I looked up my friend Ken’s site (AngelicVoices.com) on the wayback machine and found some old stuff I posted there, circa 2002. My primary movie obsession back then was Hong Kong cinema so Ken asked me to write a guide for newbies with recommendations. Note that this is a snapshot from 2002. Back then it wasn’t as easy to see HK movies as it is now. It was the pre-streaming era. HK import DVDs cost a small fortune but you could order cheap DVDs from Hong Kong-based sellers on the web, which I did. A lot.

Here’s what I wrote back then. I’ll add notations on where/if these films are streaming now.

A Newcomer’s Guide to HK Cinema

Posted on Saturday, September 28, 2002 by AriVael

Keeba’s top five HK flicks:

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) – A historical fantasy about a young tax collector falling in love with a ghost. Xena: Warrior Princess ripped this off in their series finale. This is the first HK fantasy I ever saw on a big screen and it totally blew me away. The effects are a little cheesy here and there, but the overall look of the film is really stunning. Lots of floaty red silk. Disney owns it now so you can’t buy it in the US. It’s listed under horror on some websites, but it is really more of a romantic fantasy than a horror flick (i.e. no gore). It’s followed by two sequels which are not as good as the original. [As of 8/25/24, this film is not streaming anywhere in the US.]

Peking Opera Blues (1986) – A slam bang adventure film about three women (Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung, Sally Yeh) in revolutionary China who cross paths. Brigitte does her male drag thing. There’s some nice Peking Opera acrobatics in one scene. I think Disney owns this one too. [As of 8/25/24, this film is not streaming anywhere in the US.]

Shaolin Soccer (2001) – Not the funniest but certainly the most accessible Stephen Chow comedy. Disney is going to release this dubbed someday (probably in 2003), with a new score and bits cut out. I really love the original score, which has a sort of Magnificent Seven/spaghetti western feel. It comes with both Dolby and DTS tracks (in Cantonese) and optional English subs. The DVD includes cut scenes which can be accessed by pressing ‘Enter’ when a little soccer symbol appears onscreen. A good intro to the world of Stephen Chow comedy. [As of 8/25/24, this film is streaming free on Hoopla and can be rented on various platforms. I don’t know if any of the streamers include the original score and language options.]

Fong Sai Yuk (1993) – This is another one I use to introduce people to HK film because it is just so likeable. Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) is the Best Boy in Canton (or something like that) and he learned everything he knows from his mom (the adorable Josephine Siao). There’s a great kung fu battle between Li and Sibelle Hu standing on the heads of the crowd. Veers into melodrama towards the end but there’s an awesome fight sequence between Li and the bad guy in the crawlspace under the street. Followed by a sequel which is almost as good. Disney released both on DVD dubbed, cut, rescored, etc. under the titles The Legend and The Legend 2. Look for the remastered Universe versions at DDDHouse. [As of 8/25/24, this film is not streaming anywhere in the US. DDDHouse still exists. They don’t have Fong Sai Yuk (1 or 2) but they have A Chinese Ghost Story if you want to order it from Hong Kong. It’s listed for $135 HK, which is around $17.31 US. You could also look for the old Universe DVDs on eBay or elsewhere.]

Swordsman II (1992) – This is one crazy martial arts flick, with Brigitte Lin as the evil Asia the Invincible, who attains ultimate power through castration. Lin starts out as a guy but she gets increasingly feminine as the film progresses, eventually falling in love with the swordsman of the title, played by Jet Li. Jet is surrounded by women in this one: there’s Brigitte, Michelle Reis (as Kiddo, the swordsman’s sidekick), Rosamund Kwan (the leader of the Sun-Moon sect whom he loves), Fennie Yuen (Blue Phoenix, Rosamund Kwan’s sidekick). Lots of wire fu, a somewhat confusing plot, but lots of fun. Don’t worry about Swordsman I, it has virtually nothing to do with Swordsman II and features a different cast and director. Brigitte Lin returns in Swordsman III: The East Is Red with Yu Ruan-Guang filling in for Jet Li, but it is extremely goofy, even for an HK flick. East Is Red is for completists only. [As of 8/25/24, this film is streaming free on Tubi under the title, The Legend of the Swordsman. I don’t know if it’s subbed or dubbed or both. Swordsman III: The East Is Red is not streaming anywhere right now.]

The preceding section was Part I of my newbie’s guide. Look for Part II in an upcoming post.

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