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chanw
Reviews
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
Good movie in general
This movie is very good in term of acting and plot. The events and the setting (i.e. how Chris gets the job, Chris's work environment, the face-to-face between the two sides, etc) thereof, on the other hand, are found to be less than realistic.
Final Destination (2000)
Boo to ending
Based on the reaction from the audience (apparently consisted of young, much less sophisticating viewers) at the test screening, the staff decided to go with the open ended and yet puzzling ending. The alternate (and claimed original according to the DVD version) ending would have been far better and philosophically more logical. It is too bad that the quality of the film had to suffer motivated by a targeted higher box office sales. I give it a 6 but it can easily be a 7/7.5.
On a separate note, the movie can use a bit more romance. That was surprising because the final objective of the film was to aim for young viewers.
I Am Sam (2001)
Wonderful and touching
First, I love this movie. I love the acting by all the lead actors and the plot. Anyone who is and has been a loving parent will find this movie extra touching.
For whatever it's worth, I Am Sam is the first movie that I felt it's worth the time to examine the entire DVD with all the extra material. That included rewatching the entire show with the commentary on. I found that very insightful.
That said, although I can't put my finger on anything that stood out, I do find the movie being in short of being totally real and believable.
The only nits that I can think of and recall are that 1. how does Sam come up with the expenses for Lucy's party; 2. the ending was unexplained and 3. the relationship between Sam and Rita (other than two who bonded at the end) was unclear.
Telmisseomding (1999)
Stylish but full of holes
I viewed this movies on VHS dubbed in English.
Some of my favorite films are the Silence of the Lambs sequence and 8mm. Although not as appealing to me, I have also watched and enjoyed Seven. After watching Tell Me Something twice, I have to question how one can compare the quality of this film to the other thriller classics.
To give it credit, this movie was high in production style, which is rarely found in Asian films. It also has a wonderful cast and their acting was definitely above average. On the other hand, the plot quality was highly questionable. The movie has more holes in it than swiss cheese. And, I am not referring to the places where room was left for the viewer's interpretation/imagination either.
Many of the events and surprises throughout the movie just suddenly appear without any previous storyline, explanation or even a slight bit of implication.
Too bad, with a little bit more work, this average somewhat disappointing movie would have been one of my favorites.
Hai shang hua (1998)
Artsy but too slow for my taste
This is the first time I have watched this director's work. The only way I can comment on it is to compare it with something I'm familiar with. That said, I have to say I see a lot of Wong Kar Wai (a well known somewhat off mainstream Chinese director) in Shanghai Flowers.
I am a fan of Wong's movies in general. To many viewers, even some of Wong's masterpiece was too slow of a pace. Shanghai Flowers certainly lacks the occasional subtle high/low found in Wong's movies - no matter how slow.
A tidbit to add is that, although listed as spoken in Shanghainese (which is understood by mainly Shanghai ppl only), the dialogues in private between the lead actor (Leung) and his mistress were done in Cantonese. This intermixing of dialects and/or languages has appeared to be a trendy technique in many Chinese productions. That is to say, it is rare that a viewer (even a Chinese one) can sit through any late Chinese movie without having to read some of the subtitles.
Ying hung boon sik II (1987)
Except the actions, nothing like the first
The predecessor was a very pleasant surprise when I watched it again as a "grownup". Just so that the reader knows where I'm coming from, I'm not a big fan of pure action movies. The first Ying Hung Bun Sik was full of good acting, great storylines and lots of emotions. And, the movie was very real in every way and it left few holes to speak of.
The sequel on the other hand was a big disappointment. I guess it does not do it justice having to view YHBS I first. The plot and the story content were extremely superficial and far fetched. It is the typical quality that I would expect from a main stream HK movie.