There's this lame TV show on right now about army life. Predictably, its supported by the SAF. Now, watching it, one would think that army life is fulfiling, enjoyable and you get to live an exciting life. This is true- for those elite few who get to go on parachute jumps, who are the high flyer officers, or the top
gun pilots. For for the majority, life is a pedantic exsistence, whether you are a regular, or conscript. My CSM, who's a Master Sergeant is one such pathetic soul. By my estimation, he's in his late 30s, and he has no life. I utterly detest him, since he is a cold person who thinks not of the welfare of the men under him but only on the job. He makes inane banter with a female sergeant whose his niece, i believe, and the both of them are truly pathetic. Sometimes i pity him even, beacuse at his age, he has nothing to show for, careerwise other than a lame repetitive job, and none of his subordinates like him. They merely fear his authority. Now, i'm a fan of Chow Yun Fat. I really am. But his Hollywood forays have ended in utter failure, and THE CORRUPTOR is another tarnish on his resume. Lame script, plodding action and wide gaping plot holes. For his credit, Chow displays immense charisma and lights up the screen whenever he is onscreen- that is until he speaks. Chow trying to speaking in English is simply flat out jarring. And Mark Wahlberg is simply miscast as Chow's partner. The duo have absolutely no chemistry. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Chow-Wahlberg is no Chris Tucker- Jackie Chan, and the movie falls flat. Uninspiring and unengaging, this is one bore of a movie. Buffalo 66 is a film that is reasonably well reviewed at RT. I cannot for the hell of me fathom why. WHile Christina Ricci puts in a decent performance, Vincent Gallo seems to be overacting way too much. The plot is incoherent, and incredulous even. Even when you suspend your disbelief at how Ricci, when first kidnapped by Gallo, does'nt even put in a decent attempt at escape, when it is made abundantly clear how many times she has an opprtunity- like when Gallo leaves Ricci in the car to take a leak. There is obviously an absurdist element in the film, as seen by Gallo's encounters with his family members that makes the textbook definition of dysfunctional family. But its not funny. Or engaging- merely tedious and dull. While i though that the bowling alley sequence was well done, the sheer boredom of the film make me stop watching it about 65% into the film. While it has some nice artistic touches, it was just a boring movie for me. [center] [/center][left]23rd Annual Hong Kong Film Awards? Winner - Best Actress (Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi) ? Winner - Best Original Score (Peter Kam Pui-Tak) 10th Annual Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards? Recommended Film9th Annual Golden Bauhinia Awards ? Winner - Best Actress (Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi)[/left][left] [/left][left] [/left][left] Sublime and beautifully crafted, this gem from Director Derek Yee further cements his reputation as one of the best directors from HK. On paper, the story seems decidedly hackney and sappy, and admitedly the film occasionally verges on melodrama. But the director has wisely opted for a more even hand and reins in the sappy moments. Lau Ching Wan gives a solid performance (since when was Lau ever bad?) but it is Celilia Cheung as the brash and spirited single mother that steals the show. With LOST IN TIME and the superlative ONE NIGHT IN MONGKOK, both of which were Derek Yee films, Cecilia shows off her acting mettle and proves to be a force to be reckoned with. Very much deserving of the Best Actress win, she seems to have blossmed into a character actor, and is gradually shedding the flower vase role of her earlier movies like the ill conceived PARA PARA SAKURA. [/left][left] [/left][left] The direction is beautiful and the script gives the actors a lot of room to display their skills. And the kid who plays Cecilia's son is just sooooo cute. Anyway, LOST IN TIME is a solid romantic drama and one of the best to come out of HK in a long time. [/left]
September 7, 2004
