Alison's Top Ten
(This is for those patient people who've been gently reminding me every
now and again that they "can't find" my Top Ten).
Bear in mind that this list is transient in the extreme, and based on the
limited availability of video in Adelaide, so is subject to rapid change without notice
(or maybe just having more films squeezed into it, so it becomes more like a top
50/60/100...).
1. THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR
Visually lush, and with excellent cinematography, this film has everything. We
get the beautiful Brigitte Lin at her flying, flashing-eyed best; a sword-wielding,
hair-tossing, unusually laconic Leslie Cheung; historical tragedy, clan wars, wolves and
whips, as well as some breathtaking watery love scenes. Almost every shot is stunning, and
this whole film is utterly gorgeous, like Belgian chocolate for the eyes.
2. CHINESE GHOST STORY 1 - 3
This is the series for anyone who ever wanted to see Tony Leung Chui Wai tied up,
or Leslie Cheung singing in the tub. Both Leslie and Tony convey a very appealing comic
innocence, while the blue-lit landscapes, lavish costumes, and ruined monastery lend an
eerie, dreamlike feel to most scenes, and Joey Wong shows just how lovely she can be (I
could never describe her as "long face, buck teeth when she smiles"!).
Delightful from beginning to end.
3. SWORDSMAN 2
An incredible plot made credible by a great cast. Jet Li plays against type as a
drinking womaniser, which must have been easy when surrounded by such talented and
beautiful women as The Sainted Brigitte, Michelle Reis, and Rosamund Kwan. Somehow (I'm
still not sure how) Brigitte manages to be convincing as a man while remaining
breathtakingly beautiful, and I for one can quite believe that she has supernatural
powers. As with most of the films in my top ten, this also shows intriguing glimpses of
China's political and social history (dare I use the word "turbulent"?).
4. FALLEN ANGELS/HAPPY TOGETHER (yes, I'm cheating ;-)
FA is a visual riot, while HT is drab and almost monotone, but both these Wong Kar Wai
gems feature some outstanding performances, and both offer layers of insight into human
responses to life, both ordinary and extraordinary. The FA soundtrack is mesmeric, and the
highlight for me was a charming off-beat performance by Takeshi Kaneshiro, supplemented by
a very cool Leon Lai Ming and Michelle Reis, and the deeply weird Charlie Yeung. As for
HT, any film that starts with Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chui Wai in bed can't be bad!
Unfortunately, they're not at their most appealing, but they are at their most human, and
both give very touching performances. Like any other Wong Kar Wai films, these definitely
repay repeated viewing.
5. FONG SAI YUK 1 & 2
Jet Li is energetic and enthusiastic as Sai Yuk, but Josephine Siao Fong Fong
almost steals the show with her glorious performance as his mother. The interaction
between these two is a delight to watch, making many outstanding moments in an enjoyable
film. There's another chance to see Jet in a dress (he looks surprisingly good), and
plenty of opportunity to see Jet strut his wushu stuff.
6. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY
This one nearly didn't make it, because I only saw it while I was compiling this
list. But here it is, thanks in part to Yvonne from the Mobius board, who urged me to see
it if it came on. It's definitely a chick flick: Maggie Cheung turns in a very complex
performance (especially for someone who could rely largely on her beauty), and she's
complemented sweetly by Leon Lai's beguiling innocence. It's an unabashedly romantic
story, with two superstars pretending fairly credibly to be ordinary people, Leon the
wide-eyed country boy and Maggie the upwardly mobile country girl determined to fit in and
make it in the big city. I cried buckets.
7. DRUNKEN MASTER 2
Probably Jackie Chan's best film, and as you'd expect from Jackie, there are some
unbelievable stunts and breathtaking fight scenes. Once again, though, the glory is nearly
stolen by the female lead: in this case, Anita Mui in fine form as his mother. This film
is vintage Jackie, marred only by a rather tacky and inappropriate ending.
8. A BULLET IN THE HEAD
This is very gruelling, but, if you're willing to be gruelled, this is an intense
and rewarding film. Tony Leung Chui Wai and Jacky Cheung deliver gut-churning performances
in this classic John Woo, but be warned: this is not a film for the faint-hearted.
9. DR WAI IN THE SCRIPTURE WITH NO WORDS
With Jet Li, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Rosamund Kwan and Charlie Yeung, it would be hard
to go wrong, and this film doesn't. Once again we get a chance to see Jet frocked up, this
time accompanied by Takeshi K, who doesn't manage drag quite as well as Jet. The story is
fun, the cast are great, and that's about all there is to say on this one.
9 1/2. SAVIOUR OF THE SOUL (cheating again ;-)
This surreal futuristic fantasy is very well done, and features the talents of Anita Mui
and Andy Lau, both of whom look good and cope well with comedy. It also features the
silver hair and pretty face of Aaron Kwok, who manages this role because he's not required
to show expression. Stark unpeopled sets complete the eerie feel.
10. HITMAN
Notable for being (I think!) the first film to feature Jet undubbed, this film
puts Jet and his impressive skills in a modern setting. For me, Jet is more than poetry in
motion: he's music and magic and great sex. He moves like a cat, like oil on water: Jet is
his own special effects. And he's also quite good at comedy, in a gentle way, assisted
here by the ever comical Eric Tsang, and an unusually steely-eyed Simon Yam.
25 Apr 2000 © Alison Jobling
ALISON JOBLING
describes herself as a Java geek, although the Adelaide university where she works prefer
to think of her as an Analyst/programmer. When not coding or wrangling pesky Third Year
students, she can likely be found eyeballing the latest HK video, or tapping away at one
of her frequent and entertaining posts on the Mobius Home
Video Forum.
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