I know this is probably heresy to some of you who have seen this movie and were hoping for the ultimate Dragonball epic and were hacked off when you didn't get it, but I recommend it highly to anyone who has young boys. I took two nine year old boys, a 7 year old boy, and a 5 year old boy, and they had a great time. They talked about it non-stop for hours that evening. I went to see the movie because of the great Chow Yun-Fat, and I was able to somewhat enjoy the movie on its own terms. I wouldn't recommend thinking about it too much on the way home. I do admit that it's probably best that I didn't know much about Dragonball heading into the theater and thus I didn't have very high expectations going in. Therefore, in summary, I would personally give the movie about a 5 or 6 out of 10, but as entertainment for my boy and his friends, I give it an enthusiastic 10 out of 10.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Itchy Heart
(2004)
Good
28 June 2004
Surprisingly, I found director Matt Chow's ITCHY HEART to be quite entertaining. In the film, Lau Ching-Wan plays a married man who runs into a former lover (played by Carina Lau) and a free-spirited young beauty (played by Cherrie Ying) while is wife is out of town with a girlfriend. Feeling a bad case of the seven year itch, he tentatively rekindles one relationship and embarks on another. The results are at times funny, at times sad, at times romantic, and at times silly. As is the case with most Hong Kong romantic comedies, the cast is the main determinant of whether or not you will find the film to be satisfying. As such, if you are fans of Lau Ching-Wan, Carina Lau, or Cherrie Ying, you will probably like this film. Andy On's character is too much of a doofus to really take seriously.
I, being a fan of the aforementioned Lau's, rated it a 7 out of 10.
I, being a fan of the aforementioned Lau's, rated it a 7 out of 10.
Lost in Time
(2003)
Good!
30 January 2004
Fans of Lau Ching-Wan and Cecilia Cheung will probably be quite happy with this film. Although the theme about coming to terms with your life after the sudden loss of a loved one is tough, the film balances out the high drama with some humor. The scene where Ching-Wan shows Cecilia how to maximize her earnings on the minibus route was a high-point. Overall, this is my favorite Lau Ching-Wan film of the last couple of years. After all the goofy comedy he's done recently, it was nice to see him in a more serious, natural role. Cecilia is good as well. Louis Koo's small role as the dead guy may disappoint those wanting to watch the film for him. Although he's quite good, he's just not in the film very long. This is a good compliment to C'EST LA VIE MON CHERI, the 1993 film that Lau and director Derek Yee worked on. As a word of advice, it's probably not best to view both films on the same night, as the emotions could be somewhat overwhelming.
Bulletproof Monk
(2003)
Silly fun
17 April 2003
This movie is fun if you're in the right frame of mind. If you're going to see this film, take my advice: Leave your brain at the door, get into the silly plot, enjoy the endearing chemistry between Chow Yun-fat and Seann William Scott, and just forget about your problems for over an hour and a half. Chow Yun-fat gives his most relaxed and natural performance in an English language film, and that is definitely a real positive for the film. However, if you take this film seriously for a moment, you probably won't like it, and the overall silliness of the story may just seem downright dumb. Personally, I don't have a lot of trouble checking my brain at the door, so I enjoyed the film.
Fat Choi Spirit
(2002)
Silly and enjoyable!
21 April 2002
If you are a fan of Andy Lau, Lau Ching Wan, or Gigi Leung, you will probably enjoy this film. Andy is as likable as usual as the "Mahjong Warrior," a mahjong player that appears to have a similar type of magical skill when playing mahjong that Chow Yun-Fat had in the great "God of Gamblers." This is an easy role for Andy and he could probably perform it in his sleep. Lau Ching Wan is very funny as a conman / gangsta rapp'n mahjong rival who Andy must square off with. I bought this movie solely because of how much I like Lau Ching Wan, and he is very good. I think the performance that I enjoyed the most came from Gigi Leung. Her character has some very interesting ways of dealing with things such as losing at mahjong, beauty enhancement, and house-cleaning. Her character's responses to the things mentioned above provide the film's biggest laughs.
Overall, this is an enjoyable, albeit quite silly, film.
Overall, this is an enjoyable, albeit quite silly, film.
Running Out of Time 2
(2001)
Give it a chance and savor Lau Ching-wan's performance!
15 March 2002
I'm sure many people are going to say that this film is not as good as the first one, and they would be right. Many people are going to say that Ekin Cheng is not as good as Andy Lau, and they would be right.....
However, if for nothing else, watch this film for Lau Ching-wan's wonderful performance. He is truly one of the greatest actors in the world. In the last 6 months, he has portrayed a bra designer (La Brassiere), a hip-hop mahjong conman (Fat Choi Spirit, which I have not yet seen), and an ace police negotiator (Running out of Time 2). His performances, including this one, are always a joy. In this film, he is funny, edgy, exasperated, tough, and cool. I thoroughly enjoyed him.
Regarding the film itself, the plot revolves around a Robin Hood-style thief who steals precious art for a ransom, and then challenges a police negotiator to a game of "catch me if you can." The plot is simply an excuse to set up some "cool" scenes between Ekin and Lau, and most of these scenes worked for me. I particularly enjoyed scenes revolving around a smoke bomb in a police station and an extended chase scene which culminated with both participants on bicycles. I was also surprisingly touched by the resolution of a small subplot involving Lam Suet's gambling addicted character and Ekin. This subplot was important to me as it finally allowed me to feel some sympathy for Ekin's character. Some elements of the film didn't work as well for me. The inexplicable speaking of English in various scenes, the ever-present eagle, and the stupidity of Lau's boss immediately come to mind. Those annoyances aside, I enjoyed this film. Lau Ching-wan was wonderful and director Johnnie To included some signature style. Finally, regarding Ekin Cheng, I thought he was quite good in the film even though his character was not as interesting as Andy's in the original. While you're giving this sequel a chance, give Ekin a chance too.
However, if for nothing else, watch this film for Lau Ching-wan's wonderful performance. He is truly one of the greatest actors in the world. In the last 6 months, he has portrayed a bra designer (La Brassiere), a hip-hop mahjong conman (Fat Choi Spirit, which I have not yet seen), and an ace police negotiator (Running out of Time 2). His performances, including this one, are always a joy. In this film, he is funny, edgy, exasperated, tough, and cool. I thoroughly enjoyed him.
Regarding the film itself, the plot revolves around a Robin Hood-style thief who steals precious art for a ransom, and then challenges a police negotiator to a game of "catch me if you can." The plot is simply an excuse to set up some "cool" scenes between Ekin and Lau, and most of these scenes worked for me. I particularly enjoyed scenes revolving around a smoke bomb in a police station and an extended chase scene which culminated with both participants on bicycles. I was also surprisingly touched by the resolution of a small subplot involving Lam Suet's gambling addicted character and Ekin. This subplot was important to me as it finally allowed me to feel some sympathy for Ekin's character. Some elements of the film didn't work as well for me. The inexplicable speaking of English in various scenes, the ever-present eagle, and the stupidity of Lau's boss immediately come to mind. Those annoyances aside, I enjoyed this film. Lau Ching-wan was wonderful and director Johnnie To included some signature style. Finally, regarding Ekin Cheng, I thought he was quite good in the film even though his character was not as interesting as Andy's in the original. While you're giving this sequel a chance, give Ekin a chance too.
The Golden Girls
(1995)
Enjoyable!
13 January 2002
This Lau Ching-wan / Anita Yuen romantic comedy is quite enjoyable from beginning to end. Lau plays a screenwriter/director, while Anita plays an actress. These two obviously love each other, but just can't get together for one reason or another. Along the way, they engage in various relationships with other suitors, and the audience is left to wonder if they will ever just get together and be happy. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two leads, as well as the humorous film references present. Francis Ng has a hilarious cameo as a popular, spoiled actor with an oversized ego. The film's best sight gag is Francis' take on Jimmy Wang Yu's classic martial arts film "The One-Armed Swordsman." "The Golden Girls" is not a great film, but it is very fun and the wonderful leads make it a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half.
Loving You
(1995)
Early, but solid, Johnny To / Lau Ching-wan effort
4 January 2002
Johnny To and Lau Ching-wan have created some of the finest Hong Kong films of the last 5 or 6 years. This list includes such well-known films as "A Hero Never Dies," "Lifeline," and "Running out of Time." "Loving You" was made in 1995, prior to the emergence of both artists as icons of the Hong Kong crime dramas of the late 1990's. I was very interested in watching this early collaboration, in hopes of seeing glimpses of the greatness that was to come. I am glad to report that the film did not disappoint me. Lau stars as a cop who is dedicated to his job, but is a pretty rotten human being. He cheats on his wife, and doesn't show any sympathy or kindness to those around him. This all changes when he is shot in the head by a rather vicious drug-dealer. I guess a near-death experience had quite an effect on him, and he spends the rest of the film trying to make up for past wrongs. Much of my enjoyment of the film comes from Lau's excellent performance. The film's direction does not show a lot of the style that would bring Johnny To to the forefront of the Hong Kong action genre, but the action scenes are done well. With actors like Lau and the beautiful Carman Lee (from "Lifeline"), the dramatic scenes are also quite touching. The only thing that I did not really like were the sappy love songs that were in the film. I can usually handle one sappy love song, but this film had three. Aside from that minor complaint, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
Red Sun
(1971)
Enjoy 2 international superstars in 1 good movie.
25 February 2001
"Red Sun" is a very enjoyable film. I can't really think of any other films where a gunslinger and a samurai team up to fight the bad guys. Westerns have often imitated the great samurai films, such as "The Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo," so it is especially satisfying to see Toshiro Mifune, the greatest of all samurai actors, in a western.
The plot concerns the teaming up of Charles Bronson and Mifune in their quest to catch up with the film's slimy villain, Alain Delon. I guess teaming up is the right word even though Mifune has actually sworn to kill Bronson if he doesn't work with him. So most of the movie is Bronson trying to escape Mifune's character. Of course, the 2 men eventually bond, and find out they are much more alike than they initially thought, and end up fighting alongside each other in the film's wonderful climax.
Charles Bronson shows a good sense of humor in this film, an element lacking from most of his other films. Toshiro Mifune, who is simply one of the world's greatest actors, is not required to do much, but I enjoyed seeing him teamed up with Bronson. Watching 2 of the world's great superstars in the same film is all the reason anyone should ever need to see this satisfying samurai western.
The plot concerns the teaming up of Charles Bronson and Mifune in their quest to catch up with the film's slimy villain, Alain Delon. I guess teaming up is the right word even though Mifune has actually sworn to kill Bronson if he doesn't work with him. So most of the movie is Bronson trying to escape Mifune's character. Of course, the 2 men eventually bond, and find out they are much more alike than they initially thought, and end up fighting alongside each other in the film's wonderful climax.
Charles Bronson shows a good sense of humor in this film, an element lacking from most of his other films. Toshiro Mifune, who is simply one of the world's greatest actors, is not required to do much, but I enjoyed seeing him teamed up with Bronson. Watching 2 of the world's great superstars in the same film is all the reason anyone should ever need to see this satisfying samurai western.
My favorite film of 2000.
4 February 2001
I have been anticipating this movie for some time now. With all the great reviews I've read of the movie, I was afraid that my expectations had grown too high. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed in the least. Chow Yun Fat's screen presence dominated the scenes that he was in. Michelle Yeoh and Zhang ZiYi were both wonderful, in oscar-worthy performances. If the Academy Awards truly rewarded the best film of the year, "Gladiator", "Traffic", and "Erin Brockovich" would not stand a chance, and I've seen all of them.
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