Model From Hell (2000)Model From Hell lost me right from the start. Star Maggie Q strolls down the street and is attacked. A man leaps at her, stabs her and sets her ablaze before topping himself in the flames. The next thing we know, she's strolling along a beach being hit on by guys while yet another Ms Q stands nearby. Could it be a third Maggie Q? The reasonings behind this could be elaborate (perhaps the seeds of a creepy alien invasion pic) but as it turns out there's just no explanation. It's just the way she is -- that hellish type of model who can be two ladies at once. Trickier still, she can also sprout a second head and has a lethal stare that can crush opponents until their eyes pop and ceilings are "smashed with brain mud". This enigmatic character fits into the Model From Hell script as Anna, a girl pulled into ad agency Creative Space. The company is being used by John (Gabriel Harrison), a tobacco tycoon's son out to pull chicks, and his middle-aged nerdball mate Dan. John and Dan have plumped up a quarter of a million dollars to start a modelling class run by Bo Bo [Innuendo translation: Breasts]. Their aims are simple -- perving on, and perhaps even meeting, attractive ladies. And they do get close to Anna, who brings them in on her badness. This comes out when she gets in with ace model Leon (Simon Yam) to the chagrin of some fellow agency gals. When the jealous models take snaps of Anna, exposing her as a two-headed monster, they're in for trouble... Model From Hell can only be a tongue-in-cheek affair. After all, why else would Maggie Q -- one of the most prominent models in Hong Kong today -- suddenly show up in this silliness? It's her debut film, no less. Other hints come in gratuitous over- and under-acting all round, absurd scenarios and the bargain basement effects and makeup. It's implausible that anyone thought this a serious production. And maybe that's why classy actor Simon Yam keeps a vague smile on his face throughout. The film is cheap all round -- perhaps cash reserves dipped a bit too low after paying the leads' salaries. Not only is Maggie's second head an absurd rubber thing with hair on it but the locations are doubled with minimal flair. When one character leaves her home for another, floral sheets are hung on the wall to signify the new premises. And all the while that particular set seems to be shot on a rooftop patio. The whole production is hard to date, though Regional Council signs seen on a beach guarantee that it was filmed before 2000 started. But it is easier to guess how long the film took to shoot, as minimal clothing changes and limited locations are featured (and repeated) throughout. Production standards are kept low, with the atrocious dubbing being the main culprit. Normally I dig low-end Hong Kong film-making. And in some ways Model From Hell occasionally delivered the enthusiasm I've come to expect from similarly ultra-lowbrow productions, including Phantom Call, The Hong Kong Happy Man and Phantom of Snake. But there was just too little here to entertain as Model From Hell continually outstayed its welcome. Time is filled with tiresome photo shoot material, Simon Yam getting cuddly with his co-star, and other sequences playing as poor stand-ins for a proper plot. DVD information: The Winson Entertainment DVD release offers a reasonable presentation of this odd little film. The letterboxed transfer is clean but suffers problems with colour balances from scene to scene -- doubtless the fault of the original materials. Switchable subtitles (Chinese traditional and simplified, and English) are easy on the eyes but boast a poor translation while soundtrack choices are Cantonese and Mandarin. Nine chapters are provided from the chapter menu. No other features are included, except for a nifty animated main menu featuring blurred footage of Maggie Q's character being murdered. Note: I didn't catch this film on its brief theatre run and cannot compare the disc presentation to the original big screen appearance. |
Credits: Directed by Chiu Chan-keung |
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