Crazy Love

Rating:
Summary: Eye candy
Review: I got this film on the recommendation of some of my Chinese roommates who suggested that it would be a fun learning tool for helping me learn Mandarin. They were right! It's a story of a lady who has trouble finding love and, when she finally finds it, lets it rapidly get away from her. It's a funny and playful film to watch and the main actress, Loletta Lee, is absolute eye candy! The DVD has it's audio in Mandarin and Cantonese, but includes English subtitles that sometimes, unfortunately, fall well short of being intelligible English. However, this doesn't inhibit understanding the film. It's a good DVD to pop in when you are looking for some simple laughs and beautiful women.

Rating:
Summary: silly and unartistic
Review: Maybe it's me, but I have gennerally not liked romantic comedies. Especially when slapstick is used instead of comedic writing. The not-so-funny avenues used in european film to mark the whimsical escapades of a pretty girl is a waste of time and effort. Grown men falling off ladders and tipping and bumping into each other as they steal a peak at her is not funny. It's "Three's Company" on DVD (remember Jack, Crissy and Janet?)

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly funny for a soft-core film.
Review: There are two genres in Hong Kong film that tend to be shaky: Straight dramas (Hu Du Men being a notable exception), and any film having to do with sexuality and romance. The uptightness of Chinese culture tends to hinder Hong Kong films' ability to examine sexual issues and erotica, and Hong Kong's romantic and erotic films tend to be self-conscious and often uninteresting.

Crazy Love attempts to mix soft-core sex with broad situation comedy, and the surprise is that it actually works all right, for the most part. Leading lady Loletta Lee isn't that great an actress, but this film wisely stays away from complex drama and instead uses Lee's virginal looks and fresh-faced charm. The character of Jane is actually a pretty interesting one -- part Brigitte Bardot imitator (in her mischievous exhibitionist tendencies) and part Loki-like troublemaker. She likes to make trouble for men who ogle her, and the resulting shenanigans are unsubtle, but often funny, if a bit broad and unsophisticated in that Hong Kong way. And the addition of the sexually liberated hippie character is actually quite advanced for a Hong Kong film -- there is enough charm in the character to prevent him from being a complete cliche. The erotic scenes are mostly tame and self-consciously shot, with generic shots and music thrown in for the measure, but there is one genuinely erotic scene where Lee touches herself -- is it coincidence that it's also the one erotic scene here where she keeps most of her clothes on?

The usual cheesy touches do pollute this film. Most Hong Kong films have a laughable tendency to use oversaturated '80s synth scores in sentimental moments, and this film's "in love" middle part suffers from heavy-handedness. Otherwise, however, it's a relatively enjoyable film that's better for its comedic touches rather than its erotica.


Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Movie
Review: Well if you are into nudity then this is a great movie for you. It has many love seens to keep you interested. I have let other friends borrow this and they have all agreed that it was a good movie.

Rating:
Summary: Innocent but naughty
Review: What was suppose to be summer school in England becomes an adventurous, exotic and romantic journey for a beautiful teenage girl. Innocent looking but naughty Loretta Lee was 26 when she made this picture in '93, this being one of her better films during her soft-porn film period 1990-1997 when she gave it up for marriage and a baby. This film became a pleasant surprise to many of her adoring fans who were not accustomeed to seeing her in a part such as this.