Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” Charlie Chaplin said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Laughter is an effective way to boost spirits and fight hardship.
My movie idol Jack Black (積伯克) is very funny. His face is funny. His body is funny. He is one of the best comedians in the world. He acts in the film Kung Fu Panda 4 (功夫熊貓4) and looks like a cute panda too. He also talks in a humorous manner, “I recommended that everyone in their youth be as out of shape as possible so that when turn 40, people can go, ‘Wow, you look much better now’.” He is a catalyst that speeds up a brighter day for me. I am totally blinded by his drollery.
Hong Kong used to have a lot of great comedy movies. We produced influential comedians like Leung Sing Poh(梁醒波),Tam Lan Hing(譚蘭卿),Lydia Sum(沈殿霞),Michael Hui(許冠文) and Stephen Chow(周星馳)…I miss the good old days when an audience of over 1,000 people cheerfully laughed at the same time in the cinema! We now laugh alone at home when we watch online comedies!
The young directors in Hong Kong these days make too many sad movies. Perhaps they are eager to reflect the present harsh social realities, frustrations about the future and people’s identity crisis. They explore their deep unhappiness and anxieties while at the same time, the directors intend to inspire the viewers to think of their own personal, family and interpersonal struggles in Hong Kong. Well, for some, such sad movies may provide an emotional outlet through shared sorrow. Unfortunately, for many others like me, I do not like the excessive negativity displayed in those movies. These sad movies make it harder for us to spiritually rebound and look for life’s positive aspects. Instead of promoting healing, the overly depressing films actually aggravate our feelings of despair.
These days, I turn to Hollywood for funny movies especially those in which Jack Black has starred. He is funny, but he always knows how to stay in his lane. He seldom shows undue exaggeration. He comes off as if he were not acting and just being himself in a film. Jack is a dynamic actor who is capable of playing multiple styles. He is a talented musician too.
On the other hand, many Hong Kong movie comedians are just a “farce actor”. They usually perform in a very comic dramatic way using buffoonery and horseplay, and so manipulating crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations. Their characters often become one-dimensional and out of touch with reality.
Anaconda (狂蟒之災) is by all means the recent great movie of Jack Black. It is a 2025 film serving as a meta-reboot of the old movie Anaconda in 1997. Jack stars with another charming comedian Paul Rudd. The film follows a group of ambitious but incapable childhood friends trying to remake the original 1997 film which they love very much. They unfortunately end up in a jungle and are attacked by gangsters and a giant anaconda snake! The movie concludes with a Jennifer Lopez cameo to set up a sequel, which the director Tom Gormican is already teasing ideas for. The film is hilarious and offers many moments of human touch. The movie is surely made in a very nostalgic and warm way.
Please watch the movie so that you will not miss out on the happy time that is presented to you by Jack Black!
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