How I Spent My Summer Solstice

When I started this blog, I promised that I wouldn't bore you with details like what I ate for breakfast or what colour shirt I was wearing today. So, I hope you'll indulge me as I talk a little bit about a banquet I attended last week. I promise that it'll eventually lead to something entertainment circle-related.

Though the Cold Hand of Fate decided to afflict me with cancer, I feel that, for the most part, I've been blessed in my life. Included among my many blessings is the fact that I have one of those TVB families from their light comedy-dramas -- you know, a family that has its squabbles and its foibles but, at the end of the day, they care about one another and frequently gather together for family meals. While the conversation at these dinners tend more toward George Costanza and his fiance Susan talking about shoelaces than witty repartee that includes propitious puns ("Here, eat these long noodles that'll bring you long life"), a good time is usually had by all at these events.

Last Tuesday, the Leung clan got together with the Mak family to celebrate the Tuen Ng Festival (端午節, the Festival of the Fifth Day of the Fifth Moon). According to legend, the Festival celebrates the life and death of Qu Yuan -- a poet during the Warring States Period who drowned himself to protest government corruption. Over the years, the Dragon Boat races and the eating of 粽 ("jung", rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) have become associated with Qu's death and, subsequently, the festival celebrating it. However, the rationalist in me subscribes to the theory that all this Qu Yuan stuff is used to "tart up" the Festival and that it likely originated in early agrarian society because it coincides annually with the Summer Solstice. If you would like to learn more about the Tuen Ng Festival, here are some links:

• Discover Hong Kong information page
  
  
• Wikipedia entry on the Festival
  
  
• Wikipedia entry on Qu Yuan
  
  
• Wikipedia entry on 粽 (rice dumplings)

While my saliva-deprived self sipped tea and watched everyone else chow down on their rice dumplings (don't cry for me, Argentina, the truth is I never really liked rice dumplings in the first place), kindly Granny Mak walks up to me and hands me a "get well" lucky money packet. When I got home (it's impolite to open a lucky money packet in front of the person who gave it to you), I discovered a nicely-folded $100 Canadian dollar bill tucked inside the red envelope. Considering that I spent Summer Solstice 2006 lying in a hospital bed getting shot up with Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil, this year's Summer Solstice was exponentially better than the one last year.

The little windfall has since sparked an angel versus devil debate in my mind. The angel is saying: "Save the $100, put it in some interest-bearing instrument, and, like those bank pamphlets suggest, it will eventually turn into $1000 and feed you when you're 64."

Meanwhile, the devil is tempting me to buy the LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES 1983 DVD set that I've had my eye on with whispers of: "今朝有酒﹐今朝醉 (gam jiu yau jau, gam jiu jui or "if you have wine at dawn, then get drunk at dawn" -- the Chinese version of carpe diem)."

I hate to admit this but, right now, there's a 95% chance that the devil will win the argument. First, you only live once. Second, the angel, in my mind, is being played by Hui Siu-Hung while Anthony Wong Chau-Sang plays the devil. As a result, even though the angel has solid arguments, they're being presented in a hapless and ineffectual way while the devil is all cool and convincing. I've already done some shopping around on the Internet and found a place that's selling the set for only $55 -- not bad for a 59 episode, 15 DVD collection. The only thing stopping me, oddly enough, is the potential for getting my childhood memories crushed by buying the DVDs and being bored out of my skull by the extended "emotional" sequences that were de rigueur for the 1980s TVB adaptations of Louis Cha's works. Too many of those sequences marred the 1980s adaptations of RETURN OF THE CONDOR HEROES (starring Andy Lau Tak-Wah) and FLYING FOX OF THE SNOWY MOUNTAIN (starring Ray Lui Leung-Wai).

Does anyone out there have the LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES DVDs? Are they as good as they are cracked up to be: uncut, contains the opening theme sequences and credits, English subtitles, clear picture and good sound?

By the way, I really need to get different people to play the angel and the devil because the devil is winning far too many of these arguments. Actually, what I really need is an Inner Six -- a sexy but belligerent and antagonistic presence. If I had one, maybe you'd see more posts on this blog -- that is if I don't end up unwittingly contributing to the destruction of humanity.

Image credits: Allen Timothy Chang (rice dumpling image), TVB (LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES DVD cover), United Filmmakers Organization (Hui Siu-Hung from IT HAD TO BE YOU), China Star Entertainment (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang from JIANG HU: THE TRIAD ZONE), R&D TV (Tricia Helfer from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA)

Thoughts on IT HAD TO BE YOU

As my hot flight attendant girlfriend is away (probably out two-timing me), I've got nothing to do but walk Tobias, my imaginary dog, come home, make some horribly expensive coffee, put on a Faye Wong CD and cook myself some instant noodles after putting on a wig and my late wife's dress. With all that done, I have some time on my hands to share some thoughts on IT HAD TO BE YOU.


IT HAD TO BE YOU
後備甜心
Directors: Andrew Lo Wang-Hin, Maurice Li Ming-Man
Cast: Karena Lam Ka-Yan (Jill), Ekin Cheng Yi-Kin (Jack), Eric Tsang Chi-Wai (Jason), Harvey Hu Bing (Chi On), Bobo Chan Man-Woon (Grace), Nicola Cheung Sun-Yu (Moon), Kiki Sheung Tin-Ngor (Jill's Mom)


PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS: After watching a slate of "Chinese epics made for the international market", a depressing Ann Hui film and a decent attempt at a classic HK action film, I was ready for something light. My OMNI-2 "Super Cinema Night" recording of IT HAD TO BE YOU seemed to fit the bill. IT HAD TO BE YOU is an UFO film so you have to expect a star-studded cast, interesting characters, a solid story, great production values and a glossy urban setting. After all, UFO is responsible for some films that I look back upon fondly: HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY FATHER (a classic starring the two Tony Leungs), LOST AND FOUND and the under-appreciated AND I HATE YOU SO. Of course, UFO has had their share of misfires -- like TWELVE NIGHTS and LAVENDER -- but, generally speaking, the UFO label means quality HK romance/drama just like the Milkyway label means quality HK action/drama.


AFTER THE MOVIE: IT HAD TO BE YOU turned out to be one of those middling films that's somewhat disappointing but not particularly vexing. It doesn't lend itself to penetrating analysis so, instead of a full-blown review, I'm just going to write some bullet points on stuff I liked and didn't like then wrap everything up with a few words.


THE GOOD:

- Karena Lam Ka-Yan doing the cute schtick. If you like Karena Lam and you enjoy watching actresses doing the cute schtick then this is the film for you. From beginning to end, Lam has the "pedal to the metal" on the cute accelerator. This means, of course, that if you don't like the cute schtick, then Karena Lam's performance is going to grate on you. More on this later ...

- Ekin Cheng Yi-Kin turns in a solid performance. As Kozo over at LoveHKFilm points out in his review, ol' Noodle sheds his usual "thirtysomething teenager" persona for a mature, level-headed guy persona. This is a welcome development as "Mr. Badminton" turns 40 (40!) this year and watching him continue to play overgrown teenagers would be as disconcerting as watching Kevin Spacey, great as he is, play a twentysomething Bobby Darin in BEYOND THE SEA.

- Kiki Sheung Tin-Ngor gives a nice performance as Jill's Mom. One thing about UFO Films, there are always some solid supporting characters and Kiki Sheung's role is no different. By making Sheung's character deaf, the filmmakers allowed for a nice variation on the typical "leading lady's Mom" character. You're probably tired of hearing me say this but seeing Kiki Sheung play a Mom in this film makes me feel old since I used to watch her play hot girl roles in 1980s TVB series.

After some time away, Sheung has rejoined TVB and can currently be seen with Cecilia Yip Tung, David Chiang Dai-Wai and Sheren Teng Sui-Man in the TVB series THE FAMILY LINK (師奶兵團). The series is being billed as a Hong Kong version of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

- Bobo Chan Man-Woon makes a noble bid to join the likes of Kitty Ting Hao (THE GREATEST CIVIL WAR ON EARTH) and Valerie Chow Ka-Ling (CHUNGKING EXPRESS) in the Hong Kong Movie Hot Flight Attendants Hall of Fame. Lost in the crowd of young HK starlets, Chan retired from the entertainment circle in 2006. As evidenced by her role in this film and her ad for the MTR, it's too bad because I thought she had an air of maturity to her that gave her a leg up on the bubbly, girly-girl types. For example, I wouldn't scoff at the idea of Chan playing a lawyer like I would, did, when I heard Gillian Chung Yan-Tung was playing one in 49 DAYS. In case you were wondering, Chan is currently on a path taken by many of her HK starlet predecessors: involved in a relationship with some rich, business-type guy.


THE BAD:

- Karena Lam doing the cute schtick. Like the fine line between love and hate and the fine line between genius and insanity, there's a fine line between endearing and annoying. In this film, Karena Lam not only crosses that line, she leaves it a speck in the horizon of her rear-view mirror. When you combine the overdone cute act with character quirks like her penchant for charades and her imaginary dog Fluffy, her character loses the sympathy that a leading lady in a romance film needs. Instead of feeling bad for Jill's plight as "the other woman", all you're thinking is that she's a ditzy dope who deserves to be in the situation that she finds herself in.

- Ideas and setups that fizzle instead of sizzle. In addition to setting the cute meter for Karena Lam's character at 100, IT HAD TO BE YOU is filled with plot points and setups that are intended to add charm and romance to the film but are so clearly calculated that it kills the mood instead of enhancing it. The three biggest offenders are:

• Jill's imaginary dog. This bit really hurts the credibility of the Jill character and the damage that it does isn't worth the payoff at the end.
  
  
• A sequence where Jack and Jill, unbeknownst to the other, sing to a Faye Wong at the same time. The scene is intended to show the audience that the two belong together because they have some sort of great cosmic synchronicity but, by this point in the film, everyone knows that already. As a result, it ends up being a piece of cinematic verbosity that disrupts the momentum of the movie.
  
  
• Eric Tsang Chi-Wai's character in drag. This bit is supposed to set up Jack and Jill for an Oprah "Moment of Enlightenment"™ about life and love but it's too forced and strained for it to be meaningful.

Just as every magic trick has a pledge, a turn and a prestige, every romantic comedy has a situation, a complication and, hopefully, a post-romantic comedy afterglow (a term coined by an old girlfriend from my university days describing the "toasty warm" feeling you get after a good romantic comedy). IT HAD TO BE YOU has an imaginative situation (two people who can be labeled the "third party" in a romantic triangle) but the complications are too laboured and contrived to amount to any post-romantic comedy afterglow. With Ekin Cheng, Karena Lam, Harvey Hu Bing, Nicola Cheung Sun-Yu and Bobo Chan in the cast, it's a good film for stargazing but if you are hoping to get a romantic buzz, you're better off looking elsewhere.


MISCELLANEA:


- When I used to eat French Fries, I liked them without ketchup. I usually ate them with some salt and some pepper. I'd always thought that slathering ketchup on a fry smothered the taste of potato making eating fries meaningless. I mean, would you listen to an iPod while you're sitting in a theatre watching a movie?

Anyway, what does this portend for my love life? Does it mean that I actually don't want love in my life? I guess I'll have to head over to Temple Street some day and consult a fortune teller.

- Fire Lee Ka-Wing plays a character named "Fatty". I hope it's not because people think he's fat but because Lam Chi-Chung (or someone of similar proportion) was originally cast for this role and the powers-that-be were too lazy to change the character's name after Lam dropped out.

- The greatly under-appreciated CRAZY N' THE CITY must have made a deeper impression on me than I thought because once I saw Yan Ng Yat-Yin, I half-expected Chloe Chiu Suet-Fei to pop up on the screen. I have an OMNI-2 recording of COCKTAIL (the Hong Kong movie, not the Tom Cruise one) lying around somewhere. It has both Chloe Chiu and Bobo Chan in it. I think that's next up on the queue.

- Seeing Nicola Cheung Sun-Yu made me look up what's she been up to since I got put on the DL. With no movie or TV credits since 2005, there are reports that she got a day job and supplements her income by doing ads and showing up at store openings and promotional events. There are also reports that she's going to marry her rich boyfriend in October or November 2007. Then again, there's also a report of her rich boyfriend out on the town with another woman.

- From the "Learn Something New Every Day" File: Lo Meng, my favourite entertainment circle muscle man, has an English name -- Turbo. Jet, obviously, was already taken.

Image Credits: United Filmmakers Organization (IT HAD TO BE YOU), Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd. (THE GREATEST CIVIL WAR ON EARTH), Jet Tone Production (CHUNGKING EXPRESS)