Release Year: 2013

‘Badges of Fury’ cannot decide whether it is merely an abysmal spoof of cop films, an action comedy or a gaudy pantomime.

‘Dog’ is a powerful short film that doesn’t flinch on the violence and certainly delves into the dark corners of society.

If you’re in the mood for a measure of catharsis, mid-isolation, ‘Flu’ is a well made disaster film that is just polished enough not to be too harrowing in the current climate.

The production has enough genuine laughs, sharp satirical swipes and overall skill to be rated as recommended viewing.

Herman Yau’s conclusion to the story deserves its place among its contemporaries. And any film with Anthony Wong giving his all is well worth adding to your collection.

‘Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons’ is a solid fantasy film that retains a fair amount of that Stephen Chow magic.

‘Kung Fu Fighter’ is the cinematic equivalent of watching a used corn plaster floating in a muddy canal.

‘Legendary’ overcomes any budgetary limitations to deliver a solid adventure that harkens back to the fun monster movies of yesteryear.

Keanu Reeves makes an assured directorial debut and an all round great fight film with the rather impressive ‘Man of Tai Chi’.

Slick, confident and complex, much like its main characters, ‘New World’ un-spools a gripping tale of loyalty and the quest for power.

No doubt those who need oodles of story/plot/narrative to justify enjoying a film will grumble (yawn!) but on the whole this is a superior sequel and a super-charged martial arts film.

It may be an award of distinction for a non-commercial director to have his film populated by bland, feckless characters and have them doing bland, feckless things, but for the viewer there’s nothing admirable about it.