CHINA
July
26, 2006 -
Crazy Stone makes audiences laugh, Hollywood cry
Credts to Vivian Wang chinadaily
In the desert of big-budget Hollywood flicks that
feature flying superheroes, Crazy Stone is an oasis.
Few of the actors are famous in this new movie, which
surprisingly dominated the box office, including the
28-year-old director, Ning Hao. This low budget comedy
beats most blockbusters - and other homemade films in
fact - in terms of entertainment and intelligence. It's
also pretty funny.
The film is co-produced by Warner China Film HG,
Beijing-based Concord Creation International, and Hong
Kong pop star Andy Lau's Focus Films.
Crazy Stone tells a story about a bunch of bumbling
thieves who have their eyes set on stealing a precious
Jade stone. But the mob and a zealous security guard
hamper their plan.
The story itself can easily make you laugh by countless
coincidences and an array of local dialects. One can
feel dizzy following Superman rocketing around
skyscrapers. Besides, it is hard to connect with a
perfect specimen who isn't grounded in reality - or
grounded in general. But audience members can chuckle
and relax watching these three stooges mistakenly return
the genuine jade and try all methods to steal the fake
one.
All the jokes are subtle and perfectly crafted. This
flick is enough to show that the director can entertain
the masses, which can be rare in most mainland movies.
Reality sells here, but what really soars here is the
use of dialects.
The actors in the movie use several different ones from
Chongqing, Qingdao, and Hong Kong. This creates some of
big laughs and a mix of local phrases: "I bump your
lungs." "BMW means Bie Mo Wo ["don't touch me" in
Chinese]." "You insulted my IQ."
The director also clones many classical scenes from
other movies, which adds some inside jokes for movie
buffs. The scene that includes the Hong Kong thief
stealing the jade from the ceiling while he wears a
tight black outfit will remind one of Tom Cruise in
Mission: Impossible I. There is also some homage paid to
Andy Lau's Run Out of Time.
With a good plot, fresh actors, subtle coincidences and
classical scenes, Crazy Stone adds up to an enjoyable
surprise this summer - heck, some movies don't even
posses one. No wonder Crazy Stone laughed all the way to
the top of the box office.
Crazy Stone Trailer