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Well if you're on a very strict diet, I suggest you eat a full meal before attempting to watch this visual, comedy feast. Stephen Chiau, I must say...is a comic genius. While not nearly one of his best films, if you were ever curious about chinese cooking, and want to learn about appetizing chinese dishes like "pissing beef balls" or better yet "explosive pissing beef balls" and then your in for a very funny treat. The movie opens mid-point where Stephen's chef character appropriately named, well..Stephen...chows down on a bowl of "assorted noodles" cooked by a noodle vendor Turkey, played by an unsightly Karen Mok(The make up crew should've won awards.) Complaining that the "assorted noodles" isn't prepared properly, she then asks what he knows about cooking there he reveals that he was once "THE GOD OF COOKERY". The movie then flashes back and shows us exactly how arrogant, of a celebrity chef he was. Since acquiring the title "GOD OF COOKERY" he rarely cooked, opened a chain of restaurants under his title so he can charge outrageous prices. How about paying $99.99 for a meal huh? Treats his workers like shit, treats his customers also like shit, and did I mention arrogant? So basically all this changes when he decided to take an apprentice played convincingly by Vincent Kok, under his wing. Not knowing that with the help of one of Stephen's business partner, played by Ng Man Tat, whom after enduring so much shit from Stephen finally decided to plot against him. During the grand opening of one of his new restaurants, His apprentice reveals to the general public about the unhealthy standards, about the prices he charges, etc. Not to mention challenging him to a cook out only to be arrested on charges on serving unsanitzed meat in his restaurants(the meat sold to him by his business partner, Ng Man Tat's character). After being taken to jail, Vincent (the apprentice) is now the new "GOD OF COOKERY". The movie then leads to the part where Stephen is complaining to Turkey, at the very beginning of the movie. Along the way he meets all of her street vending troops, as well as her rival. Fueled by his desire to get back the title of "GOD OF COOKERY" once again, decides to built a new culinary empire. Together, with the help of Turkey's cooking wiz and her rival Goosehead's manpower. This is where the elusive "explosive pissing beef balls" comes in. This dish, meal, snack, or whatever it is, if consumed, one's desire's will start to overcome him or her. An orgasm of the taste buds if you will. Of course you can only imagine what happens when the "explosive pissing beef balls" is served to the masses. It worked and the beef balls was a success, it's not long before Turkey reveals his love for Stephen. Stephen however despite what she had done for him, turns her down cold. After awhile, Turkey's troops tells Stephen of how beautiful she once looked, and that the reason why she was defaced was in defending his honor. Turns out, she's a number one fan of Stephen, when he was "GOD OF COOKERY" and still is. Still wanting to earn the "title" Stephen decides to sharpen his cooking skills once again so he flies to mainland china to enroll in the Chinese Cooking Academy, where his apprentice Vincent, claimed to have studied, and also to escape from Turkey. When he got there turns out there's no such thing as the Chinese Cooking Academy, and Turkey, all of a sudden is running towards him, and getting shot in the process by one of Vincent's henchman. He nearly escapes and wakes up in a Shaolin Monastery. There he finds out that the Chinese Cooking Academy, is actually the Shaolin Kitchen where the monks prepared their meals, turns out that Vincent was a drop out as well. After sharpening his skills he was ready to leave, the monks however didn't want him to. Everytime he would try to escape the 18 bronze men would kick the shit out of him, not with kung fu, but with a folding chair, lots of folding chairs! Finally, with the help of one of the Abbots he was permitted to leave with just enough time to enter the "THE GOD OF COOKERY" tournament. Where he met face to face with his evil apprentice. Like watching an episode of "IRON CHEF" but with lots of kung fu-ish moves, they have a showdown with high flying chopped fish, burning oil, killer spatulas, not to mention the mighty folding chair. The aftermath, Stephen of course wins, Turkey gets a plastic surgery, everyone's rich, and happy. Wait 'till you find out what happens to Vincent's character, and to Ng Man Tat's character.
Reviewed by Dagon (copyright 2001)
"DAGON'S ASIAN CINEMA DOMAIN"
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DVD Review:
DVD released by UNIVERSE LASER & VIDEO CO., LTD. A very good presentation, with Main Menu, Chapter Stops, Movie Trailer, More Movie Trailers, Star Filmographies, Language selection, Subtitle selection, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, Letterbox, & Region All. |
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