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nanjokoji
Reviews
American Chinatown (1995)
Yong's redemption is Lily. Our redemption is popcorn.
Or not.
The story is pretty thin, trying to recall that of a 90's Hong Kong gangster flick. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for the HK pieces, they actually had mob connections and some of the elements were quite visceral and real. Boy meets girl, they both fall into doomed love.
The ending is a cliffhanger-- probably the only good narrative element in the story, and even that falls a little short.
This film has pretty solid action sequences-- though one thing can be said; there's a goon who appears several times on all different sides (a goon in awe of Yong, the 'samurai' yakuza guy etc) and that causes a lot of confusion.
For a '96 movie, the cast seems decked out in what appears to be 80's throwback fashion. That and the stiff acting combined makes it seem like a day time soap.
It's not a bad movie. But only worth watching if your brain is on auto pilot and you have absolutely nothing else to do.
Ru guo · Ai (2005)
The script for a musical echoes the real lives of the leading players and the director. The story unravels even as the lines between reality and fantasy blur.
I had high hopes when I went into the theatre-- having seen the trailer I was as hyped as the next person to see great talent participate in the making of a story with a beautiful premise.
However, it's disappointing to see this talent laid waste by the poor composition of songs-the words are chunky and cheesy, probably because it was composed with a more western theme. I wouldn't find it difficult to imagine the same melodies with French or English lyrics. In Mandarin, they just sound strange.
The musical items were also cut together badly-- far too quickly to be enjoyable, and the shots of the actors looking anguished lasted far too long.
The special effects are the next disappointment. Suffice it to say, it is highly obvious where the special effects start and stop.
It's not Moulin Rouge, and it's not In the Mood either, inspite of the occasional (and very similar) slow waltz theme. Altogether, and hour too long to tell a simple story.