Hong Kong Softcore ’3D Naked Ambition’: Review

Hong Kong Pic ’3D Naked Ambition’ Is Saucy, Not Scandalous

Hong Kong's second ever 3D porn flick will hit local theaters on April 3.

Shirley Lau

Hong Kong’s second-ever 3D porn pic will hit local theaters on April 3.

But audiences should expect little steamy stuff from “3D Naked Ambition,” which, according to its producer, is a satirical comedy with a notable Hong Kong flavor.

Made on a budget of about HK$25 million ($3.2 million), “3D Naked Ambition” comes less than three years after the headline-grabbing release of “3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy.”

(Produced by Hong Kong’s One Dollar Prodn.s on a budget of $3.5 million, “3D Sex and Zen” was one of the world’s first 3D porn films. It played very prolonged runs in Hong Kong and Macau, where a significant proportion of the audience was mainland visitors unable to watch smutty movies in their local theaters.)

There is no shortage of love scenes and bare flesh in “3D Naked Ambition,” but producer Chan Hing-ka said the film’s biggest appeal lies not in sex but its lightheartedness and “Hongkongness.”

“Sex was taken seriously in ‘3D Sex and Zen,’ but not in our film. The local audience may happily relate to the ‘Hong Kong can-do spirit’ embodied in this story,” Chan said. Even so Hong Kong’s rating board have slapped with a Category III certificate, limiting it to audiences over 18. “Foreign viewers would still have a lot of fun because it’s an entertaining story,” Chan said.

The film is a sequel to the 2003 film “Naked Ambition,” and tells the story of a literature graduate who feels stuck in a job of writing cheap erotic stories and instead breaks into performing in Japanese soft porn films.

The cast also features a platoon of Japanese adult video stars, Chapman To, one of Hong Kong’s best loved young comic actors, and Hong Kong singer-actress Josie Ho, who won the best supporting actress title at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in the 2003 episode.

“3D Naked Ambition” had its world premiere on Tuesday (March 25) in the Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival (HKIFF). It will be released in Taiwan in mid-April and in Australia around May. Chan said he is also in negotiations with Japanese distributors.

Josie Ho loses her cinematic virginity in Naked Ambition

 

The Category III Naked Ambition, released today, is the fleshiest flick to come out in quite a while. Controversy has surrounded this movie, with Eason Chan Yick-shun and Josie Ho Chiu-yee engaging in quite a raunchy sex scene.

'This was my first sex scene. It was easier because I was doing it with Eason, and we have been friends for years,' says Josie. 'We discussed it a lot together and with the director, Dante Chan Hing Ka, so there were no surprises.'

Josie reveals that her sex scene with Chan did not feature actual, 100 per cent nudity. In fact, Josie's husband to be, Conroy Chan, was on hand during the filming of the scene, which lasted two whole nights. 'He would tell the director to stop playing back the footage on the monitor. I guess he couldn't stand watching it over and over again, but he was really good about it,' Josie adds.

Is she happy with her on-screen sex debut? 'Yeah, I saw it and was pretty happy with it, but I felt I could have done better.'

This is the kind of unwavering self-criticism that drives this critically acclaimed actress (and tai tai)!

The film stars Chapman To as an unsuccessful Hong Kong commoner who vows to do something unforgettable in his life. His good friend, portrayed by Josie Ho, pulls some strings to help Chapman debut in the AV industry, where he receives training from the legendary AV actor, Taka Katō, who teaches Chapman the ways of the “golden fingers.”

Chapman, who dedicated over six months of his time to train his body, traveled to Mount Fuji earlier last year to film the movie. Chapman said that it was an honor to collaborate with the experienced Taka Katō, adding that even the crew members on set were amazed by Taka Katō’s knowledge and experience. Chapman will take up numerous identities in the film, including the typical AV idol look, a samurai, a boxer, and a nerd.

For a more realistic portrayal of the AV industry, producer Chan Hing Ka and director Lee Kung Lok invited famous Japanese AV idol actresses to star alongside Chapman and Taka Katō, including “L-cup” actress Anri Okita, Maiko Yuki, rookie of the year Kana Yume, Aoi Tsukasa, Yui Tatsumi, Nozomi Asō, and more. The comedic film parodies the adult video film industry through reenacting various iconic scenes with exaggerated expressions.

Naked Ambition 2 is slated for an April 2014 release in Hong Kong.

Source: On.com; ihktv.com