Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2004)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Alison

It has to be said, and said early: this film is incredibly beautiful to watch. The setting, a floating hermitage on the ethereal Jusan Lake (not my poetic expression, alas. I cribbed it from the HKIFF2004 programme), provides a backdrop of natural tranquility. The tempo is slow and measured, allowing the audience to drift along with the growing monk. The story is simple yet moving, expressing grand questions of life, the universe, and pretty much everything.

This is a fairly … (read more)

Comments Off on Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2004)

Spriggan (2002)

(from , )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Deni

Before I became otaku, I was your friendly neighbourhood action movie junkie. The bigger the explosions, the faster the car chases, the more numerous the gun battles, the better. And I wasn’t particularly picky about where I got my fix (yes I was that one person who actually enjoyed Godzilla 2000). It didn’t even often matter if the plot was non- existent or the acting was bad, as long as the action was good.

And then I discovered anime. … (read more)

Comments Off on Spriggan (2002)

Spirited Away (2001)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Eugene

Can I just say I recently had the fortune to see this film for the fourth time, most recently in the new English dub by Disney, which it looks like they like they will be promoting much more than Princess Mononoke.

And yes, this is good thing.

Everything you may have heard about this movie is true (unless of course what you’ve heard that this movie is terrible and only deserves to be archived in the deepest darkest pits … (read more)

Comments Off on Spirited Away (2001)

Spider Forest (2004)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Alison

This is a very complex film which has qualitites like the distorting mirror of legend: what you get out is a twisted reflection of what is in your soul. Some will proclaim it boring or confusing, and thus dismissable, but I think this would be a mistake. There’s a lot more here than meets the eye.

The film opens with a slow pan through a moonlit forest. As you might guess, the spindly trees are draped with soft webs, and … (read more)

Comments Off on Spider Forest (2004)

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Justin

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow is one of the better films from Jackie Chan’s early career; though the story will be familiar to fans of this style of martial arts film, it has the energy and comedic timing that has really served to differentiate Jackie’s work in kung fu filmmaking from that of others. It’s directed by master of the genre Yuen Wo Ping, who should need no introduction, and co-stars the director’s father, Simon Yuen, in a similar role … (read more)

Comments Off on Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978)

Sleepless Town (1998)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Deni

A modern film noir, with all the squalor and seediness that the pleasure district of Tokyo – the infamous Kabuki-cho – can bring to bear, Sleepless Town is a dark, moody thriller of ambitious proportions.

The culturally diverse cast and crew – Takeshi Kaneshiro as Keniichi Ryuu, a half blood Japanese Taiwanese, Eric Tsang as Cantonese crime lord Yuan and Lung Si-Hung as Kenichi’s adopted father and Taiwanese mob boss just to name a few – almost literally reflect the … (read more)

Comments Off on Sleepless Town (1998)

Silmido (2003)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by James

In thinking about this review it occurred to me that Silmido is not a film I’m supposed to enjoy. This came as a surprise, since although it is limited in terms of satisfying story progression (or even closure) it did sustain my interest. The cause of this paradox lies, I think, in the film’s generic oscillations. Cinema Service founder and part owner Kang Woo-suk (Public Enemy) knows how to produce and market suspenseful action blockbusters, but he makes … (read more)

Comments Off on Silmido (2003)

Shinobi (2005)

(from , dir: )
Posted on March 12, 2007 by Deni

One of my friends likes to refer to this film not as Shinobi, or even as the clever and yet ridiculously literal subtitle, Heart Under Blade, but as – and this is a patented title you understand – the People With Shiny Eyes Movie. Now, that might sound ill-considered, but it’s much more descriptive than you’d think, because the main couple in this big-budget fantasy romance about warring ninja clans do indeed have very shiny eyes. Admittedly, … (read more)

Comments Off on Shinobi (2005)