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Shu Qi Chrissie Chau Journey to the West 2013

Your 2013 Lunar New Year Comedies!

Shu Qi Chrissie Chau Journey to the West

It’s that time of the year, when China shuts down thanks to Chinese New Year! In between everyone going to see their family and every family going out for an incredibly expensive dinner, there is also the tradition of going to see ridiculous comedy films in the theaters! The Lunar New Year comedies are a source of some of the best comedy films from Hong Kong! And also some of the most terrible… But let’s not dwell on those failures, because they get buried beneath the sands of progress progress progress. And more films the next year! This time, we got a three-way battle plan, and the first time in two years that there isn’t an I Love Hong Kong/Alls Well Ends Well matchup at the box office. Because last year’s entries are buried beneath the sands of progress progress progress.

Journey to the West: Fell Monsters Chapter (西游·降魔篇) – The most anticipated of the three new years comedies, because it’s the long-awaited return of Stephen Chow to film! He’s directing this insane take on the famous Monkey King story, even if his appearance in front of the camera will be brief if he does it at all. In any event, I cannot wait, and will literally murder every single one of you to get to see this film. Yes, even you, Tiny Tim. Think I’ll spare you because of your gimpy leg? Think not!
We posted the trailer here

Hotel Deluxe (百星酒店) – Vincent Kok’s entry takes place at a fancy hotel, and like all good Lunar New Year comedies, a bajillion things are going on. The hotel hires scab employees, it’s being used as a film set, is being renovated, and is hosting a fake wedding. Yes, only those few plot lines! Hotel Deluxe stars Ronald Cheng Chung-Kei, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Teresa Mo Sun-Kwan, Chapman To Man-Chat, Fiona Sit Hoi-Kei, Eric Kot Man-Fai, Raymond Wong Pak-Ming, Lynn Hung Doi-Lam, Karena Ng Chin-Yu, and many more. Raymond Wong is producing. It opens February 7th
The trailer:

Better and Better (越來越好·村晚) – Zhang Yibai (with help from Xie Dong-Shen) bring us this Mainland funded comedy on February 10th. It features Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Wang Bao-Qiang, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Wu Gang, Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing, Wang Luo-Dan, Xu Jing-Lei, Ni Da-Hong, and cameos from the likes of Karen Mok Man-Wai and Zhang Ziyi.
Trailer:

Who will win the ultimate showdown of ultimate 2013 Lunar New Year Destiny? Probably Stephen Chow unless that film sucks, than it’s anyone’s game!!!!!!! Enjoy the lots of pictures below.

via Roast Pork, Sina

And let’s not forget I Love Hong Kong 2013 (2013我爱香港之恭喜发财), like I almost did!

Stephen Chow Journeys to the West Again!


The Chinese Odyssey films are one of the films that got me into Hong Kong cinema and from that world cinema. And I know others who say the same thing about Stephen Chow’s films. So the fact that Chow has been busy running his production company and being in the middle of lawsuits and made no new films in the past four years is saddening. But time to turn that frown upside down as the long-simmering followup to the Chinese Odyssey flicks is finally moving forward! At this point, it is not really a sequel but just from the same source material (much how A Chinese Tall Tale was sort of a sequel but not really) It’s also interesting how this version will hit theaters before the huge big budget version of the monkey King tale that stars Donnie Yen!

Journey to the West (西游·降魔篇/Xi You: Xiang Mo Pian/Journey to the West: Fell Monsters Chapter) is written/produced/directed by Stephen Chow, along with co-director Derek Kwok. Chow has said he will be in a more limited role, and will appear alongside Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow. The movie is co-produced by six companies, including the Huayi Brothers and China Film Group. The Huayi Brothers have made many of the big budget Chinese films lately (sadly, many of them are not very interesting…)

Like almost all Journey to the West films, this is just one chapter, where the characters fight demons. Besides from that, there are not much details at this time, except that there will be heavy special effects and once again a company is claiming it will have effects on par with Hollywood effects. Because that’s totally what makes a film a good film. Effects.

Journey to the West