Mina Shum Movies
- 2002
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Director Mina Shum re-teams with the lead actress behind her breakthrough debut film Double Happiness in this magic-realist romantic comedy. Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity stars Sandra Oh as Kin Ho, a lonely single mom living in Vancouver with her impish 12-year-old daughter, Mindy (Valerie Tian). Mindy stumbles across a corner magic store while traipsing through Chinatown one day, and begins to believe that spells and potions are the perfect means for improving her mother's life. Her purchases not achieving the desired results, Mindy resorts to more serious schemes, courtesy of a fortune teller. After a few botched efforts -- which result in good fortune for a neighborhood butcher and terrible luck for a security guard -- Mindy sets herself to the task of finding her mother a mate in the form of Alvin (Russell Yuen), a co-worker of Kin's who has long admired her from afar. Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Oh, Valerie Tian, (more)
- 1997
This Canadian film is director Mina Shum's second feature. Nadine (Moira Kelly) is on her first day at a new job, working in a bank, when there's a holdup. But the job also brings about a romance with co-worker Jonathan (Sebastian Spence). Five years later, the romance has gone sour, and Nadine is attracted to a newcomer in town, Tass (Josh Hamilton). When Tass robs the bank, Nadine is abducted. With the cops and Jonathan in pursuit, they skip town, heading for China City so Tass can visit his hospitalized mother. Moira Kelly provides the voiceover narration. Shum shot in British Columbia. The title is a reference to Drive He Said, directed by Jack Nicholson in 1970. Shown at 1997 film festivals (Toronto, Vancouver). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moira Kelly, Sebastian Spence, (more)
Family ghosts, generational conflict, and the immigrant experience frame this episodic comedy-drama about a Chinese-born Canadian woman's quest for self-definition, which marked the debut of writer/director Mina Shum. Jade Li (Sandra Oh), an aspiring actress in her early twenties, lives at home with her strict father (Stephen Chang), her dutiful mother (Alannah Ong), and her sweet younger sister, Pearl (Frances You). Their older brother, Winston, has been disowned -- a fate Jade is not eager to share, both for her own sake and to spare her family pain. Therefore, although she manages to land a few bit parts on camera, Jade spends most of her time working in the shop owned by a family friend, performing the duties of a respectful daughter and suffering through arranged dates with prosperous young Chinese men. An adept cultural chameleon, though, she also leads a double life, hanging out with best friend Lisa (Claudette Carracedo) and beginning a tentative romance with Caucasian college student Mark (Callum Keith Rennie). When her father's childhood friend arrives for a visit, however, Jade must juggle her competing identities even more carefully than usual, lest her choice of professions -- and boyfriends -- shame her father. After premiering at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, Double Happiness won several international awards and made its U.S. bow at Sundance in 1995. Writer/director Shum -- who, like her protagonist, was born in Hong Kong but raised in Canada -- appears briefly on camera as a casting director who doesn't think Jade is Chinese enough. Oh, who is actually of Korean descent, won a best actress Genie Award (the Canadian equivalent of an Oscar) for her portrayal of Jade. The part of Dad Li marked a departure for Chang, a frequent martial arts movie villain and real-life friend of Bruce Lee. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Oh, Stephen Chang, (more)
