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Reviews
Sien lui yau wan (1987)
A perfect blend of humor, love, fear, excitement, drama, and visual splendor.
What is most enjoyable about the film is how they were able to link Confucian virtue with Buddhist scrolls and seals, (which have become heavily influential in pop culture, films, and even anime) with a romantic story well portrayed by the late Leslie Cheung and of course Joey Wong.
Everything about the film is perfectly made. The cinematography of the movement of the ghosts and usage of angles looking below the sets are splendid. Leslie Cheung's vocals during Hong Kong's golden age of pop music have become a standard record all over East Asia and of course the film that made Joey Wong quite renowned worldwide. This is arguably the best martial arts film and horror-comedy film of the 1980s and is easily one of the best of the best pictures ever produced. The action scenes featured great shots and wires with decent special effects for today's CGI standards. The action choreography was also extremely well played with great use of subtle zithers playing in the background, slowly rising with the powerful beat of the doldrums when Cheung's role as Ning Choi-san approaches (Wong) Nip's quarters and other forested retreats.
Of course no one can forget one of the character actor Wu Ma's funniest roles as Yin Chik-ha which garnered him a best supporting actor at Taiwan's GOlden Horse Awards, now the most prestigious film award ceremony. Even a rather villainous and macabre androgynous villain in the tree demoness only adds more to the richness of the plot that has been parodied and commercialized for so many decades to the present, yet none could respectfully approach the level that this film has reached. It is no wonder why the Golden Horse Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards, and many notable critics and bodies have ranked this film in the echelon of the top 100 Chinese films ever made, and world film classics ever produced. It has stood the test of time and remains to be one of the reasons why Leslie Cheung remains so relevant in today's postmodern society.
Tian xia di yi (1983)
This should be restored tigether with the King's other classics
For a man who might be the greatest action filmmaker to have most of his films poorly restored is a shame. Films like these whoch presents a modern take of a Pekimg opera with credible characters amd a fun perfprmance from Cheng Pei pei as well as Tian Feng. People should get more exposurr to films like these. If only thete was a way to restore it so the general masses could have a chance to see hid hidden treasures the world will get a better understandomg of Chinese culture and that of cinema. Of all the films this one I personally found to be the funniest and clearly showed Hu to be at his most comfortable and lightest mode while mincing it with solid fight scenes intermittently. The sets were amazing and the visuals never disappoint. One of the best films of the 80s decade by far.