Exclusive: Released in August, Louis Koo’s sci-fi action thriller Warriors Of Future has become not just the highest-grossing local film in Hong Kong ever, but the highest-grossing Asian film ever released in the territory, with a gross of HK81.7M (US10.5M). The film also raked in 100m in China over the summer and is currently number four in Netflix’s global ranking of non-English language films after launching worldwide on December 2.
It’s an encouraging result for Hong Kong’s film industry, which suffered through some of the most frequent and lengthy cinema shutdowns during the pandemic – the last one only ending this April. It’s also an extraordinary achievement for a Hong Kong sci-fi movie, as the territory has never before attempted to produce a film of this genre and at this scale.
Directed by visual effects specialist Ng Yuen-fai (Bodyguards And Assassins), the 56m film was...
It’s an encouraging result for Hong Kong’s film industry, which suffered through some of the most frequent and lengthy cinema shutdowns during the pandemic – the last one only ending this April. It’s also an extraordinary achievement for a Hong Kong sci-fi movie, as the territory has never before attempted to produce a film of this genre and at this scale.
Directed by visual effects specialist Ng Yuen-fai (Bodyguards And Assassins), the 56m film was...
- 12/15/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Derek Tsang Kwok-Cheung was born on November 8, 1979 in Hong Kong. He is an actor, writer and director. He co-directed ”Lover’s Discourse” with Jimmy Wan in 2010, followed by ”Lacuna” in 2012 with Chi-Man Wan. Tsang’s solo directorial debut “Soul Mate” (2016) was well-received by critics and audiences. The lead actors Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun won Best Actress Awards at 2016’s Golden Horse Awards. Tsang was also nominated for Best Director and Best New Director at that year’s Hong Kong Film Awards. His latest effort “Better Days” had its theatrical release in China at the end of October 2019 and it’s set to become one of the most praised movies of the year 2020.
On the occasion of his film “Better Days” screening at the Udine Far East Film Festival 2020 and winning the Black Dragon Critic Awards and the Golden Mulberry Audience Award, we met him in a virtual room and...
On the occasion of his film “Better Days” screening at the Udine Far East Film Festival 2020 and winning the Black Dragon Critic Awards and the Golden Mulberry Audience Award, we met him in a virtual room and...
- 7/5/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
2017 just got a whole lot better. The last few years we’ve heard a handful of updates on what was thought to be Claire Denis‘ next film, High Life, an ambitious sci-fi drama starring Robert Pattinson. With shooting expecting to begin sometime this year, it looks like the project has been pushed back to make room for a smaller-scale feature from the White Material director, and one that’s just as enticing.
Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, and Xavier Beauvois will be leading the cast of Denis’ Les lunettes noir (translated to Dark Glasses), which kicks off a seven-week shoot in Paris and Guéret this month. Adapted from Roland Barthes‘ A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments, which deconstructs the language of love, the drama is expected to be completed in time for a fall premiere. [France 3/JulietteBinoche.net]
It’s still unclear in what form exactly Denis will adapt the material, which has already been...
Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, and Xavier Beauvois will be leading the cast of Denis’ Les lunettes noir (translated to Dark Glasses), which kicks off a seven-week shoot in Paris and Guéret this month. Adapted from Roland Barthes‘ A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments, which deconstructs the language of love, the drama is expected to be completed in time for a fall premiere. [France 3/JulietteBinoche.net]
It’s still unclear in what form exactly Denis will adapt the material, which has already been...
- 1/3/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Gun Women: The Patriots scoops top award at Naff event.Scroll down for full awards list
The 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) wrapped its 8th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) industry event with the top Bucheon Award - for post-production costs - going to project Gun Women: The Patriots.
A reboot of director Mitsutake Kurando’s Gun Woman, which screened in Sitges and Fantasia, the Japan-us co-production features an intelligence agent with gun parts implanted in her body who is on a secret mission to kill the president of Japan.
Kurando (Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf) and his producer Yanagimoto Chiaki (Gun Woman) accepted the award which comes with KW15m ($13,000 ) cash prize.
“This award means so much especially coming from such a distinguished jury. Thank you and to Bucheon. I love the people, love the city. Special thanks to Thomas-san for guiding us to the market,” said Kurando...
The 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) wrapped its 8th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) industry event with the top Bucheon Award - for post-production costs - going to project Gun Women: The Patriots.
A reboot of director Mitsutake Kurando’s Gun Woman, which screened in Sitges and Fantasia, the Japan-us co-production features an intelligence agent with gun parts implanted in her body who is on a secret mission to kill the president of Japan.
Kurando (Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf) and his producer Yanagimoto Chiaki (Gun Woman) accepted the award which comes with KW15m ($13,000 ) cash prize.
“This award means so much especially coming from such a distinguished jury. Thank you and to Bucheon. I love the people, love the city. Special thanks to Thomas-san for guiding us to the market,” said Kurando...
- 7/22/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Gun Women: The Patriots scoops top award at Naff event.Scroll down for full awards list
The 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) wrapped its 8th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) industry event with the top Bucheon Award - for post-production costs - going to project Gun Women: The Patriots.
A reboot of director Mitsutake Kurando’s Gun Woman, which screened in Sitges and Fantasia, the Japan-us co-production features an intelligence agent with gun parts implanted in her body who is on a secret mission to kill the president of Japan.
Kurando (Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf) and his producer Yanagimoto Chiaki (Gun Woman) accepted the award which comes with KW15m ($13,000 ) cash prize.
“This award means so much especially coming from such a distinguished jury. Thank you and to Bucheon. I love the people, love the city. Special thanks to Thomas-san for guiding us to the market,” said Kurando...
The 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) wrapped its 8th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) industry event with the top Bucheon Award - for post-production costs - going to project Gun Women: The Patriots.
A reboot of director Mitsutake Kurando’s Gun Woman, which screened in Sitges and Fantasia, the Japan-us co-production features an intelligence agent with gun parts implanted in her body who is on a secret mission to kill the president of Japan.
Kurando (Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf) and his producer Yanagimoto Chiaki (Gun Woman) accepted the award which comes with KW15m ($13,000 ) cash prize.
“This award means so much especially coming from such a distinguished jury. Thank you and to Bucheon. I love the people, love the city. Special thanks to Thomas-san for guiding us to the market,” said Kurando...
- 7/22/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Wai dor lei ah yut ho (Dream Home)
Screenplay by Ho-Cheung Pang, Kwok Cheung Tsang, & Chi-Man Wan
Directed by Ho-Cheung Pang
Hong Kong, 2010
Wai dor lei ah yut ho comes out of the gates with its guns blazing. The film impressively sets up its premise and spends its first twenty minutes establishing how strong of a premise the film is working with. The camera has a lot to do with how impressive the first twenty minutes of the film are. The high rises look especially high, and the people look especially little. There’s one impressive shot where we see a gaggle of office workers huddled together on a typical outside break. The camera films them from underneath, accentuating how tiny they are in comparison to the high rises that dominate their lives. The office workers are talking as if what they do in life will matter, but against the...
Screenplay by Ho-Cheung Pang, Kwok Cheung Tsang, & Chi-Man Wan
Directed by Ho-Cheung Pang
Hong Kong, 2010
Wai dor lei ah yut ho comes out of the gates with its guns blazing. The film impressively sets up its premise and spends its first twenty minutes establishing how strong of a premise the film is working with. The camera has a lot to do with how impressive the first twenty minutes of the film are. The high rises look especially high, and the people look especially little. There’s one impressive shot where we see a gaggle of office workers huddled together on a typical outside break. The camera films them from underneath, accentuating how tiny they are in comparison to the high rises that dominate their lives. The office workers are talking as if what they do in life will matter, but against the...
- 2/20/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Pang Ho Cheung, arguably most the talented and exciting Hong Kong film maker of the last decade, serves as producer on “Lacuna”, directed by his regular collaborators Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan, who wrote his superb slasher “Dream Home”. The film sees the duo following up their unexpectedly on the money 2010 romantic ensemble drama “Lover’s Discourse” with more of the same, another very contemporary life and love story of sorts, revolving around the wild antics of a (very) drunken night out in Beijing. For its lead couple the film stars top Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue, who combined with Pang to great effect on the charismatic “Love in a Puff” plus sequel, and Mainland actress Zhang Jingchu, recently seen in the likes of “Flirting Scholar 2” and “City Under Siege”. The film gets off to a disorienting start, with Shen Wei (Shawn Yue) and Tong Xin (Zhang Jingchu) waking up...
- 10/15/2012
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Although the hitman genre isn’t quite as prolific in Asian cinema as it used to be, it’s still pretty popular, if by now looking more than a little overly familiar. Thankfully, as its oddball title suggests, Taiwanese effort “The Killer Who Never Kills” attempts to add something a little different to the usual formula of moody, self-reflective assassins trying to escape the game, mixing in a variety of elements to spice things up. Based on a popular novel by Giddens (who also wrote and directed the hit “You Are the Apple of My Eye”), the film was directed by Jimmy Wan (“Lover’s Discourse”) and the bizarrely named music video director @pple (real name Li Feng Bo), and features singer Jam Hsiao in the lead, with support from a mixture of Hong Kong and Taiwanese talent, including actress Zai Zai Lin (“Taipei Exchanges”), Chrissie Chau (“Marriage with a...
- 2/17/2012
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Director: Pang Ho Cheung. Review: Adam Wing. Pang Ho Cheung has never been the kind of man to take the easy route. After tackling genres like dark comedy and family melodrama, it soon becomes apparent that social commentary and the slasher film are next on his agenda; it gives me great pleasure to welcome you inside Pang Ho Cheung’s Dream Home. As co-producer and leading lady, it’s great to see Josie Ho back on the big screen as a woman who’ll do just about anything to get her hands on the ideal property. Pang - who co-write the script with Derek Tsang and Jimmy Wan (Isabella) - cleverly breaks the story into fragments, presenting us with a present day murder spree and several key flashbacks that lead us to a terrifying night of bloodshed and carnage. Filled with disembowelments, slicing, dicing and an inspired use of household products,...
- 1/8/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
"Although brutal and unnervingly realistic at times, Dream Home is full of inventive deaths and comical touches..."
Acclaimed Hong Kong Director, Pang-Ho-Cheung picked up film festival awards for 2006's Isabella and 2007's Exodus and after a three year break returns with the comically gory and socially relevant, Dream Home.
Struggling to survive and desperate to live at Victoria Place overlooking the harbour, Sheung works in Jetways bank and has a second store job. Supporting her ex-builder father (who inhaled asbestos and now needs expensive medical treatment and life insurance) isn't easy when he's so ungrateful and smoking/drinking away any chance of survival. With her mother dead and her brother dependent, Sheung's only support is an unsympathetic cheap-skate lover with his own family.
The government in Hong Kong have formed an alliance with property developers causing widespread unrest. Surrounded by signs of despair, Sheung's situation is clearly not unique -...
Acclaimed Hong Kong Director, Pang-Ho-Cheung picked up film festival awards for 2006's Isabella and 2007's Exodus and after a three year break returns with the comically gory and socially relevant, Dream Home.
Struggling to survive and desperate to live at Victoria Place overlooking the harbour, Sheung works in Jetways bank and has a second store job. Supporting her ex-builder father (who inhaled asbestos and now needs expensive medical treatment and life insurance) isn't easy when he's so ungrateful and smoking/drinking away any chance of survival. With her mother dead and her brother dependent, Sheung's only support is an unsympathetic cheap-skate lover with his own family.
The government in Hong Kong have formed an alliance with property developers causing widespread unrest. Surrounded by signs of despair, Sheung's situation is clearly not unique -...
- 11/4/2010
- Shadowlocked
It's time to exhale and pop that champagne cork as the Hong Kong film industry proclaims 2010 a good year for films.
Indeed, the performance of local productions has indicated the start of a resurgence in Hong Kong cinema amid the larger and irrevocable trend of China-Hong Kong co-productions. Cases in point include Shaw Brothers/Tvb's Chinese New Year hit 72 Tenants of Prosperity, which raked in Hk$34.4 million ($4.4 million), and Hong Kong's foreign-language film Oscar contender Echoes of the Rainbow, which created a citywide fervor in March and took in Hk$23 million.
Audiences also have shown support for smaller, low-budget local productions that aimed at the domestic market, including director Barbara Wong's surprise hit The Break Up Club and Pang Ho-cheung's romance for smokers Love in a Puff, which did respectably at the box office through a gradual buildup of word-of-mouth, earning Hk$10.3 million and Hk$6.4 million, respectively.
Co-productions still reign among Chinese-language films,...
Indeed, the performance of local productions has indicated the start of a resurgence in Hong Kong cinema amid the larger and irrevocable trend of China-Hong Kong co-productions. Cases in point include Shaw Brothers/Tvb's Chinese New Year hit 72 Tenants of Prosperity, which raked in Hk$34.4 million ($4.4 million), and Hong Kong's foreign-language film Oscar contender Echoes of the Rainbow, which created a citywide fervor in March and took in Hk$23 million.
Audiences also have shown support for smaller, low-budget local productions that aimed at the domestic market, including director Barbara Wong's surprise hit The Break Up Club and Pang Ho-cheung's romance for smokers Love in a Puff, which did respectably at the box office through a gradual buildup of word-of-mouth, earning Hk$10.3 million and Hk$6.4 million, respectively.
Co-productions still reign among Chinese-language films,...
- 11/4/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 9th Annual Tribeca Film Festival kicked off today, and to celebrate, the kind folks running the event have offered Dread Central readers the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to up to four of the films having either their World Premiere or North American Premiere during the fest.
Here's an overview of the films included and the dates/times of the screenings for which we have tickets available:
Possessed (The Living Death) - North American Premiere on Fri. 4/23 at 11:30 Pm, Vec-3
Directed and written by Lee Yong-ju (South Korea)
In this eminently creepy horror show, college student Hee-jin returns home in the wake of her younger sister's disappearance, only to find her mother a fanatical religious convert and the family's neighbors offing themselves in increasingly bizarre and grotesque ways. Together with detective Tae-hwan, Hee-jin must unravel the tangled web of connections between the victims that will lead back to the missing girl.
Here's an overview of the films included and the dates/times of the screenings for which we have tickets available:
Possessed (The Living Death) - North American Premiere on Fri. 4/23 at 11:30 Pm, Vec-3
Directed and written by Lee Yong-ju (South Korea)
In this eminently creepy horror show, college student Hee-jin returns home in the wake of her younger sister's disappearance, only to find her mother a fanatical religious convert and the family's neighbors offing themselves in increasingly bizarre and grotesque ways. Together with detective Tae-hwan, Hee-jin must unravel the tangled web of connections between the victims that will lead back to the missing girl.
- 4/21/2010
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
While most of the eyes in film are on either SXSW or ShoWest out on the West Coast, folks out on the East Coast are gearing up for Tribeca Film Festival coming up next month. Last week, the fest announced the first group of films, which included the World Narrative films, the Documentaries, as well as Showcases and Special Events.
Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.
The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of...
Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.
The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of...
- 3/16/2010
- by Matt Raub
- The Flickcast
Following up on our story about the first half of the Tribeca 2010 slate, the remaining feature films have been announced, and as we suspected, there are quite a few more genre gems that will be shown at the fest.
Today the categories of "Encounters," "Discovery," "Spotlight," and "Cinemania" (formerly known as "Midnight") were fleshed out.
For more information, including the full list of films and ticket info, visit the official 2010 Tribeca Film Festival website.
"Encounters" is a mixture of 14 films, both mystery-thrillers and lighter fare. Out of that group, those that fall in the horror(ish) category include:
The Chameleon (Le Cameleon)
Directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter (Canada, France) - World Premiere
When teenager Nicholas Barclay (Marc-André Grondin, C.R.A.Z.Y.) mysteriously resurfaces after he went missing three years ago, his sister (Emilie De Ravin, Lost) and mother (Ellen Barkin) welcome him back with open arms,...
Today the categories of "Encounters," "Discovery," "Spotlight," and "Cinemania" (formerly known as "Midnight") were fleshed out.
For more information, including the full list of films and ticket info, visit the official 2010 Tribeca Film Festival website.
"Encounters" is a mixture of 14 films, both mystery-thrillers and lighter fare. Out of that group, those that fall in the horror(ish) category include:
The Chameleon (Le Cameleon)
Directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter (Canada, France) - World Premiere
When teenager Nicholas Barclay (Marc-André Grondin, C.R.A.Z.Y.) mysteriously resurfaces after he went missing three years ago, his sister (Emilie De Ravin, Lost) and mother (Ellen Barkin) welcome him back with open arms,...
- 3/16/2010
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
The Tribeca Film Festival opens on April 21, 2010 and a variety of films will be on display, from documentaries and international films, to big budget films like "Shrek Forever After" (which will make its world premiere at Tribeca).
Today the festival has announced its entire feature film lineup, and you can check out below what films will be on display.
2010 Tribeca Film Festival:
Encounters
"The Chameleon ("Le Cameleon")," directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter. (France, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Climate of Change," directed by Brian Hill. (USA/UK) – North American Premiere, Documentary. "Every Day," directed and written by Richard Levine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Last Play at Shea," directed by Paul Crowder and Jon Small (concert footage). (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. "Meet Monica Velour," directed and written by Keith Bearden. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Monogamy," directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan Weiner.
Today the festival has announced its entire feature film lineup, and you can check out below what films will be on display.
2010 Tribeca Film Festival:
Encounters
"The Chameleon ("Le Cameleon")," directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, written by Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter. (France, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Climate of Change," directed by Brian Hill. (USA/UK) – North American Premiere, Documentary. "Every Day," directed and written by Richard Levine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Last Play at Shea," directed by Paul Crowder and Jon Small (concert footage). (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. "Meet Monica Velour," directed and written by Keith Bearden. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. "Monogamy," directed by Dana Adam Shapiro, written by Dana Adam Shapiro and Evan Weiner.
- 3/15/2010
- by amcsts@gmail.com
- AMC - Script to Screen
Edward Burns, Chuck Workman and Alex Gibney will all unveil the world premieres of their newest films at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, running from Apr. 21-May 2 in lower Manhattan.
The three filmmakers will present their latest work as part of the fest's Encounters section, announced today, which encompasses 14 films from established talent. Filling out its program, the fest also revealed another 17 films in its Discovery section, which focuses on emerging talent, and another eight films in its Spotlight section, featuring movies built around performances from such artists as Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall.
"Our Discovery and Encounters sections complement one another -- one highlights fresh talent that is breaking onto the scene, while the latter continues to offer original films that reflect pop culture and contemporary issues," senior programmer Genna Terranova said. New York native Burns will bring "Nice Guy Johnny,...
The three filmmakers will present their latest work as part of the fest's Encounters section, announced today, which encompasses 14 films from established talent. Filling out its program, the fest also revealed another 17 films in its Discovery section, which focuses on emerging talent, and another eight films in its Spotlight section, featuring movies built around performances from such artists as Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall.
"Our Discovery and Encounters sections complement one another -- one highlights fresh talent that is breaking onto the scene, while the latter continues to offer original films that reflect pop culture and contemporary issues," senior programmer Genna Terranova said. New York native Burns will bring "Nice Guy Johnny,...
- 3/15/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When I first read of Tiffcon's (Tokyo International Film Festival) efforts to increase international sales and coproductions (Sales and co-production under the spotlight at Tiffcon News Screen), what caught my attention first was reading, "Taiwan, which was colonised by Japan for 50 years until the 1940s" and I thought, How about a film about that little known fact for the rest of us...including -- was it called, Chang Kai Chek's "liberation"?
On thinking further of how much well-thought-out care was taken to address the issue of our international film crisis from the Japanese point of view, I realized that Tiffcon was presenting a model to emulate for regional film markets and that this applied particularly to the new upcoming Ventana Sur, hosted by the Argentina Government organization Incaa and Jerome Paillard of the Cannes Market. Might the Tokyo International Film Festival with its intense focus on the Japanese film industry...
On thinking further of how much well-thought-out care was taken to address the issue of our international film crisis from the Japanese point of view, I realized that Tiffcon was presenting a model to emulate for regional film markets and that this applied particularly to the new upcoming Ventana Sur, hosted by the Argentina Government organization Incaa and Jerome Paillard of the Cannes Market. Might the Tokyo International Film Festival with its intense focus on the Japanese film industry...
- 11/2/2009
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Toronto International Film Festival
HONG KONG -- Blue Beard gets his comeuppance in Pan Ho Cheung's "The Exodus" ("Chu Aiji Ji"), a suave black-comedy thriller about men-killing women. The Hong Kong director's 6th feature has climbed onto the festival bus that takes off in Toronto, gears up for competition at San Sebastian and will make stops at Pusan and Tokyo.
"The Exodus" opens with a surreal non-dialogue sequence accompanied by a haunting adagio by Mozart and a mesmerizingly long take that lasts a full five minutes, with a photo of Queen Elizabeth II occupies the first frame (a pre-1997 setting that also signifies female sovereignty). The camera gradually tracks down a corridor to reveal "snorkelers" hammering a man into a bloody pulp, but the scene's symbolic significance does not hit home until later.
Back in the present, Sergeant Tsim Kin Yip (Simon Yam) interrogates suspect Kwan Ping Man (Nick Cheung), arrested for filming women in toilets. Kwan claims to be investigating a "syndicate of men-killing women" who make their crimes look like natural or accidental deaths. Yip dismisses him as a lunatic -- until his statement goes missing and he retracts his words.
Despite warnings from his superior Mdm. Fong, Tsim latches on to the case, causing a growing rift with his wife Amy (Annie Liu). Kwan goes missing, and is found dead. Tsim tracks down Kwan's foxy ex-wife Pun Siu Yuen (Irene Wan), but his ardour for investigation dissipates when Pun seduces him. Meanwhile, Amy's buried past, including the ritual meaning of her collection of figurines, begins to surface.
Since "Isabella", Pang has been straining at seriousness. The film's music is composed with a classical resonance and the pace and editing has slowed down, with non-dialogue, geometrically-composed and arty long takes replacing his early, frenetically edited, spoofy and coarsely wacky romps.
A sense of women's omniscience and omnipotence is effectively conveyed. The characters' interactions are mostly captured stealthily in long and medium shots through a window or from a height, to simulate the view from a surveillance camera. The dominant visual tone is steely blue and gloomy green, with occasional outbursts of red – evoking on a sensory level the predominance of yin. Actors display a deliberate opacity of expression that enhances the mysterious lurking beneath the mundane.
Tsim is initially depicted like a "Twilight Samurai" who'd rather go home to his wife than drink with the boys. So his infidelity is too sudden and unconvincing, unless Pang's is trying to make the point that men are by nature corrigible, which puts him on as morally dodgy grounds as the inference that women have a murderous axe to grind.
Is this radical feminism or the paranoia of a misogynist? The film does not delve into such issues. It's more of an exercise in polished structure and clever twists. Pay attention to the dialog or you won't get the ending.
EXODUS
Filmko Entertainment/Making Film
Director: Pang Ho Cheung
Writers: G C Goobi, Jimmy Wan, Pang Ho Cheung
Producers: Stanley Tong, Cheung Hong Tat
Executive producers: Harvey Wong, Song Dai
Director of photography: Charlie Lam
Production designer: Man Lim Chung
Music: Gabriele Roberto
Editor: Stanley Tam
Cast:
Tsim Kin Yip: Simon Yam
Amy Cheung Fong: Annie Liu
Pun Siu Yuen: Irene Wan
Kwan Ping Man: Nick Cheung
Maggie Shiu: Mdm. Fong Chi Tsing
No MPAA, running time 94 minutes...
HONG KONG -- Blue Beard gets his comeuppance in Pan Ho Cheung's "The Exodus" ("Chu Aiji Ji"), a suave black-comedy thriller about men-killing women. The Hong Kong director's 6th feature has climbed onto the festival bus that takes off in Toronto, gears up for competition at San Sebastian and will make stops at Pusan and Tokyo.
"The Exodus" opens with a surreal non-dialogue sequence accompanied by a haunting adagio by Mozart and a mesmerizingly long take that lasts a full five minutes, with a photo of Queen Elizabeth II occupies the first frame (a pre-1997 setting that also signifies female sovereignty). The camera gradually tracks down a corridor to reveal "snorkelers" hammering a man into a bloody pulp, but the scene's symbolic significance does not hit home until later.
Back in the present, Sergeant Tsim Kin Yip (Simon Yam) interrogates suspect Kwan Ping Man (Nick Cheung), arrested for filming women in toilets. Kwan claims to be investigating a "syndicate of men-killing women" who make their crimes look like natural or accidental deaths. Yip dismisses him as a lunatic -- until his statement goes missing and he retracts his words.
Despite warnings from his superior Mdm. Fong, Tsim latches on to the case, causing a growing rift with his wife Amy (Annie Liu). Kwan goes missing, and is found dead. Tsim tracks down Kwan's foxy ex-wife Pun Siu Yuen (Irene Wan), but his ardour for investigation dissipates when Pun seduces him. Meanwhile, Amy's buried past, including the ritual meaning of her collection of figurines, begins to surface.
Since "Isabella", Pang has been straining at seriousness. The film's music is composed with a classical resonance and the pace and editing has slowed down, with non-dialogue, geometrically-composed and arty long takes replacing his early, frenetically edited, spoofy and coarsely wacky romps.
A sense of women's omniscience and omnipotence is effectively conveyed. The characters' interactions are mostly captured stealthily in long and medium shots through a window or from a height, to simulate the view from a surveillance camera. The dominant visual tone is steely blue and gloomy green, with occasional outbursts of red – evoking on a sensory level the predominance of yin. Actors display a deliberate opacity of expression that enhances the mysterious lurking beneath the mundane.
Tsim is initially depicted like a "Twilight Samurai" who'd rather go home to his wife than drink with the boys. So his infidelity is too sudden and unconvincing, unless Pang's is trying to make the point that men are by nature corrigible, which puts him on as morally dodgy grounds as the inference that women have a murderous axe to grind.
Is this radical feminism or the paranoia of a misogynist? The film does not delve into such issues. It's more of an exercise in polished structure and clever twists. Pay attention to the dialog or you won't get the ending.
EXODUS
Filmko Entertainment/Making Film
Director: Pang Ho Cheung
Writers: G C Goobi, Jimmy Wan, Pang Ho Cheung
Producers: Stanley Tong, Cheung Hong Tat
Executive producers: Harvey Wong, Song Dai
Director of photography: Charlie Lam
Production designer: Man Lim Chung
Music: Gabriele Roberto
Editor: Stanley Tam
Cast:
Tsim Kin Yip: Simon Yam
Amy Cheung Fong: Annie Liu
Pun Siu Yuen: Irene Wan
Kwan Ping Man: Nick Cheung
Maggie Shiu: Mdm. Fong Chi Tsing
No MPAA, running time 94 minutes...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.