Genre: Romance

It’s somewhat disappointing to see a comedian of Michael Hui’s pedigree reverting to, what is essentially, a reworking of the classic Jack Lemmon/Tony Curtis/Marilyn Monroe comedy ‘Some Like It Hot’.

The first twenty minutes are a barrage of over-stylised visual tricks and self-conscious winks to the audience; these begin to dissipate as the story continues, but it takes optimism to endure these early weaknesses.

‘Heart Into Hearts’ is subsequently a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns, a sequel that tries to impress with its relative opulence but forgets how important its characters are.

With consistent pacing, a convincing story and an effortless mixture of comedy and romance, it is no wonder that ‘Heart To Hearts’ was successful enough to spawn two sequels and numerous imitators.

It may be relatively incident free and not as prestigious as many of its contemporaries, yet this is still a film that earns mild commendation.

‘Hooked On You’ is neither stars’ best work, nevertheless it is a production with effective humour and a keen eye for the details of the decade it covers.

‘Hot Summer Days’ manages the feat that so many productions using multiple stories flatly fail with, namely making each of the plot strands interesting rather than just using a few as killers and the rest as fillers.

The production has enough genuine laughs, sharp satirical swipes and overall skill to be rated as recommended viewing.

‘I Wish I Had A Wife’ plods along with the piano score that seems to be indelibly tattooed onto the soundtracks of Korean rom-coms.

By no means a disaster but a frustratingly mixed bag from a usually consistent and exciting filmmaker.

‘If The Sun Rose In The West’ accomplishes its modest directives and creates two characters we quickly warm to throughout their moments together.

This gentle, emollient romantic drama is further proof of my never-ending mantra that, at their very best, no film-making industry can tap into the softer emotions better than Asian cinema.