‘David Lynch altered our brains’: fellow directors, friends and fans remember a titan of cinema

-
His unique, twisted visions shocked and seduced generations of filmgoers. Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, Coralie Fargeat and more pay tribute • Ranked: David Lynch’s films and TV shows • Cigarettes were Lynch’s magic wand – and his undoing Paul Schrader, director Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/GMHZC9Q via IFTTT
Post a Comment

Where the Wind Blows review – a heady mix of gangster lore, lust and lawlessness

-

Hong Kong stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai play corrupt police officers in Philip Yung’s ambitious but over-the-top crime epic

This stunning-looking but chronologically restless Hong Kong-set crime epic unfurls across 50-odd years from the mid-20th century; it revolves around two frenemy protagonists, corrupt police officers played here by Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who were inspired by real-life Hong Kong cops/triad front men back in the day. Altogether, it’s a heady mix of potted history, period detail, violence, gangster lore, lust and lawlessness on which writer-director Philip Yung (Port of Call) really goes to town, splashing budget money like petrol all over the place and then throwing a lighted match on top just to see the pretty flames. The ambition and swagger is undeniably admirable, but the end result is a bit of a charred mess – or perhaps more flatteringly a burnt offering to some of the many film-makers Yung (a former film critic) clearly has the hots for, such as Martin Scorsese in gangster-movie mode, early 2000s Wong Kar-Wai and Infernal Affairs’ Andrew Lau among many others.

It’s not always easy to follow the plot; Yung and his team keep weaving back and forth between a yellow-gel-viewed 1970s, black-and-white times when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong during the second world war, and the 60s when colours were at their lushest, the women all wore cheongsams and the men all had razor-sharp tailored suits. But, roughly, here’s the idea: Lui Lok (Kwok) and Nam Kong (Leung Chiu-wai) both hail from very different backgrounds, and are traumatised by the war in different ways. The two men, along with assorted henchmen with funny nicknames like Limpy and Chubby, set a treaty with the triads to keep the peace and get a cut of the money from gambling dens, the drug trade and prostitution.

Continue reading...

from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/j7R1M94
via IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘I lied to get the part’: Melvyn Hayes on his ‘angry young man’ beginnings – and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum

-
He was tipped to be the next Richard Burton – but ended up as crossdressing Gunner Gloria in the now controversial sitcom. As his breakthrough classic returns to the screen, Hayes looks back One day in 1957, Melvyn Hayes was on the set of a film called Woman in a Dressing Gown when a man sat down next to him. “I was getting paid £5 a day and I’d been on location for three days,” the actor recalls. “All I had to do was walk up to a house and put a newspaper through a letterbox. That was my part. Finished. I said to this bloke, ‘I can’t believe the waste of money on this film. Take me. You could have got a newspaper boy on £1 a day to do what I’m doing.’ Then I said, ‘What do you do then, you lazy bugger?’ And he said, ‘I’m the producer.’” Hayes, now 89, giggles at the memory of the cheek of himself at 23. Back then, £5 a day was a decent whack. His first job in showbiz, in the early 1950s, was as assistant to The Great Masoni, a magician who tasked Hayes with “disappearing twice daily...
Read more

The Exorcism review – Russell Crowe v the Devil in cursed horror about a cursed horror

-
The actor plays an actor struggling with a demonically bad film shoot in a well-made yet increasingly messy chiller Like many other dethroned A-listers of his generation, Oscar winner Russell Crowe has found himself a steady career hustling far further down the food chain, headlining B-movies he once would have balked at. The last few years have seen the famed actor crop up in gonzo road rage thriller Unhinged , shepherd the other Hemsworths in war drama Land of Bad , lead the barely released crime thriller Sleeping Dogs earlier this year and become the pope’s exorcist in The Pope’s Exorcist . The latter became something of a surprise hit, first theatrically and then on Netflix, albeit in a rather jokey way, the film most easily remembered for the many memes of Crowe on a scooter. Its success was such that it not only guaranteed a sequel (The Pope’s Exorcist 2 is coming), but it also led to another of his exorcism movies getting saved from streaming hell and being delivered to th...
Read more

Karan Johar RRR stars Jr. NTR Ram Charan Siddharth Roy Kapur and Mani Ratnam invited by The Academy to join as members

-
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended invitations to 398 distinguished artists and executives to join the organization in 2023. As per the official website, the membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion, and equity. Amongst them are filmmakers Karan Johar and Mani Ratnam, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and RRR stars Jr. NTR and Ram Charan. Amongst actors Jr. NTR and Ram Charan’s names crop up who’ve had an illustrious year with the massive success of RRR globally followed by an Oscar win for ‘Naatu Naatu’. Karan Johar has been named in the producers’ category whereas Mani Ratnam’s name is mentioned amongst the directors. "The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership. They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines, and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide," ...
Read more