Whenever he isn't the victim of pranks at work or trying to prevent his young daughter (Rachel Lee) from becoming a model, Baldy Mak (Karl Maka) tries to win the love of Paula (Paula Tsui). But when a rival (a typically overacting, in the best of ways, Yuen Woo-Ping) threatens to take the woman the entire family has approved of away to America, drastic measures are needed. So let a very elaborate and mean-spirited game of jealousy begin...

Very much a product of its time from the minds of the Karl Maka co-founded Cinema City, Merry Christmas runs along the lines you expect it to. Especially due to the fairly big all star cast so skit-structure simply MUST be employed by director Clifton Ko (it's all set rules... believe me). Doing so very dependently, an energetic Leslie Cheung enters trying to romance Rachel Lee's character all the way into the bedroom but Baldy Mak intercepts only to get viciously drunk with him later. The movie certainly isn't aspiring for INSPIRED gags then and the christmas atmos that is taken to the background a little of course gets an upswing come ending time when director Ko has employed a few fun, likeable reels of the battle between Karl Maka and Yuen Woo-Ping's characters. The constant misunderstandings and the shameless, cheap and quick moviemaking-ways pays off because this is from a way more likeable era in Hong Kong cinema. It simply would have trouble making any kind of mark today. Also with Danny Chan and Cyrus Wong as Junior Baldy.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

A poor showcase for everyone involved but then again, barely anyone involved possesses any true talent. Diana Pang is a radio DJ and dancer stuck with a stalker calling himself the Hungry Wolf. Michael Wong is the cop protecting her...

We first wish that Raymond Wong would unashamedly utilize busty Pang like the commercial element she clearly is because she's not in this vehicle to act. First X in the protocol then and Wong is not the guy ready to make a stalker thriller either so predictably this production is ill from the getgo. When then making sure to occasionally let us know Pang's stance on ALMOST nudity in film, Midnight Caller does become even more sad. Favouring the easily shot light over the easily shot and devoid of suspense, Michael Wong is a drooling cop with relationship troubles, his boyish partner is played by Joyce Ngai and various clueless, technical detours via oddly chosen slow-motion and inserted cartoon sound effects also haunts us. While Wong injects a dig at himself at the end, it doesn't turn the film into a product of note. About one minute of almost decent final reel tension isn't enough either and the minute positive gets erased by a typically predictable twist ending only Hong Kong cinema can manage to make dull.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

Rival swordsmen battle for supremacy once in the past and again 3000 years later in the modern age. Simple yet somehow extremely muddled with no skills to conjure up viewer commitment, Midnight Conjure (aka Fatal Umbrella) is the kind of new wave Wuxia emulation the likes of Tsui Hark wouldn't be threatened by.

Reportedly a Taiwan production (with added star power in the form of Carrie Ng and a brief appearance by Lam Ching Ying), any time high flying action is carried out, there's a sense on director Mo Keung-Bong's behalf that he wants to keep proceedings as clear and flowing as possible. However he left out rhythm and energy from the equation so it's rather embarrassing to watch this wire-fu xerox, even though Hong Kong cheapies of this kind could very well fare as bad. Only minute recommendation of Midnight Conjure goes out to those Lam Ching Ying fans who wants every piece of footage with the man. Can't say I blame you.

Terribly uninteresting hostess melodrama by David Lai (Possessed, Saviour of The Soul). Getting no distinction out of his main casting of Kitty Chan and Ng Man Ling, the film portrays the usual rise, fall and the ones you take with you on the way down. It's done with such disinterest that you comes to a point where you wish Lai will screw his characters over (and he does to a certain extent), just so that our attention can be held just for a small amount of time. Another lackluster script by Johnny Mak and Stephen Shiu and even when having the a dynamite cast for the similar genre entry Moon, Stars & Sun, they provided no distinction whatsoever. Midnight Girls only notable trait is a feature debuting Francis Ng in a supporting role.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

Depressing drama but dedicated directing from Michael Mak (Sex and Zen) and David Lai (Saviour of The Soul) makes many of the quite evil events towards the main characters immersing, valid cinema. Josephine Koo (A Fishy Story) plays a strict mother that has her daughter kidnapped by her Chinese mother in-law (Mama Hung). While in China, the kid gets swept away by the political times, losing her grandma in the process and ended up being an outcast without much of an identity. Meanwhile the mother's long quest to find the daughter pays off and the reunion becomes a fact (in teenage form, the daughter is essayed by Moon Lee of Angel fame) but there's scarring underneath that prevents the relation from blossoming..,

An epic lasting 90 minutes, Mak and Lai manages to somehow not only make things clear as to where we might be in the timeline, make further tear in the characters as we move through the rough eras but also created is fairly immersing family drama that doesn't rely on the biggest melodramatic outbursts either. Josephine and Moon's characters are realistic snapshots, despite the overabundance of poor luck launched at them. A choice that as always kills a movie for many but this push into the dark fates of characters is at times needed. It's especially welcome when it's executed surprisingly well. No classic and the director's rightly dabbled in other genres but it's an interesting footnote nonetheless. Wong Chi-Keung co-stars.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

Initially Millionaire Cop seems to be portraying the lives of very different cops. One with concern in the form of his kids and lack of money to pay for water vs the one with no concerns. Soon we know it's instead all about the cop with the coolest motorbike. They are Fish (Ng Man-Tat) and Ball (Aaron Kwok), partners and in the opening reel on the hunt for a molester that does the town regularly. To dress up as school girls themselves doesn't work and Fish (after getting stuck in a giant condom) instead unknowingly catches the pervert during a game of mahjong. Then enters the plot somewhat, with vicious robbers taking down the parlor, chopping off the hands of the cop and his prisoner in the process. Cut quickly too, because quick is a key in in the film, Fish with the hand re-attached but in actuality it's the hand of the pervert so unwillingly it tries to molest whatever it can. Get a sense that Wong Jing is involved? He is but director Cheung Gon-Man paces matters well and injects the needed energy to make described gags enjoyable, even if going low places with it. The actual plot concerns millionaire Mr. Lee (Dennis Chan) fearing his son Jessy Lee (Deric Wan) might be kidnapped so they send in Ball undercover to act as the son. Can't tell his girlfriend Shun (Chingmy Yau, playing a character with a penchant for cleaning... quickly!) but as she works in the company Ball is working undercover at, situations will arise. Especially so since Jacky (Maggie Cheung) was the child love interest of Lee's and becomes awfully clingy whenever she sees round objects. All leading to more fast paced hijinxs that work more often than not, especially during the view of Jacky's apartment that contains little to no circular objects, including her cd's and coke cans. It's a free for all in a way, that is capped suitably shamelessly when the end fight between Hung Yan-Yan and Aaron Kwok has the latter turning into his Silver Fox character from Saviour Of The Soul! Also with flat chested Kingdom Yuen (leading to breasts jokes of course) and Lee Siu-Kei.

Depicting a gang of beautiful, sexy female pickpockets (led by Danish actress Birte Tove from Bamboo House of Dolls), Lu Chi has a great, fun idea in Mini-Skirt Gang (done at Shaw Brothers) but chooses not to utilize it. Structurally there's nothing wrong with showing different scenarios, the different schemes the girls employ in order to achieve their goals and at the end of the day, in fine exploitation fashion, they undress and shower in slow-motion. All while a very voyeuristic camera catches in particular the hideout of the girls from a top angle. Oh there's the subplot of the girls taking in two bumbling male thieves (one being cross-eyed To Siu-Ming) but after they've been expectedly humiliated for peeping, you'd expect the movie to kickstart a little bit of plot at least. Not counting the prostitute ring which a girl runs from, in fact it's soon very clear the film has settled on the formula of lighthearted fun with sexy pickpockets. It's fun initially, fun towards the end where some creative cartoon action kicks in (Birte Tove goes into Mulan territory, Peking Opera-style for her big fight) but in between we get tired of repetitive voyeurism and sexy pickpockets.

From an era when the Yuen clan churned out a handful of supernatural comedy romps, The Miracle Fighters fits nicely into the equation although it's not as mad as Shaolin Drunkard for instance. Concerning squabbles and battles between sorcerers, director Yuen Woo-Ping probably does present practices that are no laughing matter and does have a footing in reality but obviously the film has a sense of fun towards it all. So much so that Westerners will probably be a bit turned off by the relentless broad comedy and constant mugging of lead Yuen Yat Chor as the pupil in training. The odd couple double act by Yuen Cheung Yan and Leung Kar Yan is highly memorable though and throughout the Yuen clan offers up plenty of creative scenarios with relatively little martial arts blended in. The finale in particular set at the Sorcerer's Championship sees Yuen fire on all wacky and creative cylinders, while giving real snakes a little bit of a hard time again (also see Snake In The Eagle's Shadow). Yuen does not seem overly concerned with narrative though and the film seems to brush over Yuen Yat Chor's training quite a bit in favour of other shenanigans. Sunny Yuen plays the Bat Sorcerer while Eddy Ko and Huang Ha also appear. Believe it or not but in a twisted way, the late Simon Yuen also gets in the cast.

Yuen Cheung Yan puts in a cameo appearance as the same character in Stephen Chow's Forbidden City Cop plus he would go on to have dual roles in Shaolin Drunkard as both the titular drunkard and the granny sorcerer of The Miracle Fighters.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

Lively and cheap Taiwanese Wuxia that initially thinks of itself way too highly but repents during the final reels. Pearl Cheung (the all round creative force on Wolf Devil Woman) stars as a poor girl obeying her mother's last dying wish of looking up the secrets of her fate. Taken in by friendly swordsmen (among others by Chung Wa who plays a character who doesn't like getting his white robe dirty) and taught to be a flying swordsgirl, much time of director Fong Ho's narrative is devoted to poor melodrama and passages of dialogue concerning Pearl's trail towards what turns out to be the SUUUUPER-surprising notion of revenge. The positives in Fong's frame are strangely moody indoor-sets and an all out unleashing of the character Pearl turns into: The Flower Of Revenge! The varied landscapes (including snow and a fight at the edge of a waterfall), a certain energy to the often only averagely realized flying feats and even outrageous gore can be found deep down in the package too as our heroine carries The Bowel Cutting Blade! The final, ferocious fight is set in a cave lit in red and containing a fiery pit so it's by this point the timid title Miraculous Flower is forgotten and some cheap entertainment can be found featuring one of martial arts cinema's sole female behind the scenes creators in the form of Pearl Cheung. Gua Ah-Leh and Wang Hsieh also appear.

Although known as Wolf Devil Woman 3 (Pearl's own directed Matching Escort made the year after was also known as Wolf Devil Woman 2), Joseph Lai's IFD also distributed the film in English under the title Phoenix The Ninja. Not totally inappropriate but there's only a brief appearance by one in the original movie. Compared to the subtitled Ocean Shores version, it also has an additional scene early between Pearl Cheung and Gua Ah-Leh, totaling 6 minutes or so. Knowing the Ocean Shores track record, this scene (as well as the more graphic gore cut from IFD's edit) might as well be in their laserdisc version that doesn't have any subtitles.