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northwindbrat
I also like really weird movies, like Gozu and some of the classics, like Rear Window.
:)
Reviews
Perth (2004)
Deeply flawed, raw and quite flavorful.
I don't know why people bother comparing the movie to Taxi Driver. That's not going to help you appreciate or study the movie. That's just gonna make you play Spot The Difference, which will make you pretty restless because there are lots of differences. The restless audience is not an attentive audience.
And oh, I don't understand why it's been tauted as "Taxi Driver in Singapore" either. Talk about bad marketing, they tell you what to think even before you see the movie! These rants aside, Perth is a movie about a simple man who wants to live the simple life. Indeed, you will find many nicely shot scenes in the movie and you will also hear the plink-pinks of the lonely piano piece that is its theme. These things may or may not work for you but Perthdeserves some merit. I may have given the movie four stars, but that's only my opinion... I say it deserves merit, because it is the first movie made about the pioneer generation of Singapore.
It's the raw story of a 51 year old man, who feels this place doesn't care for people like him. It's the raw story of a man who is raw in the way he deals with things and often, people. Just like the society and government he claims that does not care enough for him and the lesser-educated generation of his time.
Overall, the pace is not too bad, but a little uneven. Music is nothing special, you won't hear much more than the lonely piano. Which can be problematic, even if this was what the director intended, for the loneliness to seep through from the emptiness visually and aurally. This is mostly due to lead actor Lim Kay Tong, who well, over-acted big time. His voice is what you will be hearing a lot, this man literally tries to spit out rage. The bigger problem with his over-acting is not his speech though, but with he chooses to use his body. Frankly, it can sometimes become quite laughable, which I am sure is not what the director intended.
I also have a problem with the violence. Don't get me wrong, I love violence. Which is why I have a problem with how the violence is portrayed. Why did Tartan buy this movie? How is Perth "Extreme Asian Cinema"? (Again, bad marketing, because Perth is just about as Extreme as it is parallel to Taxi Driver.) Trust me when I say the "violence" is totally unbelievable and phony, though perhaps towards the ending it became a little bit more realistic. The blood on Angry Boy Lee's hand after teaching the "ang mohs" a lesson was a nice touch, though.
I will end by describing my favourite scene. It's a scene near the ending and by the way, I think the resolution of Harry's final fight was probably the best thing in the whole movie. The best thing about the best thing in the whole movie, for me, would be Harry seeing Mai one last time. That really ties up things nicely.
The rest of the ending, I'm not sure if I could say I liked.
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Watch the movie and maybe, you will believe in Saint Kitten.
There are very, very few films that really "get" me. In the list, we have... Ghost World. Bonnie & Clyde. Blue Spring. Wild Strawberries was close. I would say all these films are beautiful. And oh, there's also Boys Don't Cry too, although I guess that movie did that in a very different way. And Children of Men. What an affecting, beautiful piece of work. And whatever I say about The Crying Game would be highly unfair, because as far as I'm concerned, the film is legendary. Especially as a film with a tranny theme. Most of them are way too laughable, aren't they? Well, be prepared for another tranny-themed film that will blow your mind. Or perhaps, just mine. I'm not sure how I would rate Cillian Murphy's performance, most rating systems only allow a five or ten stars. Cillian Murphy deserves all the stars you can see in the sky. I've only watched one other Neil Jordan film, so I'm not sure if this is a valid comment... but I feel as though, the vibrance of the piece and the unconventional chapters (as many as 30)... plus the liberal use of soundtracks indicate that he is totally in his element and very confident in what he does.
Breakfast on Pluto is a song. It is also uttered as a bit of a revelation a biker had, it is an epiphany. It is also a brilliant movie. Cillian Murphy plays Kitten, a transgendered girl in search of her mother in the city that never sleeps, which also happens to be the same city that swallows her up. Along the way, people try to kill her and people thinks she tries to kill people. She is separated from her friends and reunited with them again, although only one of them - or two - really stays. Armed only with a 2 dollar something perfume and her wits, she goes on a quest, with two chirpy, cheery robins that appear occasionally.
This is not a movie for restless people, who will not hear or see the intricacy of the film. This is not a movie for people who want their hero or heroine to spill blood and deliver the guts. Don't get me wrong, though. Kitten certainly delivers, but in a far more classier way. You will certainly cheer for her, silently perhaps, but not out of vengeance or bloodlust. You will do so because you want things to go right for her, at times the movie will make you ache with desperation. You will cheer because you see the hope in her eyes and you want it to stay.
Watch the movie, on a night or whenever you have lots of time. Be comfortable. Sit back and let the movie fill your screen, your mind, your senses. Be enthralled.
Bat sin fan dim: Yan yuk cha siu bau (1993)
Watch this one with your friends!
I've waited to watch this one for a long time, having eagerly read up about it before actually managing to find it. Yes, I'm one of those horror fans who salvage through tons of reviews and stuff, taking it upon themselves to find a worthy film to behold. I was excited by this film's reputation... it was hailed as something for the gorehounds, something sick yet funny, a reputation which Peter Jackson's Braindead also shares. Well, I've watched both and some other movies as well so I'll throw in my two cents.
1) Does it live up to the gory reputation?
No, not really. First thing, the blood. It seemed as though Herman Yau had two kinds of blood in use for the movie. One is the common overly bright red you see in old horror movies and the other is the deliciously realistic dark coloured blood we all love. If you want to see gore, you can see much more from any respectable zombie movie. Or you could try the Guinea Pig series instead :)
2) The funny scenes ruined the movie!
That's what lots of reviewers who've watched the movie and actually liked it seem to think. I think the humour in this film doesn't spoil the movie, it's the typical Hong Kong humour you see from films like Troublesome Night, to Bio Zombie. People who say the funny scenes ruin the serious mood of this movie totally fail to see that those scenes are everywhere. Not just from the parts where the female cop is made fun of. This movie is darkly camp and the black humour is persistent and liberal. Now, I won't say I'm a fan of the sexist humour, but I did like the surprise that Anthony Wong's character had for a certain auntie waiting to see her sick nephew... :)
3) The 'Chopstick' scene
Some people seemed to have a problem with this one. Ignore them! It's not a great scene, nor does it deserve its notoriety, to me it's just... kind of lame. The most brutal rape scene I've seen still belongs to Boys Don't Cry.
Finally, if you decide to see this movie, make sure you see it not just for the gore or you might be disappointed. This isn't a bad movie, but it works much better on all levels, than just the 'exploitation' reputation it's been slapped with.
Ban zhi yan (1999)
Unforgettable
Ban Zhi Yan is a tender movie about the memory of a lifetime. It's sure to be a sentimental film for Chinese audiences, especially because of its theme song, Teresa Teng's Wo Zhi Zai Hu Ni (I Only Care For You). One of the lines in the song is especially poignant, considering the determination of Pao Ge to find the woman in his memory. It goes, "...losing my life wouldn't be a shame..." which is just as well as Pao Ge is willing to do anything to find the one thing in his life that matters to him.
It's a dramatic, symbolic, sad, beautiful, very human and at times, funny film to behold. Sandra Ng is especially funny as Third Sister, the Lady Boss.
You will find that it will linger in your mind long after its brilliance has faded upon your TV/computer screen... And if by some chance, you managed to forget it, you will remember again, when you hear that song... Or when you encounter a half-smoked cigarette.
Maang gwai tung siu pooi jue lei (1997)
Atmospheric, at times humorous and generally spooky
Although this movie isn't totally one-of-a-kind, it's one of my favorites among the Hong Kong horror genre. Most of this is attributed to its atmospheric style. It has enough similarities with a run-of-the-mill HK horror movie, which makes it easy to watch. You'll probably find the humour sprinkled along the scares in this movie doesn't tone it down, but rather balances it. It also offers a few twists to the genre. For example the primary venue used may not be what you expect : ). As far as characters go, they are all quite evenly developed, though not splendidly. HK horror in general often has that one guru/mentor and this one is no exception. It also helps that the climax is very nicely built up, suitably and satisfying finished off with a thrilling and spooky ending... accompanied by a track that you are likely to remember for the rest of your life, in the back of your mind...