Chapman To Movies

Writer and director Pang Ho-cheung presents seven short sketches of small but emotionally telling moments in this omnibus collection. Isabel Chan and Eason Chan play a young couple who are living together but, to his despair, she doesn't want to sleep with him until they get married. When she consents to have sex to celebrate Christmas, he begins looking for holidays that will put her into a festive mood. An actor (Chapman To) visiting Hong Kong on business is struck with loneliness, and hires a prostitute (Zhang Zheng) to spend some time with him. Kei (Stephy Tang) and Ah Wai (Gillian Chung) are two close friends from school who haven't seen each other for nearly ten years, and discover they no longer have much in common beyond a lingering infatuation with the same aging pop star. A lovelorn guy (Kenny Kwan) tries to impress the girl he loves in high school (Angela Baby) by naming a heavenly body after her, which has unexpected consequences. A hired killer (Shawn Yue) who takes a casual but businesslike approach to his work decides to relax and smoke a joint with his target (Conroy Chan) before pulling the trigger. A college professor (Chan Fai Hung) whose relationship with his wife (Kristal Tin) is faltering turns to one of his students (January Lamb) for advice on putting his marriage back on track. And a would-be ladies' man (Edison Chen) reveals he has a very peculiar way of impressing women. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Elements of the typical detective story blend with comedy and melodrama in this tale of a Taipei man who longs to patch up his relationship with his estranged wife, yet finds his noble efforts sabotaged when he steps out of his car to purchase a cake, and another driver parks him in. It's Mother's Day in Taipei, and Chen Mo is eager to patch things up with his beloved wife. In order to start things off on the right foot, Chen Mo stops by the local bakery to pick up a cake. Unfortunately, that's just about the time another driver chooses to double-park in the space next to him, effectively blocking him in. The driver of the other car is nowhere to be found, and Chen Mo searches every floor of the adjacent parking building to no avail. In the course of his quest, Chen mo encounters a series of quirky characters including a one-armed barbershop owner with a fondness for fish head soup, and a mainland prostitute on the run from her pimp. In time Chen Mo finds the driver of the offending car, and invites his newfound friends along as he prepares to drive off into new horizons. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

On the eve before the political handover of Macao to the Peoples' Republic of China, police officer Shing suffers a terrible career crisis: he has been involved in years of money laundering with Portuguese officials and is now facing extradition. Shing seeks comfort in the arms of a young woman, Yan, with whom he wants a one-night stand. Yan, on the other hand, has a different agenda; she confronts Shing with the unexpected news that she's his daughter. Shing didn't even know he had a daughter. And while Shing wants to carry on as a care-free bachelor, Yan has other ideas and, refusing to be shrugged off as an incidental accident, causes havoc in his everyday life -- she insists on moving into her father's apartment. Shing soon has to face up to the challenge of taking on personal and professional responsibility -- paternal responsibility for his daughter and professional responsibility for the money laundering he committed as an officer of the law. In the end, he decides to admit his crime, do his time, and plans to turn over a new leaf after prison for a life of responsibility with his daughter in Macao. ~ Heidi Philipsen, All Movie Guide

Infernal Affairs powerhouse Andy Lau and Alan Mak bring the most popular manga in Japan screaming to life in this in this live-action look at the high-speed sport of "drifting" that shot straight to the top of the Hong Kong box office. Eighteen-year-old Takumi (Jay Chou) is never late for a tofu delivery, and though he speeds the tofu to its destinations with the velocity of a landlocked stealth plane, his true aspiration in life is to follow in the footsteps of his formerly fast-driving father (Anthony Wong) -- an ex-adrenaline junkie who eventually gave up the race track for the restaurant business. In his five years delivering meals from his father's restaurant Takumi has learned the streets of his hometown like the back of his hand, and he can take every corner with the needle planted firmly on the right. The trick to Takumi's amazing driving skills is a technique known as "drifting," and in a world where high-risk racing has spilled out of the tracks and onto the streets, this daring driver is about to become a legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A Vietnamese man looking for a better life embarks on a dangerous and eye-opening voyage to America in this powerful drama set during the early '90s. In 1990, Binh (Damien Nguyen) is a man in his early twenties who has never known his parents, though he is clearly of mixed-race parentage, which makes him an outcast in his community. Weary of being treated like an animal, Binh sets out to find his mother, Mai (Thi Kim Xuan Chau), only to discover she works as a servant for a wealthy family who subject her to constant abuse, and that she has a baby son. When a household accident leads to the death of the matriarch, Mai, her infant, and Binh go on the run. Mai then confesses to Binh that she's dying, gives him all the money she has, and implores him to leave Vietnam for America, with his half-brother in tow. Unable to travel to America legally, Binh attempts to smuggle his way into the States aboard a ship; he's found out, and is sent to a prison camp in Malaysia, where he meets Ling (Bai Ling), a beautiful woman who has been forced into prostitution to support herself. Befriending Ling, Binh eventually arranges for passage to America aboard a refugee ship, though the harrowing voyage claims the life of Binh's half-brother. Binh and Ling arrive in New York City as illegal aliens, and soon learn that life in America can be just as harrowing as what they left behind; eventually, Binh runs away, hoping to make his way to Texas where he's learned that his father is living. Produced by Terrence Malick, The Beautiful Country also features supporting performances from Nick Nolte and Tim Roth. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A recently fired manager in search of gainful employment must race to Kowloon in order to sign his new contract before the end of the work day or face unemployment in this black comedy that reunites Men Suddenly in Black co-stars Jordan Chan and Chapman To. Despite the fact that he has just been handed his walking papers, Raymond (Chan) is quick to find a new job thanks to the help of best pal Bey (To). In order to secure his new position though, Raymond must reach his friend's workplace in Kowloon and sign the necessary papers by 5 o'clock p.m. When Raymond is mugged while attempting to cross the harbor, he finds that getting out of Hong Kong Island is tougher than he expected when you have no money and the clock is ticking. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The prequel to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's smash hit Infernal Affairs opens in 1991, with Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) explaining the frustrations of police work to gangster Sam (Eric Tsang). He also expresses his desire to see the seemingly reasonable Sam take over he reins of the local triad from the current boss. When that boss is murdered, with no apparent heir, it seems that Hong Kong is going to explode in an all-out gang war. But the boss' bespectacled, soft-spoken, and well-mannered son, Hau (Francis Ng), unexpectedly takes charge, calmly and cleverly defusing the situation. Meanwhile, Yan (Shawn Yu, reprising his role as the younger version of Tony Leung's character in the first Infernal Affairs) is thrown out of the police academy for breaking the rules, and it's discovered that he's Hau's half-brother. Wong recruits him to work undercover in Hau's organization. Ming (Edison Chen playing the younger Andy Lau) is a corrupt cop secretly working for Sam. His progress up the ranks of the police force is swift, but his relationship with Sam is threatened when he finds himself falling in love with Sam's girlfriend, Mary (Carina Lau). For his part, as the handover of Hong Kong to China approaches, Hau plots to become involved in "legitimate" politics, and to avenge himself against those he believes responsible for his father's death. Chapman To reprises his role as the goofy Keung. Infernal Affairs II was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

A spirited female detective who never had time for love realizes just how complicated romance can be after meeting Prince Charming while vacationing in Malaysia with her best friend. Grace is completely dedicated to her job, and as a result she's never had the time to seek out the man of her dreams. Invited by her best friend Joey to take a trip to Malaysia where he's scheduled to shoot a commercial, Grace decides to take the trip but gets caught off guard when she meets the perfect man. Unfortunately for Grace, this is only the beginning of a most unusual nightmare. Shu Qi, Andy On, and Simon Yam star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Kam (veteran Hong Kong comic actress Sandra Ng) is making a withdrawal from an ATM on New Year's Eve when she's held up at knifepoint by the desperate Bong (Eric Tsang), who is distressed to learn that Kam doesn't even have enough money in her account to make a withdrawal. The two agree to leave and go their separate ways, when a power outage traps them in the kiosk. Kam tries to cheer Bong up with an amusing story about her life as a prostitute. This leads to a conversation that lasts through the night, and flashbacks depict Kam's evolution, from underage "fishball girl" to popular showgirl (who wins over clients doing a deft impression of Jackie Chan circa Drunken Master) to masseuse to long-in-the-tooth hooker. Outside historical events converge with Kum's story as she weaves her tale, detailing everything from her encounter with a celebrity (Andy Lau as himself) to her unrequited love for a mysterious gangster, Yeh (Wu Kwan of Stanley Kwan's Lan Yu), to her longtime friendship with a former client, Professor Chan (Tony Leung). There's also an unplanned pregnancy, which leads to an opportunistic romance with Richard (Felix Wong), a wealthy businessman. This 2002 comedy Golden Chicken, directed by Samson Chiu, spawned a 2003 sequel, Golden Chicken 2. The first film was shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's survey Recent Films from Hong Kong in 2004. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Featuring an appearance by Cantopop megastars Twins and set in 1970s Hong Kong, this nostalgic comedy drama from director Riley Ip concerns itself with a young man as he contemplates revenge on the gangster he believes responsible for his father's death. Though his policeman father had committed suicide in a movie theater toilet ten years earlier, Fan (Shawn Yu) still believes that the local kingpin called "Crazy" (Anthony Wong) is somehow responsible for his death. Making a living by selling his family wares in front of a local theater, Fan and his best friend Ming (Wong You-Nam) decide to enlist in a kung fu class to impress the master's daughter Nam (Charlene Choi). Things later get complicated when Fan falls for a mysterious country girl (Gillian Chung). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide