HKIFF Week 4: 二十四城記 (24 City)

二十四城記 (24 City) was the closing film of the HKIFF 2009: half-documentary, half-drama, it tells the story of the demolition of an arms manufacturing factory block in Chengdu – the 420 – and the construction of real estate, the 24 City, in its place. Intercutting interviews of real life workers who spent the better half [...]

Easter Clams and Scrabble

Easter weekend came and went: I had a lot of fun though, clam picking at Shui Hau Wan (水口灣) on Lantau Island on Good Friday, followed by a Hong Kong-style barbeque at Silvermine Bay the next day, and on Easter Monday I played scrabble with S, E and K at the latter’s shiny new flat [...]

HKIFF Week 3: Religulous/Hunger/Aoi Tori (青い鳥)

My third week of the HK International Film Festival is filled with slightly more commercial choices than the previous 6 films. Religulous is a documentary directed by Larry Charles, who has previously brought us the notorious Borat movie. Continuing with what he does best – bringing out the ignorance, prejudice and bigotry in ordinary folk [...]

The Art of Apologising

Do Hong Kong politicians/bureaucrats/sycophants think that they can get away with murder these days? Gregory So Kam-Leung, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, was arrogant enough to submit his name card as a proof of his income, when applying to extend his maid’s stay in Hong Kong: idiotic, but forgivable. Then he tops it [...]

Decadence

Divine decadence is staying at the Four Seasons in Florence…even if it’s just for one night…(see the description in TIME here…)

(Photograph courtesy of the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze website)

HKIFF Week 2: 陽陽/Black Ice/The Baader Meinhof Complex

My second week at the HKIFF continues to be hardcore: three films in two days (Saturday 12:30 pm and 9 pm, followed by a 2:45 pm screening on Sunday)! First up was Yang Yang (陽陽), a Taiwanese production directed by 鄭有傑, a protege of Ang Lee. Indeed, one could find some stylistic similarities between the [...]

安非他命@HK Cultural Centre Studio Theatre 3 April 2009

I should start out by saying that the cast and crew of 安非他命 (many of whom went to the same high school as I did) should be applauded for their efforts: god knows that writing, directing and producing a musical is no easy feat, and these young men and women are clearly enthusiastic and passionate [...]

BBC News: What porn is really for

Rather self-explanatory: an interesting take by BBC News’ Clive James on what porn is for…!
Though unintended, inclusion of the word “porn” here will no doubt boost this blog’s number of clicks…

奧利安娜@牛棚劇場 2 April 2009

On and On Theatre Workshop (前進進戲劇工作坊) has produced a thoughtful interpretation of David Mamet’s play Oleanna (performed in Cantonese), in which a professor and his female student become embroiled in verbal and intellectual conflict that gradually turns nasty and physical. 陳炳釗 plays a university professor who is approached by a student, played by 蔡運華 on [...]

The Reader

I have always enjoyed watching Kate Winslet on screen: she is beautiful without being superficial, talented without being showy, and she is capable of morphing into so many vastly different characters. From Sense and Sensibility through Titanic to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of my personal faves), she is just so damn watchable [...]