
To (Chapman To Man-chak), a long-time film producer, has yet to produce anything resembling a hit. Beset by financial troubles, he has become desperate for money - so much so that he is unable to pay the alimony to his ex-wife (Kristal Tin). Despite his former spouse's bitterness, their daughter still clings onto her faith in him - and wishes to see him on TV once his new movie premieres. To is soon introduced to a potential Mainland Chinese investor, Tyrannosaurus (Ronald Ch... (Full plot summary below)
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To (Chapman To Man-chak), a long-time film producer, has yet to produce anything resembling a hit. Beset by financial troubles, he has become desperate for money - so much so that he is unable to pay the alimony to his ex-wife (Kristal Tin). Despite his former spouse's bitterness, their daughter still clings onto her faith in him - and wishes to see him on TV once his new movie premieres. To is soon introduced to a potential Mainland Chinese investor, Tyrannosaurus (Ronald Cheng), by his buddy Lui Wing-shing (Simon Loui Yu-yeung). But Tyrannosaurus is not only the head of a Guangxi triad gang, he turns out to have very particular tastes in food and sex. Regardless, To is determined to woo this investor, even if it means giving into his every demands. Tyrannosaurus eventually tells them to cast his childhood idol Yum Yum Shaw (Susan Shaw) in a remake of a classic pornographic film. He even gives the film the title Confessions of Two Concubines. After receiving funding from Tyrannosaurus, To then successfully casts the sexagenarian Shaw to act in Confessions of Two Concubines, with pseudo-model Tsui Ka-yan (Dada Chan), famous for her oral skills, acting as Shaw's younger body double. He also casts Hiro Hayama (Hiro Hayama), who is currently suffering from an incurable phobia after starring in his last erotic film, to be the lead actor. Things begin to turn awry when director Blackie Tak (Matt Chow) makes unreasonable changes to the original script, which results in the production going seriously over budget. Even more bizarrely, Tyrannosaurus makes a special request to have his girlfriend play a role in the film. But his girlfriend is no ordinary gal, thus resulting in plenty of madcap mayhem as everything soon goes out of control... As a last-ditch attempt to save the film, and also to fulfil his daughter's wish, To plans to publicly confess all the weird, outrageous and vulgar practices that went into the process of making Confessions of Two Concubines.
Leave your thoughts about Vulgaria.
| Film School RejectsRob HunterVulgaria is being marketed as a "dirty" movie, but that's underselling the film's real strengths. |
| Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenEven amid the naughty flourishes, with Vulgaria, Pang again shows himself to be a wise, playful chronicler of modern life. |
| NPRMark JenkinsReportedly, the movie's humor relies heavily on Cantonese slang and profanity, which will be lost on most American viewers. But Quin's rapid-fire bilingualism gives some sense of the movie's verbal dexterity. |
| Seattle TimesJeff Shannon"Vulgaria" is certainly crude, but most of its amusing vulgarity is discreetly held off screen. |
| Boston PhoenixBrett MichelIt fails to produce any humor - or even any skin. |
| Film Journal InternationalDaniel EaganA producer goes to bizarre lengths to complete a soft-core film in this coarse, exuberant Hong Kong comedy. |
| Village VoiceChris PackhamThe broadness of the film's comedy might be largely attributable to the conventions of Hong Kong cinema, but to American audiences, the film has an exaggerated notion of its own raunchiness. |
| Slant MagazineChuck BowenPang Ho-cheung can't help but humanize Vulgaria's characters, which is a kiss of death for what's meant to be a farce of escalating obscenity. |
| The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe film's kinky energy eventually wanes, the pileup of profanities losing its initial zing. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanThe movie Vulgaria is not one for the kiddies. Then again, the description "for mature audiences" doesn't seem right either. The Hong Kong comedy, a broad, cartoonish -- and decidedly filthy -- satire of moviemaking is as sophomoric as they come. It's also pretty funny, in an unapologetically over-the-top way. |