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Baekyahaeng: Hayan eodoom sokeul geolda (2009)
Not as good as the Japanese version.
Having read the splendid book by Keigo Higashino and having watched the Japanese film version wasn't enough. I had to watch the Korean version as well. There is also a Japanese TV show which I've yet to watch.
The story is basically the same but here they opted to tell it in a different manner. There are also some new elements introduced, while others, that were in the book and the previous versions, have been omitted.
I understand that the makers of this version had to do something to differentiate this version from the previous versions. The writers did a good job which was shown to Higashino for approval before shooting.
Some of the changes work and some don't. Viewers who are not familiar with the source material will have a hard time trying to figure out what is happening. The first act is quite confusing. The makers of this version decided to mix up the chronological order, something which may not be a good idea for a story that omits crucial parts in order to let the viewer /reader figure things out by himself. To understand and appreciate this film without having read the book or seen the previous versions may be difficult.
I found the casting and acting in the Japanese version better than this one, especially the two creepy kids. In this version the actors are too photogenic, something that at moments works against the film.
The aesthetic concerns of the director seem more important than the narrative. You get lots of pointless scenes just because they look good. But to be fair there are a couple scenes that are more intense than the Japanese version although it's debatable whether it was needed or not.
The main actress in this film is ridiculously perfect and there are some graphic nude scenes. Those familiar with Korean cinema will notice the psycho guy from Public Enemy is now the victim of a far worse kind of psycho.
There is also some corny sentimentality which is an unavoidable trait of Korean cinema.
Another thing I found annoying is how ridiculously handsome everyone in the film is, and there is not a single speck of dust anywhere. Even in real life, Koreans are so obsessed with their image, they go to extreme lengths to project a sense of perfection. In this film everything looks so perfect, it becomes fake. You know it's not real, just a projection of a fake reality, but because this film deals with a character who is perfect from the outside but rotten on the inside, this visual representation suits the theme well.
My advice : Do not watch this unless you are familiar with the book or the Japanese film version. You will be confused with the results.
Strange Darling (2023)
A failed form of feminism.
Maybe it was shot on 35mm but you still got digital color grading which doesn't do it much favor. The artificial looking colors turn out to be too distracting, all those intense greens and reds. A more washed out seventies style look would have been more suitable.
This film is a female revenge fantasy. As if the makers of this film are looking for payback time after so many decades of slasher films where male perpetrators carve up pretty women.
Unfortunately, as with most movies that put the importance of the message above good storytelling and film making, this approach is always bound to fail.
The two main actors do a decent job although the not very believable situations in the film are not the best way to showcase someone's talent.
The electric lady stuff at the end, what was that about?
Prisoners (2013)
Good, but not that good.
The French film Martyrs and The Vanishing (original version not the remake) must have been an influence, however, being a Hollywood film, this one never dares to go too far.
It grabs your attention from the first minutes and doesn't let go of you, but as the plot progresses you realize that certain things don't stick together.
The flaws in the armor start showing in the last act. Lots of things are either not explained or don't make much sense. Also the way the investigation of the two missing girls is handled throughout the film, doesn't correspond to what happens in real life. Where were the cadaver dogs or the forensic experts?
When it comes to motivation for the crimes, the writing is vague. Or maybe it's the half hour that was cut before release.
As for the finale, I must say that I was dissapointed. The director had two options. You either go for a Hollywood ending or for something that will destroy the soul of the viewer, in the style of Martyrs or Vanishing. Unfortunately, the need to please the viewers is one of the largest weaknesses of this film.
What they opted for was a festival film ending, kinda like a Lanthimos film. The last scene doesn't let you know what happened to a certain character in the film. Very frustrating for this kind of film. He either makes it or he doesn't. Why opt for an ambiguous ending in the style of Dogtooth ?
The Substance (2024)
Serious issues regarding credibility somehow spoil the film
This mishmash of countless cinematic influences-does a good job most of the time but eventually betrays it's own rules and lacks logic.
How can the two bodies be one when it's very clear that they're two different personalities? At first you get the impression that you got one mind sharing two different bodies but all of a sudden it changes and they start fighting each other.
Another thing: Doesn't Demi Moore have any friends, family, or boyfriends? Apart from a couple of male douches there is less social interaction here than in The Omega Man.
This one ain't as stupid as Titane but there are some serious credibility issues.
The science that makes this possible does not make much sense in the same way a Cronenberg film does.
BTW, where was it shot? Its supposed to be Hollywood but if it was shot there, the director sure did a bad job. You don't see a single location whatsoever, just the top of some palm trees.
At least it delivers gore in spades but last scenes are too far fetch. It seems they didn't know where to stop.
There also seems to be an anti-meat message in there somewhere. Something about anorexia and veganism. The message behind the movie seems to be that if you're not happy with how you look, just take it easy, things could have been worse. Also every male is a douche or a loser. The scene with the piece of paper that lands in the pool of mud wants to show us something about these characters but let's face it, it doesn't seem real when she picks it up. Why didn't the guy write it again on a clean piece of paper?
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Kinds of Boredom
This failed attempt to make a puzzle movie in the style of Under the Silver Lake and Donnie Darko, is made of three stories that may or may not be connected with each other. The previous mentioned titles will make more sense the more you watch them, and this may be the case here, but outside the makers of the film, I reckon very few brave ones out there are gonna sign up for a second viewing. For most of it's running time, the film is excruciatingly boring, with a few interesting ideas scattered here and there.
From the first viewing there are noticeable traces of a grande scheme that connects the three stories. Too bad that instead of opting for good storytelling, the creative duet behind Kinds of Kindness - should be titled Three Kinds of Boredom if you ask me - decided at a very early stage that the best way to approach the subject is by amping the nonsense up to maximum degree.
There are some attempts to shock the audience as if that would be enough to bring the sleeping audience out of their lethargy, but it's mostly weirdness for the sake of weirdness, with musical cues borrowed from Eyes Wide Shut.
Viewers who manage to stay awake will be awarded with a fairly explicit sex scene during the "hey, let's watch some home videos" scene. Makes you wonder how Emma Stone agreed to shoot such a scene.
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
The Love Boat this ain't!
After Titane, this is further proof that the Palm D' Or doesn't amount to much nowadays. First hour is okay but then it gets preachy and hammers the viewer with lousy slogans in case you never noticed that rich people are a bunch of privileged a**holes.
He then demonstrates that despite being rich, they're all full of s**t, just like the rest of us.
After the pirates show up, the whole thing falls apart. It's cheap, with a disjointed narrative that makes little sense, leading to a stupid finale. The two-dimensional characters, are more stereotypical than a Hollywood film. They are poorly developed and unlikeable.
Lots of silly ideas in the script, like having the characters play Robinson Crusoe on an inhabited island.
To summarize everything : Art film equals lots of puke (a poor gimmick nowadays, probably lifted off Mae Zetterling), lots of brown stuff (exploding toilets), and bored rich people in the Antonioni tradition.
She guo fen nu de hai (2023)
China cosplay thriller
I watched the first film by this director in a special screening in Beijing and in a discussion afterwards with the female producer I explained why that film was not suitable for foreign audiences.
Now, many years later I discover that the director of Troublemakers has made several successful movies in China.
Across the Furious Sea is an attempt to make a violent thriller in the Korean and Japanese style. It's obviously influenced by The World of Kanako and Yellow Sea but due to the censoring rules in China, it does not feature the ultraviolence of those two films.
Still, it's a suspenseful thriller with great chase scenes, although a bit overwritten, something which is a bit of a problem with most modern day Chinese films. The standout sequence is a car chase on a bridge while it's raining fish. There's another great one on the top of a tall building.
The scenes in Japan are well done although I'm a bit puzzled why a kid from a rich Chinese family would chose to live in such a dump.
I like the way the film deals with the world of cosplay. It seems to suggest that there is something wrong in the head with those who like to dress up like their favorite anime characters. Most of them have trouble coping with the real world and prefer to withdraw into a fantasy one populated by their favorite characters.
The acting is pretty good. The rich Chinese family is despicable enough - especially Zhou Xun. Filming locations in China are great, but I still haven't figured out which city it was shot.
Not a perfect film, but it's definitely worth watching.
Fan hua (2023)
Not for foreigners...
This highly ambitious piece based on a novel yet to be translated to English, takes us back to Shanghai of the early nineties where we get to experience the joys and pleasures of Huang He Lu, and the colorful characters that inhabit this glitzy version of pre-globalization China.
It's essentially a "Best of Wong Kar Wai," where you get bits and pieces of every Wong Kar Wai film in both visual and audio terms.
The sensory overload will probably be too much for the casual viewer, and most non- Chinese Wang Kar Wai lovers will have an equally hard time, since it lacks the universal appeal of In the Mood for Love. This is not one for the European festival crowds. Only Chinese and seasoned expats can get what this is really about.
Not that Wang Jia Wei has a great relation with Chinese audience. To them, his films don't make much sense. Given that lots of Chinese people dislike the films of Wang Jia Wei, then who is the ideal audience? Probably those with a strong nostalgia for a special period in time in Shanghai that is now gone forever. It's essentially a love letter to Shanghai, its people, and their two big passions : money and food.
The first ten episodes focus mostly on a pair of restaurants run by two women and there doesn't seem to be a main plot, just Chinese people talking about food, money, and the stock market. The middle third is closer to what foreigners would expect from a Wang Jia Wei movie, the focus is on the female characters and their romances. One of the segments that stand out is the "bus girl."
In the last third, the pace moves faster and we get to experience the up and downs of the stock market as well as a personal war between two business rivals.
The whole thing seems very random without a main plotline. Only after episode 25 viewers will start making sense of the director's intentions.
The thirty episodes are supposed to be edited down to two hours for an international theatrical release. I don't know if something like that is possible or which scenes will make the international cut. I suppose those that will remind the foreigners of previous hits Chongqing Senlin, Huayang Nianhua, 2046.
In a weird way, Fan Hua is The Grandmasters with stocks and cash instead of the kungfu.
One thing many viewers may find strange is the lack of any sex drive behind any of the character's motivation. They're all, young, rich, and sexy, but more chaste than a monastery full of nuns. Maybe this is due to censorship.
The lack of recognizable international stars will such as Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, mean that Fan Hua will probably be less succesful in the European market than his previous films. That doesn't mean the cast isn't good. Zhilei Xun is stunning to look at but her puffy lips can be very distracting. Yang Tang spends a lot of time whining. Her voice and stupid glasses can be very annoying.
Yili Ma is the best but like everyone else in the cast, it takes some time until you get used to her. Hu Ge in the role of the Chinese Gatsby is adequate enough but lacks a distinct persona.
Photography, sets, costume design, music, and camera are out of this world. But it all seems repetitive, like a ten minute loop repeating itself over and over again.
3 Body Problem (2024)
Good but not as good as the Chinese show.
For once more, the fabulous D & D duet take certain liberties in their adaption of a renowned literary accomplishment, and if you take in account how things ended with Game of Thrones, then you shouldn't be overtly optimistic for the outcome of this one.
I wasn't a big fan of the first two books -my mind changed with the third which I'm currently reading. I'm not sure if it was the translation or the writing style, I struggled to finish the first-the second was slightly better. I'm not a big fan of hard science. I always felt that Arthur Clarke did the same thing in a better manner in Childhood's End.
The Netflix show polishes the rough edges and simplifies the whole thing, adding lots of gory scenes to make the show appeal to a younger and less sophisticated audience. Not necessarily a bad thing if you want to target the average viewer rather than the hardcore science fiction fans of the original trilogy.
The Netflix show feels very rushed, by the time you reach episode six you're already in the third book, but hey, these are the guys who adapted Game of Thrones, so no suprise there.
There is lots of visual excitement, but lots of scenes, such as the destruction of the ship and its passenger, feel like they belong to another film. The characters are also kinda lame. The "Oxford 5" were a bad idea better suited for the Final Destination franchise.
After I finished the Netflix show, I started watching the Chinese version and I couldn't believe my eyes. Science fiction done on a level that has never been done before, with an amazing visual style much better than any Netflix or HBO show. All you intelligent viewers out there do yourselves a favor and watch it. Then you can decide which is the better adaption.
Heojil kyolshim (2022)
Decision to leave the theatre before the film ends.
It seems that this director has lost the skill to make good films. Compared to other Korean thrillers such as New World and Yellow Sea this is a rather poor effort. By trying to charm simultaneously both Chinese Censorship bureau and European festival board members, the director has made a film which is unable to decide which audience group it wants too target and at the end fails to satisfy either.
The presence of Tang Wei was probably a calculated move to guarantee the film will hit the Chinese screens. Most of the time, Decision to Leave plays like a less edgier version of modern Mainland noir such as Wild Goose Lake and Black Coal Thin Ice. Storyline is ludicrous perpetuates lots of old fashioned cliches from Asian love stories. Tang Wei is good, but there is no chemistry between the two leads, and the male protagonist is too bland in terms of appearance.
Flawless production design is nothing new in Korean cinema. As a matter of fact you will spend more time ogling over those speckless interior spaces rather than the personal dramas unfolding before your eyes.
One a positive note, at least there is the presence of former pop idol Lee Jyun Hun. Not that she does anything special in this film, but she is always good to look at.
Tha se do stin Kolasi, agapi mou (1999)
Hell is to watch this film.
A beautifully shot film, with great photography and framing. The director surely knows how to set up a scene and the colors are amazing.
Unfortunately the film suffers from horrible acting and badly written dialogue which seems improvised on the spot. When the camera started rolling, the viewer's eyes start doing the same.
There is no story, just two chicks in various states of undress in a villa with a swimming pool (the director's home). He must have had great confidence in his actresses because he forgot to add a story and a trace of rudimentary logic. As a result, this film is less entertaining than a bad strip show and acting is on a par with a grade school kid's performance.
Maléfices (1962)
Conjure Wife
This blend of RKO horror with classic noir is a bit slow and lacks suspense, while some very intriguing secondary characters remain underdeveloped. Yet certain scenes are powerful enough to keep you watching such as the interaction between the male hero and the pet cheetah of his lover. It makes you believe that wild cats are just like ordinary cats and there was no animal trainer on the set.
I must admit that the pace was a bit of a drag.
The last act is quite impressive and the final twist sure packs a punch. At times it will remind you of the Val Lewton,Jacques Tourner RKO classics while at others it behaves like a James Cain or Hitchcock. If you like stuff like Night of the Eagle and Night of the Demon give this one a shot and you wont be dissapointed.
Poor Things (2023)
A big big girl in a big big world.
Emma Stone acts silly while trying to discover the vast world around her. It doesn't come as a surprise that the director is doing exactly the same. No surprise, this is what happens when you take someone who worked for Greek TV and usher him into the world of Oscars. The infantile traits of the characters and the silly behaviors that are characteristic of this director's entire filmography, provide a insulation layer for the director who does not have the ability to adjust to the rules of the dominant English language film culture. I guess his inability to understand English culture leaves no other option but to resort to infantile stunts which unfortunately can pass off nowadays as high art. I must say that the director has found a way to turn into an advantage his shortcomings regarding conventional storytelling and filmmaking techniques. He has somehow convinced the audience that its okay if the endings to his films are extremely silly and unresolved.
His directing skills are not much either. For some reason the generic art-film shots and over-reliance on fish eye lense have been confused with great filmmaking. Recently there has been some effort to try to access more straight storytelling techniques by hiring an English screenwriter. This way some of the odd characteristics remain but with a broader appeal.
What is the Greek Weird Wave? It's cinema that looks like it was created by autistic people. The reason this style has developed in Greece is because Greek society is out of synch with the rest of Europe, the conflict between traditional and modern still remains unresolved. I think its a big problem when you make a film with a contemporary setting and you still have to draw elements from tradition and mythology. There are countless examples. Someone need to tell these filmmakers to get real!
Personally, I believe that Yagros Lanthimos can't make a proper film with straight storytelling techniques that is why he resorts to all the silliness and nonsense. Who knows? Maybe one day he will grow up and deliver us a serious film.
Lynch tried it once with A Straight Story and Haruki Murakami wrote Norwegian Wood to prove that he could work in a one hundred percent realistic setting.
Sooner or later you got to grow up.
Cuando acecha la maldad (2023)
Overhyped beyond belief.
Despite the good intentions, this one falls flat thanks to a poor script, cheap digital gore, and bland visuals. Some of the shock scenes may have come as a surprise to unprepared viewers but if you get into this after reading the glowing reviews you may wonder why all the fuss.
The combination of Cronenberg type viral horror with elements of demonic possession doesn't help the film at all. Despite the silly ideas and ridiculous dialogue, everything is played straight, which makes this film hard to take seriously. A more tongue-in-cheek approach could have worked.
The film features several scenes of gory violence that involve kids and animals. Unfortunately these very brief moments lack punch thanks to the shoddy digital gore. Some fx like when one character smashes his own face with an axe, are laughable.
The generic look and cheap digital photography-a characteristic most independent low-budget films are nowadays unable to escape from-looks so familiar, it's as if you seen the film many times before. With a larger budget and a better screenplay this film may have been something better.
Maybe the next effort by this director will be better than this.
The Howling (1981)
They're worse than cockroaches!
The above term apart from werewolves can also apply to the subpar reviews for which there is a rather obvious explanation. That the viewers responsible for negative reviews did not see the film at the right time and the right place.
For those who happened to have seen the film when it came out in a dark theatre, it was an unforgettable experience. I still can't forget how paralyzed I was with fear. I was expecting to turn around and see everyone in the theatre having turned into a werewolf similar to the ones in the film. The scene where they're trapped in the car and surrounded by the monsters is unparalleled in terms of sheer terror and tension.
The way the film starts with those scenes in the sex shop and the rape scene that plays in the loop shows us this isn't your ordinary horror film. It's the first step into a descent into hell and post -traumatic syndrome for our blue -eyed angel. In the same way she wasn't prepared for what happens later on at the Colony, the viewers too are entirely unprepared for the bizarre sexual encounters and shocking scenes of werewolf transformation. The mind numbing effect this film had upon its viewers simply cannot be described by words.
The reason the film works so well is that the viewer can identify one hundred percent with both female victims (Balaski and Wallace) during the scenes they get stalked by the monsters. A lot of people complain that the Eddie transformation scene is too long but that is what gives it it's power. It's like being trapped in a nightmare that doesn't end.
These panic attack inducing moments are stretched to maximum effect to screw up the viewers mind. Much alike a MK Ultra type experiment.
Original theatrical prints were much darker therefore scarier. Today, for the sake of clarity, this has been permanently lost. DVD and blue ray editions are much brighter and show the imperfections in the effects. This is a general problem which is obvious even in the best horror films such as Evil Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc. Unfortunately the viewing experience has changed and lots of qualities that where there in the original viewing experience are not there any longer.
As to which transformation scene is better, my vote goes to The Howling.
In American Werewolf in London, the lighting is too bright, and the setting too bland. Also the guy is lying on the floor most of the time, and there is no real sense of threat, while in the Howling the transformation occurs during a more threatening situation and we know how dangerous this fella Eddie is. Inevitably, we experience the terror of the female protagonist with her. In The Howling we experience the transformation of Eddie though the eyes of Dee Wallace. This is what makes it a better, scarier scene and Eddie is a class A pervert unlike the silly dork in American Werewolf in London.
The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
Yul Brunner is the original Rick Grimes
Yul Brunner is obviously too old for this kind of thing. The role should have gone to someone like Gordon Liu or Bruce Lee. If you take into account that this film was directed by Robert Clouse, Bruce Lee would most likely have starred in this film if he still was alive when it was made.
This film belongs to the early seventies post-apocalypse subgenre that includes titles such as The Omega Man and No Blade of Grass. It's the type of film that you would have probably enjoyed if you watched it in the late 70's-early 80's on late night TV. Nowadays it seems quite dated, with ridiculous action scenes and silly violence. There is scene where Yul Brunner gets attacked by four men and having no other way for the hero to win this fight, the writer makes the three of them run away for no reason.
The main reason to watch The Ultimate Warrior is to see to which extent The Walking Dead show has ripped off this film. If you get a sense of deja-vu while watching this film it's because the production designers of Walking Dead have been strongly influenced by this one. Also several of the main character of Walking Dead seem to have been lifted verbatim.
The final duel between Rick and Negan-(Carson and Carrot)-was also the main influence for the duel between The Bride and Gogo in Kill Bill. The flying ball used by Gogo is nothing but an updated version of the weapon used by Carrot.
Despite the grim theme, the onscreen violence is strictly PG-13. If there was more of the red stuff on the screen, The Ultimate Warrior would probably have been better remembered.
Liu Yu Tian (2019)
Summer of Boredom
This film which reminded me of Black Coal Thin Ice has several problems one of which is it failure to connect with the audience in every possible way. Given the film's problematic history-withdrawn the last moment from Cannes-this is no surprise. It is quite obvious that lots of thing were cut out by the government censorship bureau before this film was released in Chinese cinemas.
What remains does not make much sense. Several subplots do not seem to head anywhere and many key sequences-such as a double suicide attempt-come out as very confusing, while others such as the search for a cement block with a severed head inside, are downright stupid.
The lack of tension and the disoriented performances only add to the confusion. Summer in Changsha fails to deliver as a crime thriller and as a psychological study.
If you want to watch a good Mainland thriller go for Touch of Sin, A Wild Goose Lake, or Black Coal Thin Ice. Instead of watching Summer of Changsha, you're better off sunbathing.
American Factory (2019)
A not so American Factory
American Factory is amazing.
Watch the Chinese treating American citizens like colonial natives!
Yes!
Watch the Americans get a taste of their own medicine! See them become victims of predatorial capitalism! Laugh at the pathetic fat wimps running around the factory trying to meet the demands of their Chinese bosses!
What they fought for decades trying to keep away has now permuted the core of their society!
See the American worker's pathetic notion of entitlement getting crushed by foreign interests!!!
Watch their moronic expressions in the face of a superior and much more advanced culture!!!!
Watch the American workforce being indoctrinated-CHINESE STYLE ! Laugh at their futile attempts to resistance !!!!
Witness with your own eyes CHINESE brainstorming sessions on how to deal with these obese inferior creatures!
Useless American factory workers who only know how to complain! They're so fat no wonder the factory lost 40 million during the first year.
Watch the cunning Chinese CEO in his attempts to make the factory profitable and yes, he succeeds!!!!
Hong se niang zi jun (1961)
Eye Candy Communist Style!
Don't let the theme turn you off , this film needs to be re-evaluated and remastered. I reckon the best way to introduce this epic to a Western audience is in a double bill with Triumph Of The Will. Although quite different in style there are plenty of thematic similarities , though I do prefer the eye popping Technicolor of Red Detachment to the grim paganism of Triumph.
I would recommend Red Detachment to those who like 60's eurocinema. The starting scenes of the movie reminded me of a Mario Bava film.
Definitely the film is ripe for rediscovery.
Ta paidiá tou Diavólou (1976)
THIS ONE NEEDS TO BE REMADE!
This catalogue of assorted atrocities is just one step below Pink Flamingoes for sheer audacity, yet it displays none of its sophistication.
Despite dodgy production values and non-existent gore effects, this has been a much sought out item, thanks to 90s publications like Dark Side and Flesh and Blood.
If ever a film needed to be remade, its this one. Just think about it. They keep on remaking great movies when actually its movies like this that need to be remade. A slasher movie on a Greek island is definitely what viewers of this planet need, much more than My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Mamma Mia.
Mania (1985)
THIS FILM NEEDS TO BE REDISCOVERED!
This is a great film if you're a fan of weird European cinema. it's about a chick who goes for a walk to a park where she undergoes some kind of mystical transformation and turns into a mythical being.
All sorts of weird stuff happen. First, she encounters a group of pagan hippies playing flutes, then this guy whose supposed to be the god Pan shows up and bangs her and after that the chick goes completely bonkers. All the kids that happen to be at that park fall under a mysterious spell and join her. If you're into Robert Grave's White Goddess and Frazer's Golden Bough, there's a lot here to appreciate.
The main heroine along with her kiddie followers set free all the animals and kill a guard. Later on she kills a kid.
Highly atmospheric, this is a treat if you're a fan of films like Picnic At Hanging Rock and Antichrist. Not much in the gore department though. If you want to see this film, it can be found on Youtube.
Liu chai III: Dang cho wo seung (1992)
Great Sleazy Fun
This is an amazing film for lovers of Hong Kong category 3 films featuring the amazing Pauline Chan in probably her best screen appearance. The film is a soft porn variation of a classical Chinese ghost story where a young fella enters a mural depicting three sisters. Once he is in there, he gets to have sex with the amazing Pauline and later gets in a lot of trouble since she is a prisoner ghost under the control of an evil lady demon. Lots of wacky things happen, like a monk shrinking himself to enter a female vagina where he starts a fire. Then there's a cannibalistic blood drinking orgy and some spectacular wire-fu. There is also a tragic finale that will bring tears to your eyes and some steamy bedroom action that will make you reach out for the Kleenex. And if all that wasn't enough, this film comes with an amazing soundtrack, which is definitely one of the best I have ever heard in an Asian film. For those who are fans of Goblin and Argento you may want to check it out.
Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014)
A disappointing crime saga
While watching this film I could not believe that it was made by the same director responsible for the excellent Young and Dangerous and Infernal Affairs sagas. What went wrong here? I suppose its the director's inability to understand American culture which I find rather surprising since this is not the first time he makes a film outside Hong Kong. It is obvious he doesn't know very well the society he wants to talk about therefore the film fails both as a crime film and a study of the life of Chinese living abroad. It's more Tokyo Drift than Once Upon A Time in America, the casting and accents are terrible, there is no third act, and a couple of decent actors get entirely wasted in this cliché ridden mishmash. It's not even worth watching for the violence. Even though there is a certain amount of bloodshed there is nothing memorable or too shocking. I'm sure that the director will continue to make good films in the future but this effort falls flat on its face.
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
The final season was a big disappointment...
Killing off all the main characters in such a slapdash manner is not the best way to end the show. In the final seasons of Breaking Bad and Sopranos they gave more episodes to the viewers, but the masterminds behind this show have opted here for the exact opposite. No wonder the narrative is very fragmented, a problem which had already started with season four. The truth is that this show has suffered since the end of Season 2 but there were some great moments in 3, 4 was tolerable, but they screwed up big time with 5. It's like someone removed half the pages of the script before they started filming. I know that there are very important money issues but what about all the people who were following the show for the last five years? You can't treat them like idiots. BTW, Hasn't Jimmy's son grown up a bit too fast? If you take in account the years between seasons four and five he would be about 12 years old and not an adult as he is depicted in the show.