Empire magazine top ten heroes of DVD

Among other publications, I read the following magazines every week/month : Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, Inside Kung Fu, Shambhala Sun and... Empire. This last is a British-based movie magazine (you can find it in Hong Kong at HMV). I was happy and surprised when I opened the September 2008 issue to find myself listed in Empire's Top Ten Heroes of DVD, wedged between Oliver Stone and Robert Rodriguez. (I'd rather be wedged between Jessica Alba and Monica Belucci, but at my age I'll take what I can get...)

This honour is primarily in recognition of my work as commentarian-in-residence for first the UK-based Hong Kong Legends label, and now for TWC's own Dragon Dynasty. I don't think I deserve to be in the august company Empire put me in, but its still better than a smack on the head with a three-sectioned staff.

For those who keep track of these kind of things, here's my own top ten of my own DVD commentaries (and why!) :

Hong Kong 1941 (Hong Kong Legends) : Its a period drama starring Chow Yun-fat, with no action to speak of, and the commentary was always going to be the main bonus feature. I researched the hell out of it, and I delivered enough facts on both the film and war-time Hong Kong to get a job on History Channel.

Red Wolf (Hong Kong Legends) : Not the greatest actioner of all time, but I think the comedic commentary between Christy Chung and myself made it a classic! (Check out her four kinds of orgasm story, if you can track down this disc...)

Beast Cops (Hong Kong Legends) : Director Gordon Chan and I recorded the commentary for this in U2's studios in Dublin during the 'Medallion' shoot. Gordon is the best co-commentarian I've had, delivering so many insights that I learned as much as the audience did.

Naked Weapon (Hong Kong Legends) : Me and Maggie Q trading quips as we screen this hugely popular Ching Siu-tung-directed slice of exotic and erotic kung fu-ery. Worth tracking down the double disc, with our Day In The Life Of Maggie Q featurette (which was particularly enjoyed by Oliver Stone!)

The Protector (Hong Kong Legends) : This was our first Dragon Dynasty theatrical release, and one of my earliest commentaries for the label. I'm not nearly as knowledgable on Thai cinema as I am on Hong Kong movies, but the director, Prachya Pinkaew, gave me a ton of inside information, and we sold a million units. (Cool....)

Seven Swords (Dragon Dynasty) : A huge seller for us, and a film where I think we can claim the DVD release rescued its reputation. Tsui Hark was great on the commentary with me, and also gave us full access to the deleted scenes etc. They should do a sequel!

Flashpoint (Dragon Dynasty) : Its always a blast working with my long-time partner in crime Donnie Yen. This film brought MMA to the screen, and we gave it a limited theatrical release in North America. Donnie's insights were fascinating, and people seem to like our audio chemistry. Maybe we should have our own radio show...

Heroes Of The East (Dragon Dynasty) : Much to my chagrin, I didn't get to record commentaries for our first batch of Shaw Bros titles, but hit the ground running for this one. As a Hung Kuen kung fu practitioner, its especially gratifying to celebrate the work of my elders and betters, Lau Kar-leung and Gordon Liu.

Fist Of Legend (Dragon Dynasty) : I recorded this at Kantana studios in Thailand, on a day off from the 'Shanghai' shoot. Its a great film, and I think being in Bangkok gave me a fresh bolt of enthusiasm for it. My only regret is that I couldn't get director Gordon Chan in there with me (he was doing post on his film Painted Skin).

The Rebel (Dragon Dynasty) : We just released this kick-ass Vietnamese period actioner in North America, and I flew to Saigon to record a group commentary with the cast (see earlier blogs about the trip). This film marks a new era for Vietnam's cinema, and it was a blast to have its cast (and myself!) in one room.