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E.U. (Emergency Unit) review

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:27:18 -0500

Main Cast :
Ron Ng ~ Chung Lap Man
Sammul Chan ~ Lee Pak Kiu
Michael Miu ~ Hau Gor
Kathy Chow ~ Sum
Michael Tse ~ Laughing Gor/ Leung Siu Tong

Year : 2009

Returning from the previous installation "On the First Beat" are Sammul Chan(Lee Pak Kiu) and Ron Ng(Chung Lap Man). No longer police cadets, both are separated as Pak Kiu works alongside some of his previous police academy peers in the symbolic EUHK1 vehicle. Meanwhile, headstrong and impulsive in the most naive manner, Chung Lap Man decides to take matters into his own hands and becomes a one-man team on his quest to undermine the underground drug society.
On the dark side we have a mixture of undaunted "big brothers" and fledgling gangsters galore. Brother Tin, then the leader of the pack, was married to Big Sister Sum(Kathy Chow). Fresh from his release from ten years of prison in Taiwan is Hau Gor(Michael Miu Kiu Wai), vindictive and scheming. It was Brother Tin's deceit a decade prior that had yielded his sentence. Hau Gor re-enters the underground forces with nothing short of perfidious intentions. Driven by vengeance, Hau Gor keeps Brother Tin close by pretending to be his trustworthy friend.
It is this very gang that Chung Lap Man joins once Hu Sir (Dominic Lam) enlists him as an undercover. In order to be successful, Lap Man severs all ties with his previous friends and classmates from the police academy, including his good friend Lee Pak Kiu. The rift that grows between Lap Man and his former comrades enables him to grow closer to the dark side. He is placed under the tutelage of Laughing Gor(Michael Tse). Time unveils the true identity of Laughing Gor, proving that nothing is ever what it seems to be, and that life(and people, for that) isn't usually interpreted with respect to black and white.

Most noticeable in this series is the pair of veteran actors, Michael Miu Kiu Wai and Kathy Chow. Quite contrary to expectations, the character that managed to steal the show was neither of these two. Instead, slowly but surely, it was Michael Tse's Laughing Gor that won the audience over. His death scene also brought out a breakthrough performance from Ron Ng. It is this very series that spawned the widespread hype regarding Laughing Gor. Considering the fact that Laughing Gor is merely a character TVB made up for this series, it might seem, at least, slightly illogical that people would react so strongly to his death and even go as far as protest it. It might be the rareness of undercover cops in TVB series. The essence of Laughing Gor is undeniably rare. Add that to the viciousness of triads, and you've got a swarm of people supporting him, because there is rarely a modern hero like this.
Sure, you've got cops stepping into their traditional niches to arrest "the bad guys." But now the curtains have unveiled a different kind of cop.
Face it, when you're an undercover, you are vulnerable to the bullets of BOTH SIDES. The officer in charge of you does not reveal to anyone that you are his spy -- and certainly not anyone who's in the police department. (As you know, Lee Pak Kiu shot Laughing Gor.... technically at the time, to death, because he thought Laughing Gor was just another triad punk) Needless to say, if your fellow triads find out what you are, you're finished as well.
Undercover cops have to sever all their ties to start anew on the dark side, where they're likely subject to all sorts of dangers (and not just limited to the physical realm). If they're not mentally prepared to witness the most controversial methods of torture, that's already one way to have fallen.
People merely gave Laughing Gor a lot of credit for his sacrifice. Maybe they went a little overboard, but you still have to admit he's not the regular two-dimensional hero you'd find on the side of the road.

Overall rating : 91%

Men don't cry

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:24:54 -0600

Men don't cry

synopsis: With the support of the head of the Police Authority, Guangzhou’s top villain Ho Kei-Kin (Dayo Wong) has been riding roughshod over everyone around him. He is so manipulative that he has explored every possible means in his fight for a house with the buck-toothed owner Ling Yuk Tsui (Cecilia Yip).

However, he was originally a kind-hearted person. His change of heart was due to him being mistreated by his father back when he was a child. His father once nailed him inside the coffin, which led to his fear of being trapped in the dark. When he grew up, his father left the town with one of his many mistresses and her son. When Kin went to confront his father, the father retorts and says that Kin wasn't really his biological son, saying that some stranger is his father. His father also said that he glad to have a son who is more skilled than him and that Kin is nothing but a weakling to him. After that, he left by boat. Angry by this, Kin cursed at his father, his mistress and their son, saying that they won't live to regret this. When he tried to redeem himself by fighting the town's crimelord, he was defeated by not only the crimelord but also the townspeople. Fed up with the town, he causes chaos to the town by wrecking and burning some stalls. As the crimelord and the townspeople were about to subdue him, one of his henchman told him that the boat that carried Kin's father exploded and that everyone on that boat died, including his father, his mistress and his son. Kin said that he was happy that happened because they had insulted him and that his prophecy of them not living to regret it had come true. He also declares that he won't go by his given name. He will only go by the nickname Gan Yan-Kin (Bully Kin). He decided that to get through life, he must treat others really badly as they have treated him.

Tsui is happy to have met the upright and honorable Wong Fei-Hung (Dominic Lam). Interested in stirring up trouble, Kin tries to recruit more students for his kung-fu school by portraying himself as the hero who has defeated one of the Ten Tigers of Guangdong Wong Kei-Ying. For the sake of fairness, Hung is resolved to have a contest with Kin. Unfortunately, Kin manages to make Hung give in with the help of the ancestral tablet of his late father. Thinking that he is a hopeless coward, Tsui decides to break off her engagement to Hung. Kin quickly grabs the chance and begins to woo Tsui. Tsui agrees to transfer her house to Kin after much persuasion from him. Kin shows his true colors as soon as he has secured the property. Tsui is left homeless and has to put up at Po Chi Lam, the martial arts club/medicine shop set up by Hung. Kin has lost his power and soon becomes an object of contempt and hatred. With nowhere else to go, he decides to turn to Hung and asks to be his apprentice. Hung has tried his best to bring out the human side of Kin, for which he has received a lot of criticism from others. Despite Hung’s support, Kin does not repent and behaves even worse than before, leaving Po Chi Lam in a state of total chaos…

Kin's plan was unveiled when Wong Fei Hung tried to win the 3rd lion dancing competition, where Wong Fei Hung realized he had drank the soup with five stone powder (a form of ancient narcotic) added by Kin. Kin offered the choice of soup or lose the competition. Wong Fei Hung won the contest without the soup, but Wong did not tell others about the incident. Disillusioned by Wong's unusual integrity, Kin decided to live up to Wong Fei Hung's reputation.

After the arrests of gang leader Chiu Man Ting and officer Fong Tin Yuen, Wong Fei Hung began to lose his vision as a result of the drugs. Wong Fei Hung appointed Kin to run Po Chi Lam, despite objections by others. Despite Kin's attempts to help his fellow fighters, they ended up making things worse. Former associate Kam Chin-Pao mistaken believed Kin became Po Chi Lam leader was a plan to take over the street as gang leader, so Kam Chin-Pao started started a gang of his own( wikipedia)

Cast:
Dayo Wong as Evil Kin
Cecilia Yip as Ling Yuk Tsui (buck teeth woman)
Dominic Lam as master Wong Fei Hung
Vivien Yeo as Ling Yuk Tsui's younger sister
Alex Lam Evil kin's assistant
Charmaine Li as Jenny
Wu Fung as Wong Fei Hung's uncle

Comments on series: I think it was the funniest series I have even seen in my entire life because of Evil Kin's evil but amusing pranks. And also his hatred for Ling Yuk Tsui because of her buck teeth.
Sometimes he will do the unthinkable and even use friends and loved ones to complete his tasks but in the end he finally turns into a good guy and learns to respect other.
This series has a lot of twists and turns and things you wouldn't think would happen.
I wouldn't have guessed that his ''father'' would be one of the people he hated the most.
Most episodes are funny and dramatic.
I am upset that Ling Yuk Tsui loses her buck teeth at around episode 11.
All in all this is the funniest series ever.
This is indeed a laugh out loud comedy.

Rating: 95%

New Police Story (新警察故事)

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:06:52 -0500

# Jackie Chan as Inspector Chan Kwok Wing
# Nicholas Tse as Frank Cheng
# Charlie Yeung as Ho Yee Sun
# Daniel Wu as Joe Kwan
# Charlene Choi as Sa Sa
# Dave Wong as Sam / Wong Sum

Just grabbed that off Wikipedia

This is New Police Story. Not Old Police Story, it's new!
The basic plot is that a year ago, Inspector Chan, Jackie Chan, lead his crew on a mission to search for Daniel Wu and his gang but all of them ended up dead... except him. Afterwards he was unable to forgive himself for what he had held himself responsible for and gives up on himself and his relationships. In present day, Frank, Nicholas Tse, gets Inspector Chan back on his feet to find that gang once again and send them to jail once and for all.

The few twists are that Joe, Daniel Wu, is actually the son of a leading cop as well. Also, Frank is not an actual police officer, he only poses as one.

This movie is filled with a ton of action. It's Jackie Chan! A lot of fight scenes which are really good and animated. They use the setting and props to make it so intense. The plot is very unique to Hong Kong movies. The gang uses technology to sabotage Inspector Chan as well as twists and turns along the way. Inspector Chan's girlfridn, Ho Yee, played by Charlie Yeung, stays by his side the whole time, but in an accident she becomes injured and severely embarrassed of her appearance.

As for the cast, all of them did amazing. Jackie Chan did really good as someone left in depression, and Nicholas Tse was amazing as a mysteriously helpful outsider. Daniel Wu's accent makes me swoon, and his English bits make him a lot more daring. Charlene Choi had a super minor role, but was credited to being one of the leads which I thought was weird. All in all the cast was great.

The special effects used were good too. Just how they used the green screen effects and computers is stunning and gives a more advanced look.

The most important part is the action! The fight scenes were great. If you watch this, look out for any time they slide down the side of the building, that's absolutely insane. And when they ride the bus and crash everything, that's also really cool.

I would say, you can't miss out on this Jackie Chan movie. It has a great young cast and its one of my favourite Hong Kong movies!

Last thing! If you watch this, watch til the end where they have bloopers and stuff. They show how it all is filmed and stunts and etc!

Diary Of A Big Man

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:49:40 -0600

DIARY OF A BIG MAN - reviewed by Phil Wyatt

Starring: CHOW YUN FAT, JOEY WONG, SALLY YEH
Directed by: Chor Yuen

CHOW YUN FAT - a cinematic icon. Many people would tell you his best movie 'The Killer', 'A Better Tomorrow', 'Hard Boiled', 'All About Ah-Long'... For me, it would have to be this quirky comedy from the late 80's 'Diary Of A Big Man' - it shows Chow at his finest.

Chow Yun Fat plays Chow Ting Fat(!), a stockbroker who meets the love of his life (Joey Wong) one rainy night. Then five minutes later he meets the other love of his life (Sally Yeh). Chow is torn between them, who should he choose? Infact he ends up marrying both!

And so begins this crazy movie about Chow trying to keep both his seperate wives happy and both his seperate lives apart. Of course, this kind of film would not work if it all went smoothly, and disaster soon strikes when both the ladies become friends with each other!

All the leads perform well, but Chow truly excels in this hilarious move. You even feel sympathy for the adulterous toad! And that's saying something regarding the subject matter.

This was the first Hong Kong movie I watched that had me howling with laughter, after being bred on action movies and martial arts flicks It made a refreshing change. All the humour is spot on and always strikes the funny bone. Just when you think it cannot get funnier, Chow and Co burst into song! The song itself ('Very Nice') went on to do quite well in the Hong Kong pop charts!

So yes you must see this movie if you enjoy a good comedy, and want to see another side of Chow Yun Fat.

My Final Rating 90%

Devil's Disciples

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:28:05 -0500

This is an drama taking place in the "ancient" times. The beginning of the drama was very mysterious. I wanted to find out about the characters but towards the end it begins to get predictable. This drama also has a humorous side. It's not an all out serious ancient drama. The kung-fu scenes were not impressive though (it was technologically enhanced).

If you are a Bosco Wong or Kevin Cheng fan...you will enjoy it.

opps...I think I must have started this in the wrong section then...but since I already started it...

Devil's Disciples

Cast:
Bosco Wong
Kevin Cheng
Bernice Liu
Sharon Chan
Shirley Yeung
Wayne Lai
Eddy Ko
Patricia Liu
Johnson Lee
Chan Hoi Yee
Lee Kwok Lun

Micheal Mui (Cameo)
Anne Heung (Cameo)

Summary:

"Good and Evil cannot exist in harmony"

The story begins with "Flying Star" and "Lonely Moon" (Anne Heung and Michael Mui) preparing to give their infant twins to two Condors to bring their children to safety. Flying Star and Lonely Moon were the leaders of "Blood Shadow Clan" and were battling "Saint Sword Clan" leader , "Buck Tong Owe". Althought Buck Tong Owe was consider to be a part of an honorable clan, he use dishonorable tactics to defeat "Flying star" and "lonely moon". And so defeating the "evil" clan...Buck Tong Owe becomes the leader of eight great sects (leader among leaders).

20 years later, we see Bosco Wong "Sing Fung" (one of the twins) was adopted by a poor woman has grown up and works as a street performer. This is when he gets discovered by his sensei "Dong Fong Mo Ngai" (Wayne Lai) and helps "Sing Fung" get into "Saint Sword Clan". Here "Sing Fung" meets Kevin "King Liu" and they become friends. Although the naive "Sing Fung" wanted to get into Saint Sword Clan because it is honorable, Wayne has his own motive for helping Sing Fung get into Saint Sword. Wayne wants to find out more about the secrets of kung-fu method "7 stars array". King Liu motive for getting into Saint Sword was to find his long lost mother.

On the other side, a girl by an assumed name of "Mok Man" is now the leader of "Blood Shadow". Her only goal in life is to seek revenge by killing Buck Tong Owe for killing her parents, "flying star and lonely moon". She had sacrificed herself in learning dark martial arts and is in constant pain. The only thing that can temporarily release her of pain is a song "po sing ..." played by a lady under captive by Buck Tong Owe, who turns out to be King Liu's mother....

While King Liu continues to search for his mother with a magical rock, he is lead to Mok Man...

Sing Fung and Ji Long (Bernice Liu - Buck Tong Owe's daughter) begins to fall in love....

Watch the drama to find out what happens.....

Battle of the Wits

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:08:08 -0500

here's a synopsis from H.K. Cinemagic (http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=8668)

In 370 B.C, China was separated as seven nations and several other small tribes, one of these being the city state of Liang. The nation of Zhao is led by the terrifying prime commander Xiang Yangzhong who orders his troops to launch an attack on Liang in a bid to conquer the small city.

Leaping to the defence of the cowed people of Liang is a warrior who goes by the name of ‘Ge Li’ from the Mo-Tsu tribe, renowned for its defensive skills. He is their last hope as the terrors of Yangzhong’s troops are unleashed. The future of Liang now hangs in the balance, with all their hopes pinned on the mysterious Mo-Tsu warrior Ge Li…

My Review:

i personally thought that this was a pretty good movie to watch. i feel that this movie has a lot of meaning to it. it shows that brains overcomes brawn's. no matter how many troops one side has over another, they are no match for those who have the knowledge of strategy. this movie also shows true loyalty between ge li and those who support him. the ending was ok. i wish it didn't end the way it did. all i have to say is that the king is so stupid.

if you like andy lau and movies on war and strategy, you should watch this. it's a really good movie that kept me interested.

Marriage With A Fool

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:58:40 -0600

Cast

Alex Fong - - Ah Wah
Stephy Tang - - Ah Bo
Pace Wu - - Josephine

Alex Fong - - Mediocre acting done here, first time as lead and it was alright. Could have been better but it was alright. Some overreacting done here and there, but at least he looked good throughout it

Stephy Tang - - Not such a good job here, it was really bad acting, she seemed really evil at some parts. But props to her as a first time lead actress.

Pace Wu - - She spoke Cantonese weirdly since Mandarin is her main language so at some parts it was hard to understand. But her acting was okay.

Synopsis

Ah Wah and Ah Bo are newly weds, and since they got married at a young age, many fights occur within minutes of getting married. More so, a third person, Josephine, comes into their love life, and soon drags Ah Wah away from his wife. Ah Bo assumes Ah Wah is sleeping with Josephine, even though he isn’t, but because of all her assumptions, Ah Wah leaves to find Josephine and clear the air. Josephine admits that she does like him, and then Ah Wah and Josephine sleep together.

My Opinion on Story Line

The storyline is very overused, but the way they showed it made it seem like a whole different plot. Having the third person in their relationship is one who is a much older woman made the storyline better than it seemed. It gets more interesting when Ah Bo finds a guy for herself and they start going at each other with jealousy. The storyline could have had more twists and turns for a better movie, but the simplicity of the movie is appreciated.

Length

This movie was perfect in length. Ran a bit slow at the end, but not so slow that you wondered why the second hand stopped. It was probably a good length, any longer would have been a drag, and any shorter would have caused the movie to be a rush.

Entertaining?

Alex Fong caught my eye for this movie once again, and I watched this movie with low expectations since it was the first time Alex and Stephy would have leading roles, but after watching it, it exceeded my expectations. It had funny bits, and sort of rushed parts, and it was all round alright. Not a movie that you should be dieing to see, but one that’s a good chick flick or a romantic comedy type thing. They stayed on topic, and very rarely did they do something that was out of context, which is the thing I hate most about movies.

The Music

Kary Ng – My Love For You Has Turned To Hate
Stephy Tang – He Doesn’t Let Me Cry
Stephy Tang ft. Alex Fong – Perfect Love

The music chosen for this movie was very well chosen. The main theme song sung by Kary Ng totally fit the movie in my opinion. Though she was probably chosen to sing the theme just because she and Kary were both part of the same band, the song really fits. The second song by Stephy was played once when Stephy is crying on the streets and the music went well with the scene as well. But for the duet, it was kind of shoved in there since the song only ran for a couple of seconds or so. Though it fit the scene as well, it was used too abruptly.

Conclusion

I recommend this to firstly, fans of the cast because it will make you like them more. But then I also recommend this for people who like romantic comedies and chick flick type thing. It may or may not make you cry, I cried the first time I watched it, but that was it, after it kinda of died down. I would watch this again and again, but each time it gets a bit slower.

Last Say…

Overall, watchable. Especially if you want to watch the makeout scene between Alex and Stephy and then cringe when Alex and Pace Wu kiss -_-;

hong kong dramas

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 21:09:56 -0600

a bit curious how come no reviews about hk dramas? did i get to the wrong forum or what? anyway, been watching this hk drama name " the brink of law" by ron ng and steven ma. quite a nice show, worth watching.

The Shopaholics

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:37:17 -0600

CAST

Cecilia Cheung : Fong Fong-Fong
Lau Ching-Wan : Choosey Lee
Ella Koon : Ding Dong-Dong
Jordan Chan : Richie Ho

SYNOPSIS

Fong-Fong was abandoned when she was a child in a department store, and a night mall cop had found her in the store and used her walkie talkie to tell the head office the location of the baby by naming the brands around. Just like that, Fong-Fong grew up to be a shopaholic. She meets with Choosey Lee, a therapist who tries to help Fong-Fong with her addiction. But the doctor himself has a problem, he can never make a decision. Soon he falls in love with Fong-Fong. In comes Richie Ho, a rich man who spends a large amount of money but then will regret his purchases. He meets Fong-Fong when fighting for a cabinet and he falls in love with her as well. Choosey’s ex-girlfriend, Ding Dong-Dong has a problem as well. She’s very cheap and she still loves Choosey. But then she finds that she starts liking Richie as well.

STORYLINE

Funny concept overall. When looking at the blurb on the back of the DVD, I was hesitant to buy it but it came out better than I thought it would. There are many useless and pointless parts but overall the story gives what you want if it’s mindless laughter.

LENGTH

Good length, dragged on a little at the end, but then it sort of sped up at the very end.

ENTERTAINING

I watched this with my mom, and I thought it was highly entertaining, whereas she found it very just confusing. Like I said, some parts are just pointless, and if you like pointless exaggerated stories, this is the movie for you.

MUSIC

Nothing too memorable

LAST SAY…

I think its worthy of watching, but if you like deeper storylines, than this isn’t the movie for you. The love square is very funny to watch, and I think it’s a good movie to watch and just laugh at!

Love @ First Note

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:56:27 -0600

Cast

Justin Lo : Ah Kei
Kary Ng : Kristy
Alex Fong : Tony
Tats Lau : Lobo

Synopsis

Kristy works in a record store that sells old records. Wealthy Tony, an aspiring singer, frequently visits the store to buy Barry Manilow records, and soon Kristy starts liking him but she knows that she isn’t on the same social rank to go out with him. Her best friend, Ah Kei, writes lyrics for local bands to play during competitions and he hides his own talented singing skills. The three soon become friends and form their own band to enter a battle of the bands. With Lobo as their manager they soon create a top notch band to play in the competition.

My Opinion on Story Line

The storyline seems okay, but the movie drifts apart from the plot very often. I had downloaded the OST first, and it contained various songs from the three lead singer’s newest albums. But the movie basically consisted of 12 songs. The movie was an hour and a half, and the songs took up roughly an hour of the whole movie. The actors sang some of the songs, while other songs were used as background music.

Length

Though this movie was only an hour and a half, it seemed like three hours for me. At times the movie went by really slowly.

Entertaining?

The movie caught my eye because of, firstly Alex Fong, but also because the story was supposed to be about a teenage battle of the bands, but very little was about that. Props to Justin and Kary who made their debut as the lead male and female, but both their acting was usually over exaggerated. Amateur actor Alex Fong actually had the best acting, but his role was very small in the movie itself. The romance that was supposed to occur in the movie didn’t really occur, and the most entertaining parts were the parts that didn’t affect the storyline or plot at all.

The Music

Alex Fong – Double Fantasy
Kary Ng – Motto
Justin Lo – Love Song
Edmond Leung – Romantic
Alex Fong, Kary Ng, Justin Lo – We’re Gonna Rock
Justin Lo – Fired Up
Ping Pung – Combat
Justin Lo – Battle Against the Rich Kid
Kary Ng – Intentional Act
Justin Lo – Kong
Kary Ng – Every Word Says I Love You
Justin Lo – Dream Away

Conclusion
I do recommend this movie to fans of any of the singers who act in this movie, because you will get to hear them sing numerous amounts of times. But for those of you who hate plots that sort of go in circles and movies without a climax, don’t watch this. Music lovers = recommend. Run on Plot Haters = Don’t Recommend.

Last Say…

The thing that bothered me most about this movie was the fact that they put an ad (that’s right AN AD!!) into the movie, and not one about a soft drink where someone constantly holds a can of Coca Cola, but an ad for the up and coming movie starring Ronald Cheng. They literally said “Ronald Cheng’s movie (insert movie title) is opening on the (insert date here) want to go see it?”

Official Site: Love @ First Note

Confession Of Pain

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 01:36:19 -0600

Synopsis:

In a city of love and prosperity, a city of lost hope and premature death, veteran detective Hei (TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI) feels it all: the hurt, the helplessness, the horror. When his father-in-law, the billionaire benefactor Chau, is gruesomely murdered in his palatial mansion, he enlists the assistance of his former partner turned private detective, Bong (TAKESHI KANESHIRO).

On the surface, the murder smacks of a vendetta that has taken a lifetime to fulfill. But no sooner has Bong agreed to crack the case with Hei than he realizes nothing is what it appears to be. Undoubtedly, they are after a monster in a perfect crime: every detail was meticulously orchestrated, every motive conveniently justifiable, and every culprit and potential witness mysteriously eliminated.

But Bong has his own demon to fight. Ever since the suicide of his pregnant girlfriend, he has lost his joie de vivre, even though he still retains the finest instincts of a man hunter. As he digs deeper and deeper into the case, all evidence seems to point to Chau’s daughter and Hei’s hysterical wife, Susan. But then the killer ups the ante by murdering Susan as well. Bong starts grappling with the suspicion that the man they hunt is someone very close to them, someone on the verge of a total breakdown.

Like lost souls in a city of fallen angels, the cop, the private detective, and the killer are doing what they must. Every step of their journey takes them closer and closer to one another, until a shocking denouement in which no stone is left unturned and no one can escape unscathed.

Commentary:
However, at the start of the movie, the director chose to reveal who the murderer is ( which is a kind of spoiler) and the entire movie goes on to tell about the deep heartbroken feelings of the two leading actors.

Though the movie is shot in a similar feel as infernal affairs, the two leading actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung added limelight to the movie. Furthermore, the background music and theme song enhanced the emotion feelings of the characters.

In all, Confession Of Pain can be said to be one of the best HK productions in 2006 with the stylish and competent look at the sad stories lying behind the two main actors..

Rob-B-Hood

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:49:54 -0600

Comment:

I thought this movie was really funny. Jackie Chan and Louis Koo are good as partners too. ::Good Chemistry:: to make it comedic ^^....the only part I hated about the movie was the ending were the guy goes crazy after finding out that baby Matthew wasn't his son's boy =P but the end did make me tear a bit....it was so sad at the part baby matthew was calling for them.....but overall I love love loved this movie

Starrs:

Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Michael Hui, Charlene Choi, Chen Baoguo, Gao Yuanyuan, Yuen Biao, Teresa Carpio, Ken Low, Hiro, Terrence Yin, Conroy Chan, Andrew Lin, Cherrie Ying, Ken Wong, and 'Matthew' as The Baby

Synopsis:

The film is an action comedy about three robbers who kidnap a baby. For this film, Chan wanted to play a full-fledged villain, but Chinese censors rejected the original script. So, In the movie, Chan portrays a gambling addict who kidnaps the grandson of a tycoon for ransom, but ends up as a hero trying to protect the child from the mob.

The film follows a group of thieves made up of Thongs (Chan), Octopus (Louis Koo), and Landlord (Michael Hui). They steal for different reasons. Thongs is a compulsive gambler who faces debt collectors at his door. Octopus spends his fortunes to court a rich girl. Landlord does not spend his loot, but saves all of it and keeps it in a safe in his house. After Landlord's house was broke into and all his savings stolen, he was desperate to regain his fortune and accepted a job offer that will pay him in huge sums. At the same time Thongs and Octopus were both in desperate need of money again, and they went for the job without knowing the details. Only after breaking in did they know that Landlord was asked to steal a baby, and return it to the baby's alleged grandfather, who is also the head of a Triad. When they were on the way to hand over the baby, they ran through a police road block, resulting in a car crash. Landlord was hospitalized and kept in police custody because of the accident, while Thongs and Octopus was forced to take care of the baby, deciding that it will be best to hold on to their prize before the Landlord is released. They faced challenges from all fronts, including the Triads, Thongs' creditors, Octopus wife and of course, the baby they've stolen.

To Grow with Love

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:14:56 -0600

Comment:

Thought this Drama was pretty good Myolie had to gain like 42 pounds to do this drama then lost it later ^^. The storyline of this reminded me of kinda like "Please Save the Last Dance for Me" and Yep definitely "My Lovely Sam Soon". The only part I didn't really like about the movie was how later Andy was the ending I thought it was going to be really good but the way it ended was like "oh thats it?" I thought it was going to be more romantic/funny. But overall I liked the drama

...o'z gotta say also when she exercised and saw herself skinny she was really pretty but also true as some say that she looked really cute big. Plus I think I read that she won best actress award for playing this role or else was nominated...but not really sure....But I think she definitely should win a award for this role.

To Grow with Love

Actors/Actresses:

Myolie Wu 胡杏兒 as Tina Ho 何美田 (AKA: 肥田
Andy Hui 許志安 as Daniel Dai 戴喜
Claire Yiu 姚嘉妮 as Rachel Sung 宋曼頤
Selena Li 李詩韻 as Kwok Bo Lok 郭寶樂
Jack Wu 胡諾言 as 林冠希
Gigi Wong 黃淑儀 as 楊秀蘭
Eddie Kwan 關禮傑 as 蔣一鳴
Natalie Wong 黃紀瑩 as Carmen Lau 劉嘉敏
Chi Kwong Chiang 蔣志光 as Albert Dai 戴富
Matthew Ko 高鈞賢 as Matthew Chiang 蔣文俊 <~ He was named recently MR.Hong Kong ^^

Synopsis:

Tina Ho is an overweight woman who is determined to find the person who is right for her. Her father is always finding men from all over the place and trying to get her married. Tina wants to find someone who thinks the same way she does and whom she can communicate with. She flees to Hong Kong to get away from her frustrating father. There, she meets up with her cousin, Kwok Bo Lok. Lok is a player when is comes to relationships. She is very pretty and has many boyfriends. She says she wants to marry by the age of 25 and the man she is to marry has to be rich.

Tina meets a fashion designer named Daniel. She gives him a nickname as "Dai Sei Hei". She works for his company D-Day but her designs are horrible. At first Daniel hates Tina, but he learns to accept her a little bit after seeing how much she has to struggle in Hong Kong. She has helped him quite a bit also. So Daniel is really nice to her, because he feels guilty about wanting to fire her. However, when Tina uses him to trick her father, he gets very angry. Tina claims Daniel as her boyfriend so she wouldn't have to marry. Daniel's girlfriend, Rachel, finds out and takes it the wrong way. However, Daniel fires Tina and insults her harshly, then tells Rachel that he has nothing to do with her. Tina is very upset and goes back home in The Philippines.

When Rachel goes to Philippines for a business trip. Daniel wants to give her a surprise and goes to visit her. He goes to a jewelry shop to buy a Rachel a present when he meets Tina's finacé. While talking, they both get hit by a car. Tina's fiancé falls into a coma, while Daniel loses his memory. Tina decides to use this to her advantage and get revenge on Daniel for all the awful things he has done to her. First, she decides to fatten him up (because she knows how much he hates fat people), and then makes him fall in love with her. She plan break up with him and break his heart. However, Tina found herself falling for him too!

Tina ends up deciding to give him back to Rachel explaining what happened. But Daniel regained his memory by himself and when he found Rachel, Tina was insulted yet once again and was left heartbroken. Daniel, who was on the plane back to Hong Kong with Rachel, suddenly remembers all the things that Tina did with him and the time they spent together. But will he go back to her? Or stay with Rachel?

2046

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:54:29 -0600

Looks like I'm the first to post an HK review, so what better film to start off with than...

2046 (2004)

Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Writer: Wong Kar-Wai
Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
Score: Shigeru Umebayashi
Editor: William Chang
Production Design/Art Direction/Costumes: William Chang
Principal Cast: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Takuya Kimura, Faye Wong, Dong Jie, Carina Lau, Chen Chang, Maggie Cheung

Summary
He was a writer. He thought he wrote about the future but it really was the past. In his novel, a mysterious train left for 2046 every once in a while. Everyone who went there had the same intention.....to recapture their lost memories. It was said that in 2046, nothing ever changed. Nobody knew for sure if it was true, because nobody who went there had ever come back- except for one. He was there. He chose to leave. He wanted to change.

Review
Cinema legend Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 is a masterpiece. A "sequel" to his 2000 film In the Mood For Love, 2046 follows Chow (Tony Leung) after the end of his love affair with Su (Maggie Cheung) and repurcussions their affair has on his life. Like most of WKW's films, the pacing is very deliberate and the underlying messages are obtuse. While many try to immitate his style, few succeed in delivering such complete visions even approaching WKW's films. Though the story and themes can be a little confusing on the first viewing, 2046 is always enthralling. Christopher Doyle equals if not exceeds his career-best work on Zhang Yimou's Hero . Every single frame in this film is a portrait. From the dark alleys of China, the busy clubs and eateries, the lonley apartments, and the amazing future sets this film is a work of cinematic art. Shigeru Umebayashi follows up his great work on House of Flying Daggers with a haunting score.

The performances are all great, no surprise in a WKW film. Tony Leung is always enigmatic, but here he's able to play the same character he played in the previous film but evolves him into an almost entirely different character. Chow has fundamentally changed from his previous self and the layers to Leung's performance are masterful. Zhang Ziyi is great as one of his many lovers, as is Gong Li and Carina Lau. Faye Wong's is the performance to savor in this film as she plays two distinctly different characters and is absolutely perfect. It's unfortunate that she rarely acts as she is a famous singer but there is no doubt she is a gifted natural actress. Takuya Kimura, who is a venerable god in Japan as a j-dorama and music idol, redifines himself with his duel turn in as Faye's boyfriend and Tony's literary alter-ego. His performance in the future scenes are his best work period. Every aspect of 2046 is great...a MUST SE