Reviews

Lusciously daft and laughable

Tsui Hark's first big success at the box office, All the Wrong Clues marks a drastic change in style from his first films. Rather than tackle any serious or depressing subject matter, Hark consciously tried to create something lusciously daft and laughable. You can't deny that the man succeeded because All the Wrong Clues is just genuine insanity combined with outright hilarity. Despite being a parody of Hollywood detective and noir fiction, the film isn't any more absurd than most actual stories of that genre, there are some brilliantly staged slapstick routines and a likeable cast delivering great jokes where it counts. Although I found myself heavily distracted for most of the film by the gorgeous Yiu Wai and her choice of wardrobe 😳. I was looking respectfully 😳. Honest.

Read More

Historical melodrama mixed with goofy comedy

Although seemingly co-directed by Yim Ho, King of Chess has Tsui Hark written all over it, with Hark taking full control later in production leading Ho to disown the movie entirely, the end result mixes their styles but Hark's is way more prevalent than Ho's historical melodrama. The decidedly goofy comedic beats and experimental editing feel out of place for a movie like this, dealing directly with the uneasy history of Mainland China under Mao - Hark's movies often take a more symbolic or allegoric stance on the matter, so makes for a nice stylistic discrepancy in his filmography. However, the cross-cutting narrative between Mao's China and 90s Taiwan draws up some interesting results of paralleling struggles and combined with Lo Ta-yu's infectious synth-driven musical score leads to a movie never quite in focus and equal parts infuriating as it is charming in a way only Tsui Hark can deliver.

Read More

Tsui Hark's debut

The film debut of legendary Hong Kong director and producer Tsui Hark, The Butterfly Murders is a blend of everything and anything into what I'm going to say is an 88-minute new-wave wuxia murder mystery spectacle. If I'm honest, whatever you thought going into this film with a title like that, will not be what you get. Hark's visual style and later hallmarks are on clear display but also tangled up in a plot so confusing that if you look away for a second or even blink, you'll miss vital details and thus the whole story. There is one thing you can infer from the title, however... the butterflies do indeed kill people.

Read More

For a good cause if nothing else

Seemingly roping in about 95% of the Hong Kong Cinema industry, pretending that The Banquet qualifies as anything but a throwaway romp would be nonsensical. The story is strung together with the subtlety of a screaming competition and the plot twists are hackneyed and lame. The cameos and walk-ons are obviously meant to satisfy fans. The film's message is a well-meaning one, but the steps taken to get there are far from creative or interesting. While occasionally amusing, the film isn't really that good, as it was solely made to contribute to the relief efforts of the Yangtze River flood victims, so you can't deny the noble intentions of everyone involved as, ultimately, it does everything it's supposed to.

The most pressing issue for me however was the clear absences of Chow Yun-fat and Jackie Chan, must have been busy that weekend.

Read More

Director's Cut

With Tsui Hark's first two movies supposedly bombing at the box office, he decided to lay it all bare and go for broke with Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind, one of the angriest and seriously fucked-up coming-of-age teenage dramas you will ever see, one that never has a happy moment. An unforgettably disturbing piece, that's dark and nihilistic to the utmost extreme, with scenes that will undoubtedly make your skin crawl even if you are the most seasoned of gorehounds. The scenes of on-camera animal cruelty aren't even the worst parts which really tells you how fucked-up the movie truly is. There's a great use of music here, although most of has been stolen because I highly doubt Hark managed to get the rights to Oxygene, Jerry Goldsmith's score to the first Star Trek movie or Dawn of the Dead. Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind is one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences you could ever watch with seemingly no characters to like but with an abundance to think about, this is a movie that takes balls to view but even bigger ones to make.

Read More

Truly mad

Picking up shortly from where the first film left off, A Chinese Ghost Story II is a very entertaining sequel, one that amps up the horror, comedy and special effects wizardry. Providing the same type of action and romance that made the first film so popular, this sequel has its faults because it can't match the first film's originality or ability to surprise. Still, as Tsui Hark's thinly disguised response to Tiananmen Square, the film works wonders, criticising authorities and reflecting on the meaning of hope. This is a film made to go all out to please and thrill an audience. All stops are ignored in this wild rollercoaster, one with stunning colour and photography, wild changes of pace and characters suddenly and unexpectedly changing form all over the place. Surrealistic scenes, gorgeous music, suspenseful situations and imaginative production designs accompany the great performances by the cast. Although A Chinese Ghost Story II is very good, it doesn't quite compete with the amazing beauty of the original, regardless, this is still very worth checking out for something a little bit more mad.

Read More

"Behold I will make a havoc in the Heavenly Palace!"

Rescue the Earth aka Earth Rescue Day took the old trope of aliens taking over the Earth and combined it with a little Monkey King magic. The mischievous god never made an appearance but devotee Mo Fei managed to embody some of the simian’s better qualities.

The Earth has been devastated and overtaken by an alien called Giant Kun who orbits the sky. Smaller spider-like creatures called Kunzis scavenge the land and anyone who dares to come above ground. Humanity has made their homes safely below ground in modern cities. Mo Fei is a Flyman in his 20’s who goes to the surface to find objects of worth to sell below. He owes his friend, Sha Sha, money. She tags along when he tries to sell items to Boss Zhu who is not happy to see him. Mo Fei and Sha Sha end up on the run from Boss Zhu above ground in their flying vehicles when both are attacked by the Kunzis. Mo Fei rescues Boss Zhu and the civilians find themselves in turn rescued from a herd of Kunzis by the Black Falcon Squad. The squad and Flymen end up on a dangerous mission through Kunzi infested land in order to arm a weapon that might destroy Giant Kun before she reproduces and ends humanity for all time.

Rescue the Earth had some really good creatures. Although Giant Kun looked suspiciously like the Harbulary battery eating Abilisk from Guardians of the Galaxy 2. If spiders make you squeamish the hordes of arachnid inspired Kunzis with long spiky tongues may not be for you. While the creatures were properly creepy, the flying car chases came across as very low quality CGI.

Liu Jian Yu as the Wukong inspired Mo Fei had an impish smile and Monkey King hairdo. There was a nice bit to tie it all together at the end. Wang Zi Jia as his gal pal Sha Sha was the mechanic who had to run around on the snow-covered ground in her Daisy Dukes cut-off jean shorts. The writers worked hard to make the four brave soldiers have their own personalities. Capt. Li had a secret related to Mo Fei that tied him to the young man. Different characters had to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good and while it didn’t bring tears, they weren’t complete strangers.

Rescue the Earth had some clunky dialogue and even clunkier science but it did have an interesting premise and characters. The film was thankfully short and kept the action going non-stop. The final solution didn’t make any sense but it was done in Wukong style which made it worthwhile for me. If you can handle cheesy dialogue and don’t mind absurd science it’s a diverting 90 minutes of action and creepy crawlers.

21 October 2024
Triggers-Spiderish creatures

Read More

5 stages of grief

I went through 5 stages of grief watching this movie.

Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance.

There is something so relatable about the plot even though it is set in a village. The complications of relationships, the repercussions of Sek's indecisiveness which caused Mo and Thongkam coming head-to-head with each other. I have seen it happened in real life and I have had the experience of being the receiving end of people's indecisiveness that I totally understand the reasons behind Mo and Thongkam actions. The characters grieving in the own ways, trying to make sense and making their own path in life.

Jeff & Engfa deserves awards for their acting. The subtleness of their emotions plays across their faces clearly and I could instantly understand the pain behind it.

Considering that this is Keng Harit's first acting job (based off his MDL profile), I'm really impressed that he is very natural and engaging in front of the camera and love his chemistry with Jeff.

I was honestly hoping for a happy ending in some form but the ending is exactly how reality is. That's how life is. No matter how much you fight for, most of the time, things are just as it is. Everyone wants their happy endings but how many actually get their happy endings.

Truth be told, I'm not sure what I feel about this movie. I love it but I hate that it is the reality of countless people around the world.

Read More

A zombie movie hasn't felt as emotional as this making me scream at the TV. I'm glad it focuses on the family aspect and how it affects your relationship with others.
ML became paranoid of the outside emotionally abusing his wife and sons to make sure they stays in place resulting in kidnapping when the older son does go out for a valid reason. He couldn't put aside his PTSD and his wife's affair. He was very manipulative
The older son I connected with him from the start protecting his younger brother, unfairly treated by the dad as he wasn't biological child of his. He had to mature fast.
I cried for Lucas as his life got turned upside down and had to have his arm cut off so he dosen't turn into a zombie.

I loved how the zombie kept repeating their last words

Read More

Ambitiously messy

Hong Kong adaptations of Japanese manga tend to hit differently, The Peacock King is no exception, always moving at a frantic pace. There's plenty of ambition sprinkled throughout the film, be it the incredible set design, insane practical effects or the stunning claymation work, the film certainly earns its keep. The problem that ultimately holds this film back from being an all-time classic of its industry is that unfortunately, the story is so unbelievably messy with the most minor of things derailing the experience, having six credited writers certainly gives you that impression. Regardless of that, director Lam Ngai Kai more than delivers plenty of his signature style even including a sequence where Yuen Biao battles a reanimated dinosaur, yes that happens, it just all feels a bit more on the cheaper side with its budget having been spent on its effects more than anything else. Backed by a great cast, including a sadly underused Gordon Liu, and a decent musical score, The Peacock King manages to keep an enjoyable tone despite the cheapness of the proceedings. I'll get to the sequel at some point.

Read More

"What ghost would dare hate us?"

“Strange things happen in a war-torn land.” Do they ever in Kuroneko's ghostly story of revenge. The problem with revenge is that it’s a double-edged sword that can wound both ways.

Yone and Shige are home alone having dinner when a group of 16 samurai come upon their hut. The samurai lay claim to everything in it. When they are done, the women are dead, and their hut goes up in flames. A black cat lingers over the bodies in the smoldering ruins. Not long after, samurai traveling through the Rajomon Gate at night are lured to their deaths by a beautiful woman. Tragedy is at hand when Yone’s son and Shige’s husband returns from the war a successful samurai and the women’s vows must be kept.

“Who cares about peasants or even considers them human?”
This was a strange story about the consequences of revenge. The vengeful ghosts had plenty to be resentful of regarding the world the warring men had created. Hachi loved his mother and his wife, but would he be immune to the rancorous entitlement vented by so many? It also showed the utter disregard for the lives of the peasants, the people hit the hardest by war. The lazy samurai leader Raiko couldn't understand anyone hating the samurai believing they were beloved by all. The suffering peasants' feelings didn't count as they weren't really human. A samurai lured into the women’s house said, “Fighting allows us to eat our fill and have whatever we want.” Not the words one should say to ghosts who had everything stolen by samurai including their lives. The offending samurai faces bore the greed and lust of crazed animals, fitting irony that they died in similar fashion.

The 1960’s special effects were rudimentary, created with darkness and light, fog and shadows. Makeup and hairy cat limbs gave the illusion of feline ghosts. A few wires and even their shadows slipped through the editing process. The greater fear in this film resulted from the ghosts required to fulfill their vows and Hachi who had his own vows to fulfill which put the loved ones on a hellish collision course. I gave this old horror film a small rating’s bump due to its age, but despite that it was a well made film about the costs of war and revenge.

20 October 2024

Triggers: Sexual assault and some nudity

Read More

Captures the Transience of Love with Grace and Emotion"

Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight directed by Takahiro Miki, based on the novel by Misaki Ichijo. The film centers on the heart-wrenching yet beautiful love story between two high school students, Toru Kamiya and Maori Hino. Toru, after a prank confession, unexpectedly starts a genuine relationship with Maori, who suffers from a memory disorder, causing her to forget everything about her daily life every night.

The film explores themes of love, memory, and the impermanence of human connections, presenting a poignant narrative that feels both tender and fragile. The chemistry between the lead actors and the emotional depth they bring to their roles make the story compelling and touching. As viewers watch Toru’s determination to maintain their love against Maori’s memory loss, the film reminds us of the power of love and the pain of inevitable loss.

What stands out is the film’s delicate direction, capturing moments of joy and melancholy through beautifully framed scenes. The emotional resonance, especially in the final moments, lingers long after the movie ends, offering a bittersweet yet hopeful message about cherishing love, even if it’s fleeting.

Overall, the movie is an emotional journey that showcases the beauty of love even in the face of adversity, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. If you appreciate heartfelt dramas, Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight is worth watching for its emotional depth and visual beauty.

Read More

It's soo good!

I honestly don’t even know where to start. "His" completely took me by surprise and really hit me in ways I wasn’t expecting. It’s not just good—it’s one of those movies that stays with you long after you’re done watching.

The acting? Amazing. The actors made everything feel so real like you were right there with them. Shun’s quiet loneliness and Nagisa’s struggle between the past and present were so genuine. Even the little girl was adorable and added so much to the story. You could just feel the emotions between Shun and Nagisa like there was all this history and unspoken love that neither of them knew how to handle.

The plot is simple, but that’s what makes it work. It’s about two people trying to reconnect after years apart, but it’s also about self-acceptance and what it means to love, especially when life has changed so much. Watching them figure out their feelings for each other while dealing with the weight of their past was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking.

What really got me, though, were the small moments. There aren’t any big dramatic scenes—it’s all in the quiet glances, the hesitant touches, and the things they don’t say. That’s what made it feel so real. And the way they dealt with being LGBTQ+ in a society that’s not always accepting felt really honest. It wasn’t overdone or cliché, just a real reflection of their struggles.

By the end, I was feeling a mix of emotions—sad but also hopeful. His is the kind of movie that hits you right in the heart. It’s not flashy or overly dramatic, but that’s what makes it so powerful. If you want something that’s raw and real, this is definitely worth watching.

Read More