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Reviews
Fang hua (2017)
Could Be Better
I had high expectation of this film going in but somewhat disappointed coming out. There are two problems with the film: one structural and the other technical.
The first problem is a structural one. The film appears to be an incoherent mash up of two different ideas: the struggle of an outcast Xiaoping He (Miao Miao) and the family like life in general in the Army Performing Art Troupe. This arrangement isn't a problem if the film can relate the two ideas better. We need to know why Xiaoping He was discriminated against in a seemingly coherent warm troupe family, we then can see how her supposedly low-self-esteem, self-destructive, and rebellious tendencies develop, and we finally will understand why she is later gone mad. The reasons such as her odor, borrowing army uniform without consent, and the foam fillers of the bra are just not strong enough to convince the audience that she is mistreated by her peers. We need a stronger reason such as her not-so-good family political background. But even that isn't enough because it seems a lot her peers have the same problem. The audience who went through that era are able to fill out the blanks in their heads to compensate for the short coming of the film but the uninformed audience are not - they don't have enough information nor sensitivity of the era to correctly feel for her and for the culture of the time in history. That is my disappointment of the film.
The second problem is a technical one. The film missed quite a few necessary moments. One is Xiaoping He gone mad. In the film, we rely on dialog or voiceover to know that she has gone mad due to her inability to deal with the hero status. We need a scene of an award ceremony in which she is normal until the moment of glory. Otherwise, the audience can easily misinterpret, thinking that she is gone mad because of her inability to cope with cruelty in the war. We also need to know Xiaoping He is healed after the solo dancing on the lawn because of the music and dance not of medicines. We need a scene to show that she is suddenly normal, either by some sort of rational responses or being able to recognize her former troupe friends. If these scenes exist but were not cut in, for the sake of art, please release a director's cut.
On final thought, there is a unique culture in that era that no one has completely (theoretically) described. In essence, it is special relationship between individualism and collectivism. A film like Youth had an opportunity to show that. See, when I was at my most difficult times in that era, I always warned people about my political background to spare them from being affected in association with me. In today's cultural environment, my action is called stupid (for being vulnerable and nothing good for myself). But is it? Think how many people's careers I potentially saved. Am I Lei Feng some sort also?
The Others (2001)
a master piece
The Others is a master piece. How many films have failed to put us in OTHERS' shoes. Just look at Planet of the Apes. Stinky human says one ape. The context is that in the movie, the human are the second class citizens and the apes are superior. But as the audience, do we believe that what has presented to us is true? If we do, we will not have problems with the scene in which the ape and human kiss...
But The Others succeeds in putting us in a context that we can hardly comprehend. Not do we go through the experience of the others, we also come to understand psychologically about Nicole's character before all these things happened -- again the others. Such understanding is two layered, and it is convincing. I was in my shoes when I went in the theater but in others' shoes when I came out of the theater. The Others is a master piece.
America's Sweethearts (2001)
a waste of acting talents
Did Julia Robert fire her agent or what? She had always chosen very good scripts until recently. The last two films she starred in are just very very bad. Bill Crystal cannot write as if he has written this film using a story-forming software. America's Sweethearts is just TOO plain and TOO predictable. What a waste of the acting talents...
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
A classic!
One of the best films I've ever seen. The theme of the film is convincingly presented with impeccable story execution, pacing, and acting. It should be an Oscar contender. A 10.
Ba wang bie ji (1993)
I'll not make a film better than this.
I've always boasted that I could make a better film about China, about the Cultural Revolution in particular, until I saw this film. It triggered an out-burst of many of my emotions I hadn't had since I left China. In the movie, as the events developed, the tragedy, caused by the human feelings : love, hate, jealousy, and guilt under the social unrests, came so naturally to me. It is a movie which should not be missed.
Ai qing lai le (1997)
Maybe, we go to movies because we want to be entertained, not to be reminded of the ugly side of the reality.
I have always wondered why there have been so few films about those who are less fortunate -- less power, less money, and especially less good-looking. Maybe, we go to movies because we want to be entertained, not to be reminded of the ugly side of the reality. This film defies that. It tells the stories of lonely people -- their dreams, and how these dreams clash with the reality. The film combined humor with some very serious emotions is highly entertaining and very effective.
Hai shang hua (1998)
The movie is very sophisticated but also slow-paced.
The movie is successful in portraying the culture and power structure of the Shanghai brothels in the era but it is perhaps too subtle and slow-paced for modern audience.
Hilary and Jackie (1998)
One of the best movies of the year.
I would like to think of this movie as a film about love which is distinguished from romance. So, it is very sophisticated and emotionally powerful. It is one of the best movies of the year.