"Iiiiiit's.... THE KENNY BEE SING-A-THON! FEATURING SONGS BY KENNY, SUNG BY KENNEY IN BARS, ON MOUNTAIN CLIFFS AND WE'LL FIND TONS MORE EXCUSES FOR KENNY TO SING, SING, SING!" Actually, it's all trivializing yet another Lau Lap-Lap Taiwan romance, even though it reaches merely standard and watchable. Shirley Lui play Yi-Ching, a girl totally unhappy with her current family situation. More specifically she's pissed off at having a young stepmother in the house. Roaming the streets and possibly as an act of rebellion, she receives and accepts a proposition by Erh-Hsuan (Chin Han) to act as his diseased sister Sang Sang so that his grandma can go in peace and not worry. Along the way, Erh-Hsuan falls in love with the doppelganger. It's a setup for a farce certainly and feels rather unintentionally funny when the new Sang Sang enters the family. But the theme is of new family, a united family, starting again, which applies to the ex-boyfriend of Sang Sang's too, played by Kenny Bee. So with serious intentions and a gorgeous Shirley Lui, still director Lau never really clinches a realism to the proceedings. The way people talk and the dialogue that comes out is very theatrical and a stylistic choice of cinema that reeks a bit (as does some glaring plot holes, specifically about Yi-Ching's real family being discarded). Still, for all its pro's and con's, this type of Taiwan cinema is easily digestible and My Cape Of Many Dreams does have a set of moody tunes by Bee.

Cousin Big (Richard Ng) returns home from the UK in order to find a wife and settle down. He has previously driven out his illegal immigrant friend Ma (Wu Ma) from the UK and the scores aren't settled. That is all cast aside when not only one, not two but three ghosts are to be dealt with and one is Cousin Big who has fallen in love with one of the ghosts (Wong Man-Si)...

Uneven and unscripted, Wu Ma keeps up a solid pace to make up for that and uses the genius Richard Ng well. Part of the dark and at times gross sight gags, Ng plays his confused self by simply being Richard Ng. That's all some of us need. Wu Ma also lovingly re-creates a scene from Mr. Vampire, gives the Ray Parker Jr. theme from Ghostbusters a showcase, all wrapped in an 80s package with more than enough light charm to overcome obvious flaws. Also with Kenny Bee, Tai Po, Mang Hoi, Teddy Yip, James Tien and Sai Gwa-Paau.

Cheng (Derek Yee) finds a genie (Cherie Chung) in an umbrella at the construction site he works at. It is granting wishes left and right for both him and his possible future father in-law (Stanley Fung) who's in debt to gangster boss played by James Yi... another character who also knows of the genie's power...

80s fluff from Shaw Brothers that charms and delights with a good amount of the RIGHT energy of silliness throughout the various scenarios involving the cute, sexy and sometimes rebellious genie. On a date with James Yi's character, she makes him and his environment actually see a far uglier girl at dinner with him. Pretty low-brow but the whole package is harmless and also kept afloat by the absolutely stunning Cherie Chung. Appearing in a variety of outfits, many of which are sexy when worn by the bonafide movie star presence Chung is. Her career as noted actress would thankfully take off sans being saddled with the pretty, sexy image in subsequent movies such as Peking Opera Blues, An Autumn's Tale and Wild Search. Not that we minded it in 84. Also with To Siu-Ming, Alan Chan and Charlie Cho.

Cheung (Jacky Cheung) lives poorly with his street musician dad (Bill Tung) but the son has landed a prestigious office job and seems to be on the way to upgrade the family social status. However hanging with the wealthy can't co-exist with being up front with your actual origin and Cheung soon goes on a collision course with his father...

David Chiang takes on the valid social issues concerning class differences and by stroking gently for his first half, My Dear Son is a down to earth, light hearted drama kept buoyant by a warm lead performance by Bill Tung. However things turn a little too predictable when the film goes ultra pessimistic on us (bringing in a triad angle that Lau Ching-Wan's character is part of) and it's unfortunate sledgehammer techniques are used to enhance the escalating darkness. Still, My Dear Son is solid enough filmmaking from a very underrated filmmaker. Maggie Cheung co-stars as a hostess stuck in development while Kathy Chow, Paul Chun and Ricky Yi also appear.

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Coming from primarily an action director (Corey Yuen) and producer Wong Jing, it's surprising that My Father Is Hero (the title on the Hong Kong print but normally the film is referred to as My Father Is A Hero) tries to be equal amounts family drama and action. The former actually registers as slightly admirable, much having to do with some flashes of warmth between Jet Li and Tse Miu (in the last of four movies he made during this time). Also the gorgeous Anita Mui is on board to lend actual dramatic acting credit and despite heavy handed melodrama, viewer care is there at a basic level.

Of course, a humane story in combination with over the top action and equally overblown villains (Yu Rong Guang in such a cartoonish turn, it becomes genuinely funny) can't really gel together but that's ok. Corey Yuen and Yuen Tak gives us plenty of exciting and wonderfully staged action, all culminating in a creative finale. As henchmen and rather underused, we see Ngai Sing and Ken Lo. Damian Lau, Blackie Ko and Corey Yuen also appear.

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A clever, felt mixture of the triad movie and the ghost movie, leading to one of the better genre excursions in addition to containing a gravely underrated Sammo Hung performance. He plays triad leader Qun that gets a vengeance filled spirit (Yu Li) and her kid on his hands. In a previous life, he left her for dead so and after a failed reincarnation attempt for her son, she teams up with a triad rascal from the netherworld (Roy Cheung) to go after one of Qun's followers. Turns out though, there's more truth to what really happened those many moons ago...

Making sure the appropriate moods are employed when suitable, O Sing-Pui (An Eye For An Eye) has a terrific sense of what makes genre entertainment fun. While we have seen the sort of corporate structure of the reincarnation business on screen before, O Sing-Pui crafts several fun scenarios out of the concept. One being that the waiting is akin to going to the bank! An officer in charge of dealing with all this is a flamboyant one played wonderfully by Shing Fui-On while Roy Cheung gets to spin and twist his usual on-screen triad persona. But the film is undoubtedly Sammo's, in a performance in tune with the structure of the film, best displayed when he comes to the realization of what responsibility he owes to his previous life. Leading him in the Taoist rituals is a blind priest essayed by a fun Tommy Wong (who uses English language rock 'n' roll lyrics in his rituals), a role Lam Ching Ying could've taken had he not been busy? Fennie Yuen, Frankie Ng and William Ho also appear.

For a low budget, anonymous action-drama, Amy Choi infuses My Heart Will Go On with a fair amount of admirable edge and bearable emotional content. Nicky Wu is the assassin with a conscience now that he's had his crucial heart surgery so after being involved with the death of cop Shing (Lawrence Ng), he seeks out his fiancee Maggie (Ada Choi) in order to deal with his confused emotions. Cops and bad guys are around too.

It's The Killer with a few tweaks and variations here and there, with less compelling actors but admittedly the central component of the confusing state of Wu's Leo and Maggie, both dealing with sorrow, is surprisingly felt despite director Choi using symbolism of the heart, the repeat image of Maggie's love for rain and in general the clichés of the heroic bloodshed movie. My Heart Will Go On would've starred Andy Lau 10 years earlier but in all honesty, the newer of the movies probably would've been a better movie.

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Terence Lee (Terence Choi) has been with his girlfriend Nancy (Cecilia Yip) for 7 years and HE is fully planning their marriage (he's put romance and love before sex even... or attempted the two former notions rather). Staying true to what she warned him about, she would rather put career ahead of marriage and therefore accepts a job in America. Left alone and living with best friend Billy Tam (Billy Lau) and his wife Mary (Yam Chai-Bo), that's a 7 year old marriage with trouble as well. Bossing him around while he'd rather be in clubs and flirt, the message NOT overdone is that of communication. The Terence/Billy friendship is put on the line when Terrence falls in love with Suzie (Chan Yuk-Mooi), someone Billy has also laid his eyes on. Yet again Terence wants to rush into marriage for the sake of marrying...

Albert Lai (A Serious Shock! Yes Madam!) takes the route of trying to make a light dramatic vehicle with more logic excursions into the areas of the wacky. So despite Billy Lau on board, the portrayals of the fairly well drawn characters remain anchored in a reality. Lai's message is obvious but thankfully not tenfold hammered into our heads just in case we didn't get it and My Heavenly Lover benefits from it. Getting it above a grade of decent is not possible however but thanks to the above, fairly rare intentions with a Hong Kong comedy, the grade is admirable. Also with Paul Chu and the late Shing Fui-On appears in a cameo.

Shot in Taiwan and utilizing Leung Kar Yan (Warriors Two) and unfortunately Dean Shek, Wang Chung Kwong's My Life's On The Line registers favorably not only due to the fast and powerful action directing by lead Wan Li Pang. No, Wang even makes the film a very minor journey with a message concerning Wan's character Minute Fong's refusal to settle down but how he softens up at the sight of a kid who he opts to teach kung fu. Not all plot strands are explored though and whatever narrative choice of Wang's probably is in the end just a springboard for the plentiful fight scenes. However the hand to hand combat in combination with some great acrobatics and fair leg work by Wan Li Pang makes My Life's On The Line very much a worthwhile experience. Lung Fei also appear.

This film also seems to beat Snake Deadly Act in terms of having the most abrupt ending. No final technique is ever shown, only animated blood running down the screen. Mad. Final reel footage lost? Running time too long? You be the judge, every version is like this reportedly.