Friday, September 26, 2008

Dragon Eye Congee

Dragon Eye Congee: A Dream of Love , is a NT$5 million romance film set in the 1960s. Produced by the respected veteran of Taiwan film Lee Hsing and directed by award-winning young director Allen Chang, this romance film stars Singapore's Fann Wong, Hong Kong's Shaun Tam and Taiwan's Ivy Yin Hsin.

Cast


* Fann Wong
* Shaun Tam
* Ivy Yin Hsin

Story



Based on a short story of the same name written in the 1950s by the Taiwanese intellectual and democracy activist Bo Yang, Dragon Eye Congee tells the story of a second-generation Taiwanese American, Shaun Tam, who, since childhood, has repeatedly dreamt about the same woman in the same scenes, complete with a haunting melody and the fragrant smell of rice congee with dried longan.

He is totally mystified about the significance of the dream until he comes to Taiwan for the first time on a business trip and stumbles upon an old house and a woman played by Fann Wong, resembling those in his dreams. Eventually, he realizes that the woman was his lover in a previous lifetime in Taiwan.

Crew


Produced by veteran Taiwanese director Lee Hsing of Lee's Production Ltd , he came out of retirement to produce his first film in 20 years , funding NT$2 million. The director of the film is Allen Chang Kuo-Fu, the winner of the Golden Horse Award Best Short Film in 2000.

Trivia


This film was nominated for five categories at the inaugural Asian Festival of First Films 2005, held in Singapore. This film also participated at the Golden Horse Awards Film Festival 2005.

Double Vision (film)

Double Vision is a film directed by Chen Kuo-fu. The plot is about an FBI agent working with a troubled Taiwanese cop to hunt for a serial killer who is embedding a mysterious black fungus in the brains of the victims.

Main cast


*Tony Leung Ka Fai – Huang Huo-tu
* – Kevin Richter
*Rene Liu – Ching-fang
*Hannah Lin – Ghost
*Yang Kuei Mei
*Sihung Lung

Plot


A troubled police detective Huang Huo-tu suffers from a severe mental breakdown as his life is falling apart. He is relegated to a mundane job as a Foreign Affairs Officer as a payback for blowing the whistle on in the force. His young daughter is suffering from the fallout of being held hostage in a police crossfire. His fellow colleagues have turned on him and his wife Ching-fang is filing for divorce.

Suddenly, a series of bizarre deaths in Taipei baffle local investigators. An FBI agent Kevin Richter is called in to solve the murders. He is the topmost serial killer expert in the field, but even he cannot explain the seemingly supernatural circumstances surrounding the crime scenes. For example, in one case a businessman froze to death in his office - in the middle of a heatwave; the mistress of a prominent official calls the fire department and is later found burned to death - with no sign of fire in her apartment. Richter partners with Huang who has less trouble believing that something supernatural is behind them, and on that angle he persuades him to investigate a local cult. They discover increasingly disturbing evidence that there are possible demonic forces at work.

Crimes Are To Be Paid

Crimes Are To Be Paid is a and Hong Kong film .

Chaochow Guy

Chaochow Guy is a and Hong Kong film .

Cape No. 7

Cape No. 7 is a 2008 Taiwanese written and directed by Taiwanese director . The film is mainly in but also contains significant lines in and . Before its commercial release, the film was selected as one of the opening films in the 2008 Taipei Film Festival.

The two leading actors Van Fan and Chie Tanaka only had minor acting experience while most of the other actors were amateurs, picked mainly for their rock band experience as needed by the plot. Although without a strong promotional campaign, this movie attracted unexpected popularity in Taiwan after its official release on August 22, 2008. As of September 18, the movie has grossed over NT$ 100 million. It is also the top grossing Taiwanese film in the island's cinematic history.

Plot


Back in the 1940s during the Taiwan under Japanese rule era, a Japanese teacher dispatched to fell in love with a local girl who was given the Japanese name Kojima Tomoko. However, after the Surrender of Japan he was forced to return to his home country. He penned 7 love letters on his trip home to express his regret for leaving Kojima Tomoko, who originally planned on living in Japan with Atari.

More than 60 years after Atari left Tomoko, Aga is introduced as a struggling young Hengchun-native rock band singer who could not secure a job in Taipei. After returning to his hometown, Aga's step father, the Town Council Representative, arranged a postman position for him, replacing the senile Uncle Mao, on break after a motorcycle accident broke his leg. One day Aga came across an undeliverable mail: the Japanese teacher has been dead and his offspring decided to mail these unsent love letters to Taiwan after discovering them. Aga unlawfully opened this mail to discover that the old Japanese-style address Cape No.7, Hengchun County, Takao Prefecture could no longer be found.

Meantime a local resort hotel inside Kenting National Park is organizing a beach concert featuring Japanese pop singer Kousuke Atari, but Aga's step father made use of his official identity to insist that the accompanying band be formed by locals. Tomoko, a Chinese-speaking Japanese fashion model dispatched to Hengchun, took up the difficult task of managing this band, led by Aga along with 6 other locals of rather particular backgrounds. After a frustrating trial period Aga and Tomoko unexpectedly began a relationship. With some assistance from hotel maid Ming-chu, Tomoko helped Aga find Kojima Tomoko, the rightful recipient of the 7 love letters. Aga then returned to the beach resort and performed a highly successful concert with this local band and Kousuke Atari.

Production notes


This movie was mainly filmed between September and November 2007 in and its neighboring and Township, together located in the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, with few scenes filmed in of Pingtung County, Kaohsiung International Airport, and Ximending in Taipei. Before filming, Chie Tanaka had been staying in Taiwan for one year to study Chinese so she did not have problem dealing with the Chinese lines in the film. Kousuke Atari appeared as himself and acted as the 1940s Japanese teacher in this film.

The production had problems securing financial interest and forced director Wei NT$ 30 million into debt before release. Wei later said this film's zealous reception should help him manage his debts.

Awards


* 2008 Taipei Film Festival: Taipei Million Grand Award, Best Audience Award, Best Cinematography.

* 2008 Asian Marine Film Festival: Grand Prize

Cafe Lumiere

is a 2003 directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien for Shochiku as homage to Yasujiro Ozu, with direct reference to the late master's ''Tokyo Story'' . It premiered at a festival commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth. Many critics hailed the film reminiscent of Ozu's works as an artistically significant step for Hou, and it was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

Plot



The story revolves around a young Japanese woman doing research on Taiwanese composer Jiang Wen-Ye, whose work is featured on the soundtrack. The late composer's Japanese wife and daughter also make appearances as themselves.

Bronze Head And Steel Arm

Bronze Head And Steel Arm is a and Hong Kong kung fu film .

Born Invincible

Born Invincible is a ese kung fu film directed by Joseph Kuo, with action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Carter Wong Ka Tat.

Plot



''Born Invincible'' opens with a montage showing a youth learning the techniques of Tai Chi. A narration explains the rigors of , and the effects it has on the individuals who learn it. When a person masters Tai Chi, their body becomes impregnable to any weapon. But a side effect of mastering Tai Chi is that the person’s hair turns white by age thirty, and their voices attain a high tone. One such Tai Chi master is the villainous Chief Chin of the Chin Yin Chi clan. While students of the Lei Ping Kung Fu school go through an early morning training session, they witness two thugs from the Chin Yin Chi clan chase an old man and his daughter over the hill. The thugs start beating the helpless old man, much to the chagrin of his horrified daughter. The lead student, Ming Tu interrupts the attack and warns the thugs to stop. Some other students get involved along with Ming Tu, and the thugs use some weapons on the students. Ming Tu manages to fight off the duo, but not before one of his fellow students is mortally wounded. The two thugs warn the students that the Chin Yin Chi clan will be back in force to kill them. Ming Tu escorts the old man and his daughter back to the Lei Ping school, where the wise master takes them under his protection.

The two leaders of the Chin Yin Chi clan, Chief Chin and Chin Pa show up at the Lei Ping school, demanding that the master hand over the old man. He refuses and one of his top pupils offers to go and fight for the schools honor. Despite his magnificent martial arts ability, he is no match against the Chin Yin Chi’s top dogs. Realizing the serious predicament they are in, the master himself goes to face the aggressors. Before doing so, he instructs his students to carry on the school’s name, and he selects Ming Tu as his successor, should he not survive the duel. The master and the Chin Yin Chi fighters engage in mortal combat, and soon the wise one is overpowered and killed. The old man, having taken an oath of peace, picks up a sword for the first time in twenty years and leaps into battle. His skills prove very admirable, but he too is taken down by the powerful duo. The students are horrified, and realize they cannot stand up to the invulnerable Chief Chin. The old man’s daughter is shattered. Ming Tu assumes leadership of the school and promises his students that the school will continue as the master intended, with him in charge. He also promises them that together they will take revenge against the Chin Yin Chi clan. Ming Tu comes up with a plan to take Chin Pa out of the equation, since he is not invulnerable like his cohort. So he walks into the Chin Yin Chi shrine and challenges the Chin Pa to a duel. Chin Pa’s weapon of choice is a loaded steel baton with a blade that wounds his opponents. Ming Tu falls victim to this weapon, but escapes from the shrine.

This defeat only makes him more determined to beat Chin Pa. Ming Tu begins undergoing even more rigorous training to prepare for the next confrontation. He thinks up a way to counter Chin Pa’s baton--by covering his sword in oil so his opponent can’t get a grip on it. Sure enough, this works, and Ming Tu is finally able to kill Chin Pa. Chief Chin discovers the death of his comrade and goes looking for Ming Tu. Ming seeks additional training before he can face Chief Chin, but is forced into a confrontation with him. Ming cannot defeat the Tai Chi master, because he has no weak spot. Eventually, Chief Chin beats Ming unmercifully. The next senior pupil of the Wei Ping school, Sa Chien takes charge since Ming Tu is out of action. He trains hard to beat Chief Chin, but when the inevitable confrontation takes place, Sa Chien cannot get the job done but barely escapes. The master’s daughter meets an old nun who tells her how to find Chief Chin's weak point "when he is not himself". With the aid of the revenge-driven daughter, Sa Chien discovers that Chief Chin has one vulnerable spot after all, but getting him to expose it is near impossible unless he can get him to act other than "himself".

Blue Gate Crossing

Blue Gate Crossing is a Taiwanese film by writer-director Yee Chin-yen. It won the nomination Best Asian film at the 23rd Annual Hong Kong Film Awards.

Reception


The film has been well-received critically. Dennis Lim, in a review for the ''Village Voice,'' observed the film's "meticulous framing and haunting use of repeated motifs" reflects the influence of directors Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang. The ''Portland Mercury'' described the film as "a modern-day Chinese lesbo twist on the old ''Cyrano'' story" that "treads new territory in the teen coming of age drama realm," praising Yee's "haiku-like directorial lyricism."

Blue Cha Cha

Blue Cha Cha is a by Chen Wen-Tang. It was Taiwan's submission to the 79th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Blood of the Leopard

Blood of the Leopard is a Taiwanese - Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Kim Lung.

Cast


*Yee Yuen
*Kong Ban
*Wang Tai Lang
*Chan Hung Lit
*Cheung Ching Ching
*Ma Kei
*Got Siu Bo
*O Yau Man
*Hon Kong

Blood Brothers (2007 film)

Blood Brothers is a directed by Alexi Tan and starring Daniel Wu, Shu Qi, Liu Ye and Tony Yang.

It was by the Taiwanese production company CMC Entertainment, the Chinese government-owned Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd., 's Lion Rock Productions and Hong Kong film director John Woo, and is Woo's first time as producer of another director's film. The film was shot entirely in the People's Republic of China.

The film should not be confused with ''The Warlords'', a 2007 / starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau and Jet Li, that was at one point also called ''Blood Brothers''.

Cast


*Daniel Wu as Fung
*Liu Ye as Kang
*Tony Yang as Xiao Hu
*Shu Qi as Lulu
*Chang Chen as Mark
*Lulu Li as Su Zhen
*Sun Honglei as Boss Hong

Influences


''Blood Brothers'' is Alexi Tan's first feature film, though Tan has referred to it as "a combination of all my collaborators' work" including costume designer Tim Yip, cinematographer Michel Taburiaux, and of course producer John Woo.

Tan has stated that he draws upon his upbringing as an overseas Chinese, such that his vision of China and Chinese society will at once be Chinese and at the same time "different."

Production history


The idea for ''Blood Brothers'' first began to gain traction when producers John Woo and watched Tan's ''Double Blade'', a short film starring Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou, and contacted Tan expressing interest in producing a feature-length film with the young director. Up to this point, Tan had worked primarily as a fashion photographer.

Once Woo and Chang were on board, however, Tan was able to seriously develop his concept for the film. Given Tan's overseas upbringing and lack of speaking and writing ability , the screenplay was originally written in . As such, Tan collaborated with native Chinese writer, Jiang Dan to translate his film into natural sounding Chinese. Despite Tan's initial concerns that Jiang Dan would not understand the Leone or Peckinpah influences, he later felt that her contributions to the story helped flesh out the film's romantic elements and in particular expanded upon the feminine perspectives of Shu Qi's and Lulu Li's characters.

Fight choreography, in particular the film's many gun battles, was done by Hong Kong veteran action director Philip Kwok, who was also involved in the action choreography for John Woo's ''Hard Boiled''.

Battles With The Red Boy

Battles With The Red Boy is a Hong Kong film .

A Home Too Far

A Home Too Far is a 1990 film directed by Yin-Ping Chu starring Andy Lau. It is based on a novel by Bo Yang.

Summary


The film is a disturbing and grim war movie which focuses for 2 hours on the hell which a group of soldiers and their families go through. Set in 1950's China, they soldiers focused on are fighting for The Republic of China against Communist China. In a number of set pieces we see their homes blown up; them spending days running from the Communists with women and children only to be massacred; hike through a forest in the cold with no food or water only to continue to fight for what they believe in.

Cast


*Andy Lau

A Girl Fighter

A Girl Fighter is a and Hong Kong film .

Cast


*Polly Shang-Kwan Ling Feng
*Tien Peng
*Law Bun
*Cho Kin
*Chan Wai Lau
*Miu Tin
*Lui Ming
*Man Chung San
*Got Heung Ting
*Go Ming

A City of Sadness

A City of Sadness is a historical drama film by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the tragic "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s, during which thousands of Taiwanese were rounded up, shot, and/or sent to prison.

The film was the first to deal openly with the KMT's authoritarian misdeeds after its 1945 turnover of Taiwan from Japan, and the first to depict the 228 Incident of 1947, in which thousands of people were massacred.

The film is regarded as the first installment in a trilogy of films that deal with Taiwanese history, which also includes '''' and ''Good Men, Good Women'' .

Plot


The film depicts one family's experiences during the White Terror. The eldest brother is murdered by a Shanghai mafia boss, the middle brother is driven insane in a KMT jailhouse, and the youngest brother Lin Wen-Ch'ing is a mute who wants to flee to the mountains with his friends to fight in the anti-KMT resistance movement. By the end of the film only the youngest brother, the photographer Wen-Ch'ing, is alive to tell, in writing, the story of his family's destruction.

Awards


The film won the Golden Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival. The film also revived the ghost town of Jioufen, where it was set.

A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day is a nearly four-hour long, romantic drama film directed by Taiwanese director Edward Yang. The film is an extraordinarily large project for a Chinese-language film, not only for its duration of almost four hours, but also for its involvement of more than 100 amateur actors in different roles.

The film is based on real incidents that took place in the 1960s. The incidents are placed in the context of the obscure political environment in Taiwan at that time. Political background of the film is introduced in intertitles as:
:''"Millions of Mainland Chinese fled to Taiwan with the National Government after its civil war defeat by the Chinese Communists in 1949. Their children were brought up in an uneasy atmosphere created by the parents' own uncertainty about the future. Many formed street gangs to search for identity and to strengthen their sense of security."''

Even though the film is extraordinarily long in duration, it received much critical acclaim and now stands as one of the most successful and important Chinese-language films. The film was awarded several wins in Asia Pacific Film Festival, Kinema Junpo Awards and Tokyo International Film Festival.

Zhang Guozhu, Zhang Guozhu's son Chang Chen and Elaine Jin are cast in ''A Brighter Summer Day''.

7 Grandmasters

7 Grandmasters is an Ocean Shore released film directed by Joseph Kuo, starring Mark Long, Jack Long, Corey Yuen and Lee Yi Min.

Plot



Sang Kuan Chun is an old kung fu master who is getting ready to retire from martial arts. He is satisfied that he's mastered the martial arts and is the best in China. But just as he is about to put up the kings signboard and call it quits, he receives a note alleging that he's not the best. Thus begins his journey for one last challenge with each of the Seven Grandmasters to prove his superiority. As Sang Kuan Chun and his three students travel from one challenge to the next, the foursome acquires a fifth--a young man named Siu Ying who wants desperately to train under master Sang Kuan Chun to avenge his father's death. So he tags along, despite the master's insistence that he will not accept any more students. Eventually we learn more about the master's past. His own teacher, before he died, left him the secret book of The Pai Mei Twelve Strikes. However a masked man soon stole several pages of the book, leaving only nine strikes. So, somewhere out there, is this unknown man, and he has the final three strikes of Pai Mei, which are the most deadly and can beat even the other nine strikes. Sang Kuan Chun soon accepts the seemingly devout Siu Ying and teaches him the nine known strikes of Pai Mei. Siu Ying ends up learning from his “uncle” that Sang Kuan Chun killed his father during a friendly tournament. Siu Ying is taught the final 3 strikes from a mysterious figure and almost kills Sang Kuan Chun until he realizes he is in the wrong. This all leads up to an exciting climax, where we learn the identity of the masked man who stole the Pai Mei final strikes and the identity of the man who killed Siu Ying's father.

Cast


*Li Yi Min – Siu Ying
*Jack Long – Sang Kuan Chun
*Mark Long – Sangs elder student
*Corey Yuen – Sun Hung
*Nancy Yen – Sang’s daughter

60 Second Assassin (film)

60 Second Assassin aka “My Life Is on the Line” is a martial arts film directed by Chung Wang.

Plot



Hired killer 'Minute Fong' is so-called throughout the kung-fu world for his ability to beat an opponent in under a minute. With such an effective technique, Fong naturally gains an unnerving reputation throughout China. The killer is beginning to rethink the actions of his life though and sees the next few jobs as definitely being his last. After his girlfriend commits suicide he finds his priorities in life changing even though his employers promise him rich rewards for obedience. Fong agrees to take one final assignment; to kill a man named Lai in a specified town. The obvious catch is that the town is inhabited by scores of men with this name and therefore the assassin must carefully search out his target. While staying in the designated location, Fong befriends a local boy who proves to be a mischievous, yet good-hearted younster who is merely looking for a father figure. Over time, the supreme fighter agrees to teach the boy kung-fu so that he can defend himself and the rest of his family. As the master-student bond develops, so does the friendship between Fong and the youngster's mother and grandfather. Fully immersed in this ordinary life, the killer forgets his assignment, but is quickly reminded of it when he discovers who Lai really is. Now Minute Fong must decide whether his loyalty lies with his new friends or his ruthless employers.

36 Deadly Styles

36 Deadly Styles is an independent released martial arts film directed by Joseph Kuo starring Jack Long, Mark Long and Hwang Jang Lee.

Plot


The pace and tone of the film is immediately made clear with an opening fight in the woods as Wah-jee and his uncle attempt to flee from ruthless fighters led by a deliciously wormy Chan Lau as Mien Tsu-mun. The pair make it to a Buddhist temple, but the uncle croaks after Tsu-mun and his thugs break in. A fighter turned monk named Huang manages to kill most of them. Once recovered from his wounds, Wah-jee is put to work at the temple, making soy milk runs into town and cleaning out the smoke-filled oven, that is when he isn't clowning around with two junior monks or trading friendly kung fu blows with Tsui-jee , the attractive soy milk seller.

But as always, trouble comes a calling when Tsu-mun returns to the area with two martial brothers in crazy wigs who begin snooping around. Fed up with the torturous regimen of chores at the temple, Wah-jee leaves but overhears Tsu-mun's plans to kill Huang and decides to warn his mentor. A nasty fight ensues that Wah-jee survives only after he's forcibly pulled away by Tsui-jee's father . At this point, Wah-jee learns that his own father died at the hands of a silver-haired fighter played by Hwang Jang-lee who belongs to the same group as Tsu-mun. Three martial brothers initially escaped Jang-lee's attack, but now only Tsui-jee's father remains. Wah-jee, Tsui-jee and her father go into hiding where Wah-jee begins to master the 36 Deadly Styles just in time to face Jang-lee.

There is also a smaller parallel plot interwoven with the previous one involving a brother of Jang-lee who heads off to a Tibetan temple to seek out a kung fu master named Kaung Wu Chun in order to get the manual of 36 Deadly Styles.

20 30 40

20 30 40 is a 2004 by Sylvia Chang. It was Taiwan's submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.

The Strait Story

The Strait Story or Fu shih kuang ying as it is known in its country of origin, is a 2005 directed by Yu-shan Huang.

Plot summary


The movie tells the story of famous Taiwanese sculptor and painter Cing-diann Huang, who is returning from Japan after his studies, along with his pianist fiancée, who, along with thousands of others lose their lives on the passenger liner Takachiho Maru, when it was tragically torpedoed by the American submarine USS Kingfish in March 1943.

The Sandwich Man (1983 film)

The Sandwich Man is a jointly directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wan Ren, and Tseng chuang-hsiang. The script was written by , but is based on a story by Huang Chunming. Oddly enough, the film doesn't have a single Sandwich person in it, much less a Sandwich man.

The Puppetmaster (film)

The Puppetmaster is a 1993 directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. It tells the story of a young boy who becomes a master puppeteer but is faced with demands to turn his skills to propaganda during the in World War 2.

The Most Distant Course (film)

The Most Distant Course is a film written and directed by director Lin Ching-chieh , and was released in 2007. It has won the Critics' Week Award in Venice Film Festival in 2007, and was selected as the opening film for 2007 Taipei Film Festival.

Synopsis


Tang goes on a trip to Taitung to record the sounds of nature, hoping the tape may save his relationship with his girlfriend who is leaving him. What he does not know, is that she has already moved away and another girl, Yun , has moved into that apartment. Yun is trapped in a hopeless love triangle, and troubled by all the issues she faces in life. After listening to the tape that Tang sent, she feels as if the kindness of nature is calling her, and travels to Taitung to find the mysterious man who sends her the tape.

On the other hand, Tsai , a psychiatrist struggling in a failed marriage, suddenly realizes that he needs to let things go after helping a patient with extramarital affairs. He leaves everything behind and goes to Taitung to search for his ex-lover. The three young souls, with different purposes, comes to the coast and search for the meaning of their life, a journey considerably longer than any of them has taken before.

The Hole (1998 film)

The Hole is a 1998 directed by Tsai Ming-liang. In the film, a strange disease hits Taiwan a week before the turn of the millennium. Despite evacuation orders, tenants of a rundown apartment building stay put, and the disease causes the tenants to act strangely. Director Tsai loves to use water as a metaphor for sex and love. In contrast to the pouring rain and the leaking water in the woman's apartment, the woman has no love and no sex. The only outlet she has is the hole on the ceiling, which is dug by a plumber who tried to fix the leaking problem. In the end of the movie, the woman is lifted up through the hole to the man's apartment. This is like the most romantic movie Director Tsai has ever made.

The Heirloom

The Heirloom is a Taiwan ghost movie. It concerns a house in which an entire family committed mass suicide and a young man returning to claim it as his inheritance.

Plot


The film begins with the description of an obscure occult practice in which people feed aborted fetuses blood to raise 'young ghosts'. These ghosts become powerful and bring fortune to families but at the same time can be commanded to bring death. We then see an entire family hanging in a room and a young woman crawling beneath their feet. She then proceeds to hang herself. After the grisly opening we go forward some time. A young architect is inheriting the house, recently back from abroad. After some argument he manages to convince his dancer fiance to live with him, and they celebrate one night in the house. The next few days, strange things begin happening. Their friends start showing up at the house at midnight with no memory of how they got there. Footprints begin appearing on the floors, followed by strange noises. One of the friends is later found dead in their apartment, their neck bearing markings of being hung where no rope is present. The detective, suspicious of the couples late night visitors spends the night at their house hoping to catch them sneaking in. After being witness to the strange occurrences himself, he finds his himself showing up at the couples house late at night with no memory. In an effort to discover the mystery behind this strangeness he handcuffs himself to his office but that night, his body is found in the couples house, his hands pulled from his sockets. The young fiance, disturbed by these events, seeks out the only living relative of her husband, the one who signed the house over to him. She finds her, and the answer to the mystery, in an insane asylum. The family who used to own the house used to raise ghosts in the manner described at the outset of the film. They would pay for dead fetuses on the black market and fed it their blood. After a while hekisses the black arts, took a toll on the family, leaving some disabled or terminally ill. The family would take these cripples, and imprisoned them in the house using their blood for the ghosts. One of these cripples is the last living relative. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, she was cruelly sacrificed for the families wealth, driven to animal like living conditions. She had a twin sister who gave birth to the young architect, but she was crippled by the event and was put to the cruel fate her twin suffered. At the same time the brain tumor disappeared and the other twin returned to raise the baby for her own. The other twin, driven mad by her fall from grace, slashed her wrist and fed the ghost her blood, and commanded it to hang her entire family. Now her vengeful ghost haunts the house, sparing only her twin sister for having experience the same suffering as her. The couple, hoping to remove the ghost, take the shriveled fetus's from the attic and give them to a priest to care for. But the ghost kills their other friend, hanging her from an invisible rope in a bathroom stall. During his fiance's dance performance, the architect steals the fetus back from the priest, and returns home. His fiance is there, and she reveals the terrible news to him. She's pregnant. In a tearful moment she decides to stay with him forever, cursed by his child's imminent birth to continue the Yang family bloodline. The architect then knocks her unconscious, confessing his terrible secret. When he was still a child, he tried to free his true mother from her imprisonment, but having failed was drawn deeper into the family fold. He is the final member of his cursed bloodline, and tragically, he will be the last. He pounds his fiance's belly with his fist, trying to force an abortion and end the chain of horror. She awakens in a hospital, her fiance having committed suicide. In a final moment the doctor informs her that they have been able to save the baby...

The Death Duel

The Death Duel is a and Hong Kong film .

The Dark Alley

The Dark Alley is a and Hong Kong film .

The Ammunition Hunters

The Ammunition Hunter or Laai Ying Haap is a Taiwanese and Hong Kong kung fu action film directed by Ding Sin Saai. The film stars Chen Chen and Peter Yang Kwan.

Cast


*Chen Chen
*Peter Yang Kwan
*Sun Yueh
*Sit Hon
*Shan Mao
*Got Heung Ting
*O Yau Man
*So Gam Lung
*Chui Fook Sang
*Yeung Fui Yuk

Summer's Tail

Summer's Tail is a 2007 film directed by Cheng Wen-Tang.

Cast


* as Jimmy Chan
* Dean Fujioka as Akira Fuwa
* as Yvette Chang
* Hannah Lin Han as Wendy Lin
* Christine Ke Huan-Ju as Xiu I-Wei
* Lu Yi-Ching as Yvette's mother
* Yao Hsiao-Min as Boss
* James Wen Sheng-Hao as Willy's Father
* Li Hsiu as Yvette's grandmother
* Chen Chih-Chieh as Willy

Synopsis



Summer-Flaming, fervid, flowing the youth sweat; every second is rippling of the passion and react. To be duty-bound not to turn back!

Tail-A long time ago it's said once human being all had but because of not knowing its purpose, tail is gradually vanishing.

But, actually, each person all has a tail.

In the eyes of her classmates, Yvette Chang is a rock and roll girl, she has a cat by the name of "Summer", because of a congenital heart condition, she has left school and spends much of her time every day with Summer messing around, playing the guitar, and getting out and about. During the time when she is not in school, every day is filled with discovery, and since the specially gifted and talented class's student Jimmy Chan, fell in love with a teacher, and met the fate of being expelled from the school, now the streets have one more high school student on the roam. Yvette willingly opens her arms to embrace all of Jimmy's emotions, and comfort him. But Jimmy doesn't quite understand why Yvette, who suffers from cardiac disease, is so full of ambition and warmth for living.

Two high school drop-outs are out riding bicycles, when between the rice paddies and the irrigation canals, they find a place free from the control of adults, an undeveloped piece of land near the tracks of the Taiwan High Speed Rail. Under the blue skies, they gather with their classmates from the same school, another gifted and talented student named Wendy and the Japanese exchange student Akira who loves soccer but is always the last in academic, and together at this secret base they relax, have fun, and fool around. The destiny which has brought the four of them together serves as a powerful force of empathy and encouragement, as they enjoy fun times together, and try to save an embittered suicidal father. Against the backdrop of clear skies, reflecting the visions and secrets lodged in the hearts of four almost grown up children, whether life is normal or exciting, with success or failure, they are always able to enjoy the experience.

This demonstrates the ability to make oneself feel joy in living, which is a great gift from above, just like a tail, which you can wag just for fun, when you have time to spare from trying to do something. Actually, we all have a tail, which is also trying to keep us happy.

What is the purpose of that tail? Finding your own happiness .

Spider Lilies (film)

Spider Lilies is a lesbian drama film, released in . It is the second feature-length film by director Zero Chou, and stars Rainie Yang and Isabella Leong in the lead roles. ''Spider Lilies'' was screened at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Teddy Award for best feature film. It was released in the United States by Wolfe Video on May 6, 2008.

Plot summary


Jade is a webcam girl, who broadcasts herself nightly on the internet to anonymous users. She seeks a tattoo, which leads her to the studio of tattoo artist Takeko, who also happens to be Jade's childhood crush. Jade becomes entranced by a large tattoo of golden flowers——on Takeko's arm. She wants the same design, but Takeko refuses, telling her that the flowers are cursed.

Takeko's father, who was killed in an earthquake, had the same tattoo on his arm. Her younger brother witnessed the incident and was traumatised by it, left with no memory except for the image of the flowers. Takeko decided to get the same tattoo, in the hope that it would help her brother's recovery.

Nevertheless, Takeko finds herself drawn to Jade, and begins designing a new tattoo for her.

Meanwhile, a young police officer trying to ambush Jade and the rest of the girls working in the same website, but takes to speaking to her, listening to her childhood stories and connecting with her, therefore slowing down the investigation he is supposed to be working on. Eventually he falls in love with her, trying to tell her to get out before it's too late and before she's caught. He blurts out that he loves her, and Jade, mistaking him for Takeko, goes to her.

They make love and this causes Takeko to become distracted from her brother. Desperate and frightened, he goes out to a road looking for her, but instead he gets in a car accident. Just before his accident, he recovers his memory.

The policeman finally tells Jade who he is and that she must get offline immediately. She cries and realizes it was not Takeko who had told her she loved her. Takeko finds her brother in the hospital, where he has slipped into a severe coma. Devasted and guilt-stricken, she sends a farewell message to Jade saying that she will not be able to finish Jade's tattoo.

Jade receives Takeko's message and falls into a fit of weeping, utterly heartbroken. Meanwhile, Takeko's brother awakes from his coma with his memory intact. A joyful Takeko sends Jade another message apologizing, and saying that she will wait for her in the tattoo shop. The last image of the film is some earlier footage of Jade, coming to meet Takeko.

Cast


* Rainie Yang as Jade
* Isabella Leong as Takeko
* Shen Jian-hung
* Kris Shie
* Shih Yuen-chien

Song of the Exile

Song of the Exile is a 1990 -Taiwanese film directed by Ann Hui.

Cast and roles


* Maggie Cheung - Cheung Hueyin
* Tan Lang Jachi Tian
* Waise Lee - Mr. Cheung
* Li Zi Xiong
* Lu Hsiao-fen - Aiko
* Tien Feng - Hueyin's Grandfather
* Xiao Xiany
* Yang Tinlan
* Yinjian Quinzi

Awards


* 10th Hong Kong Film Awards
** Nominated: Best Film
** Nominated: Best Director
** Nominated: Best Screenplay

Silk (2006 film)

Silk is a 2006 horror film made in Taiwan.

Plot


In Taipei, a crippled scientist uses his invention, the "Menger Sponge", to capture the energy of the spirit of a child in an old building. He invites a specialist in reading lips, Detective Tung, to join his research team that is studying the phenomenon to understand the movements of the lips of the ghost. Hashimoto is trying to disclose why the energy of the ghost does not dissipate, and Tung discovers the identity and the dramatic story of the boy.

Siao Yu

Siao Yu is a film directed by Sylvia Chang, written by Sylvia Chang and Ang Lee, starring Rene Liu, released in 1995.

Rene Liu was nominated for the Golden Horse Award Best Actress in 1994, and won the Asia-Pacific Film Festival Best Actress award in 1995.

Cast


*Rene Liu as Lin Siao Yu
*Marj Dusay as Rita
*Chung Hua Tou as Giang Wei
*Daniel J. Travanti as Mario Moretti
*Tai-Feng
*Jill Church as Card-sharp
*Ajay Mehta as Photo store manager
*Daxing Zhang as Lao Chai

Showdown at the Cotton Mill

Showdown At The Cotton Mill is a film directed by Wu Ma. The film is a sequel to ''Shoalin Avengers''. It was believed to be lost until Rarescope uncovered the film in a Taiwanese film vault.

Plot


After achieving much fame and glory from smashing the cotton mill, Shaolin hero Hu Hui-Chien has become the people's champion and the sworn enemy of the Ching government. So enrages are they, that they employ the best fighters from the Wu Tang. A leg fighter named Ko, whose "Flash Northern Legs" are undefeated in the whole of China, travels to at the invitation of the Ching government to kill master Hu Hui-Chien. This leads to the classic northern kicks vs. southern fist duel.

Cast


*Peng Chang
*Kuan-Chun Chi as "Hu Hui-Chien"
*Ching Kuo Chung
*Wan Fei
*Keung Li
*Mao Shan
*Tao-liang Tan as "Master Kao Chin Chung"

Other credits


*Produced by: Weibin Liu
*Film Editing by: Peter Cheung
*Sound Department: Shao-Ling Chow
*Stunts/action coordinator: Peng Chang

Secret (2007 film)

Secret , also known by its translation The Secret That Cannot Be Told, is a Taiwanese romance film released in 2007. It is the first movie directed by Taiwanese musician Jay Chou. The film has won several awards, including The 2007 44th Golden Horse Award, Best Visual Effects, The Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, and Best Original Film Song.

Plot


Ye Xianglun, a music student majoring in piano, transfers to Tamkang Secondary School. It is a school famous for musically talented students, especially for those who play piano. On the first day of school, as he wanders through the piano building, he hears a mysterious melody being played that leads him to Lu Xiaoyu, another piano major. When he asks her about the song she was playing, she tells him that it is a secret that cannot be told. The two develop a relationship that is clouded in mystery, until the realization that the piano will be destroyed on the night of Ye Xianglun's graduation.

Cast


*周杰倫 as 葉湘倫/叶湘伦 : Music student majoring in piano and lives with his father.
*桂綸鎂 as 路小雨 : Music student who lives with her mother.
*黄秋生 as 小倫爸爸 : The discipline teacher of Xianglun's school and his father.
*曾愷玹 as 晴依 : The girl Ye Xianglun met when he joined Dangjian. She always admired Ye Xianglun.
*宋健彰 as 阿宝/阿寶 : Not a well-behaved student. Organised a dance party where he performs. Member of a rugby team.
*黃俊郎 Huang Junlang as 阿郎 : Abao's good friend, captain of the rugby team.
*詹宇豪 Zhan Yuhao as 雨豪 : "Prince of the piano", a talented piano player, had a "piano battle" with Ye Xianglun.

Production


The film tells a "simple but very beautiful" love story, which Chou denies that it was adapted from his personal experiences. When the film debuted, Chou admitted that he drew from childhood experience for the plot, although his personal story was not as romanticized.

Filming for the movie began in January 2007 and was completed in March. Despite previous experience in filming music videos, Chou admits that movies are comparatively more challenging due to storyline and time constraints.

Because Chou was worried about that people might question if he actually directed the film himself, he even refused veteran director to visit him during shooting. However, Chou says that he did send a pilot film to Lau afterwards. In the movie, he incorporated elements which reflected his actual experience in school, such as his stint as pianist for the school choir. In the movie, he was the orchestra’s pianist and played during high school graduation.
#Chopin: There were several occasions when Jay paid tribute to his favourite composer.
##Right at the beginning of the movie, a lesson about Chopin was being taught in class. He was described as a gifted musician and composer.
##There were 2 paintings in the music room that were supposedly Chopin and his lover . The conversation between Xianglun & Xiaoyu was about Chopin and his lover. Xianglun lamented that the two eventually parted ways. However, Xiaoyu seemed envious that the couple was able to spend 10 years together, which to the couple, was possibly a long time. Jay may have added this element because the 10 years was the period of time in which Chopin produced his most outstanding work.
##Qin Yi carried Chopin’s manuscript and kept it in her locker.
##Chopin's Waltz and "Black Key" Etude feature in the 鬥琴 scene. Note that the melodic sequence of the "Black Key" Etude that is performed includes both the introductory black key sequence, as well as an excerpt from later on in the piece, which is played only on the white keys.