Johnnie To's VENGEANCE

I wrote a review for Johnnie To's most recent film Vengeance for In Review Online that went up over the weekend. At first glancee, Vengeance seems like a departure for To. A French/Hong Kong co-production, Vengeance includes a couple key French actors to shake things up. Sylvie Testud has a small role in which she delivers a couple good lines in Cantonese, and French pop star Johnny Halladay is the film's irrefutable star and anchor (although no Cantonese spoken here.) Once the film smoothly slides into its modus operandi with Anthony Wong, Lam Suet Lam Ka-tung and Simon Yam in tow, it becomes a leisurely stroll of patented five-star Johnnie To action. Nothing too new here, but a lot to enjoy.

Vengeance has been available for some time on DVD from Hong Kong and on demand from IFC, but recently made a theatrical appearance in NY and LA.

VIFF: Day 8

Merry-Go-Round (2010)
Yan Yan Mak and Clement Cheng
Hong Kong

Gallants might be the Clement Cheng film that everyone is talking about, but the Vancouver native also has a second 2010 film, Merry-Go-Round. Co-directed with up-and-coming female director Yan Yan Mak, Merry-Go-Round passes on parody and laughs in favor of humanism and drama. The film cleverly combines four individuals, two generations and two continents into a story about immigration and emigration. The film opens in San Francisco where Eva (played by 70s kung fu star Nora Miao) is a traditional Chinese doctor and Nam is a young lost soul looking for herself. The two of them both make the trip to Hong Kong to deal with unfinished business. Nam lands a job in a a coffin depository that is overseen by Hill (played by the Gallant crowd-please Teddy Robin Kwan). Eva returns to her father's herbal medicine shop to persuade her nephew, Fung, not to sell the family property. Eventually the storyline draws the four of them together in somewhat unexpected ways but with somewhat expected results. Mak and Cheng earn huge marks for the casting of Kwan and Miao, the latter an icon that has seen little screen time in the last 30 years. Cheng, tipping his hand as the kung fu fan that Gallants proves him to be, has one very satisfying scene where Eva gives her nephew the kind of smackdown that she was doing in films like Fist of Fury. Merry-Go-Round champions an independent feel that is rare in Hong Kong film, but unfortunately much of the drama suffers from the incessant pop-infused soundtrack. Rising stars in the field, Clement Cheng and Yan Yan Mak are two to watch.


The Fourth Portrait (2010)
Chung Mong-hong
Taiwan

Chung Mong-hong is yet another discovery, at least for me, from Taiwan. Although The Fourth Portrait is only his second feature, it's enough of a standout to chase down his first feature, Parking. The Fourth Portrait is inventively paced and beautifully shot. Xiang is ten years old and his father has just died. It rests upon his shoulders to go home and find his father's nicest suit and his best photograph. Unable to find a photo, Xiang produces the first portrait that sets up the film's modest narrative drive. Although it is clear that we will see three more portraits drawn by Xiang, they turn out to be unusual signposts in his journey. While the narrative moves forward, Chung switches the gears ever-so-slightly so that The Fourth Portrait feels fresh. Xiang is left to fend for himself until he is caught stealing food by a stern but caring janitor who takes Xiang under his wing. Suddenly the path for where the film is going is clear. Not quite. The film shifts: Xiang's mother is found and is taking him to her home where she has a new husband and newly born child. Once again, the film seems to settle into a groove, but wrong again. Xiang is the befriended by an older hang-about who only seems to be good at petty crime. Chung does this a few more times slowly working its way through Xiang's four portraits. Make no doubt about it, The Fourth Portrait is a coming of age story, but one told with inventive spirit and sophistication.


The Ugly Duckling (2010)
Garri Bardin
Russia/France

Garri Bardin's stop-motion animation of the much loved parable is at the very least a joy to watch. The creative character designs and slightly socialist connotation brings something totally new to the tale. The diabolical ducklings and the alien-headed goslings never failed to get a chuckle out of me. The operatic over-the-top score, however, is as pummeling as the relentless oppression of our poor ugly little duckling. There's an overwhelming cynicism to this adaptation that felt unnecessary.

Gallants (2010)
Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng
Hong Kong

So glad I got to see extremely fun film on the big screen in a packed house. Gallants is a loving homage to the kung fu films from the 60s and 70s ala Shaw Brothers and Bruce Lee. Clement Cheng this time aligns himself with Derek Kwok, someone he has worked with before as a screenwriter and who is breaking out onto the Hong Kong scene. In a sleepy part of Hong Kong, a helpless young man by the name of Leung has been sent to settle a property dispute. On his route he is bullied by a little kid, who Leung in turn bullies only to get bullied by the kid's father. A passerby takes pity on Leung and stops the very uneven fight. The selfless hero turns out to be the be the aging but legendary Tiger. Tiger and his fellow martial arts brother Dragon have been quietly holding vigil over their master, Law, who has been in a coma for 30 years. Old rivalries ignite as well as the fighting passion within Leung as master Law miraculously awakes to his biggest challenge yet! The brilliance of Gallants is not only in the overt style that Kwok and Cheng chooses to parody with great wit, but also in its cast. The trio of old-timers—Bruce Leung, Chen Kuan-tai and Teddy Robin Kwan—deliver more charisma than seems fair for one movie. Clement Cheng himself must be a creative force to be reckoned with, working on projects as diverse as Gallants and Merry-Go-Round. Gallants is not going to move mountains, but it sure is a raucous romp and a must see for any fan of the genre.

Rubber (2010)
Quentin Dupieux
France/USA

Rubber is occasionally very clever, occasionally very funny, occasionally overly self-conscious and occasionally too redundant. A movie within a movie (but more importantly, an audience watching an audience), Rubber tells the tale of a rogue tire—abandoned in the desert and gaining a taste for blood (or more accurately gaining a taste for blowing things up with its tire-mind.) The introduction to the film comes from a police officer who pops out of the trunk of a car to explain that things in movies happen for no reason. Why is E.T. brown? No reason. Why do the two people in Love Story fall madly in love? No reason. Why does a complete stranger assassinate the president in JFK. No reason. And so it goes. Most things happen in Rubber for—you guessed it—no reason, and for almost half the film it is interesting. Rubber is very strange and it doesn't really work overall, but compared to the other midnight film (L.A. Zombie which I will get to in my next update), Rubber looks like a masterpiece.

VIFF: Day 4

The Man From Nowhere (2010)
Lee Jeong-beom
South Korea

Completely by the numbers, The Man From Nowhere borrows from so many South Korean action dramas that it almost feels like a theatrical déjà vu. Almost. The film opens with a police stakeout at a club where a drug deal is taking place—the goods are dropped, the police rush in, a dancing girl steals the drugs and the evidence that the police need is gone. The film cuts to a rundown apartment building where a mysterious loner (Won Bin) runs a pawn shop. His only friend is a young neighbor girl who is unafraid of his silence and shady look. As things go, the girl is the daughter of the dancing girl who stole the drugs and the drugs have been stashed in a camera bag sold to the pawn shop. The mob is hot on the woman's tail and the police are hot on the mob's tail. Our man from nowhere gets caught in the middle and his long buried past comes rushing to the surface. The Man From Nowhere is a pulsing and often violent thriller that has no problem stopping now and then for a little melodrama. Most of it results from the clichéd friendship between the secretive lone wolf and the cast aside young girl. But don't go to The Man From Nowhere for the drama, go for the well designed action sequences including a hand-to-hand knife fight that would impress any ronin. Reminiscent of last year's The Chaser and numerous other slick South Korean actioneers, The Man From Nowhere is nonetheless able to carve out a very satisfying niche for itself. The 10:00am screening could not stop the Won Bin fans from storming the theater, coffee in hand. Coos emerged at his first appearance and a shirtless scene near the middle of the film—the power of the heartthrob lives!


The High Life (2010)
Zhao Dayong
China
preceded by
Condolences (2009)
Ying Liang
China

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Zhao Dayong (Ghost Town) jumps to fiction with this unique and fiercely independent film. Bifurcated by two narrative strains, The High Life unexpectedly switches tonal gears and, as a result, magically lifts the burden of expectations. Set in the mean streets of Ghangzhou, Jian Ming runs a fake employment stand where he guiltlessly takes the money of desperate migrant workers knowing that they will disappear before they have a chance to realize his scam. Oddly content with his so-called business, Jian wiles away his free time practicing Beijing opera in full costume and hanging out with his girlfriend who works as a prostitute. His personal conflicts are internalized and are only revealed in his actions—some subtle, some not so subtle. When his friend talks him into helping with a pyramid scheme, he suddenly and insignificantly gets arrested, which jettisons the film into its second part in a jail where Jian is being held. The focus shifts to an unscrupulous but kindhearted prison guard, Dian Qui. Dian forces prisoners to incessantly read aloud from a of his own poetry and finds ways to punish those who refuse. Dian's odd form of reformation is accepted and even relished by some of the prisoners. Dian's candor allows us to get to know some of the inmates, but there fate in the prison is as fleeting as their future. The actors who play Jian and Dian provide a sense of honesty to their complex characters with seemingly little or no effort. The film's title is borrowed from a line spoken by a thug in anticipation for a future that doesn't exist. The High Life depicts anything but what the title implies, and instead finds a simple sort of grace in the small pleasures. Zhao's unusually narrative adds a new facet to the well-worn path of indie Chinese film. Condolences, screened ahead of The High Life, is a documentary that gives the viewer a fly-on-the-wall perspective of a solemn funeral in one fascinating shot.


The Drunkard (2010)
Freddie Wong
Hong Kong

Based on the popular Hong Kong novel of the same name, Freddie Wong's debut feature is as boozy as the title implies. The Drunkard, however, is able to compliment the somber drunken atmosphere with swoon worthy 1960s Hong Kong sexiness. The film's namesake is Mr. Lau, a disillusioned middle-age writer whose private and public failures are washed away with endless glasses of whiskey. Haunted by his memories of the Japanese war in Shanghai, Lau slowly loses his means to support himself, his addiction and the beautiful woman who provide him companionship. Veteran actor Zhang Guozhu carries The Drunkard on his solid but liquor soaked shoulders. He embodies the contradictions of this dignified adict with gritty charm. As if trying to protect himself from the same fate, he finds it easy to call other people clichés. It's worth noting that Wong is a film critic and a programmer for the Hong Kong International Film Festival. He purchased the rights to the novel ten years ago and it has taken him this long to get his film made. The film boasts an impressive production despite its shoestring budget, with an inspired cast of classic actors. As any screen shot or clip will show, The Drunkard will forever be burdened by comparisons to In the Mood for Love (which also drew inspiration from the same novel.) In making a masterpiece, Wong Kar Wai owns the era in with The Drunkard is set. (The Drunkard received its International Premiere here at VIFF with Freddy Wong in attendance.)


The Metamorphosis (2010)
Lee Samchil
South Korea
preceded by
Father's Challenge (2010)
Jo Ara
South Korea

South Korean experimental film: one a riff on Guy Maddin and one a riff on Kafka. Neither worked. 'Nuff said.

The Pang Brothers' STORM WARRIORS

In 1998 Andrew Lau's The Stormriders offered a glimmer of computer generated hope to an anxious Hong Kong film industry burdened with waning hometown profits and productions (not to mention that it was all governed by a new landlord officing in Beijing.) Stormriders was a martial arts melodrama that propelled its elements of fantasy using computers, not wires. Based on a popular comic book, Stormriders starred dreamboats Ekin Cheung and Aaron Kwok as martial arts heroes, Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud. Wind is the sensitive and calm one who calculates his battles with patience; Cloud is the emotional and erratic one who acts before he thinks. Falling prey to the manipulations of Lord Conqueror (Sonny Chiba), and his beautiful daughter (Shu Qi), Wind and Cloud turn against one another in an epic showdown that eventually leads to their bond of brotherhood. Directed by Andrew Lau (of the incredibly popular Young and Dangerous series) added an artful new pizazz to a tried-and-true formula. The film cleaned up at the box office and almost everyone raised their hands in a communal cheer for Hong Kong film.

I bought into this brooding period drama, hook, line and sinker. It played a few times in town (courtesy of Asian Media Access) and I subsequently bought the import DVD for repeat viewings. Twelve years later, the DVD has gathered some dust, but I find I am equally susceptible to the stylish but light machinations of Wind and Cloud. Returning to the screen once again—this time at the hands of the Pang Brothers with Cheung and Kwok reprising their roles—Wind and Cloud find themselves even further enmeshed in special effects but with the feeling that they had even more to prove now than they did in 1998. Although some distance has no doubt made my heart grow fonder of Stormriders, I was realistic in my expectation of this new installment, generically titled Storm Warriors but surrounded with a halo of communal anticipation.

Storm Warriors picks up at a different point in the saga where Wind and Cloud and their master, Nameless, are up against a new nemesis in the form of evil Lord Godless (Simon Yam) and his equally evil but emasculated son Heart (Nic Tse). Lord Godless has situated himself as the king of the martial arts world by ruthlessly exhibiting his prowess against all the masters, most notably Nameless. His intentions of world domination (or at least the world known as the middle kingdom) are obvious and so are his plans to rule with an iron fist as his minions go about pillaging and conquering. Because Nameless was given the wu shu smackdown, Wind and Cloud are set to avenge their master and prevent the slaughter of innocents by any means necessary. In this case they must turn to Lord Wicked, the only person who has a chance of defeating Lord Godless and his seemingly unlimited powers.

As it turns out, one of the fair faced men must turn to the dark side to achieve the power needed to defeat Lord Godless. Wind, of rational mind and cool temperament, is chosen as the best candidate for the training in the evil arts while Cloud retreats to high mountain to train with his master in preparation for facing Godless. Both of the men face great danger, but the fate of Wind's soul hangs in the balance. Meanwhile there are two damsels waiting in the wings, Chu Chu for Cloud and Second Dream for Wind. Their task is to stop Lord Godless before he finds the legendary imperial relic, The Dagon's Bone, which holds the magical key to ruling the land.

Unfortunately, Storm Warriors is more an exercise in technical deftness than an exertion in creativity for the Pang Brothers, who have success in both areas, and sometime simultaneously. In this case, their film is sucked dry of any emotional grit and it fails to have the gravitational guilty pleasures of romance, passion and heroism of Stormriders, even if it was completely over the top. But nice to look at counts for something, and that is what Storm Warriors cashes in on, even with the actors. Neither Cheung nor Kwok are doing much acting beyond an occasional furrowed brow; Simon Yam simply works on his sinister smile; and Nic Tse simply emotes by clenching his jaw (not so unlike George Clooney in The American.)

One thing I will say about the Storm Warriors Blu-ray is: holy cow dts-HD. The picture quality is top notch, but the sound will blow the hair off your head. It has a thunderous and complex sound that you hardly care about the cheesy lines being spoken.

All in all, I can't find much difference between The Storm Warriors and Resident Evil: Afterlife, also recently viewed. Both engage with enthralling CGI and ride a wave set in motion by their respective successor(s). That wave is fun but limited. Twelve years was a long time to wait for a mediocre sequel, but I'm a sucker for martial arts fantasies, especially when they are visually well-executed. The Pangs have already signed on to Storm Warriors III, and I, for one, am hoping that they do a little bit more than resting on their entertaining, but finite, CGI laurels.

Lawrence Lau's BESIEGED CITY (2008) and CITY WITHOUT BASEBALL (2009)

Lawrence Lau (aka Lawrence Ah Mon) has made a name for himself over the past twenty years by making small innovative films, the best of which eschew the use of stars in favor of either non-actors or low-profile actors. Queen of Temple Street (1990), Spacked Out (2000) and Gimme Gimme (2001) have far more earnest, if not artistic, ambitions than your average Hong Kong film and refuse to acquiesce to comedic or melodramatic expectations. Often focusing on the problems and/or debauchery of youth culture, Lau has earned a tag (or a red herring) as an art-house director. If Lau makes films like an outsider, that's because he started out that way. He was born in South Africa, studied in the US and then subsequently worked as assistance director to Tsui Hark, which might explain why he has other things on his mind other than what the Hong Kong film market demands.

Two recent films directed by Lau, Besieged City (2007) and City Without Baseball (2008), shows a return to the grittiness of Spacked Out and the light-heartedness of Gimme Gimme with some failure and some success. Besieged City takes place in Tin Shui Wai, part of the New Territories in Hong Kong, known for its wetlands, huge housing estates and sensational news stories fueled by its social ills. It is the later that has given the neighborhood the nickname "City of Sadness" and that has inspired Lau's film. Oppressive from beginning to end, Besieged City is a dire depiction of youth culture that is almost too resolute in its melancholia.

Ling is a high school student in a no win situation. Surrounded by violence both inside and outside the home, he does his best to keep his head down. If it's not his abusive father then it's his bullying classmates that keep him inside his wordless shell in order to protect himself. But when his runaway younger brother, Jun, ends up accused of murder and in a coma from an attempted suicide, Ling is forced to uncover the truth about his brother's life on the streets. Told in flashback, Jun's hard-knock life is slowly revealed. Baring the brunt of his father's tirades and falling prey to the relentless abuse of his classmates, Jun abandoned school and his family to eventually find refuge with a group of similar wayfaring delinquents. Typical mayhem ensues in the form of sex, drugs and petty crime that leads Jun to mid-level triad activity. As the story unravels so the mystery builds regarding how and why Jun stands accused of murder.

A youth film without youth stars in Hong Kong is as refreshing now as it was when Lau made Gangs in 1988. Not only was I struck by the new faces in Besieged City, but also the formidable performances they all gave. Because of this, Besieged City maintains some authenticity despite the overwrought despair and viciousness that hangs over almost every scene. Watching a very drunk pair of girls snort a line of cocaine longer than most coffee tables is as over-the-top as seeing a gaggle of remorseless teenage girls shove a young boys head in a urinal over and over. The exploration of familial loyalty when the chips are down between Ling and Jun, as well as two sisters who enter the picture, is barely allowed to surface amongst a very harsh notion of reality and largely one dimensional characters. Cues for sentimentality from the music are completely out of place and there is a polish to the brutality that rings false, if not slightly exploitive, right down to the very definitive finale. Besieged City is a very bitter pill to swallow.

City Without Baseball is a completely different story. On the surface, it's a very conventional romantic drama, but it also reaches into idiosyncratic corners for moments of minor brilliance. Co-directed and written by newcomer Scud with Lau in the passengers seat, the film employs the physical and emotional talents of the Hong Kong National Baseball Team to play themselves in a drama loosely based on their own experiences. But being a baseball player in Hong Kong is like being a curling player in Orlando: their sport is a personal passion, not a popular pastime with most people in Hong Kong completely unaware that they even have a team. Aptly pointed out early in the film, Hong Kong baseball fields don't have bleachers because they have no audience. Baseball might be their dream, but it is the incidentals of life—jobs, relationships, family and friends—that builds the subtext of this brave and gentle film.

Diverting the camera's eye away from the sport, Lau and Scud focus on the interpersonal relationships both on and off the field in a meandering sort of way. Far more contemplative than plot driven, City Without Baseball is one season in the life of a 'professional' Hong Kong baseball player. Coach Tai is the new guy from Taiwan who must inspire his team and come to terms with being a transplant. Chung is the star pitcher who is just as serious about baseball as he is about driving fast cars and wooing young women. Ron is the quiet up-and-coming pitcher who is at a crossroads in terms of his life's choices and confronting his sexuality. Storylines emerge and then disappear, as do the waves of melodrama (not to mention weird music homages to Hong Kong singers who have passed away.) If City wasn't so low-key, it could easily be tossed aside as a fragmented mess, but instead is able to form a dramatic amalgamation within the sum of all its various parts.

City Without Baseball may be most notable, however, for the amount of male skin that graces the screen. An opening sequence of the team in the shower that erupts in a game of ass-smacking is at once completely honest and thoroughly homoerotic. But even when they are not horsing around in the showers, they are shedding there clothes for the ladies or simply running buck naked out of frustration. As a result, the baseball players read like the Greek gods of Hong Kong, sans fig leaf. The lack of modesty within the Hong Kong National Baseball Team may come off as flamboyance or even arrogance, but it is overshadowed by their surprising ability to pull off solid performances. If Scud was the creative force behind the film, then Lau is the orchestrator that keeps the actors and story from falling flat on its face. City Without Baseball is adventurous in subtle ways that are hard to overlook, even if the film isn't entirely successful.

Watch the trailer for Besieged City HERE.
Watch the trailer for City Without Baseball HERE.

Soi Cheang's ACCIDENT (2009)

(The dust and the blister packs on my recent DVDs is a telltale sign: I spend too much time in the theater and not enough in the comfort of my own home. In an attempt to catch up, I'll be posting some thoughts on these movies as time allows.)

Soi Cheang takes a step back from his Cat III wanderings in the blistering Dog Bite Dog and the ridiculous Shamo to tackle a far more commercially viable vehicle with Accident. Under Johnny To's wing as producer, Accident is a well made film that never takes the extra step to challenge the audience, unless you include the unbelievable circumstances that we are asked to swallow right up to the big finale. But in some respects, the over-the-top contrivances feed the movie's themes and ultimately the central character's paranoia that there is no such thing as an accident.

The opening sequence sets the stage and presents a progression of events that fall as as neatly as a line of dominoes, resulting in the bizarre death of a triad member. Through precision and timing, the film subtly reveals that this is no normal chain of events. On a tight busy street, a woman gets a flat tire a flies into distress mode, causing the gentleman behind her to take an alternate route. Not so coincidentally, he passes a truck that sloshes water on the driver as a large banner falls on the windshield of his car. Irritated, the driver jumps out of the car, yanks the banner down from where it is attached. A wire snaps from above, a window shatters, and a shower of broken broken glass pummel the man, killing him. The woman with the flat, the old man driving the truck, the man in charge of the banner and a calm observer of the eventual death are the discrete masterminds behind the assassination masquerading as a mishap.

Louis Koo plays, Brains, the leader of the pack with Stanley Fung, Lam Suet, and Michelle Ye filling out this foursome of unlikely guns for hire. Although each member no doubt has their own talent to bring to the team, it's Brain's and his need for perfection that gives them the knack for successfully pulling off the impossible. But Stanley Fung's aging character seems to be losing his edge to either typical forgetfulness or some form of dementia. This new weak link intersects with a new job that goes terribly awry. Brains, a sweaty mess of obsession and paranoia, is secretly convinced that the accident within the accident is...well, no accident. He connects their client with a mysterious banker who may or may not have ties to his past and the untimely death of his girlfriend.

Watching the story unfold is only surprising in the measure of control Cheang uses to direct Koo down a gently declining slope of mania. Great pains are taken to show, not tell, just how tweeky our hero is as he barely keeps a handle on his rationality. Koo is responsible for quietly carrying the film, with the rest of the cast, including Richie Ren who plays the banker, barely the get the screentime to perform. Invited to a half a dozen film festivals, Accident may usher in a new era for Soi Cheang. Although fully satisfying on one level, Accident disappoints only because Cheang has set people up to expect the unexpected, even if it is an overworked mess such as Dog Bites Dog or a horror head-scratcher such as the fantastically titled Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster.

Watch the trailer for Accident here.

Trash Film Debauchery brings Cynthia Rothrock to the Turf Club in UNDEFEATABLE!

Monday, October 19, 10pm
Undefeatable (1993)
The Turf Club (presented by Trash Film Debauchery)

Cynthia Rothrock may not be the most well known actress in the world, but for anyone who has seen their fair share of 80s Hong Kong films, Rothrock is the ass-kicking white chick. Corey Yuen made her look pretty good alongside Michelle Yeoh in Yes Madam! (1985) and alongside Yuen Biao in Righting Wrongs (1986), but, unfortunately, those may have been her high points. Perhaps one of the better examples of how her career has plummeted is Undefeatable directed by Hong Kong B-movie "master" Godfrey Ho. Just how bad is this film? Well, as one reviewer put it "The film looks like it was shot in exchange for a White Castle Crave Case." Ouch. Fortunately I have never seen this movie, because I doubt that I could be dragged out on a cold October night to watch this a second time.

The unbearable Undefeatable trailer



A much better showcase of Cynthia Rothrock's skills from Yes Madam

We miss you Leslie

April 1st never passes without me being suckered into believing something that I obviously shouldn't (today included.) But for the past five years, April 1st has not passed without remembering Leslie Cheung. Six years ago today, Leslie jumped to his death. When reports of his suicide started popping up on various bulletin boards, it seemed like a sick April's Fools joke. It was no joke.

Leslie Cheung may be best known for Farewell My Concubine in the U.S., but the majority of his career is the heart and soul of my Asian film fandom: 80s and 90s Hong Kong films. Here's a primer:

He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994) directed by Peter Chan
A woman impersonates a man so she can meet her idols and gender-bending hijinks ensue. He's a Woman, She's a Man is a romantic comedy where the performances are so sweet and charming, you just can't help smiling though the entire film. This is really Anita Yuen's movie, but the entire cast is great: Leslie Chueng, Carina Lau, Eric Tsang, and newcomer (!) Jordan Chan. I would say that this film is reserved for Hong Kong fans only, but I think any adventurous film fan could easily have a great time watching this.

A Better Tomorrow (1986) directed by John Woo
It's pretty easy to forget that Leslie is in this film, because this is a showcase for Chow Yun Fat. Nonetheless, Kit (played by Leslie) is the moral conscience of the film.

Days of Being Wild (1990) directed by Wong Kar Wai
I've spent a lot of time on these very pages expressing my adoration for Ashes of Time, in which Leslie Chueng plays a central character. But when it comes to Wong Kar Wai film, Days of Being Wild is Leslie's film. Yuddy, pictured above, is a perfect scoundrel. Everyone should see this film.

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) directed by Ching Sui-Tung
A story almost as old as China, but a film that was a first in a flood of supernatural swordplay films. Leslie Chueng plays a naive tax collector who unwittingly gets involved with...yup, you guessed it: a ghost!

Eagle Shooting Heroes (1994) directed by Jeffery Lau
The cast from Ashes of Time takes a little breaky-poo from the grueling schedule and you get a madcap comedy that nearly makes me pee my pants. It is parody after parody and really famous people acting like complete idiots. I love it. Please watch the trailer linked above.

Top films of 2008: Lists from across the Pacific

Top ten lists are a dime-a-dozen. More than anything, these lists are defined by what the list-maker sees, and what a list-maker sees is defined by where they live. Being an Asian film fan in the Twin Cities isn't terrible, but it is far from spectacular. Needless to say, the lists made by people who have far more access to these films are an invaluable resource. Here are some of the lists that have emerged in the past month that make me envious but also very excited:

Darcy Paquet's top ten Korean films of 2008
(The list is on the site updates page. Scroll down to 2009.01.18) Darcy runs Koreanfilm.org and has his hands in just about anything English language oriented on Korean Film. His knowledge about Korean film is indispensable.

• Top of the list: The Chaser directed by Na Hong-jin
• Number of films I have seen on the list: zed.

Wise Kwai's top ten Thai films of 2008
Wise Kwai is a very busy blogger in Bangkok. Everything and anything on Thai film is here. Wise Kwai's list redeems my choice of Syndromes and a Century, which by IMDB standards is not a 2008 film.

• Top of the list: Syndromes and a Century: Thailand Edition directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Number of films I have seen on the list: two.

Midnight Eye's huge 2008 roundup
Not just one list, but eight lists from eight individuals. It's a fantastic (and overwhelming) roundup that I will revisit again and again.

• Tops of the lists: Tokyo Sonata directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, United Red Army directed by Koji Wakamatsu, Departures directed by Yojiro Takita, All Around Us directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, and more!
• Number of new Japanese films I have seen noted in the lists: five.

Webs of Significance's top ten 2008 Hong Kong movies
Long time film fan, YTSL doesn't just cover film on her Webs of Significance blog, but all things Hong Kong. With photos of food and fauna, Webs is a great blog to visit for anyone who loves Hong Kong (like me!)

• Top of the list: The Way We Are directed by Ann Hui
• Number of films I have seen on the list: zero.

A Nutshell Review's top 10 of 2008
I love how A Nutshell Review's tag is "Probably Singapore's #1 Movie Review Blog." It's not probably and you get much more than a nutshell. Although Nutshell presents a top ten of all films, not just Singapore films, that includes many US favorites such as The Dark Knight and Wall-E, it also includes an eclectic mix of what is available in Singapore. (Nutshell's blog also reveals that eclecticism.)

• Top (non-Western film) of the list: 18 Grams of Love directed by Han Yew Kwang
• Number of films I have seen on the list: three (but none of the ones that count...)

The Golden Rock's best Panasian movies viewed in 2008
This is a list within "The 1st Annual Golden Rock Awards" that includes the best of Hong Kong music, best trends in Asian pop culture, best discovery and so on. A very worthwhile read. The list is in no particular order, and I'm not about to guess which is the tops.

• Number of films I have seen on the list: one.

Welcome back Sammi Cheng

It wasn't too long ago that Sammi Cheng was the queen of the Hong Kong box office. Although her career started with her appearance in the popular Fell 100% in 1996, it was Johnny To's Needing You in 2000 that propelled her to super-stardom, making no less than twelve films in four years (the best being the six she made with Johnny To: Needing You, Wu Yen, Love on a Diet, My Left Eye Sees Ghosts, Love for All Seasons, and Yesterday Once More.) Cheng has an uncanny gift for comedy, but is equally suited for the light romantic comedies that began stacking up in her resume.

That all came to a halt when Stanley Kwan (Rouge, Center Stage) sought out Cheng for his period arthouse drama Everlasting Regret portraying a privileged women ravaged by the social and political turmoil of the Shanghai in the last half of the 20th century. Kudos to Cheng for accepting the challenge where she would be asked to clearly act outside of her normal range and her performance would have to carry the entire movie. Cheng completely transformed herself and gave a performance of a lifetime. Everlasting Regret, which came out in 2005, is a beautiful film, but it fell short of people's expectations as a whole. And without reading too much into the tabloid headlines, the entire experience devastated Cheng, who retreated from the public eye for 2 years before returning to her music career in 2007.

Thankfully, Sammi Cheng will also make her return to the screen this fall with a new film by Alan Mak (Andrew Lau's directing partner) and Felix Cheong entitled Lady Cop & Papa Crook. She stars alongside Eason Chan and plays, well, she plays Lady Cop. Let's face it, the nuances of the plot really aren't that important, but all signs point toward Lady Cop & Papa Crook marking Cheng's return to her very entertaining shoes in HK film. I think the trailer looks awesome! Welcome back Sammi!

Lady Cop & Papa Crook has seen a couple of delays, but is set to open in Hong Kong on October 23rd.
Look for a review on Love HK Film shortly after.