Where is Everybody?

Having finally reconnected to the Internet at home this past weekend via a dial-up connection, I'm finding the experience brutally slow.

My work Internet connection is broadband, but I have very little available time to research and write for the site.

So...I'm hoping August will be better. Northern Hemisphere readers, try and stay cool. Southern Hemisphere readiners, enjoy your wintery week.

Dog Days of Summer

Life Inside: The mercury soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, causing me to draw the blinds, turn on the fans, and watch screener tape after screener tape. Screener tapes are those that have been submitted by producers, sales agents, or distributors to the film festival for which I am serving as a screener. I watch each tape and write my comments.

A few were very good, some were quite interesting, and others didn't grab me at all. What makes this kind of work a bit frustrating for a movie writer such as myself is that I can't, in good conscience, write about most of them, because they have not screened publicly. I enjoy the "work," though, and on a hot summer day with no money in my pocket, it was an ideal way to spend a few hours.

My cable television converter and broadband modem were both repossessed on Saturday, which is what happens when you fall two months behind on your payments. I shall miss having *any* television reception, but, because I have mounds of tapes and DVDs to watch, I can't complain about that, really. On the other hand, I am already missing my broadband modem, which now leaves me without any Internet access at home. So I write this, surreptitiously (sp?), on my final day of work at an unnamed non-profit organization. Another branch of the same organization may allow me to do volunteer work in exchange for Internet access, so I hope to continue my online scribbling while looking for a new job.

Cinema Scene: Whilst SPIDER-MAN 2 remains firmly emwebbed in the first position of the sales chart, ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY pulled about $28 million worth of business for the #2 spot. Being the elegant sophisticate that I am, I worshipped at the Church of Will Farrell and found myself laughing even more than I had anticipated. ANCHORMAN is silly and slapshot and not much of a movie, but I was entertained thoroughly, and on that particular evening, it was exactly what I wanted and needed.

Coming this Friday, July 16, is ZHOU YU'S TRAIN, in which Gong Li plays the title character, an artisan who takes the train to visit her poet lover, Tony Leung Ka Fai. She meets another man who causes her to question her love.

DVD News: Due out tomorrow is the Japanese black comedy 2LDK, which I ordered last week but have yet to receive.

Coming next Tuesday, July 20, is Yasujiro Ozo's EARLY SUMMER, from the Criterion Collection. List price is a hefty US$39.95, but Criterion always does a superior job with their releases. This edition includes a new essay by David Bordwell and an audio commentary by Donald Richie.

Over the weekend, I watched Fox's Region 1 version of IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV (1989), a superb action picture directed by Yuen Woo Ping. Featuring Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, and Michael Wong, the frames can barely contain the personal and motorized mayhem that constantly threaten to burst out of the television and into your living room.

The next night I popped in the all-region version of IN THE LINE OF DUTY III (1988), which was released by Universe. I really should have watched this one first, because I thought it didn't quite measure up to its sequel on the "most thrills packed into 90 minutes" scale. On the other hand, the sequel doesn't have Michiko Nishawaki, and the muscular, nasty intense level of the fights are much more brutal in ITLOD III. So get 'em both, and take your pick.

ITLOD note: My understanding from other web sites is that YES, MADAM! is considered the second in the series, though it was made first. Considered first in the series is ROYAL WARRIORS, aka ITLOD II, another terrific action picture. Now I'll have to watch those again!

The Fireworks Are Over

Cinema Scene: The weekend was dominated by SPIDER-MAN 2, as expected, while FAHRENHEIT 9/11 also performed quite well as it doubled the number of screens on which it was playing. Rounding out the Top 5 were WHITE CHICKS, DODGEBALL, and THE TERMINAL.

I fell victim to SPIDER-MAN 2, finding it wonderfully entertaining with a welcome amount of depth. Or maybe it was just that I finally had a few dollars I could spend on a summer movie matinee...

As far as Asian movies, it's great to see GODZILLA and THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI making their way across the United States. ROBOT STORIES also continues with bookings both here and in festivals across the world. Bravo!

Upcoming on DVD: Completely updated. Next week comes 2LDK, directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, said to be a black comedy about two actresses and their battle within their own small apartment for supremacy. The disk is released by TLA; list price is $24.99, but you can find it online for less.

Site News: The site was down last week due to my own mix-up, but it should be up and running for the forseeable future.

I've decided to stop making promises about future content, because I have a horrible track record over the past couple of years as far as posting what I've written and writing what I intend to post.

The Big Heat (1988)

Hong Kong. 91 minutes.
Mega Star DVD. Region 0. NTSC.
Directed by Johnnie To and Andrew Kam Yeung-Wah
Written by Gordon Chan
With Waise Lee, Philip Kwok, Paul Chu, Joey Wong

A drill bit pierces a hand, and we’re off on a dark ride through the violent battleground of police and thieves in late 1980’s Hong Kong.

Chief Inspector John Wong (Waise Lee) suffers spinal nerve damage that is spreading to his hands. Just as he is prepared to resign from the police force, his superior officer informs him that Skinny Tse, an old compatriot, has been killed in Malaysia. Evidence links the crime to both gangster boss Mr. Han (Paul Chu Kong) and wealthy businessman Mr. Ho. Inspector Wong resolves to stick around to avenge the death of Skinny, who once saved his life; he even temporarily breaks up with his fiancée, a scientist, so he can concentrate fully on the case. Joining him in his righteous cause are his usual, tough as nails partner (the dependable Philip Kwok Chun-Fung, who also served as one of the action directors), as well as Ong Chat Fu (Lo King Wah), a veteran cop from Malaysia, and Lun, a clumsy rookie (Matthew Wong Hin-Mung). Lun attracts the attentions of friendly nurse Ada (Joey Wong Cho-Yin). The team sifts through various red herrings -- and takes the law into their own hands -- before discovering the full extent of Mr. Han’s criminal activities. Then the police face their most daunting challenge: staying alive long enough to bring Mr. Han to justice.

Though a few seams show in what must have been a low-budget production, the pace is so furious that there’s no time to slow down and complain. Based on an early script by Gordon Chan, produced by Tsui Hark, and directed by Johnnie To and Andrew Kam Yeung-Wah, the picture is jam-packed with memorable moments: Skinny Tse’s fiery demise; the unveiling of the still smoldering (!) burned corpse of said Skinny; a pedestrian chase across highways and byways ending in a bloody fall; a gunfight between cops crudely defined by drenching the proceedings in alternating red and blue light; and the brutal climax, which builds intensity before concluding in satisfying fashion. Little moments count too: an umbrella slapped away by an angry, scolding superior is defiantly run down by determined cops; the look on a tough cop’s face when his mother visits him in a hospital. Waise Lee is appropriately stoic as Chief Inspector Wong. He provides sufficient gravity to ground the relentless, often airborne action in something resembling reality.

The Mega Star DVD included Cantonese and Mandarin DD 5.1 audio tracks, in which the post-synched audio sounded a bit hollow. If you watch the Cantonese version, the English subtitles often appear before the dialogue began. But that's because they are synched to match the Mandarin audio track. Traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles were also featured, along with trailers for RETURN OF THE LUCKY STARS, THREE AGAINST THE WORLD, and BLUE LIGHTNING, as well as the original theatrical trailer for THE BIG HEAT.

The current licensor, Fortune Star/Deltamac, has issued a DVD that reportedly includes the original mono audio tracks.

Back on the Air

Thank you, Pair Networks, my hosting service and domain provider, for solving my problems!

Though I briefly considered leaving the site shut down, I am far too vain to allow technical problems to keep me from communicating my vision of the world, and how I will soon become Emperor.

Er, did I just hit "publish"? Oops . . .