# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Gen-X Cops (1999) Directed by: Benny Chan

On its own terms, an entertaining zero brains Westernized actioner populated with the youth crowd's favourite singers and actors. At the time fresh faces such as Nic Tse do as well as they can but for impact, turn your eye to the veterans. Especially Francis Ng, having his trademark flamboyant craziness switched on and he also brings seriously inept English dialogue into the land of cult status. No, no one should give him and his rough delivery starring roles in Hollywood any time soon but these foul and now classic lines are a factor in bringing Benny Chan's Gen-X Cops into acceptable territory. Chan and Media Asia gives us what we expect, some of it is cringe worthy, some of it unexpectedly involving on the light entertainment side. Also starring Daniel Wu who whines himself through the performance, Eric Tsang, Sam Lee, Stephen Fung, Grace Yip, Jaymee Ong, Moses Chan and Toru Nakamura.

Universe's now old disc was a rare excursion into producing a special edition Hong Kong dvd as it included cast & crew commentary, deleted scenes and behind the scenes material, most of it subtitled in English.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

Ghost Eyes (1974) Directed by: Kuei Chih-Hung

Writer I Kuang apparently wanted a Dracule type story produced at Shaw's but with an original twist. Well, he certainly delivered one for director Kuei Chih-Hung (The Killer Snakes) to shoot but as Antonio Ho's vampire sells contact lenses to his unsuspecting victim (Chan Si Gaai), you can't help but to feel the whole premise is pure silliness. Thankfully director Kuei collaborates once more with cinematographer Yu Chi to strong effect, churning out some high quality visuals along the way. The team also saves the day by amplifying the blood and guts for the finale so at least the entertainment value all round is cemented. Weak compared to prior works though. One of the other positives of Ghost Eyes is the casting of Antonio Ho who makes a good Dracula-esque character through his sophisticated looks and presence. Also with Ha Ping, Wong Ching Ho and Lam Wai Tiu.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

Ghost Fever (1990) Directed by: Lau Shut Yue

Wong Jing fools around with Rosamund Kwan, stands her up like a true asshole his friends wants him to be but pays the price for it. She's got an very overprotective ghost family. Vengeance time!

Wong writes himself a scenario where he's bagged Pat Ha as his pregnant wife and has a love affair with Rosamund Kwan in this typical horror-comedy of the era. Shameless.

Several attempt are made in Ghost Fever. One is the strive to be funny but with Nat Chan and Charlie Cho playing the usual moronic, horny mates of the main character, that aspect sinks expectedly. Echoing Evil Dead means there's attempt to be scary but the ways are far too crudely executed as usual coming from special effects Hong Kong cinema (even though Sam Raimi's effort probably resides budget-wise on the same level as Ghost Fever). But as these things go, Hong Kong cinema of the era had a knack for being efficient entertainment-wise even with this low-grade, politically incorrect filmmaking. Which ultimately is the most shameful thing to admit; Ghost Fever kind of is impossible to dislike. Also with Max Mok and Eddy Ko.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

Ghost For Sales (1991) Directed by: Guy Lai

Ghostbusters Hong Kong style minus a lot of the fun, wit and not to mention the unique inclusions Hong Kong can contribute. The money hungry and fairly technologically savvy gang consisting of Wilson Lam, Ricky Hui, Shing Fui-On and Sheila Chan are battling 1000 year old corpses once on exhibition but now on the loose. Meanwhile they banter, Sheila Chan desperately wants the love of Ricky Hui and they track connections concerning Ku Feng and Sheila Chan's characters to the past...

Showing bursts of promise but rarely utilizing the opportunities, you get the standard energy at times involving wires and animated special effects. Featuring dull banter and wackiness in between, involving among other things an invention called The Super Shaker that they use on Charlie Cho's perverted character (things are indeed as expected by the way), it's only the finale where the gang tries to prevent armageddon (the film never looks big despite that big potential event) that is more consistently creative. Also with Ho Pak-Kwong and Maggie Siu.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

Ghost In Me (1992) Directed by: Stanley Fung

All too busy social worker Xiao Lin (Billy Lau) is lured into death by a group of spirits. One takes over the body and decides to take his bitterness out on the world and Xiao Lin's environment. A soul master (Wu Ma) previously stuck in a home for the elderly, an ex-con (Stanley Fung) and the in general wacky Joe (Sandra Ng) aids in trying to perform an exorcism on Xiao Lin... with the help of a modified Nintendo Entertainment System...

Billy Lau playing it more subdued but then living out often violent fantasies once possessed is a neat idea but there's never much energy and momentum after that idea has played out its stock for a reel. Stanley Fung certainly tries to add a fast paced ghost busting angle to Ghost In Me but it's all strangely boring. Standout scene sees evil Billy Lau leading a blind man into traffic to become dead meat (off screen sadly). Also with Hui Siu-Hung.

Ghost Killer (1992) Directed by: Yiu Tin-Hung

Lousy Chao (Chung Faat) is affiliated with gangsters and end up dead at the hands of them. Coming back as a vengeful spirit, he finds a suitable human, Ming (Alex Fong), to possess as they share the same birthday. Off onto the path of revenge then, starting with a sauna encounter...

Cheap exercise in revenge-tactics but for a low-fi effort of this kind, you can't be deadly boring and expect to get away with it. There are certain boxes in need of to be ticked if you want to stand straight and proudly as a Hong Kong cinema genre effort. Most importantly those boxes concerning energy, pace, low budget creativity and non-boredom. So with none ticked, Ghost Killer fails rather miserably and doesn't elicit unintentional laughs either. Stuff on display just reeks. A little unwarranted nudity as well as half a scene of ghostly rape bumps up the rating to III and seeing the possessed Alex Fong beating legends Ku Feng, Chen Kuan-Tai and Peter Chan Lung is amusing when you think of it... not when you watch it. Also with Julia Cheng (Daughter Of Darkness II) and Lam Wai.

Ghost Lantern (1993, Andrew Lau)

Through a series of supernatural events, crazily unlucky triad Tong Fai (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) finds out that in a previous life he was killed by vicious gangster So Hung who also skinned Tong Fai’s lover Siu Fu Yung (Chingmy Yau) and made a lantern out of her flesh in order to trap her soul. Now emerging in the present as a ghost, she needs help to reincarnate, Tong Fai’s bad luck needs to be reversed and the near invincible So Hung (Roy Cheung in a somewhat strange old age makeup job) needs to pay.

Working from Wong Jing’s script that by design is all over the place, it makes Andrew Lau’s direction unusually energetic as the gruesomeness of the backstory is thrown at us and intensely. We then cut to an overacting but committed Big Tony and when you add some ingredients from Dream Lovers and A Chinese Ghost Story, you have yourself an easily digested brew. Truth be told, Wong Jing isn’t really assaulting us with gags and instead lets the loud banter and exaggerated acting represent the light mood. This then combines fairly well with the period style and costumes of the flashback (allowing Tony to play suave convincingly). At a breakneck pace since everyone cranks up their participation, Ghost Lantern provides knock off entertainment without any notable features other than it very much will do for the moment. But to attach the note lively to an Andrew Lau film is a welcome. Also with Tommy Wong, Dion Lam, Ronald Wong, Teresa Ha Ping, Lok Wai and Kingdom Yuen stop by for one scene.

Ghost Legend (1990) Directed by: Ng Kin-Man

Just like most movies after Mr. Vampire and A Chinese Ghost Story, the desire to jump on each respective movie's bandwagon of success (or both in this case) often looks and feels rather transparent and cheap. Ghost Legend falls into that category of going with the genre flow but not making any real, sincere attempt to re-invent it or stand out. That brings us solid supernatural/horror sections with Wu Ma (and stuntmen on wires) fighting of the Devil King (Peter Chan) at the start of the movie and Kent Cheng and company doing the same once said villain re-appears. Owing more to A Chinese Ghost Story in actuality, much of the weakness and lack of momentum takes place in between action and effects-sections as comedic banter is not a fine driving force for the picture. Even veterans like Kent Cheng can't make us escape that notion but the snap into the more loud genre content makes the production overall watchable. But also disposable. Also starring Kenny Ho and Cheung Kwok-Keung.

The Ghost Lovers (1974( Directed by: Shin Sang-Ok

One of legendary director Shin Sang-Ok's (The Flower In Hell, Pulgasari) movies at Shaw Brothers, this predictably elegant looking ghost story rolls along at a rather slow and boring pace, even failing to latch on to you with its basic story beats for at least one half. Shin finally hones in on the core by the second, featuring men marrying ghosts for the sake of good karma for the walking ghost or is it for evil purposes? There's some tension and mood and even tender sections showing full promise for The Ghost Lovers. Half of it Shin delivered.

The Ghostly Face (1973) Directed by: Yeung Sai-Hing

Polly Kuan is Fightress Hua out to revenge her father's death at the hand of The Ghostly Face. On her travels in Thailand that goes on and on, she befriends a girl looking for her sister. And this girl views The Ghostly Face as her saviour. Oh what to do. Despite a short running time, this partly kickass film has padding in the form of multiple, slow moving looks at Thai locations, culture and its ceremonies that barely relate to the plot anyway. When it does shift into its better gear, the movie is a fairly relentless assault of gory fightscenes with a dependable, feisty Polly Kuan at center.

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