Chinese Movie ~ The Myth [2005]

I had been thoroughly busy lately but since Sex is Zero 2, I still managed to watch a few more movies, mainly because I watched movies in the wee hours of the morning around 4am or so!

One of the more outstanding movies that I watched was Jackie Chan's The Myth that was released in 2005. I have to admit that it has been ages since I watched a Jackie Chan film, I think since he went to Hollywood. With The Myth, I now think Jackie Chan is the James Bond of the East, as there are two beautiful actresses in it; first Korean beauty Kim Hee-seon who stars as a Korean princess and Bollywood sex symbol Mallika Sherawat.

The Myth movie poster

The Myth actually has two different settings, one is olden time Qin Dynasty where Jackie Chan was General Meng Yi and one is in the present time where Jackie Chan was Dr. Jack Chan, an archeologist, a reincarnation of General Meng Yi.

The cast:
Jackie Chan ... General Meng Yi / Dr Jack Chan
Hee-seon Kim ... Ok-soo
Tony Leung Ka Fai ... William
Mallika Sherawat ... Samantha

Of course, some parts of the movie are really too far-fetched but when you are watching a movie, you really should not think if something is too illogical or unbelievable since a movie should take you to "fantasy land".

Beautiful Korean princess Ok-soo dances for General Meng Yi

Even if this movie was not flawlessly executed, I found some scenes in this totally hilarious, like how William (Tony Leung Ka Fai) accidentally kissed the corpse. Also, one of the "best" scenes that made me laugh was the fight in the rat poison factory. Did you spot the smilie face on Jackie Chan's boxers?

I think that if one watches this movie that has been revoiced entirely in English, some of the better elements of the movie would have been lost. The one that I watched was in its original language, which is a mixture of Cantonese, Chinese and English.

Anyway, if you are looking for some Jackie Chan magic, I am sure this movie will not disappoint.

Chinese Movie ~ The Forbidden Kingdom [2008]

My sister is a great fan of Jet Li while I generally love to watch action packed martial arts movies so we are both holding our breathes waiting for The Forbidden Kingdom to hit the big screen.

Jackie Chan

In The Forbidden Kingdom we will be seeing both Jet Li and Jackie Chan at the same time. I guess this is will not only be the first time ever but also the ONLY time because Jet Li has been saying that he wants to stop acting in martial arts movies and Jackie Chan is not getting any younger as well for such vigorous, punishing action-packed kung fu scenes.

Jet Li & Jackie Chan

For your information, both Jackie Chan and Jet Li are great kung fu [martial arts] actors from the Far East. Their kind of kung fu is real and not the Hollywood kind where actors are given crash courses just so that they could carry out a role. No, both Jackie and Jet underwent intensive martial arts training at real Shaolin temples in China when they were young boys. You can bet that they do all their stunts themselves.

Jet Li

According to the official website of The Forbidden Kingdom, this movie will be released worldwide on 18th April, 2008. I wonder if we in Malaysia will get to watch the first run as well. My sister is in the United States so maybe the movie will only hit the theaters a little later. Meanwhile, watch the trailer of The Forbidden Kingdom at the official website.

Hong Kong Actresses Involved In Edison Chen Sex Scandal

My friend recently watched Kung Fu Dunk and she said that one of the lines was very funny and she could imagine what a scene it would be if Gillian Chung was in that role.

That got me thinking, what would people's reaction be when they watch movies by any of these three actresses, Gillian, Bobo Chan & Cecilia Cheung, involved in the recent sex scandal of the Hong Kong entertainment scene that rocked the Chinese community the world over?

I read on Batgwa.com [FYI, Batgwa means "busybody"] that there are more than 10,000 people per minute in Hong Kong alone, downloading and sharing these leaked sex photos over the internet. So you can imagine the number of people who have already seen these photos and having wild fantasies about "strange, strange stuff."

In Asian society, I believe that Edison Chen will not get as harsh a backlash as these three actresses, because, he's "a guy". If there are still producers who would take on these ladies for new movies, how will movie-goers look at them?

Can their careers survive?

Update: 10th Feb, 2008:
With new sex photos of Edison Chen released this morning of Edison Chen with Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung, Bobo Chan, possibly his current girlfriend, Vincy Yeung and a few other women who are yet unidentified, I now think that not only are the careers of these actresses over, Edison Chen's career as an entertainer in Hong Kong and China is totally bombed too. However, he can move to the Netherlands and be a porn star.

Hong Kong Movie ~ My Wife Is 18

*My Wife Is 18* movie poster

Popular Hong Kong singer, E-Kin Cheng, is Sap-Sam (13) Cheung, a thirty-year-old graduate student in the United Kingdom who spent the past eight years working on his thesis on female psychology.

To satisfy his grandmother's dying last wish, he has to get married to a girl arranged by his late grandfather. And that girl happens to be 18-year-old Hong Kong student, Yoyo Ma (Charlene Choi of Twins).

So they got married, but secretly arranged to divorce in a years' time. Soon after, 13 Cheung's grandmother passes on, and 13 Cheung decides to leave UK, and finds himself sharing Yoyo Ma's home.

13 Cheung with Ms. Lee in the Art Room

Although they are only husband and wife on paper, things begin to get complicated when 13 Cheung finds a job as a teacher in Yoyo's school.

Under the blanket just before they *ahem*

Yoyo becomes 13 Cheung's study for his thesis and as expected, feelings begin to creep in when putting a man and a woman girl together, alone in the house.

Yoyo Ma all dressed up ala Maggie Cheung in *In The Mood For Love*

With two ladies (and a man) loving 13 Cheung, who will he choose?

13 Cheung is reluctant to save Ms. Lee from a snake

It is not "roll on the floor laughing" kind of movie, but I find this movie rather amusing. The funniest part was when 13 Cheung tried to be a hero to save Ms. Lee from a snake that entered the gym.

Charlene Choi's Yoyo Ma was overboard and you either adore her character or find her most annoying.

13 Cheung: I'm sorry, Ms. Lee
Ms. Lee: I will hate you for the rest of my life

"My Little Bride", the 2003 Korean movie, which I watched some time back, is a copycat of "My Wife Is 18". To me, "My Wife Is 18" has better entertainment value. Perhaps my brain could better process the jokes in the dialogue, which is in Cantonese, whereas, I had to depend on the English subtitle for "My Little Bride". Moreover, a lot of elements are always left out in the translation process.

"My Wife Is 18" is a very light-hearted comedy, and one doesn't need to have deep thoughts over the plot. Do not expect anything spectacular either. Good to watch on a lazy evening.

Hong Kong Movie ~ Men Suddenly In Black

I'm sure many are familiar with Men in Black 1 & 2, but Men Suddenly In Black?

Men Suddenly In Black movie poster

This is a Hong Kong comedy staring Eric Tsang and three guys and their three wives and one girlfriend.

This story is based loosely on true life events, where four guys went out to have a wild time and possibly free sex while their partners went to Thailand for a holiday.

The ladies, led by Teresa Moo

Their plan began as soon as the four ladies boarded the plane.

Their first target was their first girlfriend, and for the single guy, it's a girl he met online. Easy score, or so they thought.

Anyway, some thing happened that the ladies cancelled their Thailand trip and when the guys found out that the ladies suspect them of playing hanky panky, they started to question each other's loyalty.

Did they manage to score or not? There are many scenes in this movie that can happen in real life. It's not that easy to cheat on a spouse, you know.

Very sneaky indeed

Why this title, "Men Suddenly in Black"? Apparently, these guys do not own any black coloured clothes, therefore, it will not be easy to catch them. Even if caught, they can deny, since they do not own any black clothes.

The bed scene in a hotel room

Watch this film for some light-hearted entertainment. It's a movie that requires no deep analysing or soul-searching. If you know Cantonese, you won't lose the real dialogue and subtle hamsup jokes.

Quotable Quotes:
Do you want to stay at home and eat your own banana or go outside and let others eat it?

If you are not promiscuous, you don't know how healthy you are.

Hong Kong Movie ~ In The Mood For Love

*In The Mood For Love* movie poster

This is a very artistic movie set in Hong Kong, 1962. It is the second movie in a trilogy, much like the three Korean Movies ~ My Sassy Girl, Windstruck and My Girl & I. They are sort of inter-related, but not really.

I have yet to watch the other two movies in this trilogy, Days of Being Wild (first movie) or 2046 (the third movie).

In the opening scenes, Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) and Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) rent rooms on the same day from a landlady and moved in on the same day too. Neither Mr. Chan nor Mrs. Chow was ever revealed throughout the movie.

After awhile, both Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow suspect that their spouses were having an affair with each other. Mrs. Chan noticed that Mr. Chow has the same tie as her husband while Mr. Chow saw Mrs. Chan carrying the same handbag as his wife.

Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan in a taxi on their way home

As both of them are on the same boat, this brought their friendship closer. Mr. Chow, a journalist, who dreams of being an author, even sought the help of Mrs. Chan to write his martial arts story. Naturally, they spent alot of time together, even late into the night.

As Mr. Chan and Mrs. Chow eloped to Japan, Mrs. Chan went through a hard time trying to figure out what went wrong in her marriage. What did she do, or did not do, that drove her husband into the arms of another woman? When did this affair start?

Mr. Chow, on the other hand, was not that outwardly emotional; he is, after all, a man.

To help Mrs. Chan, Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan reenacted possibilities of what may have happened between their spouses. Soon, the line between reality and fantasy blurred and they found themselves in the shoes of their spouses, but both kept reassuring each other that they will NEVER be like their cheating spouses.

One of their many evening chats before going up to their rented rooms

This movie is filmed in such a way that many scenes were repetitive, to show the life that both Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow led, the routine they go through while their respective spouses worked late or went overseas "on work trips". One can see the same things done on different days by looking at the various costumes, lighting and camera angle. But most of the movie was filmed in slow-motion.

In the Mood For Love

The question if Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow will separate from their spouses and get together instead, will not be answered here. You need to watch the movie to find out.