Stephen Chow's partner in crime, first as an actor/director match-up, later as a directorial duo. His co-direction work is clearly better than his solo work, but when you're in the mood for some silly Hong Kong comedy he's your go-to man.
Movies
One of Stephen Chow and Lik-Chi Lee's final collaborations (as directors). Later on, Chow would seize complete control over his films, which turned out to be a very smart move. God of Cookery is lots of fun though, a culinary take on the gambling films of that era, with Chow stealing the show once more. It's no highbrow cinema, but Chow is comedy gold, the presentation is slick, the cooking scenes are lots of fun and the pacing is perfect. One of the best films Hong Kong comedy has on offer, and one that is sure to leave you hungry once the end credits start rolling.
Stephen Chow's James Bond parody. Together with Lik-Chi Lee he takes a pretty standard Hong Kong crime story and laces it with references to the infamous spy. It was one of the earlier Chow films I watched and really dug it the first time around. It didn't quite hold on rewatch though. Ling Ling Chai has been working as a poor butcher for the past 10 years, but when a dinosaur head is stolen he is reactivated. He is sent to Hong Kong to find out the mysterious thief who has stolen the artifact before it gets sold off. Chai is not the most typical special agent, but his methods are pretty effective. Chow is still great. His facial expressions, body language, and comedic timing are pretty much perfect. The film is a little low on actual gags though, and while there are some very funny ones some are a bit too expected. The presentation is also a tad disappointing. It's still a very fun comedy, just not the gem I remembered it to be.Read all
Master Wong Vs Master Wong
Lik-Chi Lee makes good of the popularity of Wong Fei-hung. Together with a slew of respected Hong Kong actors (but without Stephan Chow) he provides a more comedy-focused take on the martial arts hero who dominated the Hong Kong action scene in the early 90s. The result is pretty fun, if a little on the simple side. Wong Fei-hung travels to Canton with two disciples and his wife. He wants to help the refugees there, who are being scammed by a rich businessman, so he goes undercover. A couple of cases of mistaken identity later, Fei-hung is part of a major clusterfuck where he'll have to prove he is the actual martial arts master in court. Anthony Wong is a perfect bad guy, actors like Man-tat Ng and Eric Tang are ideal for the comic relief. The comedy is a bit hit-and-miss, but that's par for the course. Not a film I'd recommend to Hong Kong comedy virgin, obviously, but if you know what you're getting yourself into, this is a lot of fun. Read all
The Tigers: The Legend of Canton
Once Upon a Time a Hero in China
Romantic Dream
Flirting Scholar 2
Killing Me Tenderly
