alisonc-1
Joined Nov 2003
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alisonc-1's rating
The old master of the martial arts academy is dying; he summons his best apprentice to fight with his son to determine who shall take over after him. The son, Shen An (Jacky Heung) loses and with his dying breath the old man passes the school to the apprentice, Qi Quan (Andy On). It seems the old man had wanted his son out of the martial arts world because they were looked down upon by respectable people and so he arranged a job for Shen An at a bank, but when the bank manager insists that Shen An fight for the amusement of himself and his family, Shen An quits and returns to the academy, determined to fight and beat Qi Quan to resume his rightful place in the martial arts world. But Qi Quan will not give up his new position so easily....
If you are a fan of almost non-stop martial arts action, this film is for you - there can't be more than a few minutes of dialogue between various bouts between various groups, including the two lead characters, their various followers, some street thugs (who use slingshots to great effect) and a number of other groups. There's a bit of romance thrown in, but that is very definitely secondary to the fighting. It's hard to keep track of who is the good guy and who the bad, but it doesn't really matter - it's the fights that shine and they are incredibly well done. I'm not a big fan of martial arts films, but this one is quite satisfying to watch, even if you *do* leave the cinema somewhat confused at the end; recommended!
If you are a fan of almost non-stop martial arts action, this film is for you - there can't be more than a few minutes of dialogue between various bouts between various groups, including the two lead characters, their various followers, some street thugs (who use slingshots to great effect) and a number of other groups. There's a bit of romance thrown in, but that is very definitely secondary to the fighting. It's hard to keep track of who is the good guy and who the bad, but it doesn't really matter - it's the fights that shine and they are incredibly well done. I'm not a big fan of martial arts films, but this one is quite satisfying to watch, even if you *do* leave the cinema somewhat confused at the end; recommended!
This is a compendium of four short films by four Korean directors (Jung-Kwan Kim, Deok Roh, Hang-jun Chang and Myung-Se Lee), all dealing one way or another with, well, killers. As such, the film as a whole is uneven, with some parts working better than others. The first entry has to do with a gang of thugs, a man they're supposed to kill and an interceding vampire, quite rich in tone. The second, my favorite, features a trio of would-be assassins who get everything about their assignment wrong, from the place to murder, the vehicle the victim drives and the actual victim they're supposed to kill - very funny, and effective. The third film has to do with a mysterious serial killer whom the cops and professional hitmen are all after - the problem is that nobody knows who this killer is, except for the name and the fact that the killer has a specific tattoo in a specific place; here, the culprit is pretty easy to spot, but the story is well told. The final short film was the least effective, being terribly artistic and absurdist and going for all the coolest camera angles - unfortunately, there was no story there, just "artistic" ambience. I would have given the film 7 out of 10 were it not for the last one, but that reduced the film to a 6. Still, three out of four ain't bad!
Agnes (Alice Lowe) has lived many lives, in 1680s Scotland, in 1790s England, in 1840s Britain, in 1980s New York, and more. And in every life, she meets the one man (Aneurin Barnard) whom she is destined to be with - but just as they are meeting, something dreadful happens and she dies. Until she meets him again in the next life, that is....
Alice Lowe wrote, directed and stars in this film, which is quite funny and which has lovely supporting characters played by Jacob Anderson, Nick Frost and Tanya Reynolds, who like Agnes all have just one name throughout the film (unlike the love of her life who goes by different names in each incarnation). You might think the premise would get a bit repetitive over time, and it does, but there are enough differences of setting and methods of living and/or dying that those repetitions didn't bother me. If you believe in reincarnation and love as destiny, then this movie is for you; if you don't, you'll understand why the film is titled as it is. Recommended.
Alice Lowe wrote, directed and stars in this film, which is quite funny and which has lovely supporting characters played by Jacob Anderson, Nick Frost and Tanya Reynolds, who like Agnes all have just one name throughout the film (unlike the love of her life who goes by different names in each incarnation). You might think the premise would get a bit repetitive over time, and it does, but there are enough differences of setting and methods of living and/or dying that those repetitions didn't bother me. If you believe in reincarnation and love as destiny, then this movie is for you; if you don't, you'll understand why the film is titled as it is. Recommended.