by Katharine

After spending the better part of a year watching the production of Jackie's new movie Rob-B-Hood, the time had finally come for the first public showing of the film in Jackie's hometown. Although I'd seen the movie in a rough cut, there had been no subtitles and although I can understand a bit of Chinese, I knew that I was missing a lot. I was very anxious to see the final cut and couldn't wait to get to the theater.

Fibe and I drove to Times Square mall on Hong Kong Island for the event that would take place outside the mall prior to the screening. On the way we saw a gigantic billboard at the entrance to the Cross Harbor Tunnel advertising Rob-B-Hood. It was a surreal feeling to see the face of little Matthew enlarged to gigantic proportions. Was this the same little baby that I'd gotten to know on the set during the filming? Yes, it surely was Matthew! This was all very exciting.

When we arrived at Times Square we saw that a stage had been set up for the festivities. Jackie's voice singing the Rob-B-Hood theme song could be heard throughout the entire area. Although it was nearly an hour before the event began, fans and press had begun to gather at the scene. Fibe and I went and had dinner while we waited for the arrival of Jackie and the cast of  Rob-B-Hood. We kept in touch with Dorothy to track Jackie's movements, not wanting to repeat the mistake that we had made in China during the Dragon's Heart trip. This time we would make sure to stay close to Jackie so as not to be swept away by crowds of fans and press! Soon we got word that Jackie had arrived backstage and we quickly made our way through the masses of people to join him there. An area behind the stage had been set up as a reception room and by the time Fibe and I got there, many of the stars of the movie had begun arriving. It was nice to see the familiar faces of the people who had worked so hard to put the movie together. Everyone was dressed very elegantly, including Matthew and his siblings. It was very hot and humid backstage, and Jackie took it upon himself to continually fan Matthew to keep him cool and happy.

Matthew (looking very much a little boy and not a baby) with his beautiful mom, Victoria.

Matthew's big sister Ganne looked like a princess.

Matthew's handsome big brother Derek.

Matthew backstage.

I spent most of my time backstage taking photos and talking to Matthew's mom. Every thirty seconds or so I would hear Jackie bellow my name to come and take a photo of something cute that Matthew was doing. Jackie just loves Matthew and no matter what you read in the press about Jackie being fed up with babies, he just can't get enough of this little boy. Jackie spent most of his time backstage running (yes, running) around trying to keep Matthew entertained, fanning him the entire time. It was hard to get Jackie to stand still for a photo because if he stopped moving, Matthew would become bored and start whining. Anyway, I managed a few:

Jackie pauses briefly for a photo.

Jackie sings the Rob-B-Hood theme to Matthew.

Matthew gives a thumbs-up; he knows the movie is brilliant.

Now that Matthew is a big star, he must take calls from his agent.
(No, just kidding. He's listening to music on Jackie's mobile phone!)

Matthew becomes bored with this activity after about 4 seconds.

Soon Jackie got the signal that he was needed onstage and he went running out to greet the hundreds of fans and press who were patiently waiting. The crowd went wild when Jackie scooted from one side of the stage to the other, waving and throwing kisses to everyone.

The view from backstage.

I made my way around and took a spot at the front of the stage so I could try to get some photos to show you. The press photographers were stationed in front of the stage on a small platform and they were actually blocking the view of a lot of people, so I decided not to join them and sat on the ground instead. This is something that I always struggle with when I am covering an event such as this: being in the way of people who have made a great effort to come and see Jackie. I understand that the press photographers have a job to do, but I think that they are sometimes insensitive to Jackie's fans. Anyway, the spot I picked had a good view of the stage, and despite the fact that I was stationed next to a bubble making machine which would occasionally belch forth hundreds of bubbles, I was happy where I was.

The events for the evening included an auction of one of Jackie's limited edition watches, the presentation of the cast and crew of Rob-B-Hood, and a grand entrance in a mini-Ferrari by Baby Matthew. All went well until it was time for Matthew's entrance. Although he enjoyed sitting in the little car when it was backstage, this was a different story. When poor Dorothy tried to sit Matthew down, he went completely hysterical and stiffened his body. (Any parent who has ever tried to stuff a stiff and screaming child into a car seat knows this routine.) Matthew just didn't want to sit in the car! Eventually he was installed into the seat but screamed so loudly that Jackie immediately scooped him out and held him for the remainder of the event.

After several more promotional activities it was time for everyone to head over to see Rob-B-Hood at a theater just a short walk from the stage. After we arrived, the hundreds of people who had purchased tickets for this special charity screening took their seats and chattered excitedly while waiting for the movie to begin. Finally the lights fell and it was showtime!

Rob-B-Hood

Now you may think that my opinion of Rob-B-Hood might be influenced by the fact that I work for Jackie, but I am being as objective as possible when I tell you that this is a really fun movie to watch. It is a great blend of comedy, action, and drama. There are countless cameo appearances and most of them are quite funny and very memorable. The people in the audience on the night of the premiere were really enjoying themselves, and so was I. What a fun movie! But still I wondered if this audience might be influenced because many of them had met Jackie or knew him. So when the movie opened on September 29th, I went to see it again at a local theater here in Hong Kong. The reaction of the audience was even bigger than at the premiere! The audience in the theater that I went to consisted of people of all ages, from very young to very old. Everyone was laughing uproariously during the funny parts and they were quiet and thoughtful during the more dramatic moments. Reviews that I've read in the past few days have all been very good. It seems as though Rob-B-Hood is going to be a big hit and in my opinion, it deserves to be!

Here are some more photos from the night of the premiere:

Willie and Solon watch the event from the side of the stage.

A giant baby bottle to celebrate the movie!

Confetti flying everywhere.
(Photo by Matthew's big sister Ganne.)

View from the side of the stage.
(Photo by Matthew's big brother Derek.)

A toast to the success of Rob-B-Hood.

Rob-B-Hood's brilliant (and patient) director, Benny Chan (center).

Promotional gifts backstage.

Posters in the lobby of UA Cinemas announce that Rob-B-Hood will screen in all four theaters!

The guy in the ticket booth sports his Rob-B-Hood t-shirt while pretending to drink from his promotional bottle.

There were about 10 ushers in front of the theater. All except these few went running up the stairs when they saw my camera!

Fibe receives her promotional bottle from Melody, Rob-B-Hood's production assistant.

Rob-B-Hood goodie bags in the theater.

Photos ©2006 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.