Archives For tony leung

Going through my last batch of DVDs to arrive, there’s some pretty kick-ass extras in the Criterion edition of In the Mood for Love. And why wouldn’t there be, right? It’s Criterion! Listen to Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung speaking in English is… something else. xD

There’s a quote from an essay included in the DVD that struck a chord and wanted to share

As an African-American singing in Spanish, [Nat King] Cole embodies American Culture’s ability to absorb, transform, and commodify the exotic for its own ends. In other words, America takes from the world and sells what it has borrowed back to those from whom it was taken.

In the Mood for Love
Hong Kong, 1960s Introduction
Romance and the “Yellow Peril”: Race, Sex and Discursive Strategies in Hollywood Fiction by Gina Marchetti

Amazon.com | Google Books

Bam! I’m into making lists now. xD

To push distributors, and tickle their curiosity, as well as showing them it can also be good business to bring Asian flicks. Plus, cinephiles would love a little more variety in their local theaters, and I bet regular moviegoers wouldn’t mind one or two non-Hollywood blockbusters… after all, we already watch everything subtitled! We don’t have an issue with them like some… other… people.

If Americans (and Canadians) complain about the little variety of Asian films outside martial arts, or auteur cinema – well, really. Stop complaining. It’s even worse down here. If you got 5 releases a year (just an assumption), then we get one… if we’re lucky. Sorry, I’m not so campy with J-horror… I’m a little tired. I must be too old for it now. LOL

Continue Reading…

Sharing this on the YAM 2011 LGBT Blogathon~

I love complicated post titles.

AfterElton has just begun their voting for their 2010 poll of 50 Greatest Gay Movies. Plus, in honor of the first week run of Contracorriente (Undertow) on Peruvian cinemas, I’ve made a list of 10 LGBT related films that not many people may have heard about or seen… so these films need your voting. *cough*

And since AfterEllen is dropping the ball on this one — I was pretty sure they were doing polls on Lesbian movies, but oh well~

I am mixing it all up. Because I’m like that.

Look, I love Brokeback Mountain, I love Milk, and I certainly LOVED A Single Man last year. Some of my favorites are Were the World Mine, Show Me Love, Imagine Me & You, and I liked Love Songs as much as — or maybe even more — than you did, but this is about not so popular LGBT flare. There’s also a lot of foreign films because they certainly don’t get major distribution – so thank you, Internet.

Also, don’t forget to vote for Undertow! xD

Continue Reading…

Gigante PosterGigante (2009)
Genre: Subtle Drama with Romantic Comedy Moments
Starring: Horacio Camandule & Leonor Svarcas
Directed by: Adrian Biniez

Gigante (Giant – literal translation) tells the story of Jara, a big security guard that works night shifts at a supermarket, who begins having feelings – maybe a bit of stalkery feelings – for the pretty floor cleaner.

This is the thing about films, your characters can do anything and you can feel whatever you want~ In the real world, having someone secretly following you around would totally freak you out, but it doesn’t happen in Gigante.

Jara sees the floor cleaner through the security cameras, and as days go by he checks on her without her ever knowing. One day he decides to see where she goes when she’s not working only to find out she goes to the Internet cabins, after that he sort of makes a habit out of following her and “watching out” for her, in the process knowing about her likes. He even saves her a couple of times at work, and even defends her honor when some cab driver shouts obscenities/pick-up lines at her – It’s cute in the film, but I don’t recommend anyone trying his moves in the real world. Moreover, I don’t know~ I didn’t feel her. Especially at work, she was absent-minded, and a bit clumsy… actually she exasperated me a bit during her supermarket scenes.

The film has its good moments, even though I saw people sleeping, don’t get me wrong. However, if I wanted to feel good about stalking someone, I’d watch Faye Wong on Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express stalking Tony Leung. LOL – 3/5

We’re almost about to finish up with June – still haven’t reached 20 films listed on 2009 @ IMDb… and I’m still way short on my quota to be legible on my own awards.

I thought it’d be interesting to see how this works, so I grabbed the IMDb Power Search Tool and looked for all films listed on IMDb following this criteria:

  • All films must have over 50 votes on the site (you know, just to make the list shorter)
  • I must have voted it over 6.

So I made my list of the regular categories – All acting categories, best animated feature, best director and best picture – without caring about the language they’re in. Just a reminder~~~ this year’s awards should include all categories except for Documentaries and shorts~~~

Here are the ones of the would’ve beens of films released on 2000 – Oscar 2001 –

Continue Reading…

LOL’

Does that say enough to you? Really, read the editor’s note. Lots of things on this new issue… new problems, new films, new music…

Reviews of films from the blockbuster season… Star Trek, Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Up~~~ Brothers Bloom. Short film reviews, concert reviews… of Kiss in Lima. Music reviews of The Sounds, Green Day, Shiina Ringo… a bunch of K-pop courtesy of Julz~~~ off you go to Japan!!! WOOOOO – there’s Life on Mars, House M.D. and my more “professional” review of Yu Aoi’s Portugirl.

Yam004

Head over here.

Continuing the trend on pricey stuff – yes, beacuse we love the economy xD –

*ironically* Thank you, Lainey… if it wasn’t for you mentioning Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love,  I wouldn’t have gone through all the Criterion catalogue and pretended to get a debt buying Criterion… because OH HOW I WISH I could buy more of those… especially since lately, so-called double-disc “special” DVDs have been SHIT.

Yes, I’m talking to you The Dark Knight 2-Disc “SPECIAL” Edition~~~

So… you know, just in case – gonna put this out there.

But you know… any Kurosawa Criterion would be nice as well or Wes Anderson. Or you can be daring and buy this Twenty-four Eyes film (the 1954 film version of the made-for-tv film Yu did a cameo for…) or… you know something recent like Benjamin Button.