The Viral Factor (2012) @ 逆战

How come Liu Kai Chi always plays a crippled loser?

At a glance:

Dante Lam continues to make ambitious but underwhelmin movies while cuttin corners and keepin the Chinese action-junkies placated for the Dragon New Year. Hazmat hocus-pocus, RNA mumbo-jumbo, Nicholas Tse jumpin off KTM buildin, Jay Chou dodgin RPGs in Jordan, joke policemen runnin around KL Sentral speakin textbook full Malay with Chinese accents, CGI explosions whenever possible, emo downtime whenever possible, everyone speakin to each other in five different languages. Yeah, that sorta thing. 

Bad news on the doorstep:

All of the above. And oh, Jay Chou's two-tone face of stone.

Gay Chou in army gear.

Perennial wonderment:

How many movies have you seen Liu Kai Chi play a crippled loser? And oh, how many of you know about Carl Ng, the Eurasian model-actor who has appeared in so many different kinds of Hollywood, European and Hong Kong films throughout his colourful career?

Reminds me of:

Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh doin that helicopter and bike scene in KL for Police Story 3: Supercop (1992).

I can't remember if I cried:

When I giggled too hard as me mate Bob asked me in the cinema, how does a curly long blonde Nicholas Tse sneak in and out of so many police stations in KL unnoticed, wearin a fluorescent Hawaiian shirt?

Most memorable line:

Chopper 1, please follow Chopper 2 and Chopper 3 because we have lost contact with Chopper 4. Or somethin like that. Hilarious. The height of Malaysian police tactical radio communication.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Two stars, one for each hour of toilin. US$ 17mil of Albert Yeung money flushed down the annals of meaningful cinema. Jackie Chan, please come back. Dante Lam, please revisit Beast Stalker (2008) and Stool Pigeon (2010).

Trailer for the curious:

72 Tenants Of Prosperity (2010) @ 72 家租客

At a glance:
Referencing the Shaw Bros 1973 classic The House Of 72 Tenants, the decidedly crowded 72 Tenants Of Prosperity is a colourful (though not necessarily nutritious) addition to the Chinese New Year movie calendar which will invariably draw laughs among all followers of Hong Kong TV and cinema, especially those with a history of TVB fandom. There's like 180 known actors in it! In this 2010 reupdate, the paedophile politicians and brothel owners are missin and they've been replaced by fish ball noodle hawkers and manga sellers. We get intermittent flashbacks to 70s HK where the events of Sai Yeung Choi Street originally took place: 72 tenants who battled greedy landlords, with a love triangle that gave rise to a family feud. In the present day, the feud continues with the same triangle still festering but now it's a full-on Romeo and Juliet adventure as the next generation start to commit inter-family relationships of their own.
I can't remember if I cried:

When I read this cast list: Jacky Cheung, Eric Tsang, Anita Yuen, Lam Ka Tung, Charmaine Sheh, Fala Chen, Michael Tse, Bosco Wong, Linda Chung, Stephy Tang, Wong Cho Lam, Joyce Cheng, Lawrence Ng, Ron Ng, Kevin Cheng, Kenneth Ma, Kate Tsui. Kelly Chen, Sunny Chan, Joe Ma, Ben Wong, Natalie Tong, Leung Ka Ki, Timmy Hung, Joel Chan, Carina Lau, Alan Tam, Natalis Chan, Chin Siu Ho, Wayne Lai, Nancy Sit, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Sammy Leung, Dicky Cheung, Andy Hui, Tin Kai Man, Sam Lee, Ella Koon, Bernice Liu, Kayi Cheung, William So, Wu Fung, Louis Yuen, Raymond Lam, Justin Lo and Myolie Wu.
Watch out for:
Unlike similar projects with jarrin cameos, this one goes at it casual with a most light-hearted and non-committal approach. Story is funny in a giggly way and a truly inspired highlight is when Jacky Cheung and Wong Cho Lam do a play of Jackie's hit number.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Decent family fun. The film must also be credited with one of the most original and inoffensive way to execute the obligatory product placements. They un-apologetically sang our all the sponsor names to the tune of a traditional New Year tune while holding out title cards and liftin household appliances! Do tell the kids not to copy all the swearin. ★★★

All's Well End's Well 2009 (2009) @ 家有囍事 2009

At a glance:

At last, 2009 opens with a real Hong Kong Cantonese movie, to let us forget the blurrin borders of the Chinese movie industry, at least for a little while. The lucrative Chinese New Year season cannot find a worthier money-spinner than All's Well End's Well 2009 a.k.a. 家有囍事 2009, especially when old-timers like Sandra Ng and Raymond Wong are part of the effort. Effortlessly charming and enjoyably illogical, the movie is harks back to the old days of HK filmmakin when characters and actors were often one and the same.
Bad news on the doorstep:
There are no laugh-out-louds in this fourth instalment but there are plenty of giggles. The humour is built on character mannerisms and we can be happy about that, especially when it's the simple overused story on the unfeminine ball-breaker woman who gets played out by a playboy-for-hire only to find love somehow in the end. New mum Sandra Ng plays this ball-breaker, having long been synonymous with all non-traditional women roles in Hong Kong acting. It's always a joy to watch her just stand there and do whatever comes to her mind. However, Louis Koo's romantic roles have never been convincing and in this movie, he is found wanting. The chemistry between them is also forced, just like in the plot. Good thing Happy Ghost Raymond Wong enters the movie halfway to give us another male lead to look at. There's also a cameo for Charlene Choi to look out for but with the exception of Ronald Chen, the supporting characters could have done more if director Vincent Kok cooked up somethin better for their time.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Performances aside, there are many scenes referencin other movies (even Hollywood ones) and Sandra Ng's water-splashin sidewalk dance is rather amusin, not to mention a clever cover-up of who's who involving Sandra's boyfriend in front of her confused parents. The 'mou lei tau' from Stephen Chow's opener in 1992 seems very far away now, with this diverse but controlled humour we are asked to accept. It's like a complete package of 'safe' surprises. Well, let's hope it's going to be a good year then.★★★
Bonus material:

CJ7 (2008) @ 长江七号

"What do you mean it's voodoo, Miss? It's just a green alien!"

At a glance:

Most brand it as essential Chinese New Year viewin. Expectations for Stephen Chow Sing Chi’s CJ7 (2008) are high, not only because it’s been some time since Kung Fu Hustle (2004) but because the marketin strategy drivin the movie has been aggressive. The Hong Kong funnyman has gone from strength to strength since bein introduced to Western audiences. The resultin concern for fans of Chow is that he is now under undue pressure to deliver to those markets. Notice how Shaolin Soccer (2001) marked a departure into less dialogue-heavy filmmakin and Kung Fu Hustle was more style over substance. Older fans of Stephen Chow would know that this is certainly not his forte. It is his exaggerated absurdist humour and precise comic timin that make the man. In CJ7, Chow’s direction is no longer in doubt – he has abandoned the idiosyncratic Canto-specific comedy that brought down houses in movies like Justice, My Foot! (1992) and Flirting Scholar (1993). Look at that stupid green dog alien thing. Stephen Chow is now officially Hollywood savvy.

No money, again.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Reportedly made on a US$20 million budget that probably went mostly to the CG, the concept behind CJ7 is cut from the same cloth as movies such as E.T. (1982) and Free Willy (1993), while Chow still finds time to combine his trademark elements of cruel humiliation and impossible surprises. However, the celebrated exaggeration and deadpan expressions we have come to love about Chow are now very much gone. This is where the older generation of Chow’s fans will be severely disappointed. Special effects aside, the responsibility to carry CJ7 seems to rest purely on the small shoulders of the young girl actress (Xu Jiao, who plays Chow’s son) and the alien elements of the movie. She does an admirable job but sadly, her talent just about makes the highlight of the film. Other peripheral characters like Kitty Zhang's school teacher and that fat guy in Kung Fu Hustle hardly do anythin. Chow himself isn’t prominent in the film.

One day, I'll laugh again.

Reminds me of:

The time I brought me mates to TGV CapSquare, the only cinema in the Klang Valley that had tickets for it.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Seein Chow as the disciplinarian coolie father who puts his son in the best school while starvin on the construction site is interestin. However, the story is too short for any real message other than the bite-sized morality lectures. It comes off like a well-designed kiddie movie meant to appeal to as many people as possible across the world. So we’re left to make the best out of the experience. CJ7 will undeniably push Chow’s name on more foreign fronts. The rest of us, especially the older ones, will be left to rue the good old days when Stephen Chow and Ng Man Tat were still talkin to each other. ★★