News

When it comes to betting, Asian cinema knows how to raise the stakes, both on-screen and off. With sports betting, card games, and the classic game of chance woven into the fabric of so many films, these movies don’t just depict a quick soccer bet. Instead, they capture the adrenaline, the tension, and yes, the inevitable heartbreak of gambling. Asian filmmakers don’t sugarcoat the gambling world; they throw you right into the fire, where fortunes are made and lost in the blink of an eye.

The High-Stakes World of Tazza: The High Rollers

Take Tazza: The High Rollers from South Korea, for example. This film isn’t just about gambling—it’s a crash course in the dark side of betting. It shows us the seduction of big wins and the catastrophic consequences of chasing losses. You’ve got your slick conmen, the hustlers who make you think...

The gambling film is synonymous with the Hong Kong movie industry. From “Games Gamblers Play” through to the “From Vegas to Macau” series, they encapsulate the desire for financial gain that would filter through society. Whist the films may often be violent, in the main they showed a glamour to the lifestyle even if the consequences could be dire. “No More Bets” from the mainland then comes across as a riposte to this with the dangers of online gambling and the devastation it causes at the forefront of its thriller narrative. Yet it is so much more than just a simple damnation, as Western audiences will discover as it arrives on their shores this month.

No More Bets will be screening in UK and Ireland cinemas starting September 8, courtesy of Trinity Asia

Sheng (Lay Zhang) after being rejected for promotion, takes up another opportunity in Singapore. After arriving, he and...

There is something about casino movies that just captures our attention. Maybe it is the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip, or the suspense and excitement of watching someone risk it all on a single hand of blackjack. Maybe it is the appeal that Macau has for Asian gamblers who wish to experience some of the best and most authentic casino experiences possible.

Whatever the reason, casino movies have been a staple of cinema for decades and this does not appear to be changing anytime soon, even if things are a little different nowadays given the advent of the internet and the continued development of technology. For instance, those who live in Pa are able to access the very best Pennsylvania online casinos around if they are unable to get to a traditional establishment or wish to choose from a variety of different games where they are able...

Action and casino movies are two of the most popular movie genres in the world. And while there are plenty of great action and casino movies from North America and Europe, Asia has its own fair share of excellent films in these genres. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the best Asian action and casino movies. These films are sure to get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping!

Why are these films so popular?

There are many reasons why action and casino movies are so popular. For one, they are usually packed with non-stop action and excitement. They often have larger-than-life characters and plots that keep you on the edge of your seat. Additionally, these films usually have amazing production values, with some of the best stunt work and special effects in the business.

With the casino genre, there have been many films...

In cinema, we often talk about genres and sub genres that unfold from within them. Many debates ensue as some movies defy such pigeonholing and Hong Kong cinema delights in often mixing in as many as possible in one production to cause categorizing mayhem. “Casino Raiders” is one such enigma. Whilst on the surface part of the gambling film sub genre, there are elements of heroic bloodshed thrown in as well as traces of neo noir. When done wrong, this cocktail can be a problematic, lacking an identity as a whole, whilst failIng to succeed as either one thing or another. When it clicks, then you wonder why no one has tried it before. It’s a line that is very hard to tread.

In Hong Kong, there has always been a steady stream of gambling movies that fits within the ideology of wealth accumulation. From “Games...

The Us film production giant will make Chinese films in a deal with state-backed company China Media Capital

Hollywood studio Warner Bros is set to move into China in a big way, as reports emerge of talks between the Us film producers and China Media Capital, a state-backed investment fund, to create a joint venture that will make Chinese-language films aimed at the Chinese domestic market.

This comes in the wake of rapidly increasing takings at the Chinese box office – according to the Wall Street Journal, the total for 2015 is up 43% on the year before, at $4.3bn (£2.75bn). Four out of the top 10 films in China in 2015 are Hollywood imports – led by Fast and Furious 7 ($379.1m/£243m) – but the remaining six are Chinese in origin, with titles including Monster Hunt, Jian Bing Man and The Man From Macau 2.

Continue reading...

Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-fat overtook Jackie Chan's historical epic Dragon Blade and $40 million Sino-French epic Wolf Totem, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, in a fiercely competitive week at the box office in China. Theaters were packing out as the week-long Lunar New Holiday continued in China, with the country's swelling middle-class choosing to go to the movies to mark the arrival of the Year of the Goat. Written and directed by Wong Jing, who made the God of Gamblers movies, The Man from Macau, also known as From Vegas to Macau, added another

read more...

Chow Yun-Fat, the Asian movie star best known in the U.S. for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hard Boiled, is standing firm against a possible career backlash for lending support to the pro-democracy demonstrators in his native Hong Kong. Since September, students and others who make up Occupy Central With Love and Peace have gathered outside Chinese government headquarters and demanded electoral reform, and there have been repeated clashes with police. Several other Hong Kong celebrities cautiously supported the protests, but according to reports, Chinese state-run media are trying to tamp down such public statements by threatening boycotts of artists' film or music.

Hong Kong’s Mega-Vision Project Workshop is planning a sequel to its Chinese New Year hit From Vegas To Macau, reuniting stars Chow Yun Fat and Nicholas Tse and director Wong Jing.

Andrew Lau will also return to produce From Vegas To Macau II. The first film, about a small-time conman (Tse) who turns to a legendary gambler (Chow) to avenge his brother, grossed $85m in mainland China.

Mega-Vision is also in pre-production on Wong Jing’s King Of Drug Dealers, starring Nick Cheung, about gangsters and corrupt policemen in 1960s Hong Kong.

The company also two new titles in post-production: Daniel Chan’s La Tele De Vampire, starring Ronald Cheng and Yuen Biao, and sex comedy Flirting In The Air, starring Chapman To and Dada Chan.

From Vegas To Macau is the latest collaboration between Hong Kong director Wong Jing and star Chow Yun Fat, who of course worked together on the classic gambling film God Of Gamblers and its popular sequel. James Marsh, our Asian Editor, calls it "fast, funny and spilling over with escapist antics in opulent surroundings". I wholeheartedly agree and have found it to be the most fun Hong Kong film I have seen in a long time. Thanks to China Lion, we have Five double passes for From Vegas To Macau to give away to you, our dear readers.For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:1) Like the China Lion Facebook page, and2) Email your name and postal address...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...