George Lam Movies
- 1997
Unusual for its straightforward handling of gay themes and homophobia, this commercially-oriented Hong Kong comedy-drama chronicles the upcoming wedding of marriage counselor Law Kar-Sing. But Law is gay and the thought of marrying Chuen, to whom he has been informally betrothed for many years, strikes him as pointless. This does not stop his parents from continuing to pressure him. Chuen too is becoming more aggressive with her demands. But marriage is only a part of Law's problems. Other pressures come from his career, his secret lover Sonny, and an aunt with a few secrets of her own. There is also Law's friend professor Kim who is dying of AIDS. Kim's family does not want his long-time lover to attend the funeral for fear of public scandal. This prompts Sonny to take a radical stance and only makes matters worse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Twenty years ago, when she was a university student, To Choi Mei (Lin Ching Hsia) had an affair with one of her professors. The professor's pregnant wife convinced them to break the relationship off. Now she is a social worker, and while her old classmates flee the impending reunification with China by moving to Europe and the U.S., she is just taking on a teenaged boy (David Wu) as a new case. Losing sight of her professionalism entirely, she quickly becomes embroiled in a passionate relationship with the boy, whom she discovers to be the child of her old flame. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Lam, David Wu, (more)
- 1987
Michelle Yeoh stars in this breezy caper yarn loosely adapted from The Thomas Crown Affair as Michelle Yeung, a bored millionaire who at the film's opening stages an armored car heist of $HK 33 million of horse race receipts for the fun of it. Insurance investigator Lam (George Lam) immediately suspects Michelle as the mastermind of the crime. Along with dogged Hong Kong gumshoe Ken (Kent Cheng) and a dazzling array of electronic gadgets, Lam tracks Michelle throughout Europe, from skiing in the Alps, to hand gliding in France, racing through the streets of Paris. Inevitably, Lam and Michelle begin to fall for one another amid their transcontinental chase. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Sylvia Chang stars and directs this low-key drama about the complex relationship between two middle-aged friends who sit down and reminisce about their lives. Wendy (Chang) and Ming (Cora Miao) are inseparable friends who are both in love with handsome lawyer John (George Lam). When Wendy can't bring herself to tell him how she feels, John marries Ming. Wendy soon marries a kindly older man named Dr. King (Chung King-fai), though the union proves to be one more of admiration than of passion. Wendy and John drift into an extramarital affair. As these two friends continue to drink and talk, Wendy finally unburdens herself of a secret. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Chang, George Lam, (more)
- 1985
The title of this film roughly translates as "May you have happiness and prosperity," a classic new year's wish shared by everyone in Chinese-speaking cultures. Playing upon the "prosperity" in this wish, director Dean Shek has the God of Prosperity come down to Earth just before New Year's Day to bring good fortune to many -- but then he is suddenly threatened with extinction by some ingrates, and trouble brews. The god did not particularly choose to come down to earth, he accidentally arrived on a meteor. After his landing, he hides out in a private residence where the two children of the family become his friends and keep his presence a secret (a borrowing from Steven Spielberg's ET?). Since the god of prosperity is by nature exceedingly ethical, he transforms the son and bodyguard of a big mob boss into decent men who give up their former way of life. Not stopping at that, he then starts to put obstacles into the path of the big boss himself, ruining his chances to run for public office. This sets off a final, New Year's Eve confrontation between the God of Prosperity and space-center guards on the one hand, and the forces of the mob on the other -- neat timing, and a fun fantasy overall. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Lam, Ben Ben, (more)
- 1984
Among the first of Hong Kong filmmaker Leung Po-chi's British-set adventures, this action-comedy re-teams George Lam and Teddy Robin from All the Wrong Spies. Lam plays the fully assimilated Scotland Yard Inspector Edward Yip, who can no longer read or write Chinese, but is sent to Hong Kong anyway to retrieve a short-statured prisoner named Ping Pong Ball (Robin), who has knowledge concerning a pending homicide investigation. Ball knows he'll be murdered if he goes back to Great Britain, so he escapes, but various Hong Kong triads want him dead too, so he gives in and travels to England with Yip. Once there, Ball escapes once again and falls in love with a blind teacher named Amy (Cherie Chung) while Yip pursues a Caucasian policewoman (Sarah Cresswell). Eventually, the two men team up and go after a cache of underworld loot hidden in a pi pa case (taking the place of the traditional violin case). Billy Lau co-stars. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
