For Story Of Kennedy Town, parallels can be drawn to the core story of the three friends in Bullet In The Head and perhaps it's no coincidence either as Wu Ma's film premiered just a few months after, with Waise Lee again in a large role. Despite an unnecessary character fate reveal at the beginning, Wu Ma gets respectable mileage and poignancy out of such an expected story covering friendship, honor and law. Performances from Waise Lee and Aaron Kwok suitably match this fair competence but it's Mark Cheng who does some of his best work ever here. Cinematography is very attractive as well, enhancing the respectable nature the production. It ultimately doesn't mean a lot but Wu Ma the director usually didn't either in this capacity so it's nice to be able to proclaim this as one of his best films despite. He appears in a supporting role as well the late Bill Tung, Sharla Cheung, May Lo, Tai Bo, Billy Ching and Chu Tau.

Although not featuring the structure of Pulp Fiction to any large degree, director Shut Mei-Yee clearly channels esthetics of Quentin Tarantino's film (and places a poster of it in one scene to make the inspiration ultra-clear). More specifically via the use surf-esque music for the soundtrack accompanying two slightly interconnected stories. Chun (Ken Lo) is a former boxer turned truck driver that happens upon waitress Lorna (Alice Lau). A connection is made through various interactions but it's a love brewing. Brewing to a frustrating degree and coming up are crossroads where choices has to be made. Meanwhile close by, or not, we find Man (Moses Chan), a low-life triad and pimp for Cat (Amanda Lee). Betting on horse races while she does the do as Miss Frenchkiss, these two spend so much time together only a wall apart that it's inevitable that they start to get to know each other.

Taking its sweet time and being rather flimsy, some character reveals and dialogue is quite on the off-beat side and director Shut doesn't seems to want to place crucial events in a reality. Doubtful if any of what we see therefore means anything but the title The Story Of Movie all of a sudden turns accurate. Little by little, his cast begin to gel at key points and slight charm grows out of this very different Hong Kong production. Also with Lee Fung, Peter Chan Lung and Lam Suet. See if you can spot Wu Ma too.

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Future Milkyway founders Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai collaborated for the first time on this melodrama in the wake of To's success working on All About Ah Long (starring Chow Yun-Fat). Running a mere 80 minutes, it's no wonder he thrusts us into the life of Damian Lau's Li whose wife has just died. Not telling his young children Chien (Wong Kwan-Yuen) and Kang (Jeng Paak-Lam), they trio try to cope but broken promises, hospital bills, triad debts and in general a hellish hand continues to be dealt to the family. While the elder son Chien does try to act as a role model, all is crushed the more Li gets pushed around by the triads. It's all cinema distressing to almost the max from beginning to end, giving us no light and more importantly, no distinct belief from the director's chair. Considering To's debut The Enigmatic Case was quite the tour de force of subtle behaviour, it's definitely clear Johnnie was playing the commercial game while trying to find a footing (which he did eventually after forming Milkyway). Occasionally effective in his punishing ways, The Story Of My Son is merely extreme melodrama put out there in the hope that the masses will accept it because they're easily fooled. We aren't. Ng Man-Tat, Sunny Fang and Lau Siu-Ming (in the film's only subtle performance) also appear.

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God only knows what these three stories are supposed to mean but perhaps the intent was to do things you don't expect from Hong Kong cinema. That's why you get a short with Eric Tsang set in a future where men are designated to be house-wives (or house-husbands) as they are now milk-producing machines (not shown in the film though). Story is about him trying his damndest to get a normal child, not a test tube one so in the end he becomes pregnant himself. Next up is Anthony Chan as a doctor who specializes in reconstructing skulls to help the police to identify murder victims. His new assistant might be the ghost of the diseased however. Finally Cecilia Yip kills off her twin sister by shrinking her and boiling her to pieces in the bathtub in order to get the husband played by director Alfred Cheung all to herself. When he wants to leave her, psychotic Cecilia Yip starts owning the screen. Partially successful because it places the unexpected actors in dramatic and darker situations but thank god Strange Bedfellow is a three story-job. Easy to digest and have fun with therefore but ultimately it's in the various, outrageous details and not execution. In the future segment, The Wynners appear as senile old versions of themselves and you can worship any god of your choice (including Jackie Chan) at vending machines placed over the city but that's as broad as the movie gets. Also with Candice Yu, Lam Wai and Billy Lau.

With the Young And Dangerous-effect spreading its wings over Hong Kong cinema in 1996 thanks to Andrew Lau, it's no wonder it sprung to life outside of the series too. Billy Tang had been tapped to provide some satire and fun of the genre with Sexy And Dangerous the same year and although Street Angels is packed, it's not distinguishable for many reasons, especially not for fans of Hong Kong's king of Category III CINEMA (Red To Kill, Run And Kill). Chingmy Yau is Tung Yen, woman of rising triad mad dog Walkie Pi (Simon Yam) and while he flees to Holland after a kill, she takes a prison sentence for him. Out of jail, Yen starts associating herself with the hostess world and even becomes a great figure. When Pi returns to Hong Kong however, there's no love in the air anymore as the rising triad is now a full blown mad dog...

Straightforward and light for long stretches, Tang doesn't provide a terrific amount of inspired material despite dealing with issues of the 1997 handover but does have some benefits in the acting department to take Street Angels to fun, depraved places (which is all it can and should do). Elvis Tsui is hilarious as the bodyguard Moro who's constantly horny and has no problem swallowing condom if the situation dictates it. The subtitles do wonders for his scenes and even though we're not dealing with a III-rating here, Tsui makes sure to be pushed as far as he can. A little romance and extreme tragedy passes the time but the re-appearance of Simon Yam signals the time for director Tang to have fun. True to form, Yam throws himself 568% into the über-evil persona of Pi and Tang even plays around a LITTLE bit visually to strengthen these extremes. The otherwise straight cast can't compete. They do include a naked and abused Shu Qi, Michael Tao, Valerie Chow, Lee Kin-Yan (nose picking transvestite in Stephen Chow movies), Lee Siu-Kei and Liu Fan.

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Without checking, little to nothing surely resembles the Marlon Brando classic now in the hands of Hong Kong cinema. Even if that was the case, The Street Car Named Desire is one incomprehensible, boring train wreck. Lawrence Ng is Chi-Wah, a triad recently released from prison with plans to go against the mould. That doesn't mean he will stop walking the triad way or let violence walk far behind him this time. No, he justifies his acts by reasoning that the polar opposite of what's expected should be done. Has to do with some "creative" writing concerning some father figure conflict or something. Flat direction and performances walk alongside the flick too, with a world painted in exploitation and decadence never coming to life. We barely know what drives these characters but we do come to know why after all is said and done. They're simply fools and breaking the wall of the so called drama territory is ventures into acrobatic gunplay and fights that screams commercial desperation. A big pass. Also with Bonnie Fu, Tommy Wong, Grace Wong, Karel Wong, Billy Chow and Kwan Hoi-San.

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With a resume that also includes and stops at the horrific exploits Hong Kong Eva and Body Lover, Jeng Kin-Ping's directorial debut holds effective imagery. Based on the 1985 Braemar Hill murders, the movie depicts Kang (Lam King-Kong) who's never had warmth in his life. A cheating mother, a violent father (later in life he's disowned by his father who is played by Ku Feng and his mother is a prostitute)... no wonder Kang gets mixed up with small time hoodlums. Youths that are since long lost and with no moral values, the rapists within them are never far off but Kang finds support and warmth finally when childhood friend Chi (Ng Shui-Ting) returns. Coupled with the fact that Kang is also falling in love with a girl, a couple of drunk Westerners is going to change the course of his life...

Playing out mostly in flashback after Kang is arrested, most of Suburb Murder is cut right out of the standard Category III mold dealing with true crimes. Plus points goes to director Jeng Kin-Ping as he manages to make the seedy locations the youth gang often are in quite effectively looking on film. The life they're living, it translates. Furthermore when he lets Kang's psychotic behaviour go into overdrive for the final reel of the film, we're quite a bit on board with this tragic fate and the harsh violence that goes along with it. It's not an unexpected portrait of the psyche of a killer but a lot better than expected.

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Director Alan Lo continued to vent and cash in by being socially relevant/exploitive regarding the disillusioned youths-story. With Girls In The Hood released a few months prior, Suicide doesn't dress itself very differently but manages to register slightly better on a poignancy level. Relentlessly unsympathetic and generally ill behaved, the script calls for passages where the adult world turn on these kids, leading to the poor characteristics of the girls gang. It rings more true to the character traits for some moments and they all in the end want to feel love in some shape or form. Of course the title Suicide corresponds to plot elements so it's not a happy ride. Sad it may be but largely Alan Lo's document of the real Hong Kong is still yet another one trying to come off as socially relevant. A presentation of Cash Quick Inc. that happens to say something good every once in a while.

The Best Picture, Best Director (Ann Hui), Best Screenplay (Chan Man Keung), Best Actor (Roy Chiao), Best Actress (Josephine Siao) and Best Supporting Actor (Law Kar-Ying) winner at the 1996 Hong Kong Film Awards and a well deserved sweep by all involved. Ann Hui celebrates the strength of women but also family in her drama about the Sun family's struggle with keeping their Alzheimer diagnosed father (Roy Chiao) in check.

Thankfully not overbearing with her jabs at social problems such as elderly care and economical struggles, Hui rightfully takes the low-key approach for her detailed snapshot of reality and while the MTV crowd, or those in need of a quick entertainment fix, should stay away, Hui still crafts highly compelling drama that goes equally touching and funny routes. Funny in the way Chiao's disease stricken Lin takes some odd detours in the city but it's equally tragic to see the struggling family go through breakdowns, both inner and outspoken ones. The slight disinterest that crops up is via the son's sub story and Law Koon Lan's character is a few notches too broad for my liking. Still, Summer Snow couldn't come more highly recommended and with a trio of terrific performances, most notably the late Roy Chiao who finally received some overdue recognition, Ann Hui crafts perhaps one of her more uplifting movies in the end. A young Stephen Fung, in his debut, appears briefly as well as Ha Ping.