Movies
1:99 Shorts
Commissioned anthology that was made to lift the spirit of Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic. The who's who of Hong Kong cinema participated, but the result is a little uneven. Not too surprising considering the exterior motives behind this anthology, and there are a couple of worthwhile entries, but overall it's probably best to lower your expectations when watching this.
Hong Kong jumping on the schmaltz train. They've been trying this several times for the past decade, it's just that it's not really their strong suit. Echoes of the Rainbow tries hard, but in the end that only adds to the cringe. It's not a complete disaster and if you like films that chase retro-charm it's probably worth a shot, just don't expect too much. The film feels like a HK version of Always, Sunset on Third Street. People like Sandra Ng or Simon Yam aren't really fit for such sentiment though and while the film does feature a pleasant sepia glow, it gets quite kitsch. The same can be said about the plot, which goes all-in on sentiment in the second half. There are some decent moments here, it's just not enough for someone who prefers the future over the past.Read all