Bet To Basic 《打雀英雄傳》 (2006)

Lloyd (Jordan Chan Siu-Chun) is Flying Dragon's cousin (Chin Kar-Lok). Flying Dragon is not a good gambler, but he does it anyway and is now in to some heavy debt with gangsters.

Lloyd returns from America in time to bail out his hapless cousin, and because his late mother left him with a Jade pendant, Lloyd's luck is extremely good.



No matter what the situation, Lloyd always wins at Mahjong,



... so Flying Dragon takes him around to gambling houses in order to win big money to pay off his debt.

Lloyd is cute, innocent, and naive ~ so when he meets Peggy (Rain Li), and falls for her, he gives up the lucky Jade pendant easily.




Of course, Peggy isn't who she really seems, and she gives the pendant to Lloyd's nemesis, Mahjong master Scott (Eric Kot), whom she is engaged to marry.



I watched this ONLY because Jordan Chan stars, and not for the content.

Apparently, there are more Mahjong movies out there, and a majority of the reviews aren't favorable.

I thought that it was a silly movie, but I've also come to the realization that a lot of silly movies hail from Hong Kong!

Silly, straight-forward, outlandish, sappy, brutal, graphic, or intense ... what difference does it make if a guy you're in love with is the star?!



There were funny scenes, ridiculous moments, actual serious parts, and so on, so what's not to like ~ and how can you not expect weirdness from a movie that centers around Mahjong?

I like to play the game on my PC,



... but I suppose that's a lot different from the actual, Chinese version that Jordan was so good at in Bet 2 Basic.

I wouldn't mind learning how to play that game, either, but it'd probably be a lifetime before I figured out exactly what to do, so I probably won't bother.

One, more screen shot, and the movie trailer is below.

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Udon うどん

This was probably a sleeper in Japan, but for me, it was absolutely delightful to watch!

It's the story of a young man (Yusuke Santamaria as Kosuke Matsui) whose father runs an Udon 'restaurant' in the Udon capital of Japan; Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan.
If what they said is true, there are more than 900 Udon 'restaurants' in this area, which has roughly half the population of a large city.
In other words, the 900 represents the fact that a majority of these Udon 'raunts' are simply homes where local folk make and sell the noodle dish to anyone that stops on by.

Kosuke hates Udon, and he resents his father, so he leaves Japan for NYC, to make it in the world of stand-up comedy.
Of course, he fails miserably and after six years, he returns to his hometown.
He finds work as a magazine distributor, and discovers by chance that people are interested in restaurant guides, so he returns to the office to pitch an idea he has about the local fare; Udon.















Like most, all Japanese films, the story takes off at a phenomenal pace, but not once does it leave the viewer in a daze.
Every moment is clever, witty, or poignant, and it always makes perfect sense, too (even when the writer TRIES to leave one hanging, if not for a few moments).

Kosuke's brainstorm leads to a frenetic boom in tourism, with people from all over Japan & beyond wanting to make a pilgrimage to the Udon capital.
Again, even knowing ahead of time what lie ahead, the writer & director made the transition seamlessly, and it was time for the tears to be shed.

UNLIKE most, Asian films, Udon did something uncommon, which was to give us an unexpected, happy ending after the down side!
I really appreciated it in this, particular instance, and when you view Udon, you'll understand why.

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