Since the reform and opening up, Hong Kong and Taiwan have always been like a pair of big brothers in the mainland in terms of culture.
Especially in Hong Kong, which has returned to China before the end of the 20th century, the impact and import effect on the development of mainland entertainment culture is undeniable - from Jin Yong martial arts to urban police and bandits, from Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow to the Four Heavenly Kings, every mainlander who has loved pop culture must have a space left for Hong Kong's entertainment culture in his heart.
However, with the gradual change of the times, the influence of Hong Kong's entertainment industry on the mainland seems to have disappeared.
The eyes of the mainland are gradually attracted by the entertainment industry produced and sold by Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea and even the mainland, and Hong Kong Star Hong Kong films are no longer a panacea for the entertainment industry to attract money; Even the popular new drama "Long Season" a while ago did not forget to ridicule: the resources from Hong Kong are unreliable after all.
Affected by such an environmental situation, the former popular Hong Kong stars have gradually faded out of people's sight, and some have even reached a bleak situation where almost no one cares. In all kinds of poignant situations, we can't help but ask: What happened to the big guys in the Hong Kong entertainment industry who used to be in the limelight?
On May 10, the movie "Don't Call Me "God of Gamblers" starring Zhou Yunfa was announced to be set for June 21, the film was created by the original team of the movie "Matchless", from the reputation of "Matchless" and the leadership of Brother Fa, it should be worth looking forward to.
However, after the news of the final file was released, it did not stir up much splash, and this movie, which is obviously reliable enough in cast and team, actually sank into the sea like this, which is thought-provoking.
The finalization of "Don't Call Me God of Gamblers" did not attract enough attention, and I think there are two main reasons.
First, the theme of Hong Kong gambling films itself has gradually declined for more than 20 years, and the era of the previous "God of Gamblers" and "Gambling Saint" series has long passed.
What's more, under the restrictions imposed by the mainland film market on the theme of gambling films, Wang Jing has exhausted the audience's last trace of interest in the gambling god Fa brother with his three "Macao Vices", and since then, the gambling god drama scenery has disappeared.
Second, in the past ten years, Brother Fa has shifted more energy to his own life, the pace of filming has gradually slowed down, and from his "Chill" series and "Matchless" and other current latest works, Brother Fa's development focus and audience base are gradually shifting to the mainland, and his screen image and script path have naturally changed to a certain extent.
Under the blessing of these two reasons, the cold of "Don't Call Me God of Gamblers" is not an accident. And as the starring actor of this film, Brother Fa, who is now not up to the bottom, although he is as diligent and hard as ever, the harder he works, the more distressing it is.
Even a generation of film figures such as Chow Yun-fat has fallen into such a situation, and the decline of the Hong Kong entertainment industry can be seen. Even some characters who once brought classic memories to generations of compatriots on both sides of the strait have begun to show Jiang Lang's exhaustion.
Stephen Chow and Jay Chou are two superstars in the long river of pop culture that cannot be ignored - one has contracted the Chinese music memories of generations of young people, and the other has become the existence of movie tickets owed to the people of the whole country.
In the public's impression, these "two weeks" seem to be each of their own beautiful, and there are few "dream linkage" moments, but recently, Stephen Chow and Jay Chou announced through their only social media accounts that the two of them are about to cooperate, but the specific content and form have not yet been decided.
Xing Ye even directly asked fans for advice, asking the two of them if there was anything else they could do together besides receiving advertisements and selling alcohol together.
Although the news that the two want to cooperate has attracted the attention of many people, the outside world does not have too many expectations for this "two-week" combination. The reason is also very simple, that is, Xing Ye and Zhou Dong are no longer the same as they were back then - not only did the two have similar experiences of striving to become famous from the bottom in their early years, but their later development conditions were also strangely the same.
The recent impression of Xingye by ordinary fans in the mainland is "The New King of Comedy" more than four years ago. In the name of Xingye's classic works, this movie was frantically spit on because of its loose plot and characters, as well as the large amount of advertising content forcibly implanted in it, and many people angrily cursed that they no longer owed Stephen Chow movie tickets.
Since then, Xingye has fallen silent, and until now there is no dynamic that makes fans shine.
And Zhou Dong is not much better, the new album "The Greatest Work" that has been dragged on for several years has received mediocre responses, advertisements on personal social media accounts are constant, and even concerts frequently burst out with bad comments such as "bad state" and "guests come together", as if he has been lying down and eating the old book at ease - of course, this is beyond reproach, after all, there is only one Jay Chou in the world.
It's just that the two Hong Kong superstars who used to shine so brightly now have to enter the dilemma of eating old books together, which is really embarrassing.
In such an environment, there are naturally Hong Kong artists who are not willing to be eliminated and insist on creating, but unfortunately, they have to take another path.
For example, Tsui Hark, who once single-handedly created the golden age of screen martial arts, has gradually faded since he shifted his focus to the mainland in search of better resources, and the mark that once belonged to the "old monster of Xu" has gradually faded - with "Outsmart the Tiger Mountain" as a turning point, and then to the later famous "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake", Tsui Hark's film temperament is closer and closer to the preferences of the mainland market, but it is increasingly lacking in his own style.
Until recently, Tsui Hark finally announced that he would return to the martial arts theme and remake Jin Yong's classic "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", but from the choice of male and female leads, it can be clearly seen that Tsui Hark, who is 73 years old, is unable to be wrapped in the powerful torrent of capital in the mainland.
In the face of all kinds of chaos, there are naturally some people who are unwilling to accept the status quo, but even if they are strong, it is difficult to stop the martyrs from dying in their twilight years.
Sammo Hung, who is over 71 years old, is a great example of this. This character, who even Jackie Chan has to honor as a big brother when he sees him, expressed his powerlessness on the stage of the Asian Film Awards in March this year, and his words revealed deep unwillingness.
Although he still has enthusiasm and sustenance for Hong Kong movies, Sammo Hung, who now needs crutches or even a wheelchair to travel, seems to have no other way to go except to accept the reality of his dying age - the current situation of Hong Kong's martial arts practice in vain, and a sigh from those who come after.
With the fate of Hong Kong bigwigs sinking or aging, it seems that the Hong Kong entertainment industry has really not returned to the past prosperity. And the familiar screen images and classic golden songs in our memories may eventually follow the tide of the Xiangjiang River and rush away with the times.
It's just that it's not a pity, after all, their most brilliant moments have been witnessed by us, leaving an indelible good impression on us.
It's lucky to meet each other.
Maybe one day in the future, after watching all the pop culture, we who still have a Hong Kong cultural feeling in our hearts, may also look back and ask, the Pearl of the Orient, my love, is your style still romantic.