The Gallery of Lovelies

Jackie Chan I admit it, and I will say it loud and proud--I am a die-hard Chanophile. It's not always cool or hip to say as much, but as far as I'm concerned, Chan is still the man when it comes to Hong Kong films. He's cute, he's insane, he angsts well, AND he's filmed many of the best action and martial arts sequences ever put on film. It was through Jackie's work that I first discovered Hong Kong cinema and I can't be happier for the success that's finally coming his way in the United States and elsewhere. Go Jackie!

Stephen Chow Sing Chi Stephen is the only HK actor who has come at all close to challenging Jackie's top spot in my heart. Many will warn "newbie" HK film viewers away from his comedies, claiming they "don't translate", but I beg to strongly differ. While his films are often filled with Cantonese puns and jokes that would take paragraphs to translate, they are also filled with wild, wacky physical comedy that anyone can understand. Yes, some of it is crude and stupid, but some of it is also brilliantly absurd. He's also done his fair share of action and more serious films and can be terrifically slashable in many of these films. And did I mention cute? The boy is seriously cute. Seriously, seriously cute. There's just something about his eyes, too, that get to me every time. Just take a look for yourself and see if you don't agree...

Yuen Biao Slender and graceful and oh-so-amazingly acrobatic, Biao has never quite received the widespread fame of his fellow "Brothers" Jackie and Sammo Hung. But he is beautiful to watch in action and adorable in a kind of awkward, imperfect way.

Andy Lau More than just a pretty face, Andy is a very popular (and prolific) singer and actor. But pretty he definitely is, and worthy of much drooling. He can also be quite the slash magnet and I've especially enjoyed him when paired with Chow Sing Chi.

Alexander Fu Sheng Fu Sheng's a serious cutie-pie, definitely one of my favorites. He reminds me an awful lot of Jackie Chan with his flair for kung fu comedy. He was also good in serious/angsty roles as well, and could be quite slashy when paired with Ti Lung and other Shaw boys. Sadly, Fu Sheng died in the early 1980s in a tragic (and somewhat suspicious) accident...but at least he left us quite a few incredible performances to remember him by.

Ti Lung Ti Lung is simply a beautiful man to watch in action--tall, regal, quiet yet so expressive when he wants to be. He's one of my favorite actors in Hong Kong cinema--having gone from the chop-socky days of Shaw Brothers into more serious, dramatic roles in the 90s. He's also a serious slash magnet: just watch the way David Chiang looks at him in so many old Shaw Brothers films. He could be equally potent when paired with Alexander Fu Sheng, or later on with Chow Yun Fat. Serve me up some of that one, please.

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