Yes, Director Tsui has gone chick flick. Trotting down his streak of hits-and-misses, this flamboyant director never shuns from exploring new territories. The new "Mountain Zu" in 2001 was definitely a miss. "Seven Swords" in 2005 was a hit. This year's "Missing" which ventured into the realm of psychological-supernatural thriller, has not been particularly well received. "All about women" starts by looking like another miss but manages to pull everything together as it unfolds, to look quite decent in the end.
Those attracted to this movie would probably have watched Sylvia Cheung's "20, 30, 40" (2004). While the similarity is obvious both are about the stories of 3 women there is a big difference. In "20, 30, 40" the three stories are entirely independent and the connections are extremely inconsequential. In "All about women", the stories are intertwined, first through the connecting characters but, even more importantly, through a new love potion (not the one you get from you neighbourhood witch, but something that is scientifically invented) which can almost be considered the true star of the movie. It is a study of its effect on each of the 3 women. Ultimately, it's really all about women and, more specifically, their way of looking at love.
ZHOU Xun is an actress that one never grows tired of watching. In this movie, she assumes yet another new persona, 27-year-old bespectacled medical technician with a bizarre ailment: whenever touched by a man, she goes absolutely stiff, becoming something like the dummies you see in shop windows for displaying garments. KWAI Lunmei, whose sweet innocence in "Blue gate crossing" (2002) made her the dream idol of many a Taiwanese adolescent boy, is cast here out of type, playing the 19-year-old tempestuous rock singer who gives "My sassy girl" (2001) a run for her money a good step to take for this talented young actress. Youngest of the trio is ZHANG Yuqi (she's 20), Stephen Chow's latest discovery, in "CJ 7" (2008). She plays the oldest of the 3 women, a 31-year-old CEO who, behind her looks that guarantees to set every hot-blood male in flame, is hard as a nail. She does reasonably well, and I'm all for giving opportunities to new comers.
Complementing the principal cast are two men, FONG Chung-sun and FUNG Tak-lun, heartthrobs to the female audience in Hong Kong in their respective age groups. Not exactly Director Tsui's best work, this movie is a lot of fun to watch.
Those attracted to this movie would probably have watched Sylvia Cheung's "20, 30, 40" (2004). While the similarity is obvious both are about the stories of 3 women there is a big difference. In "20, 30, 40" the three stories are entirely independent and the connections are extremely inconsequential. In "All about women", the stories are intertwined, first through the connecting characters but, even more importantly, through a new love potion (not the one you get from you neighbourhood witch, but something that is scientifically invented) which can almost be considered the true star of the movie. It is a study of its effect on each of the 3 women. Ultimately, it's really all about women and, more specifically, their way of looking at love.
ZHOU Xun is an actress that one never grows tired of watching. In this movie, she assumes yet another new persona, 27-year-old bespectacled medical technician with a bizarre ailment: whenever touched by a man, she goes absolutely stiff, becoming something like the dummies you see in shop windows for displaying garments. KWAI Lunmei, whose sweet innocence in "Blue gate crossing" (2002) made her the dream idol of many a Taiwanese adolescent boy, is cast here out of type, playing the 19-year-old tempestuous rock singer who gives "My sassy girl" (2001) a run for her money a good step to take for this talented young actress. Youngest of the trio is ZHANG Yuqi (she's 20), Stephen Chow's latest discovery, in "CJ 7" (2008). She plays the oldest of the 3 women, a 31-year-old CEO who, behind her looks that guarantees to set every hot-blood male in flame, is hard as a nail. She does reasonably well, and I'm all for giving opportunities to new comers.
Complementing the principal cast are two men, FONG Chung-sun and FUNG Tak-lun, heartthrobs to the female audience in Hong Kong in their respective age groups. Not exactly Director Tsui's best work, this movie is a lot of fun to watch.