Amazon.com

Ten years after the live-action A Chinese Ghost Story was a hiton the international art-house circuit in 1987, producer Tsui Hark creates an animated version of his tale. The wildly imaginative film of a human who falls for an enchanting ghost contains many of the ingredients of most anime films: an odd, sometimes incomprehensible story, bizarre creatures, and great action sequences. Giant monsters follow our pair of lovers from hell to earth to heaven, with assorted samurai warriors helping along the way. While the content demands the comprehension of those at least 8 and up,this film fills an important section of anime for kids who have outgrown Pokémon but are still too young for the sometimes brutal world of adult anime. A film this creative deserves an audience. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (8)

not a kids film but a great film
I must admit that i have never seen the original live action movies of "A Chinese Ghost Story". Therefore, I am basing this review on the movie itself. I stumbled on this film at work, took it home and watched it. I was amazed with the innovation of this movie. The animated characters fit nicely with the cgi background. There have been other movies that have done the same thing like "What Dreams May Come". There will be other shows, and movie that have and will follow suit. The story itself is very tender, sometimes melacholy, but these emotions lent themselves to the overall atmosphere of the movie. The relationships between the two main characters, was wonderfully done. This movie was about finding something and holding on, and love. Overall this movie was very sweet and tender

Fine film: Message For Pippi Kinkystrumpf
I am on my way now. I hope you are OK and getting all that stuff out of the way.

I will call you later if I get the chance, maybe even use email if I can get connected. We shall see. If you want you can leave a message for me here, put the word Liza in the review title.

Use the children's review form, you do not need an email address.

BTW it is a fine film for all you who are interested. I was lucky enough to see it on TV a while ago....

I hate to be a wet blanket
My brother brought me the original live action Chinese Ghost Story movies (1,2,and 3) from Japan and I loved all three. They have become some of my favorite movies of all time. I was expecting the same level of story and animation to match the imaginative visuals in the live action version but I was sadly disappointed. The story was acceptable, but very pale in comparison to the live action movies. Not really anything to write home about. There did not seem to be much, if any, of the tension or humor from the live action films. Unfortunately, the quality of animation was definately below that of most feature lenght animated films. It is pretty much on a par with what I see on saturday morning cartoons here in America. I was most disapointed with their attempt to mix 2D and 3D animation, the style of the ghosts in this film reminded me of old Scooby Doo cartoons from when I was a kid only a lot sillier looking. use this movie as a benchmark of what not to do when making an animated film.

If you are looking for an animated kids movie, I would recommend some of the old Miazaki films like "Castle in the Sky: Laputa", "My Neighbor Totoro", or "Kiki's delivery service" over this film. Definately I would say rent this one before you buy it.

Not for everyone
I liked this movie quite a bit, but the friend I watched it with didn't. The story is very strange, almost incomprehensible at times. I generally don't like it when computer animation in mixed in, but here it actually worked pretty well. If you like computer animation and don't mind your anime being pretty weird I would recommend this tape. Also, keep in mind that some of the other reviews posted for this animated movie were actually referring to the live-action film produced by the same director.

Fabulous animation, but what storyline?
I didn't see the live-action movie and had no idea what this was about. I bought this one based on its "award winning" designation (it won some animation festival somewhere). The good point is that the animation, which is a combo of computer and conventional animation, is superb. It *looks* really cool and is cool to watch. On the downside, the storyline itself is almost non-existent, something about a boy who's in love with a ghost. Not much plot to keep me interested, so fortunately the animation kept me interested. Also, the English dubbing is not that good, on par with your typical Saturday morning over-acting. If you're an artist or animator this may be interesting, but if you are a new animation fan or a parent looking for a good foreign anime, you'd do better with Hayao Miyazaki. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not A Gordon Liu Movie
His name is on the top, and his face is there on the left and down again at the bottom, and he is in two scenes of the movie, but this is not a Gordon Liu movie. It is an Aaron Kwok movie.

The action is rediculous, sped up, and not very coordinated. The humor is poor, and mostly unfunny. The two male roles are played by very similar looking actors. One of them is introduced as being semi-powerful, but later on he doesn't use any of his power. There are subtitles over a Chinese audio track, but you can't turn them off. There are also two song number in it (I hate musicals).

This is one of very few DVDs that I wish that I hadn't bought. I own about 40 kung fu DVDs and this is in my bottom three. It is terrible, from the beginning to the end.

Wonderfully absurd
An excellent selection for a night of Chinese takeout and nonsensical kung fu. Every review on this page is absolutely correct; the film is poorly shot, the dialogue poorly translated (if at all), the action clumsy, the acting mediocre. It's so dizzyingly fragmented, it's wonderful. We could not for the life of us stop laughing. Just when we thought it couldn't get more bizarre than it had, the last scenes (I think it was supposed to be a conclusion of some sort) surpass all others in leaving the viewer completely bewildered and highly amused.

Boring, hard to follow
This movie is boring and uninteresting. There are moments of "comedy" mixed into the vague story. I couldn't make heads or tails with the story and the characters. The fights are clumsily choreographed. I don't even know what the liquid sword is. I do not recommend this film.

Legend of the Liquid Sword
It is a funny kung fu movie, that includes sing and dancing. I couldn't stop laughing throughout the movie.

Gordon Liu Only a Cameo.
Gordon Liu is in no more than 10 minutes of this film. He has just one very brief action scene and it's too quickly edited to follow. While he is always thoroughly entertaining, his talents are greatly wasted in this film. The rest of this movie is just OK, like most of director Wong Jing's movies it is one part exquisitely surreal fantasy, one part unfunny comedy. I could watch it, but not without some fast-forwarding. For director Wong Jing's best work, check out Lord of the Wutang aka Kung Fu Cult Master. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not A Gordon Liu Movie
His name is on the top, and his face is there on the left and down again at the bottom, and he is in two scenes of the movie, but this is not a Gordon Liu movie. It is an Aaron Kwok movie.

The action is rediculous, sped up, and not very coordinated. The humor is poor, and mostly unfunny. The two male roles are played by very similar looking actors. One of them is introduced as being semi-powerful, but later on he doesn't use any of his power. There are subtitles over a Chinese audio track, but you can't turn them off. There are also two song number in it (I hate musicals).

This is one of very few DVDs that I wish that I hadn't bought. I own about 40 kung fu DVDs and this is in my bottom three. It is terrible, from the beginning to the end.

Wonderfully absurd
An excellent selection for a night of Chinese takeout and nonsensical kung fu. Every review on this page is absolutely correct; the film is poorly shot, the dialogue poorly translated (if at all), the action clumsy, the acting mediocre. It's so dizzyingly fragmented, it's wonderful. We could not for the life of us stop laughing. Just when we thought it couldn't get more bizarre than it had, the last scenes (I think it was supposed to be a conclusion of some sort) surpass all others in leaving the viewer completely bewildered and highly amused.

Boring, hard to follow
This movie is boring and uninteresting. There are moments of "comedy" mixed into the vague story. I couldn't make heads or tails with the story and the characters. The fights are clumsily choreographed. I don't even know what the liquid sword is. I do not recommend this film.

Legend of the Liquid Sword
It is a funny kung fu movie, that includes sing and dancing. I couldn't stop laughing throughout the movie.

Gordon Liu Only a Cameo.
Gordon Liu is in no more than 10 minutes of this film. He has just one very brief action scene and it's too quickly edited to follow. While he is always thoroughly entertaining, his talents are greatly wasted in this film. The rest of this movie is just OK, like most of director Wong Jing's movies it is one part exquisitely surreal fantasy, one part unfunny comedy. I could watch it, but not without some fast-forwarding. For director Wong Jing's best work, check out Lord of the Wutang aka Kung Fu Cult Master. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Where is this going...
...you may ask yourself at the start of movie. A dinosaur skull is the object of many people's desires, but why it is so covented.. well, that's never explained. A man in impenetrable armor protects the skull from interloping secret agents (he's bad. We know he's bad because of the way he laughs - maniacally). Who does the Chinese government call in to help? A secret agent who is actually a butcher. Again, it's unclear if he's retired, under deep cover or being a butcher is just something he likes to do.

Welcome to the world of Stephen Chow.

Stephen Chow is well known in Hong Kong cinema fans as being the Lord of Satire - targets being Wuxia films, Iron Chef and here, 007 movies. I forget the term, but Stephen Chow's movies fall into a categorey of film loosely translated as "makes no sense." "From Beijing with Love" you know is going to be a rough ride when the silhouette girls attack Our Hero during the opening credits and he is forced to shoot them. The first time I watched "From Beijing with Love" (what do people outside of Austin, TX do to see good HK movies? We have a monthly showing at a local drafthouse! Poor souls who don't live here.), I counted no less than seven times when I almost lost control of my bladder from laughing. The plot is muddled, incomprehensible and too fun to accurately describe here without depriving the new viewer of some truly outrageous and funny moments.

I will say just one more thing: "Magic Box!!!"

Watch this movie. You will understand. It's boffo.

My name is Chow, Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow may not be the best actor around but he does deserve a place in the history of comedy with his non-sense style of hong kong slapstick.

This one is a parody of James Bond and a good one too. Though the budget is low compared to James Bond and Hollywood style the jokes are adequate enough to sustain your interest throughout the film, that is, if you have an open mind to all tastes and styles of film different from Hollywood and the art house.

In a sense that all the jokes are still very cheap in this movie but as they are making such a deep irony on the James Bond genre - the romantic western secret agent with lots of women around, with good taste and dry martini- it will make the whole James Bood heritage goes bankruptcy.

I always find James Bond movies cheap movie in the disguise of high budget, high fashion and false western values. A deep parody of it such as this good will serve our intellgience well. But a parody from Chow, yes Chow, Stephen Chow, the common demoninator of cheap jokes and vulgar languague in Hong Kong movie, would perhaps make the best and final mockery of them all. It may even serves human race well if luckily it makes Hollywood starts not making James Boond film anymore and make something more intelligent than 007. As this Chinese secret agent from the reserved list of Chinese intelligence force, is a man with no fashion, surrounded by cheap women and with very low taste - he is in fact a butcher from the cheap street meat market in China. He makes it as the Chinese James Bood only because the spy head thinks he is the worst not the best to make sure he would not spoil his award - a priceless dinosaur skeleton. But though he is cheap, he drinks martini too. Instead of using a James Bond pistol, he uses a butcher's chopper, and he uses it well. It proves a deadlier weapon, more effective and with more blood.

And his name again. Yes, do remember it: his name is Chow, Stephen Chow - the nonsense king of comedy from Hong Kong.

...
From Beijing with Love is actually one of the best spy picture parodies I've seen. While it's not as great as Casino Royale, the first Austin Powers, or Our Man Flint, it offers a wealth of gags along the line of typical Leslie Nielsen movies. Actually, I prefer this to Naked Gun and Spy Hard... while the enthusiasm is apparent, the jokes seem to come naturally and not devoid of intelligence... less sledgehammer, more watergun... From Beijing with Love also seems a bit more fresh, recontextualizing and toning down the stale routine in the Nielsen movies and Austin Powers sequels.

I'd never venture that this is something everybody should see, or that it should be viewed over any number of other films, but for people who are looking for some light silly entertainment and have already exhasted the supply of it at the local video store, From Beijing with Love offers just that... I don't regret watching it, had a few laughs, but I probably should have rewatched Withnail and I or Dr. Strangelove instead.

This movie is Insane.
What in the world was Stephen Chow thinking? In the sense of James Bond spoofs this is one of the worst of its kind. but it is still incredibly funny. this is the funnel cake of movies...figure that out for yourself, bliddy

Fabulous Introduction & Parody!
This is the best introduction to Stephen Chow for non Asian viewers. The special effects are easily up to par w/ all the other James Bond movies..if not better. Plus, you have the ever funny and subversive wit of Mr Chow. This was the very first one I saw of his..and still in my top 5. Maybe it was because all these HK movie books said not to watch him. Well..,they were wrong..even us foreign devils can understand this one very easily. He is the most gifted actor,writer, & goofball there is. 5 Stars for this still stands. Buy this..you'll be glad you took a chance. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Entertaining New Years film with All-Star Cast
OK, so it's fluff, but it plays well and has a cast that puts over the material really well. Made for Chinese New Year, this is a family drama with many swerves in its plot. The main storyline has Mom & Dad presiding over a family of assorted types. Son Tony Leung (Ka Fai) is a sensitive comic strip artist. Daughter Teresa Mo is a newely-Europeanized world-traveler with a wimpy fiancee (Lau Ching Wan) and a hip friend (Leslie Cheung). Also present are Anita Yuen (without too much to do) and the ever-clever Carol (Do Do Cheung). Film buffs will appreciate Kwan Tak Hing, the screens first Wong Fei Hung, in his last ... role. A totally enjoyable film. Oh, and by the way Amazon.com - it's NOT "Dubbed in Unknown" - it's in Cantonese !!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Last Hero in China, Jet Li reprises the role of Wong Fei-hung, a legendary figure in China. Both a doctor and a teacher of martial arts, Wong has just moved his school in Canton, only to discover that the neighboring house is a brothel. Though Wong's students are delighted and the earnest brothel master only wants to study with him, Wong feels he has lost face. But this becomes the least of his troubles: soon he's fighting a corrupt police chief, a temple of slave-trading monks, and a deafness-causing medicine sold to children--and that's just in the first hour. Last Hero in China is a grand melodrama, featuring exaggerated heroes and villains, goofy humor, and hyperbolic kung fu action. The plot takes some hard-to-follow turns, but the action is so nonstop it hardly matters. The lion vs. centipede dance/fight has to be seen to be believed, to say nothing of the priest with a floating lotus chariot and a flying claw. Jet Li is in fine form, Gordon Liu (as the venal top cop) is maniacal and despicable, and the lovely Cheung Man plays an expert martial artist looking for her kidnapped sister. The character of Wong Fei-hung also appears in the Once upon a Time in China series (where he was first played by Li) and in Jackie Chan's Drunken Master movies. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Dynamic Bliss, Jet is the man....
Once again Jet Li reprises his roll of Wong Fei Hung (Once upon a time in china a.k.a. OUTIC series) much to our treat. I'm not quite sure where the time line is in this movie as far as OUTIC is concerned, however I beleive this is one of Jet's most underated movies. The cinemetography in this movie is splendor, as well as the dynamic camera angles the director chose to use (ie. they bring out a prisoner and he fall's to his knee's using an up shot for dramatic's). There is plenty of wire work in this if your a fan of it, which you must be if you like Jet Li. The whole parade thing they get going on may be a bit corn ball, but hang in there because Jet does a drunken style that rival's that of Jackie...well you get the idea. If you don't have it, you can't go wrong with popin down a 10 spot for this one....it's a steal. If your a OUTIC fan you must get this film and Iron Monkey wich is directed by Woo Ping to truely complete your collection. Jet Li is the one, he's finally here folks, the wait is over. Bring on Kato.

1337 Drunken Boxing
This movie is perhaps one of the zaniest kung fu movies I've seen. There's men in drag, Cartoony fight scenes, and of course, Jet Li dressed up as a chicken fighting a giant centepede.

One of the good things about this movie, is that the fight scenes are very original. There aren't any ones with two guys standing in an open area facing off in a cliche fight scene. There's a fight scene where Jet Li never gets out of the chair he's sitting in. There's also one where he's holding onto a bouquet of flowers and one handedly defeats three goons. The best fight scene is the final show down between Jet li and Gorden Liu. Jet Li performs an amazing Drunken Boxing technique which is far better than Jackie Chan's in Drunken Master.

Another good thin about this movie is that allthough they use excessive wire stunts, many of them are still beleivable and actually contribute to the fight scenes. The end fight scene, where Li comically bounces off walls and lands on ropes must have used wires, but doesn't look fake at all. There are however some scenes where the special effects are horrible and unnessessary. For example there is a fight scene where Jet Li lifts his leg and kicks someone behind him in the face, and they use a fake leg that looks like it should be attached to a muppet.

Another Problem with this movie is the plot and subtitles. The plot has something to do with the opium wars, Wong Fei Hung trying to start a new school, and women being stolen and sold as prostitutes, but that's the best I can do to summarize the plot. What makes the plot so hard to follow is partially the fact that there's a plot turn every ten minutes. However the biggest problem is the sub titles. Many Hong Kong movies have a tendency to have subtitles which are in white and are displayed over the movie instead of underneath it or in a box. This makes it impossible to read half of the subtitles because they are in white writing over a white picture such as most of the characters' shirts.

This movie is pretty good. It has very creative and impressive fight scenes. However there are some shortcomings in the special effects and storyline.

Kung-fu fun
This movie is better than I thought .... It's more Kung-fu comedy than anything. Usualy the charactor Wong Fei-Hung is a bit to serious and stiff. To see him in a comedic setting is quite refreshing and him dressed in a chicken suit fighting the centipede was hilarious. I enjoyed it so much that it's now a part of my Jet Li movie collection. The man is a versatile actor and very good martial artist.

Interesting Combination
Before reading this review you should know that this film is the same movie as "Last Hero in China."

This film is, as the title of this article proclaims, an interesting combination. Combination of what, you ask? It is a combination of the Historic Chinese Martial Arts extravaganza and a Tom Green movie. What makes the film interesting is that the combination is not as bad as it sounds. Jet Li once agains plays the role of Wong Fei Hung, as he did in the Once Upon A Time in China historical epics, but this Fei Hung is a very different character from the more serious Fei Hung (particularly in the first OUATIC) we are used to.
In essence this film takes the fairly standard school versus school and style versus style conflict and extends it to a Dragon dancing competition (mirrors of OUATIC here, but wait) with Jet Li's masterful Dragon dancing interrupted by a villain in a Millipede suit. Jet Li loses the initial competition, due to various circumstances which include the villain's nepharious influence. Jet Li recovers and battles the Millipede in a Chicken Suit in the final battle. Chicken suit? Yes, a chicken suit. I told you there was a touch of Tom Green in this movie, or is it Adam Sandler? Doesn't matter.
Typical of the Jet Li/Wong Jing pairing films this is a less than serious affair. If you go in expecting wonderful wuxia wire-fu and a few laughs in a no budget free for all you will have a great time. Jet Li is an amazing martial artist and somehow this film works. But if you've come looking for Fist of Legend you are in for a serious shock in this film.

Awe-inspiring! Yuen Woo Ping at his best.
This film is what I beleive to be the greatest Once Upon a Time in China entry by far. Matched only by top films such as Iron Monkey and Twin Warriors, this one is a must see for martial arts fans. The scene where Jet Li is dressed as a rooster is actually really cool and it leads to a wicked end battle which stands as one of the greatest fight sequences in cinematic history. If you're a kung fu enthusiast, buy this film immediatley you will not regret it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

He's a woman? mistake? No, it's not...
If you love Hong Kong movie pacing, you will enjoy this romantic comedy. Sam, a music producer and Rose, a popular singer, love each other and everybody knows it. Although they live in different flats in a same building, secretly their rooms are connected. Actually there is a secret door on the floor of Sam's room leading to Rose's room by a small staircase. Also in the story is, Wing, a big fan of Rose. Wing's big dream is to see Sam and Rose live happily together, if even from heaven.

One day, Sam and his co-worker decide to try to make an ordinary boy a superstar and he announces the plan. Many eager applicants swarm around them, Wing also gives it a shot, posing as a man and actually wins the role. So, Wing begins to live with Sam and the story starts from here... Sam begins to love Wing but he doesn't know 'He's a (really) woman.', and he dislikes the thought of being gay. Rose begins to feel heartbreak and Wing do not make Rose unhappy though Wing also begins to love Sam. The relationship becomes even more complicated.... You will enjoy the singing of Leslie Cheung in the movie. If you like this, be sure to catch the second movie, 'Who's the woman, who's the man.' when it comes out. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Prince Of Portland Street Review
This show is very funny.It is about 2 friends.Very nice show with some kungfu action and romantic moments not forgetting some funny ones too. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cute, but Disjointed plot....
Chinese Feast is an improbable but amusing comedy about the high pressure world of professional cooking. When mob enforcer Cheung, decides to escape the business and become a chef he proves to be a miserable failure. Finding a job at a local Chinese restaurant, he does all kinds of miserable jobs, until he befriends the owner and his daughter. When the owner is challenged to a food duel, Cheung must find the perfect chef to cook the meal. Unfortunately, the man they need has become an alcoholic grocery clerk...Can the Cheung rehabilitate the master Chef in time?

I found Chinese Feast to be a fun and amusing comedy. But, the plot was somewhat disjointed. I also felt the beginning was a bit slow, and the subtitles were very tiny and hard to read. Finally some of the dishes, made my stomach turn (bear paws), and (monkey brains), err... Can anyone say SARS?

Overall, a cute film, which could benefit from a tad more editing.

Kiwi opinion
This is an excellent comedy - a cross between 'Eat Drink Man Woman' and 'Saviour of the Soul'. A young woman convinces a famous but now drunken and bad tempered cook to help her family by competing in a cooking competition. The somewhat slow beginning transforms into an over-the-top wild competition which keeps you laughing and guessing right to the very end.

One of the all time best movies about food
The Chinese Feast is one of the all time best movies about food and a great movie in its own right. One of the main plots involves rehabilitating an alchohlic master chef to save a restaurant. It reminded me of the classic western plot of bringing back the old gunfighter to save the ranch. Western audiences will find this movie quite accessible. The comic timing is extraordinary and the cast is one of the best looking groups of people I have seen. Subtitles are in bad Hong Kong movie English, but isn't that part of the fun?

two master chefs go at it in a humorous culinary kung fu mov
two master chefs duke it out to become the emporors chef. the filming of the cooking technique borders as a kung fu flick and awesome culinary skill. the food is intriguingly filmed and the plot has twist and turns that sometimes swerve away from the true nature of this culinary adventure. i have seen this movie 3 times and still enjoy every minute of it. Highly recomended for those of a culinary persuasion. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A brilliant satire of a Hong Kong film
In the late 80's through the early 90's, much of what was being cranked out of Hong Kong's prolific studios were triad or gangster films. John Woo, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam were among the best in this genre. But for every Full Contact or A Better Tomorrow there were 10 knock-offs, each with their own sequels, trying to cash in on the success of the few landmark films. The end result was a deluge of rotten, cliche-riddled gangster films with similar titles, style and thinly worn story lines. Much like Scary Movie was a spoof of Scream and the many films it sparked off, Days of Being Dumb is a (more subtle) spoof of the Hong Kong ganster genre.

In Days of Being Dumb, Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung play low level criminals that rise through the ranks of organized crime, from bumbling machete-wielding underlings to rude-boy trench coat wearing two gun firing "made men". Although not as heavy handed as your typical Abrahams Zucker Abrahams film, Days of Being Dumb still manages to take frenetic pop shots at many of the defining characteristics of these ganster films.

If you have never seen any of the afore mentioned Hong Kong gangster films like The Killer, then you may miss many of the references in Days of Being Dumb (and much of the humor). For long time fans of the genre, this film is truly enjoyable.

And in case you'e wondering, the film's title is a poke at Wong Kar Wai's early film, Days of Being Wild. ... Read more