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2046 (Wong Kar-wai - China - 2004)
Wong Kar Wai's follow up to the stunning In The Mood For Love is a much harder nut to crack. 2046 is the number of the hotel room where our hero from the first film has a lot of painful memories stored. It's also the year in which his new science fiction novel is set and events from that novel are dramatised and intercut with the main story, which I found a little hard to follow for much of the time. Also Tony Leung's character is harder to like in this film because he's now a philandering playboy. These issues aside the sheer quality of every aspect of Wong's filmmaking can't fail to shine through. This is a film which I'm sure will improve with each viewing. |
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City of Life & Death (Lu Chuan - China - 2009)
This film deals head on with a subject that is apt to open old wounds or spark political arguments from near and far, so it looks like the people who decide which film is to represent their country at the Oscars thought it best to pass it over in favour of something more palatable. It's a pity though because this is a very well made film - outstanding technically, well-acted and with something important to say about the politics of war and human affairs. It takes place in 1937, and focusses on the Rape of Nanking, a period of several weeks when tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed, and thousands more Chinese women were systematically raped by soldiers from the Japanese Army whose behaviour was condoned by the Japanese military heirarchy, or at the very least were left unchecked during that time. The film switches between various characters caught up in the mayhem, among them a schoolteacher, a Chinese soldier and nazi businessman who ultimately saves many Chinese civilians much like Oskar Schindler did in world war two. It's a pretty unrelenting look at how brutal people can really be when faced with extreme circumstances and the black and white photography was definitely the right choice for this film. |
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee - Taiwan - 2000)
Ang Lee's very well executed kung fu epic isn't really my cup of tea due mainly to the fact that most of the main characters can fly. I don't have a problem with kung fu films per se, but the kind that appeal to me tend to be more, ah down to earth, shall we say. I don't really understand the need for all the high-wire choreography... maybe I'm missing something. However, that's just a matter of personal taste. Technically, the film is excellent. The acting's good all round, especially Michelle Yeoh. Now if I could just get past this flying business. |
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Cyclo (Ahn-Hung Tran - Vietnam - 1995)
This gritty, violent and authentic film from Ahn-Hung Tran centres around a young cyclo (an excellent performance by Le Van Loc), his older sister and her lover (the ever reliable Tony Leung). Having lost both his parents, Cyclo (none of the main characters has proper names) lives a hand to mouth existence, living a hard life on the edge of extreme poverty. The only money he can earn is by hard graft - ferrying people here and there in his rented cyclo cab. There's a turf war going on though, and his cyclo is soon stolen and his life threatened by rival gangs claiming the area as theirs. Now further in debt the lure of a life of crime becomes irresistible. Parallel to this story is the poet's (Leung). He's already heavily involved in organised crime and takes to pimping out the cyclo's sister, also in dire need of cash. Everyone here is trying to eke out a living any way they can. The atmosphere of tension, desperation and frustration is almost palpable, and the sticky hot and grimy streets of Saigon give an oppressive taint to the characters' travails. This is an utterly assured, gripping and visually impressive cinematic experience whose imagery will stay with you long after the end credits roll. One of the most impressive Asian films I've seen in recent years. |
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Hero (Zhang Yimou - China - 2001)
Lovely film to look at, featuring Jet Li as an assassin sent to kill a well-protected emperor. The structure of the film is one of a series of flashbacks, and even flashbacks within flashbacks all of which eventually reveal how it came to pass that he is the person chosen to carry out the assassination attempt and the justification for the emperor's murder. From a technical point off view it's almost flawless and it features an interesting and inventive colour scheme arrangement. Director Zhang Yimou has kept his cast of regulars around and they're all very good as usual, particularly Tony Leung. There's a fair amount of cgi trickery on show here and there's also a lot of high-wire fighting, but I'm getting the hang of that now. |
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House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou - China - 2004)
This is the follow up to last year's Hero - a very good film. In a lot of ways it's better than Hero but in other ways it's inferior. To explain I'm going to have to give away the ending, so if you're planning on seeing it and you don't want to know what happens at the end of the film then don't read any further. There's a fundamental flaw in this film, I think and it is the fact that the ending we are presented with is really not the ending that the rest of the film is promising. The film is headed for a whopping great showdown between the protagonists and the members of the eponymous House and that showdown never materialises. Instead we get a very stylish, but kind of silly showdown between the three members of a love triangle in the midst of the quickest season change in history. I found this turn of events especially disappointing as I really enjoyed the rest of the film. The cinematography and set design is simply stunning. Everything else about the film is spot on, it's just disappointing that the ending wasn't what was advertised. |
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In The Mood For Love (Wong Kar-wai - China - 2000)
Wong Kar Wai's most accomplished film also features career best performances from Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. Leung stars as Chow - a writer whose wife is having an affair with Cheung's husband. The two find out about these affairs and arrange to meet each other - to talk about how to deal with the situation, to have an affair themselves? - that's the question. Wong Kar Wai directs the film with a tremendous amount of poise and precision, Leung and Cheung capture the conflicting emotions they feel about each other and themselves perfectly and Christopher Doyle's distinctive cinematography all combine to make a complete package; that rare film that will stand close scrutiny and multiple viewings without wearing out it's welcome and should still be around decades after your Batmans and Die Hards have bitten the dust. |
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Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow - China - 2004)
Absolutely bonkers new film from Stephen Chow. Imagine a live action version of a Tom & Jerry cartoon crossed with a Bruce Lee film but where the whole cast is pumped up on PCP and steroids and armed with axes. Then imagine they all set about each other for ninety minutes. Add a choreographed musical number featuring some triads, a whole lot of CGI and a liberal dash of humour and you've got a really fun experience. It would be just another silly martial arts movie if it weren't for the bravado with which it's all pulled off. It's hard to imagine the level of ridiculousness required to top this film in terms of both sheer spectacle and utter daftness. Bravo! |
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Syndromes And A Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul - Thailand - 2006 )
I suppose this film is something of a love it or loathe it proposition for most people. There is no narrative - the single biggest hurdle most people have to overcome when sitting down to watch a film like this. Also the sequence of events as presented is somewhat confusing even once you're accepted the fact there's no traditional plot. The film is divided into two parts - both of which show strong resemblences to each other. The first half is set in a medical centre, the second in a hospital. Most of what we see on screen are fictionalised memories of Weerasethakul's childhood much of which was spent hanging around medical centres and clinics as both his parent's were scientists working in these institutions. We see various workers go about their jobs and interacting with people, and it's much more interesting to watch these people live their lives than you might think. There's something special about Weerasethakul's work - there's a supreme naturalism about the performances, combined with fantastic cinematography and an air of strangeness, mystery and fun that's just too hard to resist for the viewer who's looking for something special. Unknown to the average cinemagoer at the time of its release (and still, it has to be said for those same people today) this film has become the critics' darling, winning many international awards and popping up on lots of top ten films of the decade, and deservedly so. See it |
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Yi Yi (Edward Yang - Taiwan - 2000)
If you have three hours to spare and are in the mood to get to know a wide variety of folk at important points in their lives then this is one of the best films to watch, and is also one of the best films about families you're ever likely to see. A rich cast of authentic characters going about the business of living their lives, this is epic intimate drama on a grand scale. The characters weave in and out of each others' lives and because the acting is beautifully naturalistic and the story being told is so universally identifiable it's easy to get completely absorbed in the goings on, especially when every shot is beautiful and perfectly framed. A wonderful triumph of humanism that should strike a chord with anyone interested in what makes people tick; the network of relationships a life consists of, the simple joy and wonder of growing up and the bittersweet reality of growing old. |
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