Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 1, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 1, 2014 I just saw it in the theater and didn't like it. I LOVED IT! I also stay away from reading reviews to after I see a film. I find that many who review are consistently negative. I do recognize though the Amazing Grace scene was pretty awful. I do think watching a HK flick in a cinema with a whole heap of like minded enthusiasts, who are all equally wanting to like the movie, can definitely add to the enjoyment of the experience. I watched 'Viral Factor' in the cinema and came out like a raving lunatic declaring it to be the saving grace of Hong Kong action cinema. Skip forward a few months to when I picked it up on DVD and was watching it in the comfort of my own home, I couldn't get over how I'd overlooked so many glaring plot contrivances. Not saying that'll be the case with you & 'The White Storm', just throwing it out there that sometimes the cinematic experience as a whole can cloud our judgement on the overall quality of a movie, and there's no way I'm a person that's consistently negative! On a lighter note, if you've seen 'Firestorm' as well, feel free to contribute to the poll! - http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21454 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Superfly Posted July 1, 2014 Member Share Posted July 1, 2014 I do think watching a HK flick in a cinema with a whole heap of like minded enthusiasts, who are all equally wanting to like the movie, can definitely add to the enjoyment of the experience. I watched 'Viral Factor' in the cinema and came out like a raving lunatic declaring it to be the saving grace of Hong Kong action cinema. Skip forward a few months to when I picked it up on DVD and was watching it in the comfort of my own home, I couldn't get over how I'd overlooked so many glaring plot contrivances. Not saying that'll be the case with you & 'The White Storm', just throwing it out there that sometimes the cinematic experience as a whole can cloud our judgement on the overall quality of a movie, and there's no way I'm a person that's consistently negative! On a lighter note, if you've seen 'Firestorm' as well, feel free to contribute to the poll! - http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21454 The comment wasn't directed at anyone on here directly. I meant in general I find most reviews done by sites like Twitch and the like to be negative. You have a point about the cinematic experience playing a part. As for Firestorm I will be seeing it next Wednesday. But I will contribute to the poll after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted July 1, 2014 Member Share Posted July 1, 2014 Polar opposites do attract. I'll check it out still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 1, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 1, 2014 Thank you! Just watched it too..luckily without reading all these comments here or should I say whining... But Fraaaaaaank, what do you meeeeeeeean we are always whiiiiiining? sorry,some of you guys are hard to please. LOL I often feel that way too. But this film just really irritated me. Perhaps now that you've watched it, you may enjoy reading the thread. I think it's actually very amusing. I'd be curious to see if after reading the comments, you may agree with some of them. the movie was entertainment ala HK..like all those 80bloodsheds were so much better... white storm is bloody and entertaining or just bloody entertaining..lol.. i liked it! nuff said I just saw it in the theater and didn't like it. I LOVED IT! I also stay away from reading reviews to after I see a film. I find that many who review are consistently negative. I do recognize though the Amazing Grace scene was pretty awful. I'm really glad you guys got that kind of experience from watching it. I think it's funny that I had so many problems with the film, but the one thing that almost everyone cited as a negative was the "Amazing Grace" scene, and it was something I liked. I do think watching a HK flick in a cinema with a whole heap of like minded enthusiasts, who are all equally wanting to like the movie, can definitely add to the enjoyment of the experience. Good point. I watched 'Viral Factor' in the cinema and came out like a raving lunatic declaring it to be the saving grace of Hong Kong action cinema. Skip forward a few months to when I picked it up on DVD and was watching it in the comfort of my own home, I couldn't get over how I'd overlooked so many glaring plot contrivances. I actually did a blind buy of VIRAL FACTOR based on your initial praise over it! Why I awtta... LOL I liked it. But I was surprised that it wasn't better after reading your review. and there's no way I'm a person that's consistently negative! Hmmm... That's actually the two words I always use to describe you. On a lighter note, if you've seen 'Firestorm' as well, feel free to contribute to the poll! - http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21454 The comment wasn't directed at anyone on here directly. I meant in general I find most reviews done by sites like Twitch and the like to be negative. You have a point about the cinematic experience playing a part. As for Firestorm I will be seeing it next Wednesday. But I will contribute to the poll after. Looking forward to your thoughts on FIRESTORM Superfly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 2, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 2, 2014 I actually did a blind buy of VIRAL FACTOR based on your initial praise over it! Why I awtta... LOL I liked it. But I was surprised that it wasn't better after reading your review. Ha ha, sorry! I admit in the cinema it was a pretty thunderous experience, with the bullets and RPG's rocking the auditoriums surround system like there was no tomorrow. I guess I was so overwhelmed by the audio / visual bombardment that I became blinded to some of the glaring plot holes, and the fact it makes Kuala Lumpur seem to consist of about 2 blocks where if you're looking for someone, chances are you'll randomly bump into them! But back on topic....it was still leagues ahead of 'The White Storm'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 2, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 2, 2014 Ha ha, sorry! I admit in the cinema it was a pretty thunderous experience, with the bullets and RPG's rocking the auditoriums surround system like there was no tomorrow. I guess I was so overwhelmed by the audio / visual bombardment that I became blinded to some of the glaring plot holes, and the fact it makes Kuala Lumpur seem to consist of about 2 blocks where if you're looking for someone, chances are you'll randomly bump into them! But back on topic....it was still leagues ahead of 'The White Storm'. I still enjoyed it a lot- no worries. The Well Go USA BD looks fantastic too. But the lack of excited fellow fans did allow me to watch it more objectively. Honestly, after all of this praise, I'm thinking I may have to re-watch WHITE STORM! Nah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member irongut Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 After watching this in the theatre I'm going to first say that everything about this film is balls to the wall in a good and bad way. I was digging the familiar story of the undercover cop in the ranks of the triad and wished that it could of stayed a bit darker and perhaps a betrayal by Louis Koo's character should of been called for but once the thailand bit started to get introduced, it seemed like more and more non-realistic situations started to multiply. I was hoping a Thailand overlord would not be a fluent canto speaking boss that looked like old boy and the tranny daughter thing was a bit wacky. The Tsim Sha Tsui manga wiseguy was a big turnoff for me too. I guess you can say there are definitely a lot of loopholes to the story and non-sensical scenes that we can mention. That being said, amongst the silly scenes being piled on top of each other, how the story started to unfold, and the added balls to wall gun fu scenes that reminded me of the heroic bloodshed movies of HKs yesteryear....I walked out of the theater thoroughly entertained...shaking my head a lot of the times but entertained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 7, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 7, 2014 After watching this in the theatre I'm going to first say that everything about this film is balls to the wall in a good and bad way. I was digging the familiar story of the undercover cop in the ranks of the triad and wished that it could of stayed a bit darker and perhaps a betrayal by Louis Koo's character should of been called for but once the thailand bit started to get introduced, it seemed like more and more non-realistic situations started to multiply. I was hoping a Thailand overlord would not be a fluent canto speaking boss that looked like old boy and the tranny daughter thing was a bit wacky. The Tsim Sha Tsui manga wiseguy was a big turnoff for me too. I guess you can say there are definitely a lot of loopholes to the story and non-sensical scenes that we can mention. That being said, amongst the silly scenes being piled on top of each other, how the story started to unfold, and the added balls to wall gun fu scenes that reminded me of the heroic bloodshed movies of HKs yesteryear....I walked out of the theater thoroughly entertained...shaking my head a lot of the times but entertained. Okay, sounds like you have similar feelings to how I feel about it. Glad to hear that you still enjoyed it. But the shooting and the fall and the crocodile lake??? Were you like "What the...?!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member irongut Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 Okay, sounds like you have similar feelings to how I feel about it. Glad to hear that you still enjoyed it. But the shooting and the fall and the crocodile lake??? Were you like "What the...?!" When I saw Nick driving that car sporting a 'stache in the container scene I was like WTF! Yeah, hard to believe he didn't 1) die instantly from the shot 2)die from the fall 3)die bleeding 4)die from the crocodiles or maybe all of the above?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 7, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 7, 2014 When I saw Nick driving that car sporting a 'stache in the container scene I was like WTF! Yeah, hard to believe he didn't 1) die instantly from the shot 2)die from the fall 3)die bleeding 4)die from the crocodiles or maybe all of the above?! 5) have any kind of problem marrying a dude. Especially when I thought he had a wife earlier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Superfly Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 5) have any kind of problem marrying a dude. Especially when I thought he had a wife earlier? At the risk of being made fun of. I researched the actress who played the daughter. She indeed was born a male. But has undergone a sex change operation. So she now has all female parts. My guess is that is the same situation of her character. So that kind of explains the marriage a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Noelle Shadow Kick Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 5) have any kind of problem marrying a dude. Especially when I thought he had a wife earlier? I was confused because I thought they had run into his wife at his funeral too, but it was the funeral of the other cop (I believe he had glasses) who they were holding outside the car doors as they tried to get away but was shot. So I don't think THAT guy had a wife earlier. Also, I sort of enjoyed that it was just briefly mentioned that she was born male and then no one acted like it was a big deal. She was a she, and that's that. Oddly progressive, and I really like to see that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 7, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 7, 2014 At the risk of being made fun of. I researched the actress who played the daughter. She indeed was born a male. But has undergone a sex change operation. So she now has all female parts. My guess is that is the same situation of her character. So that kind of explains the marriage a little. No one should make fun of you for saying what you want brother. Interesting info. I was confused because I thought they had run into his wife at his funeral too, but it was the funeral of the other cop (I believe he had glasses) who they were holding outside the car doors as they tried to get away but was shot. So I don't think THAT guy had a wife earlier. Also, I sort of enjoyed that it was just briefly mentioned that she was born male and then no one acted like it was a big deal. She was a she, and that's that. Oddly progressive, and I really like to see that. If I came across as an immature asshole with my joke I apologize to anyone I may have offended. Personally I feel that people should be able to be comfortable with themselves, make whatever changes are necessary to feel that way, and that any love between adults is a good thing. But many of my Chinese friends have more... shall we say "traditional" views on this sort of thing. So I found it ridiculous that this rough and tumble Hong Kong guy was like "Oh, you used to be a dude? No worries." SPOILER ALERT... Perhaps after surviving a point-blank gunshot to the heart and falling two hundred feet into a lake of man-eating crocodiles and surviving you tend to loosen up a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Superfly Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 No one should make fun of you for saying what you want brother. Interesting info. If I came across as an immature asshole with my joke I apologize to anyone I may have offended. Personally I feel that people should be able to be comfortable with themselves, make whatever changes are necessary to feel that way, and that any love between adults is a good thing. But many of my Chinese friends have more... shall we say "traditional" views on this sort of thing. So I found it ridiculous that this rough and tumble Hong Kong guy was like "Oh, you used to be a dude? No worries." SPOILER ALERT... Perhaps after surviving a point-blank gunshot to the heart and falling two hundred feet into a lake of man-eating crocodiles and surviving you tend to loosen up a bit? Not at all Bob. I didn't find anything wrong with the joke. I was just interested to find out if she was really a male due to the fact she definitely didn't look like one. And to also understand Nick Cheung's relationship with her. We all know you can't be PC when it comes to Asian Cinema. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 8, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 8, 2014 Not at all Bob. I didn't find anything wrong with the joke. I was just interested to find out if she was really a male due to the fact she definitely didn't look like one. And to also understand Nick Cheung's relationship with her. Right on. We all know you can't be PC when it comes to Asian Cinema. Did someone say "PANTYHOSE HEROES?" LOL Actually, I worked with a guy that said he loved HK cinema, but he hadn't seen a lot of it. I lent him some classics and he especially loved Sammo. So he looked up his films and asked me "What the hell is PANTYHOSE HEROES?" Well, he's gay, so I told him how crude, thoughtless, and full of ridiculous and offensive stereotypes it is, and that he should stay far away from it. But he has a fantastic sense of humor, wasn't worried about it offending him, and asked "Did you like it?" I admitted that even though it was quite childish, I couldn't help but laugh at a lot of the comedy and that it contains some killer action scenes. He insisted that he wanted to see it it, so I lent it to him. He texted me halfway through the film to say that he and his boyfriend were crying they were laughing so hard! Then he used to quote the lines from the movie "You gay?" "Me gay too." at work and it would always crack me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Noelle Shadow Kick Posted July 8, 2014 Member Share Posted July 8, 2014 If I came across as an immature asshole with my joke I apologize to anyone I may have offended. Personally I feel that people should be able to be comfortable with themselves, make whatever changes are necessary to feel that way, and that any love between adults is a good thing. But many of my Chinese friends have more... shall we say "traditional" views on this sort of thing. So I found it ridiculous that this rough and tumble Hong Kong guy was like "Oh, you used to be a dude? No worries." No no I wasn't offended, no worries!! I found it odd too but was just pointing out that I found it kind of nice that they didn't make a big deal about it. Actually, I worked with a guy that said he loved HK cinema, but he hadn't seen a lot of it. I lent him some classics and he especially loved Sammo. So he looked up his films and asked me "What the hell is PANTYHOSE HEROES?" Well, he's gay, so I told him how crude, thoughtless, and full of ridiculous and offensive stereotypes it is, and that he should stay far away from it. But he has a fantastic sense of humor, wasn't worried about it offending him, and asked "Did you like it?" I admitted that even though it was quite childish, I couldn't help but laugh at a lot of the comedy and that it contains some killer action scenes. He insisted that he wanted to see it it, so I lent it to him. He texted me halfway through the film to say that he and his boyfriend were crying they were laughing so hard! Then he used to quote the lines from the movie "You gay?" "Me gay too." at work and it would always crack me up. Hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Doctor Schnabel von Rom Posted July 16, 2014 Member Share Posted July 16, 2014 the white storm is very good cinema, sometimes i felt like the olt days with all the great john woo movies like the killer, a better tomorrow etc. real heroic bloodshed with some great action-scenes and make buddys to enemys. for my taste one of the best new modern chinese action movies in the last years! please more of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 16, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 16, 2014 Man, this one has certainly divided fans! It's fascinating to me how differently we are all affected by this film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Superfly Posted July 21, 2014 Member Share Posted July 21, 2014 Man, this one has certainly divided fans! It's fascinating to me how differently we are all affected by this film. It was just announced White Storm won the Daniel A Craft Award at the NYAFF for excellence in action cinema. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 22, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 22, 2014 It was just announced White Storm won the Daniel A Craft Award at the NYAFF for excellence in action cinema. I wonder what Daniel himself would of thought of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 22, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 22, 2014 It was just announced White Storm won the Daniel A Craft Award at the NYAFF for excellence in action cinema. I just had to check the date to make sure it wasn't April 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted January 26, 2015 Author Member Share Posted January 26, 2015 The film has a good opening showcasing good character development, and cinematography/lighting that goes along with the glittery buildings of Hong Kong well. Can't recall the last time I'd seen this in a recent Hong Kong film. Enter another setting (Thailand in this case) and the film starts to slowly go downhill. Turns into a different film as it feels so out of place and disjointed somehow. Lines spoken in English and additional characters makes it more awkward. Worst thing is all the cheap plot twists and melodramatic moments. B. Chan's films have good premise but tend to get ruined by his messy storytelling/scriptwriting. Things are introduced, progresses, then continues to expose to the point of unnecessity before reaching bad climaxes. Linear to non-linear composition. That has always been his weakness: Inconsistency, not knowing when there's appropriation and limitation in his stories. For action enthusiasts, this will satisfy. That is if you're alright with CGI being in the way. Had me shaking my head throughout the course of the film whenever the gun action started (the fist fights were decent). I can understand the option of action film-makers choosing special effects for explosions and ammo over the real thing. Economical and safety reasons. But when this turns into a growing trend, that's where you'll realize that there's something wrong going on. This is something that has been existent since the late 2000s and only few HK directors (props to J. To) got it right. Then it got worse as the years went by. CGI over authenticity? No thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted October 21, 2022 Author Member Share Posted October 21, 2022 (edited) On 1/26/2015 at 6:08 PM, DiP said: The film has a good opening showcasing good character development, and cinematography/lighting that goes along with the glittery buildings of Hong Kong well. Can't recall the last time I'd seen this in a recent Hong Kong film. Enter another setting (Thailand in this case) and the film starts to slowly go downhill. Turns into a different film as it feels so out of place and disjointed somehow. Lines spoken in English and additional characters makes it more awkward. Worst thing is all the cheap plot twists and melodramatic moments. B. Chan's films have good premise but tend to get ruined by his messy storytelling/scriptwriting. Things are introduced, progresses, then continues to expose to the point of unnecessity before reaching bad climaxes. Linear to non-linear composition. That has always been his weakness: Inconsistency, not knowing when there's appropriation and limitation in his stories. For action enthusiasts, this will satisfy. That is if you're alright with CGI being in the way. Had me shaking my head throughout the course of the film whenever the gun action started (the fist fights were decent). I can understand the option of action film-makers choosing special effects for explosions and ammo over the real thing. Economical and safety reasons. But when this turns into a growing trend, that's where you'll realize that there's something wrong going on. This is something that has been existent since the late 2000s and only few HK directors (props to J. To) got it right. Then it got worse as the years went by. CGI over authenticity? No thanks. Rewatched it for the first time. There's alot of things in that old post I still agree with... Like the inclusion of CGI overtaking pretty much everything in the shots instead of merely enhancing them to much smaller extents, with authenticity maintained and shown to the viewers. Can't filmmakers just go back to the basics of action filmmaking? What's preventing them from doing so...? Anyway... There's some dramatic moments (the scene in the hospital with Lau Ching-Wan laughing, the three lead actors crashing into each other's cars at the warehouse) that made me burst out laughing for looking so overdone. Plus some plot twists should've been cut out as they didn't serve anything in the story. Otherwise, I actually like movie even more this time around. The story may be unoriginal but it's serviceable and very engaging thanks to the acting of the cast, and of course Benny Chan's tight direction. Despite what I've said about his movies before, this is one movie that I find exceptional. Compared to his action movies in the 2000s, Chan really stepped up in not only conceptualizing and shooting action scenes but also sharpening his storytelling skills. It's far from flawless but compared to movies such as New Police Story and Invisible Target, it was good progression for Chan doing experiments with the nitty and gritty of serious action/crime movies, which he succeeded with. Edited October 21, 2022 by DiP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.