Hong Kong Movie Roundup

I recently rekindled my love affair with Hong Kong cinema, which had been dormant for a few years. Just happened to pop in one of my old Stephen Chow dvds (Hail the Judge), and somehow it put the jones back in my bones.. so in case some of you are also into this stuff, here's the latest HK movie news I've come by as I renewed my vows:

The Guardian just did a pretty cool interview with Tony Leung (Chiu-Wai, not to be confused with Tony Leung Ka-Fai). He tells how Wong Kar-Wai "tricked" him into playing the gay lead role in Happy Together, and talks about their loooooooong-awaited latest project 2046, a sequel to their masterpiece In the Mood For Love. Tony also mentions his next film with Wong Kar-Wai will be "an action movie, with kung-fu, which will be very exhausting." Word.

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2046 is set to debut at Cannes this year, and it may be joined by Zhang Yimou's follow-up to Hero, another martial arts/wuxia epic named Shi Mian Mai Fu (literal translation: "Ambush From Ten Directions"). If you haven't gotten to see the visual feast he offered in Hero, you better swing through Chinatown or look for an import online because stupid ass Miramax has the American rights and they've been sitting on it forever.

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Kevin Smith is working on a movie version of "Green Hornet", and is hoping to bag the Blastmaster Yuen Woo-Ping for fight choreography. I'm not sure what to think about that. Hope (a healthy) Jason Mewes is in it though.

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In the meantime Yuen Woo-Ping is finishing up Kung Fu Hustle with my favorite HK star, the master of "mo lei tau" comedy Stephen Chow. Chow's Shaolin Soccer is another gem now collecting dust in the closet of stupid ass Miramax.

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Jackie Chan will make a "triumphant return to his Hong Kong roots" this summer in New Police Story, this could be promising. He's also got a Hollywood production of Around the World in 80 Days on tap, not sure how promising that is. The Governator is in it, hopefully Jackie will kick him in the face at some point.

Meanwhile Jackie's son will make his acting debut in Twins Effect 2, rumored to feature a climactic 15-minute fight scene between the proud papa Jackie and Donnie Yen. Which would rock.