This post contains minor spoilers for Boat People and Days of Being Wild. As well as moderate spoilers for Made in Hong Kong and the first Infernal Affairs.
DISCLAIMER: if you are not 18 years or older I do not recommend watching Made in Hong Kong or Days of Being Wild.
Today I chose a more self indulgent post. Yesterday's was not my comfort zone (to say the least), so today I shall venture into a topic naturally within my orbit. I shall possibly alternate between difficulties or something.
I present to you Andy Lau. You may only have heard of him as the Hong Kong actor who dropped out of Iron Man 3. Unbeknownst to the general public he had much better things to do. Or perhaps you know him from House of Flying Daggers. This man is the eastern equivalent of George Clooney.
Andy Lau is a Hong Kong actor (as well as singer). Born into a poor family in '61, he excelled in his academics and through insane work ethic excelled as an actor. According to therichest and celebritiesmoney Lau has a net worth of $96 million.
From 1985-2005 Lau yielded 1.7 billion HKD total box office. The award for long term box office success of Hong Kong went to Lau (with Jackie placing second runner up). But let's be real, who cares about money. Am I right Murdoch? :D You get me Harvey. Rep it Koch brothers.
The first film I want to highlight is Boat People (1982). This was an early work of the under-appreciated Ann Hui. Lau stepped into play the part of To Minh when Chow Yun Fat dropped out. Lau and Hui would go on to collaborate in the future. The film follows a photojournalist who visits postwar Vietnam and discovers the horrific nature of the New Economic Zones. This plan forcibly relocated (displaced) 800,000 or so Southerners, confiscated all property of the victims, and stripped them of all human rights. Furthermore, the property of the victims was "redistributed" to former members of the Viet Cong. This film paints a picture of Vietnam not seen elsewhere. Got to love that American legacy.
Lau starts it off with bang here. Not only does he take part in a story presenting a fresh perspective on a controversial time, Lau works with a rare director. Hui triumphed over the gender ratio bias and the default sexism of modern cinema. 1452 filmmakers were surveyed globally for Forbes, 20% were female, and 7% of those women were directors. Sexism in filmmaking is not a Chinese problem, it is as a global issue, present in every thriving film industry.
Hui is not simply exception to the rule, she is a supernova. Seriously. Lau went from struggling for clean water to placing in the top ten richest Chinese singers. What has Hui done? In truth she has achieved greater social mobility than Lau. Even though she wasn't born into a poor family, her shift has been of greater magnitude (systemically speaking). Hui is a prime example of the powerhouse of Chinese Cinema.
Rep that Angel Haze. Listen up Nicki, being an artist is what. Stop trying to prove you're the best female rapper, you're building your own glass ceiling. Crabs in a bucket.
Next comes the first producing venture of Lau: Made in Hong Kong (1997). This is an early work of Fruit Chan, a piece that makes Easy Rider seem as cute and as colorful as Oz. This film is as bleak as hospital white. Chan shows a Groundhog Day of sorts that is nuanced in its portrayal of drowning in your own impulse. Its depiction of contract killing is a minimalistic marriage of Drive and Unforgiven.
I'm one of those fake '90s kids. I was born in '92, so my generation doesn't remember the '90s. Seriously, don't trust us. Still, there is this leftover aura of '99 that I think I experienced. And if there is a form of depression that I typify as '99 residue, it would be Made in Hong Kong. I'm a research expert of 8 years. So yeah. The Doctor has spoken.
Here is where I make a time jump. Ever heard of The Departed? It is a Martin Scorsese film about an undercover cop. This film stars Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the renowned Hong Kong triad film; Infernal Affairs (2002). There are three of these Infernal Affairs films and they are directly comparable to the Godfather trilogy. These films present a collision of Lau's celebrity star status and his impeccable skill as an artist. Infernal Affairs also features Tony Leung, who might be compared to Daniel Day Lewis. The films also bring us Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, who happens to be one of the best kept secrets of the kung fu genre. Take a look at Ip Man: the Final Fight.
Moving on.
In 1990 Lau starred in Days of Being Wild. If you haven't taken the time to watch a Wong Kar Wai film then you really should reconsider. Wong is as good as Miley is infamous. It has been said that certain directors have a department in which they specialize. Soderbergh clearly is a director who cares first about camera, whereas Tarantino loves his quirky dialogue. There are some who obviously have multiple favorites, or none at all.
Well, for the west it is hard to accept a filmmaker who does not put plot or character somewhere in the forefront of the agenda of the film. Wong is one of these filmmakers. For a second consider Alejandro Inarritu and the lack of certainty or "closure" in the manner in which he resolves his narratives. From Biutiful to Birdman he is clearly concerned with something beyond character growth and three act structure. In this way Wong deviates from the norm and presents a cinematic experience concerned more with sensory visual experience than dialogue and continuity. Wong does so in The Grandmaster, Chungking Express, and particularly Days of Being Wild. This brings the viewer to recall that film is a visual medium, not a prettier stage production. Wong is well known for his masterful use of costume, and in eastern circles is considered a cinematic giant (rightfully so).
Most recently Lau wowed me with his performance in Ann Hui's A Simple Life (an excellent addition to her body of work).
Clooney and Lau are rare specimens. They are not simply typecast, nor are they without signature. Whereas Robert Duvall submits fully to the role and Robert Downing Jr submits the role to his signature, Lau and Clooney seem to float somewhere in the middle. Lau attacks the role with passion and technique and yet always brings his versatile charisma. Clooney surely levies more cohesive style than Lau, but still they thrive in a similar fashion.
Clooney plug.
If you haven't seen any of his directing you really should. He has directed the following: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night and Good Luck, Monuments Men, Leather-heads, and Ides of March. He is an excellent filmmaker. I revere both Lau and Clooney.
A few honorable mentions: Three Kingdoms (Resurrection of the Dragon), Warlords, What Women Want, Infernal Affairs II, and As Tears Go By.
Thank you, and goodnight.
Forbes Survey
Here is where I make a time jump. Ever heard of The Departed? It is a Martin Scorsese film about an undercover cop. This film stars Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the renowned Hong Kong triad film; Infernal Affairs (2002). There are three of these Infernal Affairs films and they are directly comparable to the Godfather trilogy. These films present a collision of Lau's celebrity star status and his impeccable skill as an artist. Infernal Affairs also features Tony Leung, who might be compared to Daniel Day Lewis. The films also bring us Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, who happens to be one of the best kept secrets of the kung fu genre. Take a look at Ip Man: the Final Fight.
Moving on.
In 1990 Lau starred in Days of Being Wild. If you haven't taken the time to watch a Wong Kar Wai film then you really should reconsider. Wong is as good as Miley is infamous. It has been said that certain directors have a department in which they specialize. Soderbergh clearly is a director who cares first about camera, whereas Tarantino loves his quirky dialogue. There are some who obviously have multiple favorites, or none at all.
Well, for the west it is hard to accept a filmmaker who does not put plot or character somewhere in the forefront of the agenda of the film. Wong is one of these filmmakers. For a second consider Alejandro Inarritu and the lack of certainty or "closure" in the manner in which he resolves his narratives. From Biutiful to Birdman he is clearly concerned with something beyond character growth and three act structure. In this way Wong deviates from the norm and presents a cinematic experience concerned more with sensory visual experience than dialogue and continuity. Wong does so in The Grandmaster, Chungking Express, and particularly Days of Being Wild. This brings the viewer to recall that film is a visual medium, not a prettier stage production. Wong is well known for his masterful use of costume, and in eastern circles is considered a cinematic giant (rightfully so).
Most recently Lau wowed me with his performance in Ann Hui's A Simple Life (an excellent addition to her body of work).
Clooney and Lau are rare specimens. They are not simply typecast, nor are they without signature. Whereas Robert Duvall submits fully to the role and Robert Downing Jr submits the role to his signature, Lau and Clooney seem to float somewhere in the middle. Lau attacks the role with passion and technique and yet always brings his versatile charisma. Clooney surely levies more cohesive style than Lau, but still they thrive in a similar fashion.
Clooney plug.
If you haven't seen any of his directing you really should. He has directed the following: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night and Good Luck, Monuments Men, Leather-heads, and Ides of March. He is an excellent filmmaker. I revere both Lau and Clooney.
A few honorable mentions: Three Kingdoms (Resurrection of the Dragon), Warlords, What Women Want, Infernal Affairs II, and As Tears Go By.
Thank you, and goodnight.
Forbes Survey
1 comment:
I am seriously in awe of your writing. =) It is so analytic and constructive and informative! I don't understand how you do it. And these articles you are writing have more depth than any papers I've ever written in grad or undergrad. =p Lol keep it up Tay.
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