Director SamsonChiu, working from a script he co-wrote with Matt Chow, selects key moments from the past quarter century of Hong Kong history to serve as backdrop for the film.
To an outsider such as myself, living thousands of miles away, it looks like Chiu picked out events that he feels led to the current economic doldrums being suffered locally.
To the contrary, Chiu does not belabor the points he makes, and the fictional scenarios are not so didactic as to slavishly echo the historial backgrounds.
When I Fall in Love...With Both (2000)(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-09)
Commercial romantic drama from underrated director SamsonChiu proves to be an affecting, low-key alternative to the traditional HK fare.
SamsonChiu directs this UFO-like drama about three women who correspond over the Internet and share the same problem: all three are juggling two relationships.
Fann Wong is a reporter who falls for a shy baker (Peter Ho) while she’s seeing her suave co-worker (James Lye).
Although all three of the apartment mates do make early appearances in CONJUGAL AFFAIRS, the first third of this 1993 film really centers on Eddie, whose disinclination to be romantically tied down to a single person causes his girlfriend to give up on their relationship.
Before too long though, another female turns up in this SamsonChiu directed section of the offering to test his resolve (One that he is disposed to articulate in terms of “Don’t give up the heavens for the sake of one single star”).
And while my paranoid fears did prove to be groundless, I’ll still vouchsafe that this portion of the movie does have the least satisfactory conclusion (as well as overall story plus choice of music).
Gam gai Hong Kong 2002/Dir Leung Chun 'Samson' Chiu.
She also brings a great depth, particularly when this career minded girl accidentally falls pregnant and decides to find the baby a father - even though she will never see the child.
Director and co-wrter (with Matt Chow) SamsonChiu injects a lot of heart and even maturity into what initially appears to be little more than a collection of Carry On style antidotes, tackling the subject of a life in the world oldest profession without judgment.
Chiu is also committed to expanding the role of classical music; he has created unusual collaborations with non-musicians, such as the Shakespearean actor Brian Bedford and psychologist/writer/clown Howard Buten.
Trapped inside with Bong after the robbery is discovered, Kum starts to recount to him her life story, detailing her outrageous sexual journeys and odd encounters with all strata of Hong Kong society.
Director SamsonChiu keeps the pace brisk, carefully upping the ante as each successive escapade described by Kum grows just a little bit wilder.
Directed by SamsonChiu Leung-Chun; starring Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Theresa Lee Yi-Hung, Kenny Bee (Chung Chun-To), Yuen Siu-Cheung, Paul Fonoroff (Fong Bo-Lo), Kent Cheng Yuk-Si.
Andy Lau plays a hotshot news reporter with an unfailing instinct to unearth hidden criminals.
Probably because I actually have never completely viewed a whole episode of the long-running American situation-comedy, the sense I (nonetheless) get is that certain of YESTERYOU, YESTERME, YESTERDAY’s content as well as stylistic touches are “only in Hong Kong” ones.
For example, I can’t imagine that “The Wonder Years” would have Durex as one of its sponsors the way that was the case with this 1993 SamsonChiu directorial effort.
Neither does it seem all that likely that a relatively gentle -- as opposed to outright satirical -- “coming of age” tale from anywhere else in the world would have as its protagonist a 14 year old boy whose personal name -- appropriately enough, considering his proclivities -- apparently translates into English as “Teats Gazer”...!
At times a little cheesy and uneven pace-wise, SamsonChiu's What A Wonderful World is still a worthwhile study of sensationalistic journalism and newly found humanity in the face of terminal disease (a plot device that's been used fairly frequently by Hong Kong filmmakers).
Some of the characters, especially the reporters and the police are a fair bit overblown and stereotypical but the performances by Andy Lau, Kenny Bee and Teresa Lee carry the film well enough to not let those things bother in the long run.
Opening on Sept 28th (that's Tuesday) across Asia, 2046 is Wing Kar Wai 4 year cinematic journey, starting Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, and Zhang Ziyi.
The New York Times magazine tells the story (The Director's Director (Registration required) behind the making of this film which will likey be a huge success (or an absolute disaster).
I finally found a review of this movie with the english name "The Floating Landscape" as reviewed by LoveHKFilm.com.
TIFF 2003(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-09)
other movies by Chiu: News Attack (1989) White Rose (1992) Yesteryou Yesterme Yesterday (1993) The Last Valentine (1993) Conjugal Affairs (1994) The New Age of Living Together (1994), Lost Boys in Wonderland (1995) What a Wonderful World (1996) When I Fall in Love -- with Both (2000) Golden Chicken (2002)
SamsonChiu was also born in Shanghai, but raised in Hong Kong and studied filmmaking in Canada, later working with John Woo, among others, according to the film festival notes.
I've seen only one other of his movies When I Fall in Love...with Both (2000).
