flixtime

Silenced (2011 - South Korea) - Thoroughly engrossing and stomach-churning film about a new teacher at a school for deaf children and his realization that some of the children are being sexually abused by the school staff. Apparently based-on-a-true-story - though I have no familiarity with the original Korean incident - this movie disturbingly reminds one of the recent Penn State scandal here in the U.S. Obviously, this film is powerful stuff. Overall, the movie is certainly recommended viewing. I did think the first half was the stronger part of the film. Most of the second half involves courtroom drama and is also well done, though it feels more routine and has a greater sense of familiarity in covering well-worn ground such as showing how the legal system has little to do with actual justice but is more a toy to be played with. With a 125-minute runtime, I was surprised at how fast the time went by. That being said, I thought the film had a measurable stumble over the last fifteen minutes, where the switch over to a vibe of movie melodrama dropped me out of the more realistic experience and emotion I was feeling for the story and characters prior to that. The first 105-minutes were so well-done, I wish the closing portion sat better with me...while nicely done on its own, the change in tone just threw me out of things. Still, I'd grade out SILENCED at a praiseworthy better-than-good in recognition of how exceptional it was especially during the highly gripping first hour-plus.

flixtime

July 32nd (2007 - South Korea) - low-budget, indie that is maybe kinda sorta...OLDBOY-esque...at least in terms of the dynamic between the three principle players. While watching the movie, I found myself thinking that it had a pretty decent story and that maybe it is the type of thing that might do well if remade...until slowly later I came to the realization that maybe that had already been done four years prior with OLDBOY. All that being said, the tone of this film is not really suspense/thriller or even mystery...instead it is a character drama with an air of melancholy hanging over the proceedings more than anything else. Being an indie effort, the performers do miss a scene here and there in terms of the acting. Also, some of the scenes containing violence/blood come across as rather amateurish. Still, I found the storytelling quite interesting so whatever shortcomings there were didn't really detract from the overall experience. Also, for those who might be interested, the pretty lead actress is shown nude...boobs and buns...though the feelings you have for the character cancel out for the most part any titillation factor. I also thought there was some quality cinematography aided by some nice, if simple (aka colored lights/cloth), art/set design...even the outfit worn by the lead actress I found rather pleasing to the eye. I can't quite go so far as to say the movie truly pulled me in or that the characters connected strongly with my emotions (aka I was always aware that I was watching a movie), yet the movie most certainly held my interest evenly throughout. Not sure that this type of thing is everyone's cup of tea, but I'm quite comfortable in giving it a recommendation. Note: I don't see an IMDb listing for this movie as of yet.

Tarantino

flixtime - appreciate the reviews, keep them coming.

flixtime

Tarantino, I'm pleased to learn of your interest and I certainly appreciate your encouragement. Regrettably the possibility exists that I might not be very active in posting over the next couple of months...not really sure, but maybe.

But for now...and to put to rest any rumors that I might have recently started dating some Korean hottie...or at least offer proof that I realize Asia is comprised of more than just South Korea...

Kiseki (2011 - Japan) - a boy living with his mother longs to see his recently split family come together again, and plans a magical journey to fulfill that goal. The idea taking shape after he overhears a conversation between two classmates where they say that at a point where two bullet trains pass each other you can make a wish and that it will come true. This is the latest film from acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Unfortunately - and in line with some doubts I had going in - it is not to the standard that one might expect from someone with his track record. First off, as written, it is simply too empty and formless for its 128-minute runtime...I just can't shake the filling it should have been a 30-minute short film. The first three-quarters doesn't offer much interest...it felt like I was watching a random collection of slice-of-life footage from the characters lives...watching the kids interact with their friends, spending time with their families - mealtimes and such, spending time at school, etc. It's all very kind, and warm, and gentle, and tranquil. At the same time it just feels like padding...it doesn't offer the rich character development that should have come from the time invested. It is a poor job in storytelling as well. To make his plan succeed the boy is in telephone contact with his younger brother who is living with their father in another city, but the younger brother comes across as rather happy-go-lucky about the situation between their parents and doesn't really seem much interested in his elder brother's concerns...though he does agree to make the journey. Problem being this magical journey where the two - and their respective friends - plans to meet at some mid-point destination doesn't come into play until the last quarter of the movie. Everything else before that feels like the movie was just biding time. Even the character development - for the total of seven kids - was entirely uneven and superficial when it was present...a few of the kids are not developed at all while one of the girls - an aspiring actress - is given more screentime. But instead of being folded into the film, the imbalanced character development, makes this one girl's scenes just feel like an unnecessary tangent to the movie. The last quarter is better as the two groups of kids meet up and embark upon their quest to find the magical point where the trains meet. This last section should have comprised the bulk of the movie. Despite many points of criticism, the film closes well enough and on a rather touching note too. However, it isn't enough to warrant a viewing...the film didn't work on a storytelling or character level and it doesn't offer much of anything in terms of entertainment or depth or substance...it is certainly far too long and in need of a major trimming of its runtime. KISEKI came up short when measured against even the modest hopes I had going in.



Random unrelated note: that $75 YesAsia pricetag for the upcoming SEEDIQ BALE Taiwanese Blu-ray is a jawdropper...I was in a way relieved when it didn't mention English subtitles when first listed...but now English subs are indeed listed...and I feel myself weakening at its call...I hope a less expensive Taiwanese DVD listing turns up real soon or even better an even less expensive Hong Kong release...otherwise...

slop101

Agreed!

Based on your recommendation, I ordered The Yellow Sea blu-ray, and I really dug it.

flixtime

Glad to be of some service slop101. Hopefully I can return to active posting sooner rather than later. I enjoy posting my thoughts here.

Now that maybe some more folks have had a chance to watch THE YELLOW SEA, I'm curious as to which of director NA Hong-jin's two films people prefer - THE CHASER (2008) or THE YELLOW SEA (2010).

I don't think the films would grade out significantly different in my book...both "good". But maybe I'd give the slight nod to THE YELLOW SEA (keeping in mind I don't recall much at this point about THE CHASER). I enjoyed THE YELLOW SEA for certain. I do have some points of criticism though. One, I didn't care for the jittery camerawork. I suppose it fit well enough with the material, so its usage was effective in that regard. But still, I seem to recall a scene where a guy is plain old sleeping on a mattress and even then the camera is rocking about the screen (and I don't believe he was on a boat at the time). I did like how THE YELLOW SEA had a different feel to it as compared to most Korean crime/suspense/thriller-type films...in a way I kept thinking it didn't feel Korean. Maybe instead it felt more grimey and earthy like a 1970's American crime film, while also switching over later to a vibe more in line with some of the more serious Hong Kong crime films these past few years. A second point of criticism is that I thought the film sort of went overindulgant (aka yet another Korean exercise in on-screen mayhem) with the action as the film progressed (the opening third or so doesn't really contain much action). Somewhere in that last third of the film, it sort of changed over from being a meticulous crime drama to an action film, with the result being that I disengaged in some measure from the film in terms of my connection to the characters and story. Therefore the climax didn't hold as much emotional power and the story didn't resonate as much as it perhaps should have once the end credits roll. Also, my slight disconnect from the characters/story as the focus changed to action sort of put a bit of a sag in the 140-minute runtime...maybe trimming back on the action would have help that slight lag in pacing that I felt over the second half.

All that being said, perhaps THE CHASER would be a more comfortable starting point for someone who has yet to view either of the two films.

nitin77

I much preferred The Chaser, if only because it kept a better consistency in tone. The Yellow Sea lost me about halfway through when it descended into ridiculous cartoony madness completely at odds with the rest of the film.

Still liked quite a bit of it, but I'll take The Chaser over it anyday.

divemaster

Just weighing in with another thumbs up for the movie reviews, flixtime. I base my Korean DVD purchases/rentals almost exclusively from what I read here and on Darcy's review page. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Rypro 525

I was wondering, is there any way to view "The Yellow Sea" in its full 150 min plus run time w subtitles? I read that Fox demanded that Korean dvd's not contain english subs, and yet the american version is apparently cut to shreds by the censors and runs 136 minutes (the "international version" runs 141 minutes

flixtime

divemaster, thank you very much for the kind words; I'm pleased to learn my comments here are not without merit.

Note: given your mention of koreanfilm.org, I'll make it difficult for you with regard to the Korean romantic comedy Penny Pinchers (which I seem to recall being given a positive comment over at koreanfilm.org)...but on my scale I thought it was one of the weakest Korean romantic comedies I've seen these last few years. Also watched the Korean indie Missing Person but it didn't register much with me...probably would have been better as a short...heck of job in casting the co-lead however...but other than that it was simply another downbeat Korean indie.

From my perspective with regard to Korean cinema, I'd like to acknowledge the past efforts of DVDTalker Trigger. Trigger was truly the trailblazer in this forum. He was doing it long before I even developed my interest in Korean films. I just wish that my timing had worked out a little better and I could have kept him company in his old Korean cinema threads. Trigger set the template, and I've just tried to replicate it in some way. Heck, even the Indian cinema thread I started long ago I'm pretty sure was in some part inspired by Trigger's Korean thread.


Rypro 525, since I picked up the UK release of THE YELLOW SEA, I haven't followed since if there have been any other releases...though I'd consider it a safe bet that someone must have fansubbed the longer Korean theatrical cut not long after the home video release in Korea. I don't do the whole torrent/download thing, but I'd bet it must be out there. Prior to viewing THE YELLOW SEA, I was a bit grumpy that we would likely not get the longer cut via any official release. Now having viewed the film, I don't really mind so much at all...I suspect another sixteen minutes would hurt more than help the experience.


Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011 - China) - That didn't last long...meaning my optimism with regard to Director Tsui Hark which was somewhat renewed after viewing his previous effort DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (which I found enjoyable). FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE (note: I watched the 2D version) was a huge letdown...I might grade it out at "fair" aka below-average, but I could easily see my sliding it down a little lower to "poor-to-fair"...or maybe even all the way down to "poor". It started off okay enough...though I didn't care much at all for any of the action which was way too reliant on CGI and far too video-gamey. Somewhere after the quarter poll, the movie finally settles in at the middle-of-the-desert Dragon Inn location...and the movie totally flatlines the remainder of the way. The writing and storytelling and characters were entirely without interest, plus there were too many characters/groups involved in the overstuffed intrigue at the inn...my viewer disinterest was firmly in place well before the halfway point in the overlong two-hour runtime.

I'm a fan of King Hu's 60's DRAGON INN, and the 90's remake was okay too from what I recall...this latest visit to the inn grades out significantly below even the 90's version. I don't think I ever posted my comments here with regard to recent wuxia entries such as A CHINESE GHOST STORY (2011) and THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (2011) but I found both entertaining (with the former just edging out the latter) and both were pleasant surprises given that I was rather skeptical as to how they'd turn out. THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE was certainly plentiful in terms of CGI but I bought into it because I was invested in the story and characters. The action in FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE was without thrills. In terms of wuxia films, there is such a wealth of better options either from the classic 60's/70's period, or the later 80's/90's new wave wuxia period, or too from the last dozen years. In comparison, FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE is a thorough loser and earns a firm Skip It in my book.

I'm going to hold off on having a hissy fit over the current state of Hong Kong/China cinema...but I can feel it building inside me. I just received a recent order and I'm not too happy with how things have started off...especially following on a previous order that included another huge clunker and letdown (OVERHEARD 2). I hope VIRAL FACTOR, LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE, WHITE VENGEANCE, LEGENDARY AMAZONS, THE GREAT MAGICIAN, etc. turn up some decent viewings...so I'll muzzle myself till then. But I'm starting to think - aside from the action choreographers and art/costume designers - that I really wouldn't miss any of the current actors/directors/writers in Chinese cinema. I've been very impressed with the work of numerous Korean actresses these last couple of years, in comparison I'm finding Chinese actresses quite unmemorable (granted the roles don't give them much to work with). Actually if I could only have one between Hong Kong/China films or Hindi films, right now I'd easily opt to keep Hindi films.


And following on my finally catching up with Japan's FISH STORY, I also finally got around to Japan and Shion Sono's Cold Fish (mentioned on the previous page by DVDTalker sleepyhead55). I came away from the viewing quite impressed. Though like nitin mentioned with regard to THE YELLOW SEA, I thought COLD FISH went too "cartoony" with the violence during the concluding portion...but other than that I only have praise for the experience. Now I need to assign top priority to my carving out a four-hour block to watch Sono's LOVE EXPOSURE which I've had on-hand for quite a while now but it just never seems to find its way into my player.

divemaster

Sure, no problem! I, too, recall the Trigger threads. When I first joined DVDtalk I was just getting into Korean film. Since then I've watched more than 250 Korean movies (and have about 130 Korean DVDs on my shelf). DVDtalk threads have been a real help in guiding me toward good movies.

Of course, Trigger and I disagreed on a fairly regular basis on what was a good Korean film and what was not, but that's to be expected. And I use other sources for reviews as well--even the IMDb and YesAsia comments, etc. Grain of salt and all that. Every few months I add 10-20 Korean films to my "I might want to watch this" list, and during that time I actually might watch 4 Korean movies. So I'll never catch up to my list--which means I'm always way behind the concept of "what's new in Korean film" but on the other hand I'll never run out of potentially good movies to watch.

flixtime

The Viral Factor (2012 - Hong Kong) - I like crime films. I like period adventure/swordplay/wuxia films. Hong Kong/China churns out a steady supply and that keeps me happy. I don't ask for magnificence; I can usually be content with average/watchable/entertaining. And Hong Kong/China can usually do that in their sleep. Following on the heels of FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE aka one the least impressive of the post-2000 wuxias, we now have THE VIRAL FACTOR aka one of the least impressive of the post-2000 crime films. I thought things could only get better after the lows of FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE; I was wrong. A lot of my complaints about FLYING SWORDS can be applied to THE VIRAL FACTOR as well...they certainly share virtually identical bloated two-hour runtimes. I really can't come up with anything thing positive to say about director Dante Lam's latest THE VIRAL FACTOR. You'd certainly be much better off rewatching his earlier efforts such as THE BEAST STALKER and STOOL PIGEON, and THE VIRAL FACTOR also grades out measurably below his lesser entries such as FIRE OF CONSCIENCE and THE SNIPER. Otherwise if you are hankering for some quality Hong Kong crime action, then simply break out your copies of INVISIBLE TARGET, EXILED, CONNECTED, NEW POLICE STORY, etc. First off, what was Dante Lam thinking by going ahead with this storyline...brothers on opposite sides of the law must team up to stop the release of a deadly virus (and the two different tracks - the brothers and the virus stuff - don't meld at all (it kind of feels like two different movies forced together)). I mean gosh, the treatment of that tired plot in this film felt like some dusted off script for Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra from 1970's Bollywood...or maybe something off the reject pile for Cuba Gooding and Wesley Snipes at the U.S. direct-to-video offices...or maybe it was some fusion of two partial scripts intended for the SyFy Channel...the story and execution were hideous and archaic. As for the action, when you are bored during the first action scene - a generic urban street ambush on a vehicle convoy - near the open of the film that is a bad sign. The action scenes were entirely mid-grade at best...seen it all before...and it has all been done better. So, the story is godawful, the characters/acting not much better (including villains out of a bad B-movie), and the action provides no escape...and it is unnecessarily overlong. Seriously what is going on when Hong Kong/China loses the ability to make a watchable crime or wuxia film (moreso coming from high-profile directors such as Tsui Hark and Dante Lam). And one more thing somewhat related to the tired storyline, THE VIRAL FACTOR takes place in Malaysia. Note to filmmakers everywhere...the Petronas Towers are played out...it's a big world, please find some place fresh to shoot your movies. Actually, following on the heels of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4 which didn't impress me much, and some comments I've made about globe-trotting Indian cinema...everyone just stay at home and work on a good script and make your darned movies. It's the year 2012, I don't need movies to take me to "exotic" places (especially when filmmakers keep utilizing the same "exotic" places time and again). Another thought that ran through my head while watching THE VIRAL FACTOR...it felt not too far removed from being a lousy Jr. Bachchan/Bollywood crime thriller...perhaps not as dumb but arguably twice as dull. Anyway, I'd unquestionably rank THE VIRAL FACTOR as one to avoid.

slop101

Thanks - I was thinking of getting Viral Factor (I've liked most of Lam's other movies), but now I'll pass. I'm looking at Johnnie To's new one, Life Without Principle - I've really liked most of his recent output (though Vengeance left me flat), and this one sees like it'll be solid. To rarely disappoints me.

flixtime

After the last two experiences, I need a little downtime away from Hong Kong/China cinema...so although I'm rather eager to watch LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE, I think I'll hold off a week before doing so. Yeah, VENGEANCE didn't do a whole lot for me either...it was okay enough...but aside from a quality setpiece or two, it just felt like Johnnie To recycling his previous work (and the climax was flawed)...didn't much care for SPARROW either (which a lot of folks seemed to like). I also picked up Johnnie To's last two romances - DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART and ROMANCING IN THIN AIR...don't have high expectations but I hope they offer some level of satisfaction.

logboy

have silenced on BD. not watched yet - in process of getting new tv and better bd player. only plumped for DVDs of 'flying swords', 'life without principal' and 'viral factor'. prefer 'the chaser' to 'yellow sea' - just have a minor fetish for dark films with lots of rain, and, despite 'yellow sea' beyond more substantial, it's still fairly close to genre film with added density in the amount you get due to fast cutting and complicated shifting; still great. managed to pick up 'redline' for about £8 on bd, not watched, not high hopes, but interested in nice animation every now and again - got 'tatami galaxy' as i like masaaki yuasa for his quirky style, but still not watched it either. trying to sift synapse / impulse nikkatsu roman porno releases, as they don't match the trailer collection. got miike's hard-kiri today on bd. waiting on B&N sale for 'samurai trilogy' and 'three outlaw samurai'. that is all; still got a huge backlog of stuff that's probably the best in my collection, primarily waiting for the "right moment to watch it"... pfff.

flixtime

Life Without Principle (2011 - Hong Kong) - It seems appropriate - today being Kentucky Derby day and all - that I can award my own Triple Crown Of Suck to Chinese filmmakers. Anybody got a thesaurus...because I basically have to reiterate what I said the last two times around and I want to keep it fresh in the telling. First off if I were a conspiracy theorist I'd be suspicious that the Mainland Chinese have done something to zombiefy the minds of Hong Kong film industry personnel...where's the Chinese George Romero when you need him...actually that idea is more clever than anything on display in these last three films. LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE is not only bottomshelf Johnnie To, it might also be an apt descriptive phrase for Hong Kong filmmakers who seem to be expending little effort in challenging themselves or at the least putting their talents to use even on an auto-pilot level. Telugu cinema has often been a target for some of my more acidic commentary, but I'll tell you what, in terms of vacuous filmmaking Chinese movies are doing a good job in trying to capture the crown.

Okay, deep breath....so LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE...gosh, where to begin. Again, this is too hollow and overlong for its 107-minute runtime. Broadly speaking it is sort of an interconnected, three-part anthology film...now by definition it really isn't an anthology film but it sure feels that way especially for the first two-thirds-plus of the movie. It starts off with a few minutes introducing you to one of the three primary characters a cop (and his wife) who are looking to purchase a new apartment/condo. After that, you spend a good twenty-five minutes plus with a female financial services drone at a Hong Kong bank as she struggles to meet her sales quotas as she meets with various clients in her small office. This section is talky and dry...standard dialogue concerning numbers and financial terminology. I'd much rather have invested my time in watching Betty Liu on Bloomberg or Melissa Lee on CNBC. And while I am it, the story backdrop for the character actions in LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE involves the world financial crisis...umm, isn't Johnnie To just a few years behind the curve for this type of movie...how is it possibly interesting as a film now...all aspects have been covered in the news and other forms of media time and again for years now...what are you sharing with viewers that we don't already know. Even stuff like the two OVERHEARD films and Hong Kong's DREAM HOME have sort of covered similar ground especially with regard to stock market volatility...even South Korea did THE SCAM a few years back. Anyway, so after that section with the financial services woman, you move on to the second main segment and spend a good thirty-five minutes maybe with a low-level hoodlum and assorted characters...the film really crashed here...after about ten minutes the film lost any pulse whatsoever and this section became nothing but a formless and aimless collection of scenes with people talking and moving about...and I very much felt that I couldn't care less if I continued to watch the movie or not. The last twenty-five minute section finalizes the loose interconnection of the characters - the female banker, the hoodlum, and the cop (and some stolen money and the volatile stock market)...and I was just waiting for it to end. I didn't care a bit about any of the characters. The story was too long, empty, and meandering...it certainly didn't offer any insight that hasn't been well-covered already, so it was an experience without interest. So, I've already used a "Skip it", an "avoid it", therefore I guess we can go with "visit a proctologist instead" this time through.

I'm really quite stunned at the awfulness of these three movies from Tsui Hark, Dante Lam, and Johnnie To...and what is even more troubling is how deadly dull, empty, bloated, and boring the movies were. I can't recall ever sitting through a more disappointing stretch in terms of Hong Kong/China films...just bloody awful. Aside from a decent start and a good musical score to Hark's movie, everything else on display was without merit...not a single positive comment for me to share (not even on a technical level aka nice cinematography, etc.). All three movies will surely be remembered by me only for being among the leading contenders for my worst viewing experiences for this year.

And while I'm blowing off steam...Ti West...I just don't get it. HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and now THE INNKEEPERS were like bad episodes from a horror anthology series bloated to feature film runtimes...and the consensus seems to be that the guy is some sort of savior for modern horror. You have quality horror films such as Belgium's LEFT BANK and South Korea's POSSESSED...and they get no mention...yeah, I'm just at a total disconnect with what contemporary reviewers and movie buffs seem to like. And, yeah, I'm just having a terrible run lately with some of the movies I've been watching.

P.S. logboy, given your recent purchase, I sincerely wish you better fortune than I found with those three same films.

slop101

Ah man, that's a bummer about Life Without Principle. I was just getting ready to watch it soon too; expectations re-adjusted!

BTW, I was really bored with House of the Devil on my first viewing, but for some reason, I liked it A LOT more on my second viewing - not sure why.

logboy

get this feeling that a lot of 'life without principal' relies upon close-quarters knowledge of the state of HK; not the film industry, but the general culture of money and wealth. makes me wonder about im sang-soo's 'taste of money', but these things can sometimes find unexpected ways of working despite being specific to a culture.

have found everything since 'beast stalker' to be a let down as far as dante lam is concerned.

wasn't that keen on 'detective dee' and didn't get many positive perspectives on 'flying swords', so only gone for DVDs of these for these reason. that and a general waining of interest due to a current downturn in quality with, particularly, japan and HK, but an unexpected slight upturn in K after it's own downturn a few years back. plus HK BDs are staying high in price, when over here they've come down quite dramatically.

Brian T

I think this is what makes LWP at least somewhat more interesting than it's portrayed above. I wondered if it might draw this kind of reaction from some western viewers when I saw it at TIFF last year. Even I wondered about the necessity of such a story in 2011 . . .at first. It's no career high, that's for sure, but I hardly think it's some all-out turkey for the very reason logboy mentions. It's local cinema made for locals, a minor miracle in this era of lower-common-denominator pan-Chinese co-productions like VIRAL FACTOR (that one's not just a Hong Kong show, which could explain some things). And I say all of this as someone who thought LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE could've been so much better than it was. It pulled in respectable if unspectacular numbers locally but didn't get a North American release (unlike VIRAL FACTOR, LOVE IN THE BUFF, MAGIC TO WIN, 3D SEX & ZEN, ALL'S WELL END'S WELL 2012, etc), largely because it resonated more deeply in Hong Kong than it would to outsiders (and maybe even overseas Chinese) fixed on the all-too-familiar clouds hanging over its story. It also had the misfortune of opening in Hong Kong theaters against the hugely-anticipated Taiwanese juggernaut YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE, which claimed the top spot for four straight weeks and stayed in the top ten for another six! It is interesting to think that if there were any Hong Kong movie buffs or even local Hong Kong audiences in the 1990's bemoaning the constant infusion of pre-'97 handover jitters into the city's cinema and television — in all genres and for well over a decade — because the subject matter was constantly in the news during (and after) that era, it certainly didn't stop local talents from addressing it onscreen at every opportunity. Just because the subject is global — and globally-reported — this time around it shouldn't preclude filmmakers from exploring its impact within their own cultures, perhaps a bit more effectively than To handles it in LWT. (in fact, I'm surprised the subject hasn't been addressed in Hong Kong's cinema more than that of many other countries!)

Incidentally, Johnnie To is such a darling among TIFF programmers there that they're all to willing to take whatever he has on offer each year. His farewell to the crowd last September was basically "see you next year", as if he plans to be back no matter what he's got in the can, or what anyone else in his industry does. I try to see every Asian film that plays the fest each year, but the past couple of To pictures to debut here left me wondering what other Hong Kong pictures were overlooked by programmers because of their lust for the man's work. Thankfully, one of them got wind of Ann Hui's excellent A SIMPLE LIFE, which I can only hope won't be shellacked in this thread some day because the subject of elder care continues to be thoroughly explored by the global media. Come to think of it, it also addresses the ongoing economic climate in its own way, but I'll keep my fingers crossed!

logboy

one of the major reasons I doubt the true value of most festivals is the need to maintain a certain amount of easy-sells in return for an ongoing returning audience & publicity in a potentially over-saturated part of the market, is that we end up with directors with reputations that bypass the acceptance that quality varies and that creativity / success appears in unexpected places, & they're always a certainty they'll get chosen in festivals also portrayed as innovative or ground-breaking. that, they certainly might be in part, but it's always apparently about compromise that leads to acceptance or establishment at the same time.

Brian T

True enough. I've doubted the true value of film festivals almost as long as I've been going to the one here (not that that will stop me, of course). Once you're a regular, you quickly realize just how much of what is shown grows out of established relationships; you see the patterns year over year. That's fine, I guess — it still means some fascinating cinema plays here for that week in September — but I really wish they'd shake up the programmers once in a while, maybe have them swap programs, or replace the odd one now and again. It might not guarantee that, say, Johnnie To won't show up every year from here to eternity, but it could also mean he'll be sidelined by someone from an "unexpected place" in Hong Kong, or at least have to be exhibited alongside them if he does show up. There are interesting things happening at ground level in local Hong Kong cinema now (despite impressions that might be given by this thread and other discussion forums), but it doesn't always get much attention come festival time, nor the resultant push that might place it on the radar of western viewers. And thus bubblegum like VIRAL EFFECT makes gains over here . . .

I should probably note that Ann Hui is also a festival darling (here and elsewhere); she's just not as much of a perennial as To seems to be, at least as far as TIFF is concerned, and she probably should be.

logboy

the aspect of getting to see something on a big screen and relatively early is a draw for me, but, to be honest, i've only ever been to one festival and that was accidental rather than intentional. i can usually sense what's typical festival content, and i can also get surprised by what turns up from time to time, but usually it balances towards a bit too obvious; particularly in america and canada, where films that have been all too easily-written about lead to choices that seem easy to get the audience excited about. major factor for me is i'm in the UK and it's london-centric. a long journey makes sense only once in a while, and staying somewhere isn't cost effective either, of course. sometimes tempted, but predominantly i wonder why the tradition continues in such a predictable manner when things that are innovating people's choices are allowing them to find alternative ways of discovering films.

flixtime

Legendary Amazons (2011 - China) - Come on guys, please, someone out there arrange for an intervention...I need to be saved from myself. I really thought I'd be safe with this pick...I wasn't expecting anything great...a B-movie, something decently entertaining...maybe hoping for some B-movie finery like Herman Yau has cranked out lately, but I would have been happy with less than that...just something mildly entertaining...that's not much to ask for, right? The Hong Kong/China recycling continues with LEGENDARY AMAZONS - a revisit to territory covered in the Shaw Brothers 14 AMAZONS (which I rate as a first-tier film in their catalog). In the post CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON era, I've made an effort to be rather thorough with regard to watching wuxia/swordplay/period adventure films from Hong Kong/China (though I bypass the comedy/parody type efforts). Of all the descriptions I might have used prior, I don't think I ever considered using the word "schlocky"...until now. LEGENDARY AMAZONS was pure schlock...and not even of the "so bad, it's good" variety. I recently commented that Chinese actresses are coming up well short in comparison to South Korean actresses. This film is prime evidence. Korea gives us efforts with heavily female casts such as SHADOWS IN THE PALACE, and from China/Hong Kong we get this. Prime target number one for me is Cecilia Cheung...who almost from the get-go reminded me of Sandy Cheeks from SpongeBob SquarePants (except that Sandy Cheeks isn't annoying). The acting is just awful...a mixture of outdated melodramatics/bad TV-acting...and well just plain horrible acting/casting (and archaic directing throughout too). The legendary Cheng Pei-pei is on hand as well but is not much more than wooden in her role. The few male cast members fare no better. About as poorly acted a film as I can recall. There is quite a bit of action regularly throughout the movie and the pace is reasonably energetic. But it doesn't matter because the action is lame...CGI, mid-grade wirework, and the majority of the action is sped up to such effect that I couldn't take it seriously. And don't confuse my comment about an "energetic" pace to mean that the film was entertaining. I very much started to wonder if maybe I wasn't catching on to some sort of joke, and that maybe all the lousy acting, action, CGI, etc. was being done on purpose...the level of incompetence was just too high...but "no" it wasn't a joke...so to grade this film...well, I'd have to break out some sort of negative rating scale to do it justice. If you have a fondness for the Shaw Brothers film, well then watch it again or again times ten...don't go anywhere near this latest entry. And "yes" they do the "human bridge" bit in LEGENDARY AMAZONS and like everything else it is terrible...and nowhere near as deliriously entertaining as it was in 14 AMAZONS. The end credits showing everyone getting dinged up during the various stunts was by far the best part of the movie...at least I wasn't the only one who suffered through the experience. We're not even at the midpoint of 2012, but if I were to "award" some sort of "Crimes Against Cinephiles" title, Hong Kong/China would already have it clinched.

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White Vengeance (2011 - China) - After four rather miserable experiences, this fifth entry at least gets me to the Mendoza Line. First thought...the title of the movie is a misfire, it makes it sound like a B-action movie which this is not...the title needed to be something more artsy/regal/highbrow/literary/Shakespearean. Second thought, if most of your familiarity with Chinese history comes from movies, then you might find yourself in a bit of a fog with regard to the plot and characters...I'll readily admit to taking some time to get a grasp of things...though I think the film also could have done a better job in defining things more quickly...but even if you don't know anything about the historical basis, at least - later in the film - the characters and plot do come into perfectly clear focus. WHITE VENGEANCE is a historical drama spiced up nicely with instances of decent action fairly evenly throughout. The time period is at the close of the Qin Dynasty (the dawn of which was covered in something like HERO) and prior to the rise of the Han Dynasty. It is at this time that two military leaders see their friendship tested as they both vie for ultimate supremacy after the Qin Dynasty falls. The movie may not best be described as a wuxia/war/swordplay film but perhaps more as a historical drama with action too of course. As such it is somewhat dry and talky and maybe even a little bit stagey...lots of scenes with various leaders and their advisers scheming/strategizing this way and that...so in that way too you as a viewer might be susceptible to lapsing into a bit of a fog while trying to follow things. At the same time, these scenes - while overlong - were rather interesting more often than not. I do think the 137-minute runtime could have been tightened up by a good fifteen minutes with better writing during the first two-thirds of the movie. To offer a more entertaining experience, the film does open up regularly with elements of action and scenes with larger production values which bring quite a bit of grandeur and scope to the tale. While the film was certainly interesting and entertaining enough...it was rather cold in terms of reaching me on any emotional level...it does reach for the buttons over the last quarter but I was too distanced from the characters to feel much for them at that point. WHITE VENGEANCE did offer much to like and closes well over the final quarter, yet it was not without flaws, so I'd grade it out as average...I was pleased by the viewing (at least it was more on-par with what I had expected from some of the other movies)...and I think fans of Chinese historical epic-type films would find it to be a reasonably satisfying movie to watch.

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Mural (2011 - China) - So shines a good deed in a weary world. After such a wretched start to my order, I didn't think it possible to salvage any satisfaction...except maybe in a baseball sense where maybe a one-in-three success rate is cause for celebration. And then along comes MURAL from Director/Writer Gordon Chan...and...wow!!! Who knew this one film could make up for all the earlier strikeouts. The movie is a fantasy/fairytale...a man being chased by two other men enters a mountain cave, here he meets a priest and discovers it is a temple. After the three men settle in for a bit, one starts to study the paintings on the temple wall and becomes entranced by the many beautiful women in the paintings. He is then transported to a sort of palatial, heavenly otherworld populated predominantly by dozens of beautiful fairy-like women (and I must comment that they are not only beautiful but so delicate in appearance that I imagined they would shatter upon my touch). Virtually the entire film involves these three men and their time in this palatial heaven, with a dip now and then into an otherworldy hell as well. But I might be misrepresenting things, this film is primarily a romantic fairytale and concerns matters of the heart involving not only our three male characters but also an evil Queen, her female second-in-command, a few of the other women, and even one of the male bodyguards. I savored every minute of the two-hours-plus runtime. The movie was entirely charming and delightful, and would make for an excellent family night at the movies...perfectly appealing for both kids and adults. It isn't really a fast-paced movie...more measured and relaxed I suppose...but I very much enjoyed my time with all the characters in this fairytale land.

The film also does have sprinkles of very entertaining action here and there...the female characters of course get to put on a nice display of girlpower during some of the action scenes...and also there were a couple of CGI creatures which I found interesting. And though I'm not big on modern day CGI-fests, there was something about the action here that I found totally charming...so much so that - despite it being CGI - I was reminded of the fantasy film efforts of Ray Harryhausen and maybe too some of those older Russian fairytale films. As much as I loved MURAL, I find it such a shame that it seems to have been bypassed in terms of receiving greater appreciation.

Last I was aware, the only option for MURAL is to pick up the Hong Kong DVD (which offers only 2.0 audio). I'm actually smiling as I type this...MURAL certainly perked up my spirits coming as it did in a run of unimpressive movie watching as of late.