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The Time You Need a Friend

1984 Movie Drama Comedy

John Woo's melodramatic tragicomedy The Time You Need a Friend (1985) stands at the crucial crossroads in the director's career. Woo had been churning out innocuous comedies for more than a few years, and after establishing the "heroic bloodshed" genre, he'd never look back. But this tale of two comedians - estranged former pals who bury the hatchet for one last show together - blends the pathos and male-bonding of Woo's later dramas with the silliness and pratfalls that marked his early works. At their peak, Ku Ren and Shem Bien were an unstoppable screen comedy team, the undisputed stars of the silent era. But a major falling out has kept the duo offstage for decades. Despite the urgings of family and friends, Ku and Shem refuse to reconcile. As both men approach their twilight years, one last chance for a reunion presents itself in the form of a televised charity benefit. Ku Ren and Shem Bien struggle to come to terms with years of bitterness, and bring the house down once again.

Same cast & genre

25 Shares actors and at least one genre with this title
A Woman and Seven Husbands poster
FILM

A widow by the name of Lee Jiu Jin, willingly sold herself to a farway outskirts village without knowing that she is to be shared by 7 men, so as to raise the money for her son's wedding. As these villagers are extremely poor, the men could not afford to keep a wife. This kind of transaction was common in China for women to be sold as brides, but the Government intend to put a stop to such practices by enforcing laws which results in the exile of lawbreakers. Bearing this in mind, Lee and her 7 husbands lived in constant fear of being caught and as for Lee the sufferings and hardships were more than she could bear. As the time passes, Lee grew to understand all 7 men's background, and her hatred for them turn into pity. This relationship at last ended in tragedy.

A Woman and Seven Husbands

1990 Drama
The Spring Outside the Fence poster
FILM

The rebellious and free-spirited Li Lin and the introverted Wu Ai-hua are best friends who grow up together in the military dependents' village. However, they both fall in love with pilot He Kang, their mutual childhood friend. After He Kang is killed in a crash, the village only reminds the heartbroken girls of the tragedy. They escape to Taipei and work as hostess and accountant, earning a living from American soldiers on leave from Vietnam. The girls reunite with Michael, an American flight instructor, at the club. Michael ardently pursues Li Lin, but struggling to forget He Kang, Li Lin rejects Michael' s proposal. Having taken different paths, the two girls eventually return to their childhood village, reminiscing about the bonds of the past.

The Spring Outside the Fence

1985 Drama
A Rescue from Hades poster
FILM

Three generations of the Luo family fasted and chanted Buddha's name. However, Mr. Luo died young. Luo's mother complained and began to kill animals and eat meat. When Luo Bu grew up, her family property was wiped out by her uncle. Oppose and remarry someone else. After Luo's mother died, she went to hell. Luo Bu received God's instructions and followed Pratyekabuddha to practice, and his Dharma name was Mulian. However, because he could not bear the suffering of his mother in hell, he broke into the underworld to rescue his mother. After all the hardships, he finally felt the Buddha's will. Let Mother Luo be reincarnated.

A Rescue from Hades

1982 Fantasy

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