Hey folks, Harry here with a look at two of the Hong Kong entries in this year's TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL!!! Both of these sound interesting, I hope I get to check them out soon... Here's Jan...
Hi Harry,
I've already seen two Hong Kong films that are selected in this year's TIFF. So, I would like to share my opinions about these two films with your readers. Anyway, I'll be watching films in this year's film fest and I'll definitely try my best to send my brief film reviews to the readers every day.
Here are my reviews for "JULIET IN LOVE" and "LITTLE CHEUNG"
"JULIET IN LOVE" directed by Wilson Yip
Well, I don't know if you readers have watched Yip's last year's debut "Bullet Over Summer" (also stars Francis Ng), "Juliet in Love" is not an action film. So, don't expect an action film here.
Instead, it's a love story between a low-life gangster who is aimless about his life and a sad waitress whose self-esteem is deprived after divorce. If you're a Hong Kong movie fan, you would notice that those actors are comedy actors (Sandra Ng and Eric Kwok). However, they all have serious roles in this film and may seem refreshing to some of you.
But to me, despite their wonderful performances and some interesting subplots, JULIET IN LOVE is unnecessarily tragic. While I was watching, I felt that the director was trying very hard to make a movie about tragic romance. But the result is just tragedy and the romance between Franics and Sandra Ng is somewhat lacking. To conclude, this film is sometimes interesting but also sometimes boring, and the ending is unnecessarily tragic. (My rating: **1/2; maximum is 4 stars)
"LITTLE CHEUNG" directed by Fruit Chan
Fruit Chan is the most outstanding director in the contemporary Hong Kong cinema. His debut "Made in Hong Kong," a story about the desperate, hopeless youth in Hong Kong, is stunning. His next movie, "The Longest Summer," a story about a group of forgotten Chinese British soldiers in Hong Kong after 1997, is another shocker. But in his third film, "Little Cheung," Fruit Chan's angry passion somewhat disappears.
"Little Cheung" is the story about the life of a young kid, who lives in a poor neighborhood in Hong Kong. Like many other Furit Chan films, "Little Cheung" is about Hong Kong. So, don't expect this is a cute movie about kids. It's about the hard life of the people.
Since I come from Hong Kong and know something about what's going on there, I like and understand what this film is really about. However, for many of you who are not Chinese, you may not feel very affected by the film as much as I did. More, you may feel a bit confusing about the names and the characters because they share the same last name (You know, unlike the western system, many Chinese got the same last name but different first names). Also, for some reason, the people in this movie are not actors. They're real people trying to act. Obviously, the director wants to make this film more realistic. But I just don't feel it's necessary.
Well, this film sounds not very good. BUT, Furit Chan is indeed a talented director who successfully creates an atmosphere that invites us into the movie. After 20 minutes or so, you'll become familiar with Cheung's neighborhood as if you lived there. You'll get a feeling that you're transported into the film. I didn't watch Fruit Chan's another film, "Durian Durian," which is also shown in the film fest. Buzz from Hong Kong says that DD is better and more energetic. (By the way, DD is the closing film in this year's Hong Kong Film Fest, which already opened in April). But let me say this: If you're interested in Hong Kong cinema, check out Furit Chan's MADE IN HONG KONG and LONGEST SUMMER. You'll be impressed. Anyway, my rating for LITTLE CHUENG is ***.
And oh yeah, I almost forgot, THE MISSION by Johnnie To is the best of the best and I've already mentioned it many times before. Johnnie To's earlier films are mostly commerical, but perhaps he has now saved enough money and got more say in the movie studio, he boldy adds more styles in his recent films. If you're interested in him, go rent his recent films like "A TRUE HERO NEVER DIES" (starring Sean Lau Ching-Wan and Leon Lai) and "RUNNING OUT OF TIME" (starring Sean Lau and Andy Lau). But THE MISSION is his best work ever.
OK, I'll try to find some time to talk to you guys tomorrow.
Jan
