All About Women
A series of intertwining stories focus on the lives and transformations of three women and their romantic relationships.
Karmic Mahjong
Chen Chuan (Francis Ng) is a simple man who seems to be cursed with bad luck all the time. Convinced by a blind fortune teller that he must eliminate the “villain” that is bringing him the ills, Chen vows to kill the person responsible for his misfortunes. But he soon has second thoughts when he suspect that the “villain” is none other than his own wife.
Trouble Makers – Guangrongde Fennu
A backwater hole of a village, appropriately called Blackwell, is under the thumb of the four Xiong Brothers, who are salt traffickers, rapists, corrupt officials holding a monopoly on power in the village and relentless profiteers. Promoted to be the local Party Secretary so he can be the brothers’ fall guy, Ye Guangrong smiles to their face, but is seething inside. Unable to fight this new “Gang of Four” through official channels, he assembles a … Read more
Big Movie
Shot by a director who goes by the name of A Gan, The Big Movie is a dazzling spoof in the tradition of Hollywood films like Airplane. This film contains a lot of big movies: hold on to your seats, as an absurdly linked series of sometimes droll, sometimes genuinely hilarious take-offs of famous film scenes rush by in the opening half hour.
Meet the In Laws
Xu Zheng plays a psychologist in “In-laws.” When he decides to visit his girlfriend’s parents, he discovers that his future father-in-law is one of his patients. Hilarity ensues after they meet.
Little Red Flowers
Liang is a four-year-old little rebel, possessed of a pair of luminous eyes and a precociously indomitable will. His father deposits him at a well-appointed residential kindergarten in post-1949 Beijing, since his parents are often away. Life at the kindergarten appears rich and colourful, made up of a variety of cheerfully sunny rituals and games meant to train these children to be good members of society.
Crazy Stone
Three thieves try to steal a valuable jade that is tightly guarded by a security chief. But the security guards are not the only obstacle these thieves are facing. An extremely unlucky internationally known master thief is also trying to get a hand on this piece of precious jade. What would be the final destination of this piece of crazy stone?
Dislocation
Engineer Zhao Shuxin has been promoted and clones a robot in his image to attend his meetings, resulting in comic situations.
The Black Cannon Incident
A key Fifth Generation work released during the second phase of Deng Xiaoping’s social and economic reforms, this robust social satire delightfully depicts the clash between the rising class of rapid industrial modernizers and old Party cadres with a serious Cultural Revolution hangover. The film chronicles the Kafkaesque predicament of a bumbling factory translator who is suspected of industrial espionage after sending an innocent telegram that is intercepted by a militant snoop. (The “black cannon” … Read more
Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin
Jet Li weasels out of the north Shaolin temple to assassinate a despotic ruler at the ruler’s extravagant public birthday celebration. Two other men from the south Shaolin temple also set out to assassinate the ruler, but all three fail and are chased all over by soldiers. Meanwhile, one of the southerners turns out to be a cross-dressed woman, who is also discovered to wear a footbell to match Jet Li’s, meaning they are somehow … Read more
Death Duel of the Mantis
Hsiao Hai (Wa Chung Ting) works as a servant for wealthy businessman Tin Hai Lu (Fei Lung). Constantly bullied and abused in the marketplace, Hsiao finds himself taken under the personal tutelage of his boss, a skilled master of Chicken style kung-fu. Master Lu hopes that his young employee may one day provide backup muscle for his ongoing business struggles with a rival tong. Meanwhile, gawky split-toothed Hsiao continues to spend much of his free … Read more
Fu zi lao ye che
Old Kui and his son Erzi use an old car in Shenzhen to transport tourists but are cheated by the manager of the resort they work for.
Jing Gai’er
Tang Daxing, paroled after seven years in jail for brawling over his high school sweetheart Xiaohui, hopes to find legitimate work so they can finally marry — but the reappearance of an old classmate who has struck it rich poses a temptation: can they withstand the lure of easy money in a fast-changing China? – Written by Ada Shen
Waiting Alone
Set in modern day Bejing, Waiting Alone is a coming-of-age story of Wen (Xia Yu), an antique shop owner and aspiring author who has just met the girl of his dreams. Waiting Alone shows us a China rarely seen in cinema, a China that is contemporary, hip and vibrant.
Kung Fu Hustle
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious “Axe Gang” while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
The Twins Effect II
In the mythical land of Huadu, Charcoal Head, a humble boy born to rule an empire must undertake his journey to claim his throne.
The Marriage Certificate
The wife of a prominent psychiatrist can’t find her marriage certificate one day. This “jiehunzheng” is all important. Without it, the family officially has never existed, including the daughter. The couple go on a wild goose chase through the Chinese bureaucracy, meeting catch-22 all the way….they need a certificate to get a new one, etc. They even journey back to the People’s Commune where they met, now the site of modern private enterprises where nobody … Read more
Shaolin Soccer
A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.
Happy Times
Zhao is an old laid-off worker who’s dreaming of getting married. After trying unsuccessful proposals, he finally pair off with a gargantuan divorcée with two children. She, however, demands a lavish wedding and that Zhao finds a job and another place to stay for her blind step-daughter. Pretending he’s the General Manager of a non-existent posh hotel “Happy Times”, Zhao had to find ways and means of keeping both mother and stepdaughter happy.
Unknown Pleasures
Unknown Pleasures (任逍遥; Rèn xiāo yáo), directed by Jia Zhangke in 2002, is a compelling portrayal of the lives of disaffected youth in contemporary China. Starring Wu Qiong, Zhao Weiwei, and Zhao Tao, the film delves into the existential crises of a new generation in the industrial city of Datong, Shanxi province.
Love Matters – Xing fu wan sui
“Love Matters” is a movie revolving around three main protagonists – 52-year-old Tan Bo Seng, his 17-year-old teenage son Benny and 36-year-old Jeremy, Bo Seng’s ‘adopted’ brother – and their accidental journey in seeking and keeping love and happiness. Bo Seng (Henry Thia) who leads a routine life attempts to revive the passion with his wife Jia Li (Yeo Yann Yann). Jeremy (Jack Lim) lives a colourful life; with “Never to commit” as his motto … Read more
Sex and Zen
A recently married scholar goes on a quest for knowledge of other people’s wives, based on his philosophical differences with the Sack Monk. He encounters the Flying Thief, who agrees to help him find women, but only if he attains a penis as big as a horse’s. The scholar has a surgeon attach said unit, and he’s off and running on his mission, only to find that there are obstacles to his new lifestyle, such … Read more
Be There or Be Square
The story of two Chinese immigrants’ struggles in America. Yuan Liu (You Ge ) has lived in LA for years. He has no stable job, no family and lives in a wagon. He seems content with his life until the day he meets Qing Li (Fan Xu ), a woman with the big “American dream”.
Unfinished Comedy
Two famous comedians from pre-Revolution days perform a series of sketches in a theatre for a group of Party cadres. The stage performances blend over into absurdist, self-contained fantasy episodes where the two comics allegorically parody Party propaganda and ideological orthodoxy.