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Posted on 06.28.10 by David @ 1:29 am
 More nougaty goodness from the NYAFF in Report 2. Some great screenings and guests so far, including surprise appearances by Angela Mao at Sammo’s lifetime achievement award and by Joyce Godenzi at the Eastern Condors Q+A. [Note that Boys on the Run is co-presented by the Japan Cuts festival, which starts officially on July 1.]
 The Good Ip Man (HK 2008) – Ip Man, the Donnie Yen-starrer about Bruce Lee’s Wing Chun sifu, is more than a little schizophrenic in tone. The lovely first half is a subtle comedy of kung fu manners, with an uncharacteristically likable Donnie as the titular character. Hen-pecked by his wife, harassed by the local constable, and pestered by would-be disciples, Ip Man just wants to live a peaceful life, but keeps being challenged by every new master who wants to make a name for himself. The script is strong and the fighting is excellent, especially once Fan Siu-Wong (Story of Ricky) turns up as a bumpkin whose skills surpass those of all the locals but Ip. On the other hand, the second half (and the shift is not organic in the slightest) is an extremely heavy-handed bit of WWII-era patriotic propaganda, in which Ip Man stands up to Japanese invaders. Full of lingering shots of downtrodden Chinese and unsubtly swelling music, only a bravura scene where Donnie takes on ten Japanese martial artists is particularly rousing. As the final battle scene between Donnie and the imposing General Miura fails to meet expectations, the movie never tops its mid-film peak. But, oh, that first half …  Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews: Japan and Contributors: David and People: Donnie Yen and People: Sammo Hung and People: Simon Yam and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews and Venues: The Japan Society and Venues: Film Society at Lincoln Center and Movie Reviews: China and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 and Film Festivals: Japan Cuts 2010 and People: Huang Bo Comments: None |
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Posted on 06.25.10 by David @ 4:57 pm
The NYAFF is upon us again! I’ve been following Subway Cinema since back when they used to hold the occasional Old School Kung Fu fest at the Anthology and Village Cinema downtown through the fancier digs at IFC, but I never thought I’d see the day when the New York Asian Film Festival invaded the hallowed halls of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. Truly high culture has been overthrown. Of course, I’ve had the opportunity to watch both Ichi the Killer and Raw Meat at Lincoln Center, so perhaps the dichotomy was never so clear. But on with the show. As usual, the Subway gang has picked some doozies, some whoppers, and some head-scratchers (in both the good and bad sense). I wanted to pattern my festival reports after the Korean blockbuster from last year, The Good, The Bad and the Weird, but frankly, with very few exceptions, there aren’t any flat-out bad films in the pack. So as an alternative, I’ll be breaking things down into The Good, the Not-Quite-So-Good, and The Weird. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews: Japan and Movie Reviews: South Korea and Contributors: David and Film Festivals: News and People: Takashi Miike and People: Sammo Hung and People: Simon Yam and People: Lo Meng (5 Venoms) and People: Tony Leung Ka-Fai and People: Chen Kuan-tai and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews and Movie Reviews: China and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 and People: Huang Bo and People: Hitoshi Matsumoto Comments: None |
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Posted on 06.21.09 by David @ 2:14 pm
 Tactical Unit: Comrades In Arms TACTICAL UNIT: COMRADES IN ARMS PLAYS AT THE IFC CENTER ON JUNE 22 AT 5:20 PM. SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE HERE
 PTU, with its understated cool and Rube Goldberg-esque plotting was one of Johnny To’s masterpieces and one of my favorite films of the 2000s. When I spoke to To in 2007 (see here), he was gearing up to produce a series of television features through his Milkyway production company under the “Tactical Unit” banner, using the same actors and characters. So far five of these films have been shot, some on video and some on film, some achieving theatrical release and some not. I have not had a chance to see the others yet (though I intend to), but Comrades in Arms, while no masterpiece, is great fun in the classic Milkyway tradition and a worthy successor to PTU. Filed under: General and Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews: South Korea and Contributors: David and People: Simon Yam and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2009 Comments: None |
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Posted on 03.04.09 by David @ 9:54 am
AKA: Dung che sai duk redux; The Heretic East and the Venomous West Review By: David Austin [Confession time: I’ve never seen the original version of Ashes of Time – I gave up following a failed attempt years ago to watch a DVD of it that easily ranks among the most appallingly discs ever created. Consequently, I cannot speak to the differences between the two versions.] Ashes of Time is an almost purely sensual experience. The film is about colors, and light, and the eyes, faces and skin of some of the most beautiful (and most talented) actors and actresses that Hong Kong has to offer. The soul of the film lies neither in its plot or its dialogue, but rather in the deep textured oranges and blues and greens with which Wong and famed cinematographer Chris Doyle lens the deserts of western China. Wong constantly cuts away from the story to focus on the landscape, making it as essential a character as any of the protagonists. Surprisingly few films truly capture the physical majesty of China. I once took an 18 hour train ride through China and was stunned by the immensity and variety of the landscapes outside the cramped urban centers. Wong and Doyle capture this feeling of vastness. This is not to suggest that the human players are short-changed. Wong pays as much attention to how he shoots the cast as he does to the backdrop. Consider the artistry of a lengthy shot of Brigitte Lin standing before a slowly rotating birdcage, the shadows flickering across her face. We are clearly in the hands of the same sensualist who years later would helm In the Mood for Love, with its restrained fetishizing of smoke and rain and gorgeous cheongsam dresses. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews and DVD Reviews: Hong Kong and Rating: Good ★★★ and People: Wong Kar-wai and People: Brigitte Lin and People: Maggie Cheung and People: Tony Leung Chiu-wai and People: Tony Leung Ka-Fai and People: Leslie Cheung Comments: None |
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Posted on 09.09.08 by Jeff @ 6:15 am
 Dororo
As one can tell from the above plot description, Dororo is one loopy movie, albeit one told with a completely straight face. To wit: the organless infant protagonist resembles Dr. Bunsen Honeydew from The Muppet Show. Moreover, many of the demons are also fabulously, imaginatively rendered, in a style that is reminscent of the Yokai Monsters, but updated to reflect the capabilities in scale and fluidity of movement that are offered by CGI. The scenes in which our hero fights the demons are quite thrilling. Although I don’t generally enjoy CGI-heavy action scenes, the fights in Dororo are expertly choreographed by Tony Ching Siu Tung (of A Chinese Ghost Story fame). In a touch obviously inspired by Kill Bill, many of the action scenes are set to music that is alternately reminiscent of the Gipsy Kings and Ennio Morricone. The final confrontation between father and son is also quite rousing and satisfying. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews: Japan and Rating: Good ★★★ and Rating: Great ★★★★ and People: Johnnie To and People: Simon Yam and Contributors: Jeff and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2008 Comments: 1 Comment |
Dororo features everything one could reasonably hope to find in an action blockbuster: action, suspense, an engaging plot, and mind-bending weirdness. Although I did not take notes during the screening of the film, my recollection of the plot (much of which is told in flashback) is as follows: A warrior seeks to become the dominant ruler of Japan by striking a deal with the dozens of demons who occupy a temple. In exchange for the warrior’s infant son, the demons will grant the warrior military victory. Each of the demons removes a different internal or external organ from the infant, whose mother then sends him in a basket down the river, much like Moses in ancient Egypt. A magical hermit rescues the infant, and grows replacement organs for him. The infant grows up to be a warrior himself (now played by Satoshi Tsumabuki), who is charged with the mission of slaying each of the demons who has stolen his organs, and accompanied by a scrappy female pickpocket who also lacks a name (played by Kou Shibasaki). Every time a demon is defeated, our protagonist recovers one of his original organs, and comes closer to reaching the inevitable confrontation with his evil father. (It gives nothing away to acknowlege this event, which is telegraphed from the beginning of the film.)|
Posted on 08.28.08 by David @ 10:10 am
The Kid with the Golden Arm
Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Contributors: Charlie and Studios: Shaw Brothers and Genre: Martial Arts and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews Comments: None |
I feel bad, because I always have to qualify my love for The Kid with the Golden Arm by pointing out that, great as it is, other Chang Cheh/Venoms films are clearly superior, including Five Deadly Venoms, Crippled Avengers, and the quasi-Venoms masterpiece, Chinese Super Ninjas. Of course, that said, Kid is still one of the best Chang Cheh and the Shaw Brothers had to offer. It is also one of the rare occasions when all six Venoms were present. Here all play colorful characters, splitting the hero/villain duties as usual. Sun Chien (Scorpion) plays the leader of a band of men escorting government gold, Wei Pai (Snake) makes a rare appearance as the jerkiest hero ever to sling a sword, and Chiang Sheng (multi-Venom) is the enthusiastic Short Axe. Meanwhile, Lo Meng (Toad) turns in one of his best performances as the villainous, but admirable, eponymous Kid, leading a gang of bandits alongside Lu Feng (Centipede) as Silver Spear and perennial villain Wang Lung as Iron Robe (who meets one of the nastiest deaths I’ve ever seen in a fu movie, and that is saying a lot). Of course, as always, it is up to Kuo Chui (Lizard) to bring the fun as drunken hero/secret agent Hai Tao. |
Posted on 06.29.08 by David @ 9:55 am
Country and Year: HK/Japan (2008) Review By: David Austin SASORI PLAYS AT THE IFC CENTER THURSDAY, JULY 3D AT 11:55 PM Sasori, a remake of the classic Japanese surreal exploitation series, Female Convict Scorpion, is a throwback to the trashy Hong Kong films of yesteryear. It’s actually better to put the fact that it’s a remake out of your mind – were it not for references like the title, the name of the main character being Nami Matsushima (the same as Meiko Kaji’s classic character) and the appropriation of the original’s theme song, “Uramibushi” over the end credits (though not in its original Kaji-sung version), I probably would not have even connected the two. Frankly, Sasori is better off without the comparison – while the plot outline is roughly similar, the feel and spirit of this film and the originals are very different.  Indeed, Sasori will inevitably suffer if comparison to the original. The first two Female Convict Scorpion films were flat-out exploitation masterpieces, something this film is not. Moreover, Meiko Kaji brought an untouchable cool and intensity to the lead role that newcomer Miki Mizuno cannot hope to equal. Kaji was the very essence of Woman Wronged – she rarely spoke but her very gaze was enough to shake her opponents. Mizuno’s interpretation is a weaker, far less iconic character. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and People: Simon Yam and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2008 Comments: None |
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Posted on 06.19.08 by Jeff @ 1:30 pm
Mad Detective Mad Detective is the most recent crime film from master director Johnnie To. However, unlike its immediate predecessors in To’s filmography, Mad Detective is not a quasi-Spaghetti Western like Exiled or a Godfather-esque saga like Election and Election 2. Instead, Mad Detective is To’s mystical take on the police procedural genre. In the film, the magnificently rumpled Lau Ching Wan plays a highly eccentric police detective who solves crimes with the help of his schizophrenic “visions” which allow him to see the world through the perspective of others. Despite the Mad Detective’s obvious gifts, he is forced to retire after slicing off one of his ears in front of his coworkers. However, when a police officer goes missing in the woods, a young detective (played by Andy On) asks the Mad Detective for help in solving the case. The Mad Detective’s return to police work is treated with scorn by his former coworkers and by his ex-wife (played by Kelly Lin), to whom Lau’s character delusionally believes he is still married.
Mad Detective is a film of remarkable visual poetry. In many striking scenes, To shows the world through the eyes of the title character, who views each personality trait of the people around him as a separate entity. (For example, one actor will portray a character when that character is motivated by fear, while another actor will play that same character when he motivated by greed, and yet another actor will play that same character when he is acting in a coldly logical fashion. This is not as confusing as it sounds; a similar technique was used to much lesser effect in the sitcom “Herman’s Head“.) The scenes between Lau and Lin are quite touching as well. Both actors do a great job with their roles; Lau in particular gives a relatively restrained performance and does a great job of playing a sad sack. However, On comes across as fairly bland and does not leave much of an impression. The film’s big finale, set in the (somewhat clichéd) locale of a hall of mirrors, is also visually dazzling. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews: Japan and Contributors: David and People: Takashi Miike and People: Johnnie To and Venues: IFC Center and Contributors: Jeff and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2008 and Film Festivals: Japan Cuts 2008 Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.19.08 by David @ 11:26 am
AKA: Ren zhe wu di Review By: David Austin  Ninja in Ancient China, one of Chang Cheh’s last works, is an interesting subversion of the usual tropes of kung fu cinema. The plot, as is so often the case, involves a group of disciples banding together to revenge the killing of their master by a power-hungry general. However, while the death was unjust, it turns out that the general was not so unreasonable in ordering his death, and that the country might even have been better off under his rule. As such, Ninja in Ancient China shows a little more nuance than usual, and, like Vengeance and Blood Brothers, demonstrates that Chang Cheh was capable of more than just his usual hack and slash work (though to call Chang Cheh’s hack and slash work “the usual” is akin to dismissing a John Woo gunfight as his “usual”). Filed under: General and Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews and DVD Reviews: Hong Kong and Rating: Average ★★ and People: Chang Cheh and Movie Reviews: China and DVD Companies: Greenfan Comments: None |
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Posted on 10.04.07 by David @ 6:14 pm
Blood Stained Tradewind
Filed under: General and Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews and Movie Reviews: UK and People: Chu Yuan and People: Chen Kuan-tai and DVD Companies: Image and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews Comments: None |
A holdover from the Shaw Brothers glory days of Hong Kong filmmaking, there are more stars in this than you can shake a stick at. Blood Stained Tradewind is directed by Chu Yuan, one of the masters of the wuxia films that predominated in the 1970s and 80s, and it was produced by and stars Chen Kuan Tai (one of the bigger stars in the Shaw Brothers system). It also stars Ng Man Tat of Shaolin Soccer and Lo Lieh, arguably the greatest of the Shaw villains, along with many others.|
Posted on 09.10.07 by David @ 9:49 am
AKA: Yi boh laai beng duk; Yibola bing du Review By: David Austin  Ebola Syndrome is so loathsome, so truly foul, yet so spirited and fun, that I can’t help but love it. To my mind, what’s not to like about a movie that features Anthony Wong running through the streets of Hong Kong spitting on people and yelling “Ebola!” Apparently though, at least judging by his reaction when CSB’s Charlie brought it up during a recent interview, Anthony Wong doesn’t feel the same way. In fact, in his commentary track included in this release, he talks about how little he enjoys doing this kind of film, and asks rhetorically why anyone would want to watch it. Nevertheless, even though Anthony would rather forget this one, we are extremely happy that it is finally available to a wider audience. Filed under: General and Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews and DVD Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Rating: Good ★★★ and DVD Companies: Discotek Comments: 3 Comments |
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Posted on 07.09.07 by Charlie @ 5:52 pm
 Part 10 of our report on the always-outstanding 2007 Subway Cinema New York Asian Film Festival, which finished up yesterday, July 8th (schedule here): After This Our Exile  After This Our Exile had its NY premiere at Subway Cinema’s New York Asian Film Festival, which wrapped up its 6th year last night. The festival featured the 160 minute director’s cut (the Hong Kong dvd release was cut by about 40 minutes in response to criticism that it was “self-indulgent”). Having never seen the shortened version, I thought the director’s cut worked fine. The story boils down to one man’s destructive downward spiral and its effect on his wife and young son. We’ve seen this in other films before, but I was impressed that After This Our Exile managed to convey sympathy for the main character without excusing his responsibility. In that regard it reminded me of Requiem for a Dream, though it is not nearly as harsh a film on the eyes. Aaron Kwok, a familiar face in Hong Kong cinema, plays the lead. His character is a degenerate gambler in the truest sense of the word, and after putting up with it for years, his wife has had enough — a breaking point she likely would have hit ages ago if not for their young son, who can’t even afford the small amounts needed to ride the school bus. The film focuses on Aaron Kwok’s character as he tries in small bursts to change into a responsible adult and father, only to flop back to his unsustainable ways. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: Charlie and Rating: Good ★★★ and Movie News: China and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2007 and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews Comments: None |
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Posted on 06.21.07 by David @ 10:51 am
AKA: Gau Ngao Gau Review By: David Austin Dog Bite Dog is intensely nihilistic in a way that I suspect would have bowled me over five years ago, but now struck me as faintly (well, more than faintly) overdone. As in some other recent crime thrillers like One Nite in Mongkok with more on their minds than titillation, Soi Cheang creates a grim world where no good deed is left unpunished and where even the supposed hero finds himself beating up an innocent girl by the end of the film. Unfortunately, while Dog Bite Dog gets pretty far on sheer audacity and willpower, its weaknesses prevent it from reaching its potential.  The plot centers around Pang (played by idol Edison Chen), a trained, brutalized Cambodian killer brought over to Hong Kong to carry out an assassination. Over the course of a long night, the killer picks up two pieces of baggage in the form of Wai, a disgraced ferret of a policeman played by lanky Sam Lee (Bio-Zombie), and a retarded girl (Pei Pei) whom he accidentally rescues from her abusive father. As Wai and his fellow officers track Pang, they resort to increasing levels of violence, blurring the lines themselves and their prey. Escalating violence leads to a final showdown, and an epigraph which is not properly prefigured by the story. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Rating: Average ★★ and Film Festivals: News and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2007 Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 06.20.07 by David @ 10:05 am
Part 2 of our report on the 2007 Subway Cinema New York Asian Film Festival, which starts this weekend: The Banquet  The Banquet is a lugubrious tale of palace intrigue from Mainland China starring Zhang Ziyi. Clearly pitched at the international arthouse audience, the film is ostensibly a pseudo-Shakespearean period piece concerning a struggle for power following the death of the Emperor among the late Emperor’s lover, brother, general, and others. However, the film is far more concerned with lavish set design than it is with plot mechanics or characterization. To be fair, though, the set design is pretty amazing; nearly every scene takes place in elaborate palace rooms filled with unusual statues and other odd details which bring to mind the work of Matthew Barney. Filed under: Movie News and Movie News: Hong Kong and Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Film Festivals: News and People: John Woo and People: Kuo Cheh (5 Venoms) and People: Zhang Ziyi and Movie News: China and People: Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Contributors: Jeff and People: Chow Yun-fat and Film Festivals: New York Asian Film Festival 2007 and Movie Reviews: Capsule Reviews and Movie Reviews: China Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 02.12.07 by David @ 10:16 am
Country and Year: Hong Kong (1974) Review By: David Austin  Face Behind the Mask is a solid piece of wu xia entertainment. It’s not revolutionary, and it really doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before. However, all the elements come together nicely to create a quick-paced piece of entertainment. The plot is typically twisty and convoluted but begins to make sense after the first 15 minutes. Chi Tien-wei is the head of the First Family. Along with his disciples, who include Leng Yen-ching (Lo Lieh) and Hsiao Meng-fei (Yueh Hua), and his daughter Chi Mu-tan, he dispenses righteous justice, eliminating bandits and making the countryside a safer place. Unfortunately, shortly after his coronation as leader of the martial world, he is sent a threat by a mysterious “Mystical Guest” and attacked by a series of traitors and assassins. The rest of the film follows his efforts to discover and uproot his enemies. Aficionados of the genre will probably be able to spot the hidden villain early on, but the allegiances of many of the characters remain doubtful long enough to create a genuine element of suspense. Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and DVD Reviews and DVD Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Rating: Average ★★ and People: Lo Lieh Comments: 1 Comment |
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