June 14, 2008
Hong Kong cinema owes a huge debt to Shanghai. It was the exodus of talent from this great metropolis that kick-started the then-crown colony’s industry. Today, the city’s massive film studio back-lot hosts countless local and international productions. Kung Fu Hustle was film...Read more
June 12, 2008
Most commentary sessions for our DVD releases see me sitting in a recording booth all by my lonesome. Fans often ask why we don’t get more input from the on-screen and behind-the-screen talent, and the main reason is that most of the people involved either don’t s...Read more
June 10, 2008
I’m in a Vietnamese city, the name of which remains in a state of confusion. Formerly known as Saigon, now called either Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon Ho Chi Minh… Anyway, it provides my first exposure to Vietnam as Saigon (as I shall call it) is home to the new force in the n...Read more
June 11, 2008
On the second day of my Saigon sojourn, producer Jimmy Pham picks me up at the Sheraton. We drive to the studio where I’m to supervise Rebel leading lady Veronica Ngo’s recording session. As I mentioned in my previous blog, as the film’s three leads ...Read more
June 04, 2008
By the time I relocated to Hong Kong from England, the Shaw Brothers movie empire seemed like mythical kingdom from yesteryear. Its Clearwater Bay office remained, but the once prolific production rate had slowed to almost nothi...Read more
June 02, 2008
I think the most eagerly awaited upcoming Dragon Dynasty release is probably the long-awaited re-issue of Jet Li’s kung fu classic ‘Fist Of Legend’. An earlier DVD edition of the film featured only the English dubbed American e...Read more
May 27, 2008
Remember that old line about the journey being more important than the destination? Before our planned release of the Golden Harvest classic ‘Hapkido’ got pushed back in the schedule, I managed to catch up with one of the stars of the film, Carter Wong. Carter...Read more
This is my first exclusive (mini) blog for Alive Not Dead members. Hi! (The others are beamed from our Dragon Dynasty site.)
If anyone is interested in training in traditional Chinese kung fu, I'd like to invite you to join the small group that trains three or four times a week with my Hung Kuen teacher, Sifu Mak Chi-kong. Mak Sifu is in Chater Gardens (next to the Legislative Council building) weekdays from 12 midday, and every Sunday at Kowloon Park from 6pm. You can confirm times with him by phone (9183 3379) or else by email...Read more
Team Dragon Dynasty staggers out from the Tai Chi Hotel into the pre-dawn darkness. A van arrives exactly at the appointed hour to drive us to the main Chen school. Throughout our stay, I’m impressed at the quiet way everyone does what we need, when we need it. They all seem to apply a ‘real world’ kung fu that’s often absent in the ‘modern’ city we’ve come from.
The paling sky reveals the open and empty stone ...Read more
Whoever designed the cavernous airport at Zhengzhou neglected to build a city around it. Or even a town. The echoing edifice is the landing strip that time forgot, boasting every convenience. Except customers. The intrepid Dragon Dynasty crew (host/assistant producer Winnie Wong, camera ace Michele Orlando, sound wizard Anant Samtani, myself) huddle together in the arrivals hall until we’re greeted by the cheerful form of Mrs...Read more