Home  |  Upcoming  |  Reviews  |  In Cinemas  |  Links  |  Features  |  Editorials  |  Search

E D I T O R I A L

Cat III and Me

Friday, August 24, 2001 — In 1968, a voluntary movie rating system was established in the United States by the Motion Picture Association of America, an industry lobbying group. Members of a ratings board, who are all parents, view each film submitted and estimate "what most parents would consider to be that film's appropriate rating," according to the group's web site. More information on the specific ratings and what they are supposed to mean can be found at the site. I imagine that most American readers are very familiar with the rating system, but readers from other lands may find the explanations to be of interest.

In 1988, the Film Censorship Ordinance was enacted in Hong Kong. A three-tier film classification system was adopted: Category I, Category II, and Category III. In 1995, the Ordinance was amended. Among other things, it divided Category II into two sub-categories. Here is what they mean:

Category I - suitable for all ages
Category IIA - not suitable for children
Category IIB - not suitable for young persons and children
Category III - for persons aged 18 or above only

More information can be found at a Hong Kong government web site. (Thanks to Neil Koch at hkfilm.net for posting this link.)

Most films that I've watched have been rated Category IIB. The violence level in such films can vary greatly — some films are quite explicit, while others are more restrained. Usually there is no more than brief nudity, perhaps one or two sexual situations, and a smattering of profanity. The rest have been Category IIA, with a handful of Category I or Category III (commonly abbreviated as Cat III).

Personally, based on the Cat III films I've seen so far, I'm inclined to be even more selective in the future. I'm not interested in rape films or soft-core pornography or tales of torture. But I'm also not interested in ghost or vampire stories and the like (many of which are not Cat III). Am I missing out on some great films? Probably. But since I'm not paid to write reviews, I don't have an obligation to see anything I don't want to watch. Happily, there are hundreds of Hong Kong films to choose from, covering an incredible variety of genres. Whatever your personal taste, there's plenty of fine offerings to be viewed.

Allow me to emphasize that last point: Your personal taste always influences your opinion of a film. Also, Your expectations usually affect your opinion. And, Your physical and mental health at the time of viewing may affect your opinion. Obviously, the same is true for me. I am not a film critic — I am a film lover who enjoys writing about the films I see. (If I start getting paid, I will be happy to be called a "film critic" and equally glad to raise my journalistic standards — and standard of living!) So please bear that in mind when reading reviews on this site — I do not intend to make a value judgment about you as a person if you happen to love a movie that I hate, or if you hate a movie that I love. And I hope you'll do me the same favor.

Now we come to an e-mail that I received yesterday from azn raver. I reproduce it verbatim; parents are cautioned that this e-mail has been rated Cat III.

Thanks for writing, azn raver! Yours is not the first to disagree with my assessment of a film (others have wondered why I was not enthusiastic about Full Contact or Project A II, while several questioned my sanity for liking 2000 A.D.), but it's the first to be so, uh, blunt. Certainly I don't want to discourage anyone from writing, especially since I actively solicit the opinions of others, yet I must point out that I did not write that Young and Dangerous wasn't a good movie. At least, I don't think so (I've re-read my own words twice). In fact, I liked it enough to buy the next two films in the series. Ah well. Perhaps in time I too will come to the conclusion that Y&D is "one of da best traid series ever created."

Site news: Coincidentally, the anniversary of the opening of this site passed by a few days ago. Originally I wanted to become a reviewer for DVD File (the thought of up to three free DVDs a week was incredibly tempting), and so I applied for an opening in the early part of August 2000. My sample review was for the American release of Project A.

While I waited to hear if I made the cut, I began searching on the Internet for Hong Kong sites. Actually, I wanted a find a Hong Kong equivalent of DVD File — upcoming DVD release news, reviews, and regular editorial comments. From DVD File, I found Love and Bullets — a great introduction and great reviews. From there, I found KFC Cinema — another great site with great news and reviews. From there, I found Another Hong Kong Movie Page (more excellent news and reviews), and from there I found Mobius' Home Video Forum and its fabulous Asian Cinema Discussion board.

I had yet to find the HK equivalent of DVD File. Feeling a bit ambitious, I decided to create my own site. I decided that if DVD File accepted me as a reviewer, I wouldn't have time to develop it fully. Still, I thought it would be fun to play around. I bought Microsoft's Front Page program, came up with a rudimentary design, and threw it up on the Net for my own private amusement. I picked "A Better Tomorrow - Hong Kong Movies Coming Soon to DVD" as a title because I couldn't think of anything more descriptive at the moment — I fully intended to come up with a truly original name for the site.

When I registered as a member for Mobius' Home Video Forum, I showed the site as my home page. A few days later (Sunday, August 20, to be precise), I was perusing the links section of Another Hong Kong Movie Page when I was shocked to see a link to a site named "A Better Tomorrow." I couldn't believe it! I had chosen a name that was already in use by some other site! What an idiot! When I calmed down and clicked on the link, I was stunned to realize that it was a link to my pathetic little work in progress. I then felt obligated (for some reason still unclear to me) to start adding content to the site. Working on the site was also a way to get over the pain of rejection when DVD File told me that I didn't make the final cut as a reviewer (*sigh* — free DVDs would have been nice, even though no money was involved).

So the blame (or possible credit) for the existence of this site rests firmly on its acceptance by Tim Youngs (Another Hong Kong Movie Page webmaster) and the rejection by DVD File. And my own stubborness and ego. Which should explain everything.

Upcoming: I'm working on feature stories for A Better Tomorrow (after one year, I suppose I should have a review of the movie that this site is named after), Jet Li, and Lau Ching Wan. I've also watched about half of Cop on a Mission so far and should finish that up this weekend, along with reviews during the coming week of Everyday is Valentine and possibly Forever and Ever or Fall for You.

You may have noticed that the "Upcoming DVDs" section is looking rather empty. Me too. Ever since Image Entertainment changed their web site, it's been a little bit more tricky to find out information about upcoming releases. I know that Tai Seng has a number of releases planned for September and October, but I can't locate specific information. DVD Cult seems to have inside sources for Tai Seng and other DVD releasing companies, so I refer you to that site for more details.

I finally updated the "In Cinemas" page and will try to do better in keeping it updated. Also, let me apologize for not keeping to my schedule of weekly editorials, and for not responding more promptly to e-mails. Work and health issues have limited my available time, but I'll try to do better in the future.

The invitation for anyone who wants to write second opinions on films reviewed here remains open. Your comments will appear on the review page, and I'll create a separate page just for you with links to reviews with your second opinions and recommendations. Your comments can be as brief or as long as you wish — but, unlike azn raver's comments above, please, no profanity. This is not a Cat III site!

As always, please feel free to e-mail me your comments, whether positive or negative. I need that criticism to keep me grounded and remind me not to take myself too seriously.


peter
Editor / Reviewer / Webmaster

 

Home  |  Upcoming  |  Reviews  |  In Cinemas  |  Links  |  Features  |  Editorials  |  Search

corrections? broken links? criticism? praise? please e-mail webmaster

this site is a non-commercial resource for region 1
original content copyright 2001 peter a. martin all rights reserved