A glorious still from one of my favorite Chinese New Year movies
Chinese New Year is approaching! And one sure way to tell this is to take a look at the cover -- and some of the contents -- of the latest issue of bc magazine (that's now on-line and will hit Hong Kong streets tomorrow).
Of my contributions, must say that I particularly enjoyed writing Feast of Film Fun, a feature article on Chinese New Year movies that includes -- but of course! -- mention of The Chinese Feast (1995), another of those Tsui Hark cinematic gems that might be better acclaimed in the West if it didn't come with such horrible English subtitles... :S
Anyways, before I get too carried away and start ranting on and on about English subtitles on Hong Kong movies, here's going ahead and providing links to other pieces of writing by moi:-
i) Statistics and Showstoppers -- Eight 2008 Hong Kong Arts Festival picks;
ii) Music and Amour -- As the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra's upcoming Valentine's Concert 2008 serves to remind us, Valentine's Day also falls in February;
iii) Review of CJ7 -- Stephen Chow's first movie since the kick-ass Kung Fu Hustle (2004);
iv) Review of Chrysalis -- A French action movie featuring a Wing Chun practice dummy (but no action choreography from any Hong Kong film industry personality);
v) Review of The Edge of Heaven -- The fifth feature by Fatih Akin, the director-scriptwriter whose In July (2000) bowled me over and got me hankering to visit Istanbul!; and
vi) This issue's Editor's Diary (but, bar for the Lea Salonga: Five Favourites interview, not the Live Music section blurbs this time around).
5 comments:
I have to read all of these articles still but I do not have much hope for the Chow Sing-Chi flick.
And, as you well know, The Chinese Feast is not only one of my top 5 favorite Hong Kong films it is most assuredly in my Top 20 of all time (assuming I had to make lists like that).
Supposedly, there is this Korean DVD of the film with more footage and better subtitles but after years of looking, I've yet to even confirm the existence of the thing.
The new French DVD looks great from what I've seen but my French is too rusty to use to watch it with French dubbing or French subtitles.
the chinese feast is one of my top cny movies too. read your article on sing chai - and reminds me of the times when he was really sing chai in mocies such as flirting scholar which is my all time chow sing chi favourite. where have all those movies gone, sing chai?? - hd
Hi Glenn --
The thing with "CJ7" is that the alien is veeeery cute -- and, yes, I'm hankering to own a CJ7 stuffed toy! -- but the film... well, if you do watch it, go in to the viewing with low(ered) expectations.
And while I'd award "The Chinese Feast" a 9 out of 10 on the brns.com scale, "CJ7" would get only a 6 from me. Not bad but. still, not what I've grown to expect to want to award a Stephen Chow movie.
More re "The Chinese Feast": In addition to the home video versions you mentioned, there was a Malaysian laser disc out some time ago that did have more footage -- include a fight between Chiu Man Cheuk and Xiong Xin Xin -- and larger, even if not great, English subtitles. Was lucky enough that a friend made me a VHS tape from it.
Hi hd --
Nice to see lots of love for "The Chinese Feast". (BTW, if you ever know of a CD on which the theme song features, lemme know, will ya?)
More re Sing Chai/Jai: Alas, I think he's cutting down on his screentime too soon. And also trying to reach out to a larger international -- read Western -- audience by cutting down on some of the more outrageous and edgier sections of his humor. All in all, I think he's ill advised. But then, thought that all was going very well until this latest movie as I generally prefer Stephen Chow's 1995-2004 works more than his earlier ones. :S
I'm so happy that you liked "The Edge of Heaven" and curious about what you'd think of "Head On" an edgier film by the same director.
Hi 'eliza bennet' --
Love(d) actually would be closer to how I feel about "The Edge of Heaven". Re "Head On": Alas, have yet to view it. Thus far, the only other film by the director that I've seen is "In July". ;S
Post a Comment