 FULLTIME
KILLER
Hong Kong 2001 DIRECTORS: JOHNNIE TO KEI-FUNG, WAI
KA-FAI
AUG 5 FRI 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
Hong Kong star Andy Lau (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, INFERNAL
AFFAIRS) charms as Tok, a cineaste and braggadocio assassin
who recreates action scenes on the “real” streets
of Hong Kong. Determined to make a name as an assassin, Tok
meets his match in O Takashi (Sorimachi), a stylish and deadly
killer. “As in most Hong Kong thrillers, it’s
the visuals—love those boldly choreographed shootouts!—and
moments of absurdity that count.”—V.A. Musetto,
NEW YORK POST
(102 mins.)
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 THE
EYE
Hong Kong 2002 DIRECTOR: OXIDE PANG CHUN, DANNY PANG
FAT
AUG 6 SAT 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
When a blind woman (Li Sin-Jie) has her eyesight restored
by surgery, her new vision comes with a price. A supernatural
thriller in the tradition of Polanski and Hideo Nakata, THE
EYE subtly unnerves and finds its most chilling moments in
the dead of quiet. “An artful, unsettling ghost story.
Before I had any idea what the movie was about —before
the opening credits even concluded — THE EYE had already
reduced me to a state of trembling, goose-bumped dread. Rarely
has the basic nature of visual perception seemed so frightening.
But what is most impressive about THE EYE, is its delicacy.”
—A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES
(99 mins.)
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 MEN
SUDDENLY IN BLACK
Hong Kong 2003 DIRECTOR: EDMOND PANG HO-CHEUNG
AUG 12 FRI 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
When four married men enter into a pact to each cheat on their
wives, it seems the answer to all of their neuroses and anxieties.
Of course, the would-be lotharios’ plans are thwarted
from nearly the beginning, and the tough-guy egos of the men
are tested in a series of darkly comic chapters. One of the
most critically acclaimed comedies to emerge from Hong Kong
in the past decade, MEN is Hong Kong deadpan at its ultimate.
“Probably the most creatively written Hong Kong film
of the year. . . a funny, clever, dark comedy.”—LOVE
HKFILM.COM
(99 mins.)
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 SHAOLIN
SOCCER
Hong Kong 2001 DIRECTOR: STEPHEN CHOW
AUG 13 SAT 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
One of the most successful Asian films of all time, Stephen
Chow’s (KUNG FU HUSTLE) story of a disgraced soccer
pro Patrick (Tse Yin) who bestows his knowledge of Shaolin
kung fu—and soccer —onto a new generation of misfit
players. Part BAD NEWS BEARS, part MATRIX, Chow’s slapstick
comedy is as willfully unpretentious as it is entertaining.
“On of the silliest, sweetest and most fun family films
in recent memory.”—NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
(87 mins.)
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 INFERNAL
AFFAIRS
Hong Kong 2002 DIRECTOR: ANDREW LAU WAI-KEUNG, ALAN
MAK SIU-FAI
AUG 14 SUN 7 PM Whitsell Auditorium
A classic tale of double-cross, INFERNAL AFFAIRS stars Tony
Leung Chiu-wai as an undercover cop assigned to infiltrate
one of Hong Kong’s most powerful triads. Andy Lau’s
Ming is one of the city’s most respected police officers,
and the Triad’s most valuable hidden agent. Both undercover,
the two men’s fates become entwined, and their parallel
lives are left only to collide. “This stripped-down
noir. . . signals a new era for Hong Kong filmmakers. . .”—Elvis
Mitchell, NEW YORK TIMES.
(101 mins.)
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 COP
ON A MISSION
Hong Kong 2001 DIRECTOR: MARCO MAK CHI-SIN
AUG 19 FRI 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
Daniel Wu stars as Mike, a cop suspended for pulling his gun
while taking down a botched bank robbery. Sent to work undercover,
Mike is assigned to track a Triad boss and gradually falls
in love with the gangster lifestyle. Soon, Mike has abandoned
the idea of making any arrests and instead works out a plan
that could make him the most powerful man in the criminal
underworld.
(89 mins.)
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 RUNNING
ON KARMA
Hong Kong 2003 DIRECTOR: JOHNNY TO
AUG 20 SAT 7:30 PM Whitsell Auditorium
To’s (FULLTIME KILLER, HEROIC TRIO) comic book fantasy
is an altogether surreal adventure through the bowels of the
Hong Kong underground. Biggie Andy Lau, (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS)
is a strong man and former buddhist monk relegated to working
as an exotic dancer. No ordinary stripper, Biggie also has
the ability to see into the future, and ends up helping police
detective Lee Cecilia Cheung, (SHAOLIN SOCCER) prevent a brutal
murder. When biggie envisions the imminent death of Lee, the
two face down the criminal underworld with a barrage of comic
violence.
(93mins.)
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 BULLETS
OF LOVE
Hong Kong 2001 DIRECTOR: ANDREW LAU WAI-KEUNG
AUG 21 SUN 7 PM Whitsell Auditorium
Noted cinematographer-turned-director Lau weaves a tail of
an honest cop (Leon Lai Ming) and a beautiful prosecutor (Asako
Seto) who fall in love and both take part in sending a triad
gangster (Terence Yin) up the river. During the couple’s
Parisian vacation, the vengeful gangster calls in a favor
and changes the fate of the lovers forever.
(107 mins.)
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