[2012.12.20] BEST ACTORS CLASH IN THE NEW YEAR

THE GRANDMASTERS

THE LAST TYCOON

JOURNEY TO THE WEST

HOTEL DELUXE

I LOVE HONG KONG 2013

CZ12

THE GUILLOTINES
courtesy of mingpao.com

This year Chinese films rise as foreign films make room from Christmas to the Lunar New Year as the long waiting Tony Leung Chiu Wai film THE GRANDMASTERS (YUT DOI JUNG SI) and Stephen Chow Sing Chi's JOURNEY TO THE WEST (SAI YAU GONG MOR PIN) finally have release dates. THE GRANDMASTERS, which changed its release date time and again, finally confirmed its New Year release as it will confront the Chow Yun Fat starred THE LAST TYCOON (DAI SEUNG HOI). During the Lunar New Year only one foreign film A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD will face three Hong Kong films. Everyone is waiting to see whether Chow Sing Chi's JOURNEY TO THE WEST will be able to defeat Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE's HK$61,862,731 box office record and return to the top of the box office.

In the past Christmas is filled with foreign films and animation, this year the trend remains. However, Chinese films still include the Jackie Chan starred CZ12 (SUP YI SUN CHIU) and the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan hunks Huang Xiaoming, Jing Boran, Shawn Yue Man Lok and Ethan Juan (Yuen Kin Tin) starred THE GUILLOTINES (HUET DIK JI).

After the New Year, two Best Actors Chow Yun Fat and Leung Chiu Wai starred in THE LAST TYCOON and THE GRANDMASTERS respectively. The former is Fat Gor's first return to Hong Kong film. Fat Gor with his killer Hui Man Keung look returns to the big screen with the new generation hunk Huang Xiaoming as his younger version. The latter stars Wai Jai with Zhang Ziyi, Korean star Song Hye-kYo and Chang Chen. This film from planning to production took 8 years. Earlier it still was shooting additional scenes nonstop, now its editing is heating. Before the final moment no one knows what THE GRANDMASTERS will be like. Whether it will be good or bad, people are looking forward to it and must see the film.

The Lunar New Year battle will be rather fierce, with Chow Sing Chi's JOURNEY TO THE WEST, Raymond Wong Pak Ming's HOTEL DELUXE (BAK SING JAU DIM) and Eric Tsang Chi Wai's I LOVE HONG KONG 2013 (NGOR OI HK 2013 GUNG HEI FAT CHOI). Sing Yeh after 2008 CJ7 (CHEUNG GONG CHUT HO) has a new release 4 years later and specifically states it will be the giant product JOURNEY TO THE WEST.

In the past 3 years, Wong Pak Ming and Tsang Chi Wai's large ensemble comedy films welcomed the Lunar New Year and began a battle of words; As Sing Yeh returned, Sing fans waited 4 years for JOURNEY TO THE WEST to be released. Conceivably Wong Pak Ming and Tsang Chi Wai would not dare to boast again. Sing Yeh's film has always been able to bring viewers to the movies again and again and repeatedly created box office records. Everyone is curious whether this film will exceed YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE's HK$61,862,731 box office record (which previously belonged to Sing Yeh's KUNG FU HUSTLE (GONG FU) with 61.27 million).

JOURNEY TO THE WEST is based on the literature classic of the same name. The film has certain relations to the original, but the characters are completely different. The overall direction of the story is also completely different. Demon taming is the real story of this film, which of course has to have an epic romance and definite comedy as well as super strong special effects. Viewers are truly looking forward to it.