Shu Qi, Karen Mok, Zhao Wei in "So Close"

In "So Close" director Corey Yuen Kwai went with his strength: whenever it made sense to the story and a few times that it didn't he went with a screen filling close-up of one of the three leads. He was right to do so--while Shu Qi, Karen Mok and Zhao Wei are talented performers they are also gorgeous and each in her own distinctive fashion. No point in trying to describe the plot since the more one explains who is doing what to whom and why they are doing it the less sense it makes--but it works well as a story on the screen. The first couple of scenes tell us that we had should not only suspend our disbelief but check it at the door. Once that is done the viewer can enjoy the car chases, gunfights, hand to hand combat, awe inspiring high tech gadgets and strong hints of Sapphic attraction. It begins with Shu Qi jumping off the top of a skyscraper and being lowered to the ground on a thin steel wire after killing an ultra-evil guy in what he thought was his impregnable fortress. She uses a perfect combination of low cunning and high fashion. The ending is Zhao Wei and Karen Mok fighting the way to the top of another skyscraper to kill an even more evil guy. They (literally in many cases) cut a path through a couple of hundred heavily armed retainers before facing the big man himself.

They know not only how to use a pistol but how to look good while doing so:

Karen Mok:

Shu Qi:

Vicky Zhao Wei:

Before this there is Shu Qi's leap into the void, wearing a jumpsuit that only a costume designer could love:

She is the picture of insouciant confidence on the way down, smiling while listening to Zhao Wei (her sister) tell her where the car will be when she lands:

Zhao Wei tries to seduce Karen Mok from across the street with a look:

There is some attraction/avoidance going on between them:

Which they were kind enough to recreate for the press while hyping the movie:

When Karen Mok and Shu Qi get together it is serious stuff but true to form they look wonderful while trying to kill each other:

Ultimate honors go to Karen Mok when two thugs dispatched by a mobster to kill her in an elevator. Not a good move on their part. That's her new assistant cowering in the background:

She obviously has the drop on them but just one look at Karen Mok's face would be enough for me to surrender:

"So Close" is a fun movie.

Zhang Ziyi--guilty of ??

In a comment to the post immediately below this one dleedlee, who knows much more than I about the lives of the rich and infamous in Hong Kong, wrote that it was "part of Zhang Ziyi's (successful) image rehabilitation tour." The rehabilitation necessary to Zhang Ziyi's reputation is due to the scandal around funds pledged, raised and paid for the sake of the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and even the incident in which she was the target of destructive behavior by hooded criminals where a group of hooded men splashed black ink  on an advertisement bearing Zhang's image after creating a scene at the Park Hyatt Beijing hotel.  This is a pretty good summary of it with the added bonus of casually smearing the names of Zhou Xun, Vicki Zhao and Na Ying. The reports were all based on anonymous and unofficial sources even though many of the articles used the very weighty term "fraud" in their accounts.

Viewed from the United States the controversy around the money for the earthquake victims looked like a non-issue. We expect celebrities to claim to raise money for relief of a headline grabbing disaster with no responsibility to actually come up with any money--it is part of the Hollywood hype machine which made me think Zhang Ziyi's difficulties were an internet scandal--something that didn't resonate beyond message boards and gossip sites. Based solely on reading some of the Chinese gossip press it still looks as if she was guilty of no more than poor judgment.

However there might have been some consequences for Zhang Ziyi although it has been confined to the rarefied area of high fashion endorsements it is impossible to tell. The reasons why Miss XXX is no longer the face of Brand YYY are as knowable as a correct interpretation of an answer from the Oracle at Delphi or of the riddle of Turandot but having the icon of your brand break down in tears during hostile questioning at a press conference. Either celebrities in China are held to a much higher ethical standard than in the United States or the gossip press is even more vicious than it is here. 

As reported by xiuhuanet  through dleedlee Shu Qi will now be looking out from ads, billboards and subway cards in China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Note: Fixed bad China Daily link at "break down" above.

Wong Jing, Teresa Mak and "Love Me, Love My Money"

Wong Jing has been successful and controversial for decades. One of the most prolific filmmakers in Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s when movies came out faster than the distributors could get them on the screen. Strongly rumored underworld ties in a business that is rife with them; master of the casting couch in an industry that features unbalanced power relationships, unbridled concupiscence and ready availability of targets; schlock auteur when schock was king.

He is a very skillful director, something that can be overwhelmed by the baggage that he has accumulated over his career or simply overlooked because so many of the movies with his name on them seem shoddy and slapdash. What you think of Wong Jing depends on what you best remember of his work--and anyone who is a fan of Hong Kong movies has seen a good deal of it. He has also, to those for whom such things are important, introduced and featured a lot of beautiful and often talented actresses to the jade screen.

The ongoing discussion/dispute of his place in the art and commerce of film was continued on a couple of blogs recently although the post in question in neither blog concern Wong Jing. YTSL reviewed Future X-Cops while Glenn, kenixfan did Girl With the Diamond Slipper. Commentors (including me) were more interested in discussing Wong Jing than the movies at hand.

The reviews by YTSL are yet another reason to visit her blog--as if any more were necessary--something I should have remarked on before (or may have already). She is a terrific observer if film (and much else) and probably couldn't write a bad sentence if she tried.

I have agreed wholeheartedly with the last several of Glenn's reviews but the real gems of his blog are the essays and photos on his recent trips to Hong Kong. Glenn is an intrepid traveler--after wondering about Hong Kong for years he simply got on a plane and got off 16 hours later, ready to see, hear, smell and taste the place. He writes very well about his experiences and does so without the commercial sheen that "travel" writing always has.

Getting back to Wong Jing, while not a fan of his as such--I won't be standing in line when the 250 DVD set of his definitive works is available--I think that his best movies compare with those done by some of the venerated high priests of the art. A case in point is Love Me, Love My Money which is close to being a perfect romantic comedy and comparable to the best work of Frank Capra or George Cukor.

In Love Me, Love My Money tables are turned, the mighty are brought low and money is shown not to buy happiness. The social order is unthreatened--the banks re-open on Monday morning and the unlovable billionaire who has become a homeless beggar is restored to his billions. The wealthy but insensitve Richard Ma has learned his lesson--which seems to be that if you look like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and act helpless women, after some hesitation, will line up to help you.

Shu Qi is the chief foil. She plays Choi, a hardworking stockbroker who spends her days pounding the phones along with thousands like her:

Teresa Mak plays Fong her best friend--the buddy role:

Together they are quite a pair:

Other women in Richard Ma's life include Cho Chun who plays Helena the loyal secretary who hasn't had a day off for five years:

Dr. Lam his psychiatrist who would rather get on the couch with him than listen to his problems is played by Angie Cheung Wai-Yee:

Ultimately the woman whose bond with Richard Ma tells the audience that he is not (or not only) a dull boor is Vennessa who who agrees to help him unlike every other former girlfriend Richard Ma contacts. Down to his last few coins he calls Venessa and she arrives in a cab from some far reach of the city, leading a young child and heavily pregnant with another. Vanessa has come across town in the middle of her day in order to give him money—money which she takes from her housekeeping and will have to explain where it went to her husband.

She isn’t surprised that Richard is broke, even saying that he doesn’t look like he has been robbed (the story he gave her on the phone) but that he has gone bankrupt. Vanessa obviously still thinks very well of Richard and while it is clear there is no sexual spark anymore, she is doing a good deed for someone who she knew in the past and who she remembers fondly--Richard must have been a different person at some point.

When she first emerges from the cab the audience thinks this will be a further humiliation for Richard but Wong Jing turns it into a lovely scene that validates Richard as something other than a wealthy jerk. And in some very economical filmmaking, he uses the end of the scene make Choi and Fong think that Richard is taking money from and living off of women, giving them another reason to think he is a cad and a criminal. Venessa is played by Prudence Kao Bao-Yun in this small but crucial scene:

Arrivals at 29th Hong Kong Film Awards

The 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony was held at Hong Kong Cultural Center. The package of photos just arrived via Pony Express (even though they have been all over the place already) and here are a few:

Gao Yuan-Yuan in an outstanding cheongsam inspired black dress paired with killer heels, lovely upswept hair and almost no accessories. She seems to be enjoying the moment here, knowing she looks great.

Looking distinguished in another shot:

More black dress goodness--Denise Ho.

Michelle Ye in one of the best cut and draped gowns I have seen anywhere, paired with just the right jewelry. Elegant, sexy, delightful. The fabric covered buttons on the seam on her top are a very nice touch.

Shu Qi in a jeweled "chiffony" number. While she has been a controversial figure in the past one thing about Shu Qi can't be denied--she knows how to make a dress look great. This is a strapless Elie Saab number with lots of embellishments on the skirt. If I marketed upscale gowns I would send her piles of money to wear my stuff.

Another view with a very smirky Chang Chen happy that she is on his arm.

Rain Lee is thinking either "Look, I'm wearing a tent" or "Watch as I fly around the Cultural Center".

Gigi Leung looking ruefully sexy in a well cut, form fitting sheath which isn't helped by the asymetrical neckline. Other than that a lovely dress in which she looks lovely.

Big bows on evening gowns or red carpet dresses aren't usually a good idea and this one worn by Zhang Jingchu is a really big bow. She looks so good in this monstrosity that you just know she would have killed in anything decently designed. Love her hair, a nice departure from the short cuts or upswept looks that are de rigueur at most red carpet events. The tiny jeweled tiara/band sets it off perfectly.

All photos from Zimbio.com

More to come.

Chinese actresses in Italian gowns--a perfect combination.

Shu Qi on the red carpet has meant dresses by Valentino for several years (with occasional flings with other designers, almost always Italian, so it was no surprise when she was one of the featured players at the 45th anniversary celebration of the fashion house founded by Valentino Garavani in Rome a couple of years ago.

She made quite a splash in this extravagant number in his signature red. One shoulder dresses can be difficult for anyone to carry off well, although this is an exception. With the single shoulder not crossing over, so much detail elswhere, the odd purse that looks made from the same fabric and gets swallowed up by the dress, a huge bracelet but other accessories it is a distinctive look in which she excels. Photo from Zimbio.

It was a two day party. Shu Qi's look on the second day was more subdued and quite elegant. Even that goofy huge bow didn't spoil things.

Another one from 2007 at the Berlin International Film Festival. This is an illustration of how a talented designer like Valentino can make a dress that probably looks hideous in one of his stores or on a rack but is very effective on the right person.

Lots of circles--the more you look the more you see but even though insanely busy is works.

This is from Cannes 2009, wearing Roberto Cavalli and looking as lovely in blue as she did in red. Photo from thelookbook.com

A few views of another blue Cavalli dress, this one a royal blue that she really seems to enjoy showing off. Since she was on the jury at Cannes in 2009 Cavalli really got his money's worth in exposure. First photo from butterboom.com, second from popculturenerd.com

(Sorry about the color shift on the right hand part of the image above)

Zhang Ziyi wears Armani almost exclusively at public events. Here she is at the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institue Ball, one of New Yorks's biggest and most publicized social/fashion events, making the one-shoulder, almost no accesories style look great.

At the 2008 White Tie and Tiara Ball Armani had her in a classic evening dress with spaghetti straps, empire waist and long train. A dynamite look.

For the front row of Armani's 2010 Spring/Summer show in Milan, September 2009 she wore a very "Great Gatsby" in a shorts suit and baker hat. First photo through oneasianworld.com originally in "Life", second from Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

Nice hat.

At the 2006 Golden Globes we see what happens a chartreuse Armani dress trails across a red carpet that was shedding and leaving a layer of crimson fuzz on the hem.

Being pawed by an alarming orange Giorgio for the photographers during his visit to Tokyo in 2005.

To how how badly things can go, Zhang Ziyi in a strange Fendi outfit at the Great Wall fashion show in 2007. Photo from Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

Five or so of the sexiest Hong Kong actresses

In a recent post to his blog Asian-Cinema-While on the Road, which updates his invaluable "View From Brooklyn Bridge" Brian listed his five sexiest Hong Kong actresses since 1980. They are:
1. Chingmy Yau
2. Hsu Chi (Shu Qi herein)
3. Pinky Cheung
4. Christy Chung
5. Ellen Chan

I certainly can't argue with that list. In case anyone needs a quick refresher, here are a few pictures of each of them:

Christy Chung

Ellen Chan

Pinky Cheung

Shu Qi

Chingmy Yau

Sexiness is as subjective a category as exists anywhere and it would be possible to put together a list of five most sexy actresses without including any on Brian's list, although Shu Qi (an alternate spelling for Hsu Chi and one that is used as the primary one on the Hong Kong Movie Data Base which is the guide I follow here for romanization) might make anyone's list. I will cheat a bit and add two actresses that I find extremely sexy, Karen Mok and Carrie Ng. And, of course, Teresa Mak.

Carrie Ng was told by a make-up artist that no amount of make-up in the world would make her attractive enough for television. This is on a par with the famous report on Sophia Loren's first screen test which read, "Too tall, too big-boned, too heavy all around. The face is too short, the mouth is too wide, the nose too long..." Thank goodness that one of the the key elements of sexiness is self-confidence so that neither Carrie Ng nor Sophia Loren listened to these experts.

Karen Mok has had a much higher profile career than Carrie Ng. In addition to her film work she is a very successful singer whose live shows sell out quickly. But since she doesn't exude the risque sensuality of Carrie Ng or Pinky Cheung--who might look provocative wearing a burqa--she often doesn't make lists like this. For me she is a real knockout, more suggestive than steamy. She seems seductive without really trying to be.

Two movies that showcase several of the sexy seven: "Naked Killer", a must see for any fan of Hong Kong movies. It features Chingmy Yau who is costumed, made up, lit and shot to take full advantage of her already very striking good looks and Carrie Ng at her smoldering best. The characters they play are in rival gangs of lesbian killers for hire. Written and produced by the ubiquitous Wong Jing it is a delightfully trashy movie full of grotesque humor and beautiful women. It is every bit as strange and wonderful as it sounds.

The other is "So Close" where Shu Qi and Karen Mok begin on different sides of the law--Shu Qi is half of a pair of sisters who use high tech and low cunning to assassinate corrupt CEOs who are protected in seemingly impregnable skyscraper fortresses while Karen Mok is the tough cop in charge of stopping them but who gets framed for a murder charge and decides to join forces with the vigilante sisters. Things are sparked further by the strong but not quite carried through Sapphic attraction between Karen Mok's character and the other lovely sister, winning played by Vicki Zhao Wei, who is probably on a number of top five sexiest Hong Kong actresses herself.

Carrie Ng

Karen Mok