Title: *The Unseen Alchemy of Stephen Chow: Why *Lung Fung Restaurant* (1990) Is a Hidden Gem of Hong Kong Cinema Stephen Chow’s filmography is often celebrated for its anarchic humor and genre-defying spectacles—think Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer. But buried in his early career lies a quieter, darker masterpiece: Lung Fung Restaurant (龍鳳茶樓), a […]
Title: Fist of Fury 1991 II (1992): Stephen Chow’s Body Horror Comedy and the Deconstruction of Kung Fu Machismo In the chaotic cosmos of Stephen Chow’s filmography, Fist of Fury 1991 II (漫畫威龍)—often marketed as Fist of Fury 1991 II or The Unmatchable Match—stands as a grotesque carnival of flesh, slapstick, and subversive gender politics. […]
Title: When Fortune Smiles (1990): Stephen Chow’s Absurdist Masterclass on Capitalism, Karma, and the Myth of Meritocracy In Stephen Chow’s When Fortune Smiles (無敵幸運星), slapstick chaos becomes a Trojan horse for a scathing critique of Hong Kong’s late-capitalist frenzy. Released in 1990—a year before Chow’s superstardom—this overlooked gem blends Marx Brothers-esque lunacy with Brechtian satire, […]
Title: Love Is Love (1990): Stephen Chow’s Radical Reinvention of the Romantic Comedy as Social Rebellion In Stephen Chow’s filmography, Love Is Love (望夫成龙) stands as a quietly revolutionary outlier—a romantic comedy that weaponizes tenderness to critique Hong Kong’s capitalist frenzy and patriarchal norms. Released in 1990, this unassuming gem subverts genre tropes through Chow’s […]
Title: The Last Brother (1990): Stephen Chow’s Subversive Swan Song to Hong Kong’s Gangster Golden Age In the pantheon of Stephen Chow’s filmography, The Last Brother (江湖最後一個大佬) stands as a provocative anomaly—a gritty, melancholic gangster drama that dismantles the mythos of triad heroism while foreshadowing Chow’s comedic genius. Released in 1990 during the twilight of […]
Title: The Lucky Guy (1998): Stephen Chow’s Overlooked Ode to Hong Kong’s Post-97 Anxiety and the Myth of Control Amid the glittering chaos of Hong Kong’s handover era, Stephen Chow’s The Lucky Guy (行运一条龙) stands as a sly, subversive masterpiece that masquerades as a slapstick rom-com. Released in 1998—a year after the city’s return to […]
Title: My Hero (1990): Stephen Chow’s Underrated Blueprint for Absurdist Rebellion While Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle often dominate Western discussions of Stephen Chow, My Hero (original title: A Kid from the Comics) remains a hidden gem that crystallizes his early genius. Released in 1990, this genre-blending dark comedy—part gangster parody, part meta-comic-book fantasy—is […]
Title: Why “Peking Opera Blues” Is the Perfect Gateway to Stephen Chow’s Genius When introducing Stephen Chow’s filmography to global audiences, Peking Opera Blues (1988) often gets overshadowed by later slapstick hits like Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer. Yet, this gritty yet absurdist crime-comedy—Chow’s breakout role—is a masterclass in balancing social satire, raw humanity, […]
Why Legend of the Dragon (1991) Is Stephen Chow’s Forgotten Masterpiece on Cultural Identity and the Myth of Heroism In the pantheon of Stephen Chow’s films, Legend of the Dragon (龙的传人) often languishes in the shadows of Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer. Yet this 1991 gem—a chaotic blend of martial arts satire, generational conflict, […]
Why All’s Well, Ends Well (1992) Is Stephen Chow’s Timeless Masterclass in Chaos, Love, and the Art of Absurdity In 1992, as Hong Kong grappled with its impending return to China, Stephen Chow unleashed All’s Well, Ends Well—a raucous family comedy that transcends cultural boundaries to dissect universal human follies. More than a slapstick romp, […]