Cold War 寒戰

 Released Year: 2012

Directed by 陸劍青 Sunny Luk & 梁樂民Longman Leong

Casted by:

郭富城 Aaron Kwok as 劉傑輝 Sean Lau

梁家輝 Tony Leung as 李文彬 MB Lee

李治廷 Aarif Rahman Lee as 張國標 Billy Cheung

彭于晏 Eddie Peng as 李家俊 Joe Lee

林家棟 Gordon Lim as 鄺智立 Albert Kwong

楊采妮 Charlie Yeung as 梁紫薇 Phoenix Leung

安志杰 Andy On as 石米高 Michael Sek

錢嘉樂 Chin Ka Lok as 徐永基 Vincent Tsui

尹子維 Terence Yin as 杜文 Man Tu

劉德華 Andy Lau as 陸明華 Philip Luk

王敏德 Michael Fitzerald Wong as 曾向榮 York Tsang

 Story:

One midnight, a Hong Kong Police Force Emergency Unit (EU) van carrying advanced equipment and five police officers goes missing. As the police investigate the case, they became aware that the terrorists possess detailed knowledge of the police's procedures and have planned several steps ahead, even possibly breaching the secured police network. As the Commissioner is away, Deputy Commissioner M.B. Lee, plans and leads a rescue operation code-named "Cold War," and declares Hong Kong to go under a state of emergency.

After being repeatedly misled by the terrorists and failing to track them down, fellow Deputy Commissioner Sean Lau believes Lee is acting too rashly, due to one of the five abducted policemen being his own son, Joe Lee. After consulting with superintendent Vincent Tsui and Albert Kwang, who both believe Lee is taking measures too extreme, Lau relieves Lee of his command and assumes command of Operation Cold War.

Lau plans to negotiate with the terrorists while secretly tracking them to their hide-out. The terrorists asks Lau to prepare a ransom equal to the calculated value of the policemen and the EU van. As the police force prepare the cash, the terrorists call again and say they only want roughly half of it, and for Lau to personally deliver the money. At the request of the bank manager, Lau takes only enough for the ransom and have the rest delivered back to the bank. When Lau eventually arrives at the meeting location, he is ordered to stop the car immediately and throw the cash down a bridge, causing a traffic blockage. In the confusion, Lau is attacked by the terrorists, and superintendent Tsui was killed in action in the crossfire. The terrorists escape, while superintendent Kwang notifies Lau that the terrorists simultaneously intercepted the other half of the money that was supposed to be returned to the bank. However, the police force did successfully rescue the missing policemen at a different location.

Lau attempts to question the bank manager, but the manager was then killed by a car bomb. Superintendent Kwang investigates the bombing to track the bombers, but is instead led into a trap and killed with his team. Lau suspects that the terrorists were aided by insiders in the force, but before he can investigate any further, he is arrested by ICAC Officer Billy Cheung, who received leaked information from an anonymous source about Operation Cold War. Lau is interrogated by Cheung, who accuses him of poorly handling the rescue operation, leading to the loss of the ransom money which he secretly took for himself. Lau denies this, and the ICAC fail to find evidence against him. Cheung makes some further investigations and discovers that the police Commissioner will be stepping down in two years, and thus either Lee or Lau will receive a promotion. Lau has the support of the Security Secretary because of his skillful management of the police's finances. On the other hand, Lee rose through the ranks from Constable and has the support of the front-line officers including the CID. Cheung now suspects that Lee is trying to use the failure of Operation Cold War to ruin Lau's chance for promotion.

The ICAC eventually discover, based on forensic evidence, that Joe Lee was the mastermind behind the abduction of the EU van. Lau presents this information to Lee, and reveals that it was Lau himself that leaked information to the ICAC (who has the power to act independent to the police force), in order to borrow their resources to investigate the case, thus not alerting the insider. Lee confronts his son, who reveals that he planned this with other associates from the police force who wanted to see Lee rise to the position of Commissioner. Seeing that Joe is unrepentant and unwilling to reveal anymore, Lee reluctantly shoots and arrest him. The following day, Lee and the current Commissioner announce their plans to retire, nominates Lau as the next Commissioner, and congratulate Lau on his resourcefulness on solving the case.

The film ends with Lau receiving a mysterious phone call from the terrorists, who announces that they have kidnapped his wife, and wants Joe Lee released in return.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

I'm kinda out on the HK movie lately, its not because that I'm more focus on the Western movie, but HK movie is getting so much disappointing lately. As cold war 2 goes on the big screen this year, everyone is telling me how exciting the movie was, but it is linked with the first movie. So before I even want to watch the second movie, I need to watch this first. But as you know, I'm kinda lazy and in the end the movie was postponed till now lol

Overall the movie is quite ok, but its a bit similar like internal affairs which i feel that HK is totally out of any ideas. Tony Leung definitely delivered his best in this movie, so as Andy Lau even though he just came out as a guess appearance. Aaron Kwok is a bit not so good whenever the scene show of him with Tony Leung together; Charlie is as beautiful as always but seems useless in this movie....

Intimates 自梳

 Released Year: 1997

Directed by 張之亮 Jacob Cheung

Casted by:

劉嘉玲 Carina Lau as 玉環 Huan

楊采妮 Charlie Yeung as 意歡 Fun

歸亞蕾 Grace Guei as 歡姑 Aunty Fun

李綺虹 Theresa Lee as 家慧 Hooi

 Story:

Hooi is ordered by her father to bring the family old maid to look for a friend. The old maid aunty Fun is actually a lesbian during young time and the movie flash back her life in her younger days.

Fun is being sold by her parents to a rich old man, she escaped and went to a Gu Poh house and join as a Zhi Shu Nv. But the parents follow together with the rich man's servants. Fun almost killed herself but was saved by Huan with huge money. Fun follows the other Zhi Shu Nv to work in a rich man who has eight wife, Huan appeared to be the 8th wife but she was used by her husband as sex tool in expanding his business. 

Feeling disappointing, Huan place her feeling for Fun. Fun in another hand have sex with her first love and accidentally pregnant, To avoid being punished, Fun do abortion by herself. Both of the ladies fed up with guys and decided to do a small business by selling hawker food. Slowly they have build up feeling for each other. But during the world war, they were forced to separate.

Huan is upset and believe that Fun has yet to die, so she changed her name into Fun and taking care of Fun's family. In the end, it reveal that aunty Fun is actually the young Huan, she advice Hooi in her relationship and even save her from a suicide after Hooi broke off with her boyfriend. Finally, Huan (aunty Fun) managed to find back the real Fun and they appreciate each other from now on...

L² Scored: 7.5/10

L² Comment:

Well, there's not really a lot of lesbian asian movie actually... So this I consider not bad, heard of this movie long time ago but didn't have the chance to watch it till now. Not bad... but of course the young Charlie Yeung during that time is not really good in acting lol~

Future Cops 超級學校霸王

 Released Year: 1993

Directed by 王晶 Wang Jing

Casted by:

劉德華 Andy Lau as 鐵面 Vega

張學友 Jacky Cheung as 掃把頭 Guile

張衛健 Dicky Cheung as 陳大雄（余鐵雄）悟空 Hung / Kong

邱淑貞 Chingmy Yau as 大雄的妹妹 / 春美 Chun-Li

鄭伊健 Ekin Cheng as 阿健 Ken

任達華 Simon Yam as 發達星 Dhalsim

劉小慧 Winnie Lau as 小慧 Wai

許志安 Andy Hui as 余忌安 Kei On

楊采妮 Charlie Yeung A  采妮 Choy Nei

周比利 Billy Chow as 泰王 Sagat

苑瓊丹 Kingdom Yuen as 大雄母親 / 春代 Chun Dai

郭富城 Aaron Kwok as 阿龍 Ryu

 Story: 

In the year 2043, an evil crime lord (The General/M. Bison) is trying to take over the world. He was arrested and was sentenced to jail by the Judge. The General's minions, Kent (Ken), Thai King (Sagat), and Toyota (E. Honda) travel to the year 1993 to kill the Judge before he has a chance to get into office. During a battle with The General's minions, the Future Cops Lung (Ryu), Broom Man (Guile), Ti Man (Vega), and Ah-Sing (Dhalsim) hear of their plot. The Police Director decided to send them back to the past also to protect the Judge. Lung ultimately stays behind because he is the Police Director's brother in law.

Once the Future Cops get to 1993, they land in the backyard of 20 something year old high school student Tai-Hung, who helps them stay under cover by letting them live with him and his family. Ti Man pretends to be a fellow student while striking up a romance with Tai Hung's sister Chun May (Chun Li); Broom Man pretends to be a music teacher at the school while also striking up a romance with one of the students, Crab Angel; while Ah-Sing follows Tai Hung pretending to be his servant, all the while protecting him from the evil school bullies, while Tai Hung pursues a romance of his own with his long-time friend Choi Ney. Eventually the villains show up, wreak havoc, and many battles ensue. Tai-Hung ends up being the Judge after his mother remarried and his surname changed.

  L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Street Fighter is the hit game that we play in the 90s, who doesn't know street fighter will have to be slaughter lol~ This is one of my favorite movie even though the characters were dressed differently lol~ Storyline of course is funny (and rubbish), but who cares, the most important is, only Wang Jing can gather so many superstars to  film this during the 90s and this has definitely become one of the classic film for the Hong Kong blockbuster :)

Ashes of Time 東邪西毒：終極版 2008

 Released Year: 2008

Directed by 王家卫 Wong Kar Wai

 

Casted by:

 張國榮 Leslie Cheung as 歐陽鋒 OuYang Feng
 梁家輝 Tony Leung as 黃藥師 Wong Yao Shi
 林青霞 Bridget Lin as 慕容嫣／慕容燕 MuYung Yin
 梁朝偉 Tony Leung as 盲武士 Blind Swordsman
 劉嘉玲 Carina Lau as 桃花 Tao Hua
 楊采妮 Charlie Yeong as 孝順女子 Young girl
 張學友 Jacky Cheung as 洪七 Hong Qi Gong
 張曼玉 Maggie Cheung as 歐陽鋒的嫂子 Feng's sister in law

 Story: 

In this film, set in ancient times in China, Ouyang Feng, hiring famous bounty hunters. His character is portrayed as a fallen swordsman driven by greed and heartless to both friend and foe. He was perpetually being spiteful of love as his own love history was not nearly so beautiful. His bounty-hunters came and went as was narrated by Ouyang Feng himself as based on the Tung Shu predictions.

In essence, he was a loner with little love, but the bounty hunters that worked for Ouyang Feng, like Blind Swordsman and another of his best fighters, Hong Qigong, discovered the intangible secret of true love while Ouyang retained his attitude towards his fighters and the precious lessons that they have taught. However, the thread that runs through the entire narrative has clearly the spirit of refusal in the sense that one should reject another before he gets to be rejected in the future. To illustrate, nearly every character in this story has resorted to being selfish and malignant in order to prevent being rejected by others, be it in love or in comradeship as their individual hardships have moulded their attitude turning them into heartless and cold individuals in order to survive in the uncompromising desert where the story is set.

It has many moral implications but is less evident since the main character is Ouyang himself and most of the narration would unquestionably be centred on him.

 L² Scored: 8/10

 

L² Comment:

An old movie in 1994 and re-edited by Wong Kar Wai himself after so many years, just because before Leslie's one word before he die "hope this film can go international". So there goes the film to Berlin and many more countries and once again hit the blockbuster... 

All About Love 再說一次我愛你

 Released Year: 2005

Directed by 余偉國 Yu Wei Guo

Casted by:

劉德華 Andy Lau as 高醫生 Dr Ko / Derek

蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi as 紫晴 Qing

楊采妮 Charlie Yeong as 謝婉森 Sam

黃秋生 Anthony Wong as 聂醫生 Dr Nie

 Story:

 Ko is a hard working doctor who has little time to spend with his wife. When she dies in a car accident her heart is given to another woman, Tse Yuen Sam. Ko later changes careers and becomes a paramedic. One night while on call in an ambulance, Ko attends a traffic accident involving Sam. He discovers she is the recipient of his wife's heart and that her husband Derek (also played by Lau) has left her. Ko decides to use their resemblance as a means of making amends for both his and Derek's treatment of their wives.

L² Scored: 5/10

L² Comment:

Its a confusing story which Andy Lau acted as 2 characters in the same film. One as a doctor and another one as a designer. The movie didn't stated it out clearly and make me scratching my head and try to figure what the heck has been happening until the 2 Andy Lau appeared in the hospital when Charlie passed away.

But beside the confusing part, this is a sad romance film which reminds me of someone. I think we should really appreciate those who are with us right now~ all da best to everyone...

Dr. Wai in the Scripture With No Words 冒險王

Released Year: 1996
Directed by 程小東 Chin Xiao Dong

Casted by:
李连杰 Jet Li as 周世杰/卫亦信 Jie/Xin
关之琳 Rosamund Kwan as 莫尼卡/美加子 Monica/Mikako
金城武 Takeshi Kaneshiro as 包教晓 Xiao
楊采妮 Charlie Yeung as Charlie
罗家英 Loh Kar Ying as 英叔 Ying

Story:

A depress movie writer Jie is facing a divorce issue with his wife Monica, his 2 subordinates Xiao & Charlie help him out to write an adventure story regarding Dr Wai. Inside the story, Jie become Xin, the Dr Wai while Monica is the devil Japanese woman Mikako. They were grabbing a secret weapon from each other which will make human being dissappear.

In the end, Mikako and Dr Wai fall in love with each other and help out each other which in the reality world Jie and Monica become a lovely couple again.

L² Scored: 3.5/10

L² Comment:

Though the movie won a few awards on the fighting and graphic, but i think the storyline is kinda so so... And Charlie look damn ugly in here, i feel like slapping her face hard!!!