Hong Kong Best 00-25, a list by dave Miller

7.3

/362/

76

/42/

72

/16/

3.6

/586/

A new documentary film revisits the golden age of kung fu stuntmen and action directors in Hong Kong during the 1960s-'80s, exploring their pain and struggles. The documentary is a tribute to kung fu stuntmen. “They risked their lives for stunts,” said kung fu choreographer Yuen Bin. In their heyday, these stuntmen and choreographers presented the best, most creative and most complicated kung fu fight sequences anywhere in the world, creating stunts that looked seemingly impossible.

67

31

6.9

/613/

67

/16/

61

/20/

3.7

/3092/

In 2012, the Hong Kong International Film Festival invited Tsai Ming-Ling to make the opening short film. Having grown up with Hong Kong's popular culture, Tsai Ming-Liang decided to pay homage by making a "Walker" film, contrasting the Walker's slowness with the frenzied pace of Hong Kong's cosmopolitan life. The film ends with a song by Hong Kong actor and singer Samuel Hui, who was Tsai Ming-Liang's idol during his youth. The film was invited to be the closing short film for the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

62

27

6.0

/834/

68

/20/

62

/29/

3.2

/247/

60

/55/

Winnie Leung becomes more disturbed and depressed after her boyfriend Seth Lau breaks up with her and she turns schizophrenic - imagining events which never occurred, and often living in her own world- until one day she meets a guy named Ray, bearing a close resemblance to Seth. Seeing this, her best friend Yvonne encourages her to go out with Hou so she can forget her misery and start over. As time passes, Winnie realises that the relationship with Ray is so alike her previous relationship with Seth, and when things seem to be running smoothly, the relationship begins to sours, just like with Seth. She begins to doubt his feelings and the lines between reality and fantasy start blurring again for her, leading her to question: did this all exist in the first place?

72

6.5

/7273/

66

/238/

66

/202/

3.5

/6233/

87

/23/

61

/245/

76

/5/

RogerEbert

3.5

A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Macau, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.

59

18

6.1

/394/

54

/10/

61

/12/

3.4

/233/

Popcorn

51

/43/

Luna Ng is a columnist who gave her first boyfriend a vinyl record as a gift. She later discovers that same vinyl record in a second hand store so she attempts to buy it back. However, another person ends up buying it before her. She finds out that the new owner of the record is Cheung Yung, a radio host. Luna ends up both loving and detesting Yung after he comments on her love life on radio. The story is about the battle of two willful and creative characters.

66

25

6.2

/590/

70

/41/

69

/42/

3.2

/374/

An anarcho-absurdist blood-soaked grand guignol indie flick with attitude to burn, this is the pitch perfect youth movie from Hong Kong. A twenty-something punk fancies himself a total player, but the best job he can find is overnight clerk at a convenience store. The other clerk is a cute chick and you’re thinking “rom com,” but then there’s a robbery, a gangster, a shoot-out, and by the time a neighbor is pulling out a homemade bomb, you realize that this violent farce is all about the current situation in Hong Kong where nothing makes sense, the heartless wipe their feet on the hopeless, and you might as well burn it all down because there are no more better tomorrows.

70

42

7.0

/1350/

70

/33/

78

/21/

3.3

/1993/

67

/6/

This long-awaited biopic provides a vivid account of the remarkable life of Anita Mui in and behind the limelight, chronicling her journey from a child performer to becoming one of world's most recognized music icons.

72

23

7.2

/881/

70

/40/

78

/18/

3.5

/593/

72

/10/

The story of a hopeful headmaster who perseveres in running a kindergarten for underprivileged children in Yuen Long, despite many challenges and little reward. Based on true events.

61

8

6.3

/280/

66

/6/

53

/4/

3.2

/573/

The Kowloon Industrial District is home to many of Hong Kong’s artists, including rapper Heyo, YouTuber Alan, rising star Hana, and dancer. However, the government is preparing the area for gentrification. The group from ‘The Way We Dance’ were invited to participate in a publicity stunt to transform the district into a ‘Dance Street’. Alan points out that this is an opportunity to garner support from the public. Meanwhile, Heyo’s master Afuc is planning a revolution.

76

17

7.5

/278/

74

/15/

80

/8/

3.8

/860/

One of Hong Kong's most influential filmmakers, Ann Hui, becomes a “star” for the first time in Man Lim-chung's directorial debut. A forerunner of the New Wave, Hui’s tumultuous, forty-year career is an unequivocal testimony to her unyielding dedication to filmmaking, and her expedition into the metamorphic city. This biopic probes into the acclaimed director’s idiosyncratic world, where we witness her rashness and goofiness, as well as her humanistic concerns for the everyday nobodies which make her films so moving.

61

35

6.3

/1252/

66

/39/

55

/28/

3.3

/2020/

59

/24/

18-year-old Ai loves baking, even if she's not that good at it. She dreams of some day baking the perfect pastry, until she meets Miao Miao, a shy exchange student from Japan, who happens to be sort of a pastry expert.

63

14

6.7

/614/

70

/13/

70

/17/

3.4

/456/

42

/1/

A story of two women, Christy Lam and Wong Tin-lok, who are both turning 30.

72

30

6.5

/217/

68

/6/

63

/10/

3.4

/643/

100

/5/

Moon Lee, a celebrated award-winning actress, has become a full-time mom and divorcée since retiring. Desperate to regain her sense of self, she jumps at the chance to work with her long-time collaborator, director Roger Woo, again. Only this time, he casts her as the lead in a do-your-own stunts martial arts film. The role requires extensive training and though Moon is at first uncertain, she leaves her young son in the care of Roger’s assistant and commits herself to back-breaking training. As soon as she starts to gain some confidence, Roger breaks the news to her: the only way the film can move ahead is to cast her ex-husband, Julliard, as the male lead.

61

11

6.0

/531/

55

/25/

65

/12/

3.1

/419/

67

/2/

When Eva ends her ten-year relationship with Adam, he’s shocked by the sudden break-up, not until he read her private journal did he realize that she has suffered 77 heartbreaks. Though unknown to the secret contained in the journal’s torn-out last page, he is determined to win her back. When they finally resolve to start anew, Eva discovers his drunken tryst. Will she pardon him a 78th time?

73

22

7.0

/145/

76

/3/

71

/9/

3.8

/1688/

Tracing the beginnings of Jet Tone Films, which was founded in 1991 by Wong Kar Wai for the production of Ashes of Time (1994), the film features never-before-seen materials, including deleted scenes, behind-the-scene footage, and selected narration by Wong Kar Wai.

64

16

6.6

/620/

64

/15/

54

/22/

3.3

/512/

74

/4/

After dropping out of her university's dance crew, a working-class student finds inspiration in tai chi for her own unique style of street dancing.

65

6.6

/30873/

65

/563/

65

/444/

3.2

/13631/

64

/100/

72

/1112/

66

/26/

RogerEbert

2.5

A blind concert violinist gets a cornea transplant allowing her to see again. However, she gets more than she bargained for when she realizes her new eye can see ghosts. She sets out to find the origins of the cornea and discover the fate of its former host.

65

47

6.5

/2112/

64

/55/

59

/43/

3.3

/1619/

73

/108/

A depressed, obese woman tries to lose weight in order to win back her ex-boyfriend with the help of a fellow Hong Konger whom she met in Japan.

75

61

7.1

/4236/

70

/318/

72

/166/

3.8

/19340/

86

/7/

79

/4/

Veteran detective Cham works with rookie cop Will to hunt down the city's serial killer. The investigation leads them to a lair littered with dismembered female limbs, and an ex-con who killed Cham's wife and child years ago...

64

56

6.6

/4074/

66

/151/

67

/126/

3.5

/4900/

53

/148/

A self-styled accident choreographer, the Brain is a professional hitman who kills his victims by trapping them in well crafted accidents that look like unfortunate mishaps. When the team's next assignment goes disastrously wrong, Brain begins to suspect that someone else has planned an ‘accident’ on them.

68

66

6.7

/11067/

66

/371/

67

/252/

3.5

/21161/

70

/491/

Aunt Mei's famous homemade dumplings provide amazing age-defying qualities popular with middle-aged women. But her latest customer, a fading actress, is determined to find out what the secret ingredient is.

68

33

6.8

/1109/

67

/32/

61

/27/

3.5

/503/

77

/36/

Four men attempt to fool around as much as they can before their wives return from a 14-hour Buddhism trip to Thailand.

81

?

8.1

/166/

76

/9/

76

/9/

3.8

/364/

100

/8/

Lost Course chronicles a grassroots democratic movement in the southern Chinese village of Wukan. The villagers protest against the corrupt local officials before ousting them and organising elections of their own. However, after taking control of their destiny, the villagers find themselves beset by the same corruption and cynicism endemic. Following three main characters, Li reveals the complexities of their struggles, triumphs and setbacks from the inside.

65

21

6.3

/114/

68

/12/

58

/9/

3.6

/1804/

Simon Liu's eerie, entrancing portrait of contemporary Hong Kong tracks a series of strange disruptions to the city's urban infrastructure. Deceptively tranquil 16mm images of everyday life are accompanied by muffled music cues, ominous radio transmissions, and intimations of an impending hazardous event that may never arrive.

69

53

6.8

/2823/

67

/44/

67

/56/

3.4

/1801/

77

/255/

A love triangle develops between the male and female leads and the director during the making of a musical in Mainland China.

64

35

6.3

/1097/

66

/88/

67

/29/

3.0

/1544/

Hong Kong’s historic first radiation disaster blockbuster! After a fire accident triggers a radiation leakage, the entire city suddenly finds its survival hanging by a thread. In order to tackle the impending catastrophe, expert Simon Fan joins the emergency crisis response team led by Acting Chief Executive Cecilia to tackle this catastrophic disaster. With the lives of 7 million people on the line, the fire brigade is tasked with stopping the spread at all costs by entering the radiation zone. Facing this unprecedented calamity, will Hong Kong wake up to an overnight annihilation?

75

7.2

/21019/

74

/648/

73

/455/

3.7

/15697/

75

/8/

83

/639/

In this prequel to the original, a bloody power struggle among the Triads coincides with the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, setting up the events of the first film.

67

30

6.7

/821/

68

/58/

69

/24/

3.3

/1190/

Negotiator expert Cheuk Man Wai unexpectedly becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. Forced into a corner, he occupies the police station, taking officers hostage, and demands negotiations with the former negotiator Tse Ka Chun. With Tse's expertise in psychological manipulation and Check's exceptional skills, they engage in a battle of wits. As the verbal sparring deepens, their positions and mindsets gradually change.

68

49

6.7

/1478/

66

/52/

61

/42/

3.6

/2612/

76

/109/

A car accident gives a spoiled, troubled young woman the ability to see ghosts, including one of a former classmate.

69

56

6.5

/3243/

66

/268/

70

/167/

3.2

/2153/

85

/13/

65

/7/

After suffering life changing injuries in the line of duty, bomb disposal officer Fung turns his back on the police. But when a devastating series of bombings sweep Hong Kong, the police suspect their former ally may be involved after he is found unconscious at a crime scene. Now faced with memory loss and recalling only fragments of his former life, Fung sets out to uncover the truth and find out who he really is.

67

64

6.6

/6259/

68

/293/

64

/175/

3.4

/7251/

77

/22/

59

/205/

A woman will go to whatever lengths necessary to obtain her dream home with a view of the sea. This includes driving down the property value and decreasing the occupancy rate by killing her potential neighbors.

65

41

6.6

/1186/

65

/34/

62

/32/

3.3

/2126/

67

/37/

Fang Zhen Dong is a patrolling officer in Beijing who one night meets the drunk Li Pei Ru while singing karaoke at the KTV place. Li Pei Ru is a real estate agent from Hong Kong who has vowed to make her fortune in the cosmoplitan Beijing, but is caught up in the complexities of life and ends up becoming a mistress of a married man.

81

59

7.3

/169/

76

/23/

70

/36/

3.9

/1721/

92

/192/

94

/3482/

87

/28/

A documentary following Wong Kar-wai and his cast and crew through the production of his 2000 film In the Mood for Love.

75

59

6.9

/1959/

68

/53/

69

/59/

3.6

/1850/

100

/7/

72

/91/

Five shorts reveal a fictional Hong Kong in 2025, depicting a dystopian city where residents and activists face crackdowns under iron-fisted rule.

61

30

6.1

/668/

62

/42/

57

/22/

3.3

/5636/

18-year-old Shengnan is invited to a mysterious party by her cousin. Upon arrival, Shengnan finds herself surrounded by greasy middle-aged men, with the exception of Jianguo, who is different. Shengnan and Jianguo decide to bail on the party, embarking on a night of adventures in the adult world.

73

47

7.4

/1472/

74

/65/

71

/36/

3.8

/23505/

Hong Kong, 1960s. Zhang, a shy tailor's assistant, is riveted by his imperious client Miss Hua. Upon meeting her, she seduces him to make sure he will truly remember her when designing her garments. After this intimate first encounter, a rapport develops between the two. Entry is for the theatrically released extended version, not the segment from the Eros anthology.

78

50

7.0

/1814/

70

/71/

73

/87/

3.8

/3090/

88

/8/

93

/4/

Long is a Taiwanese killer known for his sword skills. After Long fails a Tokyo mission, he moves to a small town where no one knows about him.

61

11

6.5

/401/

61

/12/

67

/13/

3.4

/389/

44

/4/

In 1930s Suzhou, the fifth wife of an opium-addicted aristocrat, her husband's female cousin, and a handsome instructor develop an intense relationship.

68

23

6.5

/575/

67

/27/

68

/13/

3.3

/546/

67

/6/

76

/2/

A wonderfully charming and bittersweet story about teenage friendship, idealist dreams and a city that transcend changing times, this rare Hong Kong-produced gem influenced by Hayao Miyazaki and Shunji Iwai sweeps with nostalgia. In search of an answer for her broken marriage, Gigi journeys into her shiny high school year memories only to discover a deeply hidden secret that will transform her life.

63

32

6.2

/1050/

60

/32/

63

/37/

3.4

/816/

66

/24/

Mr. and Mrs. To are wealthy, creative jewel thieves who divorce for no apparent reason after a successful diamond heist. A year later, she's engaged to the son of a rich woman who begrudgingly lets her son give his fiancée a family heirloom after she signs a pre-nup.

79

7.2

/1107/

70

/52/

71

/28/

3.7

/7414/

97

/30/

82

/8/

RogerEbert

3.5

Angie and Pat are a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades. After Pat's unexpected death, Angie finds herself at the mercy of her extended family as she struggles to retain both her dignity and the home that they shared for over thirty years.

74

23

7.5

/431/

77

/11/

70

/3/

3.7

/2348/

Wolf, born into a deaf family, embraces sign language with confidence despite obstacles in life; Sophie, having received a cochlear implant at a young age, continuously strives to be seen as "normal" despite having a "deaf accent." Alan, with a cochlear implant like Sophie, is capable of both spoken language and sign language; he advocates for diverse modes of communication within the deaf community. Bound by love and friendship, the three embark on a self-discovering journey that is not without its moments of pain.

57

19

6.0

/624/

58

/17/

55

/19/

3.2

/251/

51

/36/

A Hong Kong bra company breaks tradition by hiring two men, Johnny and Wayne, to design an "ultimate bra" in 3 months.

78

48

7.4

/421/

67

/14/

71

/9/

3.5

/4667/

92

/192/

94

/3484/

Set in a convenience store, this short film was originally intended as the third segment of Wong Kar-wai’s unrealized anthology film Three Stories About Food. It is now considered the prototype for My Blueberry Nights (2007).

68

46

6.7

/2171/

67

/71/

66

/62/

3.4

/895/

73

/223/

The head of an elite Hong Kong surveillance unit keeps one eye on his rookie apprentice and the other on a notorious criminal he suspects of masterminding a recent jewel heist in this tense thriller from filmmaking duo Johnnie To and Nai-Hoi Yau. Of course, the criminal knows all along he's being watched. But that doesn't stop him from trying to pull off the biggest score of his career.

75

57

7.4

/2590/

73

/92/

75

/81/

3.7

/1360/

80

/107/

Told through the eyes of sticky-fingered eight-year-old boy Big Ears, Echoes of the Rainbow takes place in a close-knit grassroots community in 1960s Hong Kong. Big Ears' mother and father run the neighborhood shoe store, and his older brother Desmond is every family's dream son - an outstanding athlete with grades worthy of Hong Kong's best school.

63

8

6.1

/193/

60

/10/

67

/10/

3.3

/231/

Four young lives were changed forever when they become involved in the 1967 Hong Kong Leftist Riot; half a century later, another four face similar challenges amidst the Mainland-Hong Kong conflict.

73

23

7.5

/392/

67

/7/

81

/6/