Jump to content

The Best Hong Kong Movies Ever!


Skepparkrans

Recommended Posts

  • Member

If you have missed it, lovehkfilm.com have a reader vote for the best 100 Hong Kong movies and the best Hong Kong film performance ever.. check it out and vote!

I have to think about this for a while.. i will see if i can make a top 20 list and vote... decisions, decisions.....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

I'd like to vote but I probably won't due to finding it hard to commit to a top 10.

I wonder what would people would expect to win? A Better Tomorrow? 36 Chambers Of Shaolin? Chungking Express?

Or maybe something less obvious?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
masterofoneinchpunch

I think the top 10 will be something obvious.

I don't like the criteria for post 1997 films:

However, if it’s a post-1997 China or Hong Kong film, you can vote for it provided that it received some form of release (video or theatrical) in Hong Kong. The easiest way to handle this qualification: Was it made after 1997 and did it get a Hong Kong DVD release? If so, it’s fair game.

Here is several thousand words on my top 50 HK films I did a few years ago. Honestly I don't think my top 20 has changed that much.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
I think the top 10 will be something obvious.

I don't like the criteria for post 1997 films:

Here is several thousand words on my top 50 HK films I did a few years ago. Honestly I don't think my top 20 has changed that much.

A strong list of films there, the order might be a bit different but I'd have an awful lot of the same films in my top 50. I'm glad you rate The Mission and Throwdown as highly as I do. I also like the fact that you're not afraid to list a lot of recent films. Sometimes people can be a bit too "nothing's as good as it used to be" about these things.

I enjoyed reading that by the way, I've never thought of Hardboiled as an allegory for the handover, you learn something new everyday. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
masterofoneinchpunch
A strong list of films there, the order might be a bit different but I'd have an awful lot of the same films in my top 50. I'm glad you rate The Mission and Throwdown as highly as I do. I also like the fact that you're not afraid to list a lot of recent films. Sometimes people can be a bit too "nothing's as good as it used to be" about these things.

Thank you. First with lists like this you have to be honest with yourself regardless if it gets too heavy in one direction of another. A corollary is the lists that only show the recent films. I really don't want to see too many newer Mainland wuxia films on a list :D.

I'm a pretty big Johnnie To fan so he certainly is going to make the list then and now. And he has made some great films (in my opinion) over the past few decades (including ones where he took over direction).

I"ve read 66 Mantis's list (I need to get/see On the Run, Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind), do you have one pratty?

Is anyone going to vote for something like Red Cliff (a film I personally love, if you count both parts as one like A Chinese Odyssey)? It passes their criteria, but is it a "HK film?"

In the meantime I've been trying to fill some unwatched spots. I went through God of Gamblers II, III, Return the past few weeks. I'm almost done with Where's Officer Tuba.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
Here's the Top 10 (plus the next 10) that I submitted for 'A Hero Never Dies" just a few months ago. They haven't changed, so I'll probably submit this same list to lovehkfilm.

http://farreachingfilms.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-top-ten-favorite-hong-kong-films.html

Interesting that you pick both Protect A movies, I think when doing a top ten list people will refrain from including two of the same thing for sake of variety. But if you think those are the best then sometimes it just gots to be that way. Once I was thinking what my five favourite video games where and I thought there is a very good chane they could all be Zelda games I just rate them so much, lol.

As for me I might have a crack at a top 20, 10 might be too hard to commit to. Though I've always said Miracles (aka Mr Canton and Lady Rose) is my favourite so at least I have a that decided.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
Interesting that you pick both Protect A movies, I think when doing a top ten list people will refrain from including two of the same thing for sake of variety. But if you think those are the best then sometimes it just gots to be that way. Once I was thinking what my five favourite video games where and I thought there is a very good chane they could all be Zelda games I just rate them so much, lol.

As for me I might have a crack at a top 20, 10 might be too hard to commit to. Though I've always said Miracles (aka Mr Canton and Lady Rose) is my favourite so at least I have a that decided.

You should really try to come up with a Top 20, especially if they are comprised of less popular titles (not too many would have Miracles listed as their fave Jackie). It would definately help make the final list less predictable and more interesting.

As for having both Project As. I just think those are his two best realized films and the two I find myself watching the most. To me, they're the closest he's ever come to remaking a classic American silent comedy.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
Thank you. First with lists like this you have to be honest with yourself regardless if it gets too heavy in one direction of another. A corollary is the lists that only show the recent films. I really don't want to see too many newer Mainland wuxia films on a list :D.

I'm a pretty big Johnnie To fan so he certainly is going to make the list then and now. And he has made some great films (in my opinion) over the past few decades (including ones where he took over direction).

I"ve read 66 Mantis's list (I need to get/see On the Run, Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind), do you have one pratty?

Is anyone going to vote for something like Red Cliff (a film I personally love, if you count both parts as one like A Chinese Odyssey)? It passes their criteria, but is it a "HK film?"

In the meantime I've been trying to fill some unwatched spots. I went through God of Gamblers II, III, Return the past few weeks. I'm almost done with Where's Officer Tuba.

It's times like this when I really just how many great films there are from Hong Kong, picking a top ten just gets more and more daunting, lol. I also really need to rewatch a lot of films too.

I'm a big Johnnie To fan myself, I'd say he's probably leap frogged Tsui Hark and John Woo

as my favourite HK director.

I agree with being honest, there are lots of "classics" I almost feel duty bound and obligated to list such as 36 Chambers, Fist Of Fury, A Touch Of Zen etc, but the truth is there are other films I personally just enjoy watching more.

Can't give you a definitive list at the moment but here are some films of the top of my head that I would consider would be my favourites (in no order):

Miracles

Once Upon A Time In China

Once Upon A Time In China 3 (I think I actually prefer this to 2)

Drunken Master 2

Police Story

Infernal Affairs

Beast Cops

The Mission

Exiled

Throwdown

Bullets Over Summer

Fearless

Ip Man

Ip Man 2

SPL

Flashpoint

Running Out Of Time

Shaolin Soccer

Kung Fu Hustle

King Of Beggars

King Of Comedy

Hard Bolied

New Dragon Gate Inn

Iron Monkey

Project A

Dragons Forever

I'm sure I'm forgetting loads too, and some I just need to re-watch and evaluate, such as Green Snake. As you can see I'm just not that into Bruce Lee or Shaw Brothers that much, though I suspect Come Drink With Me should be listed but I've only seen it the once.

That said I've only seen Bullets Over Summer once, and I don't actually have it on DVD yet (need to sort that out), but for some rerason I'm more confident about including that. As I say I'm going on memory but I would recommend it if you like patient films like The Mission, it's about cops on a stakeout, not quite the guns blazing actioner the title suggests. I think I read somewhere it's the best film where nothing happens, lol. It has Francis Ng and Louis Koo in it, I remember Ng being really good.

While I do like films such as A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, I just prefer Hardboiled. It might not be a better film, just more enjoyable to watch if that makes sense? I have enjoyed most Wong Kar Wai films I've seen such as In the Mood For Love, but they're just not favourites, I much prefer thrillers (especially Johnnie To style) to dramas.

I'm also thinking about Films like Hero, House Of THe Flying Daggers and CTHD, not sure if they are considered Hong Kong films though, probably not.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

One thing this thread is doing is reminding me how few post 1997 Hong Kong films I've actually seen, particularly Johnnie To's films. I'm a pure late 60s - early 90s guy and probably need to expand my horizons a bit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
One thing this thread is doing is reminding me how few post 1997 Hong Kong films I've actually seen, particularly Johnnie To's films. I'm a pure late 60s - early 90s guy and probably need to expand my horizons a bit.

Johnnie To's are a great place to start. But there are some other great thrillers/crime dramas such as the Infernal Affairs trilogy, Protege and Beast Cops (though that was 1998 so not super recent).

It probably goes without saying but for for martial arts most of Donnie Yen's recent films should be on your radar too if they aren't already.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Markgway

Here's what I voted for...........

1. The Killer

2. Bullet in the Head

3. Eastern Condors

4. Police Story

5. Peking Opera Blues

6. Mr. Vampire

7. Fist of Fury

8. Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter

9. Dragons Forever

10. Once Upon a Time in China

11. Once Upon a Time in China II

12. Millionaires' Express

13. A Better Tomorrow

14. Hard-Boiled

15. Wild Search

16. Heroes of the East

17. Killer Constable

18. The Secret of the Dirk

19. Temple of the Red Lotus

20. Mr. Canton & Lady Rose

It's impossible to be exact in the order but hopefully a 0.5 vote won't make a huge difference to a film's eventual placement. I had to leave off a few faves naturally and I'm not setting my list in stone but right now that's how I feel. I never realised until reading this thread that I've not chosen a single post-handover title or Chinese co-production. Hmmm...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

It's gonna be fun. Isn't it funny what geeks like us get excited about? I haven't made my list yet, but I imagine it'll have a few of these on it:

Project A II

Police Story

Drunken Master 2

Hard Boiled

The Killer

Fallen Angels

Chungking Express

The Mission

Exiled

Crippled Avengers

Maybe some Stephen Chow, an old-school Sammo movie, maybe Iron Monkey. I have a stack of HK movies I should probably watch before I make the list (Peking Opera Blues, Beast Cops, In the Mood for Love), so I need to get on those. And there are a few movies that are considered classics that I'll probably ignore 'cause I find them to be a tad bit overrated (36th Chamber, Infernal Affairs). Johnnie To's a boss though, so he'll surely show up more than once.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
masterofoneinchpunch
...A Touch Of Zen etc, but the truth is there are other films I personally just enjoy watching more.

...I'm also thinking about Films like Hero, House Of THe Flying Daggers and CTHD, not sure if they are considered Hong Kong films though, probably not.

You can always ignore A Touch of Zen since it is Taiwanese (this has not stopped by Stephen Teo and David Bordwell for putting it on their top HK lists).

If the director is from the mainland like Zhang Yimou (whom I'm a big fan of) and even if it is a coproduction I will not put it on the list.

Hmm, not neorealist Cantonese social dramas from the 50s? :D I've seen/own a few though none make my top 100 right now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
TibetanWhiteCrane

Can't do it, cuz I just can't narrow it down to 20.

I once made a list of my five favorite HK films from every year from 1970-2009. Funny, some years (especially in the late 70's and 80's) i was struggling like a mofo to narrow it down to five, and in the mid to late 90's and the 00's I could barely find five movies I even liked.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
masterofoneinchpunch
Can't do it, cuz I just can't narrow it down to 20.

I once made a list of my five favorite HK films from every year from 1970-2009. Funny, some years (especially in the late 70's and 80's) i was struggling like a mofo to narrow it down to five, and in the mid to late 90's and the 00's I could barely find five movies I even liked.

Do you still have that list?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
odioustrident

I don't know much about the more "complete" Hong Kong films that aren't pure genre offerings, but does Shanghai Grand deserve a mention?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Markgway

A Touch of Zen might be a Taiwan-Hong Kong co-production? I'd need to check.

And some of Zheng Yimou's films are Hong Kong productions or co-productions (i.e. Raise the Red Lantern).

It's not easy to decide what to include and exclude based on vague rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
TibetanWhiteCrane
Do you still have that list?

Yeah, I can post it if someone wants to see it. There are a few taiwanese flicks on as well.

Also made a similar list on Hollywood films (included european films on that). It was 10 faves from every year from 1940-1999.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
masterofoneinchpunch
Yeah, I can post it if someone wants to see it. There are a few taiwanese flicks on as well.

Also made a similar list on Hollywood films (included european films on that). It was 10 faves from every year from 1940-1999.

Yeah posts links to them they sound like fun reads.

When the rules are vague I put my own restrictions on them :). Most of the times with coproductions you have one more dominant side to the film (sides will vary).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
Yeah, I can post it if someone wants to see it. There are a few taiwanese flicks on as well.

Also made a similar list on Hollywood films (included european films on that). It was 10 faves from every year from 1940-1999.

I'd love to see it. I'm a list freak.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
Yeah, I can post it if someone wants to see it. There are a few taiwanese flicks on as well.

Also made a similar list on Hollywood films (included european films on that). It was 10 faves from every year from 1940-1999.

Agreed, both lists would greatly interest me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member
I think it would be fun to see everyone's individual lists. Maybe after you've subnmitted them, you can also post it here? Just a thought... :nerd:

For sure. I'll post mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use

Please Sign In or Sign Up