Oh, starry nights

Three new movies opened at cinemas citywide this week to herald the year's Christmas releases.

The most-anticipated one, Zhang Yimou's Amazing Tales: Three Guns, is the famed director's first since crafting the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Billed as a comic thriller, it tells the story of a noodle shop owner who plans to kill his cheating wife and her lover. But the plan backfires when a gun enters the lives of characters more used to knives and swords.

Comedian Xiao Shenyang is joined by TV star Yan Ni and mainland actor Sun Honglei in this flick shot in northwest China's Gansu province and adapted from a Coen Brothers' thriller, Blood Simple (1985).

Hong Kong artist Ma Wing Shing's popular manga Fung Wan (Wind and Cloud, pictured above on the left) was first translated for the big screen in 1998's The Storm Riders, starring Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok in the lead roles of Wind and Cloud.

Ten years later, Pang Brothers have come out with a sequel, The Storm Riders II, which has been shot on a budget of US$12 million and reunites Cheng and Kwok in the same roles.

The Pang Brothers are famous for directing thrillers such as The Eye sequels and Bangkok Dangerous. The story is about an evil warlord Juet Mo Sun, played by Simon Yam, who invades a territory that Wind and Cloud protect. Like in the first movie, good battles evil, putting brotherly bonds to severe test.

Storm Riders II is the first Asian movie to be shot almost entirely against a blue screen so audiences can expect game-like sequences and backdrops like in the movie 300. Ambitious computer-generated visuals and special effects promise to take Hong Kong cinema to a new level.

Kwok's role is made more delicate by the appearance of a love interest, while Cheng's role is dramatically altered by a dangerous obsession with martial arts.

One of the selling points of the movie is the reunion of the two lead actors, both of whom have a huge fan base across Asia. "We have changed a lot and matured more both in life and in our acting," says Kwok. "And this is reflected in our interpretations of the roles."

The cast also includes Nicholas Tse who plays Juet Sum, Charlene Choi as Second Dream, and newcomer Tiffany T. as Chu Chu.

Director Chu Yin-Ping's The Treasure Hunter (pictured above on the right), is a star-studded action adventure, with Jay Chou, the Asian pop sensation, and Lin Chi-ling, whom many see as Taiwan's most beautiful woman.

The film marks former model Lin's second big-screen appearance after her acclaimed performance in John Woo's Red Cliff last year. Meanwhile, Jay, who played the lead role in director Chu's Kung Fu Dunk last year, said The Treasure Hunter showcases his acting skills. The movie also stars award-wining Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang, as well as mainland actor Chen Daoming (Hero) and actress Miao Pu.