Ka-Fai Wai

Ching Wan Lau commits fully to his character, the pacing is insane, the action over-the-top and explosive, and the cinematography is slick and atmospheric. There's a lot to like and love here, except if you prefer more grounded, serious police thrillers. It's nice to have Wai back and hopefully, this isn't just a one-off.

Yan works in a hospital where the doctors have lost all will to do a proper job. Yan isn't willing to simply accept defeat, and when an old colleague joins her crew she figures it is time to get the hospital care back on track. It won't be easy to get everyone excited about their work again, but Yan is determined to bring her mission to a good end.

The main trio (Jordan Chan, Ekin Cheng and Cecelia Chung) do a good job, the plot has plenty of quirky details and To adds the necessary flair. Help is a somewhat odd, atypical comedy that stands out among the other Hong Kong comedies, which is exactly what Hong Kong cinema needs from time to time. Not one of To's very best film, but fans looking for some lesser known To gems should definitely give this one a go.

Big isn't just very muscular, he can also see people's future. It's a very handy skill, certainly for the police corps. Yee, a police detective, makes good use of Big, and they work well together, until one day Big finds out Yee is going to die soon. Yee commits to finding the murderer of Big's best friend before she dies, Big will try to change Yee's fate in the meantime.

Andy Lau in a bodysuit is simply hilarious, the story is pretty wacky and To uses every visual trick he has to his disposal. The result is a somewhat messy film, but one that is not short of surprises. The only downside is the rather sentimental ending, which doesn't go well with the rest of the film. Worth a watch, but a bit too uneven for me.

Andy is addicted to mahjong, so much in fact that he broke off relations with his family. His luck changes when he meets Gigi, a young girl who seems to be increasing his chances of winning his games. The only problem is that Gigi is a very sore loser herself, whenever she doesn't win she throws a veritable temper tantrum.

The film features an all-star cast and puts quite a bit of focus on the mahjong games, but it's essentially just a very basic romcom. The cast is fine, there are some funny scenes and the pacing is solid, there just isn't enough here to make it a true To classic. Hardcore fans of his work (and his collaborations with Ka-Fai Wai) won't mind, I just wanted a little more.

The title should be pretty self-explanatory. When May becomes a widow, she discovers she can suddenly ... see ghosts with her left eye. The ghosts quickly catch on and bug May with requests. She isn't too interested in helping them, she only wants to find the soul of her deceased husband. For that, she seeks help from a shady psychic.

Sammi Cheng is always a pleasure, Lau is solid too, though you have to be able to stand a hefty bit of overacting. The mix of genres is fun (just don't expect any horror elements, this is basically a quirky romcom) and To's direction is on point, only nowhere near his best work. An amusing diversion for fans of To and Hong Kong comedy.

Mimi is a Hong Kong girl who lives in Japan. She has a relationship with a Japanese composer, who tells her he has to go to the US to pursue his career. They promise each other to meet up again a decade later, but Mimi is so heartbroken that she gains a bunch of weight. When the deadline draws close, she wants to lose the extra pounds, helping her is Fatso, another sizeable Hong Kong fella living in Tokyo.

If you can't stand fat jokes and a little body shaming, it should be obvious that you're better off avoiding this film. Apart from that, the comedy is pretty docile and the plot not too exceptional, though the star power attached to this project more than makes up for it. Not a To highlight, but decent fun regardless.

Mo-Yim is destined to marry the emperor, before her marriage, she frees a fairy from captivity. The fairy is grateful, but she also falls madly in love with the emperor. In order to stop the marriage, the fairy disfigures Mo-Yim, but she isn't willing to just give up on her destiny and she comes up with a plan to keep the marriage going.

The result is a court comedy with lots of ploys, misunderstandings and people dressing up as other people. The performances aren't that great and not all the jokes land, but the pacing is solid, and the chaos is pretty fun to watch. It's not one of To's better films, but as simple comedy filler there's enough to look forward to.

Wah and Kinki both work at the same company. At first, they can't really stand each other, but after a while, a fondness grows between them. Then Wah's ex suddenly turns up again, hoping to get Wah back. To makes things more complicated, she also tries to set up Kinki with another man. Wah is going to have to decide who he cares for the most.

It's still a relatively early To, which shows in the lesser polish. The cinematography isn't too great, the score a bit lazy. Performances are good though and with Ka-Fai writing the script there's a bit more intrigue than usual. It's perfectly fine filler, just not up there with the best of his films.

May is a skilled martial artist who wants to learn the "Heartbroken Sword" technique. Her master pushes her to go out into the world and experience heartbreak firsthand, for that May consults Tiger Hung. A womanizer she helped out before and should be the ideal person to help break May's heart.

The film wants to be a full-blown comedy, which is tricky since it's dealing with heartbreak. The two objectives don't go well together, the somewhat overstated performances don't really help the film either. Some decent action scenes make sure this isn't a complete disaster, but I wanted a lot more from Love for All Seasons. Somewhat of a letdown.