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July 29, 2006
Well, the best laid plans...
I had hoped to add some new capsule reviews everyday, but real life intruded so I didn't have time to write
anything for a couple of days.
I did get to watch "Martial Arts of Shaolin" starring Jet Li. This was interesting for me since I haven't
really seen a Jet Li movie for awhile. I started out like most Western fans of Hong Kong films watching Jet and Jackie Chan.
Once I realized there were more to these films than great martial arts and amazing stunts, I gravitated away from Jackie and
Jet. In the past few weeks I've watched a couple of Jackie and Jet films and I remembered why I started watching Hong Kong
films in the first place.
"Martial Arts of Shaolin" is one of Jet's earlier fims and was directed by Lau Kar Leung. I think the fact
that Lau Kar Leung directed this made the martial arts more exciting since Lau is versed in many different martial arts. He
had Jet doing more than just wushu so it gave the film a bit more dimension than with just wushu alone.
I hope to have more to tell you in the next few days, and yes, some of the films I'll be watching have David
Chiang in them!
July 26, 2006
Well, this is my first attempt at (and I hope I'm using the correct word here) blogging!
I found I was having trouble writing long reviews of films I've been watching (similar to the ones I've
posted in my "reviews" section), but was having no trouble at all giving my opinion on the films in a couple of paragraphs.
It all started when quite by chance a fellow Hong Kong film fan stopped by the (mostly online) bookstore
where I worked. I handled the customer service and also was a cashier of sorts. She saw a picture of Andy Lau as my desktop wallpaper. After realizing that we had the same hobby she invited me and my husband to the screening
of Kung Fu Hustle that I mention on my Stephen Chow page. We lost touch for about a year or so until I posted something to the Yuen Biao Yahoo group that we
both belong to. She got in touch with me again and we have been conversing via email regularly.
We review the movies we've seen lately and exchange nuggets of information we've gleaned over the years
about our hobby. I've found that I enjoy writing the little "reviews" better than the longer ones so I thought I'd start writing
those kinds of things in this blog every couple of days or so.
Before I go, let me tell you about my newest obsession: David Chiang! I don't know quite how it started, but I happened on to some 70's Shaw Brothers films with David and Ti Lung in them and David just caught my eye.
I've been trying to rent anything that he's in and I've seen him go from 70's heart throb (all the Shaw
Brothers films of that time) to 80's goofy action hero (dead ghost cop plaguing Sammo Hung in "Where's Officer Tuba?") to
distinguished grandfather of young newcomer Vanness Wu in "Star Runner" in 2003. It's been really fascinating to watch all
three!
Ok, enough about that. I promise not to just talk about David Chiang. There are tons of other things to
talk about in Hong Kong films. I hope you find something that interests you and that you join me again.
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