Robin-B-Hood (2006)

Safe-crackers Thongs and Octopus (Chan and Koo) will rob anything of value to fund their expensive habits; gambling for Thongs, women for Octopus. Being in something of a rut means they can't pass up the opportunity when a big score comes along. The R2 cover doesn't give the game away, so I won't either, suffice it to say that the item in question is unlike anything they've looted before. The antics thereafter are hit and miss, as are the action scenes, inventive but making occasional use of wires and green screen. The finale is old-school Chan, though, and almost makes up for the other stuff.

2½ free falls out of 5

Picture of a Nymph (1988)

It's so much like A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) that it wouldn't take a liar as accomplished as the Wife of Bath to convince someone that the two films were in fact part of the same series. Thankfully, it also shares the same appreciation of wonder, disregard for logic, sense of purpose and freedom of expression that makes Siu-tung's film such a joy to watch. It's one of the occasions where I consider mimicry to be a compliment.
And, really, who wouldn't want to see Joey Wong do her thing in flowing gowns and big sleeves once more?

3 flying paper umbrellas out of 5

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983)

A Chinese action/fantasy film from director Tsui Hark set in the fifth Century on Zu Mountain, a place of strategic military importance. A soldier longing for peace stumbles into a world of magic, comedy, flying demons, scary white sheets, swords (many), virgins, skulls, and er… eyebrows. It's completely bonkers but was hugely influential to the supernatural xianxia genre. Tsui himself would go on to use the same techniques many times in later years to better effect. I'm not as fond of it as I am of some of those later films, but I acknowledge its importance and won't contest its place in film history.

3½ colourful battles out of 5

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

Jet Li takes on the role of legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung. He tries desperately to hold onto traditional values while an ugly foreign presence threatens to tear China apart.
The feeling that an era is ending fills the film with poignancy and is perhaps most evident in Shi-Kwan Yen’s magnificent performance. He’s not the star of the show, but he’s the one that draws my sympathies most.
OUaTiC was my introduction to Tsui Hark's film-making style and remains the benchmark by which I measure all his other works.

4½ shadowless kicks out of 5

Project A (1983)

An action/comedy starring the inimitable Jackie Chan, who also co-wrote and directed. It's set in the late 19th Century, but other than the period setting it’s typical of a Chan film, full of wild stunts and slapstick laughs. If that wasn't awesome enough it also adds Pirates!
If you don’t share my nostalgic love of old school Jackie then you may want to deduct half a point from the score.

3 Harold Lloyds out of 5

The Iceman Cometh (1989)

Two Ming Dynasty warriors get frozen. One is a Royal Guard and the other a villainous killer. Three hundred years later they get thawed out and with differences unresolved the feud continues.
Two ancients in modern day Hong Kong means lots of fish out of water jokes, which are fun for a while, but the film rarely makes the best of the opportunities the story presents. It's a shame because the cast are capable of so much more.

2½ turns of the Buddhist Wheel out of 5