Kung Fu Dunk Bring the Game to the DVD

Jay Chou made his movie debut with playing a character from a popular manga adaptation “Initial D”, which bring him to involve with other movie projects like Curse of the Golden Flower and his directorial debut film “Secret”. This year, He’s back again with a film that again was originally conceived as another big screen adaptation of highly popular Japanese manga created by Takehiko Inoue “SlamDunk!” but along the way when it was decided to slot in some Kung Fu into the story, the title was changed to “Kung Fu Dunk”. This decision of course reminded us to compare the film with Stephen Chow’s blockbuster “Shaolin Soccer” which also came with the idea to combine the Chinese martial arts with sport. However, with the US$10 million budget that almost was went to the special effects and superstar Jay Chou as a big boost to any hopes of a box office success. The film that was released over the previous Lunar New Year had received a quite hefty box office results in Asian. Now, this martial arts and basketball mixed film is throwing to the market in home cinema format which is a region 3 Hong Kong version DVD that will give us a chance to reprise Jay Chou performance in dunking some balls with his Kung Fu style.The film revolves around an orphaned boy who grew up in a kung fu university and becomes a talented basketball player. The youngster, Fang Shi Jie (Jay Chou) grew up at the Kung-Fu School. He practiced excellent Kung-Fu and was equipped with good skills. When he was punished by his principal to stay on the streets for one night, he demonstrated his incredible accuracy to a down-and-out hustler, Wang Li (Eric Tsang). On the pretext of helping him search for his family, Wang Li invited him to play basketball at 'First University' as the new star of its basketball team. Meanwhile, Wang Li capitalized on media interest in Shi-Jie to make money via interviews and news articles.
After joining the basketball team, Shi-Jie found that Li-Li(Charlene Choi) whom he had admired for a long time is the sister of Ting Wei (Bo-Lin Chen), the leader of basketball team. Shi Jie was desperate to draw her attention. Therefore, he attempted to compete with Xiao Lan (Baron Chen), who is Li-Li's idol. The competition between Shi Jie and Xiao Lan generated an unstable atmosphere within the team. After Ting Wei counsels Shi Jie, the basketball team becomes more unified. Meanwhile, he helped Shi Jie combine his foundation of Kung-Fu skills into basketball techniques, which in turn brought his skills into full play and helped the team win many rounds of the inter-varsity tournament.
By the time of the finals, the major competitor faced by Shi Jie and his team members was the team led by Lee Tien. Lee used to be on the First University basketball team alongside Ting Wei and Xiao Lan, but became arrogant and was lured to their competitor's camp. The competing team comprised of players who had been banned from all basketball games in Japan. The competing university also bribed the referee of the final game. Although Wang Li had enlisted the aid of Shi Jie's kung-fu teachers, the opposing team had put in place a number of measures to prevent First University from winning, up to and including injuring First University's star players Shi-Jie, Ting Wei and Xiao Lan. Thus, due to both unscrupulous fouls from the opposing team and the referee's biased decisions and outright interference, First University was defeated. Unwilling to admit defeat to such unjust conditions, Shi Jie recalls a technique his first teacher had utilized, and managed to turn back the clock. Eventually, First University won fair and square.Product Details:
Product Title: Kung Fu Dunk (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Actors: Jay Chou, Charlene Choi, Eric Tsang, Baron Chen, Bo-Lin Chen
Directors: Kevin Chu Yen Ping
Format: Widescreen 16:9 (Anamorphic), Color, NTSC
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Subtitles: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Audio Specs: Digital Surround 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Region: Region 3 South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan)
Number of disc: 1 Disc
Country Made: Hong Kong
Genre: Sport Comedy
Distributor: Deltamac (HK)
Release Date: March 19, 2008 ( Order your copy now!)

Story-Meter: 6/10 – Actors-Meter: 6/10 – Video-Meter: 7/10 – Audio-Meter: 7/10The Dunking Review by John Li – Moviexclusive
“This lightweight Chinese New Year blockbuster is highly entertaining”
The second a particular Asian superstar named Jay Chou appears on screen, sporting his too-cool-to-be-true persona, you know this movie belongs to him and him alone. After hiding a “Secret” and bearing the “Curse of the Golden Flower”, Chou is back on the big screen, and this may be his most enjoyable performance yet. Heck, even the signature hip-hop soundtrack that plays when he first makes his appearance in this Kevin Chu-directed Chinese New Year blockbuster will tell you that the movie is made for him.
Shot in Taiwan and Mainland China, the story of this 100-minute movie isn’t exactly what you call innovating: Chou plays an orphan who finds himself in a kung fu school. Like the artiste himself, our protagonist discovers his talent for playing basketball. After being expelled by the corrupted headmaster of the kung fu school, he joins a university basketball team to shoot balls, fall in love and play in matches against the bad guys.
Boasting an impressive production and marketing budget of US$10 million, it is evident where all the money went to. Check out the remarkable computer generated effects which make Chou fly into the air. Check out the outstanding stunt choreography by Ching Siu-Tung (The Warlords), where Chou brings down an army of bad guys in a night club. Check out the breathtaking camera shots by cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding (Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles), where multiple crane shots showcase the magnificence of the adrenaline-filled basketball matches.
The well-rounded team is complete with Yee Chung Man’s vibrant costume design, a very strong supporting cast of Eric Tsang, Charlene Choi, Chen Bo-Lin, Baron Chen, and cameos from familiar faces like Ng Man Tat, Leung Ka Yan, and Jacky Wu. Tsang is reliable as the money-minded businessman with a heart, Choi is somewhat bland as Chou’s love interest, the two Chens are pretty-looking boys without looking silly, while recognizable comic figures like Ng, Leung and Wu make you sit up with their spot-on antics.While there is a more original sports-themed kung fu movie Shaolin Soccer (2001) before this, Chu’s festive movie is still well worth your bucks, simply for its high entertainment value. The Taiwanese filmmaker is known for his slapstick shows like Flying Dagger and the Shaolin Popey series (starring the two adorable bald-headed kiddies), and his jokes will tickle your ribs, even if they are not the most intelligent types
But we digress. The show is clearly all about Chou and his very likeable screen personality. A 29-year-old actor playing a 20-year-old character? In the wrong hands, the sight of a grown man bouncing around like a typical teenager may be very cringing. But trust the sometimes broody singer-actor-director to pull it off. Girls would want to be with him. Guys would want to be him. There is no doubt the spotlight of this mass-appealing movie is on the Asian superstar.
Come on, even the theme song of the movie is named after the man: “Zhou Da Xia” (loosely translated as “Swordsman Chou”) features signature Chou-styled rapping lyrics about eating bean curds. On one hand, you can’t imagine anyone who is more narcissistic, while on the other, you give it to him because you know you are going to enjoy this so much.

Just Check Out These Similarities: “Shaolin Soccer”, “Initial D”, “Kung Fu Hustle”

(Synopsis Source: Wikipedia)

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Hero Save Its Place on the DVD

Started out in 2001 as an enormously popular Fuji TV serial also one of the top ten rated Japanese dramas of all time. Director Suzuki Masayuki, who helmed the original television series, takes “Hero” to the big screen, picking up the story right after the television special in 2006 and brings most of the cast members of the 2001 TV series back for a much deserved encore. Fans of the TV show will be very pleased by this film which was proved by the film with topping the Japanese box office for seven consecutive weeks and became Japan's biggest blockbuster of 2007. Idol-group SMAP heartthrob Takuya Kimura is back with his hit character Kohei Kuryu, the prosecutor who shirks suit and tie for a pair of jeans but is never casual about his pursuit for the truth. Besides the original TV series cast, Korean heartthrob Lee-Byung Hung (A Bittersweet Life) is in it and was shot partly in Busan. This time, Kuryu is involved in an obscure case of manslaughter that turns into the trial of the century. Simply put the star studded cast of “Hero” makes watching the movie a whole lot of fun, even with its run-of-the-mill script. Now, it’s time for you to save this film into your collection, Hero DVD is presented with an excellent English subtitles and had scheduled to release on Mach 20, 2008.Six years (literally) have gone by since Kuryu last strolled into the Josai branch office of Tokyo's public prosecutor, after having been "exiled" at the end of the 2001 series to an out-of-town position (the subject of the 2006 special). His loyal assistant, Maiko Amamiya (Takako Matsu) gives him a hard time for never calling but still carries a major torch for the red-haired thirty something. Kuryu is assigned an apparently simple case of manslaughter, in which a blond-haired security guard accidentally killed a guy during an argument one night. But when the guard suddenly changes his plea from guilty to not guilty, Kuryu and his team find they've been handed a political hot potato. Turns out the guard reps a key alibi for Hanaoka (Kazuyoshi Morita), a former transport minister accused of accepting a huge bribe that same night. Hence the guard's sudden switch (under pressure from Hanaoka's men) to a not-guilty plea. Kuryu's pursuit of the truth takes him and Amamiya to Busan, South Korea, to track down the guard's van, which has mysteriously gone missing. There, amid much linguistic comedy involving the non-Korean-speaking Kuryu and Amamiya, they get caught up with local gangsters, from whom they're rescued by a local cop (Lee Byeong-heon). An uproar ensues as the case begins to twist and turn, hinting a something far bigger and sinister beneath the surface, and exposing Kuryu and his tem to dangers he’s never before experienced. Kuryu and colleague, Amermiya, are going to have to put their careers and their relationship at risk to get at the truth.Product Details:
Product Title: Hero (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Actors: Takuya Kimura, Takako Matsu, Hiroshi Abe, Haruka Ayase, Lee Byung-hun
Directors: Suzuki Masayuki
Format: Widescreen 16:9 (Anamorphic), Color, NTSC
Languages: Japanese, Cantonese
Subtitle: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Audio Specs: Digital Surround 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Region: Region 3 South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan)
Number of disc: 1 Disc
Country Made: Japan
Genre: Suspense Drama
Feature Film Running Time: 131 Minutes
Distributor: Kam & Ronson Enterprises Co Ltd
Release Date: March 20, 2008 ( Order your copy now!)Story-Meter: 7/10 – Actors-Meter: 8/10 – Video-Meter: 7/10 – Audio-Meter: 7/10

Hero’s performance review: (By John Li – Moviexclusive)
“Be it the star appeal or the winning storyline, this movie entertains from beginning to end”
This reviewer has heard a lot about this certain Japanese superstar named Takuya Kimura. He hears that this enigmatic member of the pop group SMAP is really popular amongst both young girls and older women. He hears that this married man is the first male star to advertise lipsticks, and thanks to his famed status as a leading television star, the lipsticks’ sales shot sky high.
This reviewer first saw him on the big screen in Wong Kar Wai’s 2046 (2004). He thought that the actor who played Faye Wong’s boyfriend looked awkward. Then he saw him again as a blind samurai in Yoji Yamada’s Love and Honor (2006). He thought Kimura looked haggard.
So what’s the big deal about this Kimura character? After watching his latest feature film outing, this reviewer now understands his widespread appeal. This 35-year-old actor has all the charm and charisma which girls will love, and guys will want to imitate. Even the way he casually swings his Ipod Shuffle earphones appears to be ultra-suave.Reprising his 2001 television series role of an intelligent and smart prosecutor, Kimura reunites with his former partners to solve a hit-and-run accident involving a soon-to-be-married man, an ex-politician, a security guard and an arson case. So many things, so little time – how does the man do it?
With his sharp observation and quick wits, of course.
Kimura shares screen time with the original cast of the television series, and it is obvious that they still have great chemistry together after six years. One signature scene comes near the end of the movie, where you see the gang of eight characters standing together in one shot – it’s just to cool to be true. Kimura also manages to anchor many of the movie’s most entertaining ensemble scenes with his commanding on-screen presence: look out for the chase sequence at the scrap yard because it will leave you laughing in stitches.
To up the star factor, Kimura travels to Korea with his potential love interest played by another popular Japanese starlet Takako Matsu (The Hidden Blade, Brave Story) to find a clue. In this rather unnecessary segment, we get to see yet another Asian superstar Lee Byung-hun (Bittersweet Life, Everybody Has Secrets) in a cameo which lasts for less than five minutes on screen. But two of Asia’s hottest leading men for the price of one cinema ticket? Why not?
For those (like this reviewer) who did not experience the fad that was the 2001 “Hero” television series, the 130-minute movie may be a little confusing at first, but let yourself settle in nicely and you’d be enjoying this flick like any other entertaining courtroom drama.
And you’d also be familiar with the catchy theme music by the time the movie ends on a bright and upbeat note.

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