Category Archives: Festivals

I am sad yet relieved because today was the last day of screenings for me, but it also means that at last, I get to do some mad shopping in the last days before I go home. Hooray!

The Drummer was up first today. Starring Jaycee Chan and directed by Kenneth Bi, The Drummer was about Sid (Jaycee) who sleeps with Steven’s wife. Steven is a powerful businessman who finds out about the affair and demands from Sid’s … (read more)

Glurg… well, my wonderful festival has been topped off in the worst possible way by a nightmare bus ride home (curse my cheapskatery) and a nasty spot of flu that’s had me flat on my back the past few days. In the unlikely event that anyone’s still reading, I’d like to thank you for having done so! MIFF was a blast once again, made even better by the use of the magnificent Regent Theatre. Let’s just … (read more)

Johnny To and the art of non-disclosure

Day 1: Well the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival started off with a bang on opening night, although it might be a little more appropriate to say it started off with a grind, considering that one of the two films on show was the premiere of Johhny To’s latest offering, the sequel to last year’s gritty gangster hit Election. Now, that might sound like a criticism but when it comes to … (read more)

Ahhh, Hong Kong, city of ten thousand delights, many of them edible. It’s possible to spend your entire time in this city just eating, and enjoying it immensely. No matter what you want to eat, you’ll find it in Hong Kong, often in a tiny hole-in-the-wall noodle joint so packed you have to climb over the furniture to sit down. Me, I’ve got a particular fondness for dumpling soup, and man oh man, did I indulge.

Aside from eating, of … (read more)

Featuring about 70 screenings per day in one outdoor and 16 indoor theatres grouped in two locations about 40 minutes subway ride apart, the 9th Pusan International Film Festival was a densely scheduled affair that often required some advance daily planning and on-the-spot thinking to get into desired sessions. Like last year, ticketing for guests and press was occasionally a problem, with quite a few sessions ostensibly selling out within an hour after sales commenced each morning. Given the availability … (read more)

Ten features and one omnibus film from South Korea screened at the 53rd Melbourne International Film Festival. Of these, I can’t comment on Natural City, Samaritan Girl and If You Were Me since I neglected to see them. From inquiries and overheard conversations, it seems Natural City received a warmer reaction than might have been expected, and given my tastes Samaritan Girl was probably the Kim Ki-duk I should have forced myself to watch. Unfortunately, If You Were Me… (read more)

Episode 1 – Good Cops, Bad Cops

Once again, I’m going to break my festival report into sections, because I saw 26-odd films (and some were very odd indeed), and I’d dissolve into a wee melty thing if I tried to talk about all of them in one go. Consider it a cunning ploy to keep your attention on me, some sort of Scheherezade’s Game, if you wish.

So this week is all about cops, and I’ll start by bravely … (read more)

HKIFF 2004 Report

I’ll try something a bit different this year, in the interest of getting my report finished before December. So you’ll be getting a brief review-ette of all the films, followed by production details, and full reviews of a selection of the more interesting ones. Let me know what you think…

Three-Corner Bout: Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines

I caught three of the Thai films on offer this year, representing three very different styles. Beautiful Boxer, a … (read more)