Storm Warriors II

All of China’s most formidable martial experts are in chains. Wicked warlord Lord Godless (Simon Yam) has subdued even the best of them all, Nameless (Kenny Ho).
But in an unexpected moment, the heroes break their chains. Nameless marshals a cloud of swords and hurls them at Godless but the evil conqueror withstands the deadly onslaught.
The unchained martial artistes escape with their lives, but just barely. That’s 10 minutes of intense action and the movie hasn’t even started. Storm Warriors has started its blazing run across the Asia Pacific region.
The hype that preceded its official screening has been raging on for months. In a single sentence, it is like watching a gigantic comic book come alive on the big screen.
Ma Wing Shing, the creator of Fung Wan (Wind and Cloud), is a legend in his own time among Chinese comic readers. In 1998 when Storm Riders first hit the cinema screens, it was hailed as one of the most entertaining movies of the decade.
Now 11 years later, Storm Warriors returns to fulfill its long forgotten destiny. The saga of two famous Wu Xia (martial art heroes in the world of wushu) swordsmen continues with all the spectacular swordplay and fantastic feats.
The original Wind and Cloud in Storm Riders have reprised their roles. Aaron Kwok (Cloud) and Ekin Cheng (Wind) don’t look a day older even after 11 years. Aging is not an option in the realm of Wu Xia.
Lord Godless doesn’t look that mean even though Simon Yam puts on his fiercest expression. The villain’s armour is an expression of exaggerated protection.
Two pretty women make fleeting and insignificant appearances throughout the show. They are Second Dream (Charlene Choi) and Chu Chu (Tiffany T).
Basically, this is a man’s world and women seldom venture beyond the kitchen door. If you can overlook these minor flaws then Storm Warriors should be more than capable of tickling your fancy.
The sensurround experience during the show is enough to jiggle the loose change in your pocket. The background colours of battle scenes have been shifted to stun mode.
Clearly, this is not an ordinary film of the sword and sandal genre. Everything about it is of abnormal proportions. A swinging sword cuts through boulders. A moving hand lifts hundreds of swords into the air.
Among Chinese movie viewers, Fung Wan (Wind & Cloud) represents an animated and exciting childhood for generations. The fact that the comic title is so popular in Southeast Asia countries is evident that fantasies become larger than life, as long as technology allows it.
There are two ways of watching this movie. One is viewing it like a living comic book. Two, the viewer becomes a willing participant in it as if it is a dream. Whichever option, the staggering display of superpower feats and melodramatic pyrotechnics will keep your eyes peeled from start to finish.
The essence of Storm Warriors is still as traditional as Chinese dim sum. It’s all about love, honour, hatred and ambition. All these qualities have been covered incessantly for ages in Chinese novels.
The movie epitomises the finest human values from the ancient world. Perhaps that is what makes the film such a powerful attraction among Chinese audiences.
The swordplay is fast and furious and is chiefly the work of action director Ma Yuk-sing. The heroes’ blades of exaggerated proportions are successful in their application more due to artwork than handwork.
Aaron Kwok (Cloud) and his warrior pal Ekin Cheng (Wind) have once again fared fairly well in their roles. Even though their Wind and Cloud characters should have been fleshed out to give the story more meat, ultimately the fight scenes are what audiences will be watching out for.
Since Storm Warriors is a direct Hong Kong import, the dialogue is in Cantonese, and not Mandarin which is the official language among the Chinese-speaking nations.
Viewers who are strangers to the dialect will have to resort to the subtitles for a more complete understanding, as most non-Cantonese speaking Malaysian Chinese will naturally do.
The conclusion is an abrupt as it is apocalyptic. It opens the portal for an expected third instalment and if the total earnings allow it, Storm Warriors will surely return for another exciting episode, two or three years down the road.

Poker King

THERE’S a bad joke about the Chinese. They say if you put two Chinese together, they will either start to gamble or open up a coffee shop. So it’s not surprising that for decades, Hong Kong has been producing intermittently movies that focus on gambling or gamblers.
Poker King is not a movie that will knock those mahjong tiles off the table but it’s entertaining. Louis Koo is not exactly the type of guy one would like to see as a gambler.
However, lately he has been hogging the cinema limelight so he’s box-office material. Chow Yun-Fatt in God of Gamblers (1989) was immensely better than Koo. That’s my biased opinion.
Anyway, the poker that’s being played on screen is not the usual five-card stud poker but one that pedestrians like most of us are unfamiliar with.
The name of the game is called Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. It certainly looks interesting and exciting in cinema. But what normally holds a story like this together are the actors who play out their acting skills to the hilt.
Uno Cheuk (Lau Ching Wan) was a two-bit crook who made it to become the big kahuna at a Macau Casino. The owner who also happened to be his mentor has passed away, leaving him in charge.
This is however one proviso. Uno can only claim his place at the helm of the casino if the owner’s son Jack Chang (Louis Koo) proves inept to be the CEO.
So Jack is hustled back from Canada to meet Uno. As it turns out, Jack seems to be mentally challenged who is only good at winning online poker games.
That makes Uno’s life much easier. Now all he has to do is to make sure Jack doesn’t embark on a winning streak or turn out to be a chip off the old block.
On a scale of one to 10, this show rates a six. The performance of most of the actors is passable. Only Lau Ching Wan stands out. He’s the man holding all the cards in this movie.
Lau almost never fails to deliver when he takes on a role, any role. The others including Louis Koo are average. Koo doesn’t have that glint of mischievousness in his eyes like Ah Fatt-kor (Chow Yun Fatt) as the main player.
My bet is Poker King is not going to win any Golden Horse Award. However, it may just score at the cinemas. That’s not a given but the odds are on its side. A fifty-fifty chance. The Chinese call it “Tai Sai” (big and small)
Nonetheless, not all is lost at the poker table. There’s a dose of love that adds a touch of spice to the story and some sexiness thrown in for good measure.
The three cute girls who make the filmS palatable are Stephy Tang who plays Jack’s girlfriend, Smiley, Josie Ho is Ms Fong (a rival casino owner), and poker-faced Jo Kuk (Uno Cheuk’s personal assistant).
Naturally, all bets are off when it comes to the final poker tournament which is what the movie is all about. It’s Jack versus Uno for the Poker King title.
The sequential order of subplots leading to the grand finale won’t cause irregular heart rhythm for anyone but it has a certain expectancy that comes with this type of Hong Kong movie.
Poker King is slightly more than 120 minutes long but it’s not up there with the likes of Slumdog Millionaire. Bollywood can thumb its nose at Kowloon in this instance.
Still, cinema goers of Chinese origin probably won’t mind so much. Anything that reminds them of something that’s even remotely about gambling holds a certain attraction.
Like all those who make a beeline every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for the betting outlets, Poker King will lure them to the cinema like an irresistible siren call.
Place all your bets on the table, ladies and gentlemen and watch the fun. In the end, don’t forget, this is a comedy show. So no refunds, please.

Avatar

Sci-fi entertainment has taken a quantum leap since CGI made a paradigm shift in recent years.
In Avatar, the full effects can only be appreciated and felt in 3D. So if you feel the urge to go the full nine yards, dig into your wallet and cough up RM18 and experience a mind-blowing experience.
When director James Cameron decided to make a technologically superior movie, few doubted his resolve. What was in doubt was whether he could pull it off.
In the face of the 11-Oscar Titanic, Cameron fans were unsure whether he could really top that. After almost three hours in the cinema, any trace of reservation dissipated with the conclusion of the credits.
This movie, simply put, is one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences for the entire 2009. But to really appreciate it, I would recommend nothing less than watching it in 3D.
The 3D spectacles are pretty cool, and when you have dragon-like creatures whisking past just above your head and little fluorescent life-forms floating inches from your eyeballs, you know you are no longer in the 20th century.
Even the story is amazing. Kudos to James Cameron, who is also responsible for the story. Cameron’s imagination is truly of titanic proportions.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic whose life has taken a 180-degree turn after a war. A sliver of light shone into the dark corridor of his life when he was offered to in his deceased twin brother’s scientific project.
The assignment involves travelling to planet Pandora which is 4.3 light years from Earth. A corporation is financing the Pandora programme because it wants to mine a very precious metal found only on that planet.
The only problem was that the indigenous natives of Pandora, the Navi, were standing in the path of human prosperity. Jake’s mission was to infiltrate the Navi community so as to learn more about them.
Unfortunately, humans cannot breathe in the alien planet’s atmosphere. Thus, a human-Navi hybrid has to be created under laboratory conditions. This life-form is the Avatar.
Through some form of mental transference, Jake can assume the form of the Avatar and move freely in the hostile environment.
The pace picks up quickly once Jake lands on the planet because he’s chased by relentless Viperwolfs and other ferocious creatures of the night.
He is rescued by a female Navi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is brought to meet her people, the Omaticaya. His encounter with the warrior race nearly resulted in his swift demise if not for “a sign” noticed by Neytiri.
Avatar is a splendid labyrinth of ethereal vegetation and dazzling landscapes, some of which float. The gossamer life-forms that inhabit Pandora only add to the mystique that surrounds the whole environment.
What gives Avatar a big edge over other interplanetary tales are its moral and social messages. On the one hand, the battle between the Navi and humans could be juxtaposed with past-century conflicts between the Native-Americans and the white pioneers.
The moral message rests squarely on caring for one another on a global village basis. Then there’s the question of love, loyalty and lasting bonds with strangers.
In other words, the story of Avatar is founded on the firm ground of life values that endure the ages, human or otherwise.
Apart from the staggering display of aerial flights on the flying Banshees, the battle scenes between the aliens and humans are so well conceived that they could only be the products of 21st century science.
The main players in Avatar are Dr Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and ex-Marine pilot Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez).
The outstanding performances of Weaver and Rodriquez are what made Avatar such an outstanding outing at the cinema.
But the crème de la crème of the show must surely be the faceless backroom boys and girls who are responsible for the CGI magic that is Avatar.
Captain Kirk and Spock of USS Enterprise of those bold Star Trek missions can now bow out graciously and gracefully to their superiors who have courageously gone further and farther than their predecessors had gone before.

Twilight: New Moon

It is twilight time and the wolves begin to howl. The full moon peeks from the darkened skies. But a word of caution, if New Moon is your first Twilight movie, the entire picture will be like a jigsaw puzzle that has several key pieces missing.
So like me, you may want to hurry down to the video rental show to get a copy of the first Twilight that was released last year. The reason is obvious after watching the first 10 minutes of the Twilight sequel.
The first rays of Twilight will demist the foggy circumstances that continue to surround the small town of Forks. If you don’t do a little catch-up with the original, you will be left clueless and forever earn a place in the bad books of the countless passionate teen Twilight fans.
Admittedly, the original Twilight is much more exciting and has a faster pace. The Cullen family continues to maintain a shadowy presence in New Moon. They are an unusual bunch of vampires because they do not survive on human blood.
In fact, they jokingly admit that they are “vegetarians” because they prefer to subsist on animal blood.
Yes, they are still immortals and immensely powerful but the Cullens have long decided that they do not want to be like their fellow non-humans who frequently yield to the irresistible urge to taste human blood.
Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is a 90-year-old high school student who looks 18 and his girlfriend Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has sworn to be by his side, come death or blood thirsty creatures.
New Moon expands on the incomplete pages of the first chapter, that some young Native Americans are actually werewolves. Among them is Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) who has a crush on Bella.
The film spotlights on enormous werewolves that can cover a hundred metres in a single bound. They are ferocious when provoked and their mission in life is to crush the life out of vampires.
The savage shape-shifters almost stole the limelight from the restrained Cullens who spent much of their time avoiding contact with humans. This sequel lacks the oomph that was prevalent in the original.
The question that nags the viewer is why nobody questions the parlour-looks of the Cullens. Besides possessing somewhat exotic features, Edward looks for the most part like a director of a funeral parlour. His lips are even redder than most glamour girls.
Any lover of vampire movies would be taken aback by the fangless ones who live in the town of Forks. Count Dracula would be aghast by the appearance of these modern vampires who have beautiful teeth instead of long and jagged incisors.
Anyone who has watched True Blood on TV would be inclined to detect similar trends in New Moon, except this one is designed to arouse the ardour of anyone below the age of 18.
Perhaps it is not so much the savagery that is normally associated with vampire movies but the love that bestirs the hearts of all warm-blooded adolescents.
There are hardly any blood stains in this show. That is something new in movies of this genre. Before you could utter, “show me the fangs”, the werewolves pounce on the audience and display their predatory canines.
Twilight: New Moon has successfully hastened the pulse of many a young maiden when it draws feral beings and frail humans into a romantic realm of sunshine and shadows.
Apart from the deathless ones’ tremendous strength and skin that glitters like rhinestones in the sunlight, Twilight has scuttled generations-old perception of what the vampires should be.
In the boiling cauldron of bestial urges and inhuman passions, the crux is the Edward’s decision to leave Bella for her own sake. But the lovesick girl vows to tread the path of immortality in order to be with her loved one.
The finale dangles on a cliff-hanger which paves the way for a possible trilogy. Of course, this will depend on how many innocent souls the vampires manage to lure to the box office.
Teenagers who thronged the cinemas during its recent opening could not be prevailed upon to accept that New Moon is sluggish in parts because handsome Edward’s gaze is simply too mesmerising to ignore.
Whatever your verdict may be, Twilight: New Moon offers good entertainment on any given evening during this holiday season. Fang you very much then.

Ninja Assassin

When Jung Ji Hoon, more popularly known as Rain, went to Los Angeles in 2008 to make his debut in his first Hollywood movie Speed Racer, he was very much the unknown.
The movie bombed but Rain was shot like a cannon ball into the entertainment atmosphere and landed on a bigger project called Ninja Assassin. This movie has been receiving a lot of attention from Rain’s fans throughout Asia. It is now here.
The Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, directed Speed Racer and they instantly recognized the star quality in this Korean singing sensation. So before you could say “ahnyong haesayo” (hello in Korean), Rain was offered the major role in Ninja Assassin.
It was a role in which producers Wachowski brothers said was tailor-made for the man who was “unbelievable, a natural and a dream come true”.
With that kind of accolades from the Wachowskis who were also responsible for the Matrix trilogy, Rain dove headlong into the movie.
But first he had to hone his body most excruciatingly for the battle sequences over very long months under several physical instructors.
So the guy you see doing the almost impossible stunts is not a body double. It is indeed Rain with a superb physique and a look that sets all the young female hearts a-fluttering.
Rain’s dialogue in the show has been scripted in most parts into one-liners. But who cares? It’s Rain talking and it’s the cool dude’a moves that counts.
Ninja Assassin is very bloody, graphically violent and explicitly brutal. The splattering of blood walls, floors and bodies occur with great frequency.
Ninjas are trained killers who struck fear in the hearts of the common folk for their swift and silent assassinations back in 14th century Japan. In this show, Rain plays Raizo, an orphan who was brought up by Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi).
Ozunu keeps a stable of trained killers whom he adopted when they were very young. Failure to meet Ozunu’s stringent standards was met by ruthless punishment that drew blood.
The boys and girls are taught to be merciless and to ignore extreme pain and suffering. Death is not to be feared.
Raizo grows up and becomes one of the best in Ozunu’s ninja clans. His body, arms and the soles of his feet bear the scars of the arduous training since childhood.
The breath of fresh air within the walls of the ninja academy is young Kiriko (Kylie Liya Goldstein) who cares very much for Raizo. On the day Kiriko was killed for attempting to escape from Ozunu, Raizo made up his mind to leave.
The trail then leads to Berlin where Raizo stumbles upon Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), an employee of Europol investigating the possibility of ninjas behind a series of assassinations in Europe.
By the time, Mika finds proof of the ninja existence, they are on their way to kill her. Raizo intervenes and saves Mika. And together they try their best to keep one step ahead of the shadow warriors.
The fight scenes in this film are some of the best I have seen. The Wachowski brothers have ratcheted the benchmark for choreographed martial art combat scenes.
Since Rain performed most of the difficult stunts, the bloody fight scenes imparted great visual gratification. Some of the best action sequences were between Raizo and Takeshi (Rick Yune) who was Raizo’s clan brother.
Both actors were amazingly agile and nimble on their feet. The twisting and mid-air body flips were captivating and engaging. In real life, Yune is an Olympic-standard Taekwondo expert so he was a perfect complement for Rain.
To witness these two human killing machines in action was sufficient to get the adrenaline flowing. All martial art exponents will definitely be enthralled by the interplay of light, shadow and the katana (Samurai sword) against a background of fire and a crescendo of death cries.
Some movie critics may want to find fault with the less-than-brilliant plot but the graceful movements of the finely-trained athletic actors will leave you with little cause to be dissatisfied.
Ninja Assassin is for martial art exponents who have a penchant for the art of ninjutsu. Of course, fans of Rain will need no other reason to be at the cinema.
This movie may or may not launch Rain’s Hollywood career but I have a gut feeling it won’t disappoint the Wachowski brothers at the box office.
Ninja Assassin can be summed up in two words: shockingly entertaining.

Little Big Soldier

Jackie Chan’s fans must be physically and mentally tired by now. After chasing their idol from cinema to cinema over dozens of films for more than 30 years, fans know a jolly good time awaits them when Jackie is in town.
Little Big Soldier may not be as grand as Red Cliff I and II, but it has its moments on the big screen. Unlike John Woo’s historical epic, Little Big Soldier takes a micro view approach to a period in China’s ancient times when the Middle Kingdom consisted of a chaotic bunch of warring states.
Jackie plays the role of a farmer turned soldier for the State of Liang. Actually, he and his two brothers were reluctant recruits into the army. Only the Little Soldier (Jackie) survived because he has more wit and luck than brawn.
His fate takes a detour when he rescued a wounded enemy soldier in the battlefield. The wounded soldier turns out to be a general (Wang Lee Hom) from the State of Wei.
The general was actually a prince who was the sole survivor in a dastardly plot by his brother Wen (Steve Yoo) who wanted the throne for himself.
The main focus is on the rocky relationship between the soldier and his captive general. While the soldier is adamant about returning to his original lifestyle of being a simple farmer, the general seeks to fulfil his destiny as a conqueror.
Wang Lee Hom, who is in reality is a talented singer with youthful looks, plays a scruffy, dirty and pugnacious prince who is quite embarrassed that he is a captive of a part time soldier.
His major however does not give him a weighty presence. But Wang has acquitted himself well in this role for which he had to strenuously trained for months on the use of ancient fighting weapons.
Naturally, he’s overshadowed by Jackie who somehow manages to steal the thunder from everyone who are his co-stars.
Not for the first time, Jackie plays the underdog but his role as a second fiddle suits him well in this film.
Together the pair makes an odd couple but there’s a moral to the story. Jackie conceptualized Little Big Soldier more than 20 years ago but circumstances prevented him from turning the story into reality until recently.
It is not the kind of movie that one expects to see as far as period movies are concerned. This Chinese New Year movie focuses on the relationship of two men who have divergent interests in life.
Somehow in the melee and chaos that rule their lives for a while, both arrive at a mutual understanding but not before fate throws them into a boiling cauldron of close calls and life-threatening situations.
Little Big Soldier does not have spectacular battle scenes. What it has in spades are cheeky repartees that draw laughter and sometimes trigger quiet reflection.
The two newcomers in the film are Steve Yoo or Yoo Seung-Jun who plays Wen, the ambitious brother of the general. Yoo was a Korean pop idol about 10 years ago.
His music career came to an abrupt end in 2002 amid controversy over his US citizenship status just before he was drafted into the Korean military service.
Lin Peng or the songstress who added a feminine touch to an otherwise macho movie is from mainland China who caught the world’s attention when she performed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Little Big Soldier marks Lin Peng’s debut in the film industry.
The biggest surprise in this show is Jackie Chan’s uncommon approach to a storyline of epic proportions. Some of the scenes in the movie come from China’s popular scenic spots.
The rivers and the mountains are a wonder to behold. These make up for the clumsy battle scenes that simply could not stand up to the standards of John Woo’s Red Cliff battle scenes.
But this film has its own limited merits. While Wang Lee Hom now has bragging rights to being Jackie Chan’s sidekick in a movie, the show is singularly designed to entertain all who are going to the cinema this Chinese New Year season.

True Legend

New Chinese martial arts movies have clawed found their way into the Year of the Tiger. In accordance with the traits of the Lord of the Jungle, True Legend displays the ferocity and power of this year’s Lunar animal.
Director Yuen Woo-ping has once again tipsily treaded down memory lane and revisited his favourite subject, drunken fighting. About 30 years ago, Yuen together with a young actor Jackie Chan made each other famous in the classic movie Drunken Master.
True Legend focuses on Su Can, the founder of Drunken Fist. Because it is Yuen’s forte, the fight scenes are exhilarating and at times mind-blowing.
The story of the founder of Drunken Fist, Su Can, has obviously been stylised and exaggerated to give the movie a grittiness that draws the Chinese New Year crowds.
Vincent Zhao is an excellent choice for the main character, Su Can. In reality, Zhao was a champion in various martial art disciplines in China since his teenage years.
The physical demands that the Beggar Su role exacts on the actor calls for a man who has not only the stamina but also the skills to put forth a convincing performance.
It is always a pleasure to watch a highly skilled wushu exponent flips and turns his body in a fight sequence and know that you have not been shortchanged.
Director Yuen who is responsible for some of the most exciting scenes in The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill has once again proven that he’s THE man when it comes to thrilling fight scenes, ancient or modern.
Mainland China actress and singer Zhou Xun who plays Xiao Ying, Su Can’s wife is the bright spark that ignites the show when it could have easily fizzles off down the misty mountain trail.
Zhou’s superb portrayal of a loyal wife who exhibits wisdom and courage in Su’s most trying times gives True Legend the cutting edge this festive season .
The only glitch in the entire plot is probably Jay Chou who seemed overdressed for his part as Lord of Wushu. It might not be Chou’s fault but the glitzy costume was not in congruence with the theme or the natural surroundings.
Michelle Yeoh’s role as Sister Yu was surprisingly short but nevertheless memorable. Her extensive acting experience in Hong Kong and elsewhere holds her in good stead in this film.
David Carradine a.k.a. Kwai Chang Caine shows up in the last segment of this movie like a ghost of kung fu past. Carradine who died in June last year had only a minor role but the actor’s fans will probably appreciate that “Grasshopper” has left them something to remember him by.
Even veteran Hong Kong actor Gordon Liu has a minor but significant role in this film. Liu plays a beaded master of levitation who floats to great heights during Su Can’s lost years in the wilderness.
If one can recall, Liu is the man who’s responsible for the spate of Shaolin Temple movies that overwhelmed local cinemas back in the 1970s.
Liu’s last memorable role was in Kill Bill (2003) when one of his biggest fans, Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, cast him as Master Pai Mei.
In a way, True Legend is a tribute to the living legends who have contributed in no small way to the martial arts movies from the side of the earth where the sun rises every morning.

In the final analysis, True Legend is flamboyantly entertaining. At times, the action scenes are over the top but then it’s Yuen Woo-ping’s piece of work, so expectations are rather high.
So if you have a few hours to kill, invest some of your Ang Pow money on True Legend and embrace those riveting sensations that personify Yuen Woo-ping’s early movies like Snake In the Eagle’s Shadow, Iron Monkey and Tai Chi Master.
There’s a bonus in this show too. Some of the most spectacular faces of China’s countryside are also on full display.