TROY'S REVIEW: Hold on a second - Isn't that the music of 80's pop group a-ha playing over the opening credits in this? It sure is - and you can bet your Gluteus Maximus that said chaps were not asked for permission either! Yes, the usual musical copyright infringement in addition to the infamous cut & paste technique of lazy git filmmaking features here for the umpteenth time in yet another gloriously absurd ninja outing as cobbled together by those lovable rogues at IFD. And what glorious sights does this typically bewildering entry boast? Well, brace yourselves, for one of the most astonishingly baffling fights ever committed to celluloid, during which the combatants start off fighting in an office before suddenly appearing, as if by some miracle, on a roof top and then just as abrupt we see the fight suddenly changing location once again, this time to a public park! Are these guys able to teleport or something? Also marvel at the scene in which a character appears sporting what must surely rank as one of the very worst mullet haircuts in history (move over DJ Pat Sharp!) and of course, all the usual luminous attired ninja antics that regular fans will have come to expect in these demented flicks. Finally, special mention must go to the hilariously abrupt finale in this which ends on a decidedly sour note for poor old Richard Harrison's character. Yes, typically tremendous cut & paste fun from start to finish! Also known as Ninja Operation 5: Godfather The Master.

Aka Alien Wife, this is a modern portrayal of the often impossible ghost/man romance that A Chinese Ghost Story made very popular. Through wild, wacky and complex circumstances, Tony Leung Ka-Fai ends up having a female ghost (Rosamund Kwan) walking beside him, sharing the same exact emotions he does. She also assists him in obtaining the love of office bomb shell Ellen Chan but soon it's a love triangle...

Told in a flimsy way by debuting director Teddy Chen (In The Heat Of Summer, Purple Storm), that's a choice any number of directors of the time went with, focusing on delivering skit after skit of typical Hong Kong shenanigans. Leung and Kwan are featured in scenarios that work relatively well though and the ultimate fate of their romance holds interest in a light, fluffy way. Watch out for a gag "stolen" straight from Beetlejuice. Wu Fung, Michael Chow and Peter Lai co-stars. Alfred Cheung and Lawrence Cheng appears briefly, both playing priests.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

We open with a grisly rape/murder, subsequently are lead into dumb, politically incorrect "comedic" hijinks, Alex Fong doing action, multiple softcore sex scenes and Veronica Yip taking a looooong bath. I'll hand it to these Category III filmmakers of the era. They could fit everything in there and padding the correct commercial elements certainly was one thing they knew veeeery well.

Veronica Yip was one success out of all this though and her relatively short stint in Category III movies lead her to some fairly respectable actual acting performances in movies such as 3 Days Of A Blind Girl and the underrated Scarred Memory. Pretty Woman is strictly one for the guys though and those willing to accept the lowest standards of filmmaking. Disposable but that bath scene will make you happy.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

A distinctive and distinguished cast (Ray Lui, Charles Heung, Kenneth Tsang, Lau Siu-Ming, Lau Kong, Amy Yip, Kent Cheng etc) make opening reel cameos in order to setup the story of a baby found in the gangster-infested Temple Street. That baby is looked after by lowly Tong (Ng Man-Tat), his wife Phoenix (Deannie Yip) and grows up to be local big brother Twelve (Andy Lau). Looking after his neighbourhood and enjoying street life in quite the lighthearted manner, when conflict occurs with Lap Ling (Chin Ho) who wants dominance, our casual cast of characters are forced into more dark violence than ever. Also, Twelve falls in love with Christian devotee Teresa (Joey Wong)...

Aside from some well shot sequences (including a long one take scene when Lau and company walk the street, greeting the locals etc) and a good workout for the stuntmen employed on the production, Jeffrey Chiang's ordinary genre-entry scores precious few points. Designed according to most rules in a genre running on autopilot by 1992, when the romance angle between Lau and Joey Wong becomes the focus (cue Andy Lau's obligatory song for the movie), there's an embarrassing echo of Lau's classic starring vehicle A Moment Of Romance but without the heart, emotions and dedication. Chin Ho as the manically laughing villain provides a cartoon-side to the film that is occasionally fun and one of the women beside him turns out to be a cold killer in disguise. Necessary standout elements we could've used more of. Jeffrey Chiang would go on direct more competent fare such as Dream Killer.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

Despite a screenplay by Abe Kwong (Visible Secret II) and Lawrence Lau (Spacked Out), it's not an production aiming for substance and not even Lau assisting director Wellson Chin means extraordinary things ending up on screen. Bringing in the usual Hong Kong cinema decisions structurally by giving us what we expect (I.e. the special effect driven adventure) and then for the middle section testing the patience of its audience through local comedy isn't my preferred choice.

Sheila Chan, being Chin's Sandra Ng for this movie, has initial fun, completely outrageous character traits to work with as we see her gambling and abusing kindergarten children who happens to aggravates her. Meeting the Mainland country bumpkin played by Conan Lee is the setup for the middle section sit com with the titular character (Jeng Paak-Lam) caught in between. The black humour takes on satisfying proportions (especially a recurring gag involving a loose window frame) but the majority of the bickering is grating. You do wish director Chin would've stuck with making the movie the opening reel promises as it then it would've been unspectacular but generally hokey, diverting fun for the short running time. These rare diverting sections involves the on- and off presence of Cynthia Rothrock, an at times nicely choreographed playground fight that sees Conan doing his best stunt and also when Chin allows the script to let Conan display fighting skills, some is forgiven. Ultimately Prince Of The Sun is a minor to poor showcase for most involved though. Also starring Lam Ching Ying, Jeff Falcon and Lau Shun.

Ann Hui's direct follow up to The Romance Of Book & Sword, the adaptation of famed Wuxia novel author Louis Cha's first novel The Book & The Sword, probably would survive without the first movie as a backbone but more rewards come as elements are expanded upon that were only given a small spotlight the first time around. While Hui explored families bound by blood but not thoroughly loyalties in regards to Chen Jalo and Emperor Qiao Long's relationship, she gives us a first half here that merely seems interested in the visual splendor and the battle at hand.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing as Hui continues to bring a muted, natural handling to her direction while still utilizing the vast Chinese landscapes to great effect. Martial arts is also kept to a minimum and the army battles are suitably non-stylized. There's no shame going in this direction but you do wonder what happened to the small aspects within the large scale happenings that made The Romance Of Book & Sword so compelling.

Hui does a quick 180 by the time you start cd 2 of your vcd as both an outspoken and unspoken romantic triangle is allowed to dominate as well as the low-key skills of director Hui. Elements aren't fresh as such but nonetheless affecting. Never one to forget what the main story is, the films in the end become compelling glimpses into Louis Cha's work in condensed form. It's a rare thing to allow the actual trademark of an acclaimed director to matter in an obviously epic story but that freedom is why Hui definitely comes out on top.

Buy the VCD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

Although suspicions do arise that Princess Madam might be a composite of two movies, Godfrey Ho constructs it so that it doesn't appear as evident compared to the hatchet jobs he and IFD made money of (and there's no ninjas either, just recognizable gwailos). In this flick, Ho showcases a basic competence as he echoes Moon Lee's success with Angel while pairing her up with another toughie, Sharon Yeung (Angel Terminators). Aside from spicing it up with some minor smut, mostly Ho showcases what Lee can perform dependently, giving us a fair amount of bone crunching fights and stunts. Featuring what might be perceived as a thematic strand of both spouse revenge, vigilante acts and the creation of new relationships, in fact it's merely basic storytelling combined with the tangent of Liu Kai-Chi going amusingly over the top as the man longing for Sharon's character. But an ejection of his act happens and a quite extreme melodramatic element enter as Yeung's character gets into conflict of what to favour: a criminal father or the law? While basic competence still comes from director Ho, there's really the odd moment or two of affecting acting by Yeung that then carries over in a pretty solid two gun-toting, dressed in white finale. Yueh Hua acts up a storm as the cartoon villain of the piece and Nishiwaki Michiko also appear.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

Eddie Fong and Clara Law logged their last Hong Kong cinema contribution with The Private Eye Blues, this time with Eddie directing (and Law acting as visual consultant) this marvelously entertaining comedy/drama. Jacky Cheung stars as a derailed private detective, having lost his wife (Kathy Chow) and kid and now given the task of finding a Mainland girl (Mavis Fan). She turns out to be more trouble and more hot property than he could've ever imagined...

Surely one of the, if not THE wildest ride of 1994, Eddie Fong injects all moods conceivable yet manages to succeed with every attempt. Shot by Jingle Ma the art way, with dutch angles, blue and green filters, Fong immerses us immediately despite the storyline being that age old of the downtrodden detective. His wit is super sharp and the visual style works splendidly with the low-key humour and off-beat narrative. Events may seem random and surreal but it nonetheless registers very favorably. Even when dabbling with human drama, Fong shows skill in making his audience affected despite the insanity on display. On board with Eddie Fong's script is Jacky Cheung who doesn't miss a beat, almost always carrying a beer bottle and being generally abused before having to pick himself up again. His chemistry with newcomer Mavis Fan is excellent and supporting acts from Chin Ho adds on to the fine package The Private Eye Blues is.

The martial arts action by Lau Kar Wing (who also appears) and Wong Pau Gei doesn't set the screen on fire but director Choi Yeung Ming possesses some unusually strong storytelling abilities and a genuine cinematic sense. The featuring of Chinese folk hero Fong Sai Yuk (Meng Fei - Five Shaolin Masters) will no doubt make viewers comfortable with characteristics early as we're given the trademark ignorant and rash behaviour to the young hero. Unlike the Jet Li and the Hsiao Hao interpretations, things leans more towards subdued here and the revenge drama at times comes with fine dramatic instincts for the genre. Some mundane events go on forever though, showing a definite inexperience in director Choi but the fact that the actual drama outdoes to the action is an unusual final verdict on an independent martial arts effort. Also with Maggie Lee, Yusuaki Kurata and Wong Ching. Fung Hark On, Yam Sai Koon and Yuen Cheung Yan can also be spotted.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com