King of Comedy (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

A definite must buy DVD for Steven Chiau fans!

KING OF COMEDY (1999)
CAST: Stephen Chiau, Cecelia Cheung, Karen Mok, Jackie Chan (Cameo) and more.
DIRECTED BY: Lee Lik Chee
TYPE OF MOVIE: Comedy
DURATION: 92 minutes
Note:  Viewed Universe DVD version with removable English subtitles.

Movie Synopsis:

Wan Tin Sau is dedicated to acting. However, nobody like Wan in the studio as the always argues. Lau Piu Piu, a nightclub PR. comes to Wan’s neighbor stage theatre to learn how to please her customer. she finds Waan’s theory ridiculous but she eventually falls for him. To, Kuen-Yee a famous actress, recognizes Wan’s acting spirit and makes his become a leading actor. Wan gradually falls in love with to too.

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DVD EXTRAS:

Includes the trailer, plus trailers for Hot War, Rush Hour and Gorgeous.

Includes info on Cast Members Stephen Chiau, Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung and Ng Mang Tat.

Includes interviews with Stephen Chiau, Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung and Co-director Lee Lik Chee. All in Cantonese without any subtitles.

Includes Premiere footage, in Cantonese without any subtitles.

Includes Press Conference footage, in Cantonese without any subtitles.

Includes NG 30-minute special in Cantonese.

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of

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DVD REVIEW:

This is probably the first Universe DVD that I can say is fully packed with special features.  Wow!

As for the movie, the movie is very interesting and very funny.  Trademark Stephen Chiau comedy which pokes fun at the HK movie genre especially John Woo movies.  For those who have never heard of Stephen Chiau, you can call him the Jim Carrey of Hong Kong but he’s been in the business much longer.   Also, who can miss a movie starring the beautiful Cecelia Cheung who plays a bad girl trying to be good girl.

The only thing that might unnerve some foreign viewers is the scene with the naked kid walking around.

This DVD also includes the Jackie Chan cameo that some audiences did not see at some foreign film festivals.

As for the special features, there are long interviews, premiere footage, press conference footage and a 30 minute NG special and more.  Awesome!

A definite must buy DVD for Steven Chiau fans.

THE MOVIE: B
THE DVD EXTRAS: A
THE DVD OVERALL: A-

 

My School Mate, the Barbarian (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

A fun, school brawl HK film starring “Gen-X Cops” stars Nicholas Tse and Stephen Fung!

Images courtesy of © 2001 Film Power Company Limited. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: My School Mate, the Barbarian

CAST: Stephen Fung, Nicolas Tse, Joey Yung, Samuel Pang Kit-chi, Missy Hyperbitch and Ng Chi-hung

DIRECTED by Wong Jing

TYPE OF MOVIE: Action, Fight

DURATION: 100 minutes

Note:  Viewed Deltamac DVD version with removable English subtitles

Edward (Fung) is a popular and intelligent student at his college. He comes from a rich family, a popular mother but one day he is framed by an ex-girlfriend and kicked out of school. Due to a miscommunication of putting him into the good school in HK known as DBS, he is put in the worst college in HK known as TBS which features thugs and people who must prove their self-worth through fighting. Stephen is not a fighter but he befriends Stone (Tse) who is the championship fighter at TBS but will not fight anymore since he promised his dying grandmother that he would stop. Will Edward survive at this dangerous college? A deal is struck, Edward helps Stone in school and Stone teaches Edward how to fight.

Ever since I watched GEN-X Cops, I have tried to catch any movie starring Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fung and Sam Lee. The majority of the movies are quite fun to watch and this movie is no exception.

The movie is like watching a video game with a pretty interesting storyline and featuring pretty cool people. If anything, this movie will hit home towards video game fans. Especially if they enjoy the school fighting video game “Rival Schools”. I won’t reveal what this game has to do with the movie but if you enjoy fighting video games and “Rival Schools”, you will enjoy this movie.

It’s interesting to see Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fung and even Joey Yung in a movie like this. It’s fun and entertaining and never intends itself to be taken seriously.

The DVD is from Deltamac and doesn’t feature too much in terms of special features. The video quality, looks a little faded like it’s an aged movie but I’m guessing this is due to the fact that it’s a low budget movie. The audio is ok since it’s mostly a dialogue movie.

Alas, this movie is not to be taken seriously but if you enjoy fighting video games with a dash of juvenile humor, this movie will definitely entertain you.

THE MOVIE: B+
THE DVD EXTRAS: D+
THE DVD OVERALL: C