House of Luk

I really enjoyed this movie and even more so the second time. Pat Morita imparts wisdom like Chancy the gardener in Being There. Only this time it's not from a garden but the warm glow of a Chinese Food restaurant. A little bit of mystery, laughs, love lost and found and throw in (ow) a flying pug dog. I was glad to see that no animals were hurt in the filming of this movie - in fact the monkey seemed to be having some fun. Quirky characters that you can care about. Where can I get one of those fortune cookies?

I started watching the movie while flipping through the channels procastinating from doing something actually worth time when I found this interesting. Indeed, it had an interesting story which was presented very well and had some pretty good laughs without trying too hard. It's very good as a comedy, but as a drama it's somewhat bland. The characters don't connect to each other on a dramatic level and you really don't feel for them, but they are still entertaining to watch. Some parts had potential to be deep, and I think Pierre Brault could have pulled it off. Dan Lalande didn't do it for me in the dramatic sense but I did like him when he wasn't supposed to have emotion. He reminded me of Kevin Spacey in American Beauty in a way. I think it could have worked better, but overall a pretty nice movie.

"House of Luk" had a wonderful response at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2001. It was perhaps the lowest budget film screened at the festival but many attendees said they thought it had better entertainment value than many of the blockbuster movies which were also featured. You will remember the characters in this movie many months after you see and hear their story. Their predicaments and the resolution of their fortunes will encourage you to believe anyone's luck can change. "House of Luk" does not rely on blowing things up, computer generated effects or violence. It is 100% story driven.

House of Luk is the 'tip of the iceberg' of great things to come from this Ottawa production house!

This film takes an entertaining look at three unsuspecting characters' twists of fortune cookie fates. It's a good mix of fun, laughter and a few tears that leaves the viewer happily musing over one's own potential 'fortune cookie' read on life.

The three separate stories thread themselves nicely through the film. Nuances of Canadian humour add an interesting flavour to the stories. There were some strong performances from the local talent. In particular, John Ng, the Feng Shui expert, was one of my favourites. I was impressed with the cinematography of this newly formed production house. The music chosen was excellent! In fact I craved for more of it through the quieter passages of the film. It's clear Distinct Features has the talent to make excellent films!! Watch as this will become one of this production house's early classics.

All in all, it's a 'feel good and laugh' film. Go see it! It may influence your own fortune!

Certainly a change from many Canadian feature films. This is not animation, nor documentary, nor a heavy, twisted look at psychopaths, but rather a huge breath of fresh Canadian feature film air. House of Luk has a very finished, professional look. The story beautifully combines drama and comedy, often at the same time. Several outstanding performances by (as of yet) undiscovered local Ottawa actors. Go see it! You wont regret it.