Alex Cheung (Danger Has Two Faces) logged an incredible and harrowing debut here with the 1979 production Cops And Robbers. Opening in a light hearted manner with kids playing the famed game that easily turns sour sets the stage for a story that completely corresponds with the English title of the film. Cheung, who also co-wrote, is clever in his execution of cop types (Wong Chung's character is the Dirty Harry of the force for instance) and gives the film not only a gritty look but a realistic view of police procedure. The job can include much laughter, humanism but coincidence changes moods and these cops are well-trained enough to snap into the correct one. Fans of Milkyway's movies should definitely get vibes of Patrick Yau's Expect The Unexpected.

As the sole robber remains on the lose, Cheung's social commentary about lack of faith in the law and cops in the eyes of the Hong Kong citizen gets injected, even cleverly so through the use of a Master Q comic strip. Cheung's points are well-made due to them never stopping the film dead to preach and it's equally powerful of him to insert his points through the often shocking violence. The film follows a formula for much of its running time but by favoring a portrayal of humanism and chance, the events take on extra tension and unpredictability. It's cinema at its very best and Cheung gives us answers we can identity with through the various performers pitch perfect embodying of their particular type. Biggest kudos goes out to Wong Chung's commanding presence, Cheung Kwok-Keung as the timid, rookie cop and last but not least, the triumph/misstep in Cheung's framework, Hui Bing-Sam. It's a misstep in a sense that the major nut job he plays goes overly cartoonish ways but at the same time overpowering all that is a superbly frightening aura brought out by Hui. Cops And Robbers may look and feel dirty for no apparent special reason but behind it is a smart storyteller who overcomes etched in stone conventions to deliver fresh and felt cinema. The film also stars Kam Hing Yin, Chan Chik-Waai, Phillip Chan and composer Teddy Robin appears briefly.

Knowing Kuei Chih-Hung's The Killer Snakes, it's no surprise his graphic murder mystery Corpse Mania strikes a high note visually. Not as demented as the title suggests, Kuei enlists cinematographer Li Hsin Yeh in order to realize his visions of colour, smoke and movement. Li responds and creates excellent atmosphere that will trigger the agreeable center of the brain with giallo and Dario Argento fans. Story-wise, the film lacks truly surprising twists but there's enough injected for the atmosphere to dominate. And it should. With Tanny Tien, Tso Tat Wah and as the intuitive detective of the piece, Wong Yung.

Celestial restored the film almost all the way through (an embarrassing lengthy freeze frame suggests laziness) and deemed it worthy of vcd only status only.

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As downbeat as you can imagine, Olivia Cheng plays psychologist Min , dedicated far too much towards her cases and little to her family (husband is played by Eddie Chan). Fortunately he is a loving father but circumstances surrounding Min's devotion results in the most harrowing event of all: the accidental death of their son. Burying herself in work, he instead snaps mentally...

Director Lee Siu-Wa likes being heavy handed and blatantly obvious in his ways, going from beat to beat without much inspiration. A fair bit of kudos goes to his unusual tac of showing a non-linear narrative at points but the twist is already established even without this device. Uneven overall, there are a fair few scenes of very disturbing violence and Eddie Chan shows memorable actor devotion in these scenes.

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Loletta Lee abandoned cuteness of the past via roles in among other things The Happy Ghost and Mr. Vampire Saga 4 for something way more adult. Or rather sleazy and steamy as she bared it all (or as much as the Category III rating would allow) in Crazy Love. A sizeable hit looking at the numbers and I'm sure she was a marketing tool too, there's no slow tease here. No, first scene is Lee in the shower so those typical Hong Kong moviegoers arriving 15 minutes late, tough luck! But there IS more folks. What follows is a series of barely and sometimes connected scenes having to do with Lee's Jane trying to figure out what type of love is right for her. A bit of a tease, a free spirit and prone to dishing out jealousy happily/irrationally, the various adventures around Hong Kong (instead of the UK trip she was supposed to be on) definitely holds potential in small ways as the notions put forth about love are valid, albeit rather simple-minded. But while the definition of love as a true union of emotions is a fine message, unfortunately it's buried in what barely defines itself as a structured film. Director Cheung's stock also is considerably lessened as he gives us stereotype after stereotype. Yes, Jane encounters rapists, flamboyant homosexuals, horny characters her age, horny characters not her age and punctuating some of these skits within the painless running time really gives no edge to Crazy Love. However Loletta is loving the camera and the camera is loving her. Sold! Tommy Wong, Shing Fui-On, Joh Chung, Terence Fok, Tin Ching and Poon Jan-Wai also appear.

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With close-up images reminiscent of The Silence Of The Lambs, the reveal is that Simon Yam is the one putting make-up and a wig on so this Category III ride gets off to an assuring start. He plays Fred, working at a security company at day and being a psychotic stalker at night. His eyes have fallen on popular reporter Kitty (Yvonne Yung - A Chinese Torture Chamber Story)...

With Yam prancing about his apartment surrounded by high-tech camera setups, mannequins, all while acting up a storm, it's definitely a rape-fantasy movie with equally humorous and disturbing touches blended together. There's nothing really inappropriately light on display. It's just giggle-inducing to see Yam go for it. As a tale, the film addresses real issues of fan devotion but that doesn't get in the way of a fair amount of grim behaviour from director Hon Wai Daat's chair. Including Yam posing as Yvonne's boyfriend at a costume party, practically making love while dancing and a highlight reel, grim murder during the finale. Capping it all off with the memorable subtitle: "You shot my dicky! You are that cruel!" and Crazy Love For You cements its status as a suitable mixture for its exploitation audience.

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KENNETH'S REVIEW: Melvin Wong and Liu Wai-Hung open the flick in period wear and by squaring off but what seems like odd fits for an olden age tale rings very true as proceedings switch to modern day expectedly. Here they are Golden Dragon and Black Lama, two rival private detectives and in the middle of a valuable pearl hunt that more people are after than just these two. Initially, some fun gadgets and gags appear but soon it degenerates into unintelligible wackiness that has no clever highlights. However for those that are interested, we do get jokes straight out of Airplane, a deceptive parrot, a dance fight set to the Wong Fei-Hung theme, boner jokes and a recurring bit where Liu Wai-Hung hammers his dopey assistant To Siu-Ming into the ground.

KENNETH'S REVIEW: Pairing up Nat Chan and Sylvia Chang romantically is a pretty crazy idea indeed and although the results are so minor it doesn't actually end up as anything, you've got an easy going vehicle ahead of you despite. Chan is a small time criminal thrown in jail by correction officer Ka Ka (Sylvia Chang) and through various chance meetings, the two in indeed an unlikely way start to bond. He's changing and she can change him. Cinema has a way of matching opposite types alright. Also experience the shenanigans of Chang's womanizing brother (Leslie Cheung), the usual offensive jokes directed towards homosexuals, a desperate prison break involving cross dressing, a kung-fu prison guard (Lee Hoi-Sang) and an insane traffic cop. With a Nat Chan never quite as annoying as he should be, here's furthermore reason why Crazy Romance has a tiny, tiny place....somewhere. Not quite sure where. Also with David Wu and Charlie Cho (also pining for Sylvia's love and is later assaulted by Nat Chan and gang in an fairly elaborate sequence of wackiness).

Somewhat of a true definition of how Hong Kong cinema strings together their movies on the spot. What Frankie Chan highlights early is a quick walk through of emotions for Danny Lee's character, culminating in the murder of his wife and baby. You should but probably won't realize this is very much an indication of what's to come. What becomes a not so distinctive buddy comedy with Danny Lee's cop getting aided by a prison informant (Eric Tsang), soon turns into an experience that is all over the map. A really destructive combo of not only comedy, so-so banter between the leads (Tsang is at his annoying worst), fairly brutal action but also extreme emotions of almost the disturbed kind (we're not that far from necrophilia in one of the dramatic "highlights") in a way is unashamedly entertaining. Never tugs at any heartstrings or possesses any care-factor, it's Hong Kong cinema of the era doing its "best" and Frankie Chan is hardly interested in any statements as a narrative director. If so, mission failed. The Criminal Hunter has its actual colours though despite disjointed content, most notably in quite an electrifying villainous performance by Dick Wei who is the epitome of callous in the film. Also with Nina Li, Kwan Hoi-San and Shing Fui-On.

Long before the era of the early 90s where filmmakers were scouring the newspapers for grim, real life crimes to depicts and spicing it up tenfold due to the freedom of the Category III rating, Shaw Brother's started a long running series called The Criminals, containing 3 short stories in 1 feature. Reportedly shooting in and around the same locations of the actual crimes (might as well been a promotional gimmick), first out of the gate is "Hidden Torsos", directed by Ching Gong (also the helmer of another based on a true life crime feature at Shaw's called Kidnap). Shih Szu plays a woman on the run from an abusive relationship but is trapped in her apartment by that abuser, played by Antonio Ho (Ghost Eyes). Ching Gong's experimental and in your face cinematography is reminiscent of Kidnap but he still achieves tension and an engrossing, grim tone. A silly voice over conclusion leaning towards the supernatural could've been left out however.

But the narrator continues guiding us through dark facets of society, continuing with adultery in "Valley Of The Hanged". Hong (Chiang Yang - The Spiritual Boxer) is a lowly, mining worker whose wife (Lau Wai-Yue - The Bamboo House Of Dolls) finds what she needs in De (Tin Ching). Marriage bitterness turns to hatred and to murder. Cinematography continue to do well but Hua Shan's (The Super Inframan) narrative lacks flair and possesses predictability instead. Certainly the most risque of the pieces as Lau sheds her clothes on several occasions.

The final piece "The Stuntmen" chooses the setting of the Shaw Brother's studious, partly but in reality is a standard gangster tale crammed into 38 minutes. Director Ho Meng-Hua (The Mighty Peking Man) seems to feel this pressure as he quickly takes Lo Lieh's Zhong from down on his luck, through the gig as a stuntman, being a pimp for a Tanny Tien look alike (naturally played by the sexy Tanny Tien herself) and ending up as a higher ranked triad boss. Triangles is a recurring symbol throughout these short stories and therefore no element of surprise really exists anymore when we arrive at this story. The Shaw's connection within the narrative doesn't even matter either. Summing up The Criminals, Ching Gong wins this round. Appearing in the various stories are also Wong Yue, Chan Shen, Ku Feng, Yueh Hua and Ha Ping.

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