The Missing Gun
First up, is the Chinese neo-noir The Missing Gun. It stars Jiang Wen as a Ma Shan, a police officer that loses his gun. Since China is a nation where guns are banned, his superiors are extremely worried what might happen should the gun fall into the wrong hands, which is inevitably does. What follows is a noirish black comedy that highlights the ugly side of Ma Shan's life and the people he knows, as everyone from his son, to his wife, to his old war buddies become suspects in the disappearance of his gun.
The ugliness of Ma Shan's life is what makes The Missing Gun worth recommending. Jiang Wen's performance as the downtrodden cop who seemingly everyone is against, makes it easy to identify with the character, and get lost in the story. Pun intended.
PK.COM.CN
Second is the abrasively postmodern second film from Xiao Jiang, PK.COM.CN. Having seen and thoroughly enjoyed Xiao's first feature, Electric Shadows, I was really looking forward to seeing PK.COM.CN. Sadly, it did not manage to reach the same heights Xiao's previous effort.
PK.COM.CN is the tale of Fang Zuming, a young surgeon who longs for his med school days spent with his best friend Chen Bailin. The two were as close as brothers and planned to live their lives to the fullest. Unfortunately, Fang gave up on his dreams and had a falling out with Chen, causing Fang to close himself off.
While it deals with a familiar premise, PK.COM.CN fails to reach it's full potential as it unfolds in a flashy, music video stlye that is more about how Fang felt in given situations, than what actually occurred. More simply put, if you're jonsing for something akin to Run Lola Run, or abstract art, this is a film for you. Otherwise, don't waste the medicine this film will require you to take to get rid of the headache it may cause.
An Empress and the Warriors
If ever you have found yourself dreaming of a film that combines Kelly Chen's lack of acting ability with a set inspired by the Ewok Village from Return of the Jedi, this is for you. However, if you like stories that have the slightest bit of meat to them, and characters whose actions make some semblance of sense, watch something else.
Twelve Nights
Fortunatey, after watching two underwhelming films, I was whelmed with Twelve Nights. Twelve Nights stars Eason Chan and Cecilia Cheung in an incredibly believable film about the ups and downs of a relationship, from the beginning to the tear-inducing end. The story itself is fairly simplistic, boy meets girl, they fall in, and eventually out, of love.
What sets this apart is Director Aubrey Lam's choice to cover the relationship in twelve segments, that showcase the important moments in the relationship. Each segment is preceded by a statement about love and emotions, that hold true for the characters. Definitely not an easy film to digest, Twelve Nights shows the depressing aspects of love with honesty.
Dreams May Come
Director/Writer/Actress/Super-Blogger Xu Jinglei's third feature , Dreams May Come is an amazing film, in which nothing really happens. Xu stars as an actress in a television series, who goes to the series' director's hotel room to tell him she wants to quit the show. What follows is roughly 100 minutes of conversation, during which both characters comment on how they see themselves, each other, and the world.
Its a deceptively simple film that manages to engage and even enthrall, in spite of the seemingly pretentious concept. I had been looking forward to seeing this film for a long time, having liked Xu's first film, My Father and I, and loved her second film, A Letter From an Unknown Woman. Fortunately, my high expectations were exceed, and I was treated to one of the best films I've seen this year, and probably ever.
Chungking Express
After watching films like Twelve Nights and Dreams May Come, I felt as though I had been spoiled. Then I watched Chungking Express. I've probably seen this film more times than any other, and I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it. A must see for any Hong Kong film fan, cinema afficianado, or film buff. Chungking Express is my favorite in all of filmdom, and probably the greatest film ever made. If you think you have seen a film better than this, you're wrong.
Police Story
Jackie Chan before he made crappy American movies. Directed by Jackie Chan, Police Story is a cinema classic that stars Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, and Maggie Cheung. If you need to read any more about this film, you don't need to see it.
Police Story Part II
Jackie, Maggie, the cops, and the bad guys from the first film are back with all the comedy, action and stunts the first film had, with a longer running time and a deaf mute with a penchant for explosives.
Lost in Beijing
Rounding out the films for this post is Lost in Beijing. Banned in China for the explicit sexual scenes, Lost is Beijing is a tale of two married couples whose bliss is marred by unfaithfulness, greed, and a general lack of morality. And it is beautiful. The characters are believable and the actors protraying them draw you in and make you care as though they were real. When it is all over, no one is spared from the fates they have wrought on themselves and each other. An utterly wonderful film that like Twelve Nights, shows the ugly side of relationships and the people in them.
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