cosmo_kramer-3 Reviews

Little Cheung (1999)

Very interesting film...the best out of the "handover trilogy"!!!

[8/10 · 28 April 2005]

Most people say "Xilu xiang" portrayed the hardness of life of people living in the slums of Hong Kong. Though true, this film ran much deeper than that. "Xilu xiang", like "Made in Hong Kong" and "The Longest Summer" (which along with this film are commonly referred to as the "Hong Kong Handover Trilogy"), was more of a reflection of the people's attitude towards the Hong Kong "handover" (where Hong Kong was returned to mainland China on July 1st).

While "Made in Hong Kong" was about the youth of Hong Kong's doomed attitude towards the "handover" and "The Longest Summer" was about how Hong Kong citizens who worked for the British and were more British by heart had to deal with the sudden change in both the social and political spectrum, "Xilu xiang" is taken from a child's point of view and how the child views the "handover". What was more interesting and different about "Xilu xiang" than the other two films in the trilogy was that this film not only incorporated the Hong Kong citizen's point of view towards the "handover", it also looked at the point of view from the Chinese mainlander, as the first half was narrated by Xilu Xiang while the second half was narrated by A Fen. One could easily spot the change in the attitude of the people between the two plots.

This film focused on the interaction between Hong Kong citizens and the Chinese mainlanders, two people, though close geographically, but in fact were very different culturally and ideologically. The mainlanders feared being found out as illegal immigrants, while the Hong Kong citizens held a distrust towards the mainlanders. The children, on the other hand, did not see any differences between themselves and they were able to become close friends. However, the events and people around them forced them to end their friendship and to be apart. Thus, no matter how hard the people try, they could not get along.

The beauty of the film is that the two children, Xilu Xiang and A Fen, saw all the changes in Hong Kong before the "handover" as it affects even their everyday life. Yet, because of their youth and innocence, they did not completely understand them and the significance of the events as they unfolded. They had their own commentary, but they were only able to take note of the mundane and interesting details. However, the audiences, on the other hand, were more affected and touched more emotionally that these children seeing the same images that these children see. The audiences were treated to a very different cinematic experience, as not only were they able to see how the children view the "handover" and treasure and smile at their innocence, they were also able to exert their own view at the same time. Two very different views forming at the same time, simultaneously but yet not overpowering one another. Only one word to describe it: amazing.

There were no main stream Hong Kong actors in this film, though the child who portrayed the title character won the Taiwan Golden Horse award, the Asian equivalent to the Oscars, for best new comer for this role. Thus, the director and the screenwriter, Friut Chan, might be the biggest draw. If you are not a big film bluff and not in touch with the "handover", this film might be hard to understand because it tends to be confusing with images and events flying at you from all directions and there were many hidden meanings. I had to change this review couple of times because I remembered things as I was writing. Otherwise, this film is a must see. Gives you a different and new cinematic experience.

Nomad (1982)

Interesting film...but tried to do too much in the plot...

[7/10 · 10 April 2005]

This film was said to be one of the very few films able to hit the bull's eye on the youth culture in Hong Kong, ranging from their hair styles to their life philosophies, during the 80's. It generated a great deal of controversy in a mainly Confuscious Hong Kong society, where the people and the community know of the problems but instead employ an one eye open, one eye close attitude and prefer to keep them shredded in darkness and secrecy while making everything look nice and peachy on the surface, when it was first released with the film's shocking and brutal honesty on the lifestyle of the youth. Its portrayal of the youths as being a very promiscuous and sexually open group who goes through life with a "live for today, die tomorrow" attitude while having no goals and directions challenged the thinking of Hong Kong society by bringing out the problems with the youths; meanwhile, the many "streamy" love scenes(no nudity; many were just scenes and shots of the actors and actresses scantily clad and in provocative positions; the one scene where it was close to a standard love making scene was too dark to see and could only see the arms and face; nothing compared to western cinema) and the amount of skin the actors and actresses revealed challenged Hong Kong films society which was rather conservative.

I really liked the way they were able to reflect both the youth and the parent's reaction and attitude towards their lifestyle. However, the writers were trying to do too much. They tried to generate some excitement and climax by putting a international assassination plot into the story, but it just made the film became more of a silly soap opera and it lost focus from the main theme, a reflection on youth society. The cast was rather impressive, which featured some recognizable names even in 2005 and although only Leslie Cheung became a breakout star, the other main actors and actresses became reliable performers; the performances, on the other hand, were believable and natural but nothing spectacular and rather green. Overall, it would be recommended for only film buffs or Leslie Cheung fans. There was nothing exciting about this movie, as even the love scenes were boring.

Triad Underworld (2004)

Very interesting ending...But otherwise not worth the time.

[12 December 2004]

I was very excited about this film when it was first introduced and had been dying to see it. There was a lot of hype surrounding the film, as the last time Andy Liu and Jacky Cheung, two of the most popular figures in Hong Kong pop culture, collaborated before was sixteen years ago, and the media kept reporting the effort and time the actors put into the film. However, just as the reports were on mundane details such as the hairstyles and the time put into the hairstyles, the movie was mundane at best.

The ensemble cast was great, gathering some of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment. In fact, the producers even convinced Wu Chien-Lien, who had not appeared in a Hong Kong produced film in a long time, to make a cameo to play Andy Liu's character's wife. However, it seemed that the movie planned to run on star power and paid little to no attention to the details. First of all, although the acting of the four main characters of the two different arcs were solid, Andy Liu and Jacky Cheung could be better, given their talents. Secondly, the supporting characters' acting were mediocre and even many were prominent names, they seemed to be misused and underutilized, thus making it feel like they were forgettable and unnecessary. For example, Eric Tsang, a very versatile actor who even won a Golden Horse Award (the equivalent to the Oscar in the Taiwan, Hong Kong and China sphere) and able to play many different characters while making them feel convincing, felt very one-dimensional here. In fact, he could be killed off and nobody would care. Next, the plot jumped from one story arc to another at what seemed to be the worst possible time, making the film feel confusing at times. Finally, the script, except the end and the restaurant scene where the mastermind of the whole plan was, was very formulaic and seemed like any other Hong Kong made crime thriller.

Still, compliments had to be given to the camera work and the ending. The camera work was excellent, giving the film a dark and mysterious aura that matched nicely with the plot and the tempo of the film. And the ending was excellent. It was very thought provoking and left the audience, if they still followed the film and did not get bored to death, something to think about. It gave the film a different perspective, which I personally appreciated, and made sense of the whole film. It was one of the best twists that I have seen in a while.

Overall, the film, until the ending, receives 5 out of 10. This maybe biased because I have seen too many films with the same kind of plots. With the ending, it is a 6 out of 10 film. Although the twist was great, it was just too late, as half of the audience probably would not care anymore. Watch it if you love Hong Kong produced crime thrillers and have the time. Otherwise, watch Infernal Affairs instead.

Sling Blade (1996)

Amazing...

[26 October 2004]

Only one word can describe the performance of Billy Bob Thornton...amazing. I really had no respect for him before. His behaviors, his antics, the way the media portrayal him...feels like he is just playing himself in the slimeball and lowlife roles that he is usually seen as in his movie. Never really understood why he gets work at all. Anyone can play a slimeball...

Then I watched Sling Blade a couple of months ago...I was simply shocked. I was shocked even further when I learned that he starred, directed and even wrote the screenplay. The film was magnificent.

First, the storytelling was great. It was very strait forward and it was in a chronological order. It did not jump, as time moved forward and one got a grip of Karl and other character's past from the conversations and the places that they visited. It was very easy to follow and the characters were very well developed, even those that had only a few scenes.

Then, the directing was great. Even though the film was slow, not once did it ever became dull or boring for me. Even though there was nothing too exciting happening, the movie gripped me and I was following it till the end. I was feeling scared and sad during the climax where Karl killed Doyle, feeling sympathy towards Karl and the different characters as they began to reveal their stories and feeling warmhearted as the people welcomed a stranger with open arms.

Next, the supporting cast was great. They all gave heartwarming and convincing efforts. Without them, this movie would not be complete.

Finally, and the most important element of all, Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal was so real. His expressions, his reactions, his walk, his eye focus...everything that he did convinced me that he was actually mentally handicapped. I got completely lost within his character and it was him who kept me interested as the story unfolded. Then I heard the work and sacrifices that he made for this film (putting glass in his shoes so he can have the awkward kind of walk) made me respect him even more.

This movie is great. Very recommended. 9/10

Pushing Hands (1991)

Sometimes small productions can give you quite a treat.

[25 October 2004]

Sihung Lung, the actor who played Master Chu, the aging tai chi master, gave a very convincing and sincere performance in this film. It was no wonder that he won the Golden Horse (Taiwan's equivalent for the Oscars) for Best Actor in this film. His performance was extremely touching, as tears jerked into my eyes as I see an aging and traditional Chinese father trying to get along with his westernized family while also trying to adjust to life in a new place and culture. The film encourages people, especially new immigrants, to emphasize and put themselves in their parents' shoes. Try to understand how difficult it is for them to come and settle in a new place and try not to push them away. Be patient with them, take a step back and everything may be better.

The movie title, "Pushing Hands", is very appropriate, as this is the term for an exercise in tai chi in which a person achieves balance by giving up balance. In this non-aggressive exercise between 2 people, a person offers no resistance at all to the pressure or push that the other person is exerting and keeps borrowing this strength until they feel they have fused into one and thus have achieved harmony. This was what Master Chu did. Although his daughter-in-law kept misunderstanding him, causing much discontent and eventually got his son to try to sent him away, he offered no resentment or a temper tantrum. He simply walked away gracefully. This action caused his son to appreciate him and remember why he got his father to live together in the first place in a tear jerking scene and finally they worked out a solution. They decided to give each other space by living separately instead of pushing each other away. In the end everyone was much happier, as even the daughter-in-law learned to accept the father, symbolized by her decorating the guest room for him and asking the question if he would ever visit. The father achieved the balance that he seek in Tai-Chi.

Ang Li is simply amazing and sensational. He did what he could with the limited budget and created a very warm and tear jerking film. Although this film was not the highest quality (the version I saw was very unclear and skips sometimes) and it could feel slow at times, especially the beginning sequence, the film was a great work in directing. The film picked up its pace after the slow beginning without any big fighting scenes or explosions and never felt boring afterwards. Also, from the beginning sequence, where he was able to show the dissension and gap between the daughter-in-law and the father by using just different scenes and visuals, to scenes throughout the film where he used lighting and different camera angles to show the internal pain and sadness that the father experience, it was, simply put, a great piece of art considering the budget. It showcased the talent of Li and gave the audience a glimpse of the man who would bring us the memorable Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.