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South China Morning Post
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Vital Signs movie review: Louis Koo, Neo Yau play ambulance paramedics in wistful drama
3.5/5 stars Advertisement In Vital Signs, the converging career paths of two ambulance paramedics at very different stages in their lives provide the unusual backdrop for a soul-searching drama rooted in today's Hong Kong, with characters pondering the essence of home as they reluctantly face a wave of emigration from the city. The fourth feature by writer-director Cheuk Wan-chi and her first since the 2014 comedy Temporary Family , Vital Signs comes across as a notably more mature work by the multi-hyphenate who is also known as a stand-up comedian – even if its themes are not always as tightly woven as they could be. When we first meet Louis Koo Tin-lok 's veteran ambulanceman Ma Chi-yip, he is not responding to emergencies at some chaotic disaster scene but quietly fielding the latest appeal from his visiting parents-in-law to join them in Toronto with his young daughter, Bonnie (Ariel So Yuet-yin, Warriors of Future ). 'This is not a great place for Bonnie to grow up in', says one of them while nodding towards the window of Ma's apartment in fire service quarters, referring to the city at large; Vital Signs was shot in 2021 – and an inferior version premiered at festivals in 2023 – but its social sentiments remain relevant. Advertisement Ma is a broken man who, apart from having a bad back, is still reeling from the death of his wife years ago. At work the widower displays a remarkable ability to save lives, a casual disregard for protocols and a near-insolent attitude towards bureaucracy.
South China Morning Post
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
What Hong Kong can take away from Ne Zha 2's creative success
As the animated Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 gains widespread attention domestically and internationally, hopes are high that it will be a prime example of a Chinese cultural export. This showcase of Eastern aesthetics embodies the maturity of China's cultural industry and against this backdrop, Hong Kong, once known as the Eastern Hollywood, has a historic opportunity to redefine its cultural soft power. Advertisement Hong Kong cinema has made progress in visual effects, with films like Warriors of Future setting new standards. However, the cultural industry faces a structural imbalance in original intellectual property (IP) development, having relied traditionally on the martial arts novels of Jin Yong and more recently, nostalgic content This limits market growth and fails to meet the diverse needs of younger audiences. Although the Hong Kong brand has found success in IP licensing, the city still lags behind the mainland in IP development and industry transformation; it doesn't have a successful work like Ne Zha 2, which resonates with Generation Z through innovation and emotional power. Although the Hong Kong government has supported the creative sector through schemes like the CreateSmart Initiative, the industry still lacks the global reach and influence necessary to compete with major international markets. Ne Zha 2 was five years in the making, with 138 animation companies across China putting together over 1,900 special effects shots; it is a product of a well-established ecosystem. Advertisement Enlight Media's IP development model for Ne Zha and other films drawn from the classic mythological novel Investiture of the Gods seamlessly integrates various stages, including creation, technological innovation, market expansion and derivative product development, ensuring a complete and efficient industry chain.
