24-25

榴蓮飄飄 / Durian Durian

Part one of Fruit Chan’s Hong Kong prostitute trilogy, starring Qin Hailu, one of my favourite actresses. 

Fruit Chan basically launched the careers of Qin Hailu and Zhou Xun. So why are directors like Patrick Kong and Wilson Chin getting money to make films with zero redeeming qualities, like Lan Kwai Fong (喜愛夜蒲)?

Even more bizarre are the two Wing Shya directorial debuts, which Fruit Chan produced, and which were both surprisingly flat. Perhaps production companies are pandering to Chinese censor boards and the Mainland audience. But they really don’t have to, because there are actually really good films from China.

To rub salt in the wound, Lan Kwai Fong 2 did well enough in Hong Kong alone, that they are making Lan Kwai Fong 3. Reportedly, they will be tailoring the third installment for the Mainland market. I want to throw durians at people.

Mark Lee Ping-Bing is the cinematographer for Millennium Mambo, Three Times, Norwegian Wood and so on. When the filming of In The Mood For Love ran over schedule and Christopher Doyle had to run, Mark took over: this is someone on Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Wong Kar-Wai’s speed dial.

This documentary talks about his life and philosophy. The title refers to his nomadic existence as a filmmaker, and how wind and shadows and other elements are important in his work, both as subject and also metaphorically. A very unusual and delightful glimpse at how films are made.

[Let the Wind Carry Me trailer; DVD]

牯嶺街少年殺人事件 / A Brighter Summer Day.

Old Taipei nostalgia. Based on a real tragedy.

Taiwanese films have the best Japanese posters.

6118 miles apart, Taipei and Paris, he wants to set all the clocks to Paris time. 

『你那邊幾點?』 『Et là-bas, quelle heure est-il?』

歲月神偷 / Echoes of the Rainbow.

When Beijing was called Peking.

This is Kowloon, Hong Kong.

一一

One film, one city: Taipei.