December 10, 2010
In Boys on the Run, Tanishi, a toy representative, spends his evenings engaging in phone sex with strangers and masturbating to hard-core porn.
December 5, 2010
The Housemaid (Ki-young Kim, 1960) is one of the oldest films known to have survived South Korea’s evolution from Third-World country to G20 powerhouse. The print shown at Fantasia this year was restored by Martin Scorsese’s World film Restoration Foundation in tandem with the South Korean government and follows The Housemaid (Sang-soo Im, 2010) remake’s stellar performance this year at […]
November 28, 2010
Symbol never lives up to its potential, choosing rather to limit itself to slapstick gags, immature, dull and predictable.
November 28, 2010
In Bodyguards and Assassins, Chinese patriots pledge their lives to safeguard a revolutionary named Dr. Sun as assassins are sent to kill him.
November 28, 2010
What starts out as a magic-driven wuxia-like, visually close to Blades of Blood, set in the Joseon era in Korea, segues into an unsophisticated popular blockbuster film. Woochi, an undisciplined, mischievous Taoist wizard, banished inside a scroll by three wise men, is unleashed in modern times to help against an invasion of goblins in a world that has forgotten all […]
November 28, 2010
My next film, Wai Ka-fai’s Written By, is an esoteric look at grief and loss, adrift in levels of reality. Wai Kai Fai is known among Hong Kong directors, having authored several notable films like Running on Karma (2003) and Love on a Diet (2001). He’s also Johnny To’s partner in the Milky Way production company, creating some of the […]
November 28, 2010
Overheard is a Hong Kong film from Alan Mak in the vein of Infernal Affairs, with magnificent performances from its lead actors.
November 28, 2010
Love in a Puff (Pang Ho-cheung, 2010), from one of Hong Kong most promising directors, stands out as a great example of how to do romantic comedies right.
November 28, 2010
The Devils is one of Fantasia 2010’s most awaited screening. Like Kuroneko, it’s one of those film history screenings that sharply appeal to my film studies background. The first show having been sold out, an encore was added to the schedule to meet demand. Mitch Davis, Fantasia’s co-programmer, claims it’s one of the most beautiful films he’s ever seen. The legend […]
November 28, 2010
I almost missed my showing of Accident, hanging out on Saint-Laurent with a group of friends. Concordia’s Hall Theater is full to capacity, no surprise seeing the popularity of Hong Kong films in Montreal for the last 15 years. Although, mirroring the recent production drop in Hong Kong, their distribution in North American movie theatres has dwindled, the energy is […]
November 28, 2010
Blades of Blood is a Korean wuxia, a sword-fighting martial arts film set in the 16th century, during the Japanese invasion.
November 26, 2010
Brass Knuckle Boys is a Japanese comedy about an old Japanese punk-rock music band from the ’70s and ’80s looking to extend their 15 minutes of fame.