H Mart, a Korean grocery chain store, will finally open its fifth store in downtown Seattle after its opening announcement three years ago. It is going to be at Second Avenue and Pine Street, where a Nordstrom Rack Store was. Three years ago, in order to provide the growing number of residents in downtown with […]
“Mojin: The Lost Legend”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Wu Ershan’s “Mojin: The Lost Legend” opens with a frantic action sequence inside an ancient tomb. In the far-reaching tradition of Hong Kong cinema, time and gravity seem to work at the whim of the screenwriter (Tianxi Bachang, in this case), and the three leads scrabble about, frozen in […]
“The Taking of Tiger Mountain”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Tsui Hark’s latest mega-action film, “The Taking Of Tiger Mountain,” calls, roughly halfway through, for a man to wrestle a tiger. Actually, the tiger comes out of nowhere in a snowy landscape, chases the man up a tree, chases him up and down and all around for a few […]
REVIEW: ‘Women Who Flirt’: A rom-com with wit
“Women Who Flirt,” directed by Pang Ho-Cheung, manages its triumph over rom-com clichés with wit, pluck, nonstop action, and the leavening of humor. But without Zhou Xun the whole would suffer a large hole, in the middle.
“Finding Mr. Right”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly As reported elsewhere in the Northwest Asian Weekly, the breakout Chinese romantic comedy “Finding Mr. Right” earned a Golden Key Award from the City of Seattle. It’s also taken in more than $81 million in its native country, making it one of the biggest Chinese/Hong Kong cinematic moneymakers in […]
Wishing on ‘My Lucky Star’
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Dennie Gordon’s new Chinese thriller opens with music ripped note-for-note from the “James Bond Theme,” a clear sign that we’re in for an enjoyable, thrilling, but not terribly original ride. As the film progresses, the screenplay (by Amy Snow, Chris Chow, Hai Huang, and Yao Meng, from a story […]
“Starry Starry Night”
By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY When Taiwanese director Tom Lin wanted to make a film based on one of his favorite books, the illustrated tale “Starry Starry Night” by Jimmy Liao, he had a small production in mind. What he got in the end was a richly-budgeted production shared between Taiwan and mainland China, […]
Complex characters illuminate “A Simple Life”
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Hong Kong director Ann Hui built her reputation on impeccably constructed and realistic portraits of people trying to get through everyday problems. Her heroes and heroines often find themselves struggling to adapt to new situations and break out of old routines. Her latest film, “A Simple Life,” starring […]
Director films movie about Enron-style greed, set in the 19th century
By Andrew Hamlin Northwest Asian Weekly Directing, co-producing, and co-writing a multimillion dollar Chinese historical epic movie might sound like an impossible task, especially when you’ve never shot a feature film before.
“Bay Rong” director ably navigates thriller
“Clash (Bay Rong),” the new spy thriller from Vietnamese director Le Thanh Son, opens with a flurry of action. In between fights and stunts