Movie Review: All's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事2010

In an effort to be more timely and potentially helpful/supportive of local films and the people making them, I will try to get my reviews done faster. As a consequence, they will be somewhat shorter.

Unless it's a movie that sucks and I don't want you to watch it. Then I'll take lots of time and energy to thoroughly and meticulously disparage it.

But on to the new review format!

I joined the Movie Night gang Wednesday night for a Chinese New Year Movie double feature: All's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事2010 and72 Tenants of Prosperity/72家租客. Since there are 7 films released on or around CNY, we doubled up in an effort to get the viewing done.

And, the thinking went, let's get these two out of the way as fast as possible.We were fairly certain that we were taking two for the team, and I am very happy to say that we were in fact quite wrong.

We watched both films at Olympian City, and I think that it helped. Both of these films are showing at the Die Nasty, but the showings overlapped, so we stepped up a notch and took it to Olympian.

It's easy to rag on a movie in the Dynasty, and not so easy at Olympian, or The Grand @ Elements.

That said, I watched Murdererat Olympian and Invitation Only at Elements, so don't think venue=value.

But never mind that .

All's Well Ends Well 2009 was difficult to sit through.

Even with a head full of cough syrup.

So whenAll's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事started with a painfully bad, unfunny joke, I was afraid I was in for a long 90 minutes. 

Especially since I wasn't lit on cough syrup.

But the film got better the instant I saw the Empress Dowager in glasses. It's the kind of willfully blatant anomaly that I really enjoy (in the right context, and a Lunar New Year movie is the perfect context).

Like most good Lunar New Year films,All's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事is forgettable fluff, but it's really good fluff because it's so fluffy.

There are two people credited as directors: Raymond Wong and Herman Yau. I doubt very seriously that the duties were split 50/50, especially since Mr. Wong has a role in the film.

Herman Yau, who has already kicked a lot of ass with recent movies, deserves the lion's share of credit for makingAll's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事so f@#$ing  entertaining and fun to watch.

Thank you, Herman, for a remarkably good movie that ought not have been anywhere near this good.

The actors deserve credit too, don't get me wrong. But in this movie, the strongest performances were also the biggest surprises.

No one phoned in their performances, but at the same time there were a lot of people whose professionalism (or decades of experience) led to them inhabiting their characters without bringing them to life."Let me show you my personal light saber..."I'm not saying they were bad. They were good, but just good.

Of course, it's a Lunar New Year movie, so you don't have to act that hard.

Conversely, there were unexpectedly good performances from unlikely sources.

Believe it or not, Ronald Cheng does not only the most but also the bestacting in the film.

 “你吃了我的手指，你發胖他媽的!”He brings his character to life and brings energy to the screen. He's actually quite good in his action scenes too. Ronald Cheng is no stranger to Lunar New Year movies, butAll's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事  is a new high for him.

The biggest shock, and most pleasant surprise of the film is Angelababy.

Frankly, I didn't know it was her, and like the Dynasty Curse, had I known I probably would have been less than fair in my estimation.

But ignorance is bliss, and so was watching Angelababy (I feel so stupid typing that). She made the most of her role and stood out (positively) in a frankly intimidating cast.

She has a very natural comic sense and can mug with the best of them. I was really very surprised to find out she was her (Ha! I don't have to type... her name).

The few dramatic demands made of her were handled well, and on the whole, she was very entertaining.I'm not just saying that because she looks like this: “發機會，爺爺...”If I had a swing like that on my porch, I'd eat it.

For that matter, I'm saying it in spite of her looking like this:“吸我的公雞...”I would, too. With grape jelly or syrup, I don't care.All's Well End's Well Too 2010/花田囍事  was quite pleasantly shocking, and I strongly encourage you to go see it in a theater full of people during the New Year, since that is its' intended setting .It's fun, entertaining, and definitely worth the time, effort, and money. And if anyone wants to tell Angelababy about my raving endorsement, feel free.Kung Hei Fat Choi!!!