Chinese

  • I-Chen Ko – Dai jian de xiao hai AKA Kidnapped (1983)

    I-Chen Ko1981-1990AsianDramaTaiwan

    After her six year old son is kidnapped, a successful fashion designer must work with a detective to clear up the terrifying mystery and get her son back.Read More »

  • Tat-Chi Yau & Johnnie To – Am faa AKA The Longest Nite (1998)

    Johnnie To1991-2000ActionHong KongTat-Chi YauThriller

    Synopsis:
    A bloody gang warfare is prevailing in Macau. When the rumor makes its rounds, that legendary boss Mr. Hung is coming back to Macau and wants to regain his power, the bosses of two rivalling gangs, Mr. K and Lung, decide to lay their difficulties aside and work together.Read More »

  • Kar-Wai Wong – Ah fei zing zyun AKA Days of Being Wild (1990) (HD)

    Kar Wai Wong1981-1990ArthouseDramaHong Kong

    A man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.Read More »

  • Cheng-sheng Lin – Ai ni ai wo AKA Betelnut Beauty (2001)

    Cheng-sheng Lin2001-2010AsianDramaTaiwan

    Betelnut Beauty is the english for 槟榔西施 (bīnláng xīshī). It refers to women selling betel nuts and cigarettes along the roads in Taiwan.
    The betelnut beauty is usually half naked, waiting for customers in a small glass-fronted kiosk. It’s a very common sight in Taiwan.
    Betel nuts (binlang in chinese) is popular among a certain population (truck drivers, taxi drivers, construction workers…). You chew it, spit the red juice and it makes you somehow stoned.

    This film is, in my opinion, a very average drama, not the best film from director Cheng-sheng Lin. But its background shows a realistic image of Taipei’s street life.Read More »

  • Zhao Dayong – Fei cheng AKA Ghost Town (2009)

    2001-2010ChinaDocumentaryZhao Dayong

    A remote village in southwest China is haunted by traces of its cultural past while its residents piece together their existence.

    Zhiziluo is a town barely clinging to life. Tucked away in a rugged corner of Yunnan Province, Lisu and Nu minority villagers squat in the abandoned halls of this remote former Community county seat. Divided into three parts, this epic documentary takes an intimate look at its varied cast of characters, bringing audiences face to face with people left behind by China’s new economy. A father-son duo of elderly preachers argue over the future of their village church. Two young lovers face a break-up over harsh financial realities. A twelve year-old boy, abandoned by his family, scavenges the hillside to feed himself.Read More »

  • Wei Lo, Huang Tang, Tian-lin Wang, Chia-hsiang Wu, Wen Yi – Bao lian deng AKA The Magic Lamp (1964)

    Wei Lo1961-1970Chia-Hsiang WuFantasyHong KongHuang TangMusicalTian-lin WangWen Yi

    Quote:
    Adapted from one of China’s most well-known fairy tales, the Goddess of Mount Hua falls in love with a young mortal scholar Liu Yanchang and gives birth to a baby son, Chenxiang. When Chenxiang grows up, he seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother whom he has never met.Read More »

  • Johnnie To – A Lang de gu shi AKA All About Ah Long (1989)

    Johnnie To1981-1990DramaHong Kong

    Synopsis
    A father’s ex-girlfriend resurfaces after a 10-year absence wanting to take her son away from him. With his world shattered, he must decide between what is best for his son and his own future happiness.Read More »

  • Xueshu Yan – Ye shan AKA In The Wild Mountains (1986)

    1981-1990ChinaDramaXueshu Yan

    Quote:
    Two mismatched farming couples experience both sexual and social change in 1980s China. Husband-swapping and entrepreneurial zeal fuse in this superbly shot, wittily realised take on a country where rambunctious capitalism and desiring bodies are two sides of the same coin.
    NY : ‘Hard life in country’ indeed – the country being rural China, the time being some unspecified point in the mid-70s. Plausible in both details and atmosphere, the film is more concerned with character-development than plot – and topical/political references, though scattered throughout (“the government wants us to make money now”… “Not the police has changed, it’s a good chance for us all”), aren’t delivered in too heavy-handed a fashion.Read More »

  • Ruijun Li – Jia zai shui cao feng mao di di fang AKA River Road (2014)

    2011-2020ChinaDramaRuijun Li

    IMDB:
    RIVER ROAD is the story of two Yugur ethnic minority brothers, Bartel and Adikeer. They set out on a journey across the prairies of northwestern China in search of their parents, skillfully maneuvering their camels over the vast expanse of dry ground. The allure of the film’s core components – the great outdoors, children, and animals – instantly catch our attention. Though realistic, the boys’ journey, powered by dreams and anxiety, is depicted with a touch of fantasy. And to firmly establish his characters, director Li Ruijun imbues this impressive effort – a coming-of-age drama couched in the guise of an adventure – with a winning sense of humor rooted in careful attention to detail. At the heart of the film, however, is a mournful air, bemoaning the disappearance of ethnic minorities and the destruction of nature. As suggested by its epic scale, the work has the classic qualities of a film that allows us to enjoy being emotionally affected emotional by what we see.Read More »

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