A Taiwanese horror fantasy written and directed by King Hu, starring Sylvia Chang and Tien Feng.
A scholar goes to a remote and supposedly vacant building to copy a manuscript, but is accosted by ghosts who pretend to be his friends. They are actually all seeking the copy of the document that he is creating.
This was unique. A memorable plot expanded from the simple premise. The characters were decent, but there were some differentiation issues that became part of the plot later. The young women characters were very similar on purpose. The video all looked good, except one scene involving filming someone outdoors from inside a building. The white balance got all messed up there. The audio was clear, but treble-biased and there were some musical performances. The special effects were basic through most of the duration, but got more prominent at the end. Yes, this is where flying happens and explosions. The general atmosphere created reminded me of older kung fu flicks, but combining that with a clear plot helped immensely. Overall, a cool film if you're into King Hu's work. I rate it good.
An American Taiwanese drama directed by Ang Lee, starring Winston Chao and Sihung Lung.
A Chinese man is living with his gay partner in New York City, but his parents in China are pressuring him to marry a woman. They arrange a fake marriage with a young Chinese woman in New York so she can get her green card, but things don't go as planned.
This was really sappy. It was well-mad and there were a few funny moments though. The plot held my interest, but was not what I would have liked to watch. The characters were identifiable, but not all that well developed. The video and audio were good. This is another instance of part Chinese part English and another instance of Sihung Lung playing the grandfather. The pacing was moderate, but surprisingly fast for this type of subject matter. Overall, not what I like watching, but not bad. I rate it o.k.
A Taiwanese drama directed by Ang Lee, starring Sihung Lung.
An old Chinese Tai chi master is living with his son's family in America. The son's wife is a writer who doesn't like the old man. At the Chinese school where he teaches Tai chi, he meets a cooking teacher in a similar situation.
This was pretty cool. I was laughing through most of the beginning as the writer and martial artist had non-verbal disagreements in their house. The picture is the writer trying to tell the martial artist not to put aluminum foil into the microwave, but neither speaks the other's language. The plot held my attention all the way through and the characters were unique and memorable. I didn't notice anything that stood out about the visual style, but it was all done quite well. The audio was split between English and Chinese with subtitles for everything. The climax took the form of a kung fu action scene, but I won't spoil any more than that. Overall, this is worth watching. I would go as far as to rate it good and probably watch it again sometime.
An American Chinese Taiwanese drama directed by Ang Lee, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
A group of theater students become political spies. The young woman chosen to infiltrate the enemy's house falls in love with their target.
This was really long and mostly boring. The non-linear plot got confusing because of the length and the characters were difficult to differentiate because of the limited range of costumes. I'm not trying to be racist and say "I can't tell the chinks apart", but they were all dressed the same, acted the same and were sporting the same hairstyles. There were even two characters named Mr. Yee. The first one got killed and here comes another just like him! It was either that, the non-linear plot going back to when he was alive or they reanimated his corpse. There was one major action scene involving Mr. Yee in the house full of theater students who want him dead. The video was all really good. They accurately created Hong Kong of the 1940s with correct costumes, vehicles and by using the correct settings. The audio was good and it had good subtitles. The subs were a little fast, but accurate. The sex scenes were relatively graphic. We see everything except genitals, including some very erect female nipples. Overall, not the most coherent or interesting movie I've ever watched. I rate it o.k. for being well-made, but not holding my attention.
A Taiwanese drama directed by Ang Lee, starring Sihung Lung.
An aging chef who is losing his sense of taste has his three adult daughters living with him. Although all of their past relationships have failed in various ways, new romantic opportunities open for them.
This was really long and the pacing was very slow. The camera-work was excellent. It showed very detailed depictions of traditional Chinese cooking and somber views of the house interiors. The plot was complex and the characters were very well developed. Unfortunately, the daughters were difficult to differentiate for me. The general style reminded me of watching Bong Joon-ho's films. I can only imagine that Ang Lee was a major influence on him. Overall, this was worth watching, but a tad slow for my tastes. I rate it adequate.
A Hong Kong Taiwanese kung fu drama directed by King Hu.
There is a precious scroll at a temple and many people seek to steal it from the monks. However, the monks know that the value lies in the meaning of the scroll. They thwart the attacks of the thieves anyway.
This was alright. The plot was pretty clear, but there were way too many characters. I really liked the ending though. The video and audio were many steps above the other King Hu movies I've seen. This was definitely because of better camera and audio equipment. It did still retain the over-foleyed movements like footsteps and fighting action movements. There were not enough fights and not enough flying. This fact cannot be stressed enough. For the guy famous for basically creating wuxia to not have enough flying and fighting in a well-produced film is unforgivable. Overall, this was the most disappointing of his films. I rate it o.k. because it was still a good movie, just nowhere near as good as it should have been.
A Taiwanese wuxia directed by King Hu.
A group of rebels meet at an inn that is occupied by soldiers of a fearsome military leader. After they beat the soldiers, they lure the leader out to fight, but he brings an army.
Pretty standard wuxia. We've got complex political plots, a small group of heroes skilled in martial arts, sword fighting and wire work. These King Hu flicks from the '60s and '70s really defined the genre. This one featured no night fighting (yay!) so all of the choreography was visible. The plot did not really pull me in because it featured more politics than individual drama. The first hero's introduction scene at the inn was my favorite part. He comes in armed with an umbrella and proves that the whole gang of soldiers is no match for him. His character was really good, but the others were under-developed. The audio was a little treble-biased on the version that I watched, but the subtitles were spot on. Overall, a definitive work with some flaws. It's definitely worth watching if you're into this kind of thing. Anyone else would probably think it was boring. I rate this adequate.
A Taiwanese kung fu wuxia directed by King Hu.
A poor scholar stumbles upon political intrigue in his small town. Three rebels are hiding there and are eventually revealed. He helps them to fight against an entire army.
This was alright. It's obscurity has boosted it's reputation beyond reality. The plot is good, but extremely complex and inconclusive. The characters are memorable and have good roles. I must criticize the choreography and camera-work simultaneously here with a quote: "Let's film half the fight scenes in a deep forest on a moonless night. That way everyone will see the fighters moving". There were scenes that could have been shot with the lens cap on. Mostly it was the gleam of a sword on a black background. What's going on? They must be fighting because I can hear whoosh, clang and hyaah. There were day fights and these were amazing. They included unique techniques, special weapons and lots of Hong Kong wire. Overall, not as good as it's supposed to be, but not bad. I rate this adequate.
A Taiwanese kung fu film directed by Yu Min Sheong.
A pair of circus performers guard the gold that they are carrying to help a poor village.
The plot was stupid simple and the characters were about as deep as a puddle. The fight scenes, however, were quite creative. There was a little bit of wire-work and even a tightrope act and some stilt-walking within a battle. One of the fights in the middle of the film was a little bit confusing because all of the combatants were dressed exactly the same. Because there are so many kung fuvies out there, I have to be rather regimented in my rating standards of them. I'm rating this o.k.
