Purple Violets
Directed by, Written by, Produced by, and Starring Edward Burns, alongside Selma Blair, Patrick Wilson, and Debra Messing.
Brian Callahan (Wilson) is a bestselling novelist that hopes to shed his vacuous series for a more serious type of literature. Unfortunatley, everyone around him from his free of spirit and free of mind girlfriend, to his best friend and lawyer Murph (Burns), thinks he should stick with what he knows. During his existential mini-crisis, Brian runs into his old college girlfriend, and love of his life, Patty (Blair). Fueled by the resurgence of his dreams from the past and the hopes he had for the future, Brian puts himself out there emotionally, both in his relationships and his writing.
For Patty, seeing Brian again brings to the surface her own dreams of becoming a serious writer, and finding the love she deserves. And, while helping Brian with his crises, Murph faces one of his own, as he tries to reconcile with his college love, Patty's trepidatious best friend Kate (Messing). With their lives as intertwined as their hearts, the foursome come to realize the reality of their situations and what matters most in life.
I've been an Edward Burns fan since the first time I saw The Brothers McMullen many years ago. Following my late night television viewing of that, I rushed out to find it on video. I watched The Brothers McMullen over and over, like I watched Star Wars as a kid, and it quickly became one of my favorite films. Yearning for more of Burns' characters and great New York locales, I sought out his other films. Over the years I managed to acquire them all, She's the One, No Looking Back, Sidewalks of New York, Ash Wednesday, Looking for Kitty, The Groomsmen, and now, Purple Violets. I have yet to see an Edward Burns film that disappoints.
Though they all have their merits, not since The Brothers McMullen has an Edward Burns film reached its full potential. Purple Violets shows that Burns has the ability to juggle the responsiblity of being a director, producer and actor, as well as the ability to bring an intelligent, well written script with fully realized characters to the screen. All the promise shown in The Brothers McMullen that was seen in flashes in his previous films is on display in Purple Violets.
The humanity and flaws of the characters seamlessly fit together, and their moods match the coloring and tone of their environments. In addition to pulling everything together aesthetically, Burns' use of music in Purple Violets is phenomenal. The moody feel of the music by The Blue Jackets perfectly underscores the emotions of the characters and really sounds great.
With so many great established directors and auteurs failing to provide new cinema that builds on their previous films, it really is nice to see one whose great body of work is complemented by and improved upon by their latest feature. Purple Violets has not only become my favorite Edward Burns film, it has become one of my favorite films period, and one of the best I've seen in quite some time. Other directors should take note that a romantic comedy or drama can be a quality film.
If you like any of the actors involved, if you're a fan of Edward Burns, or you just happen to like good film, you should watch Purple Violets. Set aside a night, free of distractions, open a bottle of wine, curl up with your significant other and hit play on your Ipod, computer or dvd player. And for those who don't have a significant other, if you watch it alone with a few cold beers and a couple slices of pizza, you'll still end up full hope, and beer and pizza as well.
Those who have already seen Purple Violets may recognize the blog title. If you don't recognize it, watch Purple Violets, or watch Purple Violets again. Besides having a connection to the film that makes it apropos title-wise, "Today I Met An Old Friend" also represents the feeling I got after watching Purple Violets. The undescribable feeling that one gets from watching something that touches you, moves you, and makes you think. So, I leave you with the highest recommendation I can give to a film, because, today I met an old friend, great cinema.
31 August, 2008
30 August, 2008
Perfection
Writing about my idea of a perfect movie night seemed like an easy way to churn out a blog with little effort. Instead, I have found that it would require more effort than just typing about films. So, I'm going to save blogging about my idea of a perfect movie night for another day, one where I feel a bit more motivated.
The Dark Knight
First, a second viewing of The Dark Knight. I found it flawed and bloated the first time I saw it, unfortunatley, my second viewing didn't better my opinion of Christopher Nolan's second Bat-flick. Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne is passable, but his performance as Batman is laughable at best. His voice for Batman is awful. The other performances were okay, Gary Oldman makes a good Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart is a good Harvey Dent/Two Face, and Heath Ledger is a decent Joker.
Unlike 99% of peole that have seen The Dark Knight, I am not enamored by Nolan's vision of Batman. Nolan doen't quite seem to grasp that Batman isn't just an emo James Bond with a Halloween mask. He fails to capitalize on the rich history of the character as a genius level man that posses an unending drive to right wrongs. Instead of the world's greatest detective, we get a whiny wackjob in a cape and cowl that relies more on gadgets and those around him than on his own abilities.
If there is a third film in Nolan's Batman series, and I'm sure there will be, I'll most likely go see it, but I'm not clamoring for it. After seeing how self-congratulatory Nolan and his cohorts became following the success of Batman Begins, I'd prefer that they stop making Batman films, because I just don't see them getting it right.
SLiTHER
Moving right along to the second of three films in this blog, we have SLiTHER. Directed by James Gunn, SLiTHER is a horror comedy that stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Greg Henry and Michael Rooker.
When an alien organism falls to Earth, landing in a small town, it begins to assimilate the townsfolk to fulfill it's ultimate purpose, utter control of all living things. The only thing standing it the way is a small group of locals led by Police Chief Bill Pardy (Fillion), Mayor Jack McCreedy (Henry), and Starla Grant (Banks), wife of the first person to come into contact with the alien.
Where does one start with a film as nearly perfect as SLiTHER is? James Gunn's direction is wonderfully assured and fluid. Gunn mixes the horror elements and the comedy in such a sly way that at times they blend together so much that the lines between the two genres become blurred.
Besides Gunn's top notch direction, SLiTHER has some superbly talented acting. Nathan Fillion's take on a small town police chief is hilarious, as is Greg Henry's performance as a small town mayor that is as vulgar as he is inept, much like a real life small town mayor. Elizabeth Banks manages to be likeable and brings a subtle blend of humor, while Michael Rooker's Grant Grant provides the perfect obstacle for Fillion's Bill Pardy.
If you like films akin to Ghostbusters, An American Werewolf in London, or Dead & Breakfast, and haven't already seen SLiTHER, you should check it out. With a great blend of humor and horror, and the best ending in the genre, SLiTHER is well worth the rental or purchase.
Dark City
Directed by Alex Proyas, and starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, and Kiefer Sutherland.
After waking up in a bathroom, without any idea of who he is or why he is there, John (Sewell) is quickly swept up into a series of events that test his patience, resolve and sanity. While searching the streets and inhabitants of the dark city for the truth, John comes to learn that he is wanted for a string of murders, has a wife he doesn't know, and has life that isn't his. As John seeks questions and answers regarding his life, his wife Emma (Connelly) and Police Detective Bumstead (Hurt) begin to question the facts of the case and reality as they know it. With the help of Dr. Daniel Schreber, the inquisitive trio comes together and uncovers the nefarious plans of a group of strangers with a deep seeded power over the city, second only to their ambition.
Unfortunately, not long after Dark City hit theaters, a little flick called The Matrix came out, dwarfing Dark City and proving to be a box office smash. The theatrical version of Dark City saw limited success upon it's release, and, like so many other great films, it came to find a cult following on video. Far superior to The Matrix in many ways, Dark City is an intelligent film that questions the meaning of life, and what makes a man who he/she is. Heavily influenced by German Expressionist films like M, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dark City has an industrial look that provides an atmosphere that is both foreign and recognizably familiar.
Though the theatrical version has been available for years, a director's cut of the film was recenlty released on dvd. There are several differences between the two versions. Certain scenes have lengthier shots in the director's cut, mostly amounting to less than a minute each, and the voice over introduction that dumbed down the previous release has been removed. What I found to be the most noticeable difference, along with a superior quality tranfser, was the two muscial performances given by Connelly's Emma.
In the theatrical release of Dark City, Emma's performances of the songs "Sway" and "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" were sung by Anita Kelsey, though they were filmed with Jennifer Connelly providing the vocals. In the director's cut, Connelly's vocals is used. Kelsey's rendition of both songs worked fine in the theatrical release, but they didn't quite fit with Connelly's regular voice. The placement of Connelly's vocals, which are really good, is a nice touch.
Dark City was already a fantastic movie that puts The Matrix and others like it to shame, but the subtle differences in the director's cut take it from being a really good movie to a great film. The little things really do make a difference, even if you don't immediately notice them. A gripping psychological thriller, with drama, touches of scifi, a love story, and a message that is neither heavy handed nor trite, the director's cut of Dark City has it all.
Next Blog: The latest film from Edward Burns, Purple Violets.
The Dark Knight
First, a second viewing of The Dark Knight. I found it flawed and bloated the first time I saw it, unfortunatley, my second viewing didn't better my opinion of Christopher Nolan's second Bat-flick. Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne is passable, but his performance as Batman is laughable at best. His voice for Batman is awful. The other performances were okay, Gary Oldman makes a good Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart is a good Harvey Dent/Two Face, and Heath Ledger is a decent Joker.
Unlike 99% of peole that have seen The Dark Knight, I am not enamored by Nolan's vision of Batman. Nolan doen't quite seem to grasp that Batman isn't just an emo James Bond with a Halloween mask. He fails to capitalize on the rich history of the character as a genius level man that posses an unending drive to right wrongs. Instead of the world's greatest detective, we get a whiny wackjob in a cape and cowl that relies more on gadgets and those around him than on his own abilities.
If there is a third film in Nolan's Batman series, and I'm sure there will be, I'll most likely go see it, but I'm not clamoring for it. After seeing how self-congratulatory Nolan and his cohorts became following the success of Batman Begins, I'd prefer that they stop making Batman films, because I just don't see them getting it right.
SLiTHER
Moving right along to the second of three films in this blog, we have SLiTHER. Directed by James Gunn, SLiTHER is a horror comedy that stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Greg Henry and Michael Rooker.
When an alien organism falls to Earth, landing in a small town, it begins to assimilate the townsfolk to fulfill it's ultimate purpose, utter control of all living things. The only thing standing it the way is a small group of locals led by Police Chief Bill Pardy (Fillion), Mayor Jack McCreedy (Henry), and Starla Grant (Banks), wife of the first person to come into contact with the alien.
Where does one start with a film as nearly perfect as SLiTHER is? James Gunn's direction is wonderfully assured and fluid. Gunn mixes the horror elements and the comedy in such a sly way that at times they blend together so much that the lines between the two genres become blurred.
Besides Gunn's top notch direction, SLiTHER has some superbly talented acting. Nathan Fillion's take on a small town police chief is hilarious, as is Greg Henry's performance as a small town mayor that is as vulgar as he is inept, much like a real life small town mayor. Elizabeth Banks manages to be likeable and brings a subtle blend of humor, while Michael Rooker's Grant Grant provides the perfect obstacle for Fillion's Bill Pardy.
If you like films akin to Ghostbusters, An American Werewolf in London, or Dead & Breakfast, and haven't already seen SLiTHER, you should check it out. With a great blend of humor and horror, and the best ending in the genre, SLiTHER is well worth the rental or purchase.
Dark City
Directed by Alex Proyas, and starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, and Kiefer Sutherland.
After waking up in a bathroom, without any idea of who he is or why he is there, John (Sewell) is quickly swept up into a series of events that test his patience, resolve and sanity. While searching the streets and inhabitants of the dark city for the truth, John comes to learn that he is wanted for a string of murders, has a wife he doesn't know, and has life that isn't his. As John seeks questions and answers regarding his life, his wife Emma (Connelly) and Police Detective Bumstead (Hurt) begin to question the facts of the case and reality as they know it. With the help of Dr. Daniel Schreber, the inquisitive trio comes together and uncovers the nefarious plans of a group of strangers with a deep seeded power over the city, second only to their ambition.
Unfortunately, not long after Dark City hit theaters, a little flick called The Matrix came out, dwarfing Dark City and proving to be a box office smash. The theatrical version of Dark City saw limited success upon it's release, and, like so many other great films, it came to find a cult following on video. Far superior to The Matrix in many ways, Dark City is an intelligent film that questions the meaning of life, and what makes a man who he/she is. Heavily influenced by German Expressionist films like M, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dark City has an industrial look that provides an atmosphere that is both foreign and recognizably familiar.
Though the theatrical version has been available for years, a director's cut of the film was recenlty released on dvd. There are several differences between the two versions. Certain scenes have lengthier shots in the director's cut, mostly amounting to less than a minute each, and the voice over introduction that dumbed down the previous release has been removed. What I found to be the most noticeable difference, along with a superior quality tranfser, was the two muscial performances given by Connelly's Emma.
In the theatrical release of Dark City, Emma's performances of the songs "Sway" and "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" were sung by Anita Kelsey, though they were filmed with Jennifer Connelly providing the vocals. In the director's cut, Connelly's vocals is used. Kelsey's rendition of both songs worked fine in the theatrical release, but they didn't quite fit with Connelly's regular voice. The placement of Connelly's vocals, which are really good, is a nice touch.
Dark City was already a fantastic movie that puts The Matrix and others like it to shame, but the subtle differences in the director's cut take it from being a really good movie to a great film. The little things really do make a difference, even if you don't immediately notice them. A gripping psychological thriller, with drama, touches of scifi, a love story, and a message that is neither heavy handed nor trite, the director's cut of Dark City has it all.
Next Blog: The latest film from Edward Burns, Purple Violets.
23 August, 2008
Cold Fries
Everyone knows what it is like to eat cold fries. They're gross and lack the inner warmth that normally makes them so good. Unfortunately, that is how I have felt lately. Having had my heart-parts proverbially broken, I've felt like cold fries. An unwanted, poor facsimile of my former self.
As anyone that has experienced that powerful word that starts with an L and ends with an OVE knows, it sucks harder than a Hoover when it doesn't go as one would hope. It is infinitely worse when things go so far awry that you end up losing sight of yourself.
Directed by Matthew Leutwyler and starring Jeremy Sisto, Poppy Montgomery, Erik Palladino and Vincent Ventresca, This Space Between Us is a film about loss and life. Sisto plays Alex, a man who has spent the last two years brooding over the loss of the love of his life. Bottling up his emotions and keeping himself stuck in place instead of moving on has caused Alex to burst emotionally. In order to keep himself from cracking completely, Alex leaves L.A. for San Francisco, where he runs across old friends, comes to terms with his loss, and finds something within himself to push forward.
Sure, it has been done a thousand different ways a thousand times before, (Garden State, The Graduate, and anything made by Edward Burns, Francois Truffaut, or Wong Kar-wai) but the journey of self discovery in This Space Between Us still feels fresh and unique. Leutwyler's ability as a director shines through, with locations feeling like characters and characters feeling like people. And the actors all provide excellent potrayals of characters that are likeable, flawed and human.
The identifiability that seems almost inate to Leutwyler as a storyteller and Sisto as an actor are to be marvelled at. Though it may be jokingly referred to as something that no one has seen, This Space Between Us is deserving of a lofty place within cinema, right up there with the likes of Chungking Express and The Brothers McMullen. If you haven't seen this, you should.
As anyone that has experienced that powerful word that starts with an L and ends with an OVE knows, it sucks harder than a Hoover when it doesn't go as one would hope. It is infinitely worse when things go so far awry that you end up losing sight of yourself.
Directed by Matthew Leutwyler and starring Jeremy Sisto, Poppy Montgomery, Erik Palladino and Vincent Ventresca, This Space Between Us is a film about loss and life. Sisto plays Alex, a man who has spent the last two years brooding over the loss of the love of his life. Bottling up his emotions and keeping himself stuck in place instead of moving on has caused Alex to burst emotionally. In order to keep himself from cracking completely, Alex leaves L.A. for San Francisco, where he runs across old friends, comes to terms with his loss, and finds something within himself to push forward.
Sure, it has been done a thousand different ways a thousand times before, (Garden State, The Graduate, and anything made by Edward Burns, Francois Truffaut, or Wong Kar-wai) but the journey of self discovery in This Space Between Us still feels fresh and unique. Leutwyler's ability as a director shines through, with locations feeling like characters and characters feeling like people. And the actors all provide excellent potrayals of characters that are likeable, flawed and human.
The identifiability that seems almost inate to Leutwyler as a storyteller and Sisto as an actor are to be marvelled at. Though it may be jokingly referred to as something that no one has seen, This Space Between Us is deserving of a lofty place within cinema, right up there with the likes of Chungking Express and The Brothers McMullen. If you haven't seen this, you should.
The Return
It has now been a full month since the last time this was updated. Since that time, the amount of films I have watched saw a dramatic increase and a rapid decrease. Instead of an incredibly long blog of the 30 plus flicks I've seen, I'll just post a list of them, and resume descriptions next blog. Kind of a lame way of catching up, but it is better than nothing.
Trivial Matters
Sound of Colors
The Golden Girls
Love is not a game, but a joke
Koma
Believe It Or Not
Oldboy
The Dark Knight
Love Trilogy
I Wanna Be Your Man
Summer's Tail
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
This Space Between Us
Lunch With Charles
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The Mummy 3
Serenity
The Oh in Ohio
Little Children
This Space Between Us
Death at a Funeral
Wall-E
Pineapple Express
Chungking Express
Juno
Looking for Kitty
Sidewalks of New York
Tropic Thunder
Blue Gate Crossing
24 Hrs Ghost Story
The Straight Story
Keeping Watch
The Golden Girls listed is not the television show starring the recently departed Estelle Getty. It is actually a Hong Kong film starring Lau Ching-Wan and Anita Yuen. Some of you may have noticed that both The X-Files and This Space Between Us are listed twice. That is not an error, I have listed every film I've seen since my last post in the order in which they were watched, and I happened to watch both of those films twice.
Next post: Why I love This Space Between Us, and my idea of a perfect movie night.
Trivial Matters
Sound of Colors
The Golden Girls
Love is not a game, but a joke
Koma
Believe It Or Not
Oldboy
The Dark Knight
Love Trilogy
I Wanna Be Your Man
Summer's Tail
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
This Space Between Us
Lunch With Charles
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The Mummy 3
Serenity
The Oh in Ohio
Little Children
This Space Between Us
Death at a Funeral
Wall-E
Pineapple Express
Chungking Express
Juno
Looking for Kitty
Sidewalks of New York
Tropic Thunder
Blue Gate Crossing
24 Hrs Ghost Story
The Straight Story
Keeping Watch
The Golden Girls listed is not the television show starring the recently departed Estelle Getty. It is actually a Hong Kong film starring Lau Ching-Wan and Anita Yuen. Some of you may have noticed that both The X-Files and This Space Between Us are listed twice. That is not an error, I have listed every film I've seen since my last post in the order in which they were watched, and I happened to watch both of those films twice.
Next post: Why I love This Space Between Us, and my idea of a perfect movie night.
22 July, 2008
Magic and Love
This time, a shorter post, covering just two films: Hong Kong horror film Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic, and Korean romance drama My Girl & I.
Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic
Gong Tau is a Category III, meaning it is not for the kiddies, horror flick about a cop whose family is cursed by the mystical Gong Tau. The Voodoo-like magic slowly affects everyone close to him, and he must try like the Dickens to find out who has put the whammy on him so that he can salvage what is left of his quickly deteriorating life.
An entertaing horror flick that has some good scares and a decent story, which is more than can be said for most contemporary horror films. If you've seen and liked films, like The Serpent and the Rainbow, that have some gruesome scenes, though not to the degree of depravity seen in the Saw or Hostel films, you'll be in for a treat with Gong Tau.
My Girl & I
The second and final film for this abbreviated post, is the Korean romance drama My Girl & I. Adapted from a Japanese film, My Girl & I stars some extremely photogenic actors in contrived and overdone situtations that we've all seen before. And yet, the stars aligned to make this an incredibly engrossing, if somewhat light, drama that is probably better than it should be.
It is simple enough, boy meets girl, they fall in like, get to know each other, flutters begin in their tummies, and then they discover their love can never be, due to the obligatory contrived circumstance. Inspite of this, My Girl & I manages to tug at the old heartstrings, and even made a cynical, jaded, love-deprived guy like myself care what happened to the characters. Something that is no small feat.
Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic
Gong Tau is a Category III, meaning it is not for the kiddies, horror flick about a cop whose family is cursed by the mystical Gong Tau. The Voodoo-like magic slowly affects everyone close to him, and he must try like the Dickens to find out who has put the whammy on him so that he can salvage what is left of his quickly deteriorating life.
An entertaing horror flick that has some good scares and a decent story, which is more than can be said for most contemporary horror films. If you've seen and liked films, like The Serpent and the Rainbow, that have some gruesome scenes, though not to the degree of depravity seen in the Saw or Hostel films, you'll be in for a treat with Gong Tau.
My Girl & I
The second and final film for this abbreviated post, is the Korean romance drama My Girl & I. Adapted from a Japanese film, My Girl & I stars some extremely photogenic actors in contrived and overdone situtations that we've all seen before. And yet, the stars aligned to make this an incredibly engrossing, if somewhat light, drama that is probably better than it should be.
It is simple enough, boy meets girl, they fall in like, get to know each other, flutters begin in their tummies, and then they discover their love can never be, due to the obligatory contrived circumstance. Inspite of this, My Girl & I manages to tug at the old heartstrings, and even made a cynical, jaded, love-deprived guy like myself care what happened to the characters. Something that is no small feat.
12 July, 2008
Ahhhhhh, films
I've been to lazy to blog, so I haven't. However, I am now going to overcome that and provide you, dear readers, with a super-lenghty blog. A super-lengthy blog filled with my thoughts on Hong Kong horror-comedies The Haunted Cop Shop and Demi-Haunted, HK rom-com Bakery Amour, Chinese coming-of-age drama Beijing Bicycle, HK musical drama Perhaps Love, HK/Taiwanese drama Secret, HK comedy/Bond spoof From Beijing With Love, HK comedy Love on a Diet, HK horror flick Nightmares in Precinct 7, HK horror comedy classic A Chinese Ghost Story III, Korean comedy The Foul King, and American horror comedy Hellboy II.
The Haunted Cop Shop
The Haunted Cop Shop is a horror comedy that stars Jacky Cheung and Ricky Hui as two bumbling cops that run afoul of a Japanese ghost/vampire. Wacky, sometimes hit or miss, comedy highlights The Haunted Cop Shop. If you're into films like Mr. Vampire or Fright Night, odds are you'll like this as well.
Demi-Haunted
Scares, comedy and drama all take turns popping up in Demi-Haunted. Unfortunately, they don't always pop up at the appropriate times. Eason Chan stars as a low level actor in a theatre troupe that befriends the ghost of a former actress looking for her long lost love. All in all, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half, and you probably won't go away from the film hating it.
Bakery Amour
Pretty much your standard rom-com, guy meets girl, stomachs fill with butteflies, and something happens that interferes with their budding romance until they realize the depth of their love. Inspite of this overdone genere's formulaic plotting, Bakery Amour manages to entertain and even charm. Most of this is due to stars Francis Ng and Michelle Reis, who are both immensely likeable.
Beijing Bicycle
A great film about a country boy that goes to work in Beijing as a delivery boy. Bicycle beneath him, he flies around the streets of Beijing making deliveries. Unfortunately, just as he is about to have enough money to own his bike outright, it is stolen. Devastated, he searches for his bike in hopes of regaining his job and his feeling of freedom. An excellent film that affects and engages. By the end of it you'll be on the edge of your seat rooting for him.
God of Cookery
King of Comedy Stephen Chow lampoons the TV cooking craze. Needless to say, it is hilariously funny. I guess it wasn't needless to say, since I stated it, but you get the idea.
Perhaps Love
Peter Chan (Comrades, Almost a Love Story; The Warlords) directs this musical drama about dysfunctional actors in an intricate love triangle, searching for pieces of themsevles in their pasts. It stars HK heavyweights Jacky Cheung and Takeshi Kaneshiro alongside mainland Chinese actress Zhou Xun. Perhaps Love is so well acted and directed, that it draws one in, and very quickly you forget that you're even watching a musical. The song and dance numbers fit so well within the characters' lives that they never distract or take one out of the film. Beautifully shot, with great music, acting and direction. Perhaps Love is not only worthy of a viewing, it deserves it.
Secret
Some might think that following up Perhaps Love would be nigh impossible, and they would be correct, unless they popped Secret into their dvd players. Directed by, written by, and starring Jay Chou, Secret is a story of young love. To say much more about the plot would give away the secret. Stars Jay Chou, Anthony Wong, and the incredible Kwai Lun-Mei, admirably portray the angst and longing of their characters that, if played by lesser actors, would cause the film to sink faster than a bottomless canoe. Though some of the aspects of the secret fail to convince, the beauty of the story and the music of the film manage to make Secret pretty great.
From Beijing with Love
King of Comedy Stephen Chow lampoons James Bond. Like in God of Cookery, Chow is impossibly funny. If you like James Bond films, and even if you don't, you should see it, because Stephen Chow would like you to.
Love on a Diet
Directed by Milkyway Image greats Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai, Love on a Diet stars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng in fat suits. Cheng plays Mini, a rotund woman that seems to be the biggest (no pun intended) fan of Japanese sensation Kurokawa. Before he became a hit, Kurokawa was a small time artist in love with Mini. As his skills progressed, he left to study in America, and Mini fell into a state of depression, trying to fill the void left by Kurokawa's departure with food. Years later, Mini meets Kurokawa after a concert, but he doesn't recognize her, and mentions that she and his lost love share the same name.
A further depressed Mini then crosses paths with bitter loner Fatso (Lau). Fatso eventually befriends Mini and reluctantly agrees to help his new friend reach her goals. Along the way, Fatso goes above and beyond the call of friendship for Mini in every way he can. As she nears her goal, they to begin to fall for one another, and Mini must chose between the dream she has hoped for, and the love of the man who would do anything for her.
Filled with humor and heart, Love on a Diet is slightly off putting because of the slim is better attidues of the main characters. However, it is never said that thinner is truly better, and the fact that they can see past their distaste of their respective weights to find love shows just how good Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai are as directors. Slightly silly, and less-than-PC, but still a thoroughly entertaining and touching film.
Nightmares in Precinct 7
Directed by Herman Yau, Nightmares in Precinct 7 stars Andy Hui as Fong, a cop that gets shot in the head while on the job. Two years later, he awakens from a coma to find that two of his colleages died in the same incident, his mother passed away, and his girlfriend has moved on. And you thought your day was bad.
Luckily for him, he has super-cute nurse named Oscar (played by Loletta Lee) that fancies him, and a neat new sense in the form of seeing ghosts. After rehab, Fong returns to duty and is given lead on a rape-murder investigation. As he struggles to return to normal, Fong is aided by the ghost of a psychologist (played by Cheung Tat Ming) with both his investigation, and his budding romance. When the killer seems to begin eyeing Oscar, Fong must confront his fears to save her.
Not too scary, but filled with dark humor and wonderful performances from Hui, Lee, and Cheung, Nightmares in Precinct 7 proves to be a thoughtful and affecting horror drama. Besides being one of the best horror films I've ever seen, Nigtmares in Precinct 7 also has the best, most shocking ending I've ever seen. As jarring as the ending is, it also feels wholly appropriate, and gives a great end to a great film.
A Chinese Ghost Story III
Stars Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung and Joey Wong. Same as the first two films in the series, A Chinese Ghost Story III follows a young man's journey as he falls for a kind ghost that is controlled by a not so kind ghost. With the help of a swordsman-for-hire, the young man frees his love from the clutches of pure evil.
Not a scary film by any means, A Chinese Ghost Story III is heavy on humor and romance. Though there are scarier and funnier films, A Chinese Ghost Story III is not without charm, and is definitely worth seeing as Leung, Cheung, and the beautiful Wong make a good comedic team. That being said, if you haven't seen either of the preceeding films in the series, A Chinese Ghost Story and A Chinese Ghost Story II, I would recommend watching those first.
The Foul King
A supremely funny Korean comedy that stars Song Kang-Ho as an unlucky guy that finds inner strength, friendship and love after becoming a wreslter. Though it is easy to compound the film's plot into a simple sentence, it is much more than a simple comedy. Song Kang-Ho's ability to play an affable, unfortunate character is astounding, and the dramatic undertones allow the actors and the comedy to have more weight than one would expect.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
After the first Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro had endeared audiences, critics and producers enough to make a blockbuster follow up to Hellboy. In Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and Jeffrey Tambor are back, brining the B.P.R.D (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) to life. Unfortunately, the story is mired by unnecessary subplots, and an unsympathetic, angsty antagonist.
Hellboy II fails to live up to it's predecessor, and feels very much like Guillermo Del Toro's Greatest Hits, as the director utilizes tones, themes, actors, and even storylines from his previous films. A big disappointment, for a film that should have been a slam dunk. Perlman and the other actors, with the exception of Jones (reprising his role as Abe Sapien in body, and replacing the far superior David Hyde-Pierce as Abe Sapien in voice), manage a fine job with their characters, but the film feels like a scattershot of things that worked well in other films, but without the setup and followup in those respective films, the ideas put forth in Hellboy II fall far short, though audiences will still flock to see it, and fanboys will still love it.
Next time: Hong Kong horror thriller Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic, Korean rom-drama My Girl & I, HK dramedy Trivial Matters, and more.
The Haunted Cop Shop
The Haunted Cop Shop is a horror comedy that stars Jacky Cheung and Ricky Hui as two bumbling cops that run afoul of a Japanese ghost/vampire. Wacky, sometimes hit or miss, comedy highlights The Haunted Cop Shop. If you're into films like Mr. Vampire or Fright Night, odds are you'll like this as well.
Demi-Haunted
Scares, comedy and drama all take turns popping up in Demi-Haunted. Unfortunately, they don't always pop up at the appropriate times. Eason Chan stars as a low level actor in a theatre troupe that befriends the ghost of a former actress looking for her long lost love. All in all, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half, and you probably won't go away from the film hating it.
Bakery Amour
Pretty much your standard rom-com, guy meets girl, stomachs fill with butteflies, and something happens that interferes with their budding romance until they realize the depth of their love. Inspite of this overdone genere's formulaic plotting, Bakery Amour manages to entertain and even charm. Most of this is due to stars Francis Ng and Michelle Reis, who are both immensely likeable.
Beijing Bicycle
A great film about a country boy that goes to work in Beijing as a delivery boy. Bicycle beneath him, he flies around the streets of Beijing making deliveries. Unfortunately, just as he is about to have enough money to own his bike outright, it is stolen. Devastated, he searches for his bike in hopes of regaining his job and his feeling of freedom. An excellent film that affects and engages. By the end of it you'll be on the edge of your seat rooting for him.
God of Cookery
King of Comedy Stephen Chow lampoons the TV cooking craze. Needless to say, it is hilariously funny. I guess it wasn't needless to say, since I stated it, but you get the idea.
Perhaps Love
Peter Chan (Comrades, Almost a Love Story; The Warlords) directs this musical drama about dysfunctional actors in an intricate love triangle, searching for pieces of themsevles in their pasts. It stars HK heavyweights Jacky Cheung and Takeshi Kaneshiro alongside mainland Chinese actress Zhou Xun. Perhaps Love is so well acted and directed, that it draws one in, and very quickly you forget that you're even watching a musical. The song and dance numbers fit so well within the characters' lives that they never distract or take one out of the film. Beautifully shot, with great music, acting and direction. Perhaps Love is not only worthy of a viewing, it deserves it.
Secret
Some might think that following up Perhaps Love would be nigh impossible, and they would be correct, unless they popped Secret into their dvd players. Directed by, written by, and starring Jay Chou, Secret is a story of young love. To say much more about the plot would give away the secret. Stars Jay Chou, Anthony Wong, and the incredible Kwai Lun-Mei, admirably portray the angst and longing of their characters that, if played by lesser actors, would cause the film to sink faster than a bottomless canoe. Though some of the aspects of the secret fail to convince, the beauty of the story and the music of the film manage to make Secret pretty great.
From Beijing with Love
King of Comedy Stephen Chow lampoons James Bond. Like in God of Cookery, Chow is impossibly funny. If you like James Bond films, and even if you don't, you should see it, because Stephen Chow would like you to.
Love on a Diet
Directed by Milkyway Image greats Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai, Love on a Diet stars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng in fat suits. Cheng plays Mini, a rotund woman that seems to be the biggest (no pun intended) fan of Japanese sensation Kurokawa. Before he became a hit, Kurokawa was a small time artist in love with Mini. As his skills progressed, he left to study in America, and Mini fell into a state of depression, trying to fill the void left by Kurokawa's departure with food. Years later, Mini meets Kurokawa after a concert, but he doesn't recognize her, and mentions that she and his lost love share the same name.
A further depressed Mini then crosses paths with bitter loner Fatso (Lau). Fatso eventually befriends Mini and reluctantly agrees to help his new friend reach her goals. Along the way, Fatso goes above and beyond the call of friendship for Mini in every way he can. As she nears her goal, they to begin to fall for one another, and Mini must chose between the dream she has hoped for, and the love of the man who would do anything for her.
Filled with humor and heart, Love on a Diet is slightly off putting because of the slim is better attidues of the main characters. However, it is never said that thinner is truly better, and the fact that they can see past their distaste of their respective weights to find love shows just how good Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai are as directors. Slightly silly, and less-than-PC, but still a thoroughly entertaining and touching film.
Nightmares in Precinct 7
Directed by Herman Yau, Nightmares in Precinct 7 stars Andy Hui as Fong, a cop that gets shot in the head while on the job. Two years later, he awakens from a coma to find that two of his colleages died in the same incident, his mother passed away, and his girlfriend has moved on. And you thought your day was bad.
Luckily for him, he has super-cute nurse named Oscar (played by Loletta Lee) that fancies him, and a neat new sense in the form of seeing ghosts. After rehab, Fong returns to duty and is given lead on a rape-murder investigation. As he struggles to return to normal, Fong is aided by the ghost of a psychologist (played by Cheung Tat Ming) with both his investigation, and his budding romance. When the killer seems to begin eyeing Oscar, Fong must confront his fears to save her.
Not too scary, but filled with dark humor and wonderful performances from Hui, Lee, and Cheung, Nightmares in Precinct 7 proves to be a thoughtful and affecting horror drama. Besides being one of the best horror films I've ever seen, Nigtmares in Precinct 7 also has the best, most shocking ending I've ever seen. As jarring as the ending is, it also feels wholly appropriate, and gives a great end to a great film.
A Chinese Ghost Story III
Stars Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung and Joey Wong. Same as the first two films in the series, A Chinese Ghost Story III follows a young man's journey as he falls for a kind ghost that is controlled by a not so kind ghost. With the help of a swordsman-for-hire, the young man frees his love from the clutches of pure evil.
Not a scary film by any means, A Chinese Ghost Story III is heavy on humor and romance. Though there are scarier and funnier films, A Chinese Ghost Story III is not without charm, and is definitely worth seeing as Leung, Cheung, and the beautiful Wong make a good comedic team. That being said, if you haven't seen either of the preceeding films in the series, A Chinese Ghost Story and A Chinese Ghost Story II, I would recommend watching those first.
The Foul King
A supremely funny Korean comedy that stars Song Kang-Ho as an unlucky guy that finds inner strength, friendship and love after becoming a wreslter. Though it is easy to compound the film's plot into a simple sentence, it is much more than a simple comedy. Song Kang-Ho's ability to play an affable, unfortunate character is astounding, and the dramatic undertones allow the actors and the comedy to have more weight than one would expect.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
After the first Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro had endeared audiences, critics and producers enough to make a blockbuster follow up to Hellboy. In Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and Jeffrey Tambor are back, brining the B.P.R.D (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) to life. Unfortunately, the story is mired by unnecessary subplots, and an unsympathetic, angsty antagonist.
Hellboy II fails to live up to it's predecessor, and feels very much like Guillermo Del Toro's Greatest Hits, as the director utilizes tones, themes, actors, and even storylines from his previous films. A big disappointment, for a film that should have been a slam dunk. Perlman and the other actors, with the exception of Jones (reprising his role as Abe Sapien in body, and replacing the far superior David Hyde-Pierce as Abe Sapien in voice), manage a fine job with their characters, but the film feels like a scattershot of things that worked well in other films, but without the setup and followup in those respective films, the ideas put forth in Hellboy II fall far short, though audiences will still flock to see it, and fanboys will still love it.
Next time: Hong Kong horror thriller Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic, Korean rom-drama My Girl & I, HK dramedy Trivial Matters, and more.
05 July, 2008
Lights! DVD! Action!
This time around, more cinematic fun with Hong Kong classics The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin, and Come Drink With Me, ancient Chinese warfare epic A Battle of Wits, and the Korean revenge-suspense-drama Good Wife.
The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin
In Shaolin Kung Fu, there are 35 chambers, comprised of the lessons needed to make one a proper ass-kicking follower of Buddha. In the film, The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin, the evil Manchu cause young student Liu Yu-De to travel to Shaolin Temple to learn the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu. After completing the 35 chambers in record time, Liu Yu-De is given the choice of overseeing any chamber he wishes. However, instead of picking one of the already established chambers, he asks to create a 36TH chamber, in which he would teach students outside of Shaolin Temple, in hopes of kicking the Manchu out of Canton.
Eventually, the baddies get their collective asses handed to them, and good triumphs. But it isn't the outcome of the rebel factions opposed to the Manchua rulers that is the main focus of the film, it is Liu Yu-De's progression in his Shaolin training. The training, and Gordon Liu's performance as Liu Yu-De, made this a cinema classic that rivals any martial arts film made before or since.
Come Drink With Me
While The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin is probably the greatest martial arts film ever made, Come Drink With Me is a close second.
In the olden days in China, a gang of bastardly robbers kidnap a governor's son in hopes of trading his life for that of their captured leader. Golden Swallow, the governor's daughter, is sent to arrest those responsible, while rescuing her brother. Though she can kick the crap out of almost any man, an entire gang proves too much for her alone. Fortunately for her, she crosses paths with a mysterious beggar, that is really the Druken Master of Shaolin Temple.
Before Buffy The Vampire Slayer, before La Femme Nikita, Golden Swallow showed that women can kick ass as well as any man. It is a really good film too.
A Battle of Wits
Andy Lau stars as Ge Li, a brilliant strategist with a heart of gold, that goes to Liang to help defend it against a coming invasion. Ge Li proves to be the Liang peoples' only hope, as they face death and slavery should their kingdom fall. Lucky for them Ge Li is the smartest military general one could ask for. While aiding Liang and it's people, Ge Li earns respect from his subordinates and the enemy general, the love of a beatiful woman (played by the lovely Fan Bingbing), and the ire of Liang's King, as the less than benevolent ruler sees Ge Li as a threat to his rule due to Ge Li's kindhearted nature.
All in all, A Battle of Wits is pretty damn good. What is found in A Battle of Wits may not be quite as excellent as the political intrigue and elaborate battles found in Curse of the Golden Flower, but it is far better than An Empress and the Warriors, and at least on par with another recent Andy Lau Ancient Chinese epic, The Warlords.
Good Wife
Talented acting, decent direction and some flashes of goodness can't save this muddle Korean drama from being anything other than diversionary entertainment. Simply put, a waste of time if you're looking for something meaningful or worthwile. However, if you have an hour and a half of free time, nothing better to do, and you don't feel like taking a nap, what the hell?
The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin
In Shaolin Kung Fu, there are 35 chambers, comprised of the lessons needed to make one a proper ass-kicking follower of Buddha. In the film, The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin, the evil Manchu cause young student Liu Yu-De to travel to Shaolin Temple to learn the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu. After completing the 35 chambers in record time, Liu Yu-De is given the choice of overseeing any chamber he wishes. However, instead of picking one of the already established chambers, he asks to create a 36TH chamber, in which he would teach students outside of Shaolin Temple, in hopes of kicking the Manchu out of Canton.
Eventually, the baddies get their collective asses handed to them, and good triumphs. But it isn't the outcome of the rebel factions opposed to the Manchua rulers that is the main focus of the film, it is Liu Yu-De's progression in his Shaolin training. The training, and Gordon Liu's performance as Liu Yu-De, made this a cinema classic that rivals any martial arts film made before or since.
Come Drink With Me
While The 36TH Chamber of Shaolin is probably the greatest martial arts film ever made, Come Drink With Me is a close second.
In the olden days in China, a gang of bastardly robbers kidnap a governor's son in hopes of trading his life for that of their captured leader. Golden Swallow, the governor's daughter, is sent to arrest those responsible, while rescuing her brother. Though she can kick the crap out of almost any man, an entire gang proves too much for her alone. Fortunately for her, she crosses paths with a mysterious beggar, that is really the Druken Master of Shaolin Temple.
Before Buffy The Vampire Slayer, before La Femme Nikita, Golden Swallow showed that women can kick ass as well as any man. It is a really good film too.
A Battle of Wits
Andy Lau stars as Ge Li, a brilliant strategist with a heart of gold, that goes to Liang to help defend it against a coming invasion. Ge Li proves to be the Liang peoples' only hope, as they face death and slavery should their kingdom fall. Lucky for them Ge Li is the smartest military general one could ask for. While aiding Liang and it's people, Ge Li earns respect from his subordinates and the enemy general, the love of a beatiful woman (played by the lovely Fan Bingbing), and the ire of Liang's King, as the less than benevolent ruler sees Ge Li as a threat to his rule due to Ge Li's kindhearted nature.
All in all, A Battle of Wits is pretty damn good. What is found in A Battle of Wits may not be quite as excellent as the political intrigue and elaborate battles found in Curse of the Golden Flower, but it is far better than An Empress and the Warriors, and at least on par with another recent Andy Lau Ancient Chinese epic, The Warlords.
Good Wife
Talented acting, decent direction and some flashes of goodness can't save this muddle Korean drama from being anything other than diversionary entertainment. Simply put, a waste of time if you're looking for something meaningful or worthwile. However, if you have an hour and a half of free time, nothing better to do, and you don't feel like taking a nap, what the hell?
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