• Lady Reporter
• Last Hero in China
• Leaving In Sorrow
• Legend of Drunken Master
• Legend of Gingko

Lady Reporter

A sinister ring of counterfeiters in Hong Kong is threatenting to destroy the Asian economy unless they're stopped. There may be some connection between the ring and a Hong Kong tabloid newspaper, so an undercover agent is needed to join the staff as a reporter and seek out the truth... and who else would that agent be but Cindy (Cynthia Rothrock)? Rothrock fans and newcomers alike will be both on the edge of their seat and cracking up with laughter throughout, as breathtaking fight scenes such as one in which Rothrock takes on a horde of opponents at a construction site and has to make use, Jackie Chan style, of whatever objects happen to be laying about as weapons, alternate with COMIC fight scenes (we learn that high heels can be very valuable in a kung fu battle, and that rats and tennis rackets do not mix), as well as scenes that are just funny in their own right, particularly those poking satirical fun at the so-called ethics of tabloid journalism. And viewers who recall all the horrible things Melvin Wong did to Rothrock in Righting Wrongs as Inspector Wong will be more than a little uneasy when he turns up here as "another" Inspector Wong. Lady Reporter is a prime example of good commercial movie-making by people who not only know what they're doing but appear to really enjoy doing it. It would be very surprising if there were any audience members who don't catch that enthusiasm.

Directed by: Mang Hoi (1989)
Starring:Cynthia Rothrock, Melvin Wong, Elizabeth Lee Mei Fung, Chin Siu Ho, Mang Ho and Ronny Yu.

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Last Hero in China

A tripled rent and the need to expand force Wong Fei-Hong to find a new location for his Po Chi Lam school... but unknown to him (at first), it happens to be directly next to a brothel. As if this wasn't enough of a problem, a sinister gang operating out of a nearby temple is kidnapping young women in order to force them into prostitution... and you know Wong Fei-Hong isn't going to stand for that. Jet Li made this film after his falling-out with Tsui Hark following the first three Once Upon A Time In China films (and before he returned to the fold with part six). He clearly wasn't intending to just duplicate what he'd already done in those movies, and he hasn't... Last Hero In China is no epic adventure with a backdrop of actual history, this is Wong Fei-Hong for laughs... it IS a film directed by Wong Jing, after all. But even though there's more humor than you're accustomed to, none of it is out of character for Fei-Hong and crew... they're funny while behaving in the style in which we've come to know them, rather than just spouting one-liners. And there's no shortage of the kung fu action you'd expect... in fact, there may be MORE of that here than in some of the other installments, as each of Fei-Hong's students get their own spectacular fight sequences, in addition to those of their master. And the two aspects of the movie come together very memorably in the fight sequence near the end of the film in which Wong Fei-Hong dons a chicken costume to defeat his opponents, garbed as a giant scorpion (how can you not want to see a movie where Jet Li does battle in a chicken outfit?). Yes, there are a couple of big lion dance numbers, as well... it wouldn't be a Wong Fei-Hong movie without them. All in all, Last Hero In China is pretty nearly everything you'd expect in a Wong Fei-Hong movie... and a little more, as well.

Also starring Cheung Man, Gordon Liuy, Anita Yuen and Dicky Cheung. Action director: Yuen Wo Ping. (1993)

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Leaving In Sorrow

The digital movie-making revolution is in full flower in this Hong Kong multi-character story in which a large cast of characters all find themselves in situations where they have to give up something that they thought was vital to their happiness, but which would actually bring them GREATER fulfillment... if only they had the courage to do so. As the story opens, a preacher tells his congregation the story of the rich man who "left in sorrow" after Christ told him he'd have to give up everything he owned to follow Him. We then see the cast living out similar situations in their own lives, some of them accepting the situation better than others. But as interesting as this story and these characters are, what really lifts the movie up to another level is that dreaded beast known as symbolism... because virtually everyone "stands for" some aspect of the relationship between Hong Kong and China near the time of the handover, as so many people worried about what they'd have to give up, and what their new lives would be like. This is a fascinating way to tell this story, so much so that even viewers who aren't tremendously enthused about the concept of "movies" filmed on video (such as a certain Asian Media Access reviewer) should have no choice but to conclude that, for some stories, this really is the right way to tell them.

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Legend of Gingko

In an ancient time, the evil Hawk tribe and the good Volcano tribe have been struggling for supremacy. The female leader of the Hawks gives birth to the child of the male leader of the Volcanoes, and this daughter, Vee, could be the key to ultimate victory for the Hawks, for her blood, shed as a human sacrifice, is the last thing the Hawks will need to complete their sinister plan... but when Vee's father rescues at the last moment, decades of bloody conflict begin. And the Hawks aren't going to give up easily... The great American author William Faulkner once said "The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself", and while he obviously didn't have this movie in mind, it contains many of the best examples of that statement imaginable. The personal desires of the characters conflict with what just might need to be done to save their tribe, the warm feelings of friendship conflict with two men's loving the same woman... just to name a couple... and whichever way these characters go, there is no decision that won't cause pain and grief. But this is hardly an arty story of nothing but internal conflict... the battle scenes and swordplay rival the best that can be found in Hong Kong or Japanese cinema, and fans of tales of fantasy... because that's ultimately what this film is... will be impressed as well. Indeed, a phrase often invoked to describe Lord Of The Rings... "Epic Fantasy"... is perhaps the best way to describe The Legend Of Gingko. And a grand epic it is, too. Note: while the opening credits give the additional title Ginko Bed II, the film has absolutely nothing, other than high quality and the participation of Ginko Bed director Kang Je-Gyu as executive producer on this film, to do with that movie.

Directed by Je-Hyun Park. Starring Kim Suk-hoon, Choy Jin-ell, Kim Yoon-jin and Sul Kyung-goo. (2000)

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