Dai juk hei kek

This one is surprisingly lively as a product of the largely dormant Hong Kong film industry.

The makers of the success LOVE IN THE BUFF offer a low comedy version of their industry which includes sex with farm animals, a heroine promoting a hand job video game, gangster finance and the seventies skin-flic star Shaw Ying Ying back by popular demand, in her sixties.

It's pushed along briskly and they get value out of their small budget, with good craft aspects and likable players.

The piece is framed by a film school lecture session. The English subtitlers battle with some of the material.

There is something funny and it is really making fun of filmmaking and especially of the producer but it is really not that good. Also the few good jokes are the same ones all the time so it does get a bit much even if the one about the lovely lady and popping candy rather naughty.

A top-notch Hong Kong comedy at its best, Pang Ho-Cheung's VULGARIA is a hilarious satire that pokes fun on the Hong Kong movie industry (particularly Category III genre) and of course, low-budget filmmaking in general.

The first two scenes are particularly the funniest ones that had me laughing nonstop. It opens with a sleazy producer named To Wai-Cheung (Chapman To) who is being interviewed by his old friend Professor Cheng (Lawrence Cheng) inside an auditorium filled with film students, to discuss about the nature of producing a movie. Among the hilarious part is how To compares his job as a producer to human pubic hair (a vulgar, but inspiring metaphor nonetheless).

Next up, is another memorable part on how To recounts an unfortunate incident in which he was forced to do something unpleasant for the sake of funding a movie. Introduced by his best friend Lui (Simon Lui), both of them head over to Guangxi and meets a triad head named Tyrannosaurus (Ronald Cheng) at a favorite restaurant. Tyrannosaurus has a peculiar taste, especially the way he introduces both of them all the so-called signature weird dishes. But nothing comes weirder than Tyrannosaurus' taste of "woman". Not human, that is but rather a mule. In order to seal the deal of getting the fund, both To and Lui must have sex with two mules specially brought over for them. And there's more: Tyrannosaurus is specifically wanted To to remake a 1976 period erotic classic CONFESSION OF A CONCUBINE and only wants his favorite star, Siu Yam-Yam (Susan Shaw) to play the leading role all over again.

So To calls out Siu Yam-Yam to propose his idea for the CONFESSION OF A CONCUBINE remake. But since the original version has aged over 30 years ago, it's natural that the now-older Siu Yam-Yam feels unpleasant to strip anymore (you'll get the picture). Nevertheless, Siu Yam-Yam rejects his offer, but To must finds way to fulfill Tyrannosaurus' pet project no matter what.

Enter wannabe starlet nicknamed Popping Candy (Dada Chan). During a fellatio involving some popping candies, Popping Candy has unexpectedly gives To a great idea about how to make Tyrannosaurus' dream comes true. By using CGI, he will combines Siu Yam-Yam's face and Popping Candy's busty body. His idea nevertheless prompted Siu Yam-Yam herself to agree for playing the role all over again. But of course, nothing comes smooth during the filmmaking process as To also juggles with his own personal problem involving his ex-wife (Crystal Tin) and his little daughter Jacqueline (Jacqueline Chan).

Blessed with a Category III rating, writer-director Pang Ho-Cheung has certainly goes rampant with lots of colorful, yet creative Cantonese profanities. Likewise, his brand of knowing humor hits the jackpot that lampoons from almost everything he can think of -- filmmaking, sexual harassment, Hong Kong educational system, 3D SEX AND ZEN parody involving Hiro Hayama and even Al-Qaeda reference. The result is uproariously funny.

Special kudos also goes to all the gamely playful actors involved here. Chapman To's comical performance is pitch-perfect, while Dada Chan is surprisingly likable enough as the endearing Popping Candy. The rest of the supporting actors perform their respective roles pretty good. Even the cameo appearances (Lam Suet, Miriam Yeung) are just as memorable. But the true standout is none others than Ronald Cheng, who excels in a tour de force performance as the crude and primitive triad head Tyrannosaurus. Each time he appears in a scene, he's a laughing riot to watch for.

No doubt VULGARIA earns its place as one of the funniest Hong Kong comedies ever seen in a long while, but the movie is still without its glaring flaws. Pang Ho-Cheung's energetic storyline is sometimes incoherent and also lack of focus. It's also quite a shame that he doesn't make use of Category III rating to showcase sex and nudity (especially those involving Dada Chan) which might disappoint genre fans.

And by the way, stick around after the credit rolls. Midway, there's more scenes afterwards and particularly the crucial one involved whether or not To is having sex with a mule.

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I think this movie would get more laughs if the dialog was slowed down just a tad. The Chinese language is just so fast, and trying to keep up with the subtitles got tiring after awhile. But there is some good dialog in there, and could be watched a few more times to appreciate it all I think. As for outright 'vulgarity', it's actually pretty tame compared to early John Waters still. The language is definitely coarse, but when has that been new to NA audiences? As for explicit sex scenes over this reboot of 'Confessions Of A Concubine' that the movie centres around - none of it is ever revealed visually. The funniest parts are dealing with the Triad Gang leader, and his obsession with the most revolting food delicacies, and acts of bestiality. And his unrelenting love for this aging porn actress that he gets recast in this new movie, much to the producer and directors chagrin. The film is clever how it ping pongs around the time lines and its actors and sets are great. But just moves at such breakneck speed, it's really hard to digest all in one go.

I will start by saying that "Vulgaria" (aka "Dai juk hei kek") is a very unusual movie to make it out of the Hong Kong cinema. It was a fresh breath of air given its bizarre approach and outrageous story. That being said, then I feel there was also something genuine missing from the story, which sadly resulted in a mediocre movie. "Vulgaria" had so much potential to be really unique and memorable, but failed to utilize the opportunity.

The storyline is about a financially challenged Hong Kong movie producer who ends up aspiring for funding his movie at the hands of a mainland Chinese triad gang in Guangxi. Producer To (played by Chapman To) is struggling with custody of his daughter as his ex-wife is more than adamant about not letting him see his daughter. And he is seeing more than talent in the movie's female lead Popping Candy (played by Dada Chan).

There are many interesting aspects and layers to "Vulgaria", but it was like enjoying a meal prepared without spices. Yes, the movie was just missing a key ingredient, and as such it ended as a flat, mediocre movie.

The acting in the movie was good, and the actors and actresses really performed so well, and they really carried the movie quite well. Chapman To is of course fabulous in "Vulgaria", as is in all of his movies.

"Vulgaria" is a rare moment of cinema to make it out of Hong Kong, and as such you should watch it if you are a fan of Asian cinema. However, if you are not overly familiar with Hong Kong cinema, perhaps you are far better off with a different movie.