“JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS” (西游.降魔篇) Movie Review. Charming, Entertaining and Beautifully Crafted.

“JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS (西游·降魔篇)”

PRESS PREVIEW.

Madcap film director STEPHEN CHOW roars back into action as he writes, produces and co-helms his latest brilliant masterpiece “JOURNEY TO THE WEST”.

The timing is set as a CHINESE NEW YEAR 2013 grand release in major ASIAN CITIES, with an ensemble cast that includes Shu Qi, Bo Huang, Zhang Wen, Show Luo and Chrissie Chow.

This production is a celebration of art, combining a stirring potpourri of martial arts, CGI monsters, quirky romance and slapstick.

 STEPHEN CHOW’s “Journey to the West” is both imaginative and affecting.

It is actually a prequel of a classic fictionalized folk lore bearing the same name, focusing on the misadventures of a Buddhist monk as he embarks on a perilous pilgrimage from China to India.

The monk travelled to the “Western Regions” during the Tang Dynasty to obtain sacred texts (sutras).

The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin), on instruction from the Buddha, bestows this task to the monk and his assembly of three protectors in the form of disciples – namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang’s steed, a white horse.

These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as atonement for their past sins.

STEPHEN CHOW is well known for his “mo lei tau” (nonsensical) brand of comedic sensibilities. You either like this or you don’t.

 In this film, he also displays an uncanny ability to juggle between comedy and tragedy. This is his directorial treatment on a well-worn tale as die-hard followers can attest to it.

Sparing the overkill of shoot, plot, locations and other technicalities, it’s kudos to the Director of Photography CHOI SUNG-PAI, Production Designer BRUCE YU and the merry team of competent actors who all rendered a splendid job.

“JOURNEY TO THE WEST” is one film you’d love to hate.

Or hate to love, paradoxically. One man’s meat is another’s poison.

If you go with an accepting mind to be entertained, then this is it.

Should you attend with a neuro-surgical mind with intent to dissect, then there are plenty of plot holes to crow about.

Whichever school of thought you are preaching from, always tread with logic.

Making a film is tedious whilst sitting in the theater harboring a literary cutting mind is another.

I enjoyed this film though I am hardly a fan of STEPHEN CHOW and his “mo lei tau” nonsense.

“JOURNEY” is charming, entertaining and beautifully crafted.

And commercially this film is destined to hit bull-eye in terms of box office takings, which would be the ultimate goal of any distributor.

Drumroll for dollars and cents, so make no bones about this.

Amen.

“A BEAUTIFUL LIFE” (不再讓你孤單) HONG KONG MOVIE. LOVE means NEVER having to say you are SORRY?

“A BEAUTIFUL LIFE” (不再讓你孤單)

HONG KONG MOVIE PRESS PREVIEW

Let’s say that “A BEAUTIFUL LIFE” could have made a better impression …..

given the fact that a teeny weeny bit of mush softens the heart,

and is naturally good for rejuvenating the human soul.

Besides, true love rises above all odds.

Yet the film falls short of expectations, despite a renowned film director and the stellar cast.

It should have stuck to its Chinese name, literally translated as “I’LL NEVER EVER LET YOU BE LONELY.”

The mood and tone is grim, cheerless and sombre …

and life is definitely not beautiful. as portrayed in the narrative.

Far from it.

Let’s address the latent issues.

SHU QI plays Li Peiru, a big city gal (from Hong Kong) with a bigger city dream.

A good start.

She is fiesty and fiery and would do anything for a quick fix to earn the extra cash.

When the film opens in a karaoke lounge, she is this real estate agent entertaining her client, eking a decent living in BEIJING.

She is having a hapless affair with her boss, a married man and is none the worse for it.

Perchance she encounters a naive albeit honest policeman Fang Zhen Dong (LIU YE) in the lounge and an unlikely relationship develops.

Fang falls hopelessly in love and is almost willing to go the long mile for her.

She instead, uses him as a “problem sponge” to absorb her non-stop whining regarding her many love problems.

He is selfless to a fault, having to care for his autistic younger brother.

She, on the other hand, is selfish and self-centered, trapped in her own dreamy world of easy living.

As time goes by and after a myriad of grueling incidents, they both find solace and true love in each other, only to be defeated by an ugly truth.

The man is slowly sinking into the throes of Alzeheimer’s Disease and their relationship may be doomed even before it can take flight.

ANDREW LAU of the Infernal Affairs fame is the film director.

He could have worked wonders with a more meaningful script.

The opening part featuring SHU QI in a drunken stupor spouting nonsense with LIU YE tends to be a tad too superfluous One can see that the beautiful actress is over-stretching her acting prowess with the dumb lines.

Also, the regular guys, the police colleagues of LIU YE become unintentional stooges providing the occasional comic relief as in the scene where LIU quits the Police Force and everybody salute him in a tearful farewell.

Intended to sear your tear ducts, a scene like this only succeeds to bring forth the shudders.

Oh, come on ……..

More the kind of feature that will appeal to the female gender, “A BEAUTIFUL LIFE” exemplifies the strong chemistry of SHU QI and LIU YE (though they have collaborated on other screen projects).

The 60s film LOVE STORY written by ERIC SEGAL has a classic line, “Love means never having to say you are sorry.”

It is so apt for this movie treatment that “could have been done better”.