鬼吹灯之寻龙诀 - 鬼吹燈之尋龍訣 - 尋龍訣 - Mojin: The Lost Legend

鬼吹灯之寻龙诀/鬼吹燈之尋龍訣/尋龍訣 (Mojin: The Lost Legend) is an 2015 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Chen Kun, Huang Bo, and Shu Qi. The supporting cast includes Angelababy, Xia Yu, and Liu Xiaoqing. The movie has done really well at the box office, current sitting as the third highest grossing domestic film.

Mojin are special tomb raiders. In the 1980s, a trio of Mojin enter a tomb, but are unsuccessful. The most skilled in the group sees a vision and decides to retire. Retiring to New York on an expired visa, they make ends meet hustling antiques. When a cult sect seeks their skills to enter a secret tomb, they are compelled to joined by force. As they get into the tomb, its trap after trap they must figure out as well as deal with the cult sect.



I can see why this was a very popular film. It copies the formula of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. You get mystery, intrigue and treasure hunting. The film is well made and the production value is high. However, the special effects in Asia still have some catching up. I caught this in the theatres as the new year came.

What I don't get is the use of white guys in the film that speak Mandarin. I think there is still a novelty factor with "white" people that will be hard to displace in this generation or even the next few or ever.

Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons - 西遊:降魔篇

Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons (西遊:降魔篇) is an 2013 film out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Wen Zhang and Shu Qi. The supporting cast include Huang Bo, Show Lo, and Chrissie Chau. The movie is the highest grossing film out of Zhong Guo. It also was the highest grossing film for several months in early 2013.



Chen is a demon hunter that travels where evil energy is strong. Chen lands in a fishing village and takes on a fish demon. When he tries to turn the demon via love, another demon hunter comes and captures the demon through brute force. Chen goes back to his master for advice. The master tells him that his path is right and not to waver. Chen than finds the den of a pig demon. When the brute force demon hunter that captured the fish comes to his rescue, they are both defeated. When Chen ask his master for advice, the master points him to the Monkey King Demon. On the way there, Chen is faces with some obstacles. The other demon hunter is Duan and falls in love with Chen. Duan risk her life to save Chen over and over.



This movie was very well made. If you watched enough cartoons, movies, and dramas from Zhong Guo, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the story of the Journey To The West and the Monkey King will show itself. It is like the Brothers Grimm tales of the "western" countries, but the Asian countries have Journey To The West among other stories.



This movie was Wu Li Tou to the max. You would expect that from the forefathers in Stephen Chow. From nose bleeds, to getting K'd, it was a flashback to the HK movies hi jinx of the 1980s and 1990s that made me love HK cinema so much.

Shu Qi is showing her age whilst trying to play a youngster, but she did pull it off. This is Shu Qi that got all of Asia forgetting her teen coming out party. Shu Qi keeps on keeping on and we all love her for that.

City Under Siege - 全城戒備

City Under Siege (全城戒備) is an 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Collin Chou, Jacky Wu, and Zhang Jingchu.

Aaron Kwok plays Sunny, a orphan and an apprentice to the knife throwing star of a traveling circus. Collin Chou plays the main bad guy and main knife thrower. However, when they trick Sunny into finding buried treasure, they are all exposed to gas from an long forgotten WWII lab. They all inherit superpowers and start to mutate. With this mutation, Sunny becomes an star, but Chou's gang robs armored bank trucks. Jacky Wu and Zhang Jingchu play a couple that are also special agents set to bring in the Chou gang.

The movie was really full of action, but the action was way over the top. The mutations are at an extreme at the end of the film. I'll be honest, this wasn't a good film. But its one of those guilty pleasure films. Lots of action, cheezy dialogue, really hard to follow plot, a gazillion characters.

If You Are The One - 非誠勿擾

If You Are The One (非誠勿擾) is a 2008 film out of China. The movie stars Ge You and Shu Qi (Hsu Chi). Supporting cast members include MiuMiu, Vivian Hsu, Alex Fong, and Fan Wei.

Qing Fin, played by Ge You, sells a rock scissor paper invention to a rich guy. Fin is looking to get married now that he doesn't have to worry about finances. Fin post an online ad about marriage. Amoung one those that answer the ad is a stewardess, Liang Xiaoxiao, played by Shu Qi. The movie is a story of Fin looking for love in all the wrong places, but finds his way eventually. The story expands to Shu Qi's love life, including Alex Fong.

In the end, its straight forward look at trying to true love through all the static.

The movie was quite entertaining. Listening to all the different dialects was fun.

Forest of Death - 森冤

Forest of Death (森冤) is a 2007 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Shi Qi, Ekin Cheng, and Rain Li. The movie is directed by Danny Pang of the Pang Bros. directing duo.

The movie is about a mysterious forest that seems to attract people that want to commit suicide. Ekin Plays Ah Hai, a botanist that focuses on emotions in plants. Chu Qi plays Chi as a hard nosed detective that wants to solve every case that comes her way. Rain Li plays Ah Hai's reporter girlfriend.

The movie had a unique way of combining mystery, drama, and horror into the film. The movie was actually pretty easy to watch as I understood what Danny Pang was trying to do.

As a whole, its not too strong of a movie. As a horror film, it falls more in X-Files type territory.

Confession of Pain - 傷城

Confession of Pain (傷城) is a 2006 movie out of Hong Kong. It stars Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Hsu Chi and is directed by Andrew Lau.

Tony plays a cop named Lau and Takeshi plays a private investigator named Bong. Lau and Bong had been onetime co-workers. When Bong's girlfriends cheats on him and than commits suicide, Bong goes a little bonkers. Bong's girlfriend committed suicide because her secret lover dumps her. Bong is now on a quest to find this secret lover and quits the force to do it full time. Bong takes up PI-ing to survive. Bong visits the same bar everyday. The site of the last meeting between the secret lover and Bong's girlfriend.

Tony's part is that of a calm, collected, and very smart police officer. I won't go into much with Lau, because it'll give away the movie.

The movie is a thriller, suspense and drama. You're in for a ride if you can wait toward the latter half of the movie.

The movie is long, quite long. I was getting a little restless at the end. Does it pay off. Yes! Pays off. You have to follow all the details.

The Storm Riders - 風雲之雄霸天下

The Storm Riders (風雲之雄霸天下) is a 1998 film out of Hong Kong starring Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng. Consider the first of a martial arts movie trilogy from Andrew Lau.

Based off a Hong Kong comic book called Wind Cloud (風雲), it follows Aaron Kwok as Cloud and Ekin Cheng as Wind. Cloud's special martial arts is to leverage water and Wind's is his kicking. Both obtain legendary weapons.

The movie's been around for a long time. Back in 1998 when it came out, it was considered amazing as it was a HK movie with heavy CGI. Before this, no HK movie had used this much CGI in a film. In a sense, it was a pioneer for HK films, back in 1998. Fast forward to 2009! CGI all over the place. But still not to the extent of The Storm Riders.

I had a chance to re-watch the Taiwan DVD recently while washing dishes and it was pretty good. I am a big fan of Aaron Kwok and thought he presented Cloud the way his character is. Emotionless until those dear to him are in danger. That emotion turns to rage.

But don't come here looking for classic HK martial arts. The CGI is heavy and the fights are fantasy based.

Transporter - 玩命快遞

Transporter (玩命快遞) is a 2002 film starring Jason Statham and Hsu Chi directed by Corey Yuen.

The movie is about Jason. Jason plays a transporter. Someone who delivers stuff on his terms. Jason is ex-military and has skillz. Lots of skillz to pay the billz.

When he delivers a clients package. The receiver makes him an offer that's against his rules. Like he says himself, once you break the rules, things go bad. He breaks the rules and gets involved with Hsu Chi. He than takes on his new client who wants him dead. Than there's the police. Hijinx and lots and lots of action. Hsu Chi and Jason get it on too.

In the end, it was a guilty pleasure. Not a film to watch again, but enjoyable the first time around.