Trigger

Oh geez... where do I start?

I got the DeltaMac disc of this film. DeltaMac recently released Bichunmoo and China Strike Force as well - both outstanding DVDs. This is one from their econo-line. The transfer is teriffic and the sound is decent as well. The subtitles are crappy - they are in synch, but they are incomplete and incorrect at times (calling someone Spider instead of Black Widow isn't the same thing especially when the person is called Black Widow for a reason). They are quite readable though (removable). It comes in an opaque/clear case the same size as an amaray and the artwork is one sided (waste of an opportunity). No insert either. Nothing spectacular, but still a totally acceptable disc for a film.

The film itself is another story. I got this basically for the only reason to see the film - seven hot chicks in tight clothes with guns. I know I know... think what you want. Shu Qi is irresistable to me. This is Charlie's Angles meets Mission Impossible 2 with no budget. The script is pretty much doo doo and the action is subpar. Still... I didn't hate it... why? Because those girls are fun to watch. Ok - it's a worthless movie. And the hotness of these girls doesn't carry the film at all... there are a few redeeming qualities about the film though. If you can tolerate the retarded story and can manage to care what's going on, there are a few interesting twists... nothing you can't see coming from half a mile away though.

Should you see this? Well... I don't know. It's a bad movie in general, but I didn't think it was any worse than Heroic Trio (except this film had nothing on Heroic Trio as far as fight scenes go) and most everyone else seemed to like Heroic Trio. Will you like this if you liked Heroic Trio? I don't know... Perhaps that all depends on how you feel about the actresses in this. Shu Qi, Kelly Lam Hei-Lui, Teresa Mak, Sophie Ngan Wing Sze, Sandra Ng, Rosemary, and Amanda Strang. Some of the acting is good (considering what they had to work with) and some of it is really bad...

Just don't expect a whole lot from this film is all I'm trying to say.


Side Note: Anybody see Shu Qi - Body Show? Cat III, no dialogue, just her. Where do I get a copy?

Yellow Hammer

Never heard of Body Show, but True Woman can be found at DDDHouse:

http://www.dddhouse.com/cgi-local/pr...category_id=22

At the MHVF site last week there was a lively discussion on Hsu Chi. There essentially are two camps - one that thinks she's annoying and untalented and the other camp that thinks she's the greatest thing since sliced bread. My take is that I think she's very talented and she is by far the best new talent to have come on the HK scene in the last five years. On the other hand she has been annoying in many movies as well, namely Gorgeous and Young and Dangerous 5. I don't find her all that attractive though.

Furious

Talented she is, but with her letcher of a manager she is allways going to be stuck doing 10-20 clueless bimbo movies every year. Unfortunately most of her detractors have only seen her in these sort of roles and as such have jumped to conclusions regarding her abilities (well that and the cat fight like comments from some other users regarding her appearance...cough cough). Like so many other HK entertainers she is forced to do a mass of subpar product (Anthony Wong anyone?) to keep the bills paid and stay in the public and entertainment industry eye. She has made it clear in interviews that she despises these sorts of films, but there isn't much you can do when you become pigeon holed by the industry. It really makes you wonder what would happen if actors and actresses over there had proper management.

HKFlix

Just my opinion, but I've not been impressed by her acting in any film I've seen her in, including her "good" ones. She seems to have only two characters in her repertoire: 1) The bubbly, whiner girl with too much energy, and 2) The pouting/crying whiner that likes to flail her arms at people and make her lips look like a duck's bill. She has her moments, in films like Portland Street Blues (IMHO), but overall, she seems repetitive and more annoying than enjoyable... But I definitely agree with Furious' sentiments about Anthony Wong! That guy really has talent, but he gets stuck in the worst films all too often...

Trigger

Well if you are in the camp that hates her, then for sure avoid this terrible film. If you like her (like I do), then this might be one to check out... it sucks (like I said), but it's got her in it and she's pretty good in it I thought. I think she's a good actress and I also think she's really really hot. I first saw her in Gorgeous and fell in love. She reminds me of a girl I dated... maybe that's why. I don't understand why so many hate her... but I hate that Sara Michelle Gellar chick more than anything and tons of people just love her. I think she's a butt-ugly dog who can't act for sh*t. To each his own.

yangshouwen

Manfred Wong is the letcher of a manager. But the good news is that she seems to have taken an independent stance recently, and hopefully this will mean she can finally star in those films that show she can really act. Because anyone that's seen Island Tales will say, she's the best thing in the film (not for leering, but because of her acting).

B4Bishop

What is this site?

Yellow Hammer

MHVF is Mobius' Home Video Forum...

"MHVF is an independent moderated discussion forum concerning film and home video. Our moderators and participants are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate enthusiasts you'll find anywhere on the internet! MHVF's message boards contain a rich assortment of interesting, provocative discussions spanning a variety of genres. Reviews of eclectic film, DVD, laserdisc and VHS releases, including titles that might be hard to find at your neighborhood video store, are indexed on our review page. Please join our discussions — everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate!"

http://www.mhvf.net

The Asian forum deals with discussion about Asian films. Some of the regular participants on the board are some very knowledgeable people of the Asian film industry, people like Shelley Kraicer of Chinese Cinema Page fame, Stephen Cramin, the HK Bulletin Board creator, Tim Youngs of Kowloonside.com fame (moderator), Joseph Au, the temporary webmaster of the HKMDB database, and Brian and Yvonne from the View from the Brooklyn Bridge site. Other participants are equally as knowledgable. There are others of course not so knowledgeable. The board is heavily moderated, much more so than here, so chances are you won't see too much controversy on the MHVF board.

B4Bishop

Thank you Yellow Hammer!!!

ipkevin

Manfred Wong is her manager?! Isn't he one of the most successful people in the Hong Kong movie business? Hsu Chi appears in a lot of high profile HK flicks, so he can't be doing that bad a job. True, they're mostly crap, but so are most HK films these days.

I've got one question though: Is Hsu Chi's lisp/accent for real? It annoys the hell out of me.

p1forest

I think a lot of people hate her because of what a couple people mentioned above. Most (all?) of her roles are limited to a couple of types of roles, aptly described by HKFlix (imo). I think most people have only seen a few of her movies (like me), and how else are people to judge? I suppose if I lived in HK, I'd see interviews, more movies, etc. to base a better opinion of her. All I know is that from the few movies I've seen, I think HKFlix's opinion is the same as mine. Her characters have been whiny, vacuous, and annoying. It reminds me of a few girls I know, who are in their mid 20's, but act like they're 12. Some guys may find this 'cute,' but I don't. I realize that in person, she may be totally different, but all I've seen are these roles.

PS - I agree on Geller, btw.