http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:48:10 +0000 MyBB http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8720 Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:13:22 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8720
Fellini is such an odd director to me. He’s so puerile - so many fart & pee jokes, thicc booty and of course, huge tracks of land. Some of his stuff works for me. Some must’ve worked better back in the day. I imagine the way he breaks the fourth wall at random was innovative back in the 70s. I do enjoy his take on nazism, especially now. For the past decade, I’ve been thinking we need to get back to foolish nazis like this and in Hogan’s Heroes. However, overall I found this academy award winner and top 100 of all time lister to be distractingly meandering and immature. I guess I just don’t get Fellini.

Not D00M recommended unless you’re a film student, in which case you’ve probably already seen it.]]>
Fellini is such an odd director to me. He’s so puerile - so many fart & pee jokes, thicc booty and of course, huge tracks of land. Some of his stuff works for me. Some must’ve worked better back in the day. I imagine the way he breaks the fourth wall at random was innovative back in the 70s. I do enjoy his take on nazism, especially now. For the past decade, I’ve been thinking we need to get back to foolish nazis like this and in Hogan’s Heroes. However, overall I found this academy award winner and top 100 of all time lister to be distractingly meandering and immature. I guess I just don’t get Fellini.

Not D00M recommended unless you’re a film student, in which case you’ve probably already seen it.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8708 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:16:27 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8708
He pulls out all his camera tricks, oddly composed shots looking through windows and around corners as if you’re a peeping tom in the characters’ lives. His color scheme isn't up snuff here, not the usual dazzle of brilliant contrast and moody palettes. And something about this film just doesn’t come together. It’s almost too mundane, making the romantic undertones feel less poignant. There are still some fine performances and beautifully wrought aching passion, but it drifts a little too much and fails to compensate with colorful visuals. Still an interesting film, yet hard to compare again the ItMfL/DoBW/2046 triumvirate. 

Norah slays. She is so watchable, putting out the authentic vibe because she’s never trained to be an actor. Some of her music is used too, in the beginning and at the end credits, which I watched through just to hear her song.

Only D00M recommended for WKW fans, which besides me is only cf methinks.]]>
He pulls out all his camera tricks, oddly composed shots looking through windows and around corners as if you’re a peeping tom in the characters’ lives. His color scheme isn't up snuff here, not the usual dazzle of brilliant contrast and moody palettes. And something about this film just doesn’t come together. It’s almost too mundane, making the romantic undertones feel less poignant. There are still some fine performances and beautifully wrought aching passion, but it drifts a little too much and fails to compensate with colorful visuals. Still an interesting film, yet hard to compare again the ItMfL/DoBW/2046 triumvirate. 

Norah slays. She is so watchable, putting out the authentic vibe because she’s never trained to be an actor. Some of her music is used too, in the beginning and at the end credits, which I watched through just to hear her song.

Only D00M recommended for WKW fans, which besides me is only cf methinks.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8706 Sat, 27 Dec 2025 20:26:06 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8706 In the Mood for Love https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=7358
Days of Being Wild https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=7145

My Criterion & Paramount+ subscriptions end with the new year, so I'm binging those streamers and discovered this was indeed on Criterion now so I finally watched it. 



It's brilliant, absolutely gorgeous, and a fitting close to the trilogy. The story returns to Chow Mo-wan, with Tony Leung looking more. dashing than ever. He's a newspaper writer, creating romance serials now. 2046 refers to a room number in the seedy inn where he lives, but also to a science fiction story he is writing that is a thinly guised metaphor for his love life. 

Again, WKW works those sea green colors dashed with brilliant reds of prostitute nails and lipstick, but now he steps into a neon lit world of the future, like a visual wasabi between savory bites of sushi. He frames his shots so the action is in a corner, like a frame within a frame, while the bulk of the screen is taken by architectural textures and chaotic decor. I don't know why this works but it is so alluring and seductive. Another slow burn of a story, but when it all hits, it strikes deep in the heart, the epitome of romance and love unrequited. 

And this is by far the most erotic of the trilogy. There's a lot of sex scenes, although all are tactfully shot and the most revealing is a quick shot of Leung's butt. As dashing as he is, it's all about the women. It brings back Maggie Cheung, in wordless cameo flashbacks, as well Carina Lau, returning as another ex of Chow's, and goes on to add some of the most glamorous women in Chinese film: Gong Li, Faye Wong, and Zhang Ziyi. And WKW knows exactly how to shoot these stars, close-ups on their faces and necks to showcase their incredible acting skills, peripheral shots of their bodies that aren't prurient but oh so seductive. I fell head over heels for each of these stars like never before watching this. And I've never been that great of a fan of Z. She got to be in so many standout martial arts films with little martial background and I resented that. But her performance here as a prostitute and Chow's lover is outstanding. 

Chow is a womanizer and a cad. One can say he's still smitten by the unrequited love of Su Li-zhen, Maggie in ItMfL, and now the Black  Spider played by Gong Li, which makes Chow emotionally unavailable. His relationship with Z, and with all the women in this film, is heart wrenching. And then there's Faye, taking on a duel role as the landlord's daughter and a service android. 

For such a story about love and affairs, it's really about existential loneliness, absolutely haunting relationships with gorgeous women and how fleeting they all are. Like Chow's metaphoric 2046 story, I can't help but wonder how much of WKW's experiences are embedded in these stories. These films have such profound authenticity and emotional depth, wrapped in non-linear storytelling and thoroughly delicious scene composition. I can see why they are hailed by so many art critics. 

Seeing this made me want to watch all three movies back to back. You may not need to see the first two to follow the third, but it's the only way to get the whole picture. And that picture is simply stunning. 

And surprisingly, it's a total xmas film. 

D00M recommended.]]> In the Mood for Love https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=7358
Days of Being Wild https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=7145

My Criterion & Paramount+ subscriptions end with the new year, so I'm binging those streamers and discovered this was indeed on Criterion now so I finally watched it. 



It's brilliant, absolutely gorgeous, and a fitting close to the trilogy. The story returns to Chow Mo-wan, with Tony Leung looking more. dashing than ever. He's a newspaper writer, creating romance serials now. 2046 refers to a room number in the seedy inn where he lives, but also to a science fiction story he is writing that is a thinly guised metaphor for his love life. 

Again, WKW works those sea green colors dashed with brilliant reds of prostitute nails and lipstick, but now he steps into a neon lit world of the future, like a visual wasabi between savory bites of sushi. He frames his shots so the action is in a corner, like a frame within a frame, while the bulk of the screen is taken by architectural textures and chaotic decor. I don't know why this works but it is so alluring and seductive. Another slow burn of a story, but when it all hits, it strikes deep in the heart, the epitome of romance and love unrequited. 

And this is by far the most erotic of the trilogy. There's a lot of sex scenes, although all are tactfully shot and the most revealing is a quick shot of Leung's butt. As dashing as he is, it's all about the women. It brings back Maggie Cheung, in wordless cameo flashbacks, as well Carina Lau, returning as another ex of Chow's, and goes on to add some of the most glamorous women in Chinese film: Gong Li, Faye Wong, and Zhang Ziyi. And WKW knows exactly how to shoot these stars, close-ups on their faces and necks to showcase their incredible acting skills, peripheral shots of their bodies that aren't prurient but oh so seductive. I fell head over heels for each of these stars like never before watching this. And I've never been that great of a fan of Z. She got to be in so many standout martial arts films with little martial background and I resented that. But her performance here as a prostitute and Chow's lover is outstanding. 

Chow is a womanizer and a cad. One can say he's still smitten by the unrequited love of Su Li-zhen, Maggie in ItMfL, and now the Black  Spider played by Gong Li, which makes Chow emotionally unavailable. His relationship with Z, and with all the women in this film, is heart wrenching. And then there's Faye, taking on a duel role as the landlord's daughter and a service android. 

For such a story about love and affairs, it's really about existential loneliness, absolutely haunting relationships with gorgeous women and how fleeting they all are. Like Chow's metaphoric 2046 story, I can't help but wonder how much of WKW's experiences are embedded in these stories. These films have such profound authenticity and emotional depth, wrapped in non-linear storytelling and thoroughly delicious scene composition. I can see why they are hailed by so many art critics. 

Seeing this made me want to watch all three movies back to back. You may not need to see the first two to follow the third, but it's the only way to get the whole picture. And that picture is simply stunning. 

And surprisingly, it's a total xmas film. 

D00M recommended.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8701 Wed, 24 Dec 2025 06:28:50 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8701 http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8679 Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:46:30 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8679

This is a new TV series by the legendary Hong Kong autuer Wong Kar Wai set in the 1990s when China experimented with Shanghai as a capitalist city by opening the stock market. It’s exhaustingly La KDH and lush, like WKW can be - his cinematography is so sumptuous, simply gorgeous demonstrations of how to set up shots, so much so that it’s downright exhausting. Each ep is just under an hour, and there’s going to be 30 of them. I don’t know if I can go the distance. It’s an alluring story of intrigues surrounding a financial wizard under the tutelage of a shrewd venture capitalist sifu. It jumps back and forth through time a lot - but there are these huge captions to keep us on track chronologically. But it teeters on the edge of brilliance and a confusing mess. 

I’ll give it a few more eps, but it’ll take a lot to stay invested for 30 eps.]]>

This is a new TV series by the legendary Hong Kong autuer Wong Kar Wai set in the 1990s when China experimented with Shanghai as a capitalist city by opening the stock market. It’s exhaustingly La KDH and lush, like WKW can be - his cinematography is so sumptuous, simply gorgeous demonstrations of how to set up shots, so much so that it’s downright exhausting. Each ep is just under an hour, and there’s going to be 30 of them. I don’t know if I can go the distance. It’s an alluring story of intrigues surrounding a financial wizard under the tutelage of a shrewd venture capitalist sifu. It jumps back and forth through time a lot - but there are these huge captions to keep us on track chronologically. But it teeters on the edge of brilliance and a confusing mess. 

I’ll give it a few more eps, but it’ll take a lot to stay invested for 30 eps.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8648 Thu, 13 Nov 2025 15:41:05 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8648
I remember the first time I saw this. I was very young at my grandparents house in Hawaii glued to the Japanese channel on TV (they had an early remote which fascinated me). I can still remember sitting on the floor, watching Nakadai seize the red armor with the lush tropical forest outside the window behind the TV, how it felt, the atmosphere. Musta been 55 years ago.

I have very fond memories of this film. It was my first true chanbara. It’s timeless. A classic. 

Now the B&W lighting still shines. The sweaty close ups, the textures of skin and glistening perspiration is immaculate. The use of lighting when the body is delivered and the samurai leave the hovel, so poignant and effective. The fight choreo isnt as good or extensive as I remember. It’s a lot of build up to the final fights. The duel in the field is stunning with the wind in the grass, but Nakadai’s stance is weird. And the final fight is much shorter and less complex - he only kills four in the end. 

Still a tremendous film, a must see in the genre. Nakadai’s intensity is what makes it work.]]>
I remember the first time I saw this. I was very young at my grandparents house in Hawaii glued to the Japanese channel on TV (they had an early remote which fascinated me). I can still remember sitting on the floor, watching Nakadai seize the red armor with the lush tropical forest outside the window behind the TV, how it felt, the atmosphere. Musta been 55 years ago.

I have very fond memories of this film. It was my first true chanbara. It’s timeless. A classic. 

Now the B&W lighting still shines. The sweaty close ups, the textures of skin and glistening perspiration is immaculate. The use of lighting when the body is delivered and the samurai leave the hovel, so poignant and effective. The fight choreo isnt as good or extensive as I remember. It’s a lot of build up to the final fights. The duel in the field is stunning with the wind in the grass, but Nakadai’s stance is weird. And the final fight is much shorter and less complex - he only kills four in the end. 

Still a tremendous film, a must see in the genre. Nakadai’s intensity is what makes it work.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8636 Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:00:27 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8636
Johnnie To can be quirky (Heroic Trio) and violent (Drug War) and this flick is just so - well, more quirky than violent unless the ample vomiting is violent. Lots of barfing scenes. Andy Lau plays Johnston, a blind cop that relives crimes to solve them. He's partnered with Ho, a hawtty cop who is enamored with his deductive skills. She tasks him with finding a childhood friend that she rebuffed because her mom & grandma were murderers. The crime leads to a serial killer and lots of silliness. The episodes where they reenact crimes are played for slapstick, somewhat in dreamlike flashbacks. Johnston eats a lot of good food. His deductions are preposterous and absurd. I predicted the end when the camera lingered on a random character - such an obvs tell. It got a lot of noms in HK award festivals, probably due to the rep of To & Lau, but none were deserved. A disappointment.

Not D00M worthy at all.]]>
Johnnie To can be quirky (Heroic Trio) and violent (Drug War) and this flick is just so - well, more quirky than violent unless the ample vomiting is violent. Lots of barfing scenes. Andy Lau plays Johnston, a blind cop that relives crimes to solve them. He's partnered with Ho, a hawtty cop who is enamored with his deductive skills. She tasks him with finding a childhood friend that she rebuffed because her mom & grandma were murderers. The crime leads to a serial killer and lots of silliness. The episodes where they reenact crimes are played for slapstick, somewhat in dreamlike flashbacks. Johnston eats a lot of good food. His deductions are preposterous and absurd. I predicted the end when the camera lingered on a random character - such an obvs tell. It got a lot of noms in HK award festivals, probably due to the rep of To & Lau, but none were deserved. A disappointment.

Not D00M worthy at all.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8620 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 19:01:18 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8620
Well, it is a romance - a bittersweet and tragic one at that. Mui plays the ghost of a 1930s prostitute who returns from spending 50 years in hell to find her lover (Cheung) because they had a suicide love pact but he didn't show. Mui is amazing in the role and totally reframed my perception of her. There's no special effects, no spooky cheesy ghost stuff. Mui skips back and forth between her memories of the opulent brothel where she was a top whore, and modern (80s) Hong Kong where the brothel was replaced by a kindergarten. When her qi fades, she goes without make up, making for a raw authentic performance, full of longing and melancholy. The 'rouge' is a poetic device - Cheung gifts Mui a rouge locket, and there's focus upon how she can appear differently, being what her clients want, and when she's a ghost and her qi is depleting, she uses it to hide her weakness. It's a well played device. There's a lot of opium smoking, and the pacing of this film is slow, as if in an opium haze, yet beautiful. I get why this caught the attention of critics and Criterion. It's a singular work, richly layered, and oh so tragically romantic. 

Not D00M recommended because you guys have no sense of romance (and tQ, who allegedly is addicted to romance novels, can't stand subtitles).]]>
Well, it is a romance - a bittersweet and tragic one at that. Mui plays the ghost of a 1930s prostitute who returns from spending 50 years in hell to find her lover (Cheung) because they had a suicide love pact but he didn't show. Mui is amazing in the role and totally reframed my perception of her. There's no special effects, no spooky cheesy ghost stuff. Mui skips back and forth between her memories of the opulent brothel where she was a top whore, and modern (80s) Hong Kong where the brothel was replaced by a kindergarten. When her qi fades, she goes without make up, making for a raw authentic performance, full of longing and melancholy. The 'rouge' is a poetic device - Cheung gifts Mui a rouge locket, and there's focus upon how she can appear differently, being what her clients want, and when she's a ghost and her qi is depleting, she uses it to hide her weakness. It's a well played device. There's a lot of opium smoking, and the pacing of this film is slow, as if in an opium haze, yet beautiful. I get why this caught the attention of critics and Criterion. It's a singular work, richly layered, and oh so tragically romantic. 

Not D00M recommended because you guys have no sense of romance (and tQ, who allegedly is addicted to romance novels, can't stand subtitles).]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8618 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:38:59 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8618
I forgot most of the details of this film except for the final fight. Sammo’s Kung Fu bouts with jiangshi are clever and cute - so absurd that the difficulty of some of the long shot sequences is overshadowed. There’s a jiangshi that mimics Sammo, and Sammo tries to get it to hit itself on the forehead with a brick, and I confess that the following slapstick result made me lol. I also forgot the cruelty - the chicken beheading (real), the puppy (offscreen), and the ultimate fate of Sammo’s promiscuous wife (so NPC). The fire stunts were impressive because it was the 80s so real fire and little protection (don't think fire retardant gel had made it to Hong Kong back then). 

This is a pivotal film but not the best example of the genre - a must see for cinemasinophioes like me, but not particularly D00M recommended.]]>
I forgot most of the details of this film except for the final fight. Sammo’s Kung Fu bouts with jiangshi are clever and cute - so absurd that the difficulty of some of the long shot sequences is overshadowed. There’s a jiangshi that mimics Sammo, and Sammo tries to get it to hit itself on the forehead with a brick, and I confess that the following slapstick result made me lol. I also forgot the cruelty - the chicken beheading (real), the puppy (offscreen), and the ultimate fate of Sammo’s promiscuous wife (so NPC). The fire stunts were impressive because it was the 80s so real fire and little protection (don't think fire retardant gel had made it to Hong Kong back then). 

This is a pivotal film but not the best example of the genre - a must see for cinemasinophioes like me, but not particularly D00M recommended.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8608 Sat, 11 Oct 2025 04:14:04 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8608
WTH is Evil Cat? It stars the singular Kung Fu master Lau Kar-Leung. It’s written by Wong Jing, known for his irreverent style. It’s on Criterion. I’ll bite.

A demon cat is unearthed and Lau plays an exorcist, the 9th generation of his family that has been battling this cat every 50 years - this is its 9th & final life. The cat possesses people, kills with wanton abandon and can only be killed with magic arrows of which Lau only has 3 left. 

It’s silly and cheesy, especially given the state of special effects in HK in the late 80. There’s some funny bits of quirky violence like when the cat bites off the tongue of a victim while having sex (cat got your tongue?) and when it swats the head off a cop. There’s a few moments where people stab their hands through others. Lau does some Kung Fu but nothing outstanding. 

Honestly, I don’t know who at Criterion said ‘Let’s include this. It’s a classic!’ It’s not. It’s an average Kung Fu Horror Comedy that hardly stands out in the genre. It had its moments but not enough to earn cult status. 

Not particularly D00M recommended.]]>
WTH is Evil Cat? It stars the singular Kung Fu master Lau Kar-Leung. It’s written by Wong Jing, known for his irreverent style. It’s on Criterion. I’ll bite.

A demon cat is unearthed and Lau plays an exorcist, the 9th generation of his family that has been battling this cat every 50 years - this is its 9th & final life. The cat possesses people, kills with wanton abandon and can only be killed with magic arrows of which Lau only has 3 left. 

It’s silly and cheesy, especially given the state of special effects in HK in the late 80. There’s some funny bits of quirky violence like when the cat bites off the tongue of a victim while having sex (cat got your tongue?) and when it swats the head off a cop. There’s a few moments where people stab their hands through others. Lau does some Kung Fu but nothing outstanding. 

Honestly, I don’t know who at Criterion said ‘Let’s include this. It’s a classic!’ It’s not. It’s an average Kung Fu Horror Comedy that hardly stands out in the genre. It had its moments but not enough to earn cult status. 

Not particularly D00M recommended.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8567 Thu, 18 Sep 2025 05:12:14 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8567 https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=8495 ) that uses some of the same footage. The last act captures modern China, where I was last year, with its bullet trains, supermarkets and severe pandemic restrictions. 
Another masterpiece of an art film - not for everyone as existential art films from China are an acquired taste, but D00M recommended for sinophile cinephiles. Jia’s work is sublime - definitely a filmmaker you need to know if you profess any understanding of global cinema.]]> https://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFo...p?tid=8495 ) that uses some of the same footage. The last act captures modern China, where I was last year, with its bullet trains, supermarkets and severe pandemic restrictions. 
Another masterpiece of an art film - not for everyone as existential art films from China are an acquired taste, but D00M recommended for sinophile cinephiles. Jia’s work is sublime - definitely a filmmaker you need to know if you profess any understanding of global cinema.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8550 Mon, 01 Sep 2025 07:34:40 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8550
The film is light & comedic at first. There’s a lecherous old pastry chef who has several young gals working for him, and in the same house (everyone is dirt poor but they’re doing what they can. Sammo is buddies with Max Mok, Yuen Biao and Hoi Meng, all pedicab drivers. Corey Yuan & Lau Kar-Leung. 

Sammo v LKL is top shelf, an amazing fight scene that levels way up when they go to staff fighting. That fight is a masterpiece 

Then there’s this horribly tragic love story that goes so wrong. It’s brutal and awkward and ends badly.

But it triggers an incredible fight finale where Sammo & Yuen take on a house full of baddies. So hard hitting. The falls are ridiculous - high impact stuff that makes you since with admiration that they pulled off such a stunt without killing someone, or at least breaking their spine. This is Sammo and his fight team delivering their best at their prime. The fights are impeccable. 

Great stuff - D00M recommended.]]>
The film is light & comedic at first. There’s a lecherous old pastry chef who has several young gals working for him, and in the same house (everyone is dirt poor but they’re doing what they can. Sammo is buddies with Max Mok, Yuen Biao and Hoi Meng, all pedicab drivers. Corey Yuan & Lau Kar-Leung. 

Sammo v LKL is top shelf, an amazing fight scene that levels way up when they go to staff fighting. That fight is a masterpiece 

Then there’s this horribly tragic love story that goes so wrong. It’s brutal and awkward and ends badly.

But it triggers an incredible fight finale where Sammo & Yuen take on a house full of baddies. So hard hitting. The falls are ridiculous - high impact stuff that makes you since with admiration that they pulled off such a stunt without killing someone, or at least breaking their spine. This is Sammo and his fight team delivering their best at their prime. The fights are impeccable. 

Great stuff - D00M recommended.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8496 Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:06:18 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8496 Recommended for D00Mer who want to see Tilda cut her breast with a razor.]]> Recommended for D00Mer who want to see Tilda cut her breast with a razor.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8495 Tue, 15 Jul 2025 10:33:03 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8495 The film is about two separate people searching for their spouses after being apart for work for years. Their searching jn a village that is destined to be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam. Water makes are painted high on the walls of building with the expected dates of when the water will reach that level. It’s as deep in existential dread as it gets. 

I love this filmmaker. He captures modern China like no one else, in all its majestic squalor and absurdist juxtapositions. His films are exhausting watches - so emotionally draining from the everyday hardships of daily pedestrian life, yet at the same time intensity beautiful and moving. I need to make space to watch anymore because so far, none of his films have been light undertakings.

The man looking for his wife is dirt poor and takes a job demolishing a building that’s going to be submerged - so a futile labor. The woman looking for her husband is more affluent and is possibly having an affair - they are wanting to divorce.

Jia works at a slow plodding inevitable pace that builds to these moments of despair. It’s bleak. At two points, there’s random cgi shots in this film that if immersed in realism (it was shot in an actual village destined to be submerged). In one shot, a UFO flies over the village. At another point, a building with weird architecture that’s in the background launches into space like a rocket. Neither of these are explained or even elaborated upon. Both was very WTF moments. 

If you ever want a hardcore taste of China, this is it.

D00M recommeded.]]> The film is about two separate people searching for their spouses after being apart for work for years. Their searching jn a village that is destined to be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam. Water makes are painted high on the walls of building with the expected dates of when the water will reach that level. It’s as deep in existential dread as it gets. 

I love this filmmaker. He captures modern China like no one else, in all its majestic squalor and absurdist juxtapositions. His films are exhausting watches - so emotionally draining from the everyday hardships of daily pedestrian life, yet at the same time intensity beautiful and moving. I need to make space to watch anymore because so far, none of his films have been light undertakings.

The man looking for his wife is dirt poor and takes a job demolishing a building that’s going to be submerged - so a futile labor. The woman looking for her husband is more affluent and is possibly having an affair - they are wanting to divorce.

Jia works at a slow plodding inevitable pace that builds to these moments of despair. It’s bleak. At two points, there’s random cgi shots in this film that if immersed in realism (it was shot in an actual village destined to be submerged). In one shot, a UFO flies over the village. At another point, a building with weird architecture that’s in the background launches into space like a rocket. Neither of these are explained or even elaborated upon. Both was very WTF moments. 

If you ever want a hardcore taste of China, this is it.

D00M recommeded.]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8463 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 16:23:20 +0000 Drunk Monk]]> http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/showthread.php?tid=8463 Mr. Canton and Lady Rose. But I didn't actually. There's some other Jackie Chan flick that I have always thought was this film, and it's not very good. I distinctly remember the only fight scene in the film, which involved some acrobatics in drapes. It wasn't enough for me. Now I have no idea which old Jackie flick that was. 

As it turns out, I don't think I've ever seen this film, which is wild to me because I know that it was one of Jackie's personal favorites. He wrote and directed it, one of the first times he did that. And it's freaking great. 

It's his ode to Frank Capra, loosely adapting Lady for a Day and Pocket Full of Miracles into this tale. It co-stars Anita Mui (who was improperly dubbed as the Asian Madonna), Wu Ma, Lo Lieh (as the villain of course), Ken Lo (as an opponent for Jackie of course), Richard Ng (as a buffoon Chief Inspector), Mars (as a henchman of course), Yuen Biao (in a wasted cameo), and Amy Yip (another cameo, not as wasted because she gets to bounce her voluptuousness). It was remade by Akki in Singh is Kinng ( http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=2103 ). 

It's stylish, mimicking some of the expansive crane shots of old Hollywood. There's goofy subplots, a ruse that must be maintained, gangsters pretending to be rich gentlepeople, again an homage to those old films. It's light, funny, and heartwarming, not at all to be taken seriously. 

The fights are amazing - Jackie in his prime. I slowed down the playback to unravel the complexity of Jackie's choreo. Fantastic stuff - acrobatic, witty, precise, and imaginative- the stuff that only Jackie can deliver. So good. Simply untouchable. 

D00M recommended.]]> Mr. Canton and Lady Rose. But I didn't actually. There's some other Jackie Chan flick that I have always thought was this film, and it's not very good. I distinctly remember the only fight scene in the film, which involved some acrobatics in drapes. It wasn't enough for me. Now I have no idea which old Jackie flick that was. 

As it turns out, I don't think I've ever seen this film, which is wild to me because I know that it was one of Jackie's personal favorites. He wrote and directed it, one of the first times he did that. And it's freaking great. 

It's his ode to Frank Capra, loosely adapting Lady for a Day and Pocket Full of Miracles into this tale. It co-stars Anita Mui (who was improperly dubbed as the Asian Madonna), Wu Ma, Lo Lieh (as the villain of course), Ken Lo (as an opponent for Jackie of course), Richard Ng (as a buffoon Chief Inspector), Mars (as a henchman of course), Yuen Biao (in a wasted cameo), and Amy Yip (another cameo, not as wasted because she gets to bounce her voluptuousness). It was remade by Akki in Singh is Kinng ( http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=2103 ). 

It's stylish, mimicking some of the expansive crane shots of old Hollywood. There's goofy subplots, a ruse that must be maintained, gangsters pretending to be rich gentlepeople, again an homage to those old films. It's light, funny, and heartwarming, not at all to be taken seriously. 

The fights are amazing - Jackie in his prime. I slowed down the playback to unravel the complexity of Jackie's choreo. Fantastic stuff - acrobatic, witty, precise, and imaginative- the stuff that only Jackie can deliver. So good. Simply untouchable. 

D00M recommended.]]>