Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 01/04/2007 Summary: sophomoric, entertaining. I’ve been entertained greatly by Edmond Pang Ho-Cheung’s first 3 films. I must say I was looking forward to this film. The DVD sat for months by the side of my player. I avoided the movie because I let myself be influenced by some of the opinions expressed here at hkMdb. I guess I was just trying to avoid the feeling of disappointment. Shame on me. AV was compelling and entertaining. I had as much fun watching the film as, apparently, the cast and crew had working on the project. Mr. Pang has benefited , in his earlier films, from working with experienced, talented producers [Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu and Eric Tsang Chi-Wai]. He has developed a nice working relationship with veteran producer Catherine Hun Ga-Jan on his last two features. Much of the screenplay, written by Pang and his editor Wenders Li Tung-Chuen, is puerile, sophomoric and pseudo-intellectual, but there is a certain charm to the proceedings that seeps through. There are a bunch of funny cameo appearances to watch for. The young cast, especially Wong You-Nam, does very nice work. The ubiquitous Hui Siu-Hung shows up as the head of the university film school. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 06/02/2006 Summary: Ummm.... i had thoughts that this would be Hk's answer to the usa AMERICAN PIE but instead it turns into some sort of social commentary about doing something with your life?? actually i am not sure if that is the message or not I think this movie tries to be too deep, where it should of just focussed on the comedy aspect. There are a few laughs, but the drama and the laughter dont mix well in my opinion. There is nothing bad ic an say about the cast, but the script needed some fine tuning, and i hate those endings where u go, is that it?? Its something different and i think it deserves a once viewing anyway Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: dandan Date: 03/08/2006 Summary: pang ho cheung's latest offering... four students hatch a plot to lose their virginity, they raise money and bring a japanese porn actress to hong kong to star in a fake film, where they will all be deflowered... this was okay, there was a couple of laughs, but this was nowhere near as good as pang's earlier 'you shoot, i shoot' or 'men suddenly in black'; both of which should be sought out. this, on the other hand, doesn't really live up to pang's good name...

Reviewed by: White Dragon Date: 11/18/2005 Summary: Edmong Pang fumbles the ball Film studies friends Jason Chan (Wong Yau Nam), Leung Chi On (Lawrence Chou), Ho Bo Wah, aka: Band-aid (Derek Tsang), and Mak Kai Kwong, aka: Fatty (Jeffrey Chow) wind up their year at school by taking a leaf out of classmate Wong Kar Lok’s (Tsui Tin Yau) book. Wong, enamoured of a fellow (female) student, got himself expelled for using his short film subject as a means to seduce her; the four friends take that not as a cursory life lesson, but inspiration to engineer a porno-film under the guise of a student project with themselves as the stars. Requiring HK$200,000 to hire their own AV actress (Manami Amamiya, playing herself) the boys apply for a business loan to make their puerile dream of bedding a Japanese porn star for the cameras a reality. However, once they have the money, their scam begins to grow and veer out of control well beyond their teenage fantasies and the whole exercise becomes the polar opposite of what everyone involved expected. Edmond Pang’s fourth outing is by far the least of his cinematic works so far. Like its protagonists it operates on a deceit that it can scarcely hope to maintain, and its pretences alluding to student rallies in 1971 quickly give way to a narrative that is best described as “American Pie”-lite…albeit Hong Kong style. Though the primary cast acquit themselves modestly, and the characters as scripted are drawn well, whatever lofty heights of (slight) social commentary the film aims for is lost on the core element of the story. It is simply about four horny teenagers and their efforts to become amateur porn stars, no more, no less. Much like a key moment in the film where, realising they aren’t going to pass as businessmen to the Japanese AV star’s agent the boys ask a shady local pornographer (Jim Chim) to pretend to be their boss, the film overall operates on meaningless allusions towards something deeper, then persistently throws those ideals away without second thought. When asked, Chim’s character launches into an embarrassingly awful tirade over Hong Kong youth – pauses at conclusion – then agrees without further issue; accordingly, the film itself fails spectacularly on the same grounds. It alludes to higher meaning that simply isn’t there – it hopes to hide its grubby protagonists behind ephemera of a positive reinforcement message. In fact, the whole exercise stings of the Cheung Tat Ming-Asuka Higuchi side story in Pang’s debut “You Shoot I Shoot” drawn out to feature length; therein it worked as there was primary story to support it – herein there is empty-headed moralising coupled with not nearly enough incident to keep the viewer engaged. A gargantuan disappointment from the usually reliable Pang and certainly the black sheep in his cinematic oeuvre thus far. Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: evirei Date: 07/25/2005 The fact that this movie seriously lack of... substance in the movie and cinematography. Yeah maybe others doesn't have the same POV as me... but well... to me... the story of the movie just tells how the 4 buddies want to make love with the AV star. The movie started of with one of the guy being kicked out of school for using making a movie as an excuse to court girl. The 4 guys were excited and thinks it's fun and good way to kiss and touch girls. And they din just stop at that point and even wished to make love to the girls. Knowing that not much Hong Kong girls is gonna do it, they decided to find an AV star from japan and make a movie, which of course will not be shown to public but for personal pleasure and viewings only. The only funny part I find in the movie is when eric kot interviewed the 4 youngsters when they try to appply for loan. I think the movie only really starts and begins when the AV star came to Hong Kong and they were about to shoot the movie. The substance that is missing is... the director tries to bring across everything in a short glance. Making it quite confusing and boring. A good try... but I think the director should really try harder. The title of the movie will only bring it the movie this far. Rating 4 out of 10 Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 06/16/2005 There aren't many directors in HK these days whose new releases warrant a blind purchase - even Tsui Hark and Johnnie To release as much mud as gold. With only 4 films to his name though, Edmond Pang Ho-Cheung definitely deserves an unconditional purchase. AV, his fourth film, synthesises elements of his previous 3 works - the DIY film-making from YOU SHOOT, I SHOOT, the guys on a mission for sex from MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK and... err, naked girls from BEYOND OUR KEN :boing: It's a delicious high-concept black comedy that satirises modern-day Hong Kong and the somewhat global experience of being a young male in servitude of his libido. Four friends learn that one of their buddies has been kicked off his film-making course for using his student film as a tool for picking up girls, which they find hilarious... not least because when it came down to the crunch he was too scared to go through with it. After some thought on the matter, and on their own lack of sexual experience, they conclude that their friend's real failing was actually a lack of ambition. Thus, they hatch their own grand plan - to produce their own porn film, with themselves as stars, to get a real porn star into bed! The problems with their plan are numerous - they have no money, no equipment, no idea how to use the equipment if they did have it... and no porn star. But, it sometimes takes a big challenge to make a person rise to the occasion (as it were), and AV chronicles the boys' attempt to achieve their dreams. The cast of AV are mostly HK teens who've been in a few films but certainly can't be considered stars, except possibly Wong You Nam, who is probably the only male contemporary of TWINS to have given a performance that might lodge in anyone's memory before this film. A few HK veterans turn up in small roles, including Eric Kot and Cheung Tat-Ming (stars of Pang's debut YS,IS). They're joined by a seasoned Japanese actor whose name I can't recall, and by real-life Japanese AV Girl Amamiya Manami, playing herself. One fact that the viewer can't help notice is that the boy's plan to hire a real life Japanese AV girl to appear in their film is mirrored by the actual film AV, and one wonders exactly where fiction ends and fact begins :P Despite the low-brow high-concept, AV is a film of substantial depth. The characters are well defined, and the young cast will certainly be remembered for these roles. The situation is played both for comedic effect and pathos, with a genuine life-affirming message that feels like it is addressing the Hong Kong audience directly in a way that not too many local films do these days. The film is unmistakably Hong Kong, and it's clear that Pang Ho Cheung has a deep affection for his home territory - he's definitely not a director looking for success at Cannes or in Hollywood, just to make films for himself, his friends and the people of Hong Kong to enjoy. The love of HK is tempered with a certain sadness that the territory has fallen on hard times in recent years, but the message is clearly one of support and hope. If these 4 lousy guys can achieve something special in life, then nobody can say that hope is lost! The film's message and morals aren't forced upon the viewer, and the focus on the film is primarily the comedy. Smart and saucy, AV is surely one of the funniest films Hong Kong has ever produced! The cast don't have the comedic charisma of Stephen Chiau, but the situations and dialogues are very funny, and Pang uses little insertions and cut-aways to often hilarious effect. I don't often find myself laughing out loud when I watch a film alone, but there were plenty of occasions in AV where I did just that. Pang's direction is very nicely nuanced and clever, and this more than makes up for any lack of experience or ability in the cast. There is one exception to this, unfortunately - an actor whose utter lack of personality even Pang's camera can't hide. I'm not sure what his name is, but he plays the director who is kicked off his course and sets the film's events in motion. Thankfully he isn't part of the core cast who spend the most time on screen, but when he is on camera he's like a brick wall to the film's momentum. It's a shame somebody with a little bit more life to him couldn't have been found for the role. Also there's one actor in a bit-part who nearly destroys the film - his name is Tim Youngs or something, and his inability to give life to the role of "porn customer" is a black mark on the acting profession's history. (Just kidding! Tim is a very charming porn customer, and was also the only member of the cast I had dinner with on the day I watched the film :P). There's only one other criticism I can level at AV, which is that it perhaps drags a bit too long towards the end, losing some energy and vitality. As an Asian film fan it's always hard recommending that a film be cut a little, since we're so often subjected to cuts that *shouldn't* have been made, but in this case I think that some of Amamiya Manami's story should have been left on the editing floor. This would have left the film open to criticism for treating the young actress as a sex-object, and I am glad that her character was given room to speak, but perhaps her side of the story would have been better left to a different film (maybe a short for the dvd), since it breaks the focus on the core concept. Aside from the minor blemishes of one dodgy cast member and the possible need for more aggressive editing at the end, I can't find any other fault with AV. It's a great concept, carried through with style and panache by a very talented director. Unless there are some great surprises in store, I expect to be nominating it for best HK Film of 2005 at the end of the year! Reviewer Score: 9