The Chinese New Year would not be the same without pineapple tarts, bak kwa, red packets and, of course, he sui pian, or Chinese New Year films.
Life! takes a look at the offerings out there from the comedy I Love Hong Kong to local flick Homecoming and tells you which ones are worth catching.
The idea of the he sui pian as a genre can probably be traced back to Hong Kong in the 1980s. It usually involves a star-studded ensemble cast coming together to make a comedy to start the new year on a light and cheery note.
A prime example would be Eighth Happiness (1988), which starred Chow Yun Fat, Carol Cheng, Jacky Cheung and Cherie Chung. You could tell who the big stars of the day were just by looking at the names above the title.
The plot is often of secondary consideration as what is more important are the elements of comforting familiarity and a family-friendly, feel-good vibe.
Since Chinese New Year is a time to honour traditions, several of the films this year stick with the tried-and-true in whipping up festive cheer: well-known stars and sequels rule.
Hong Kong comedienne Sandra Ng and the territory’s favourite tanned leading man Louis Koo are each in two films.
They team up as a retired superhero couple in Mr And Mrs Incredible. Ng further tickles the funny bone in I Love Hong Kong, while Koo hams it up as a make-up artist in All’s Well End’s Well 2011.
All’s Well End’s Well is the fifth instalment of a popular franchise that began in 1992. Apart from sharing the same English title, the films are not linked plot-wise.
Also, China’s Ge You and Taiwan’s Shu Qi team up for the sequel to their hit romantic comedy If You Are The One (2008).
Closer to home, there is Singaporean director Kelvin Tong’s nostalgic It’s A Great Great World with its huge cast of local television stars and Lee Thean-jeen’s Homecoming, which features a roster of home-grown and Malaysian artists including Jack Neo, Mark Lee and A-niu.
For those who want to escape from all things Chinese New Year, there is also counter-programming in the form of the cougar rom-com starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Rebound, and the nautical suspense thriller Triangle.
The variety of the movies on offer should prove to be a big enough carrot in drawing audiences to the cineplex as they usher in the year of the rabbit.
I Love Hong Kong
Eric Tsang, Chung Shu Kai
Cast: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Sandra Ng, Eric Tsang, Anita Yuen, Aarif Lee
What you need to know: Shun (Leung) returns to the cramped living quarters of the housing estate he grew up in after he goes bankrupt.
His wife (Ng) and three children, including Aarif Lee as a cop chasing after illegal hawkers, have to cope with downgrading while Shun has to deal with an ex-girlfriend (Yuen) and an old buddy (Tsang) who disappeared with a sum of money 30 years ago.
I Love Hong Kong is an affectionate celebration of the ties that bind a community, families, relationships and friendships.
And instead of being preachy about it, the wholesome messages are delivered with jolts of madcap comedy. While some of the Cantonese humour will inevitably be lost in translation, the best scene here, in which Ng gets exaggeratedly beaten up as a stunt body double, will have you guffawing in any language.
The mass dance routine and new year greeting at the end only add to the feel- good vibe.
All's Well End's Well 2011
Chan Hing Ka, Janet Chun
Cast: Donnie Yen, Carina Lau, Louis Koo, Cecilia Cheung, Raymond Wong
What you need to know: Koo plays make-up artist Sammy, who gets roped in to run a cosmetics company that Ken (Wong) buys for his girlfriend.
In turn, Sammy gets his buddy Ron (Yen) to help out. Ron still has feelings for his flaky first girlfriend Mona (Lau), while Sammy finds himself falling for his earnest assistant Claire (Cheung) even as he helps the billionaire Syd (Chapman To) to pursue her.
The novelty of seeing Yen in a non- gongfu role and Cheung making a comeback after a sex photo scandal is not enough to compensate for the tiresome cliches and zilch chemistry between the assorted couples.
You would have been soured by the latest instalment in this popular franchise by the time the cast’s obligatory new year greeting rolls around.
If You Are The One II
Feng Xiaogang
Cast: Ge You, Shu Qi, Sun Honglei, Yao Chen
What you need to know: The beautiful Xiaoxiao (Shu) and the wise-cracking, bald-headed Qin Fen (Ge) dated in the first movie and things get more serious in the sequel.
He proposes to her and they have a trial marriage by pretending to be an old couple for whom the sizzle has long since fizzled out.
In the meantime, their friends Mango (Yao) and Xiangshan (Sun) split up and then the latter finds out that he has cancer.
The unlikely but utterly believable pairing of Shu and Ge turned the first film into a blockbuster hit.
Kudos to director Feng Xiaogang (China’s master of he sui pian) for not totally playing it safe in his first-ever sequel and he throws in intriguing ideas about a divorce ceremony and a living funeral for one to mull over.
Just one teeny problem – separation and death are not exactly the most festive of topics.
Homecoming
Lee Thean-jeen
Cast: Mark Lee, Jack Neo, A-niu, Jacelyn Tay, Huang Wenhong, Rebecca Lim
What you need to know: It is Chinese New Year’s eve and there is a crisis in Chef Daniel’s (Lee) kitchen. His manager (Tay) has to scramble for last-minute help after he fires everyone.
Meanwhile, Karen (Neo) and her son (A-niu) are travelling back to Kuala Lumpur for their reunion dinner.
On their bus journey north, they run into the chef’s runaway teenage daughter (Koe Yeet) and cross paths with a cab driver (Afdlin Shauki). Among the family members waiting for Karen and son are newlyweds (Huang and Lim) who have secretly made plans to scoot off for a vacation after the family gathering.
It is hard to quibble with the well-meaning sentiments here – the importance of family and spending time with them – but writer-director Lee Thean-jeen’s debut feature feels a tad heavy-handed.
Mark Lee takes on a more dramatic role for a change, but what should be a heart-tugging tale of a father and daughter coming together is not particularly moving and the newlyweds’ dilemma barely registers.
In his first big screen role since the scandal over his extramarital affair, Neo cross-dresses once again and his rapport with A-niu makes the “mother”-son pairing the most memorable one here.
Mr And Mrs Incredible
Vincent Kok
Cast: Sandra Ng, Louis Koo
What you need to know: Superheroes Aroma Woman (Ng) and Gazer Warrior (Koo) have retired from fighting crime and settled down to an ordinary life in the idyllic Rainbow Village.
When a national martial arts tournament comes to town, intrigue and conspiracy follow and the two assume their masked identities once more.
Koo seems to be sleepwalking through his laid-back role and the soporific dub-over does not help.
While there is some spark between Ng and Koo as a long-time couple, the chemistry between Ng and Tony Leung in I Love Hong Kong is more convincing.
The cast do not break out of character to wish audiences a happy new year as they do in other he sui pian but instead, there is a visual pun on the greeting nian nian you yu (abundance every year) as Koo reels in a big fish (yu) in a tagged-on scene during the closing credits.
It's A Great Great World
Kelvin Tong
Cast: Chew Chor Meng, Yvonne Lim, Henry Thia, Joanne Peh, Zhang Zhenhuan, Xiang Yun, Huang Wenyong, Kym Ng
What you need to know: The loves and lives of the denizens of Great World Amusement Park are told in four stories recounted by Ah Meng (Chew), who used to be a street vendor there. The colourful cast of characters includes children’s entertainer Ah Boo (Thia), shooting gallery stall-owner Meijuan (Peh) and faded diva Mei Gui (Xiang Yun).
Film-maker Kelvin Tong’s valentine to Singapore’s hot spot in the 1950s and 1960s is entertainment for the entire family.
Older folks can reminisce about their own experiences at attractions such as Ghost Train and Sky Theatre, while younger audiences get a glimpse into a time and place they never experienced.
It might not be overtly festive but its subtle themes of history and national identity are ones worth chewing over along with the new year snacks.
(ST)