The Mermaid - 美人魚 - Mei Ren Yu

美人魚 (The Mermaid) is an 2016 film from director and producer Stephen Chow. The film was produced by both Hong Kong and Zhong Guo production companies. The film stars Deng Chao, Jelly Lin (Lin Yun), Show Luo, and Kitty Zhang (Zhang Yuqi). The supporting cast include a who's who of Chow's previous colaborators and cameos from Tsui Hark, Wen Zhang, and Kris Wu. The movie is currently the highest grossing film in Zhong Guo. Ever.

Deng Chao plays Liu Xuan, a rich business guy that buys an island. Because the island has dolphins inhabiting it, it is designated as a environmentally protected area where no development can take place. However, he uses technology to drive away the dolphins and gets a permit to develop. However, the mermaids live there and are now plotting to kill Liu. They want to kidnap him, figuring that his death will stop the development.

I'll only go so far with the plot. If I tell more, it'll ruin the surprise. I went into the movie having seen the terrible trailer that basically tells of a tail of a mermaid kidnapping Liu.

I loved this movie. I laughed out loud through out the movie. There was one scene that was so funny, that I was crying from laughing so hard. There were several scenes that are homages to classic TVB dramas of the 1980s and to the basic Kung Fu movies of the 1980s and 1990s. Similar homages are also paid in other Chow movies. This one is no different, just done differently. As a kid that grew up watching TVB and 1980s HK movies, came to age during the early 1990s HK kung fu films, I felt nostalgia to the nth degree watching this.

I watched the movie at an local AMC with a friend who isn't familiar with Chow and he thought it was one of the better films out of Zhong Guo he's seen. He laughed through out the movie too.

I am rambling here, but this movie isn't going to win any artsy fartsy awards. But it has won my laugher and will be on repeat viewings for years to come.

Jump - 跳出去

Jump (跳出去) is a 2009 film out of China. The movie stars Kitty Zhang as a country bumpkin that moves to the big city. The other notable cast member is Leon Jay Williams. The movie is produced by Stephen Chow and directed by Stephen Fung.

Kitty Zhang plays Phoenix, a country girl that loves to dance. A former member of the country city returns and says that he can hire 3 people back to his factory. Phoenix and her best friend make it. There, she persue her dreams of dancing. Hooking up as a cleaner at a dance studio, Phoenix learns moves and grooves to the surroundings. Eventually, she's good enough to represent the school!

What a story! If you don't know, Kitty Zhang was hand picked by Stephen Chow as his next vixen in CJ7. Kitty Zhang has gone on to Shaolin Girl and now Jump with Chow's production company.

Kitty however isn't very pretty as a country bumpkin. In fact, its a sight to behold, especially at the end of the movie. Where you wonder, is Kitty really a vixen?

Back to the movie, should you watch it? Yes, its irrelevant fun. The end with its bend of kung fu to hip hop plays only slightly different than Kung Fu Hip Hop.

The Longest Night in Shanghai - 夜.上海

The Longest Night in Shanghai (夜.上海) is a 2006 out of China. The movie stars Vicki Zhao and Motoki Masahiro. The supporting cast includes Sam Lee, Dylan Kuo, Takenaka Naoto, and Kitty Zhang.

Vicki Zhao plays a taxi driver that drives recklessly. Masahio Motoki plays a Japanese make up artist. On one faithful night, they meet for The longest night ever in the history of Shanghai!

I think the description from Netflix does it more justice:

A successful Japanese make-up artist collides with a tough-talking Shanghai taxi driver in this romantic dramedy that twists traditional roles by making the beauty expert a male and the cab driver a feisty female. Although he works in a glamorous industry, Naoki Mizushima (Masahiro Motoki) can't help but notice that his life is anything but beautiful. Can the uncouth Lin Xi (Vicki Zhao) help him make over his life for the better?

While watching the film, its funny that Naoki speaks to Lin in English, but Lin speaks to Naoki in Chinese.

The majority of the film is Japanese with it switching to Chinese when Lin is around.

An interesting international feel.

CJ7 - 長江七號

CJ7 (長江七號) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Stephen Chow and Kitty Zhang and a computer generated space creature. The main star of the movie is actually a pre-teen, Xiao Jiao.

Stephen plays a poor construction worker with a son. On his way from home, he picks up a ball from a landfill. The ball however is an alien. He give the ball to his son, Dicky. The ball comes to life and Dicky starts to find out its power.

The movie didn't live up the hype for me and for the international audience. The movie bombed in terms of how Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle performed. Stephen Chow hasn't been in the spotlight in awhile too.

Shaolin Girl - 少林少女

Shaolin Girl (少林少女) is a 2008 film out of Japan. The movie is based on the concept of Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer.

The movie is about Rin who just spent 3000 days at the Shaolin temple. She returns home to find that the dojo she grew up in is in ruins. But Rin wants to expand Shaolin Kung Fu to the masses. Rin starts looking for the students from the old dojo. Rin finds her old master at a Chinese restaurant. There she befriends Minmin played by Kitty Zhang and joins the lacrosse team at nearby SIU.

But SIU is a bad school with a dark past and an evil dark side. SIU is the reason that the dojo shut down the first time while Rin was at the Shaolin temple.

Lots of crazy CGI fighting a la Kung Fu Hustle. Lots of video game type fighting a la Game of Death.

I was entertained, but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

All About Women - 女人不壞

All About Women (女人不壞) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Zhou Xun, Kitty Zhang, and Kwai Lun-mei as the female leads. Eddie Peng, Stephen Fung, and Godfrey Kao show up as the supporting male cast.

The movie follows the lives of 3 women who are all very different in personality and demeanor. In a strange twist of happenstance, all 3 get linked together mid way through the film.

All the people in this film are eye candy. Even in glasses and a bowl cut, Zhou Xun doesn't come across as disgusting or ugly as the film suggest.

It does expose us a little to the Beijing Rock and Roll scene and that there are mega-corporations left and right in China.

I didn't like the movie much and fast forward through 25% of it. Didn't skip a beat with the fast forwarding as the story was uniquely predictable.

The cast only includes a couple of HK stars, but is a HK film. Funny. Watch it for the pretty people, Beijing, and production value.