紧急救援 - The Rescue

紧急救援 (The Rescue) is an 2020 film. The movie stars Eddie Peng, Wang Yanlin, and Xin Zhilei. There's a larger supporting cast set around the members of the China Rescue and Salvage teams. The movie was delayed 11 months from its original release date during the pandemic.

Eddie Peng plays Gao Qian, the captain of a China Rescue and Salvage team. Gao is a single father and super dedicated to his profession. A new helicopter pilot joins the team and sparks begin to fly. Will Gao let this spark grow or will he dedicate himself to rescuing?

I caught this film via Prime Video awhile back and it made its way to IQIYI as well. I did not actually watch this in one sitting but multiple ones. I think because of this, I kept rewinding to catch up. Maybe if I had not watched in multiple settings, I would have liked it more. The movie also follows a mystery storyline of revealing the mystery of Gao Qian and why he is today. Its always shrouded in mystery. But like an onion, the layers eventually get peeled away as the movie progresses.

I think there are lots of options to watch this including on Youtube with ads.

匆匆那年 - Fleet Of Time - Back In Time - Cong Cong Na Nian

匆匆那年 (Back In Time/Fleet Of Time) is an 2014 film out of Zhong Guo. I recently caught it in a local movie theatre. China Lion's been doing a good job of releasing good and popular films in the USA pretty much at the same time it is released in Zhong Guo. The movie stars Eddie Peng, Ni Ni, Zheng Kai, Zhang Zixuan, and Wei Chen.



The movie is the story of Eddie Peng's gang of friends as they go from their first year of high school to mid-college. The story starts when Zhao Ye, played by Zheng Kai, as he is getting married. Zhao hires a videographer to film his wedding and to capture the essence of their youth. The videographer takes an interest to Chen Xun, played by Eddie Peng. Chen's story starts during his first year of high school. During a morning run, Chen and Zhao spot a new gal coming to their school, Fang Hui, played by Ni Ni. Immediately, Chen takes an interest. From that point on, Chen's mission to to get Fang's attention. After many attempts, Chen successfully woos Fang. But both their parents find out and intervene. The school gets involved as well to break them apart. When Chen gets into the same college as Fang, they finally begin their romance anew. However, the rigors of college get in the way and they drift apart. Partly due to jealousy and partly due to loneliness. When the five friends re-unite for Zhao's wedding, the stories all come out and a picture is slowly completed. Looking back in time...



This movie was very depressing in a sense. The movie starts with hope, but descends on the messy road a long relationship can encounter. From innocence to broken youth, the look back in time brings back into perspective their present day decisions. In this case, the wedding of one of the group members gets them reminiscing of what they believe to be better days. However, in hindsight, the good come with just as many bad.



I am not sure how much this has to do with Zhong Guo's culture. Another movie of similar style "那些年,我們一起追的女孩" (You're The Apple Of My Eye) had a very similar story and looking back in time. Back In Time was made for Zhong Guo, Apple was made for Taiwan. Apple was a huge in Taiwan and HK, but mildly successful in Zhong Guo. Back In Time is running two weeks atop the Zhong Guo box office with no slowing down.



At an 10:15PM showing at my local theatre, it was pretty packed. I was really surprised. I think China Lion's got themselves a semi-hit for their numbers.

The movie end credits also roll along with a lovely new song from my all time favorite singer, Faye Wong.

Also of note is the cameo of random stars in the subway. The songs they sang in the movie also brought back fond memories of yesteryear.

I whole heartedly recommend that you catch this movie. A must watch movie out of Zhong Guo.

Rise Of The Legend - 黃飛鴻之英雄有夢 - Trailer

Rise Of The Legend (黃飛鴻之英雄有夢) recently released it's first teaser trailer and some media pics. The first two pictures in this post are background pictures from Eddie Peng's Facebook page. Angelababy appeared in the first promotional event, suggesting that she would be the main female lead. However, Angelababy's role has been reduce to an guess appearance.



I've made it no secret that my favorite actor from the last 7-8 years is Eddie Peng. Hear Me (聽說) and Unbeatable (激戰) are two of my favorite films. Add in his other movies, Eddie Peng's next in line to take over the leading man mantle that has been held on too tightly by a select few.



I am excited by what little was shown in the teaser. Jet Li played Wong Fei Hung very straight, often to comedic effects. Jet Li's strength was his martial arts and highlighting those aspects made the casting a success. Jackie Chan's take was comedic and showed that Wong's not so straight and narrow. Eddie Peng's Wong Fei Hung looks both strong and romantic, elements that were sorely missing from the others.

Unbeatable - 激戰:勇者不敗

Unbeatable (激戰:勇者不敗) is an 2013 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Nick Cheung. The supporting cast include Mei Ting, Crystal Lee, Li Fei-Er , Andy On, and Jack Kao. Vivian Leung and Wang Bao-Qiang make cameo appearances.



Cheung plays Fai, a former 2 time Asian boxing champion from 1988. Fai throws some matches for money and does jail time. Now 48 and a taxi driver in Hong Kong, he's owes 20K of money to some loan sharks. Fai escapes to Macao to dodge the loan sharks. Once there, he resides in a room with a mom and daughter pair. The mom lost a son recently and was left by her former husband. Fai works at a local gym teaching aerobatics and does janitorial duties. Li is a young buck that travels the country (Zhong Guo) on his bike refusing to use his fathers money. Li's father is a big shot real estate mogul. In Beijing, Li find out through a newspaper article that his father is now bankrupt. Li finds him in Macao and tries to straighten him out. Li takes on a construction job and takes on MMA in order to enter the Golden Rumble tournament. Li and Fai find a special connection. Fai coaches Li to enter the MMA tourney. Fai takes to his host family he rents from. However, things go south when the loan sharks find Fai and the mom goes a little crazy again. Li strives to show his father that if he can do MMA, his father can start over. You don't always have to win all your fights, but the journey there and the reasons for the fight are emphasized.



So far, this could be my favorite movie of 2013, US or Asian. I loved it. Maybe because I am also an MMA fan, this movie speaks to me a little more. The story of the two leads is easy but also complex. You have both male leads trying to find their way in life having to start over in Macao. Both have a love story at play away from the gym. Both have a family element in play. Throw in the stuff in the gym and the goal to achieve something in life. The human element of a kid always gets to me. Maybe because I am a father with young daughters, those types of story lines get me all emotional. The love interest both have similar looks and in the beginning of the film, I had a little bit of a hard telling them apart. But you figure it out real quick.



So, if I were to pick the best of 2013, this would be on that list and very high if not #1. I have to look back at all the films I watched in 2013 to figure this out. This is up there. Don't miss it and get watch it.

A Wedding Invitation - 分手合约 - 分手合約

A Wedding Invitation (分手合约/分手合約) is an 2013 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Bai Baihe. The supporting cast include Pace Wu and Jiang Jingfu. The movie is directed by Korean maestro, Oh Ki-hwan. And distributed by Korean based, CJ Entertainment. The movie spent several weeks atop Zhong Guo's box Office this past spring. I got it as a rental from my local library.



The movie starts in college where Peng woos Bai. Bai is sad and Peng cooks his way into her heart. However, as they graduated from college in Beijing, Bai breaks up with Peng citing that he doesn't have a good job, doesn't have a house, no ring, and doesn't have enough money to buy her her dream wedding gown. Peng doesn't give up and ask how long they should they split for for. Bai suggest 5 years and they thumb print an agreement. The agreement states that if they are both single in 5 years, they would marry. Fast forward about 5 years later. Bai is now a successful artist who is really into food residing in the Shanghai area. A foodie to some degree. Peng has stayed in Beijing and has become a successful chef competing on a televised cooking competition. Peng invites Bai back to Beijing to celebrate his wedding.

Wow, the synopsis is only a third of the movie above. If I go more, I'll reveal too much! I don't want to give too many plot points away. As such, you can imagine that the movie goes into more hijinx. It is a rom-com.

Peng is looking good in this movie. Peng looked the part of starving student when he tried to woo her in school. Bai has an both serious and goofiness to her that does translate to the screen. By the middle of the film, you have grown to like both. Which is where twists and turns start to take place until the ending. In Korean drama-ish fashion, the movie romanticizes food, lost love, and the drive to obtain success. But if I give the kicker away, I can't really write about it.

My wife and I watched this and both liked it. It was a good watch and entertained us for one evening. I don't think I'll get a chance to watch this again, but who knows. Watch it as it is a nice rom-com, sorta, out of Zhong Guo. Eddie Peng fans will like him in this movie. Peng is starting to show signs of a long and lasting career as a leading man.

Love You You - 夏日樂悠悠

Love You You (夏日樂悠悠) is an 2011 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Angelababy. The movie was released in Zhong Guo and Hong Kong. Without a theatrical release, it was broadcast on television in Taiwan.

A little girl is lifted out of the water after a crash but her parents are no where to be found. Sad, we fast forward to her adult life and she's trying to keep her job. But a chance encounter with a client, she demonstrates she can read lips. With her job back, she's sent to Malaysia to spy on a resort owner. When she gets there, they meet and immediately start to bump heads. Angelababy gets a job at the resorts and start to document Eddie Peng's business practices. However, as she stays there, she finds nothing out of the ordinary with Peng, but a hard worker. A couple that has booked their whole resort lands. They however break up and the two of them must get them together. With the two of them make it to love?



This was a fun watch. Silly story. Cheezy set ups. Extreme over the top acting. But it doesn't hide, doesn't apologize for it. It is, therefore I loved it. I think I am just a Eddie fan. Every good guy movie he's in, I like him. He's like my favorite actor these days. Use to be Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung. But both of them slowed down. Eddie is these days. Angelababy is my favorite actress these days, but I don't go out of my way to watch her films. I do for Eddie.



This is pre buff Eddie as he made this prior to Jump Ashin! Eddie is extremely tan and Angelababy is super pale in comparison. The two of them together make a very nice looking couple on screen.

New Wong Fei Hung is Eddie Peng

Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻) is getting a new film series. Called "Rise Of The Legend (黃飛鴻之英雄有夢)" and stars Eddie Peng (彭于晏). Jing Boran and Wang Luodan round out the cast. Angelababy was originally attached to star as the female lead but is no longer attached to the project. I was just thinking that the Eddie and Angelababy pairing has happened too often. As has Angelbaby and Mark Chao. Don't get me wrong, given the choice between Angelababy and Luodan, I'd pick Angelababy. But the movie isn't even out and Luodan gets a chance to blow us away.



I for one am very glad Eddie Peng got the role for such an iconic character. Eddie's been a favorite of mine since the mid-2000s. We'll see if he can convert his career into a long one.

Some photos from the presser for the movie back in September: article link.

Cold War - 寒戰

Cold War (寒戰) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung. The supporting cast include Charlie Young, Gordon Lam, Chin Kar-lok, Aarif Rahman, Eddie Peng, Andy On, Terence Yin, Grace Huang, J.J. Jia, Byron Mann, and Michael Wong. Andy Lau makes a brief cameo appearance. The movie was will received both domestically and internationally.



A HK PTU team is kidnapped and the asking ransom is 1/3 of the calculations of the police group budget. When the money is taken from the national vault, only 1/3 is taken to the drop off point, the other 2/3 is shipped back. But because the police were in the middle of a sting, the 2/3 movie shipment back was not well guarded and hijacked. The police now have to deal with a kidnapped PTU team where a team member was killed to make an example. Now, they have to figure out who stole the money. With so much at stake, the internal actions of the police are highly scrutinized and subject to internal review. The movie resolves around the power struggle within the force and those that carried out the kidnapping and hijacking.



The movie was a well made machine. Great cast, complex story, engaging internal struggle, and a wild twist at the end. The movie is one for the ages. This is the type of film you want to introduce HK films to your friends, especially if they do not like Wuxia. Although the main cast is from the old school, the ensemble cast includes a lot of whom may be among the next generation of HK stars.

Unbeatable - 激戰:勇者不敗 - Upcoming

Unbeatable (激戰:勇者不敗) was relased in Hong Kong and Zhong Guo last weekend. It did very well at the box office, topping the HK box office like it should and number 4 at the Zhong Guo one. The movie shows how buff two dudes can get. Eddie Peng and Nick Cheung show two generations how its done. Seems the buffed out males of the HK and Zhong Guo big screen are getting buff again.

I also love MMA. I follow it pretty much daily via Yahoo and BJPenn.com. With all the other stuff I follow, that's about as much as I can take. But a HK movie on it? The sleeping dragon of MMA may take shape in the next couple of decades. With so many wushu practitioners in Zhong Guo, maybe one will take the international stage in a big way.

I for one, can't wait to watch this when it comes to the US of A shores.

分手合約 - A Wedding Invitation - Upcoming

分手合約 (A Wedding Invitation) has been slowly getting limited released in major US cities with many Asians. New York in May, working its way to Los Angeles this weekend in Monterey Park. Eddie Peng stars in this movie about moving on up to get married. The title of the film in Zhong Wen translates to "break up contract" or "break up agreement". Don't get this mixed up with the VV and JA movie, Break Up. A Wedding Invitation is purely a Zhong Guo story.

The movie is directed by South Korean Oh Ki-hwan and being distributed buy the South Korean company CJ.

Over acting seems to be in abundance from the trailer as the only way to make a point is to shout louder than the other guy and to cry. Nice. K-drama style.

愛 - LOVE - Upcoming

愛 (LOVE) is being released in Taipei the weekend before Valentine's Day. This ensemble love movie is an who's who of the Taiwan movie sphere. 3 of the most righteous leading men around in Eddie Peng, Ethan Ruan, and Mark Chao lead the attack with director and actor Doze Niu. The ladies that hold these men as arm candy are Shu Qi, Ivy Chen and her look alike Amber Kuo with Zhong Guo star Vicki Zhao.

Enjoy the promo posters as they give a nice glimpse into the pairings in the movie.





Whatever your take on love is, this movie aims to tell you!

聽說 - Hear Me

聽說 (Hear Me) is an 2009 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Ivy Chen. The supporting cast also includes the lovely Michelle Chen. The movie was released in support of the 2009 deaf olympics in Taipei.



Eddie Peng plays Tian Kuo, a delivery person working at his parents cantonese restaurant. Ivy Chen plays Yang Yang, the sister of an deaf swimmer, Hsiao Peng, played by Michelle Chen. Tian Kuo delivers food to their swimming site one day and takes a liking to Yang Yang. They communicate in sign language. Although Tian Kuo isn't deaf and takes up sign language as an hobby. Due to his liking of Yang Yang, he studies extremely hard to keep up with her and learns new ways to express himself. Yang Yang however is too busy trying to make money, that she doesn't take to Tian Kuo's advances. However, Tian Kuo doesn't give up. In the meantime, there's the issue of marrying a deaf person that's addressed and actually handled pretty gracefully.



I have watched the movie twice already and found out more about the leads with the second watching. In all, this may be one of my favorite romantic comedies I've seen in quite some time. Eddie Peng is an endearing male lead that lets love lead the way. Ivy Chen gives an cute and subtle performance as an younger sister that's willing to sacrifice for her family. Add that to a very unique storyline, you've got a, dear I say, great movie?



If you're a recent fan of Taiwanese cinema, this is a must see gem. All three leads have gone on to bigger and more hyped movies, but this movie could be the one that will establish their legacy for years to come.

I had an "upcoming" post for this movie back in the summer of 2009. It has since become one of my most visited post.

翻滾吧! 阿信 - Jump Ashin! - Upcoming

翻滾吧! 阿信 (Jump Ashin!) is being released in Taipei today! The movie stars Eddie Peng, Lin Zaizai and Lawrence Ko. The movie is the product of Lin Yu-hsien, whom also worked with Eddie on Exit No. 6 a few years back.

The movie is mainly the story of Ashin, played by Eddie Peng. Ashin is a gymnast in his hometown of Yilan. Not having much success, Ashin gives up gymnastics and starts to get into trouble. So much trouble that he flees to Taipei. However, the troubles follow and Ashin heads back home determined to put gymnastics number one.

Seems like a very compelling story and I am a big fan of mista Peng so I am on board. I wonder when I'll be able to get my hands on a Blu-ray version here in Los Angeles. Who knows, but I look forward to watching this film.

近在咫尺 - Close To You - Upcoming

近在咫尺 (Close To You) is being released in Taipei on August 13, 2010. The movie stars Eddie Peng, Amber Kuo, and Ming Dao.

From the looks of the trailer, Eddie and Ming play boxers. They have a score to settle, but Ming has a medical condition that prevents him from competing. But that can't stop the two from fighting each other.

Looks like both Eddie and Ming get yolked for their roles. I had heard of the regimen from Eddie's news interviews before, but when you see the trailer, you can understand why he's so proud. Are the Taiwanese male leads taking a page from their Korean counter parts?

In any case, I am looking forward to this film and can't wait for it to get to LA. I'll have to decide to if I need to wait for English subs so my wife can watch with me.

聽說 - Hear Me - Upcoming

聽說 (Hear Me) is an upcoming film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Ivy Chen. The supporting cast also includes the lovely Michelle Chen. The movie is scheduled for release in Taipei next week on August 28, 2009.



The movie is a romance between a deaf swimmer played by Ivy Chen and her admirer played by Eddie Peng.

From the trailer, it looks like Eddie falls for Ivy. Ivy is deaf and with the relationship comes the hard task of communication. Sign language.



I am going to look for this movie as it makes it way to Los Angeles.

Help support this movie, not only for Taiwan cinema but also for the hearing impaired.

六號出口 - Exit No. 6

六號出口 (Exit No. 6) is a 2007 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Eddie Peng, Ethan Ruan, Yoo Ha Na, and Olivia Chen.

The movie is based around the 6th exit of the Taipei MRT. Which exits out to Ximending, a popular area for trendy folks.

Eddie Peng plays Van Dine. Ethan Ruan plays Vance, Van Dine's best friend. Olivia Chen plays Vivian, a run away. Yoo Ha Na as Fion, the goody two shoes. Van Dine is a magazine vendor and photo op worker. Van Dine dreams of being a DJ and is most likely to whistle at any pretty gurls walking by. Vance is a skateboarding, shoe runner, and computer hacker with some mean dreads. Olivia is a run away that's still spending her parents $$. Fion is looking to get in charge of her life.

The first half of the movie runs through the typical interactions of all 4 major characters. What they do for a living, how they play and how they live. Vivian has a not so secret crush on Van Dine. When Van Dine chooses Fion, things get complicated. The mystery starts and all confusion breaks loose. Seriously. Confusion.

I don't know what to make of this film. The Sodagreen background song was awesome. The slice of Ximending was impressive. The comedy of Van Dine's life is refreshing. But the story was way confusing.

I had this on my list of Taiwan movies I wanted to watch last October in my Taiwan Moviea Roundup.

The style of the film was great. Very very stylist. Ethan's dress code is something I would reflect and want to emulate.

All About Women - 女人不壞

All About Women (女人不壞) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Zhou Xun, Kitty Zhang, and Kwai Lun-mei as the female leads. Eddie Peng, Stephen Fung, and Godfrey Kao show up as the supporting male cast.

The movie follows the lives of 3 women who are all very different in personality and demeanor. In a strange twist of happenstance, all 3 get linked together mid way through the film.

All the people in this film are eye candy. Even in glasses and a bowl cut, Zhou Xun doesn't come across as disgusting or ugly as the film suggest.

It does expose us a little to the Beijing Rock and Roll scene and that there are mega-corporations left and right in China.

I didn't like the movie much and fast forward through 25% of it. Didn't skip a beat with the fast forwarding as the story was uniquely predictable.

The cast only includes a couple of HK stars, but is a HK film. Funny. Watch it for the pretty people, Beijing, and production value.

蜂蜜幸運草 - Honey And Clover

蜂蜜幸運草 (Honey And Clover) is a 2008 drama out of Taiwan. It stars Eddie Peng, Joe Cheng, Janine Chang, Lego Le, Ito Chiaki, Tarcy Su, David Chen, and Chang Han. The drama is based off a Japanese manga. The Japanese manga has also been made into a movie and drama in Japan.

Running at 14 episodes, the drama was quick and delirious as well. The character development was heavy for a few characters and light for the supporting cast. This drama is also directed by Robin Lee. Robin Lee also direct 2 other movies, The Shoe Fairy and My DNA Says I Love You.

The drama is about a group of art students at a Taipei University. The University seems to have many different forms of "art" that you can study. 3 of the 5 main characters are just starting their Senior year. For Sen Tian, he's been a senior for a few years now. No graduating because he doesn't turn in his senior project. Ya Go and Shen Sian are a "couple" and Chu Bun is the junior.

It was a pretty interesting drama. I didn't have a clue where it was going. But I was happy to be on that ride. I thought back to my college days a lot while watching this series.

I think that Robin Lee added her eclectic artsy feel to the drama that I've not seen in other Taiwanese dramas. It was both refreshing and a change of pace.