Week13_ Cinema of Singapore

Cinema of Singapore

7 Letters


7 Letters is a 2015 Singaporean drama film directed by seven different directors. It comprises seven short stories to celebrate Singapore's 50th anniversary.  The film was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Tp92v_OA

Despite having a flourishing Chinese and Malay film industry in the 1950s and 1960s, Singapore 's film industry declined after independence in 1965. However, most of these were not released in Singapore and cannot be labelled as truly Singaporean productions.

Early 1990s pioneers

In 1997 ,Eric Khoo feature film, 12 Storeys , a highly acclaimed production which was the first Singaporean film to be shown at Cannes . Interweaving 3 stories about life in the HDB high-rise flats, 12 Storeys was seen as a breakthrough for Singaporean films, combining a coherent plot with Singaporean production crew and actors, such as Jack Neo and Koh Boon Pin. The rest of the decade was encouraging for the growing film industry. 

12 Storeys
12 Storeys (十二樓 ) is a 1997 Singaporean drama film directed by Eric Khoo . It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival .
Plot
The film focuses on the troubled lives of several people living in the same building.
Soup vendor Ah Gu is having a hard time dealing with his money-hungry wife Lily.
Nearby, young children are forced to raise their even younger siblings due to parental neglect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbLBewVeHm4

Late 1990s successes

However, it was the phenomenal success of Money No Enough (1998) which eventually catapulted the nation's drive towards movie-making.Using a local crew of actors drawn from television comedies, this 'heartland' comedy written by Jack Neo used a smattering of Singles and Hokkien to make a realistic, easily identifiable drama about everybody's quest to make a quick buck. Made with less than S$1 million, it raked in S$5,800,000, making it the most commercially profitable local film to date.

It also demonstrated the viable potential of Singapore's film industry.

Eight Singaporean feature films were made in 1999 alone, the most notable being Liang Po Po: The Movie (starring Jack Neo in a reprisal of his television cross-gender role), That One No Enough , the first directorial effect of Jack Neo, and Eating Air , made by film critic Kelvin Tong and film editor Jasmine Ng on a budget of S$800,000. Eating Air did not break even; That One No Enough barely did and only Liang Po Po: The Movie continued the vein of commercial success of Money No Enough , collecting S$3.03 million.

Money No Enough

Money No Enough (  钱不够用  ) is a 1998 Singaporean comedy film about three friends with financial problems who start a car polishing business together.

Written by Jack Neo , directed by Tay Teck Lock and produced by JSP Films, the movie stars Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia .

Released in cinemas on 7 May 1998, Money No Enough received mixed reviews from critics, but earned over S$ 5.8 million and was the all-time highest-grossing Singaporean film until 2012. Its success helped revive the Singaporean film industry and pave the way for the emergence of other Singaporean cultural phenomena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0KcUuMeB10

Liang Po Po

Liang Po Po: The Movie (梁婆婆重出江湖) is a Singaporean film directed by Bee Lian Teng in 1999. It starred the comedian director Jack Neo himself, who cross-dresses as the titular old lady, which in English is translated as "Granny Neo".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-0nS6OgPN8

Jack Neo and Royston Tan

The success story since the turn of the 20th century must be from local comedian-turned-director Jack Neo. Financed by Raintree Pictures, he made a number of hits dealing with Singapore's heartland problems in an engaging and deceptively light-hearted fashion. I Not Stupid (2002) was a peek into the ultra-competitive academic lifestyle as seen through three local students who performed poorly in grades; its acerbic social commentary marked another height for Singaporean films. Homerun (2003) was a remake of the Iranian Children of Heaven in a local, pre-independent era context; it won for its young lead Megan Zheng the first Golden Horse Award for Best Newcomer. The Best Bet (2004) took a humorous dig at heartlanders' obsessions with lotteries. Neo averages a film per year and his productions feature local Singaporean (usually television) artistes in filmic roles. They have been successes locally and abroad, especially in those places with a Chinese-language market, such as Hong Kong. He has started his own artiste management company, J-Team Productions.

Royston Tan, a young Singapore TV commercial director who has been making award-winning shorts for years, released 15: The Movie, his first feature, in 2003. An expanded version of an earlier short film he made, this 90-min movie on the fringe and drug-abusing delinquents used bold subject-matter and featured some graphic scenes with non-professional actors. When the film censorship board passed it with cuts, it prompted a backlash from the director in the form of Cut, an all-singing musical satire à la Tsai Ming-liang lampooning the system. Interestingly, this short film was passed uncensored by the board and was seen during the Singapore International Film Festival, but there were open discussions about it during local parliamentary sessions, prompting remarks that the government was "not amused" by it. Royston Tan has since made three more features, 4:30 (2005), 881 (2007) and 12 Lotus (2008).

My favourite movie for Royston Tan is "4:30 (2005)".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtxflFj2oKU

4:30 is a 2005 Singaporean film. It is directed by filmmaker Royston Tan. It is his second feature after 15: the Movie. The film is made on a budget of S$400,000. It was released in Singaporean Cinemas on 29 June 2006.










[SYNOPSIS]
"4:30" traces the relationship between Xiao Wu, an eleven year old Chinese boy and his tenant Jung, a thirty-something Korean man. Told entirely from the perspective of the boy, Xiao Wu, this story of two very different characters is less about friendship than about a shared experience and appreciation of solitude. "4:30" starts with Xiao Wu sneaking to the room of Jung in the early hours of the morning, and stealing from the Korean man. Just as getting intoxicated is a habit for Jung, who only staggers back to his rented room when drunk, soon stealing for Xiao Wu becomes equally as compulsive. We soon realize that Jung's true intention for staying in Singapore is suicide. It is only through Xiao Wu's encounter with Jung failing in his bid to die that Xiao Wu begins to understand his true fascination with Jung.
Ultimately, "4:30", as the title suggests is about a moment, a boy's attempt to cling to it escaping his drab reality, in a life yet fully lived. Yet it too opens us to the possibility that in this age of the urban, of the tall apartment blocks, of the cityscape, that the loneliness that a city-dweller feels not only transcends cultural and geographic boundaries but that it is also not inevitable.

Film Review：
For those lonely with people who, for different reasons lonely, lonely is not exactly the same manner.
The guide member is not edited with a lot of long shots to tell the stories from the heart of each person. Hero without dialogue, because loneliness itself is no sound, and let us go quietly feel.

From the day that a fixed time off to observe things to each other's mutual comfort then to the final cup of orange juice is still covered with plastic wrap, we can see that even the most lonely people and things will have the most perfect distillation. Unfortunately, the kind of person can only glimpse appear in memory, nothing of ......

Midnight 4:30 is a dead of night time, but also feel extremely lonely moment. Even in a developed city, skyscrapers, a sense of loneliness, like city people will exist, but also with the city's high degree of human and social development and constantly improve and more lonely.

2005 to 2009

In 2008, Eric Khoo's Tamil language social drama My Magic became Singapore's first film to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Eric Khoo ( Chinese : 邱金海 ; pinyin : Qiū Jīnhǎi ; born 27 March 1965) is a Singaporean art-house filmmaker .He is the son of the wealthy businessman Khoo Teck Puat (1917–2004). Khoo's films Mee Pok Man and 12 Storeys have together been screened at over 60 film festivals, held all over the world including Ivy League festivals such as Venice, Berlin and Rotterdam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrI5IQcQS-U

In 1998, Khoo was ranked as one of the 25 exceptional trend makers of Asia by Asiaweek magazine and in the following year was included into Asiaweek’s leaders for the millennium issue. He was an Executive Producer for the local comedy hit, “Liang Po Po – The Movie” (1999), and “One Leg Kicking” (2001), which were both the highest grossing local movies for their respective years in Singapore. He also produced “15” (2003) directed by Royston Tan, which has been invited to the Venice Film Festival (2003) and Sundance (2004). His TV work includes being Executive Producer of “DRIVE”, an anthology series for the Television Corporation of Singapore (1998), and “Seventh Month” (2004), a highly acclaimed TV horror series for Channel U (SPH Mediaworks). These productions served as a platform for grooming young talented filmmakers.


My Magic is a 2008 SingaporeanTamil language drama film directed by Eric Khoo and produced by Zhao Wei Films in association with Infinite Frameworks. My Magic was the 1st Singapore film to be nominated for the Palme D'Or, the top award for film at the Cannes Film Festival. It has been also selected as Singapore's official entry for the Oscars in 2009.  It was released in Singapore cinemas on 25 September 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FHfSyOqMd8

2010 and beyond
A wave of young filmmakers, educated in local and overseas film schools, begin to dominate the film scene.

In 2010, young filmmaker Boo Junfeng, known by this time in the international film festival circuit for his award-winning short films, completed his debut feature film Sandcastle. It became the first Singaporean film to be selected at the International Critics' Week at Cannes Film Festival (competing for the Caméra d'Or) and was listed by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most notable films from Asia in 2010. Produced by Eric Khoo's Zhao Wei Films, the film very delicately tackled controversial subject matters such as the Chinese middle school riots and Operation Coldstore. It was picked up by international sales agent Fortissimo Films and funded by the Singapore Film Commission. In the same year, artist/filmmaker Liao Jiekai completed his debut film Red Dragonflies, which traveled to several film festivals around the world.

Ilo Ilo (爸妈不在家), the debut feature of director Anthony Chen, premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors' Fortnight on 19 May 2013 to very positive reviews.The film was awarded the Camera d'Or award, thus becoming the first Singaporean feature film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. It received six nominations at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards. and won 4: Best Film, Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann Yann.In total Ilo Ilo has received 21 awards and 10 nominations around the world, as well as the highest ranking Singaporean-made film on IMDB, making it the most critically acclaimed film in the history of Singaporean cinema.

Week 12_Cinema of Taiwan

Cinema of Taiwan

The Cinema of Taiwan is deeply rooted in the island's unique history .
Since its introduction to Taiwan in 1901 under Japanese rule , cinema has developed in Taiwan through several distinct stages.
It has also developed outside of the Hong Kong mainstream and the censorship of the People's Republic of China .

Characteristic：

Taiwanese Director
In recent years, Taiwan's film industry has been supported by a group of silent film makers. Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang have built their director's position in international film. In addition, Tsai Ming-liang , an oversea Chinese student from Malaysia, has gained the world's attention as a Taiwanese director.

Influence of the Government
Since the late Japanese colonial period to martial law in Taiwan, the development of Taiwanese film has been dominated by the official camp studio development. In fact, the production of film at that stage is mainly news footage taken by the government-run studio (Taiwan film companies, the Central Motion Picture Corporation, China Film Studio) and the production of political commercials. Until today, the Taiwan government-funded "Film Fund" is still an important way to explore Taiwan's film talent; this film grant brings a lot of criticism. However, from the "creative, active point of view of Taiwan's film industry" point of view, it remains its subject certainly. In fact, many people believe that the grant is in fact a counseling structure of the Taiwanese culture.

The Government Information Office is in charge of the film grant. Grants are given to film uses "film" as a unit, and is divided into two groups of five million and 800 million. Amounts of money spent should be at least $120 million in 15 films. On the application, there are certain specifications. For example, the purpose of the group of five million grant is to encourage new directors directing a feature film for the first time.

Documentary
In addition to the well-known directors and their film,Taiwanese documentaries are flourishing as well. The development of Taiwanese documentaries is primarily the result of the lifting of martial law in 1987 and the popularity of small electronic camcorders. Another success factor comes from the support and promotion by the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs. In fact, other government units and private organizations are also actively supporting. They have established a variety of film festivals and awards to encourage the production of excellent documentaries.

Recently, Taiwan has produced a group of young documentary filmmakers. They are from all sectors of the Taiwanese society; the themes of their works are varied. Themes arise from the subject himself or his family, and explore serious social or political issues. The documentary spindle also explores the social issues in order to explore the personal lives and problems. Overall, Taiwanese documentaries have gained international attention gradually, and there are many international film festival award-winning records.






《Hear Me》 （2009）

 Hear Me (Chinese: 聽說) is a 2009 Taiwanese movie.
 Cast：
 Eddie Peng - Tian-kuo
 Ivy Chen - Yang Yang
 Yanxi Chen - Xiao Peng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnKxuy8Cdxs






Plot：
Tian Kuo is a genial twenty-year-old living with his parents, running deliveries for their restaurant, biking boxed lunches all over the city. He often stops at the local swimming pool, dropping off orders for the team of deaf athletes who train there.

One day he notices Yang Yang (Ivy Chen), a pretty young deaf girl who follows the team to cheer on her sister Xiao Peng, who's hoping to make the cut for the forthcoming Deaflympics. Tian Kuo's instantly smitten, and he's got a good command of sign language, so he tries to strike up a friendship with Yang Yang, hoping it'll lead to something more.


Film Review：
The most beautiful part of the movie, than Eddie and Ivy Chen love. Eddie deep delight, gestures full of humor, it is very suitable for the role of such a sunshine boy, the girl trick though nothing creative, but also in good faith, disguised as a tree is really naive idea, but people saw I could not help but laugh! This trick himself on MSN also absolutely. Long time no see this type of silly Liangxiaowucai love, I feel like a breeze, so sweet, even sad not entirely bitter, "just like you, want u together." The original is the most touching love words.

I think, sometimes we may be too dependent on sound, in fact, true feelings only heart can understand. Over the years, I have been the sound of the heart as a sense of security, one day heard the music, the day did not say a word, I felt something was amiss. After watching the film, I am looking for a sudden one day, a man, shut the music off the ears, turn off all sweet and noisy sound, just open heart, completely silent atmosphere safely get along with themselves, if they can therefore no longer fear I can really feel the power of silence, from yourself, not others.

"Hear Me " the film is a very comfortable, not too heavy or convoluted plot of domestic films, the story is simple, vivid narrative, it feels like walking in sunny day afternoon, a light breeze blowing over, together blown away by the pressure in the heart of chaos, the gradual aging of the soul, and instantly the young up and discovered that in fact have not yet old, that quiet silent moving force, as if to tell me: just woke youth, will bloom again.



My Recommend：




《Murmur of the Hearts》（2015）
Murmur of the Hearts ( Chinese : 念念 ) is a 2015 Hong Kong-Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by Sylvia Chang .It was released on April 10, 2015 in Taiwan and April 30, 2015 in China.  It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival .



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAeflY1Sti0










Film Review：
I like this movie presents the emotional details, it has a sense of distance so that the original story and characters, she keeps close to our inner world. So, from the beginning I do not have sympathy to a few details can not help but cry, understand what obsession, but also understand the "obsessed" in mind.
Growth, not someone else wants us to change and go change, is in a critical moment of life, we are no longer only their eyes and saw the pain of others that moment, life will no longer be just endless swirl.
Some people need other people to save themselves, some people are alienated by the person holding to save himself. Regardless of the selected mode, people will eventually be able to face their own, with their reconciliation to unlock and loved ones mind.

Then I remembered people who had loved life, and some people had not around, but always in my heart, and unknowingly still deeply affected me now. Alternatively, the "impact" is equivalent to "accompany", has been living in the heart of how people are not leaving. The so-called obsession, maybe it is.

《Island Etude》（2006）
Island Etude (Chinese: 練習曲) is a 2006 Taiwanese film directed by Chen Huai-en. It was Taiwan's submission to the 80th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Written and directed by Chen Huai-en (陳懷恩) Released: April 2007 Genre: Drama Length: 108 min. Language: Mandarin

A film about an deaf college student who grabs his bike, backpack, and guitar and goes on a 7-day, 6-night round-the-island tour. On the way he discovers the natural and cultural beauty of Taiwan and during his encounters with different people he is exposed to local arts, folk customs, approaches to environmental protection, traditional family values, and a host of other cultural enlightenments.

A celebrated dictum: With a lot of things, if you don't do them now, you will never have the opportunity again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI20IbKPPe8

《The Wedding Banquet》（1993）

The Wedding Banquet (Chinese: 喜宴) is a 1993 film about a gay Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet.

The film was directed by Ang Lee and stars Winston Chao, May Chin, Kuei Ya-lei, Sihung Lung, and Mitchell Lichtenstein. The Wedding Banquet is the first of three movies that Ang Lee has made about gay characters; the second is Brokeback Mountain and the third is Taking Woodstock. The film is a co-production between Taiwan and the United States. Together with Pushing Hands and Eat Drink Man Woman, all made in Taiwan, all showing the Confucian family at risk, and all starring the Taiwanese actor Sihung Lung, it forms what has been called Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCIyvO5bN1I

Plot：

Wai-Tung Gao and Simon are a happy gay couple living in Manhattan. Wai-Tung is in his late 20s, so his tradition-minded parents are eager to see him get married and have a child in order to continue the family line. The early part of the film is madcap comedy. When Wai-Tung's parents hire a dating service, he and Simon stall for time by inventing impossible demands. They demand an opera singer and add that she must be 5'9" have two PhD's and speak five languages. The service actually locates a 5'8" Chinese woman who sings Western opera, speaks five languages and has a single PhD. She is very gracious when Wai-Tung explains his dilemma, as she, too, is hiding a relationship (with a Caucasian man). At Simon's insistence, Wai-Tung decides to get married to one of his tenants, Wei-Wei, a penniless artist from mainland China in need of a green card. Besides helping out Wei-Wei, Simon and Wai-Tung hope that this will placate Wai-Tung's parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Gao decide to fly in from Taiwan, bringing US$30,000 to hold an extravagant wedding for their son. Wai-Tung dares not tell his parents the truth, because his father, a retired officer in the Chinese Nationalist Army, has just recovered from a stroke; they go through with the wedding. However, the heartbreak his mother experiences at the courthouse wedding prepares the story for a shift to drama. The only way to atone for the disgraceful wedding is a magnificent wedding banquet. After the banquet, Wei-Wei rapes a drunken Wai-Tung, and becomes pregnant. Simon is extremely upset when he finds out, and his relationship with Wai-Tung begins to deteriorate.

Shortly after, Mr. Gao has another stroke, and in a moment of anger, after a fight with both Simon and Wei-Wei, Wai-Tung admits the truth to his mother. She is shocked and insists that he not tell his father. The perceptive Mr. Gao has seen more than he is letting on; he secretly tells Simon that he knows about their relationship, and, appreciating the considerable sacrifices he made for his biological son, takes Simon as his son as well. Simon accepts the Hongbao from Wai-Tung's father, a symbolic admission of their relationship, but Mr. Gao makes him promise not to tell anyone; without everyone trying to lie to him, he points out, he'd never have gotten a grandchild.

After making an appointment to have an abortion, Wei-Wei decides to keep the baby, and asks Simon to stay together with Wai-Tung and be the baby's other father. In the final parting scene, as Wai-Tung's parents prepare to fly home, Mrs. Gao has forged an emotional bond to daughter-in-law Wei-Wei. Mr. Gao accepts Simon and warmly shakes his hand. In the end, both derive some happiness from the situation, and they walk off to board the aircraft, leaving the unconventional family to sort itself out.

Week11_Korean New Wave

Korean New Wave

The term "Cinema of Korea” encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea.

Both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide international acclaim. North Korean films tend to portray their communist or revolutionary themes.

South Korean films enjoyed enjoyed a "Golden age" during the late 1950s, and 1960s, but by the 1970s had become generally considered to be of low quality.

Nonetheless, by 2005 South Korea had become one of few nations to watch more domestic than imported films in theatres due largely to laws placing limits on the number of foreign films able to be shown per theatre per year. 

In the theaters, Korean films must be played for 73 days per year since 2006.

《II Mare》（2000）

Il Mare is a 2000 South Korean film, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae .
The title, Il Mare , means "The Sea" in Italian , and is the name of the seaside house which is the setting of the story. The two protagonists both live there two years apart in time, but are able to communicate through a mysterious mailbox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUqzc67nda4

《 The Lake House》（2006）

The film was remade by Warner Brothers in 2006 as The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

《The Lake House》 - Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9BVe2WLB7s








《Oldboy》 (Chan -wook park, 2003)


Old boy  is a 2003 South Korean mystery thriller neo-noir film directed by Park Chan-wook .Oldboy is the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy , preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance .






The film follows the story of Oh Dae-su, who is locked in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing the identity of his captor or his captor's motives.When he is finally released, Oh Dae-su finds himself still trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence. His own quest for vengeance becomes tied in with romance when he falls for an attractive sushi chef.

The Classic is a 2003 South Korean romance melodrama film directed by Kwak Jae-yong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oUPoo5qz34

Plot：
The film tells the parallel love stories of a mother and daughter. The story of the mother is told partially in flashbacks.

The movie starts in the present day. The daughter, Ji-hye (Son Ye-jin), is cleaning-up around her house when she comes across a box full of old letters and a diary that detail the story of her mother, Joo-hee (who is also played by Son Ye-jin). Periodically in the movie, Ji-hye reads one of these letters, which starts a flashback scene in which the story of the mother is told. These flashbacks are intertwined with Ji-hye's own story, in which she falls for a fellow student, Sang-min (Jo In-sung), who is involved with the school theater.

The movie tells the story of both relationships. The mother, Joo-hee, visits the countryside as a student one summer and meets Joon-ha (Jo Seung-woo). Together they explore the countryside, playing near a river which they both will always remember as their special place. When a storm starts they take shelter together under a tree, but not before Joo-hee twists her ankle and is rendered helpless. Joon-ha carries her on his back and they struggle home, only to be confronted by her angry parents. Before they separate, Joo-hee gives him a necklace, which he keeps close as a precious reminder of their time together.

Unfortunately, as often happens in affairs of the heart, a third party prevents any deepening of their relationship. Joo-hee has been promised by her parents as a bride to Tae-soo, Joon-ha's friend. But Tae-soo, a noble friend, finds out about Joo-hee and Joon-ha's attraction for each other and helps the two communicate secretly by letting them use his own name in place of Joon-ha's in their letters. When Tae-soo's father finds this out, however, he beats Tae-soo. Tae-soo tries unsuccessfully to commit suicide so that his two friends can be together.

Meanwhile, in the present, Ji-hye falls for Sang-min in whom her friend Soo-kyeong is also very interested, but he seems not to notice. Then, in a sweet scene, they take shelter from the rain together under the same tree. He uses his coat to cover both of them and escorts her to where she needs to go. The moment, while magical, does not go anywhere as she feels his help was only due to his generous nature and not from any feelings for her on his part.

Back in the past, Joon-ha is guilt-ridden over his friend's attempted suicide and Joo-hee's own guilt. Determined to prevent any more hurt to her, Joon-ha joins the army and goes to Vietnam. There he loses his eyesight while he tries to retrieve the necklace Joo-hee had given him. When he returns to Korea, he meets again with Joo-hee, and, trying to hide his blindness, convinces her he has married in the hope she will move on with her life. Though heart broken that their relationship cannot continue, she does move on and eventually marries Tae-soo, Joon-ha's kind friend. After they have been married for several years and have a young daughter (Ji-hye) Joo-hee is approached by friends of Joon-ha, who relate Joon-ha's last wish: that his ashes be scattered by Joo-hee in the river, now a reservoir, where they first met. She then finds out that Joon-ha hadn't married, but he later did after Tae-soo and Joo-hee were married. She was told that he had a son also. The heart-break is too much and she cries.

In the present, Ji-hye's own story unfolds. Sang-min reveals his true feelings for Ji-hye — feelings that mirror her own. It is also revealed that their taking shelter together during the storm was no accident: he had purposely left his umbrella behind in a shop so that he could join her under the tree. Then, when Ji-hye pensively reveals her mother's story to him, tears stream down his face. Silently he lifts a necklace from around his neck and places it around hers. It is the necklace that Ji-hye's mother, Joo-hee, had given to Joon-ha when they met. The circle is completed: Joo-hee's daughter and Joon-ha's son have fallen in love.






Scandal Makers
Scandal Makers is a 2008 South Korean film written and directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol and starring Cha Tae-hyun in the lead role. This was director Kang's first film and the highest grossing Korean film of the year.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQR3-cYRH4&list=PLCD7AF55DB63D50F8&index=3








Plot：
Former teen idol Nam Hyeon-soo (Cha Tae-hyun) is now in his thirties and works as a radio DJ. A young woman named Hwang Jeong-nam (Park Bo-young) sends stories about her life as a single mother to the radio station Hyeon-soo works at, telling him she is going to meet her father. He then finds out that he's her father when she shows up at his apartment with her son Ki-dong (Wang Seok-hyeon). She tells him that her real name is Jae-in and that her mother was Hyeon-soo's first love Jeong-nam. Hyeon-soo doesn't believe it at first, so they undergo a DNA test and the results confirm that they're related. Jae-in dreams of performing on stage as a singer, but Hyeon-soo fears that if she does, their paternity scandal might get out. Because of Jae-in's rising popularity, Ki-dong's father Park Sang-yoon (Im Ji-kyu) finds her. They meet and chat, with Sang-yoon initially under the mistaken assumption that Jae-in is romantically involved with Hyeon-soo. When Ki-dong later goes missing at Jae-in's performance, Hyeon-soo realizes that he really does care for his daughter and grandson.







































《Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring》 ( Kim Ki-duk,2003)

Week10 -Cinema of Japan

《Detroit Metal City》plot：Soichi Negishi is a shy young musician who dreams of a career in pop. Dreams don't pay the bills, so he's ended up as the lead singer and guitarist of a blackened death metal band, "Detroit Metal City." Negishi despises DMC and all that it stands for, but he can't walk away as he has a talent to play the psychotic frontman of the band. The Krauser persona also functions as an outlet to vent his frustration over his failing personal career, which has not advanced beyond him being a street musician.

Negishi is envious of the popularity DMC and his Krauser persona enjoy in contrast to the music he actually wants to play being ridiculed, which in turn leads to his Krauser persona coming out more often, which leads to Krauser's popularity growing. The explores the futile attempts of Negishi to break this vicious circle, escape his DMC persona and become a successful pop musician

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69oBnU-CB7o

The Cinema of Japan 

The cinema of Japan (日本映画 Nihon eiga) has a history that spans more than 100 years. 

Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2010, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced.

In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that earned 54.9% of a box office total of US$2.338 billion.

Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived. In a ranking of the best films produced in Asia, Japan made up eight of the top twelve, with Tokyo Story ranked number one. 

Japan has won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film four times, again more than any other country in Asia.


My Recommend：

Hana and Alice（2004）
Hana and Alice is a 2004 Japanese teen romance film by director Shunji Iwai. The film, shot on HD digital video by the director of photography, Noboru Shinoda, who shared a longstanding working relationship with Shunji Iwai, concerns the life of two girls, the titular Hana and Alice , and the stress placed on their friendship as they move into high school.

Originally shot as a series of short films for the 30th anniversary of Kit Kat in Japan, it was later expanded into a feature film by Iwai and received theatrical release in Japan in 2004. It moved into theaters in other Asian territories later in 2004 and 2005, and into western film festivals, such as New York Asian Film Festival and Seattle International Film Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smRad0sPrbk

  

Departures (2008）

Departures is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Loosely based on Coffinman, a memoir by Shinmon Aoki, the film follows a young man who returns to his hometown after a failed career as a cellist and stumbles across work as a nōkanshi—a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. He is subjected to prejudice from those around him, including from his wife, because of strong social taboos against people who deal with death. Eventually he earns their respect and learns the importance of interpersonal connections through the beauty and dignity of his work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH0sJiFd1Gg

Spirited Away（2001）

Spirited Away  is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono and Bunta Sugawara, and tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXuk9QqQkk

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Week 9_Cinema of China

Cinema of China

The Cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the Cinema of Hong Kong and the Cinema of Taiwan.

Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, The Battle of Ding jun shan, was made in 1905, with the film industry being centered on Shanghai in the first decades. The first sound film, Sing-Song Girl Red Peony, using the sound-on-disc technology, was made in 1931. The 1930s, considered the first "golden period" of Chinese cinema, saw the advent of the Leftist cinematic movement and the dispute between Nationalists and Communists was reflected in the films produced. After the Japanese invasion of China and the occupation of Shanghai, the industry in the city was severely curtailed, with filmmakers moving to Hong Kong, Chongqing and other places, starting a "Solitary Island" period in Shanghai, referring to the city's foreign concessions, with the remaining filmmakers working there. Princess Iron Fan (1941), the first Chinese animated feature film, was released at the end of this period. After being completely engulfed by the occupation in 1941, and until the end of the war in 1945, the film industry in the city was under Japanese control.

After the end of the war, a second golden age took place, with production in Shanghai resuming, with films such as Spring in a Small Town (1948), named the best Chinese-language film at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards. After the communist revolution in 1949, previous and some foreign films were banned in 1951, and movie attendance increased sharply. During the Cultural Revolution, the film industry was severely restricted, coming almost to a standstill from 1967 to 1972. The industry flourished following the end of the Cultural Revolution, including the "scar dramas" of the 1980s, such as Evening Rain (1980), Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980) and Hibiscus Town (1986), depicting the emotional traumas left by the period. Starting in the mid to late 1980s, with films such as One and Eight (1983) and Yellow Earth (1984), the rise of the Fifth Generation brought increased popularity to Chinese cinema abroad, especially among Western arthouse audiences, with films like Red Sorghum (1987), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and Farewell My Concubine (1993) winning major international awards. The movement partially ended after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The post-1990 period saw the rise of the Sixth Generation and post-Sixth Generation, both mostly making films outside of the main Chinese film system and played mostly on the international film festival circuit.

Following the international commercial success of films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Hero (2002), the number of co-productions in Chinese-language cinema has increased and there has been a movement of Chinese-language cinema into a domain of large scale international influence. After The Dream Factory (1997) demonstrated the viability of the commercial model, and with the growth of the Chinese box office, Chinese films have broken box office records and, as of September 2015, 5 of the top 10 highest-grossing films in China are domestic productions. Lost in Thailand (2012) was the first Chinese film to reach CN¥1 billion at the Chinese box office and Monster Hunt (2015) is currently the highest grossing Chinese film in the domestic market and worldwide and the first to reach CN¥2 billion.

China is the home of the largest film studio in the world, the Hengdian World Studios, and in 2010 it had the third largest film industry by number of feature films produced annually. In 2012 the country became the second-largest market in the world by box office receipts. In 2014, the gross box office in China was ¥29.6 billion (US$4.82 billion), with domestic films having a share of 55%. The country is predicted to have the largest market in the world in 2017 or 2018. China has also become a major hub of business for Hollywood studios.



Hero (2002)
Hero is a 2002 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC.

Hero was first released in China on 24 October 2002. At that time, it was the most expensive project and the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese film history. Miramax Films owned the American market distribution rights, but delayed the release of the film for nearly two years. It was finally presented by Quentin Tarantino to American theaters on 27 August 2004.





Plot：
In ancient China during the Warring States period, the nameless prefect of a small jurisdiction arrives at the Qin state's capital city to meet the king of Qin, who has survived an attempt on his life by the assassins Long Sky, Flying Snow, and Broken Sword. Because of the assassination attempt, no visitors are to approach the king within 100 paces. 'Nameless' claims that he has slain the three assassins and he displays their weapons before the king, who allows the former to sit closer to him and tell him his story.

Nameless recounts killing Long Sky at a weiqi parlor; later to meet Flying Snow and Broken Sword at a calligraphy school in the Zhao state, where he pitted them against each other until Snow killed Sword and was herself slain by Nameless. As the tale concludes, the king expresses disbelief and accuses Nameless of staging the duels with the assassins, who surrendered their lives to allow him to gain the king's trust and take the king's life.

Nameless admits that he is a native of the Zhao state and that his family was killed by Qin soldiers; he also confesses that he defeated Sky without killing him and asked Snow and Sword to cooperate by faking a duel as well. Sword had waited for Nameless on his way to Qin after his false duel with Snow. He told Nameless that the only way to achieve peace was to unite the states under a common dynasty, namely that of Qin, which alone had the ability to do so, thus revealing why Sword gave up his earlier assassination attempt.

The king, affected by the tale and by Sword's understanding of his dream to unify China, ceases to fear Nameless. He tosses his sword to Nameless and examines a scroll drawn by Sword. The king understands that it describes the ideal warrior, who, paradoxically, should have no desire to kill. When Nameless realizes the wisdom of these words, he abandons his mission and spares the king.

When Snow learns that Sword convinced Nameless to forgo the assassination, she furiously challenges Sword to a fight and unintentionally kills him when he chooses not to defend himself so that she would understand his feelings for her. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Snow commits suicide. Urged by his court, the king reluctantly orders Nameless to be executed at the Qin palace. He understands that in order to unify the world, he must enforce the law to execute Nameless as an example to the world. As the film ends, Nameless receives a hero's funeral and a closing text identifies the king as Qin Shi Huang.

Let the Bullets Fly（2010）

Let the Bullets Fly  is a 2010 action comedy film written and directed by Jiang Wen, based on a story by Ma Shitu (马识途), a famous Sichuanese writer. The film is set in Sichuan during the 1920s when the bandit Zhang (Jiang Wen) descends upon a town posing as its new mayor. The film also stars Chow Yun-fat, Ge You, Carina Lau, Chen Kun and Zhou Yun.

The film's script went through over thirty drafts before Jiang Wen was happy with it. Let the Bullets Fly was originally to be released in September 2010 but was pushed back to December. Made in Mandarin and Sichuanese, the film broke several box office records in China, and has received critical acclaim, when it was released. Let the Bullets Fly grossed 674 million yuan (US$110 million) in Chinese box office (becoming the highest grossing domestic film in China until it was beaten by Painted Skin: The Resurrection in 2012) and $140 million worldwide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFoLfRA5ghw

week 8_Hong Kong Cinema (part 2)

《He's a Woman, She's a Man》

He's a Woman, She's a Man (金枝玉葉） is a 1994 film directed by Peter Chan Ho Sun and written by James Yuen and Lee Chi Ngai. It stars Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Anita Yuen Wing Yee, Carina Lau Kar Ling, Jordan Chan Siu Chun and Eric Tsang Chi Wai. Its many awards garnered include Best Actress at the 14th Annual HK Film Awards for Anita Yuen and Best Original Song for 'Chase' by Leslie Cheung. It was followed by a sequel: Who's the Woman, Who's the Man? in 1996. The theme song is 'Chase' (追) sung by Leslie Cheung (Most Beloved album, 1995).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0N46dxiCCg




Plot：
Wing (Anita Yuen) is a sassy girl who deeply idolizes Rose (Carina Lau), a pop singer, and Rose's boyfriend, top record producer and songwriter Sam (Leslie Cheung). Rose has been groomed by Sam, achieving stardom and international acclaim. With her success, Sam decides to try his hand at bringing up a male singer. He decides to announce a country-wide, males-only talent search, much to his former protegée's chagrin.

Wing, desperate to meet her idols, seizes this opportunity and enters the contest disguised as a male. Her childhood friend (Jordan Chan) trains her to perfect this whimsical idea.

As fate would have it, Wing succeeds in the audition thanks to the poor quality of those auditioning and in part to Rose's taunts. Rose challenges Sam to see to the idea of him bringing up a (relatively) talentless Wing.


Wing is later invited to stay at Sam and Rose's home for her/"his" musical education. Wing tries unsuccessfully to reconcile the two lovers' difference. Trouble and comedy ensue as she finds herself falling for Sam and vice versa, despite him thinking she is a he.



Film Review：

Leslie performances in the play of color and not as good as cliche, a pinnacle of the music entertainment industry Language nobility how longing mortal struggle behave penetrating music, and suffered "gay" Ling zi ying period and found myself actually in love with him when it kind of helpless panic that heart is through his brother more confused eyes passed vividly. And when the singer came out crazy ideas contest, so let fans experience the wild face a positive, high aspirations of musicians, such a performance, called the Hong Kong film flash in the pan. Actress Anita's performance is a breakthrough in a new level, and when a fledgling new face and envision different idols and love a special exhibit a very high level of loss.

 At first glance, the film is only a seemingly touched touched, not really impressed. Occasion, re-read, just savor the meaning of the title, "descendants of royal families", said a group of people, it seems to say is these people's plight, director Peter Chan in the film which reflects one of the basic ideology of entertainment, but also thereby expressed Age of Innocence memories. The so-called imperious princess, eventually to the world is the root, is an extraordinary opportunity which can not beg of mind, only really know people and have fun. Such feelings in "Tale Of Two Cities," which has been seen, and finally in "Roman Holiday", the experience is not the same feeling.

 In fairness Leslie Cheung Hong Kong cinema as a Gorgeous myths, extraordinary acting, smiles, showing a strange tension, into the role and beyond the role, I seem to see the anxious face cause difficulties when he himself, even if 94 years, he has not for these problems.

Carina Lau arrogant and naive coexistence "Rose" is also performing certain look, plus gold and gold wash estimate Tsang supporting Law Ka Ying, "Jinzhiyuye" dramatic color is also quite strong.

Week7 - Hong Kong Cinema (part1)

The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema , alongside the cinema of China , and the cinema of Taiwan.For decades, Hong Kong was the third largest motion picture industry in the world (after Indian cinema and Hollywood ) and the second largest exporter.

In the West, Hong Kong's vigorous pop cinema (especially Hong Kong action cinema ) has long had a strong cult following , which is now arguably a part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated.

Unlike many film industries, Hong Kong has enjoyed little or no direct government support, through either subsidies or import quotas. It is a thoroughly commercial cinema: highly corporate, concentrating on crowd-pleasing genres like comedy and action, and relying heavily on formulas , sequels and remakes .

Hong Kong film derives a number of elements from Hollywood, such as certain genre parameters, a "thrill-a-minute" philosophy and fast pacing and editing .But the borrowings are filtered through elements from traditional Chinese drama and art , particularly a penchant for stylisation and a disregard for Western standards of realism .This, combined with a fast and loose approach to the filmmaking process, contributes to the energy and surreal imagination that foreign audiences note in Hong Kong cinema.


                                

Bodyguards and Assassins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_98z02TPVw 

Bodyguards and Assassins is a 2009 Hong Kong historical action film directed by Teddy Chan, featuring an all-star cast, including Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Leon Lai, Wang Xueqi, Simon Yam, Hu Jun, Eric Tsang, Cung Le and Fan Bingbing.

Plot：

In 1905, Sun Wen intends to go abroad to Hong Kong, then a British colony, to discuss his plans with fellow Tongmenghui members to overthrow the corrupt and crumbling Qing dynasty in China. Empress Dowager Cixi sends a group of assassins, led by Yan Xiaoguo, to kill Sun. Revolutionary Chen Shaobai arrives in Hong Kong a few days before Sun's arrival, to meet Li Yutang, a businessman who provides financial aid for the revolutionaries. As Sun Wen's arrival day draws near, trouble begins brewing in Hong Kong as Chen Shaobai's acquaintances are murdered and Chen himself is kidnapped by the assassins during a raid. Li Yutang decides to officially declare his support for the revolutionaries after the newspaper agency is closed by the British authorities, who do not interfere in China's political situation. Li rallies a group of men, including rickshaw pullers, hawkers and a beggar, to serve as bodyguards for Sun Wen when he arrives. Li's son, Chongguang, is chosen to act as a decoy for Sun Wen to divert the assassins away while Sun attends the meeting and leaves Hong Kong safely.

Infernal Affairs




















Infernal Affairs is a 2002 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates a triad, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. The Chinese title means "The Unceasing Path", a reference to Avici, the lowest level of hell in Buddhism, where one endures suffering incessantly. The English title is a word play combining the law enforcement term "internal affairs" with the adjective "infernal". Infernal Affairs was followed by Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III.

Pre-release publicity focused on its star-studded cast (Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Kelly Chen and Sammi Cheng), but it later received critical acclaim for its original plot and its concise and swift storytelling style.

The film had been selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. Still, Miramax Films acquired the United States distribution rights of this film and gave it a limited U.S. theatrical release in 2004.

Infernal Affairs was remade by Martin Scorsese in 2006 as The Departed, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Plot：
Infernal Affairs focuses on a police officer named Chan Wing-yan, who goes undercover into a triad, and a triad member Lau Kin-ming, who infiltrates the Hong Kong Police Force. Each mole has been planted by the rival organisation to gain an advantage in intelligence over the other side. The more the moles become involved in their undercover lives, the more issues they have to cope with.

The prologue opens with the introduction of triad boss Hon Sam, who sends a number of young gangsters to the police academy as moles, among whom include a young Lau. Concurrently, a young Chan joins the police force but is seemingly expelled from the academy even though he manages to impress Superintendent Wong Chi-shing. In reality, Chan has become an undercover agent reporting only to Wong. Over the course of ten years, Chan experiences great stress from his undercover work while Lau quickly rises through the ranks in the police department. The film begins with a meeting between Chan and Lau in a hi-fi store without either of them knowing the other's identity.

Wong and his team interrupt a deal between Hon Sam and a Thai cocaine dealer after receiving a tip-off from Chan using Morse code. However, Lau alerts Hon, giving him enough time to order his minions to dispose of the cocaine, eliminating solid evidence of the drug deal. After the incident, Wong and Hon are both aware that they each have a mole within their respective organisations, placing them in a race against time to root out the other mole. Later, Chan sees Hon conversing with Lau at a cinema but does not see Lau's face clearly; he ultimately fails to capture Lau. By this time, both Chan and Lau are struggling with their double identities – Chan starts losing faith in himself as a cop after being a gangster for ten years; Lau becomes more accustomed to the life of a police officer and he wants to erase his criminal background.

At their next meeting, Wong intends to pull Chan out of undercover work for fear of his safety. They are unaware that Lau has his subordinate, CIB Inspector B, tracking him. Meanwhile, Hon sends "Crazy" Keung and other henchmen to confront them after receiving intel from Lau. Inspector B informs Lau and sends an OCTB squad to save Wong. Chan flees from the building using a crane while Wong sacrifices himself to save him by distracting Hon's men. Wong is beaten and thrown off the roof by the gangsters. As the police close in, a shootout ensues in which several gangsters are killed. Keung drives Chan away from the scene, but later dies from a mortal gunshot wound. It is reported on the news that Keung himself was an undercover cop; Hon assumes that he was the mole and that Chan killed him to protect the triad.

Lau retrieves Wong's cell phone and contacts Chan, with both of them agreeing to foil a drug deal by Hon. The plan succeeds and many of Hon's men are arrested, while Lau betrays Hon and kills him. Everything seems to have returned to normal – Chan can revert to his true identity as a cop, while Lau has erased his criminal connections by eliminating Hon's triad. However, back at police headquarters, Chan discovers that Lau was the mole and leaves immediately. Lau, realising what has happened, erases Chan's file from the police database. Chan spends an evening with his therapist, Dr. Lee Sum-yee, with whom he has fallen in love. He sends to Lau a compact disc with a recording that Hon kept between himself and Lau; the disc is inadvertently intercepted by Lau's girlfriend, Mary.

Chan and Lau meet on the same rooftop where Wong was killed earlier. Chan disarms Lau without resistance and holds a gun to Lau's head, as a rebuke to Lau's plea for forgiveness and request to remain as a cop. Inspector B arrives on the scene shortly and orders Chan to release Lau. Chan holds Lau as a hostage at gunpoint and backs into an elevator, but upon moving his head from behind Lau he is suddenly shot in the head by B. B then reveals to Lau that he is also a mole planted by Hon. As they take the lift down to the lobby, Lau kills B out of his desire to eradicate traces of his past, become a "good guy" cop, and end the mole hunt.

The original ending climaxes with Lau identifying himself to the police as one of them. Lee discovers records revealing Chan as the undercover officer; B is blamed of being the mole within the force and the case is closed. Lau salutes Chan at his funeral, with Cheung and Lee present as well. A flashback reaffirms the point that Lau wished he had taken a different route in life. In mainland China, an alternate ending for the film was created, in which Lau exits the elevator and is informed by Cheung that the police have found evidence that he was a mole. Lau hands them his badge and is arrested without protest. The sequel, Infernal Affairs III, uses the original ending instead of the alternate one.

Film Review：
This is a great color films in Hong Kong, as the theme song in the Mandarin class sings it, who understand the survival ratio is often also cruel fate, but no one wants to admit defeat. This is a story about survival, but it seems that "survive" as the theme, in Hong Kong, a slit-like on land yet so sharp.

We all know that their duties would be after the end of the story in stone, so will the story wrong thing. However, when this is our story, when our story, the end of our life? Nobody knew we were going to go, no one knows in the end there will be any Armageddon ...... because everything is unknown, select the camp will be in good and bad for himself. Then, it became an eternal topic, you are good or bad?

The film starring all have reached the pinnacle of his career, Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, including Chapman. Everyone, all with such a distinctive label, Yeung-Jen Chen and Liu Jianming, Wong Chi-ming and Han Chen, who is good or bad they are all too vividly. People live too understand that when life is so bloody, but if live confused, these may also be a band before, so that woolly-headed, especially in the face of such impossible strict division of a second election. We are to defend themselves, want others to know that they are generally dedicated as Yeung-Jen Chen side, but also expect others to be able to understand their own side as Liu Jianming, just because a step wrong wrong step or in fact the fate of us simply do not go down that arrangements good road.

The film's story of life and death can only be used to end, and life stories, but they can be more tolerant, to good people like to own some of the cozy comfort, give the bad guys a chance just like to give yourself a chance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_qN1uR7pU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN1XouJPhbo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGmdJJKBxDw