Hey folks, Harry here with the latest from Marshy, who is keeping us up to date on the Hong Kong Film Festival, and envy... Ive got heaps of regarding this guy. I'm a devout follower of Asian film and to attend a festival like this, which is made up of so many films that I know I'll be searching for throughout my year... sigh... It's great to get these reports to help make my lists for future DVD purchases, as that's the only way I'll get to see many of these titles. Interesting to hear about Hideo Nakata's non-horror turn with LAST SCENE. And I must say, a film called PUBLIC TOILET that isn't made by John Waters just feels odd to me. Seems like that title should have been his... hehehehe, here's Marshy...
Hey Harry,
Thanks for the exposure on my first update, it has inspired me to keep you guys informed for the rest of the festival.
Today I saw Hideo Nakata's latest flick: Last Scene which to be frank was a real disappointment. It trys to ponder on the death of the studio system during the 60s in Tokyo but the film gets very muddled and, in trying to appeal to many demographics simultaneously, it manages to come a-cropper.
Nakata did a great job on the Ringu movies and Dark Water, but here he has taken a very obvious change in direction. Quite what prompted this change is unknown to me, but career-wise, I hope that he has realised the weight of the gamble he has taken.
By casting "in-the-moment" heart-throbs, the final film has suffered. It aspires to be simultaneously a satire on the beaurocracy of japanese TV-based media and a poigniant reminiscence of the glorious studio days of the past, but unfortunately falls somewhere in between. The film seems to ultimately aim for an easy-to-chew history lesson of how the studio system manipulated and pressured their stars and how forgiveness by the individual will bring peace and happiness to the world. I have to admit that this film really pissed me off. It was definitely made for a domestic japanese audience, and for Nakata's international career's sake I hope it remains a well-kept secret.
However tomorrow night is the premiere of Fruit Chan's new film "Public Toilet" which has been shot on DV in numerous different countries all over the world. By the way, if you haven't checked out "Hollywood Hong Kong" yet - his last film that was up for a bunch of HK Film awards last month then check it out - the most truly beautiful portrayal of big fat butchers you will ever see on screen.
Have also seen Noqoyqatsi and City of God which were both great, but won't get into them as, for you guys, I guess they're pretty old - which illustrates how international distribution in Hong Kong generally sucks ass - but that, my friends, is another story.
Hey Harry,
Another update from the HK Film Festival and good news for Hong Kong films - Fruit Chan's Public Toilet is excellent!
The film follows four different characters separately searching for miracle cures to save their respective loved ones.
Dong Dong from Beijing (Tsuyoshi Abe), who was born in a public toilet and was subsequently christened "The God of toilets", travels to Korea and then New York in an attempt to save his dying grandmother.
Meanwhile his friend Tony (Ma Zhe) finds himself exploring India to find a cure for his younger brother's stomach cancer. Volcano High's Hyuk Jang tries to help a mysterious girl who literally crawled out of his toilet and Jo Kuk searches along the Great Wall for a medicine to help her sick mother.
They meet various oddballs on their travels who, in turn, teach our protagonists a little about race, religion, reincarnation and the toilet habits of their fellow men.
In this respect the film feels somewhat like Asia's answer to Richard Linklater with discernable plot taking a back seat in favour of exploring different ideas about culture and the human condition, with much of the action taking place in - yup, public toilets.
The film is shot entirely on DV and narrated by Dong Dong in such a way that you really believe the film to be his holiday diary. The locations are used excellently, looking gorgeous while not distracting our attention away from the dialogue. The young cast do an admirable job considering the script requires up to four different languages from some of them (Mandarin, Korean, English and Cantonese) and unknown actors hold their own well up against some of AsiaÃs brightest young stars.
I am still trying to put my finger on exactly what this film is about but I really enjoyed it and recommend you guys to check it out. And besides, any film that features a fight between an octopus and two crabs in it has to be seen!
More to come! I'll stay in touch,
Marshy
