Upcoming Jdramas: The Winter Season
Twinklelie's Weekend Movie Picks
Hello fellow MDL members!
Since the day I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (and that was a long time ago), I’ve had this passion for Chinese movies and later on, from all over Asia in general.
That’s why for this weekend's movie article, I wanted to present to you Chinese/Hong Kong movies only. Why? Because I don’t think we give enough attention to them, sadly :’(. Not that I’m criticizing or anything, but it's just something I noticed. I may be wrong, though! *secretly hopes that she's wrong*
Anyways, the movies I picked are movies that left me with great emotions after watching them and still do whenever I watch them.
So here there are:
Country: Hong Kong
Year: 2002
Genre: Crime/thriller
Synopsis:
It tells us the story of an undercover police officer Yan (Tony Leung) who has infiltrated the heart of Hong Kong’s mafia and of Ming (Andy Lau), a mafia member who has infiltrated the police force.
On one hand, Yan seeks to gather enough information to put Sam, Hong Kong’s mafia Godfather, into jail. He’s working with Detective Wong, the only person who knows his real identity. On the other hand, Ming, who’s working for Sam, informs Sam about every ongoing operation in Wong’s department that could harm Sam. As time passes, Sam and Wong figure out that there’s probably a mole in their rank. And this is how the hide-and-seek game begins, as Ming and Yan will have uncovered the identity of the other...
Movie Trailer: (FYI, the guy says they were best friends in the police academy, but it's not true at all -_-)
If you’re looking for an action/thriller movie, well, don’t look anymore: this is just what you need. Everything’s so well executed :O The story, the acting, the filming and the music: they’re one. Actually, I don’t even have words to describe how awesome this movie is! It will blow your mind, that’s for sure!
Note: Infernal Affairs is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III. And if the story looks strangely familiar to you, it’s for a good reason: Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was adapted from it.
Country: China
Year: 1993
Genre: Melodrama
Synopsis:
Farewell My Concubine tells us the story of two Beijing's Opera stars from their childhood to the end of their career.
The story begins in 1924 when Douzi, as a young child, is brought to the Opera School of Master Guan. His mother doesn't have enough money to take care of him and doesn’t even hesitate to cut his extra little finger for him to enter the school. He undergoes tough and rigorous training while at school, but he fights through the pain and eventually is able to turn into a star. During this time, he befriends a person by the name of Shitou.
A few years later, at the approach of the war with Japan, Douzi, and Shitou become two stars of the Beijing Opera: Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Xiaolou (Zhang Feng Yi). Together they interpret the main leads the Opera: "Farewell My Concubine," in which Xialou plays the King, and Dieyi plays the concubine.
But while Dieyi is secretly in love with his stage partner, Xialou marries a prostitute, Juxian. Their relationship that was previously so brotherly will find itself wrecked by Dieyi’s jealousy, but also by history, which continues its course, while living Dieyi seems frozen in its role as concubine...
Movie Trailer:
Also, what I liked is they pictured major events of China's 20th century history, i.e. the Cultural Revolution, the birth of communism in China, the end of the last dynasty, and the Japanese occupation.
Note: Douzi= Dieyi= the concubine in the Opera; Shitou= Xiaolou= the King in the Opera. Just in case you were lost with all these names xD
Country: China
Year: 2007
Genre: Espionage/thriller
Synopsis:
During World War II, when Japan occupies a part of China, members of the resistance give Wong (Tang Wei), a young university student, the mission to seduce and kill Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a fearsome and powerful man who collaborates with the Japanese. But very soon, this dangerous relationship takes another turn as she falls in love with him…
Movie Trailer:
Tony Leung is one of my favorite actors, so I may be a bit biased, but he's truly great in all the movies I've seen him in.
Note: it was rated NC-17 in the US, and for good reasons.
Well that’s it for today. I hope that you’ll consider watching them and that you’ll enjoy them.
And don't forget these 2 things while watching them ;)
