Producer: Ivy Kong

The film is reliant on the gentle charm of its principal cast and the genuine warmth of the relationships therein.

‘Embrace Your Shadow’ manages to be moving while sticking doggedly to established clichés, perhaps an oxymoron, but an achievement nonetheless.

At nearly two hours long, ‘Hidden Heroes’ is an ordeal that only those versed in S.A.S. survival tactics should ever attempt.

‘Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons’ is a solid fantasy film that retains a fair amount of that Stephen Chow magic.

Although it is a lightweight effort that doesn’t generate too many belly laughs, ‘Love Undercover’ succeeds with an immense charm that sweeps the viewer away.

Joe Ma’s goal is to create a fun comedy that highlights the charm of Miriam Yeung and absorbs the viewer in her outlandish adventures – in this regard the film is a definite success.

‘New Blood’ is a smart, efficient and alarmingly effective genre piece that sits effortlessly alongside some of the finer horror entries of the period as an unremittingly morbid and blood-curdling exercise in unadulterated terror.

Stylistically, ‘Sky Of Love’ has that same easygoing ambience as its Korean inspiration while it also injects later scenes with a surprising amount of melancholy.

When the closing credits rolled, I opined that I had lost a full ninety minutes that would’ve been better used watching one of these sub-genres more accomplished works.

‘The Lion Roars’ is slickly produced, well performed by its beloved leading couple and not without its moments of amusement.

‘The Mermaid’ has the feel-good factor and is probably as good a rom-com as you’re likely to see this year. Yet that somehow doesn’t seem enough from a film-maker like Chow.

The major strength here is E Jingwen who is such an eternally affable figure that you are rooting for her from the first frame until the end.