Instead of engaging in a conversation with ourselves, we will be drawn into a chattering exchange with this or that commentator with whom we care to agree or disagree. Hong Kong cinema offers the Western viewer a rare occasion of exercising his critical judgement, hopefully exploring the depths of his own thoughts and feelings, free from the dictates of the arbiters of good taste. In Melbourne for instance, the Chinatown cinema schedule is not even listed in the Arts section of the city's only broadsheet. In conditions such as these, the weekly trip to the Chinese cinema is something the Hong Kong film aficionado always looks forward to. The only source of information on the films currently showing at any given time are more often than not the poster boards in the lobby of the cinema itself, therefore one always has to be open-minded and adventurous when entering a Chinese cinema.
Surprise is the essence.
Of course we all know how movie posters can be misleading. Hong Kong photographers and graphic artists can be very stylish. Although I have had my share of disappointments, the prospects of coming once in a while across an unexpected great film, a cinematic experience that for the filmbuff that I am has no equal, provide all the incentive needed to embark over and over again upon that great adventure that is Hong Kong cinema. In the end, films are films wherever they come from. The fact that this is rarely acknowledged and that there has not been more Honk Kong films released in the West up until now is a total mystery to me, and a great source of frustration to boot.