Jay Chou Movies
- 2010
By day, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is a millionaire publisher and popular media figure, but by night, Reid assumes the identity of fearless crime fighter The Green Hornet and teams with his trusted sidekick, Kato (played by Asian pop star-turned-actor/director Jay Chou), to keep the streets safe for average citizens. Producer Neal H. Moritz spearheads this big-screen adaptation of the popular radio serial, comic book, film, and television series originated by Lone Ranger creators Fran Striker and George W. Trendle. Rogen and frequent writing partner Evan Goldberg provide the screenplay, with visionary Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) handling directing duties. Breakout Inglourious Basterds star Christoph Waltz portrays the villain, Chudnofsky. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, (more)
- 2008
Traditional basketball and the practice of kung fu intersect with startling and surprisingly humorous results in Chu Yin Ping's martial arts comedy Kung Fu Dunk. Jay Chou stars as Shi-Jie, a child bereft by his parents as an infant but ceremoniously adopted by the master of the local kung fu school. Unsurprisingly, growing up in this environment, Shi-Jie trains aggressively in kung fu and develops an intuitive ability to predict his opponents' moves before they occur - an ability that translates effortlessly to skills on the basketball court. In time the youth catches the eye of Chen-Li, a businessman who sees Shi-Jie's potential for monetary exploitation and convinces him to play basketball for a nearby college. Chen-Li buries his real motives beneath his phony expressed desire to help the young man regain contact with his family, and unfortunately, Shi-Jie fails to see through it. He's far more fixated on achieving team stardom for personal reasons that involve wooing the sister of team captain Ting-Wei. Meanwhile, the entire team must face the prospect of squaring off against a rival team so vicious and brutal that their on-court tactics have caused them to be banned in the United States. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chou, Charlene Choi, (more)
- 2007
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou makes his feature directorial debut with this romantic tale following the romance between a handsome piano prodigy and a mysterious beauty. Yeh Hsiang-lun (Chou) is an exceptionally gifted pianist who has recently transferred to the Tan Jiang College of Arts at the behest of his father (Anthony Wong). One day, while walking through the school's soon-to-be-demolished conservatory, Yeh hears an intoxicating melody being performed by talented Lu Hsaio-yu (Guey Lun-mei). When Yeh asks Lu the name of the song, the pretty pianist shyly responds that it's a secret. Later pursued by female student Ching-yi (Alice Tzeng), Yeh rebuffs her advances to arrange a secret rendezvous with Lu that goes unexpectedly awry. In the aftermath, Lu disappears from the school, leaving the lovelorn Yeh reeling. Five months later, Yeh is performing at the school's graduation ceremony when he locks eyes with the long-lost Lu. While Yeh is determined to win Lu back, a secret from the past threatens to sink the prospect of a lasting romance between the pair. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chou, Guey Lun-mei, (more)
A dying love between two powerful people leads to deceit, infidelity, and conspiracy in this epic-scale historical drama from director Zhang Yimou. During the latter days of the Tang dynasty, the Emperor (Chow Yun-Fat) returns home from the war with his son Prince Jai (Jay Chou) in tow. However, the monarch gets a chilly reception from the Empress (Gong Li); though she's eager to see her son, her marriage has become deeply acrimonious, and she's taken a lover, Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson from the Emperor's first marriage. The Emperor, meanwhile, has his own plan for dealing with his failing marriage -- he's ordered the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) to find an exotic drug that will drive the Empress insane and administer it to her without her knowledge. However, the doctor's ethical dilemma is intensified by the fact his daughter Chan (Li Man) has fallen in love with Crown Prince Wan and the two wish to elope. As the Emperor and Empress allow their estrangement to sink into violence and retribution, their youngest son, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie), struggles to keep the peace in the household. Curse of the Golden Flower (aka Man Cheng Jim Dai Huang Jin Jia) received its North American premiere at the 2006 American Film Institute Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, (more)
Infernal Affairs powerhouse Andy Lau and Alan Mak bring the most popular manga in Japan screaming to life in this in this live-action look at the high-speed sport of "drifting" that shot straight to the top of the Hong Kong box office. Eighteen-year-old Takumi (Jay Chou) is never late for a tofu delivery, and though he speeds the tofu to its destinations with the velocity of a landlocked stealth plane, his true aspiration in life is to follow in the footsteps of his formerly fast-driving father (Anthony Wong) -- an ex-adrenaline junkie who eventually gave up the race track for the restaurant business. In his five years delivering meals from his father's restaurant Takumi has learned the streets of his hometown like the back of his hand, and he can take every corner with the needle planted firmly on the right. The trick to Takumi's amazing driving skills is a technique known as "drifting," and in a world where high-risk racing has spilled out of the tracks and onto the streets, this daring driver is about to become a legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chou
