Movies
Herman Yau's take on the lunar comedy. It's a peculiar type of film, a slice of extreme Hong Kong comedy featuring a slew of famous actors and plenty of notable cameos. It's not his first try either, but it is one of the better ones. This film is for Hong Kong veterans though, better stay away if you have no idea what these lunar comedies are about. The plot is little more than an excuse for the comedy, if you're looking for a riveting whodunit better tone down your expectations. A wealthy family is prepping a birthday party, when a cop calls and notifies them of a girl's suicide. Nobody admits any involvement, but it's clear that not everyone is telling the truth. An Inspector Calls is based on a film from the 50s, other than that I don't see any obvious link (and I have no clue why Yau wanted to remake this particular film). Koo is solid, Yau makes an effort to elevate the film, if ever so slightly, and there are a bunch of fun cameos. In the end, it's all about how resistant you are to this type of humor. I liked it quite a bit, but your mileage may vary.Read all
Herman Yau takes on the All's Well, Ends Well series. It's no doubt one of Hong Kong's most obtuse comedy franchises, and you need a manual (or a lot of cultural baggage) to make heads or tails of these films. There's also no good way to get acquainted with them, except tackle them head-on. Some familiarity with Hong Kong comedy is definitely appreciated though. There is a semblance of a plot here, but there is no reason to care too much about it. The plot is merely an excuse to introduce a slew of cameos and have some sketch-like fun. The story about a princess sent out to learn the tricks of the trade is completely inconsequential, so I'm not even going to bother with it any further. There are many notable cameos, the comedy is cheesy but varied, the effects aren't all that bad and the pacing is positively zany. Yau struggles a little with the project's commercial scope and relies a bit too heavily on his B-film past, but if you're looking for quality film making you won't find it here anyway. Silly but solid fun, like most of these films.Read all