IP MAN PACKS A PUNCH AT HONG KONG FILM AWARDS: Donnie Yen competes with Donnie Yen in most categories.
This year the Hong Kong Film Awards returned to their familiar venue at the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Even though Hong Kong is such a relatively small place, its rare to get all the major talents...MORE ›
TRANSPORTED BY COREY YUEN: Meeting the martial arts movie maestro.
When I first became a fan of Asian action cinema, there was a vast amount of disinformation written about the genre. One enterprising journalist seized on the prevalence of ‘Yuens’ in the Hong Kong...MORE ›
GIVE THE MAN A HAND: THE ‘PROTÉGÉ’ AWARDS FOR TEN MOST SHOCKING HK MOVIE MOMENTS.
‘Protégé’ is a great movie, but it’s a hard one to summarize on a video sleeve. Yes, I have to admit, that is not Daniel Wu’s hand holding the gun on the sleeve, but we have made all five extra...MORE ›
FROM SOUTHAMPTON TO SOUTH CHINA: JEFF LAU REMEMBERS THE LONG ROAD TO ‘FONG SAI YUK’.
Triple threat writer/director/producer Jeff Lau is one of the many unsung heroes of Hong Kong cinema, a multi-hyphenate who has delivered hit films for some of the biggest names in the business. Despite...MORE ›
36th CHAMBER REVISITED: The influences and the influence of a kung fu classic (part two)
36th Chamber of Shaolin was released in Hong Kong on the 2nd of February, 1978. It earned almost HK$3m at the local box office, and was the fifth most successful film of the year. (The top film was a Michael...MORE ›
36th CHAMBER REVISITED: The influences and the influence of a kung fu classic (part one)
I am delighted that, through our friends at Momentum, the Dragon Dynasty edition of 36th Chamber of Shaolin is finally getting a UK DVD release. I first saw the film when it was released on VHS by Warner...MORE ›
‘FIVE FINGERS’ FOREVER: ‘KING BOXER’ REMEMBERED
Given the success we enjoyed in the UK with the earlier Hong Kong Legends brand, it was only a matter of time before Dragon Dynasty came to England. Through our partners at Momentum, we’re launching...MORE ›
ONCE UPON A TIME IN VIETNAM : A brief history of Indochinese action.
Our release ‘The Rebel’ is bringing a whole new flavour of Asian action to the mainstream audience, as Vietnam comes into its own in terms of commercial film-making. Though its own emergence onto the...MORE ›
THE THIRD CRIME’S THE CHARM: Up, up and away with ‘Supercop’.
I just recorded my DVD commentary for our upcoming (and much anticipated) re-release of the Jackie Chan action classic Police Story 3: Supercop. I well remember the first time I saw this movie. At the...MORE ›
BEYOND OUR KEN : Going toe to toe with Lo.
Like most fans of martial arts action cinema, I first became aware of Ken Lo (AKA Lo Wai-kong) due to his final reel duel with Jackie Chan in Drunken Master 2. In this fight, Lo displays his legendary...MORE ›
SHOOTING THE FAT: On the ‘Shanghai’ set with Hong Kong’s greatest actor.
It’s incredible enough to be standing within 15 feet of Chow Yun-fat, more amazing still to work on a film with him and yet more stunning to see him with a gun in his hand. For almost a decade, fans...MORE ›
A VISITOR FROM THE MILKY WAY: Johnnie To drops by the ‘Shanghai’ set.
I’m back in Bangkok for the shooting of TWC’s period thriller ‘Shanghai’. Just a few weeks ago, our back-lot was open land where the water buffalo roamed. Now 1940s Shanghai streets lead off in...MORE ›
BRUCE LEE AND ME (part two)
Media Asia giving me access to the Bruce Lee archive was like giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank. I was IN! The crypt keeper down at the vault where MA stored the materials it had inherited from...MORE ›
BRUCE LEE AND ME: Remembering the Dragon (part one)
Today marks the anniversary of Bruce Lee’s untimely passing, and I’m attending an exhibition of memorabilia staged by the Hong Kong Bruce Lee Club. (That’s my son Calvin doing his best ‘wa-tahhh!’...MORE ›
ROLLING WITH THE REAL INDY : On location with Vic Armstrong
Last time I was on a major movie location in Bangkok, it was for The Medallion, then called ‘Highbinders’, and I was working with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, two men who defined (and then redefined)...MORE ›
THE JET LANDS IN BANGKOK : Meeting the master.
I arrive in Thailand for our film ‘Shanghai’ which, for reasons too convoluted to go into here, ended up shooting in London and Bangkok rather than in the eponymous Chinese city. I knew that the film’s...MORE ›
SHANGHAI, SHANGHAI (part three) : Film festival blues in China’s second city.
There are dozens of films programmed in the festival, but it seems that the only ones relevant to Dragon Dynasty either haven’t yet been released (Painted Skin, Ip Man) or are classic films being re-screened....MORE ›
SHANGHAI, SHANGHAI (part two) : Film festival blues in China’s second city.
Day two of the festival starts well. After a couple of meetings, I get a late breakfast at the Hyatt with Donnie Yen, who has been in Shanghai for several months shooting ‘Ip Man’, his bio pic about...MORE ›
SHANGHAI, SHANGHAI: Film festival blues in China’s second city.
Hong Kong cinema owes a huge debt to Shanghai. It was the exodus of talent from this great metropolis that kick-started the then-crown colony’s industry. Today, the city’s massive film studio back-lot...MORE ›
‘REBEL’ WITHOUT A PAUSE (part three): Showdown in Saigon.
Most commentary sessions for our DVD releases see me sitting in a recording booth all by my lonesome. Fans often ask why we don’t get more input from the on-screen and behind-the-screen talent, and the...MORE ›
‘REBEL’ WITHOUT A PAUSE (part two) : Showdown in Saigon.
On the second day of my Saigon sojourn, producer Jimmy Pham picks me up at the Sheraton. We drive to the studio where I’m to supervise Rebel leading lady Veronica Ngo’s recording session. As I mentioned...MORE ›
REBEL’ WITHOUT A PAUSE : Showdown in Saigon.
I’m in a Vietnamese city, the name of which remains in a state of confusion. Formerly known as Saigon, now called either Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon Ho Chi Minh… Anyway, it provides my first exposure...MORE ›
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF A SHAW THING : Run Run’s illustrious legacy.
By the time I relocated to Hong Kong from England, the Shaw Brothers movie empire seemed like mythical kingdom from yesteryear. Its Clearwater Bay office remained, but the once prolific production rate...MORE ›
THE FORCE BEHIND THE ‘FIST OF LEGEND’ : Gordon Chan speaks.
I think the most eagerly awaited upcoming Dragon Dynasty release is probably the long-awaited re-issue of Jet Li’s kung fu classic ‘Fist Of Legend’. An earlier DVD edition of the film featured only...MORE ›
GETTING CARTER : Meeting the master of ‘Hapkido’.
Remember that old line about the journey being more important than the destination? Before our planned release of the Golden Harvest classic ‘Hapkido’ got pushed back in the schedule, I managed to...MORE ›
NOW AND CHEN : MEETING THE ‘TAI CHI MASTER’ (part two)
Team Dragon Dynasty staggers out from the Tai Chi Hotel into the pre-dawn darkness. A van arrives exactly at the appointed hour to drive us to the main Chen school. Throughout our stay, I’m impressed...MORE ›
NOW AND CHEN : MEETING THE ‘TAI CHI MASTER’.
Whoever designed the cavernous airport at Zhengzhou neglected to build a city around it. Or even a town. The echoing edifice is the landing strip that time forgot, boasting every convenience. Except customers....MORE ›
WHEN WEAPONS COLLIDE : Kea Wong meets some ‘Heroes Of The East’ and matches wood and steel with the best.
Our impending DVD release of the Shaw Bros classic Heroes Of The East afforded me yet another opportunity to put my faithful sidekick Kea Wong in peril. (Just wait ‘til we release Story Of Riki…) Kea,...MORE ›
THE WING CHUN CONNECTION : How Yip Man’s art adds impact to kung fu cinema.
This year’s Mandarin Films summer dinner saw the company announced its latest martial arts epic, ‘Yip Man’. The film tells the story of a legendary master of the Wing Chun style. This unique form...MORE ›
THE SAMMO CONNECTION : Hanging with Hung at the ‘Fatal Move’ premiere.
It’s great to see the face and name of Sammo Hung back on billboards across Hong Kong, as Fatal Move, the new gangster thriller from director Dennis Law, reigns at the top of the local box office. Law’s...MORE ›
AUDIBLE ‘INVISIBLE TARGET’: In the studio for a manic audio commentary session.
After all these years of doing audio commentaries for Asian DVDs, fans still ask me ‘Hey, motor mouth, why don’t you do them with the actual directors and stars?’ The main reason for this is that,...MORE ›
GOLDEN YEARS : The luminous legacy of Raymond Chow.
On our ongoing mission to bring you the very best of current and classic Asian action, we make every effort to track down the talent concerned and get first-hand stories of their creation. Though we may...MORE ›
HERO OF THE EAST : Hung Kuen legend Lam Cho turns 98.
His back is ramrod straight, his forearms hard as wound steel, he can still walk, talk and laugh. If ever a man exemplified the benefits of lifelong kung fu training, it’s Lam Cho. Lam is the nephew...MORE ›
Meeting the Maestro : Talking ‘Heroes Of The East’ with Lau Kar-leung.
There’s a lot to be said for the old adage that you should never meet your heroes, though, in my own case, I’ve generally been lucky. In person, my idols have exceeded my expectations. The more I’ve...MORE ›
‘CHOCOLATE’ UNWRAPPED : At the premiere of a new Thai action classic.
Sometimes actually getting to a movie premiere can be almost as exciting as the film itself. Take the first night of the new Thai actioner Chocolate. It was a rainy night in Bangkok, and traffic was backed...MORE ›
A TASTE OF ‘CHOCOLATE’ : On location for the latest Thai action classic.
I’m about to fly to Bangkok for the premiere of Chocolate, the latest martial arts actioner from Thai genre film powerhouse Prachya Pinkaew and his Baa-Ram-Ewe Productions. Prachya may not yet be a household...MORE ›
21-1-08 (continued) : ICE COLD IN HENGDIAN : On location for ‘Painted Skin’.
Painted Skin is based on a story by Pu Song-ling. The tales of supernatural horrors collected in his Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio have inspired numerous film adaptations, including the classic A...MORE ›
21-1-08: ICE COLD IN HENGDIAN : On location for ‘Painted Skin’.
I emerge from the Hangzhou airport into China’s coldest Winter in 50 years. Its only a two hour flight from Hong Kong, but feels like a complete climate change. I’ve visited the Hengdian World Studios...MORE ›
COME SPEAK WITH ME: Revisiting a Shaw Brothers classic with Cheng Pei Pei.
I first met the ageless and charming Cheng Pei Pei shortly after I relocated to Hong Kong. I interviewed her as part of my research for my book Hong Kong Action Cinema, and was so impressed with her eloquence,...MORE ›
THE FLASH POINT GUIDE TO MMA : Kea Wong goes to the mat.
The upcoming Dragon Dynasty release of the Donnie Yen actioner Flash Point sees Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) hit the screen with a whole new impact. In planning our bonus features for the disc, I thought it...MORE ›
GRINDHOUSE ASIAN STYLE : Checking out some genuinely deathproof guilty pleasures.
The annual TWC party at the American Film Market was enlivened by the presence of the Deathproof girls (Elizabeth Winstead, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell). I became friends with Tracie, who later took me to Big...MORE ›
IGNITING FLASH POINT : No holds barred with Donnie Yen.
We recorded an in-depth interview today with Donnie Yen, action director and star of the groundbreaking contemporary Asian actioner Flash Point. The film will be getting a limited US theatrical release...MORE ›
JAY PLAYS HK : Meeting an Asian pop phenomenon.
Living and working in Hong Kong, I often feel like the whitest man in the room, never more so than when I attended a concert given by Taiwanese music idol Jay Chou at the HK Coliseum. Chou is a huge phenomenon...MORE ›
HAIL TO THE QUEEN: The closing of Hong Kong’s premiere movie theatre marks the end of an era.
This month, after a final screening of Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, the legendary Queen’s Theatre closed its doors. It will leave a big gap, standing at it does on the junction of Queen’s Road and Theatre...MORE ›
MEET THE REAL IRON MIKE : Jai White brings his best to east and west.
Within minutes of meeting Michael Jai White (in the elegant confines of the Beverly Wilshire AKA the ‘Pretty Woman’ hotel), I established that I had nearly met him a dozen times and that we knew virtually...MORE ›
2 R OR NOT 2 R: A brief history of Hong Kong pop idols.
The whole concept of manufactured Asian singing stars began in Japan, with the rise of ‘talentos’. These were girls picked from obscurity because of one extraordinary feature (enormously large eyes,...MORE ›
LAUNCHING AN INVISIBLE TARGET: Hong Kong action idols storm Tokyo.
I’m in Japan for the Tokyo International Film Festival, and waiting in the lobby of Shibuya’s Cerulean Hotel. I have no idea why the hotel is so named. It doesn’t look particularly blue… (I didn’t...MORE ›
SHOWDOWN AT THE CHINA CLUB : Action idols collide at launch party for TWC’s Asian Film Fund.
The setting was the exclusive China Club, on a high floor of the Old Bank Of China building. This venue, owned by Anglophile, entrepreneur and bon vivant David Tang, has hosted its fair share of high calibre...MORE ›
SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH JACKIE : Chan the man talks Rob-B-Hood.
With the unfortunate demise of James Brown, Jackie Chan reigns as the hardest working man in show business. When I called his office to arrange to shoot an on-camera interview for our forthcoming release...MORE ›
RAISING THE DRAGON HEAT : Remembering movie mayhem on the mean streets of Hong Kong (part three)
Dragon Heat gave me the chance to work with an idol and an old friend. The idol was Sammo Hung, the old friend Simon Yam. In the film, they play two veteran cops who are at odds with each other, and, in...MORE ›
RAISING THE DRAGON HEAT : Remembering movie mayhem on the mean streets of Hong Kong (part two)
Dragon Heat had the best international ‘rogue’s gallery’ of any Asian action film shot in 2005. The first person cast was Huh Joon-ho, a Korean character actor best-known internationally for...MORE ›
RAISING THE DRAGON HEAT : Remembering movie mayhem on the mean streets of Hong Kong (part one)
I have to admit that, among the Dragon Dynasty releases, Dragon Heat has a special place in my heart. It was my last film as an independent producer, before I joined The Weinstein Company, and the last...MORE ›
Seoul Raider: Twenty fun facts about City Of Violence.
I’m in Korea to speak at a digital media conference, Dicom, to discuss ways in which local cinema can better sell itself to the western market. I give a talk to a Korean audience, who are getting a simultaneously...MORE ›
ONCE UPON A TIME IN DUNHUANG (part one): On location for The Good, The Bad and The Weird.
In the predawn hours, Beijing airport sees jackals prowl to rob the unwary. When I get out from my taxi, a man offers to wheel my luggage, then tries to hit me up for a fee that’s half the cab fare for...MORE ›
ONCE UPON A TIME IN DUNHUANG (part two): On location for The Good, The Bad and The Weird.
Saturday morning, and the town of Dunhuang, though bustling, is devoid of power. An emergency generator keeps the hotel elevators running. Youngsoo, Luna and I find a near-by traveller’s café that offers...MORE ›
REBEL ALLIANCE : Just in time for Dustin Nguyen.
Our release of the Vietnamese actioner The Rebel should finally put paid to the description of actor Dustin Nguyen as “that guy from 21 Jump Street”. Not that Dustin is ashamed of his association with...MORE ›
GETTING CHRISTY LOVE : Beijing fun with the divine Ms. Chung.
It was a great loss to Hong Kong’s babe factor when Christy Chung decamped for Beijing. The Vietnamese beauty had been a luminous staple of the local industry for several years before relocating with...MORE ›
RED CLIFF NOTES : On location for John Woo’s magnum opus.
The term ‘epic’ is used too liberally to describe historical war films, but is definitely appropriate in terms of the size and scale of John Woo’s Red Cliff. Based on the classic novel Romance Of...MORE ›
DISPATCHES FROM THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM : Tracking Jackie and Jet to a filmic frontier.
Hong Kong producers have pursued the pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li for years. They were once meant to team for a reworking of the DeNiro vehicle Midnight Run, and at one time were discussing a period...MORE ›
THE CAINE SCRUTINY : My dinner with David Carradine.
The hotel at the Hengdian Film Studios could provide a perfect location if a Chinese producer ever decides to remake Kubrick’s The Shining. It’s vast and desolate. It has everything (gym, pool, game...MORE ›
RECORDING EDISON: In the studio for a Dog Bite Dog commentary.
They all laughed at Christopher Columbus, wrote Gershwin, when he said the world was round; they all laughed when Edison recorded sound… Thankfully, such was not the case when I met the amiable Edison...MORE ›
ONE NIGHT WITH Q : How Maggie and me survived some Dragon Heat on the mean streets of Mongkok.
Our upcoming DD release Dragon Heat brings back a mixed bag of memories. It was the last film I worked on as an independent producer before joining TWC. It was also the last Hong Kong movie Maggie Q appeared...MORE ›
GETTING CARTER : Catching up with the Hapkido hero.
I first met Carter Wong at his New York kung fu school, around about (according to my reckoning) twenty years ago. At that time, his earlier films were only available in the UK on blurry pirate videos,...MORE ›
OUR MAN VAN (DAMME) : Checking in with Hong Kong’s Belgian connection.
When we met this evening in the coffee shop of the Peninsula Hotel, I tried to figure out how many years I’ve known Jean-Claude Van Damme. I remember distinctly the first time I set eyes on him. Cannon...MORE ›
KING CHARLES REMEMBERED: The passing of Salon’s chief marks the end of an era.
I first met Charles Wang about 20 years ago. I was still living in England, and trying to make some headway in the film industry. One of my friends, the writer Richard Laplante, had optioned his book Tegne...MORE ›
THREE NIGHTS IN BANGKOK: Chance encounters in Siam.
I’m in the Thai capital for the Bangkok Film Festival. It’s virtually impossible not to have fun in this city, but it has to be said that this event, as a whole, remains a work in progress. However,...MORE ›
ONE ARMED LEGACY : How Wang Yu single-handedly created an icon.
Though he made his name as a martial arts hero, Jimmy Wang Yu had only a cursory martial arts background. A former water polo player, the hot-headed Shanghai native was more familiar with rough house street...MORE ›
EASTERN THUNDER DOWN UNDER: Hong Kong cinema’s Aussie connection.
I’m enjoying a week’s vacation in Melbourne, catching up with the family I never get to see enough of. Though I was born and raised in England, my natural parents are Australian. I have the same mother...MORE ›
BEHIND THE 36th CHAMBER: Some notes on the creation of a martial arts masterpiece (part three)
36th Chamber Of Shaolin was Hong Kong’s fifth highest grossing film of 1978, with the year’s most successful release being the Michael Hui comedy The Contract. It made a bona fide kung fu movie superstar...MORE ›
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING BOXER: Lo Lieh remembered.
My first experience of King Boxer was on the page, rather than the screen. I remember seeing a poster for the film, playing as half of a double bill, at the Peterborough ABC. (I think it was programmed...MORE ›
SHANGHAI ENCOUNTERS: Postcards from the Bund at the city’s 10th film festival.
I’m just flying back from the Shanghai Film Festival. This was the 10th anniversary of the event, which is held in China’s largest city. The festival is seen as an opportunity for the Chinese film...MORE ›
DIARY OF A DIE HARD FRIENDSHIP: From Gen-Y to Dragon Squad with Q and B.
As I write this, I’m en route back from Tokyo, where I flew to attend the Japanese premiere of Live Free Or Die Hard AKA Die Hard 4.0. I’ve been a fan of the franchise since the first film, which,...MORE ›
WHEN JAYCEE MET LI FAI: How the son of kung fu legend joined forces with Hong Kong’s queen of kung fu.
I’ve always been happy to have the chance to bring different folk of similar talent together. I have fond memories of drinking on Hong Kong’s Hollywood Road with Donnie Yen and Jean-Claude Van Damme,...MORE ›
BEHIND THE 36th CHAMBER: Some notes on the creation of a martial arts masterpiece (part two).
Despite the fact that the version I first saw was the edited, ‘international’ cut of the film, it was obvious that 36th Chamber Of Shaolin was a classic kung fu movie. I think a masterpiece is defined...MORE ›
BEHIND THE 36th CHAMBER: Some notes on the creation of a martial arts masterpiece (part one).
“Teen ha mo gung; yoon chut Siu Lam: Every martial art under heaven comes from Shaolin” ...MORE ›
BEYOND THE CUTTING EDGE:
Why a Last Hurrah For Chivalry feature took so many years to create.
When it comes to putting together bonus features for our older kung fu releases, we often have to apply an extra dose of imagination. Fans often ask me: why don’t you just interview so-and-so? The answer,...MORE ›
KOREA MOVES 2: Meeting the Seoul men (and women) behind ‘City Of Violence’
A two hour drive from central Seoul takes you to what must surely be one of the city’s most extraordinary suburban developments. It’s a government-sponsored artist’s village consisting of a dozen...MORE ›
KOREA MOVES: Meeting the Seoul men behind ‘City Of Violence’
I took the redder than red eye to Korea, taking off from Hong Kong at midnight, landing at Seoul in the early hours, sleep-walking through immigration and customs, sleeping on the airport bus, sleeping...MORE ›
KIRK’S ENTERPRISE: Crime Story remembered.
Director Kirk Wong and I had a blast recording a DVD commentary for Jackie Chan’s Crime Story. It was the second such venture for him (his first was for his Hollywood debut, The Big Hit) and, for me,...MORE ›
QUENTIN SPEAKS: Remembering a Cannes encounter with the Grindhouse guru.
In honour of the release of the awesome Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-header Grindhouse, I’d like to recount for you the story of my first memorable encounter with the former. It was at the...MORE ›
HARD BOILING JUBILEE: Tracing John Woo’s mean streets with Kea Wong.
We shot a location guide for the Hard Boiled DVD today. Much as I love seeing myself on camera (not!), I decided to pass the mantle over to TWC Asia’s adopted ‘little sister’, Kea Wong. Kea is a...MORE ›
ONE JOURNEY, THREE KINGDOMS: Tracking the Resurrection of the Dragon, part two.
On the second morning of my Three Kingdoms set visit, I joined Maggie Q on the action unit. I’ve been on a few Asian movie sets in my time, but this one has a special energy. Director Daniel Lee, action...MORE ›
ONE JOURNEY, THREE KINGDOMS: Tracking the Resurrection of the Dragon, part one.
I’m skimming like a stone across China: Hong Kong to Wuhan, Wuhan to Xian (home of the terracotta warriors), Xian to Dunhang, or, more precisely, Guazhou. If Dunhuang can be described as the back of...MORE ›
MEMORIES AT THE BRUCE LEE GATE: A movie-goers guide to Macao.
After my recent Beijing adventures, I returned to Hong Kong for some weekend r-and-r in Macao. This is a former Portugese ‘enclave’ located an hour away (by hovercraft) from Hong Kong. It’s unquestionably...MORE ›
RETURN TO THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE: Meeting two unsung martial heroes.
Beijing is a long way from Hunan, but, to my happy surprise, I had a Shaolin encounter in the Chinese capital. I was invited to a dinner at which two of my fellow guests were Simmon Xu and Ji Chun-hua,...MORE ›
BOLO AND BEY’S BEIJING ADVENTURE: The return of the beast from the east.
In the wake of the US release of a certain faux exploitation magnum opus, various publications have run lists of the kind of cinematic guilty pleasures you need to recreate the grindhouse cinema experience....MORE ›
FROM CHUCKY TO JASON TO JET : Tracking Ronny Yu.
I had lunch today with Ronny Yu, director of Fearless. If there’s any film I wish we had on Dragon Dynasty that we don’t, it’s this epic bio-pic of kung fu icon Ho Yuan-chia (Fok Yun-kap), played,...MORE ›
WILL THE REAL INSPECTOR LOGAN PLEASE STAND UP? : Shooting Infernal Affairs 2.
I met today with Alan Mak and Felix Chong, co-writers of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which Alan co-directed. He and former partner Andrew Lau have had a very public parting of the ways, and Alan and...MORE ›
ME AND SUZIE WONG: A close encounter with Nancy Kwan.
As a youngster growing up in Peterborough, England, everything I knew about Hong Kong, I knew from the movies. From Enter The Dragon, I knew that it was a place that could spawn kung fu masters like Bruce...MORE ›
‘HARD-BOILED’ MEMORIES: Visiting the set of a John Woo classic.
We’re currently preparing our double-disc edition of the John Woo masterpiece Hard- Boiled. The crew just got back from Beijing, where they shot an exhaustive fresh interview with the director. I was...MORE ›
WONG IS RIGHT: How reports of Melvin’s death have been exaggerated.
How often do you get to look into the eyes of a dead man? A couple of years back, there was buzz on the internet (where else?) saying that Hong Kong character actor Melvin Wong had passed away. And yet...MORE ›
LANDING WITH JET: On location for The Warlords.
I’m just flying back from the Shanghai studios where director Peter Chan is shooting his period war epic The Warlords. The film stars Jet Li, in what will undoubtedly be his most demanding acting role...MORE ›
FROM KRYPTON TO KOWLOON: THE SUPERHEROES ARE COMING.
Recently, Hong Kong has felt like a blend between Metropolis, Gotham City and the stylized New York seen in the classic Marvel comics. A crew flew here to shoot plate shots for the new Fantastic Four film,...MORE ›
TRACKING JACKIE CHAN’S POLICE STORY ON THE STREETS OF HONG KONG.
When we were preparing the Dragon Dynasty releases of the classic Jackie Chan Police Story films, label chief Brian White asked me to work on some location report featurettes. I’d done these before,...MORE ›
BACK ABOARD THE SHANGHAI EXPRESS.
I’ve just been in the studio to record the commentary for our upcoming Shanghai Express DVD. Director and star Sammo Hung is one of my idols, and it was great to revisit this raucous eastern Western...MORE ›
DEPARTED OSCAR WIN CAUSES INFERNAL AFFAIRS IN HONG KONG.
The triumph of Martin Scorsese’s The Departed at this year’s Oscars was a long overdue recognition of the director’s prodigious talents. It was also a great day for Hong Kong cinema. As a long-time...MORE ›
BACK IN THE KILL ZONE WITH SEVEN SWORDS STAR DONNIE YEN.
Last Friday, I got the call to arms from Donnie Yen, star of our very first Dragon Dynasty release, the high impact Hong Kong cop actioner Kill Zone, and our recent period martial arts hit Seven Swords....MORE ›
