Johnnie To producer

1990

At Moment Of Romance

Director: Benny Chan Muk-Sing

With: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Wu Chien-Lien (Ng Sin-Lin), Ng Man-Tat, Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung, Leung Shan, Lau Kong, Sandra Lang, Wong Sa-Lei, Wong Man-Wai, Yuen Bun

It is the first production of Johnnie To, a job that he wanted to do before being director. At Moment Of Romance is a pure melodrama, the story of a poor boy and incidentally member of a band, who falls in love with a rich girl. Obviously, nothing will occur as they would have wished... Action, lovesong, illusions, disillusions punctuate the movie. The scenes of action are from Yuen Bun and it is one of the best roles of Andy Lau. At Moment Of Romance were nominated four times at the Hong Kong Awards and it is followed by two sequels, quite lower than the initial model (and all produced by Johnnie To).

  Note: * * * 1/2

  Available in dvd at Mega Star.

1993

At Moment Of Romance 2

Director: Benny Chan Muk-Sing

With: Wu Dog-Link (Ng Sin-Flax), Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing, Roger Kwok Chun One, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Kwan Hoi-San, Hon Yee-Blood, Paul Chun Pui, Tse Wai-Kit, Ho Ka-Kui, Yip Sin-Yi, Ng Wui, Mak Siu-Fai, Cheung Tat-Ming, Lee Siu-Kei

Second episode of the series, without Andy Lau (but back in the number three), always directed by Benny Chan and produced by Johnnie To. It is the same receipt : a mixture of drama and action. I did not see this film, but it does not have an excellent reputation.

Available in dvd at Universe.

1995

Only Fools Fall in Love

Director: Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu

With: Lau Ching-Wan, Wu Chien-Lien (Ng Sin- Lin), Yuen Wah, Dayo Wong Chi-Wah, Jerry Lamb Hiu-Fung , Bak Ka-Sin, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu, Billy Lau Nam-Kwong, Roy Chiao (Kiu Wang), Wong Yat-Fei, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu, Poon Hang-Sang, Yee Siu-Ping, Tung Wai-Keung, Tse Chi-Wah, Fung Chi- Sing, Lee Ko-Kei, Pang Mei-Ting, Leung Yiu-Hei

Very good comedy in the line of The Fun, The Luck And The Tycoon , with the actor of Johnnie To, Lau Ching-Wan and one of its subjects of predilection, the description of ordinary people.

  Note: * * * 1/2

  Available in dvd at Mei Ah.

1996

Beyond Hypothermia

Director: Patrick Leung Pak-Kin

With: Lau Ching-Wan, Wu Chien-Lien (Ng Sin-Lin), Han Sang-Woo (Hon Choi-Yeung), Shirley Wong Sa-Lei, Cheung Sung-Kei, Cheung Kam-Bong, Hau Ang, Kam Yin-Chu

First film of Patrick Leung (former assistant of John Woo) for Johnnie To.

According to the statements of the director, production has generated difficulties : Lau Ching-Wan was imposed cause Johnnie To estimated (and always estimates) that he was one of the best dramatic actors, the equal of Chow Yun-Fat; moreover, Johnnie To found that the film was not enough commercial. So Johnnie To added plans in Korea and a terrible scene : the murderer of a small girl by the heroin. Leung found the idea completely scandalous and repudiated the movie. Yuen Bun is once again responsible for the action.

I did not see this film, but criticisms are an excessive number of scenes of violence (those added by Johnnie To ?) and a badly proportioned mixture between the romantic comedy and the action. On the other hand, the play of the actors and aesthetic qualities of Beyond Hypothermia are very often said.

There is an edition taïwanaise in dvd (but doubled in Mandarin). Available also in vcd.

1997

Final Justice

Director: Derek Chiu Sung-Kei

With: Lau Ching-Wan, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Almen Wong Pui-Ha, Tse Kwan-Ho, Lam Man-Yi, Woo Yu-Wai, Pak Yiu-Chan, Wong Wah-Woh, Chung Yat-Ming, Leung Kei-Hei, Chan Chi-Ho, Wong Wai-Seung, Chan Hung-Yu, Bill Yip, Osbert Lam, John Fung, Cheuk Man, Joe Lau, Lam Chi-Kit, Tam Kwok-Ming

A story of priest (Lau Ching-Wan) who is maked advances by a woman (Almen Wong), touched by the kindness of the church man. He will end very quickly this relation and the woman, to be avenged, will say that he rape her..

Once again, the couple Lau Ching-Wan / Carman Lee is back, in a film of Derek Chiu, good director of The Log . Like this preceding movie, Final Justice is plastically interesting and very well put in scene. But the film have a artificial scenario, very misogynist and using too caricatural legal meanders on the end.

  Note: * 1/2

  Available in dvd at Mei Ah.

  

Too Many Ways To Be No 1

Director and scenario writer: Wai Ka-Fai

With: Lau Ching-Wan, Francis Ng Chun-Yu, Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Ruby Wong Chuek-Ling, Cheung Tat-Ming, Tsui Kam-Kong, Joe Cheng Cho, Matthew Chow Hoi-Kwong, Sung Boon-Chung, Tai Bo, Wong Yuk-Wan, Wong Man-Man, Wong Ka-Ming, Wai-Ching Chai, Leung Yuen-Man, Lam Chiu-Hung, Wong Lap- Ban, Ha Ha, Mo Cheung, Ko Tin-Fat, Yeung Kam-Pang, Chiu Yan-Tak, Nip Seung-Sing, Pang Hong-Yuk, Lau Yuk-Kin

First film of Wai Ka-Fai as director for Milkyway Image and, once again, the great couple : Lau Ching-Wan / Carman Lee.

It is doubtless one of best films of the year 1997, the most original in any case: the history takes again the basic concept of the masterpiece of Alain Resnais: Smoking / No Smoking . One can see there three stories of triads having the same prologue, but treated differently according to decisions taken by the principal protagonist, Lau Ching-Wan. It is the principle of " Look what happens if I do that rather than that! ".

The camera, used with a virtuosity not very common to Hong Kong, is very strange : she films at 360°, from the ceiling, with deformed focal distances, in the black... All is made to not make the spectator comfortable. Humour is black, very black, so much that this film with graphic violence was rated CATEGORY III. One could say that Too Many Ways To Be No 1 belongs to the kind Milkyway Image : one finds there the actors of the company, irony, nonsense and completely shifted humour, importance of stylization and the inventiveness of the scenario. But all these ingredients are multiplied by ten at least! One spoke besides about Too Many Ways To Be No 1 like a Kitano under acid... A thing is obvious, nothing to see with the preceding movie of Wai Ka-Fai, Peace Hotel .

Note: * * * * 1/2

Available in dvd at Laser City & Video Company Ltd.

The Odd One Dies

Director: Patrick Yau Tat-Chi

Scenario writer: Wai Ka-Fai

With: Takeshi Kaneshiro (Gum Sing- Mo), Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Byun Woo Nin (Bin Yu-Man), Kenneth Choi Fung- Wah, Tin Man- Chuk, Lee To-Lin

Always in 1997, Wai Ka-Fai co-produced and wrote the scenario of the first film made by Patrick Yau, former assistant of Johnnie To at the TVB, for Milkyway Image. The Odd One Dies shares with Too Many Ways To Be No 1 , in addition to the distribution (Carman Lee), the same environment and the same style. One does not stop moving, changing constantly from places, accompanied by techno. The action is there too, with gore scenes (cut fingers... traditional!). However this film looks like too much to the universe of Wong Kar-Wai and, particularly, Fallen Angels.

 Note : * * * *

 Available in dvd at Mei Ah.

Intruder

Co-producer with Wai Ka-Fai

Director : Tsang Kan-Cheung

With : Wu Chien-Lien (Ng Sin-Lin), Lai Yiu-Cheung, Moses Chan Ho, Wong Man-Wai

Firest horrific thriller produced by the Milkyway Image.

It is the story of a Chinese woman, Wu Chien-Lien, who assassinates a HK prostitute in order to steal her passport, her idendity and to settle in her home. She decides to kidnaps, to steal his papers, a taxi driver, for her husband. However, the mother of the driver and her small 4 year old daughter appear...

I did not see this thriller horrific (Category III), but it has good reputation. One compared the play of Wu Chien-Lien to an Anthony Wong , and Intruder to a mix between Misery and a film of Alfred Hitchcock.

1998

The Longest Nite

Co-producer avec Wai Ka-Fai

Director : Patrick Yau Tat-Chi

With : Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Lau Ching-Wan, Maggie Siu Mei-Kei, Fiona Leung Pui-Ling, Ching Siu-Lung, Mark Cheng Ho-Nam, Lo Hoi-Pang

For me, it is the best film of the Milkyway Image: better scenario (tortuous, machiavelic, nervous, ludic...), better actors (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, the great actor and Lau Ching-Wan, very good too) and more beautiful image (beautiful lightings create a distressing environment). Moreover lot of rythm (less than one hour and half for a rich and enthralling story) as well as an excellent use of Macau which appears, like in Where A Good Man Goes, like a place where to all can arrive. The Longest Nite has a small oneiric side, a fairy tale : in the darkness, all can arrive...

 Note : * * * * *

 Available in dvd at Universe.

  

Expect the Unexpected

Co-producer with Wai Ka-Fai

Director : Patrick Yau Tat-Chi

With : Lau Ching-Wan, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Ruby Wong Cheuk-Ling, Hui Siu-Hung

Made the same year as The Longest Nite, with almost the same technical team. It is a police movie with its story of robbers, but it is especially the description of the life of everyday of a unit of the HK police. The processing is thus extremely different from in other films realeased at the same time (the first polars post 1997) such as Full Alert, Beast Cops or A True Mob Story. One is much closer to the heroes and it is very easy to feel the danger, the death that hang over the heroes. Lau Ching- Wan is once more excellent in the role of " Mister-like-anyone ". Patrick Yau confirms his great talent.

 Note : * * * * 1/2

 Available in dvd at Universe.

1999

Sealed With A Kiss

Co-producer avec Tong Hing Chi

Director : Derek Chiu Sung-Kei

With : Louis Koo Tin Lok, Kam Shui, Yoyo Mung Ka-Wai, Raymond Wong Ho-Yin, Sue Au Suk-Jing

It is a production Milkyway Image, with the new idol of the HK teenagers, Louis Koo (Rules Of The Game, Bullets Over Summer). It is also a large turn in the themes of the society : it decided to reduce its line and thus produced with Sealed With A Kiss, its first romantic comedy.

I did not see this film yet, but it's seem that it is not very good...

 Available in DVD at Mei Ah.