In preparation for the dvd releases of Derek Yee's Shinjuku Incident and Herman Yau's The First 7th Night (which were on the same day), I decided to have a film festival for one, featuring some of my favorite films by the two directors. The films are as follows:
The Untold Story
Directed by Herman Yau
Troublesome Night 3
Directed by Herman Yau
Troublesome Night 5
Directed by Herman Yau
People's Hero
Directed by Derek Yee
C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri
Directed by Derek Yee
Lost In Time
Directed by Derek Yee
Nightmares in Precinct 7
Directed by Herman Yau
On the Edge
Directed by Herman Yau
I had planned to watch Yau's A Mob Story, Whispers and Moans, and True Women for Sale; and Yee's One Nite In Mongkok, Drink-Drank-Drunk, and Protégé, but Shinjuku Incident and The First 7th Night arrived at my door earlier than I had anticipated, and I couldn't wait to watch them.
Shinjuku Incident
Directed by Derek Yee, starring Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Chin Kar-lok, Lam Suet, Masaya Kato, Fan Bing-bing, and Xu Jing-lei.
Back in October of last year, I wrote a post about upcoming films I was excited about. One of those films was Shinjuku Incident. I wrote:
"I live and breathe cinema created by Yee. Like most of my favorite directors, I have all of his films, and love them all. On top of that, Shinjuku Incident stars Jackie Chan, who, while hardly known for his acting ability, just might pull off an engaging performance thanks to Derek Yee. As if a thriller directed by Yee weren't enough, it co-stars Daniel Wu who worked with Yee on the incredible One Nite in Mongkok, and it stars another of my favorite actor/directors, Xu Jinglei.
Being a film from Derek Yee, this is bound to be a good, if not great film. With all the talent involved, this could be Yee's greatest film yet. I haven't been this excited about a film since Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I can only hope Shinjuku Incident will be better than that. Much better."
While my level of disappointment with Shinuku Incident wasn't as great as with Episode I, it was close. However, the blame shouldn't be placed with Derek Yee. Though I have some minor quibbles script-wise, Shinjuku Incident was an intriguing film with one of the best supporting casts I've seen. The film fails due to the limited acting ability of Jackie Chan.
The direction, cinematography, costumes, set designs, locations, score, and supporting cast are excellent. Had another actor (a real actor) been cast in the lead role, I think Shinjuku Incident could have been Yee's best film, and one of the best films of 2009. Unfortunately, Jackie Chan was cast in the lead role, and for that Shinuku Incident suffers greatly.
The First 7th Night
Directed by Herman Yau, starring Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Michelle Ye, Julian Cheung, Eddie Cheung, Fung Hark-on, and Tony Ho.
Unlike Yee's Shinjuku Incident, Yau's The First 7th Night is good. I'm both too lazy and too in-awe of the film to describe it's plot, but it is a great blend of genres. For those that don't know, 7th night refers to the belief that on the 7th night after a person's death, they return to visit their family/exact revenge.
I liked so many things about the film, but I especially enjoyed Gordon Lam's performance, and the story upon it's conclusion.I hope that this is just the first in a series of 7th Night films, as the title suggests. Yau's directed is superb, and the film turned out to be far more thoughtful and interesting than I expected.
18 July, 2009
11 July, 2009
My Timing Is Off
It has been a month since my last post because I've been digging the new eels album, "Hombre Lobo", I've been sleeping, and I've been watching the fifth season of Stargate Atlantis on dvd. I've also watched the following films. Enjoy my thoughts on them.
My Name Is Bruce
Bruce Campbell's latest self-directed feature is more crap than camp.
Such A Gorgeous Kid Like Me
The lead character in Francois Truffaut's film is so unlikeable that the film is depressing, and ultimately a lesser film than it could have been, had the "gorgeous kid" had any redeeming qualities.
Miao Miao
Miao Maio possesses some good performances but is far from memorable.
Ming Ming
Odd, engaging, but odd.
Fearless
For a film entitled "Fearless", I found it to be quite reserved.
August 15th
An excellent short film.
Gran Torino
The third time around, Gran Torino is still damn good.
Tactical Unit - Partners
A decent entry in the PTU telefilm series.
City of Life and Death
An emotive filmic take on the Nanjing (a.k.a. Nanking) Massacre.
Claustrophobia
Screenwriter Ivy Ho's directorial debut is pretty good, but it isn't as good as I had hoped it would be.
Exiled
After watching Johnnie To's Exiled for the second time, I liked it better than my first viewing, but I still consider it a lesser work of his.
My Mother Is A Belly Dancer
An surprisingly entertaining film.
Butterfly
Kinda bland story-wise, but well acted.
Drag Me To Hell
Sam Raimi knows campy-horror.
The Last Metro
The Last Metro is an excellent film that shows both the great ability of an experienced auteur such as Francois Truffaut, and the great tragedy that is war.
Paprika
A fucked up Japanese Anime film about an experimental dream device that falls into the wrong hands.
Expect the Unexpected
One of my favorite films, so, it's good.
Yes, I Can See Dead People
An entertaining HK horror-comedy.
Throw Down
One of my favorite Johnnie To films.
Rise: Blood Hunter
Rise: Blood Hunter is such an incredibly shitty mess that it doesn't even deserve to be called a film.
Ivan's Childhood
One of the finest films I've seen.
M
One of the finest films I've seen, and I've seen it many times.
M le maudit
Director Claude Chabrol's poor adaptation/homage to Fritz Lang's M.
The Vampire Who Admires Me
Silly HK horror-comedy with attractive women in skimpy clothing.
Moonlight In Tokyo
An engaging HK dramedy about a mentally handicapped gigolo.
Jiang Hu - "The Triad Zone"
A top notch HK triad dramedy.
The Killer
Birds, bullets, and blindness abound in John Woo's heroic bloodshed classic.
The Uninvited
Jun Ji-hyun co-stars in a decent South Korean horror film with an unfulfilling finale.
War of the Underworld
Herman Yau's take on the Young and Dangerous.
White Valentine
A disappointing South Korean rom-com.
Destry Rides Again
James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich in the Old West, 'nuff said.
Radio Dayz
A South Korean dramedy with an engaging cast of characters that fails due to a poorly executed plot.
The President's Barber
A good South Korean political satire that feels like it could have been better if the story took a bolder stand on the issues it presents.
Swordsman II
A bold film that touches on politics, sexuality, and loyalty through swordplay and kungfu.
Check back next week for my thoughts on several films, including Derek Yee's Shinjuku Incident, and Herman Yau's The First 7th Night.
My Name Is Bruce
Bruce Campbell's latest self-directed feature is more crap than camp.
Such A Gorgeous Kid Like Me
The lead character in Francois Truffaut's film is so unlikeable that the film is depressing, and ultimately a lesser film than it could have been, had the "gorgeous kid" had any redeeming qualities.
Miao Miao
Miao Maio possesses some good performances but is far from memorable.
Ming Ming
Odd, engaging, but odd.
Fearless
For a film entitled "Fearless", I found it to be quite reserved.
August 15th
An excellent short film.
Gran Torino
The third time around, Gran Torino is still damn good.
Tactical Unit - Partners
A decent entry in the PTU telefilm series.
City of Life and Death
An emotive filmic take on the Nanjing (a.k.a. Nanking) Massacre.
Claustrophobia
Screenwriter Ivy Ho's directorial debut is pretty good, but it isn't as good as I had hoped it would be.
Exiled
After watching Johnnie To's Exiled for the second time, I liked it better than my first viewing, but I still consider it a lesser work of his.
My Mother Is A Belly Dancer
An surprisingly entertaining film.
Butterfly
Kinda bland story-wise, but well acted.
Drag Me To Hell
Sam Raimi knows campy-horror.
The Last Metro
The Last Metro is an excellent film that shows both the great ability of an experienced auteur such as Francois Truffaut, and the great tragedy that is war.
Paprika
A fucked up Japanese Anime film about an experimental dream device that falls into the wrong hands.
Expect the Unexpected
One of my favorite films, so, it's good.
Yes, I Can See Dead People
An entertaining HK horror-comedy.
Throw Down
One of my favorite Johnnie To films.
Rise: Blood Hunter
Rise: Blood Hunter is such an incredibly shitty mess that it doesn't even deserve to be called a film.
Ivan's Childhood
One of the finest films I've seen.
M
One of the finest films I've seen, and I've seen it many times.
M le maudit
Director Claude Chabrol's poor adaptation/homage to Fritz Lang's M.
The Vampire Who Admires Me
Silly HK horror-comedy with attractive women in skimpy clothing.
Moonlight In Tokyo
An engaging HK dramedy about a mentally handicapped gigolo.
Jiang Hu - "The Triad Zone"
A top notch HK triad dramedy.
The Killer
Birds, bullets, and blindness abound in John Woo's heroic bloodshed classic.
The Uninvited
Jun Ji-hyun co-stars in a decent South Korean horror film with an unfulfilling finale.
War of the Underworld
Herman Yau's take on the Young and Dangerous.
White Valentine
A disappointing South Korean rom-com.
Destry Rides Again
James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich in the Old West, 'nuff said.
Radio Dayz
A South Korean dramedy with an engaging cast of characters that fails due to a poorly executed plot.
The President's Barber
A good South Korean political satire that feels like it could have been better if the story took a bolder stand on the issues it presents.
Swordsman II
A bold film that touches on politics, sexuality, and loyalty through swordplay and kungfu.
Check back next week for my thoughts on several films, including Derek Yee's Shinjuku Incident, and Herman Yau's The First 7th Night.
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