aka Mr. Chow Review | A Pure Delight From Beginning to End

In the opening moments of HBO’s new documentary aka Mr. Chow, celebrated artist and restaurateur Michael Chow vividly recounts the first scenes in several famous films. There’s Lawrence of Arabia, North by Northwest, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and many others. Those scenes play out as Chow’s voiceover captures the exact details — to the letter. It’s a wonderful way to open this remarkable and well-executed documentary about a captivating figure whose attention to detail and unrelenting passion made him famous. At one point, director Nick Hooker asks why those first scenes are so vital, especially for Chow, personally. The man doesn’t blink. “Is your birth important?”