BUG ME NOT (2005-HK)
review by Neo


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That face tells you a hell lot...
Sometimes you can lower your expectations, but to lower your intelligence is a total different matter. That is certainly the case for the new EEG’s movie trying to promote Isabella to become the next big guns. It is not hard to believe that Twins, Boyz all played supporting role to this young girl, but while it is a logical marketing technique, sometimes, it is just a stupid marketing ploy. A movie that tries to be cute, but ends up perhaps too cute for Neo’s liking, as it is not the sweet 16 cuteness, but rather a mentally retarded cuteness. I am not sure what audience this movie is aimed at, perhaps, it is aimed at children under the age of 7 and it would probably be wrong for 19 year old to comment on how stupid it is. Isn’t a total crap movie, but rather a movie that has cute moments that is way over-used and in term creating a mixed effect upon the audience. When the best thing in the movie is a CGI effect – bug, in a human acted movie, you do know something is wrong with this world.

The movie goes like this: The group of young people at Psychic Park, all has supernatural powers. Moon can communicate with insects. Gao Yuan has "pushing" powers. Idol Sasha can fly. Auntie is perpetually youthful. Chi can recount the past and predict the future of an object by touching it. Eggy has x-ray vision. Baldy can jump to incredible heights. The Twin Sisters are telepathic and can move things with their minds. Then there's the ladybug with only one dot, Cootchie. But after one major disaster, it seems that no amount of supernatural powers in the world can save the day. But we never knew that the most magical force in the world is the love and courage inside each one of us.

You don’t have to be an Einstein to work out that the plot is damn cheesy and what’s worst is that the acting from the lead girl – Isabella Leong is almost non-existent. It is a disappointing follow up after an adequate performance earlier this year in Eye 10, but then again, what else do you expect from an EEG movie – apart from being cute. That’s not to say that I am a hater of cute movies, and certainty I am not. It is just that this movie lower my intelligence below my personal par that I get angry about. Sure Isabella is young and EEG has always been stupid, but isn’t a good enough excuse to churn out a crap like this, just when HK is experiencing quite possibly its worst year, in what is already been a backward integrating last decade.

One saving light however is most likely the CGI bug, a definite copy of that Hollywood movie – A Bug Life, but that movie was at the very least good and fun to watch even for a grown up viewer like my parents. However, for this movie, I can so not imagine my parents seating through this without thinking “wtf” throughout. The bug performs well and provides the sort of cuteness that Isabella actually lacks, maybe it is me, but I don’t like my girls like an absolute skeleton, but then again I wouldn’t like them fat either (slightly tanned athletic type body is my favour). Yes I am contradicting myself, but this movie is that bad, actually hilariously bad.

Perhaps, the only thing that Bug Me Not did well is bring out an underlying moral message about how we should respect insects more and actually treat them like a friend. Watching this movie may actually stop you from killing the next bug or spider in front of you, but it wouldn’t stop you from seeing a fly in front of the TV and you throw a glass or some shit at it. Well, I guess I am being a bit too harsh, but when a movie insults my intelligence, then I will not back off and any moment of sweetness will be wiped out, and filled up with a totally negative mindset. No I am not saying that Isabella shouldn’t lead in a movie, and besides it probably isn’t her fault anywhere, but damn you EEG, you have made crap movies, I have forgiven you and even overlooked them, but please, just never ever insult my intelligence again!

I rate it 3/10

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Genre: Strictly for 4 years old
Director: Director: Lo Chi-Leung
Cast: Isabella Leong Lok-Si, Wilson Chen Bo-Lin, Boy'z (Kenny Kwan Chi-Ban, Steven Cheung Chi-Hang), Twins (Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin, Gillian Chung Yan-Tung), Candy Lo Hau-Yum,
Reviewed by Neo (Andrew), September 2005