''Vulgaria'' () is a 2012 Hong Kong
comedy film directed by
Pang Ho-cheung.
The film won Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the 32nd
Hong Kong Film Award
The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, act ...
.
Plot
Struggling movie producer To Wai-cheung is hardly able to make alimony payments to his ex-wife, and yet his daughter Jacqueline hopes to one day see him being interviewed by
TVB so she can show her schoolmates her father is a real movie producer. In order to fulfill his daughter's dream, through his best buddy Lui he meets Tyrannosaurus, a
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
based triad head and a movie investor with a peculiar taste. Tyrannosaurus takes the duo out to a dinner full of weird dishes. He wants a remake of his favorite film, the 1976
Shaw Brothers
Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011.
In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...
sex scorcher ''Confession of a Concubine'', to be renamed as ''Confessions of Two Concubines'', but only if
Siu Yam-yam reprises her original starring role. As Siu Yam-yam is unwilling to act naked at her present age, To has to hire Popping Candy, with whom he has oral sex, as Siu's body double. Worse still, To and Liu, who refuse to eat the dishes before them, are told by Tyrannosaurus that the deal can be sealed only if they have sex with a
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
.
Cast
*
Chapman To as To Wai-cheung, a movie producer
*
Ronald Cheng
Ronald Cheng Chung-kei (born 9 March 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actor.
Life and career
Ronald Cheng was born in Hong Kong. Originally intending to work behind the scenes as a songwriter and a producer, Cheng did odd jobs at his father (Dire ...
as Brother Tyrannosaurus
*
Dada Chan as Popping Candy
*
Fiona Sit as Quin, To's assistant
*
Matt Chow as Blackie Tat, a movie director
*
Lawrence Cheng as university professor Cheng
*
Simon Lui as Lui Wing-shing, To's best friend
*
Lam Suet as Tyranosaurus' henchman
*
Siu Yam-yam as herself
*
Hiro Hayama as himself
*
Nora Miao as Miss Cheung
*
Vincent Kuk as CEO of
Playboy
*
Kristal Tin as Barrister Tsang Lai-fong, To's ex-wife
*
Miriam Yeung as investigator Leung
*
Jim Chim as Firearm Lau
*Mak Ling-ling as hypnotist
Release
The film received HK$30 million at the box office.
Critical reception
Deborah Young of
The Hollywood Reporter said, "Fully living up to its title, ''Vulgaria'' is Hong Kong comedy at its breeziest and most communicative."
Richard Kuipers of ''
Variety'' said, "Freewheeling pic, helmed by the prolific Pang Ho-cheung scores more hits than misses and, deep down, has a warm heart that bobs up nicely in the closing stages."
Beijing film critic Jia Xuanning won the
Hong Kong Arts Development Council's inaugural Critic's Prize with a critique essay of ''Vulgaria''. Entitled "Gazing at the Anxiety of Hong Kong Film Through Vulgaria", the essay critiqued the film's
low brow humor and negative portrayal of
mainlanders. Pang responded by arguing that the "Hong Kong spirit is embodied in
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
".
The film was nominated for six
Golden Horse Awards.
References
External links
*
*
{{Pang Ho-Cheung
Hong Kong comedy films
2012 comedy films
Films directed by Pang Ho-cheung
2012 films
2010s Cantonese-language films
Films set in Hong Kong
Films shot in Hong Kong
Films set in Guangxi
2010s Hong Kong films