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April 15 The PromiseAfter last week's train-wreck (Dragon Squad) I was cautious about this film. I heard very mixed reviews, most of which were erring on the side of shite. The internet particularly did not like this film and the discussion boards pretty much "ethered" it. I had heard some decent reviews from some friends, however, and decided that it was worth seeing... I could always quit halfway after all!
The film involves three characters, a famous general who wears equally famous crimson armour (played by Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada), the "beauty of beauties" QingCheng (played by Cecilia Cheung) and a slave who can run fast, really fast (played by Korean actor Jang Dong Gun).
The film begins with a little orphaned girl. After cheating another little kid out of a piece of bread, she runs away and makes a deal with a Goddess that in return for being awesome and desirable, she will never be with the man she loves. The next scene is a battle scene, a famous general (played by Japanese actor, Hiroyuki Sanada) Guangming wearing equally famous crimson armour enjoys a spectacular victory against a barbarian horde. He beats 20,000 barbarians with 3,000 soldiers, partially thanks to a slave (played by Korean actor Jang Dong Kun) named Kunlun who seems to be able to out-run a herd of buffalo.
The general acquires the slave and finds out the King is in trouble, so he tries to go back and save the King but gets into a fight with an equally speedy assassin (played by Ye Liu) Snow Wolf. The General is wounded and strung up. The Goddess comes back and tells the General that the King will be killed by someone wearing his armour. The General doesn't process this information very well and decides to give his armour to the slave to gave save the King in his place, since he is now wounded.
Meanwhile, the King is under siege by the army of Wuhuan (played by Nicholas Tse) who is a campish pretty boy after the King's "beauty of beauties" Princess Qingcheng (played by Cecilia Cheung). Qingcheng sells the King out because he's a dick, and he in turn turns on her. At this time, Kunlun gallops in, sees a woman in trouble and kills the King, such a chivalrous slave he is. But since he's wearing the armour, everyone thinks he's the General... including Qingcheng!
The General decides to take advantage of this and enjoys some fun times with Qingcheng in the sack... go General! Meanwhile, Kunlun is trying to figure out whether he should be loyal to his master, the General, or his love, Qingcheng. A bizarre love triangle ensues with plenty of hijinx punctuated by Wuhuan's plotting at revenge. Snow Wolf also plays an important role, he is Kunlun's countryman and has to go through his own clash of loyalties as he seems to be wearing a magic cloak, given to him by Wuhuan that keeps him alive.
Basically, this movie is pure fantasy. If you are expecting the same sort of historically grounded wuxia like in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero or House of Flying Daggers then abort mission. This is sci-fi ladies and gentlemen. We have magic cloaks, slaves that can run fast enough to travel through time and Nicholas Tse's hair. None of these things are the least bit real.
This movie is entertaining but it is also downright silly. This is in part thanks to the horrific CGI employed by the HK film studio. The film is meant to look beautiful and colourful, in the same way as Hero, but it just ends up looking fake. Chen Kaige is not Zhang Yimou, obviously.
It is also in part to the idiotic character detail and poor acting. The Japanese and Korean actors are absolutely terrific. They speak their parts in Chinese like they were natives and their roles are the only serious ones, so it seems. Nicholas Tse's character is an absolute joke. He has a stupid gold finger-staff (see pic below) and in the last scene his hair is actually in corn rolls. CORN ROLLS. We are not meant to be in Compton or Harlem... we are meant to be in ye olde Beijing!
Speaking of ye olde Beijing. Not only does Chen Kaige fail at real character development, Chen Kaige also completely fails in establishing any sort of background within which the story can flow. For example, there are no people in this movie. Just the characters, slaves and soldiers. Where are the townspeople? Also, the sets the use seem to have been created simply for coolness... no practical value. Aren't people meant to live in these houses and palaces? What use is a bunch of sliding bird boards, other than looking cool in a fight?
Cecilia Cheung also totally fails in this movie. Her role is meant to be the most interesting and complex one. How does she react to finding out that the General was not her saviour after letting him ravage her in bed? What will her relationship with Kunlun be like? How does she feel about the promise she made to the Goddess at the start of the movie as a little girl (yes that was her)? Think Cecilia Cheung will answer these questions with her performance? Think again. Her performance is cold and completely forgetful, which is in part why the audience is totally emotionally withdrawn from her relationships. Apparently this was meant to be a love story!
The good things about this movie are aforementioned performances by the Korean and Japanese actors. Also the fight scenes are reasonably entertaining, as far as general battle/fight scenes go. However, they are not groundbreaking as there are no real martial artists in this movie.
The film overall is reasonably entertaining if you completely look past the absolute fantasy and general incosistencies within it. How it was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes is absolutely beyond me, however. It seems these wu xia films pitched at the West have been getting progressively worse. We had Crouching Tiger which was awesome, Hero which was pretty good, House of Flying Daggers which was quite bad and The Promise which seems to be outright bad. They were all entertaining however so if you're after non-Hollywood flavoured but Hollywood-level entertaining garbage then this movie is for you.
2 stars
Alex
PS. Nicholas Tse is seriously shit. April 05 Dragon SquadWhy oh Why do I not pay attention to internet movie reviews?
I can't believe Sammo Hung and Simon Yam put their names to this garbage. I hope they got paid... lots!
The film is about an elite group of SWAT policemen, the "Dragon Squad" who fight baddies.
This is basically another HK triad vs. police flick... except do not expect "Breaking News", "Infernal Affairs", "SPL" or "Police Story". This movie sucks! I can think of several scenes that made me absolutely cringe with their corniness and horrific dialogue. In fact, the dialogue was so bad, that if George Lucas was to learn cantonese and direct a triad flick, this would probably be it (albeit there'd probably be a random character named Jar Jar Bing, probably played by Nicholas Tse, who would just be there to annoy people).
Seriously, scenes where the members of the so-called Dragon Squad argue over who will be the one covering and who will be the one running and shooting... in the middle of a triad gunfight! Meant to showcase their bravery but could you imagine if that happened in a real SWAT team?
Scenes where these guys showcase their shooting skills in an arcade with moving ducks? Scenes where Sammo Hung is running with a group of other police officers and his dragon squad in tow... the whole dragon squad throw away their jackets (clothes in Asia are cheap but come on!) and there's some motivational speech... I mean... come on! Sammo Hung is large... the man needs a sports bra to run... his boobs jiggled like no SWAT team leader I've ever seen! Sure his kung fu is good but COME ON! How are sweaty jiggling manboobs and gratutious jacket throwing motivational?
This movie also features Shawn Yue, Maggie Q, some ABC from F4 and a random white guy who is the most one-dimensional character possible! I'm talking more one-dimensional than Disney and that shit was animated!
OK, I admit, I wanted to see this movie because it looked cool... and it was kind of... there was shooting, and blood, and explosions and car chases... but the movie buff within me rejected this movie on the basis of it being complete and utter crap. God the HK film industry has gone downhill in recent times. I couldn't even finish it. I cry... for the HK film industry and the Triad vs. Police genre... I cry...
0.5 stars
Alex March 12 Hustle and FlowHustle & Flow is about a cheap Memphis hustler and pimp Dee Jay (Terrence Howard) who has a dream to make it in the rap game. With his DJin friend (Anthony Anderson) he tries to hustle a well-established rapper, Skinny Black (Ludacris) also from Memphis to get a shot at the big time but things don't always happen the way you want them to...
Even though I'm a big hip hop fan (as y'all probably noticed from the rest of this blog), I didn't really have high hopes for the quality of this movie. I thought it would be another 8 Mile type scenario and the plot sounded a lot like Fiddy's Get Rich or Die Tryin' (which I havent seen)... Needless to say, I was surprised when I saw Terrence Howard's nomination for a Best Actor Oscar and even more stunned to see Three 6 Mafia pick up the Best Song Oscar. I also started seeing reviews in papers saying the Howard's performance was excellent and fully deserving of his nomination.
Finally the movie is released in Australia and I can check it out... totally blown away but the quality of this film! The Hip Hop is incidental (and a little annoying because of the southern sensibility). The true success of this film is its depiction of the gritty realism of life in the hood. Howard's performance as the determined pimp who could sell ice to the eskimos (not to mention pimp $20 hoes out the back of his chevy) is an absolute tour de force. Although Howard refused to perform the song at the Oscars because he didn't want black people to be pidgeon-holed as rappers and pimps, he must get props for this performance. Surely, Howard is due for greatness and Oscars to come, hopefully.
It also has to be said that the supporting cast of Taraji P. Henson (as Shuge, the pregnant prostitute who can really sing and DJay's love interest) and Taryn Manning (as Nola, the hoe with ambitions and some hidden abilities) who are all pretty much no-names did also perform quite well. Anthony Anderson provided his usual voice and attitude to the film. DJ Qualls, cast as Shelby, the church boy-cum-wigga-cum-DJ is terrible, however and one never fails to cringe during his lines which are meant to be taken seriously!
The film teaches some interesting lessons about following your dream, appreciating the people that support you and not relying on strangers for favours... however much of the moral subject matter is cliches and can also be cringeworthy at times (particularly during some of DJay's monologues) but also poingnantly insightful (DJay's "we man" monologue is a good one).
Overall, this is a success for hip hop culture and poverty in America because it really gets both subcultures out to the masses and quite successfully. The film is not perfect but by far the best to come out in its class.
4 stars.
Alex March 07 RizeSaw this at the Union Theatre... $5 tickets and it was 2 for 1... great deal! Reppin' it for the Uni of melbbbb....
"Rize" is a movie that documents the growing popularity of krumping and clowning, two very similar dance styles that have developed in the LA streets. The disclaimer at the start of the movie states that nothing in the movie has been sped up... you think, why are they saying this... soon you realise! The dance moves performed by these LA youngsters are incredible, speed, intensity, acrobatics... passion.
The kids on the streets of LA see this dance phenomenon as a positive outlet for their frustrations, those frustrations arising from the hardship of day-to-day life. The founder of the dance craze, Tommy the Clown, is referred to with reverence. The people involved see krumping/clowning as something that keeps them from doing something more negative, like joining a gang or getting involved with drugs, like many of their friends.
The documentary successfully showcases the amazing abilities of these kids, along with their feelings of frustrations and their incredible passions for their dance and their people. The problems and social issues that permeate their hoods (we're talkin' Compton, Long Beach, Inglewood...) are also clearly evident.
The highly personal nature of this phenomenon is probably what comes through strongest in this film but the director does well in capturing the vibe of the moment and linking it in a very socially relevant way.
Very much recommended,
Alex February 01 Oscars Predictions Here are my predictions for this year's Academy Awards:
Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain Best Actor in a Leading Role: Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) Best Actress in a Leading Role: Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line) Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man) Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) Best Animated Feature Film: Corpse Bride Best Directing: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) Best Foreign Language Film: Tsotsi Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain Best Original Screenplay: Crash Keep in Mind that I haven't seen half these movies and am more making predictions based on the trends seen from the other awards already given out... and this doesn't necessarily reflect my personal opinion either but more how I think the Academy will vote... What do y'all think? Alex PS. Find all the nominations here.
Cheers.
Alex January 03 Happy New Year aka. Mega Movie ReviewFirstly, Happy New Year!
OK So I've seen a lot of movies lately and I really don't have time to write separate reviews on all of them so, for the sake of catching up, here they all are, chronologically, in order of when I saw them.
Wedding Crashers (US)
Saw this one on the plane to Singapore. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up to play a couple of dudes who crash weddings to pick up chicks but their fiendish plot is foiled when they meet two girls, sisters, who happen to be related to a US Senator, and fall for them. OK, these two guys are funny and there are some valuable jokes in the film but, overall, both of them have done better movies. Dodgeball (Vaughn) and Zoolander (Wilson) were both far superior to this so, for that, I give it...
3/5
Dukes of Hazzard (US)
A town named Hazzard is threatened by an evil developer guy who seems to have the cops in tow but his plot is foiled by the Duke cousins (including their hot sister). Starring Jonny Knoxville, Sean William Scott and Jessica Simpson. Given that my expectations of this movie were rock bottom (heard some bad things), I would say it wasn't that bad. It was entertaining, because it was funny, and it has a happy ending (sorry if I ruined it) and Jessica Simpson is damn hot. For that...
2.5/5
Narnia (US/UK)
Again my expectations of this were rather low and they were pretty much met. A bunch of kids randomly finds a portal to another dimension (the mythical land of Narnia) in the wardrobe of a professor's house at which they're staying. Soon they are caught up in a mythical battle of good and evil. Starring a bunch of randoms and a lion. Watch out for biblical references!
2/5
A Chinese Tall Story (HK)
The Journey To The West legend of the Monkey King and his friends is reinvented here when the guys get into a fight and get captured but the Monk Tripitaka is sent away to some imp land where he is left in the care of a hideously ugly chick. The ugly chick is meant to eat him because she'll live forever if she does but she ends up falling in love with him and they go on wacky adventures trying to save the rest of the gang, with assistance from a golden stick that can do pretty much anything. They also accidentally kill some people (including one of the Heavenly Knights!) and then bad things happen. Starring: Nicholas Tse, Charlene Choi, Boyz and random aliens. This movie had some funny sequences but, like any EEG movie, it sucked. The plot was crap and hard to follow and it was generally bad, apart from the ugly chick (Charlene Choi with lots of make up) turning hot (Charlene Choi with more make up but of a different kind) in the end.
1.5/5
Ah Sou (Mob Sister) (HK)
A girl (Annie Liu) who is saved by a mob boss (Eric Tsang) from being killed by a violently vengeful rampaging widow (Karena Yam) becomes the head of a powerful Triad soceity when the boss is killed. Protected by her three uncles (Anthony Wong, Simon Yam and Alex Fong) she seems alright but then they start turning against each other and all help breaks loose when the rampaging widow comes back. The ending of this movie is meant to be meaningful and is meant to speak volumes about rewriting the laws of the Triad and making people see what they're doing is wrong, etc but, in my opinion, the movie fails to do this and just seems boring... while the ending just seems abrupt. Annie Liu does nothing in the movie, apart from crying, running and flailing like a little girl should. The movie is saved by great performances from Wong, Yam and Fong who are all classic HK bad boys...
2.5/5
Drink Drank Drunk (HK)
Directed by one of my favourites, Derek Yee, this movie is actually pretty good and the best movie I saw for a while (as you can see). It's about a plain Jane beer lady (Miriam Yeung) who's special ability is being able to drink infinite amounts of alcohol and not get drunk who meets a handsome French chef (Daniel Wu) who cant hold his liquor and they decide to start a joint venture, cafe/restaurant. Funny capers and romantic stuff, this movie actually works. Who would've thought that I'd enjoy a lovey-dovey HK romantic comedy. Watch out for funny scenes from a gay guy and a Triad boss.
3.5/5
The Transporter (US)
This badass transporter guy (Jason Statham) who used to be in the army now carries dangerous parcels for people and his thing is that he never asks questions about what he's transporting, nor does he ever open the parcel... except for this one time when he opens it and finds hot Chinese chick Shu Qi inside. And then... well... you know... they have sex and she convinces him to help her on her quest against some bad men. The action is fun and Shu Qi is eye candy but otherwise, this movie blows. Note: I can't believe they made a sequel.
1.5/5
SPL (HK)
In 1994 a bigwig triad king (Sammo Hung) has an intentional car accident with a police officer (Simon Yam) and his family friends. The family die except for a little girl who Simon Yam cares for and swears revenge. Fast forward to 1997 (strange given this movie was released in 2005) and Simon Yam is hellbent on revenge. His group of dirty cops try to frame Sammo Hung with the assistance of awesome martial artist cop, Donnie Yen, but they fail and bad stuff happens. Sammo walks free and systematically starts killing the cop squad for putting him in jail on Father's Day. The Donnie Yen, who is now a free operator because he disagrees with Simon Yam's dirty tactics but still wants to take the Triad boss down, has to have lots of fight scenes... which is the best bit. This movie was great, a return to the badass HK Triad flicks of the 90s... big high 5s all round.
4/5
Seven Swords (HK)
Directed by Tsui Hark. Set after the establishment of the Ching dynasty, the Government releases an Edict banning use of martial arts (punishable by decapitation) and a gang of blood-thirsty killers roam the land killing martial artists and claiming money rewards for their heads. They threaten a small village where a freelance good guy with two villagers contact the people of Heaven Mountain for help. There, the good guy and the two villagers get awesome swords from a fabled swordsmith and are joined by four disciples of said swordsmith. They become the Seven Swords and understandable hijinx ensues and there is even a random Koean subplot. This movie was good and also fits nicely into HK's usual wuxia staple. The fight scenes aren't quite as fluid as, say, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the visuals aren't quite as pictureseque as, say, Hero but thats what makes the film that much more gritty and real. Having said that, there are too many plot-lines in this film and many of them end up being underdeveloped. Starring: Donnie Yen (as an incredibly intense Korean warrior who speaks Chinese), Charlie Young, Leon Lai and some others whom I dont know. Also stars a hot Korean chick.
4/5
Of those films I think the best were:
1. SPL
2. Seven Swords
3. Drink Drank Drunk
wow... all HK films. Guess I lucked out... the US films I watched sucked. I did catch half of Sin City though which was damn awesome so when I finish watching that, expect a good Hollywood review. Until then... Hollywood just keeps churning out crap.
Alex
PS. Going to Perth on Wednesday so I'll probably blog from there. Feel free to post up your thoughts on any of the above films. October 15 Enron: The Smartest Guys In The RoomLet me just say this movie certianly surpassed my expecations. I was going to the cinema expecting to learn interesting new facts about an important occurrence in Global history but I was also expecting to get similar vibes to the ones I get from accounting lectures... think "zzzZZzzZzZzZZZ" or something of the sort. Boy was I wrong.
I was glued to the screen for 109 minutes and I went through a range of emotions: anger, disbelief, pity, fear, determination... I guess the film really lets you understand how the biggest corporate collapse of all time came to pass, including all the dirty human elements and things.
The character development is excellent, we really get an insight into the shadowy characters of Ken Lay and Geoff Skilling, the company's Chairman and CEO. The tragedy of Fastow, the bizarre stripper-obsession of Lou Pai and the absurdity of the situation is all played out so supremely that, at times, it's hard to believe that this actually happened and it's not just the whimsical fiction of some Hollywood director.
The concepts presented were equally compelling. The absurdity of mark-to-market accounting in the context of energy trading, the irony of the company's slogan "Ask Why" against the backdrop of ignorance and "blind eyes" left in Enron's wake, the extent of Fastow's fabricated companies, the extreme delusion of Skilling, the supreme arrogance that drove the philosophy of the company and the subsequent disbelief and denial at it's staggering collapse. You sit through it all, you see the chinks appear and then you see the tower come crashing down around the ears of the people involved, it's really amazing.
I strongly urge everyone to see this movie. To commerce-types, it will make you think about what sort of leader you intend to be when you grow up. To non-commerce-types, it makes you realise how deep the impact of Enron really was, how in this globalised world, corporations have such a massive influence over current affairs that it's impossible to sit around, ignore them and say "but i dont know anything about accounting".
The movie definitely made me think about what I would do if I was placed into the various situations that the protagonists of the Enron saga endured. At the point where Ken Lay is addressing a staff meeting after Skilling's resignation and Enron's share price has dropped from something like $90 to something like 50c and he receives a written question from the audience which says "Are you on crack? And if not, you should try it"... how would you deal with something like that? Would you not be tempted to take out a revolver and end it there? A man's life work building up the concept of deregulation within energy markets, seeing your company rise to dizzy heights and feel impregnable and then... to fall so fast. Where would you go? What would you do?
A trremendous film, the best documentary i've ever seen and Michael Moore should take some pointers about how to make entertaining but not annoying documentaries!
Five stars, absolutamente.
Alex August 29 ElectionI know it's been a while but I've just been lazy/busy. Read on fans.
Election (Hak Seh Wui) was the closing night film of the 2005 Melbourne International Film Festival and I was lucky enough to attend and hear the director, Jonny To's, opening words... in Cantonese and translated by some guy... wooo.
Election was directed by Jonny To and stars Tony Leung Ka Fai and Simon Yam. The film follows the election of a leader for the biggest Triad society in Hong Kong (50,000 members). The two leading candidates are the level-headed Lok (Yam) and the cocky and quick-tempered (Big D). The election is won by Lok due to the intervention of an important "Uncle" but Big D does not take this very well and so the fight for the top job begins...
I've seen two other films by Johnny To, the action movie "Breaking News" (starring Nick Cheung, Kelly Chen and Richie Ren) and the rom-com "Yesterday Once More" (starring Andy Lau and Miriam Yeung)... well I think those are correct but I'm sure HK-film aficionados will correct me on details if not.
For me, this film was much better than the rom-com but not as enjoyable as Breaking News. One of the most interesting things about this movie is the lack of action. Unlike any other mafia movie in history, you do not see one gun throughout the entire film. It is essentially, a dialogue and visual-based film. While I could not fully appreciate the dialogue (because I do not understand Cantonese and subtitles are always flawed) I did very much enjoy the visual elements of the movie. The mood and tone was fantastic and To perfectly communicated the violence and corruption underpinning the Triads and how much these contemporary elements clash with the Triad's noble beginnings.
It is interesting how To presents the irony of the society, one seemingly established on an ethical cause, democratic processes and brotherly love... but one which has essentially degenerated into a materialistic cess-pool of Machiavellian violence.
This irony is presented in a number of ways. Firstly through showing brief glimpses of the Triad history and their ceremonies. Secondly, and somewhat more effectively, by juxtaposing characters. For example, characters like Big D and the Uncles are clearly corrupt. But they are presented against seemingly innocent dim-witted characters which still believe in the Triad's brotherly values. Big Head (Lam Suet, he really does have a big head) and Jet (Nick Cheung) are perfect examples of these. Cheung's performance is particularly impressive, the usual funny man plays a whirling-dervish Triad-fanatic who will undergo any form of physical pain necessary to be of service. At the start of the film he *actually* crushes and eats one of those ceramic Chinese spoons to prove his loyalty to Big D.
Jet's performance is good, as is Leung Ka-Fai's performance as Big D. The character is so freakin' loathesome that it's hard to give him props but he brought Leung's neurosis, power-hungriness and ego across extremely well, flawlessly in fact. Yam has less to work with with Lok's character but nevertheless, his performance is solid.
Election is a film full of dialogue, cinematography, long-winded scenes containing general insights... punctuated by graphic, brutal violence. If you do not want to see a person crammed into a trash-can, pulverised by being rolled down a mountain inside a wooden crate or bashed to death with a stone over the head... then do not see this film. If you are interested in an honest representation of the HK triad, without the guns-blazing, car-chasing action that we've come to expect from HK cinema, then do see this movie.
Overall, it was just a touch too long. 3.5 stars.
Alex August 18 Three... ExtremesFirst of all I'd like to note that the circumstances under which we saw this movie were rather hilarious. Toby, Apple, Heidi, Aaron and I decided to go see a film. Aaron and I had secretly conspired over msn to see Three... Extremes but never thought we'd get away with it because Heidi hates scary movies. However, when we met up and started discussing what movie to see, Aaron and I took advantage of the general indecisiveness and suggested Three... Extremes... woohoo! Scared the living Jesus out of Heidi.... but it was worth it!
The film is actually a collection of three short (horror) films, each about 40 mins long, and from three different parts of Asia. The first film we saw was "Dumplings" by Fruit Chan from Hong Kong. Dumplings was the only film of the trio to have *not* been made especially for three... extremes. It was actually a cut-down version of a full-length movie. The film is basically (based on a true story) about a washed-up TV actress (Miriam Yeung) seeking to regain her fleeting youth and recapture the attention of her husband (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) who has long ago started sleeping with various other women. Out of desperation she goes to some crazy mainlander chick (Bai Ling) on the border of Shenzhen in the projects to eat her special dumplings which are, you guessed it, made out of aborted foti. Wooo. YUMMY. Needless to say I craved dumplings after that movie!
The interesting thing about Dumplings was the casting. I mean the fact that Tony Leung looked damn weird with white hair aside, it was interesting to see the (ironically) young, sexy Miriam Yeung playing a character meant to look old and flabbish trying to be young and sexy. Confusion. It's also weird to see Hollywood-actress Bai Ling (speaking in mandarin) cast opposite HK actress Yeung (speaking in cantonese). Random. The film was very good though, it perfectly conveyed the growing desperation of Yeung's character as she is prepared to go to any lengths. Bai Ling plays her deranged character to a tee as well and the film's climax is well timed and apt. All together, the film speaks volumes about the obsession with external beauty and status that is sweeping Hong Kong and many other parts of Asia at the moment (an influence from the West that has been blown entirely out of proportion). The film worked so well at 40 minutes that it was difficult to imagine it as any longer.
The next short was Park Chan-Wook's (director of Oldboy fame) "Cut". After the movie, we all (except for Heidi who refused to talk about the films) agreed that this Korean film was the best of the three. Outline stolen from www.acdrifter.com:
Lee Byung-hun plays a famous director well-liked for being a Mr. Nice Guy to most everyone on the set. One night, after a shoot, he comes home to be knocked out and reawakened to find a stranger in his house. The stranger has tied him down, and in an elaborate maze of strings and superglue, tied his pianist wife down with her fingers glued to the keys. He then unveils a small girl, also tied up, and threatens the director saying he will cut off a finger of his wife every five minutes, unless the director strangles the girl with his bare hands. Lim Won-hie is fantastic as the intruder (he was also in Crying Fist). The man is, on one hand, completely deranged and yet, on the other, totally lucid, rational and makes perfect sense. He goes from extremes of insanity to seriousness but it is all delivered so damn coldly that it sends shivers down one's spine. To see such a goofy character transformed into a killing machine is interesting indeed. The other characters in the film are somewhat two-dimensional, however Lee Byung-hun does all he needs to to make his role a success also. The film is a rollercoaster ride and keeps us on the edge throughout. Interesting to note that the director continues his seemingly never-ending theme of films about vengeance with this one also.
Finally, we saw Takashi Miike's "Box". In my opinion, this film was interesting but flawed. www.acdrifter.com: "Box simply floats around, revolving around an outline regarding a woman, Kyoko, whom now publishes novels and is haunted by visions from the past reminding her of her responsibility in the horrible death of her twin sister." I have never seen one of Miike's films before so it's difficult for me to compare but I don't think this short really lives up to his reputation. Visually, it was fantastic. The cinematography, the colour, the dark brooding mood of the film was perfect. Even the use of montages and time was well done, however, this cannot mask a weak plot. The film did not really say anything important, felt restrained from it's true potential to shock and did not leave a strong impression on me. Keep an eye out for the "interesting" twist at the end which seemingly explains everything but doesn't really.
All together, the Korean film was by far the best but all together it was a very enjoyable experience. Scared the shit out of Heidi too! Woo! 4 stars.
August 14 Crying Fist
August 07 Fantastic FourAnd know for something a little more "palatable"... this should hopefully get some more comments from you guys as it's a blockbuster, everyone-has-seen-it type movie unlike the last couple of things I've reviewed...
I'll begin this review by saying that my expectations were met. I was expecting to ogle Jessica Alba, I was expecting to sink into my cinema seat and relax for 2-hours-or-so, I was *not* expecting mind-engaging viewing. I'm sure anyone who went to see this movie would agree with that set of expectations (well anyone male).
The story basically follows a group of astronauts who, on a space mission, encounter some radioactivity which gives them special powers. However, one of them decides to use those powers for evil and, subsequently, a confrontation with the others is inevitable...
Despite the fact that my expectations were met, that says little about the film's actual quality. I expected a crap film because the advertising campaign that was embarked upon by the film's distributors was pretty much pointing in that direction all along. I expected a crap film because the cast was crap (save Jessica's looks, she really can't act) and the previews all focused on special effects.
There are so many problems with this film that I don't really know where to begin. They spent far too long setting up the story-line, the characters are one-dimensional at best, the confrontation with the villain takes far too long to form, the ending is cliched... no... scratch that... everything about this film is cliched.
The other big problem with this film are the Batman Begins comparisons. I haven't seen the film but, being a superhero movie that came out at around the same time, the comparisons were inevitable and, from what I've heard, BB wins hands down.
F4 is kind of fun, it's kind of fun in a relaxing ogle-at-Jessica-Alba kind of way. It's kind of fun because there's a big dude that looks like a rock, a stretchy dude and a dude that catches fire. It's kind of fun because that's what superhero movies were always meant to be...
But many expected more from a comic strip that is the jewel in Marvel's crown and we've come to expect more from superhero movies in general since Spiderman, Spiderman 2 and Batman Begins... as soon as the advertising campaign came out we knew it was going to be crap but... one can't help but wonder how it could've been.
1.5 Stars
Alex
Some quotes from critics about this film:
"The really good superhero movies, like Superman, SpiderMan 2 and Batman Begins, leave Fantastic Four so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in the same theaters."
-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES "A not-so-bad mindless bit of camp escapism that doesn't try to eclipse its dime-store comic book roots."
-- Liam Lacey, GLOBE AND MAIL "Story can't infuse this juvenile hunk of entertainment with either the wit or the savvy to make it seem like anything more than an overblown version of Saturday- morning TV."
-- Robert Denerstein, DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
Reviews coming up: Bill's, The Kite Runner, Crying Fist, Bambu, Three... Extremes July 27 Old BoyWooo. Alex is back. Hasn't it been a while, eh? Well I did spend 18 days in Sydney! That's my excuse!
More Sydney-related info later (expect a few Sydney reviews) and onto more pressing things... reviewage! Wooo.
So a big thanks to Gary for lending me this film. He had been raving about it for a while now and I have been reading rave review after rave review on the internet so it's about time I finally got around to watching it. Having watched the film, I can safely say that it has easily met my expectations.
Old Boy was released in South Korea in 2003.
The film is about a typical drunken, middle-aged, korean man who is suddenly, and without warning or reason, abducted and imprisoned. After 15 years he is, once again suddenly, released into the world. He is given money and a mobile phone. He has no idea who did this to him or why but he is hell-bent on finding out... and getting revenge.
The lead character, Oh Daesu, is brilliantly portrayed by Choi Min-Sik. There are several key scenes in the film where Min-Sik's acting brilliance comes out (none of which I intend to give away) but also the transformations the character goes through and the range of emotions also are incredible. I've come to respect Min-Sik a great deal, having seen another of his films recently, but I'll review that later.
Another great performance can be attributed to Yoo Ji-Tae who plays Lee Woo-Jin, the main villain in the film. We discover more information about Woo-Jin and his psychosis as the film progresses and the character develops. He may seem one-dimensional to start with but there is much more than meets the eye.
If you enjoyed Fight Club and Se7en then I recommend Old Boy. It is a similarly dark psychological thriller. However, the plot lines (and twists) in Old Boy are considerably more fucked up/upsetting so don't go for this movie if you are easily disturbed. The subject matter covered by the film is not very palatable and that will make it more appealing or less appealing depending on who you are.
The director Park Chan-Wook has built a solid reputation in Korea but this is the film that really broke him into the Western market. Although not released widely, it is well-known in arthouse movie circles and his upcoming movie "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (a third part in a loose trilogy that also includes Old Boy as the middle part) is hotly anticipated.
It also should be noted that a Hollywood remake is in the pipeline, possibly starring Nicholas Cage. Along with the Infernal Affairs remake, this has been a hot topic of conversation for movie buffs worldwide.
So, if you aren't too squeamish, I thoroughly recommend this film as it is, in my view, one of the great modern classics of Asian cinema. Chillingly visceral and gut-wrenchingly brutal, this packs a huge mental punch. Old Boy - five stars. Absolutely.
Alex
Reviews Coming Up: Luxe Espresso, Bill's, Fantastic Four, The Kite Runner, Crying Fist
June 29 Initial DHey all,
I was gonna include an update about my life here but it grew too long so I posted it in Random Thoughts, should come up below this review. Check it out if you wanna know how I'm doing/dying.
so without further ado... I bring you Initial D!
Well anyone who has spoken to me much in the past month or two would know that, from a personal viewpoint, "hotly anticipated" doesnt cut it to describe how much I wanted to see this movie. I love cars, I love Jay, I love Asian cinema... so many freakin' reasons. Plus, with the HK film industry at an almost stand-still (before I-D the highest grossing movie in HK this year was "Himalaya Singh", what the fuck?) I'm sure its a welcome movie for any film buff.
So if you've been living in a cave or under a rock or in Sunbury you may not know the basic plot of Initial D. It's about a high-school kid named Takumi Fujiwara (yes Takumi not Takuma, thanks Cam
 ) who has been delivering tofu for his dad's tofu shop for five years down Mt. Akina (only had his license for one year though, hehe) and has unwittingly, whilst trying to get home as fast as possible, perfect the art of drifting. For the uninitiated, here is a rather crappy definition of drifting - it's basically when you lock all four-wheels, lose control of them as you enter a corner and angle the car in the right direction to take the corner faster. I've heard from a bunch of people that drifting isnt *actually* the fastest way to enter a corner and gripping it is better but.... who cares? it looks damn cool.So anyway this kid accidentally races and beats a Skyline GT-R in his rather crappy (looking, under the bonnet is gold baby) Toyota Trueno A86. His newfound fame creates a domino effect of races, each more difficult and dangerous.
Yep, you guessed it. Takumi is played by Jay Chou, will critique his acting later. Ryosuke, a competitor racer who is nice, is played by Edison. Shawn Yue plays Ryosuke's friend. Chan plays a badboy pro racer who comes along later. Chapman To plays Jay's crap best friend who's a drifting poser but actually sucks. Anthony Wong plays Jay's dad, Bunta and Kenny Bee plays Chapman's dad. Their characters were racers of the past and are reliving their dreams vicariously through Takumi.
Also, Jay has a 'love interest' in the film named Natsuki, played by Anne Suzuki from Japan. The actress is quite cute but sadly the interaction between Natsuki and Takumi were the lowest points in the film. They were shite. I'm talking... Padme vs. Anakin in SWEp2 shite. Lowest Point.
The highest points - THE RACE SCENES! Damn... this is why we went to see the film, ladies and gents. It was not to see Jay act, or see Suzuki's pretty behind, or even to marvel at Edison's good looks or Chapman's funniness. We came to watch cars race around a mountain and boy did Andrew Lau and Alan Mak (directors, also directed the highly successful Infernal Affairs trilogy) deliver on that one. No gay-ass CGI like in Fast and the Furious, just all real hoonage baby, WORD.
Aside from that, Chapman's acting was annoying but sublime. He was playing a character half his freakin' age and nobody would believe different. Anthony Wong was great as usual too. Jay... it could've been worse, its his first film, his voice was dubbed in Canto and he was playing a character much like his own so... lets forget about it. He didnt light my screen on fire but he was good.
Edison and Shawn Yue didnt get enough of a role really, Edison's acting is usually bad but he pulled off the 'charismatic racing geek' thing quite well. Anne Suzuki did little, she was a flower vase.
Note: Watch out for Jay's much-vaunted crying scene. It's crap.
So overall? This review looks like its full of criticisms and the movie is far from perfect but I didn't expect it to be a tour-de-force arthouse flick like those made by Wong Kar Wai or even classy action thriller like made by Johnny To. I expected it to be thrilling, fun and true to the manga, which it seems to have been, somewhat.
So 4 stars from me.
Alex
PS. Watch out for the theme song if you havent already heard it "der piao" its cool!
PPS. It shits me that people are already walking around saying that I-D ripped off Fast and the Furious. Freakin' hell the series preceded FF by more than 5 years! If anything its the other way around! Besides, FF is a wannabe urban-flick full of CGI and appealing to 14yold kids. Its fun to watch for the babes and racing but I-D is far superior. Word.
PPPS. Did you know that Fast and the Furious 3 is going to be set in Japan and follow the life of an asian kid born in america who goes to Japan and falls in line with illegal street-drifting crews. Directed by Justin Lin (asian dude) from TW. RIP? moreso i think
PPPPS. Check out my update below if you're interested and check out an alternative review for the film at http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/initial_d.htm June 27 Mr & Mrs SmithSup y'all. Haven't posted in a while but I'm back from the blogging wilderness and expect more posts from me this week! So I saw Mr & Mrs Smith last week. My thoughts, basically... the film didn't impress me a great deal. It was an entertaining movie, it was funny, it had lots of cool explosions and action sequences, it had Angelina Jolie... can't complain, but it can't be accused of being a good film. Basically, the plot follows to assassins who are living under one roof as man and wife but do not know each other's profession and do not realise they are working for competing agencies... until they are sent on a mission that pits them against each other and all hell breaks loose back home. Sounds like a fun premise for a movie, right? Right, fun is a good word to describe this film. It has the thrills, spills, laughs and biceps of your usual Hollywood action flick and it delivers successfully if you are after a mindlessly entertaining cinema experience but this film is possibly the antithesis of thought-provoking and/or realistic. For example, the scene where Mr & Mrs Smith take on like 50 hired soldiers and win without a scratch... and the various scenes where Angelina starts leaking blood from the face which is magically gone 5 minutes later (so as not to ruin her striking features, no doubt). But that's Hollywood and that's "entertainment", its lucky I'm open-minded....
2.5 stars Alex PS. Next review - Initial D PPS. Next review after that - Bloc Party |
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