TRUE FRIENDS. Easier Said than Done.
WERE YOU EVER MY TRUE FRIEND?
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
"LOST AND LOVE" (2015) MOVIE REVIEW.
“LOST AND LOVE” (2015) 失孤 Movie Review. Lilting moments of a lonesome 15 year journey will tug at your heartstrings.
A RUSTIC SETTING IN CHINA, where this Heartbreaking and Compelling Film focusing on GRIEF and its AFTERMATH begins. Stay braced, folks!
FATHER and long-lost SON REUNION?
“WELL, IT’S TIME TO DUMP YOUR OLD MOTORBIKE! It’s beyond redemption!”
“CAN HE BE MY LONG-LOST SON?”
A surpossedly FATHER’S genuine CONCERN
“LOST AND LOVE” (2015) 失孤 Movie Review.
This is Peng Sanyuan’s directorial debut and she chooses a theme that tackles the dreaded subject of child-abductions in China.
With an excellent script and also, largely, to a competent cast, she succeeds in demonstrating via this film, the pains and desperation Chinese families have to go through when their children fall into the wrong hands of strangers.
She bagged Andy Lau to play the lead man of a staunch father who never gives up on hope that his son is still alive, even when the odds clearly deem it could be a futile search, after all the boy was abducted fourteen years ago when he was barely two years old.
Andy Lau is in his element in his most grungy role ever – but the film’s winning streaks are Mark Lee Ping-bin‘s awesome widescope cinematography that captures the mainland China’s magnificant, sprawling landscapes.
Teenage star Jing Boran‘s impressive performance as a youngster searching for his biological parents should earn him a cry or two.
We observe the arguments between foster father (Andy Lau) and himself as the two guys’ lives converge in powerful interlinked narratives of love and loss, history and its echoes, and of the unforeseen ways in which the past can illuminate and transform the present.
Whip out your tissues, folks!
Fourteen years after his two-year-old son was abducted, Anhui farmer Lei Zekuan (Andy Lau) is still doggedly searching the length and breadth of China for him.
Riding an old motorcycle to which he’s attached large flags bearing his son’s face and some information about him, the weather-beaten father refuses to give up on the search because, as he tells a sympathetic stranger, “Only when I’m on the road can I feel like I can face my conscience”.
It’s easy to feel for this character especially since the movie is reportedly based on a true story — there are tens of thousands of child abductions and trafficking cases on the mainland annually.
FOOTNOTE:
A RUSTIC SETTING IN CHINA, where this Heartbreaking and Compelling Film focusing on GRIEF and its AFTERMATH begins. Stay braced, folks!
RATING: 4 out of 5
LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR: GSC MOVIES
Saturday, April 18, 2015
EVERYBODY IS SEARCHING FOR THE SANCTUARY OF PEACE.
I LOVE THE BREAK OF DAWNS …. don’t you?
You can really feel that you are stepping into an intoxicating realm of calm, an invigorating beckoning soothing away the hurts of yesterday, and cajoling you to look forward to a brand new day.
Life is often messy, uncertain, and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s a string of troubles that seem to never end. That’s normal.
Ups and downs are normal.
Being ill on occasion is normal.
Feeling peaceful and happy are normal.
Occasional low-energy days are normal.
According to Chinese medicine, it is accepted as natural that we fluctuate from being in balance to being out of balance.
PEACE OF MIND comes from not attaching a great deal of significance to either state.
We simply note our moods and physical states and gently move toward balance as best we can, accepting it all as part of the flow of life.
Monday, April 13, 2015
THE SILENT DANGERS of the MIGHTY OCEAN
Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard.
The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.
I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, conjuring absurd blank verses and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the shadows and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me... ME?
Friday, April 10, 2015
Hong Kong’s Controversial ART FILM DIRECTOR SCUD’S QUESTIONS-and ANSWERS Part 2 (final)
SCUD: “I used to live precariously, harboring latent signs of DEPRESSION. Those were dark periods where I cannot plan or work. I was fighting my inner demons. Departures of loved ones fueled painful feelings of loss. I therefore decided to make my “VOYAGE”遊 film project addressing how mental angst can wreck a person’s life.”
“Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teachyou. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.“
7. We understand you are planning to take a break after Voyage comes out. So what are your plans?
“Voyage” had been an exhaustive experience for the whole team and that’s why I fancied a break, but then I shot another film “Utopians” last winter and we’re reach the end of post production. Film making is like our mission and the only way is keep doing it. As we become more fluent in production, the distribution become a major bottleneck.
8. Permanent Residence & Amphetamine are understood to be part of a trilogy (Wikipedia), which is to be completed with The Life of an Artist. Is that going to be put on the back burner now that you are planning a hiatus? What are your plans and hopes for the third film?
Believe it or not, there have been quite a few friends and fans suggesting to me that, they felt “Life of an Artist” would be my last film, so I should defer making it as much as possible! Somehow I feel the same, so on our drawing board there’re at least 3 films to come preceding it. “Utopians”, meanwhile, can be perceived a prelude to “Artist”.
9. Your previous films have run into problems with Hong Kong’s and China’s censorship boards. Considering the themes of nudity, violence and sex in those films, it can’t have been completely unexpected. The restrictions however, are much more open in Europe. Do you consider Europe to be a potential market commercially for Asian films like yours? How well have they done so far (in Europe)?
Europe is already the biggest market of our films since “Amphetamine”. The distributor there actually launched a trilogy box set for my first 3 films, way before Hong Kong and Taiwan. We’re also hopeful for American since “Love actually…sucks!” was taken up there and the Chicago award. I am embracing the prospect of some of my future films (including “Utopians” which features some scenes unprecedented) being banned altogether in the Chinese territories.
10. What do you think can be done to ease the restrictions that you faced in China and Hong Kong? Or do you plan to direct your films to fit the censors?
You know my answer to this. I’ll never mend my work to suit any censors in the world and I’m not in the capacity to change them. If they evolve to be more liberal, so much the better, and I’ll love to think my films have been good influence and catalyst. If not, I’m comfortable to remain an outsider or misfit to their mainstream.
11. Over the years, you have worked with some actors (and crew) over multiple films. Which of these do you find to be crucial to how you make and portray your films?
I like almost every artist I’ve worked with, Herman Yau, Charlie Lam, Yu Yat Yiu, William Chang, Irving Cheung, Ho Shan…just to name a few, and many more fabulous actors like Osman Hung, Byron Pang, Thomas Price, Linda So, Christepher Wee, Leni Speidel, Ryo van Kooten, Sebastian Castro, Susan Siu Yam Yam…the list can go on forever. The most crucial to me, however, is my crew that I’ve built over years. They’ll prove to be a major asset to our future successes.
12. Your films seem to explore frequently a darker side of human nature and relationships. What do you think fascinates you most about these kinds of stories? Will you ever consider doing something on a lighter vein?
I am not fascinated by them. I am just too well versed so they become essence of my early works, and the sadism may have reached a climax in “Voyage”.
“Utopians”, however, is an about turn in many senses. It is humorous, philosophical, almost a comedy, with touches of religion and politics, incredibly shamelessly sexy. However, I can’t say that’s a direction, for my audiences should expect me to have my signature in all my work, while each should have new inspirations.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
FAST and FURIOUS 7.(2015) Movie Review. PAUL WALKER, A FOND FAREWELL.
FAST AND FURIOUS MOVIE REVIEW (2015)
He is now a cinematic legend patterned after JAMES DEAN for his matinee idol looks and dare-devil stunts.
For his fans, they will clearly remember the charisma he exuded across the giant screen and the angst he flamed often in his hi-velocity escapades.
PAUL WALKER is one powerful, driving and seductive performer who will surely take your breath away, all the more he is no longer walking this Earth.
Hold, even the dead can conjure fantastic box-office returns as can be seen in cases of demised superstars.
Known for his non-stop pulsating action amid butchery mayhem, PAUL WALKER the actor dies unbelievably young in a REAL LIFE freak racing car accident.
And as his world and ours spin and collide, it had been hard to bid him a fond farewell. He has gone with the wind.
His name and face have already been etched in our hearts and no matter how hard we try to preserve the “moment”, we still have to let go.
Heroes die young, so do memories.
He is the reason why fans from all over the world flock to the cinema. Nostalgic charm, folks.
Goodbye…. PAUL WALKER, may the force be with you even in your unexpected final moments.
ADIEU.
MOVIE INFO
Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of Fast & Furious 7.
James Wan directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black.
They are joined by international action stars new to the franchise including Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russell.
The movie can be deafening with amplified sounds of cars revving.
Its wide-ranging, gravity-defying plot makes no sense. And all that is glorified is pure, adrenaline-infused entertainment.
Director James Wan (The Conjuring) and the returning cast shock the audience with sarcastic one-liners, delving deeper than ever into fantasy land with jaw-dropping car stunts.
The movie offers the perfect tribute to the affable Paul Walker, killed in a car accident in November 2013.
Known mostly for his horror films, Wan is new to the franchise and acquits himself well. It helps, of course, that the cast is back and that screenwriter Chris Morgan, responsible for the last four films, is also on board.
This film is a must for Paul Walker loyalists.
Don’t miss it!
FOOTNOTE:
The Movie is both terrifying and ambitious, full of dangerous turns and lurking dangers at every corner.
RATING: 3.5 out of 5
Local Distributor : UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES (MALAYSIA)
Sunday, April 5, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW: THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLDL HOTEL (2015)
THIS FILM IS A DRAMEDY targeting BABY BOOMERS and every aesthetic mind who seeks a whip of the Indian exotica, dance and music, a la Bollywood style.
FEAST YOUR EYES on this colorful Indian wedding.
RICHARD GERE still plays an ageing casanova with a penchant for Indian exotica.
Who says that OLD FOLKS cannot have a BOISTEROUS FUN TIME? Watch this picture!
YOU can re-KINDLE the sparks of LOVE here, in this far-from-home sanctuary.
“THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2015)” Movie Review.
Sonny is an ambitious entrepreneur. He (Dev Patel) prepares to expand the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel targeting the Elderly rich and the Beautiful people. However, he needs financing.
At the same time he plans for his forthcoming wedding and leave the intricate preparations to Sunaina (Tena Desae) in this sequel that re-teams director John Madden with screenwriter Ol Parker.
As the happy residents of the hotel begin settling into their new lives, Sonny has a hectic time juggling the demands of administrative planning for his wedding, whilst checking out for a new property to purchase.
Meanwhile, newly arrived guests Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavinia (Tamsin Greig) find themselves in a predicament, after arriving at the hotel to find there is only one available room.
Perhaps with a little innovation new co-manager Muriel (Maggie Smith) can find a means of accommodating the hotel’s latest occupants,
But for now, her workload has been taken off as Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Evelyn (Judi Dench) begin their new careers in Jaipur, while flirting with each other with the idea of a blooming romance — like Norman (Ronald Pickup) and Carol (Diana Hardcastle).
With romance in the air it’s no wonder that Madge (Celia Imrie) has her pick of handsome suitors, and as stalwart Muriel safeguards the many secrets of the vivacious residents.
Sonny and Sunaina also learn that planning a traditional Indian wedding can be a drilling test for patience.
Interesting film, go watch it!
FOOTNOTE: Some of the wittiest, poignant, and sharp comic prose in the English Language are all here. It’s exhilaration all the way!
RATING: 4 out of 5.
Local Distributor: 20th Century Fox (M) S/B.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
THE LATE LESLIE CHEUNG, ACTOR AND POP ICON. Remembering Him All these Years.
LESLIE CHEUNG (張國榮)
NOW, SAY HELLO TO YESTERYEARS.
It had been 12 long years since LESLIE CHEUNG, Hong Kong cantopop singer and award winning actor departed this earth on April 1, 2003.
Yet it appears so like yesterday.
No one can stay forever young and don’t count on it that you are never going to grow old.
This is the path everyone has to trudge, whether you like it or not.
Tarry no more, look around you, hug someone you really care about and tell the person you love him dearly so.
The one you care about may be here today, gone tomorrow. He may not be around waiting for you.
Lest you forget, folks.
This one is for the memory.
LESLIE CHEUNG might have nosedived to his death from the 24th Floor of the MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL in HONG KONG on April 1,2003.
Yet until today, he had left behind many unanswered questions.
Despite relentless coverage by the paparazzi, his private persona had always been shrouded in mystery the way he wanted it.
And right to the present, the world is still gaping in consternation and clueless at his choice of abrupt departure on April Fool’s Day 6 years ago.
1. Did he intend his hasty retreat from mankind to be a cruel case of life imitating art?
2. Was he suffering from an incurable disease as some cruel speculations say?
3. Was he suffering from manic DEPRESSION?
4. Was it an impending break-up with his boy friend of many years that drove him to this mindless act?
For this ACTOR-cum-SINGER extraordinaire, the secret was buried with him.
LESLIE CHEUNG‘s entertainment career started in 1977 when he wowed the judges at the ASIAN MUSIC COMPETITION organized by RTV (currently know as ATV).
He was Hong Kong’s prettiest boy hunk, a self-declared bisexual and his life mirrored a thousand facades.
He is an ASIAN cinematic legend taken after JAMES DEAN for both the good looks and chameleon moods.
We will always remember the charisma and the angst that he portrayed often in his songs and films.
LESLIE CHEUNG is one powerful, daring and seductive performer who will take your breath away.
An actor’s lot is beseiged with pain and angst,within and without – reel and real.
He also taught us that when you are in this world, everyone is living a role.
No one is what he seems to be.
Not even the closest one next to you.
And that in life, ever individual has a game to play.
There’s always a way out of anything.
Except the past.
That was his vision.
And when you finally realizes the truth, it may change your opinion forever.
WHAT PRICE LIFE?
LIFE isn’t measured in minutes.
It’s the MOMENTS that count.
Count your blessings.
Because whatever you may have today, it may not be around tomorrow.
SO ENJOY THE MOMENTS WHILE YOU MAY.
This 16-year-old girl named RACHEL WILSON, she penned a sad peom to herself. I was all at once stunned by the clarity and realism of her words:
You said you’be there for me,
But when I really opened up to you,
You just don’t wanna see,
But when I have these thoughts and breakdowns I ring
and you’re never there.
I can’t sleep at night, can’t sleep anymore,
My constant pains, my constant heart sores
all the thoughts of death I have, and suicide,
I tell you about them,
Why do you expect me to hide?
I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE I COULD TURN TO
WHEN IT GOTTEN TOO MUCH,
Well, you could fool me,
My feelings you don’t wanna touch,
I WILL JUST STAY AWAY,
I GET IT – CRYSTAL CLEAR,
But one day suicide will take over,
Then maybe you will realize my FEAR.
Yah, there’s a stark difference between DEPRESSION and SADNESS.
When you are depressed, you do not feel like being with anybody.
You either sleep more than usual,
Or you can hardly sleep at all.
Your appetite is either non-existent or increases dramatically,
Your energy level goes way down
And you’ve a hopelessness about LIFE …
As difficult as it is,
It is also important that you get out of the house and seek help.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
My mentor, an Executive Film Maker befriended LESLIE in 1978 in Hong Kong when he was just starting out as a a rookie.
He remembered visiting LESLIE on set at the RTV‘s when he was filming his first cantonese drama series called DESTINY.
LESLIE was then under the tutelage of K.K. TAM (who was simultaneously managing DANNY CHAN, another Hong Kong singer).
But it was under the ace leadership of FLORENCE CHAN some good years later, that LESLIE‘s career really soared.
The rest is history.
I have downloaded LESLIE CHEUNG‘s rendition of Rita Coolidge’s WE ARE ALL ALONE from YOU TUBE for your listening pleasure here.
Not many of his fans know that LESLIE‘s first record was an album of ENGLISH covers.
And there is a rare gem here, a radio recording of LESLIE CHEUNG being interviewed inENGLISH.
TIME HAS REALLY FLOWN.
AND MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE.
LYRICS of ” WE ARE ALL ALONE “:
Outside the rain begins,
And it may never end,
So cry no more, on the shore a dream,
Will take us out to sea,
Forever more, forever more,
Close your eyes and dream
And you can be with me,
‘Neath the waves through the caves of hours,
Long forgotten now,
We’re all alone,
WE’RE ALL ALONE,
Close the window, calm the light,
And it will be all right,
No need to bother now,
Let it out, let it all begin,
Learn how to pretend.
Once a story’s told,
It can’t be but grows old,
Roses do, lovers do,
So cast your seasons to the wind,
And hold me dear, oh hold me dear,
Close the window, calm the light,
And it’ll be all right,
No need to bother now,
Let it out, let it all begin,
All’s forgotten now,
We’re all alone,
Oh, WE ARE ALL ALONE.
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