Last Ghost Standing (2000)

Directed by Billy Chung Siu Hung

Produced by Ng Kin Hung

Starring Simon Lui Yu Yeung, Sherming Yiu Lok Yee, Pauline Suen Kai Kwan, Amanda Lee Wai Man, Pinky Cheung Man Chi, Chin Kar Lok, Angela Tong Ying Ying, Wayne Lai Yiu Cheung, Benny Chan Ho Man Cameo appearance by Francis Ng Chun Yu & Frankie Ng Chi Hung

Last Ghost Standing

Many members of the Hong Kong cinema intelligentsia raved their collective arses off about this little B-grade film as being some sort of bona-fide low budget classic. Having missed it on its theatrical run, I ended up with little choice but to import (read: buy) the disc when it when was released, having (once again) listened to the voices of those that now "claimed" to be "in the know". I could be brutally objective and just stump the obligatory "save your money, it's better spent on ANYTHING else", but that would be too easy. Let's just say this, and say it once only…any Hong Kong cinema buff worth their salt will know immediately that the accolades of "five minute fans" don't hold much weight over the cumulative knowledge of a decade and a half's viewing habits. Put simply, Billy Chung's "Last Ghost Standing" is CRAP, with a sprinkling of (almost) redeeming moments.

Yiu Yiu (Yiu) and Yeung Yeung (Lui) are a long-standing couple who spend New Year's Eve 1999 together at Yeung's place of work, a run down cinema that will close on New Year's Day. Yeung has difficulties saying those "three little words", and Yiu has found herself doubting if he really loves her at all. Whilst sitting in the stalls, with Yeung projecting the film to an empty house, a mysterious stranger appears (Ng) to Yiu. Could he be Satan, manifested in human form on the eve of the New Millennium? The cinema does reside, afterall, at 666 Kings Road. The stranger offers Yiu the opportunity to test Yeung's love for her, and her curiosity is the catalyst for what follows.

Before you know it, something awful has popped out of the popcorn machine to make a meal of the Candy Bar girl (Lee), and Yiu has become little more than a flying head. Evil may manifest itself in every corner of the crumbling cinema, but manager (and former triad) Cheung (Lai) takes it all in his stride as no matter what the Devil has to throw at him…it's nothing compared to his days in the triads. Lose his arm to demons? Be damned! He's going to show them who's boss (though I could never quite figure out why he kept a chainsaw in the theatre). Okay, so then you throw in some zombies, three pot-heads looking for a party (and ending up chased by a monster composed entirely of fecal matter), a passing policewoman (Suen) on her way to a rave and a character called Ghostbuster Jackie (Chin) and you've got a pretty entertaining horror comedy, right? Erm, well, no you don't actually…it's anything but, truth be known.

Well, where to start then? From the man fast becoming the Vincent Price of Hong Kong, Simon Lui, I had been expecting better things. The screenplay has been adapted from Lui's own novel, and if the film was anything to go by one can deduce two items of fact: 1) Lui watches far too many films, and 2) book sales can't have been all that good (although I am probably very wrong here!). Not only does Lui's story lift the premise of Bava's "Demons", as well as scenes wholesale from "Evil Dead 2", it also attempts to poke fun at Jackie Chan (very poorly) as well as restaging a key moment from "Trainspotting". If feces gags and grossout humour are your bag, then maybe you might find something worthwhile amidst this mess. Personally, I kicked the lowbrow toilet humour when I was a teenager…

There are some pluses though, loathe that I am to admit it. The central premise of a protagonist being tested of his love for his partner is syrupy and sweet by nature, though probably better suited to a featurette than a fully blown feature. Some of the visuals are quite arresting; most particularly Yiu suspended high above the theatre by chains summoned straight from Hell. Yiu and Lui make for a cute screen couple, and Wayne Lai is funny to the point of tears in his role as Theatre manager Cheung. I doubt you'll see a less manic performance outside of Ben Ng in "Red To Kill". And Francis Ng is always good, even when is obviously not even trying. Otherwise, it's some of cheesiest effects you'll ever see in a feature film, and far too much of the most painfully unfunny groan-inducing humour I could stomach.

Per the law of averages, a dreadful film is usually afforded a quite decent transfer come its DVD release, and "Last Ghost Standing" is no exception. By Mei Ah's usually ordinary standards, the transfer on this one positively glows! There is very little in the way of transfer issues usually associated with Chinese discs present here. The picture remains relatively sharp and clean throughout, with strong colours and a level of detail that really shows up just how low budget this film really was. "Ghost" is best viewed with its original monaural audio, as the 5.1 remix is exceptionally poor (though nowhere near as poor as the travesty that Mei Ah lumbered the magnificent "Full Contact" with). The 5.1 track appears to be the monaural track re-channeled into the five distinctive tracks present in a Dolby 5.1 mix, as there are no discernable indications of separation or true 5.1. Extras are extremely limited, consisting of the cinema trailer and two additional trailers for other Mei Ah titles ("Swordsman 2" and one of my all time faves, "Treasure Hunt" with Chow Yun Fat…don't ask! It's a romantic comedy…)

So here's my completely blunt, and honest appraisal: Don't waste your money…or time for that matter. It you want to check out a decent Hong Kong horror comedy, any of the "Troublesome Night" films are a much better investment than this load of cobblers.

Review by M.C.Thomason


 
Released by Mei Ah Laser Disc Co. Ltd.
Category IIB - Region 0
Audio - Dolby 1.0; Dolby 5.1
Ratio - Widescreen 1.85
Running time : approx 85 mins
Extras :
Star files; Trailer; Attractions trailers
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