Anita Yuen Movies

This Hong Kong comedy of relationships is based on composer J.S. Bach's "The Songbook of Anna Magdalena Bach" and is divided into four "movements," each of which presents a sticky romantic situation for the story's three protagonists: Chan (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a piano tuner; his roommate Yau (Aaron Kwok), a rather spaced-out writer; and the lovely Mok (Kelly Chen), the girl who lives upstairs from them. A complex romantic dance begins when Yau falls in love with Yok without realizing that Chan has secretly loved her for ages. This film was screened at South Korea's 1998 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Tsui Hark is the executive producer, production designer, and screenwriter of this 82-minute Chinese animated feature displaying a full panoply of magical supergods, vexing spirits, and mere mortals. After debt collector Ning (voice of Jan Lam) loses his girlfriend Siu Lan (Lasi Suiyan), he beckons his playful dog, Solid Gold (Tsui Hark), and the two embark on fantastic adventures encountering the attractive Shine (Anita Yuen), a follower of Madame Trunk (Kelly Chen). Their eventual goal is to board the Reincarnation Train in hopes of getting Shine reborn. The original Siu Sin title is Shine's name in Chinese. To realize this fluid-action fantasy, animators at Tsui Hark's Film Workshop in Hong Kong labored for four years. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

With a marvelously convoluted plot and featuring plenty of slapstick action, Chinese Feast is essentially a kung-fu film with a tasty twist: the combatants battle with knives, not to carve each other up but to make exquisite culinary delicacies. The story's impetus comes from a long-standing feud between cooking schools and centers on an upcoming cook-off in which two master chefs compete to present the most delicious version of the Qing & Han Imperial Feast staples -- monkey brains, bear paw, and elephant trunk. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The title phrase refers to the crossing of lines. In Cantonese opera, an actor who literally becomes his or her character, leaving all sense of the original self behind is said to have crossed the imaginary hu-du-men. This comedy drama centers on Lang Kim-sum (portrayed by one of Hong Kong's finest actresses, Josephine Siao Fong-fong), a much-loved opera star and owner of a distinguished theatrical troupe who finds herself faced with many lines to cross as she prepares to retire and move to Australia with her husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This science fiction-thriller from Hong Kong attempts to blend the grittiness of noir-ish Blade Runner-type cyberpunk with the sweeping plot lines of animé to rather confusing effect. The story revolves around the legendary Diamond of Emperor Chen, which -- aside from its considerable inherent value -- is also a key which will lead the person who possesses it to incredible wealth, supposedly half the wealth in the world. The diamond rests somewhere in the offices of the corrupt mega-corporation Tung Tik, and the film deals with the efforts of a group of thieves led by the brilliant computer hacker Ko Kit (Anita Yuen) to get it. There's also another thief, Wind Yip (Sharla Cheung), who has penetrated the company's extensive security system in search of the diamond, and she teams up with Ko Kit's gang while being pursued all the while by the obligatory dissolute alcoholic cop, Kwong (Simon Yam). Filmed partially in Vancouver, the film's ambitions overreach its budget, but the impressive cast (also includingKirk Wong and the film's director Chris Lee) and offbeat presentation make it worthwhile viewing for genre fans. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee's highly lauded and sentimental tearjerker swept the 1993 Hong Kong Film Awards and was warmly embraced by audiences due to its well-developed characters and exceptional performances. Anita Yuen stands out as Min, an ebullient young woman who came from a street-singing family and now lives in a broken-down apartment house. Her upstairs neighbor is Kit (Lau Ching-wan), an aspiring songwriter who has just broken up with his fiancée, a successful singer (Carina Lau). Kit knows that his perky downstairs neighbor has the charisma and talent necessary to become a star herself; he is re-energized by the prospect of shepherding her career and begins falling in love with her. Unfortunately, Min's childhood bone cancer -- which had been in complete remission for a decade -- returns and she soon finds her declining health sapping most of her excitement for both life and her career. Kit devotes himself entirely to getting Min back on her feet, setting the stage for the obligatory weepy denouement. Despite its "Disease of the Week" story line, Yee (who also wrote the screenplay) never allows his film to become trite or maudlin, and his strong cast (notably Yuen and Lau, Hong Kong's Best Actress and Actor winners of 1993 for their performances) never overplay the material. Paul Chun and Petrina Fung took home awards in the supporting categories, ably backed up by Carrie Ng, Sylvia Chang, and Jamie Luk. Herman Yau appears in a cameo. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide