Stefan Hammond

This book is an absolute hoot. Too bad it wasn't published when I was younger as I was always trying to find movies made by Tsui Hark and didn't know how to pronounce his name correctly (at least to the Koreans and Vietnamese and Chinese store keepers who were the only ones selling these movies until about 15 years ago). Anyway, nice pronunciation guide and a lot of stuff spelled out in Chinese so I could have just pointed (or pronounced my favorite director's name as "Cho Hok"). The book is peppered with a lot of short sections of fractured subtitles which almost by themselves make it worth getting this title. E.g., "I am damn unsatisfied to be killed in this way." For a more scholarly approach to the Hong Kong film industry, artistry, and culture, I recommend CITY ON FIRE by Lisa Stokes and Michael Hoover.… (mehr)

I found it useful as a long-time Asian film fan. It had good information for those just getting into Hong Kong films while still being interesting to an experienced fan like myself. I picked up a few hints on titles to look for the next time I'm down in Chinatown.

The book consists mostly of short reviews of movies organized loosely by theme or major star or director with sidebars or short articles on history, culture and points of interest. It's a little dated since it's 12 years old, but still has a good deal of valuable information.

It didn't bother me, but I noticed that they tended to give away the endings of movies, so if spoilers bother you, this might not be the book for you.… (mehr)