chelsea Islan is decent as the love interest in her butter-wouldn't-melt role, and she even manages to get you rallying behind her when she is in distress.

Being an action film there are a fair few silly moments. The villains appear to have a very bad aim, even when they are close to an unarmed Iko Uwais they still manage to miss him. There are also some characters surviving punishment which doesn't seem humanely possible. The love story seems a little contrived at times with Ailin seemingly falling for Ishmael rather quickly and under odd circumstances. These can be overlooked though as the plot takes a backseat to the action!

This new Indonesian martial arts thriller can't quite match The Raid, but it does come incredibly close!
Will certainly entertain fans of the action and martial arts genres, although if you are squeamish be prepared to cover your eyes.

8/10

See this if you liked:
Merentau Warrior
The Raid
Killers

Headshot is getting a limited release in the UK and USA on March 3rd 2017. So hunt this one down!
If you are in Scotland, it will be shown at the Glasgow Film Theatre from the 3rd to the 9th of March.

Mifune: The Last Samurai Review 2016

Without them there would have been no Magnificent Seven. Clint Eastwood wouldn't have a Fistful of Dollars. And Darth Vader wouldn't be a Samurai.

Mifune: The Last Samurai, a new film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood’s breakthrough, A Fistful of Dollars, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars. Weaving together film clips, archival stills, and interviews with such luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Narrated by Keanu Reeves.

Mifune: The Last Samurai is a chronologically told portrait of one of the most important and influential actors to ever grace the big screen. Mifune as an actor and a person left an undoubtedly large impression on the world, but can an 80 minute documentary do his legacy justice.

Starting off with a brief introduction to Chanbara cinema, the audiences is treated to the foundations of early Samurai films traced back to the earliest days of cinema while viewing a collection of clips from extremely rare or long forgotten films. 'Chanbara' is the Japanese word for “sword fighting films” and is derived from the sound of two swords crashing together. A real highlight is the only surviving scene from a 1926 film ‘Chokon’ in which a Samurai takes on multiple enemies on his own, while licking the blood off of his sword to give him strength.

The documentary goes through his life from being born in China, to getting drafted to fight in World War II, to returning and trying to make a living as an assistant camera-man to then accidentally becoming an actor. All the way until his untimely death. Drawing the attention of Akira Kurosawa at Toho studios, a fierce collaboration between the actor and director started which would stretch over 16 films. Kurosawa left many choices up to Mifune and allowed his to create and mold his own characters, ultimately allowing him to create his own heroes. 

There are many intriguing interviews from big name Hollywood interviews like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg who offer their own praise on Mifune’s work and how it inspired them. But it's the candid interviews from his family, friends and Co-stars that are the real heart of the film. Kanzo Uni was his frequent fight choreographer and takes great delight in telling you he was killed by Mifune onscreen more than 100 times. His daughter explains why Mifune turned down the role of playing Obi-Wan Kenobi after George Lucas himself sought him out.

One of his Co-stars explains a hilarious yet scary situation while shooting the finale of ‘Throne of Blood’ were Mifune’s character is bombarded with hundreds of arrows. What people don't know is that these were all real arrows being shot towards Mifune which he actually had to dodge… and it was college students firing the arrows… and they also had no insurance for this scene. Stories like that show how dedicated to his art that Toshiro Mifune was. And just how crazy he could be.

The main problem with The Last Samurai is it is just too short. It's never really a problem to leave you wanting more. However, appearing in almost 170 feature films, the majority of these films aren't touched upon and some of the big ones are alluded. They also hint at why Mifune and Kurosawa stopped collaborating without really giving any detail. The same can also be said for his documented affair. Although, these could have been avoided because the documentary is more a celebration of his life and career and these issues might bring the tone down.

Mifune: The Last Samurai is still a very well constructed informative picture which will open eyes to newcomers of his work and the Samurai genre. And for his already established fans it offers a great intimate insight into his life with many details and stories they won't be aware of.

7.5/10

Mifune: The Last Samurai screens on Friday 24th February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.

Glasgow Film Festival 2017

15th - 26th February

Yesterday marked the first full day of this year's Glasgow Film Festival. Showing over 100 films, the GFF is one of the leading UK film festivals. It's guaranteed to be a fun and welcoming event which breathes life in to the already bustling city and nightlife, it's an event that really shouldn't be missed.

This year there is umpteen world cinema screenings at the event including many new releases as well as some bona-fide classics! 

Some of the main highlights include the new Korean Thriller 'Age of Shadows' directed by Kim Jee-woon(I Saw The Devil/A Bittersweet Life). There is also screenings of the new Indonesian action film from the team that brought you The Raid and starring Iko Uwais 'Headshot'.

Some promising Independent films will be screened such as the 2014 Korean film How To Steal A Dog based on the novel by Barbara O'Connor. There is a Canadian/Chinese production Old Stone which will have the director Johnny Ma in attendance. And one that I am extremely excited about is a new anime release A Silent Voice directed by Naoka Yamada(K-On!).

For fans of the golden age of Japanese cinema, there is a retrospective on Toshiro Mifune. Including screenings of the 2015 documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai, there is also some of his classic work being shown including Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Rashomon. What's even better is that they fall under the Festival for A Fiver category. Which means you can see Seven Samurai on the big screen for £5! 

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are many reasons to visit Glasgow Film Festival 2017. For a list of all their screenings and more information visit their official website. Have fun! 

Call of Heroes is coming to select UK Cinemas Sep 2nd!

Benny Chan's latest Hong Kong action film Call of Heroes is getting a select UK cinema release on September 2nd. For a full list of cinemas check out the official website here

Set in 1914 following the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the film tells the story of a group of villagers standing up to a cruel young warlord.

Here is a collection of reviews:
The Hollywood Reporter
South China Morning Post
Variety

This looks like it will be a very fun film! My tickets are already booked for opening night.

Matt Damon and Andy Lau team up to fight monsters in 'The Great Wall'

The trailer for The Great Wall has dropped... And it looks insane!

Directed by legendary director Zhang Yimou(House of Flying Daggers/Hero), starring Matt Damon & Andy Lau and featuring an all star international cast of Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Eddie Peng and Jing Tian.

When a mercenary warrior (Damon) is imprisoned within The Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world.  As wave after wave of marauding beasts besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

The Great Wall is Zhang Yimou's first English language speaking film and is currently the largest budget Chinese film of all time with a budget of $135 million.

Coming to cinemas on February 17th 2017.

The Mermaid Review 2016 美人鱼

The Mermaid

The Mermaid is the latest film from fan favourite Stephen Chow. Unfortunately for viewers Stephen Chow yet again doesn't star in his own film, but he is a marvelous comedic Director and his comedy timing is perfect in his new fantasy-romantic-comedy film.

Real estate tycoon Liu Xuan (Deng Chao) has been making a fortune using new sonar technology which happens to destroy all near by sea-life. Liu buys up a large area of protected land which he intends to use for real estate development, it just so happens this area is the home to a group of mermaids.
The mermaids hatch a plan to take down Liu Xuan and get him to abort his new development. The plan involves getting one of the mermaids to seduce and then kill him. Shan (Lin Yun/Jelly Lin) is chosen as the sexiest mermaid, she gets modified and trained to blend in with the humans then complete her mission.

From the synopsis, you can almost guess where this film is going. The basic story isn't that fresh but the film as a whole is completely original and distinctive from pretty much any film for years. Comparable to possibly only Splash and The Little Mermaid, this is such a refreshing take on the mermaid rom-com genre.

The Mermaid is genuinely hilarious. Full of great entertaining and creative gags, there's something that makes you genuinely laugh every few minutes, the pacing is brilliant. There is great uses of subtle humour in a scene with Liu trying to explain to the police that he was kidnapped by mermaids which had the cinema roaring. But there is also plenty of crazy slapstick comedy, one scene in particular is of Shan trying to kill her target and failing miserably, it gets stretched out with each gag getting funnier and more absurd.

A Mermaid... half person, half fish.

The cast are all brilliant in their roles. Liu Xuan comes off great as a wealthy jerk who is actually misunderstood and looking for real love. The Octopus played by Show Luo was surprisingly good and involved in a couple of hilarious scenes, one involving him pretending to be a chef and part of his body ends up getting cooked for customers.

But Shan(Lin Yun) is the star of the show. Unknown to most audiences, the 19 year old's performance is adorable and incredibly cute. Full of quirkiness, from her facial expressions, to reactions, to her waddling about pretending to be human. Lin Yun has an ocean full of charisma and could go on to be a big star. She reminds me of a young Shu Qi mixed with Zhang Ziyi, only a lot more warming.

I hope no one notices I'm peeing right now.

Like a lot of Chinese comedies, the tone of the film changes drastically at points. Towards the end it gets a little too dark, which shocked me considering how light in tone the rest was. But this is more as part of their environmental message, which is still as important today as ever. Using real footage of water pollution and dying sea-life, The Mermaid does contain an underlying message from Chow which should be applauded.

The CGI in The Mermaid is hit or miss. In some scenes it actually looks pretty great. In others, it stands out too much and is quite jarring with how fake it looks. But for a comedy, this isn't actually too important. And in some ways, it almost adds to the charm of the film.

A shock to many, The Mermaid has not only gone on to become the highest grossing film in China. It is also now the 2nd highest grossing film in the WORLD this year, so far!

Sitting right behind Deadpool, it's second in terms of money. But for me The Mermaid is first in terms of laughs.

7.5/10

The Mermaid is currently showing in many cinemas across the UK, USA, AUS/NZ and of course Asia. So check if any cinemas near by are showing it now!

Ip Man 3 in select UK cinemas on 24th December! Then released 15th January across the UK!

Merry Christmas From Cineworld! 

Looks like we are getting Ip Man in UK cinemas after all. And a select few cineworld cinemas are showing it Christmas eve!

Then it opens nationwide on 15th January. Brilliant! This looks like one not to miss.

Stay tuned to I Love Asian Cinema and their official website for more release details including US, Australia and New Zealand releases.

'Our Times' Taiwanese film coming to cinemas worldwide on 19/20th November + Trailer!

After the release of Lost in Hong Kong and Ex-Files 2, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA are being treated to another Asian Cinema release on the 19/20th November; Our Times (我的少女時代)

An ordinary and unnoticeable high-school girl, Truly, has a crush on the most popular guy in school. Taiyu, a ruffian and a bully, is in love with the campus belle. By a quirk of fate, Taiyu invited Truly to enter a pack for the losers in love, an “Association of the Dumped”. Their mission is to tear the golden couple apart and helped each other to get the ones they love.
In the 90s when floppy discs is the most common way to transfer files, and Internet is connected through a dial-ups system. Truly met Taiyu. They missed, they confessed and they bid goodbye. Eighteen years later, when the trendiest things have become old memories, when Truly meets her ‘puppy love’ once again, will they be able to rekindle their friendship and relive again the good old times?

Our Times looks like a lot of fun!

For more information on this film and to check where it is being released, check out the link here

Ex-Files 2 Review 2015 前任2：备胎反击战

(Note: This sequel is not related to the original, you can watch it on its own.)



A fun Chinese rom-com which tops the original with its humour and its story.

Yi Ze is a director's assistant working on a big talent show. On the day of the Auditions she is dumped by her boyfriend by text message. Yu Fei, a budding singer and dancer is rejected for his audition by arriving late. Yi Ze feeling sympathetic and emotional let's him on the show, and to her surprise he goes on to win the show and becomes a mega popstar.

Seven years later Yi Ze becomes the assistant of an Advert director. While shooting a commercial that stars Yu Fei, the two meet once again. Yu Fei flirts with Yi Ze and tricks her into thinking he has fallen for her so she’ll change the advert in his favour. When Zi Ye realises she has been had, she goes about seeking revenge on him with help from a mysterious love guru.

Adapted from the Korean film How To Use Guys With Secret Tips, Ex-Files 2 actually has an extremely relevant and fresh story. China is producing a bunch of hit romantic comedies, and they seem to have found a winning formula. Queue the montages!

Montages seem to be a big part of Chinese romantic comedies, with some Mando-pop hits playing while the characters fall in love, or when then break up or fall out. Ex- Files 2 possibly has a little too many montages, but they never felt unwelcome, and many of the songs were actually extremely catchy. The song featured while they cook breakfast is one I need to track down for myself now.

This film is actually extremely funny. There are many laugh out loud moments. Some sexual jokes. Some slapstick. And some great visual comedy which translates to any language. There is a long running gag throughout featuring 3 male super fans of Yu Fei which always got a laugh from the audience.

Ex-Files 2 tops the previous film with its consistency. It flows better and doesn't sag like the first one. Also, although there is melodrama near the end(hey, it's a Chinese rom-com!), it's not nearly for as long or as depressing as the original.

A fun little film which will keep you entertained by making you laugh, making you cry and overall warming your heart

7/10

Ex-Files 2 has a limited Cinema release from the 6th November in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. So see it quickly! Click here for more information. Or if you miss out, look for it coming to DVD/Blu-ray soon!

Ip Man 3 is getting a cinema release in the UK, Australia and New Zealand on the 24th December!

Although the details are vague, this looks extremely likely now!

The Facebook page that made this post "I Love Asian Cinema UK" is the same people who brought Lost In Hong Kong and now Ex-Files 2 to worldwide cinemas. Their aim is to release Asian films in various countries on the same original release date. So this looks very promising! 

Here is the link to the trailer they posted. The description says UK, Australia and New Zealand cinemas on the 24th of December!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbLb2CCi6I0

Fingers crossed for now. And when I hear any more news I will share it here!

Ex-Files 2 - Chinese Comedy gets UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand cinema release!

The same kind folk who brought Lost In Hong Kong to cinemas across the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand are doing the same with the new Chinese comedy "Ex-Files 2" on the 6th of November.

You don't need to see the first Ex-Files before you see 2. But I am going to track it down and check it out anyway before I go see Ex-Files 2 on the big screen!

For a full list of cinemas, check the link below:

Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back