About Us - webmaster@hkcinema.co.uk

This site was launched on the 25/08/01 with absolutely no content. It may not seem like a big achievement, but it was for me. When I came to web developing I had no idea what hosting / domain registration / ftp uploads / difference between gif and jpg etc. Fortunately my mate and general web / creative guru Dan was always on hand for advice and info on the world of web development.

During some particularly dull and depressing evenings I taught myself a range of Web developers tools and creative packages reading their lighthearted, inspiring and fascinating help files (I was being sarcastic). I am not expert in the field but am now comfortable with the basic skills to get by, and you most certainly do not need to spend £1000 on a single week training course in a grubby East London 'Training and Product Awareness Session'.

Why a Website?

Well number one, I love Hong Kong Cinema. It all started when I went with Mark to see Rumble in the Bronx in 1997 at Warwick University. Also, I got Sky Movies about 1 year beforehand and had seen everything Hollywood had to offer in the way of action / comedy / thriller film-making and I didn't realise until that moment that these guys in Hollywood are nothing, they're overpaid, under-worked egoists with mediocre action choreographers, writers and directors. To be honest I couldn't even name one Hollywood Action Choreographer (let alone one that can be mentioned in the same breath as Liu Chia-Liang or Sammo Hung)!!

Bad Experience

Before this website, I used several other sites on a regular basis to keep up to date with the industry and check up on films I was interested in buying. However, I once read a positive review for a movie which I was considering buying. After purchasing and watching the film I thought it fell well short of the enthusiastic review I had read. I then noticed that the site had some affiliate banners and this made me think. Although I'm not saying the reviewer was completely devious, it is a concern when someone writes a positive review and they will also profit out of you buying the movie. The reviewer had a conflict of interest in recommending the film, so people would click on the affiliate banners and buy the movie (gaining the website 10% of the sale). I decided to make a site which was totally independent, I do not profit if you buy films I recommend on this site, thus I have no hidden agendas.

Hail Jackie

From that point on I started becoming a Jackie Chan disciple and still am to this day. I had never been genuinely enticed by my previous excursions into Hong Kong Movies mainly via Bruce Lee. After watching the Drunken Master and his later works (Young Master, Project A, Police Story) thanks partly to Channel 4 (about 1998 - 1999), I was truly converted. Here was a film industry that did not rely so heavily on camera tricks, stunt doubles, quick editing but rather endless takes and painstaking shoots. Such choreography had left the Hollywood industry many decades earlier with the focus on bigger sets, special effects and budgets. Probably the best parallel to kung fu movies would be the MGM Musicals of the 1940s and 1950s which also relied on the genuine ability of their cast.

Money and Movies

I still am looking deeper and deeper into the vaults of Hong Kong Cinema to find some of hidden treasures that lie in wait. After buying all my movies on the net, I decided offer the shopping guide to all newcomers. I thought the review section and the shopping guide would put people in a good position to explore the world of Hong Kong movies. I couldn't say which decade is my favourite in Hong Kong Cinema as I think they all offer something a bit different and have their own unique character.

The End Result

This is essentially what inspired me to make a website. I wanted to be creative and learn new skills. I also wanted to use the net for its original purpose - namely, to express and communicate ideas and opinions. The net excels for information (free information), communication and communities. This site is not about profit margins, quarterly revenue or return on investment models. This is a rare attempt to provide content for free unadultered information and entertainment. The future not promising though, it would not surprise me if some ISPs started charging for you to become available on their browsers, some sort of licence system. It may sound crazy but that's how TV currently operates (there is a reason why you don't have TV channels called Dave and Rita's Holiday photos, but you could probably get results from Google).

You pay for what you get

This is a free site, you pay nothing and I make nothing, and I have to pay for the domain registration and hosting out of my very shallow pockets. It is banner free and makes no money from its links. I hope you enjoy this site and find it a refreshing change from sites that want to convince you that you should hand over some money for a webcam or executive toy. Plus, I hope at the very least you experience the sincerity of this site, even if you are not entirely enticed by the world of Hong Kong Cinema. This site is based on a passion and a pastime, trying to communicate that for us, we shall always love HK Cinema. It is currently in a bit of a boom, and is also being dreadfully imitated left, right and centre.

But even when the media and Hollywood producers get bored and have to look elsewhere for the next big craze, I can assure you I shall still be watching the chopstick fight in 'Hitman in the Hand of the Buddha' and Jackie trying to get his hands on Sam Seeds rice bowl!

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