Something to Look Forward to: Part Two

Last year I posted a list of films I was excited about. The films were:

Ip Man
Thirst
Red Cliff (Part II)
The Hurt Locker
Shinjuku Incident
Blood: A Butcher's Tale
The River Why
Claustrophobia
Lady Cop & Papa Crook
Painted Skin
Rule #1
Lost, Indulgeance

I have watched all of the films in the list that have been released (Blood: A Butcher's Tale, and The River Why have yet to be released). Of those films viewed, only Shinjuku Incident and Lady Copy & Papa Crook proved to be disappointing. The rest of the films were either good (Claustrophobia, Painted Skin; Lost, Indulgeance; Rule #1), or exceptional (Ip Man, Thirst, Red Cliff Part II, The Hurt Locker).

I would like to encourage people to see all of the films (excluding Lady Cop & Papa Crook, which was an absolute mess of a film), as I think they all have something to offer.

Following up on the aforementioned 2008 post of things I was looking forward to seeing, here are some more films that I'm looking forward to watching.

The Films:

Vengeance
Directed by Johnnie To, written by Wai Ka-fai, starring Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Simon Yam, Sylvie Testud, Vincent Sze, Eddie Cheung, Berg Ng, Felix Wong, Maggie Siu, Michelle Ye, Law Wing-cheong, Stanley Fung, Elena Kong, and Jo Koo.

What it is:
The latest film from Hong Kong Director, and crime genre maestro, Johnnie To.

Why I'm excited:
A film about vengeance directed by To, with a script by long-time collaborator Writer/Director (and Milkyway Image Production co-founder, along with To) Wai Ka-fai, is enough to get my nerd levels on the rise. Throw in French Actor Johnny Hallyday, with a supporting cast of Milkyway regulars Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Simon Yam, Eddie Cheung, Berg Ng, Maggie Siu, Law Wing-cheong, and HK actors Michelle Ye, Stanley Fung, and Jo Koo; and I can hardly contain my excitement.

When two men such as Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai work together on a crime film after making films like Too Many Ways To Be No. 1, The Longest Nite, Expect the Unexpected, Running Out of Time, The Mission, Fulltime Killer, PTU, Election, and several others; it's hard to imagine the product could be anything but spectacular. To say that I'm just excited about Vengeance would be an understatement.


A Good Rain Knows
(a.k.a.: Season of Good Rain)
Directed by Hur Jin-ho, starring Jung Woo-sung and Gao Yuanyuan.

What it is:
The latest feature film from South Korean Director Hur Jin-ho.

Why I'm excited:
Hur Jin-ho is known for his ability to craft excellent romantic drama. His previous films (Christmas In August, One Fine Spring Day, April Snow, Happiness) are perfect examples of how romance and drama in film should be done. Other than Wong Kar-wai, there isn't a director out there that can capture romance on film as well as Hur Jin-ho.

With his latest film, Hur cast South Korean Actor Jung Woo-sung and Chinese Actress Gao Yuanyuan. Fans of South Korean Cinema may recognize Jung from his works in the films Musa: The Warrior (co-starring Chinese Actress Zhang Ziyi), Mutt Boy, Daisy (directed by Hong Kong Filmmaker Andrew Lau), and The Good, the Bad, and the Weird. Coupled with the terrifically talented Gao Yuanyuan (who has starred in many great Chinese films, including: Beijing Bicycle, Spring Subway, and City of Life and Death), Jung Woo-sung's performance should prove a good one. With these talented leads, A Good Rain Knows could be another great romantic drama from Hur Jin-ho.


The Grandmaster
Directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

What it is:
Wong Kar-wai's film about the exploits of Wing Chun Grandmaster Ip Man.

Why I'm excited:
After the success of Director Wilson Yip and Actor Donnie Yen's take on Bruce Lee's master, Ip Man, and the fact that a sequel is already in production, one would assume Wong's The Grandmaster would be a sure bet. Assuming the film will be completed, Wong's long-time collaborator Tony Leung Chiu-wai is slated to star as Ip Man.

In addition to Tony Leung Chiu-wai, it's rumored that either Actress Gong Li (long-time collaborator with Chinese Director Zhang Yimou), or retired HK Actress Brigitte Lin, will join the cast of Wong's Ip Man film. It is also possible that both may join the production. Leung, Li, and Lin have all worked with Wong before (Leung in Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Ashes of Time, Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, 2046, and Ashes of Time: Redux; Li in 2046, and the Eros short The Hand; and Lin in Chungking Express, Ashes of Time, and Ashes of Time: Redux).

Following Wong's poorly received English-language debut, My Blueberry Nights, a return to Hong Kong Cinema with one of it's biggest stars seems like a no-brainer for the reknowned auteur. Regardless of the cast or the subject, a new film directed by Wong Kar-wai is something to get excited about. A new film directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as the Legendary Wing Chun Grandmaster Ip Man; that's something to eagerly anticipate.


The Murderer
Directed by Na Hong-jin.

What it is:
The sophomore feature film from South Korean Director Na Hong-jin.

Why I'm excited:
Na Hong-jin's first feature was the incredible thriller The Chaser. After watching The Chaser back in February, I posted: "The Chaser is one of the best South Korean films of the year (2008), and one of the best films of 2008 in general. I don't know what Na Hong-jin's next film will be, but I can't wait to see it, and I'll be watching The Chaser again soon."

I did watch The Chaser again about a month later, and still found it to be an incredibly intense horror-thriller. While the title of Na Hong-jin's next feature is now known, I don't know anything else about it. And, to get excited about the film, I don't need to know anything else. Na's direction of The Chaser was so impressive that I'll watch just about anything he comes out with next.

Time Is Good

This time, 2 is the magic number, as I share my thoughts on two films. The films: Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell, and Alan Mak & Felix Chong's HK-China Co-production Overheard.

Drag Me to Hell
Directed by Sam Raimi, starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, and Dileep Rao.

Having already seen Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell twice in the theater, I was fairly familiar with the material. For my third viewing of the film I watched the Unrated Version. With the length of the theatrical release and the unrated version being the same, the differences are minor enough to almost be unworthy of mentioning, however, the theatrical version is better. Like the films in Raimi's Evil Dead Series, Drag Me to Hell is a joy to re-watch.


Overheard
Directed by Alan Mak & Felix Chong, starring Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Zhang Jing-chu, Alex Fong Chung-sun, Waise Lee, and Michael Wong.

A huge step up from Mak & Chong's previous film, Lady Cop & Papa Crook, Overheard manages to engage and affect despite lacking character depth and focus. Leads Lau, Koo, and Wu give predictably good performances, offsetting the somewhat hollow script. My main complaint would be the lack of focus. Had Mak & Chong tightened up the story and focused more on characters' motives, Overheard could have been one of the top films of the year. Instead, we get a mediocre crime film that provides a decent viewing experience.



Next time, a list of films I'm looking forward to seeing.