Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted August 25, 2014 Member Share Posted August 25, 2014 I am surprised that so far in this thread I haven't seen any mention of Running on Karma. It was one of the To/Kar-Fai collaberations. It's a quirky action comedy that stars Andy Lau and Cecelia Cheung. I really enjoyed it. I love all of his post-mission gangster thrillers. Throwdown is excellent too. Of course his earlier 90's movies Heroic trio, executioners and the bare-footed kid are all great, but To had not truley found his voice back then. I have Vengeance with french former pop star Johnny Halliday on DVD, still haven't got around to watching it yet. Any good?? In the previous post I mentioned I did not like the ending of Running on Karma. Vengeance I liked quite a bit but I am a biased To fan. Here's my online friend clydefro's review from digitalfix (some possible spoilers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted August 25, 2014 Member Share Posted August 25, 2014 Again, I'm not going to pretend like none of To's rom-coms are good. However, the majority are meddling commercial affairs whose main drawing points are the pretty faces of Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng. Now, to be clear, I consider Andy Lau a good actor, but for most of the To rom-coms he's just going through the motions, collecting a paycheck. So is Johnnie. You can say they're incomparable because To/Kai-Fai's work is "more light-weight commercial fare," but to me that just sounds like an excuse because their work isn't as daring, as smart, and as good. These are all mainstream films we're talking about; not arthouse affairs. I’m with you, To & WKF’s comedy / romance output isn’t as daring, as smart and as good as the most daring, smart and brilliant efforts Pang Ho Cheung coughed up. Think BEYOND OUR KEN, think YOU SHOOT, I SHOOT (one of the most stunning debuts by any director I’ve ever seen!), ISABELLA, LOVE IN A PUFF and VULGARIA. No, they’re not. And that’s exactly why Pang Ho Cheung is the most interesting director working outta HK right now! But when it comes to disarmingly charming, easily accessible, inventively constructed, technically immaculate and, yep, shamelessly calculated & commercial rom-coms, well... then you can’t do any better than watching DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART, NEEDING YOU and LOVE ON A DIET. Hope I made the distinctions clear. BTW, you’re not trying to insinuate that “mainstream films” are by nature inferior to, er... “arthouse” stuff, aren’t you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted September 26, 2014 Member Share Posted September 26, 2014 Johnnie To is still the best director to date. I stand by this statement. Just revisited Sparrow, not even your typical To fare but damn was this movie magical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted September 26, 2014 Member Share Posted September 26, 2014 Unfortunately, it will be a while before To returns to the films we all expect from him. His new film which a sequel to the successful romance film Don't Go Breaking My Heart is coming out this November, and is currently shooting a musical starring Chow Yun-Fat. From there, To could possibly commence shooting Election 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted September 26, 2014 Member Share Posted September 26, 2014 For the very bored here is a review I did of Sparrow in 2009 (I checked and it does not look like I posted here before). If appropriate I can move to reviews section (and add italics etc...) There are many facets to the brilliantly diverse career of director Johnnie To, but within these aspects there are many similarities that adhere to auteur sensibilities. He does not direct the same film over and over again but he has many thematic overtures and plot devices that will consistently turn up -- not always in the same film though. Sparrow is no different in that respect though it feels unique in To's oeuvre. Like PTU it was a personal project that took over three years to make. He would film a scene whenever he had the money and/or whenever he could get the principal actors to work when they were not busy with other projects. Its closest equivalent would be Yesterday Once More which deals with thieves and has a few similar characters and situations. While Yesterday Once More was influenced by the American crime caper especially the original The Thomas Crown Affair, this film was created to invoke a feeling of French New Wave cinema (in interviews To states specifically Umbrellas of Cherbourg as an influence). It is one of To's most lighthearted movies (not counting some of the silly romantic comedies he has co-directed or his earliest efforts like The Eighth Happiness) and one of his better directed efforts. In Cantonese-slang the term Sparrow means a pickpocket. It is also a bird that one day decides to show up in Kei's (Simon Yam: The Mission, PTU) apartment while he was sewing. The pickpocket is Kei who is in charge of three other semi-competent thieves (this is the most common aspect of To's movies – the team and its dynamics). As soon as the sparrow enters his life and he debates the meaning of this with his partners a women enters their life. Chung Chun Lei (Kelly Lin: Fulltime Killer, Mad Detective) a mainland expatriate (whom is similar to Mona in Throw Down) bewitches all four separately and indirectly gets them beat up by associates of her old rich patron who controls her life and has every moment of her monitored. Mr. Fu Kim Tong (Lo Hoi-pan: PTU, Throw Down) is a cigar-smoking leader of a nefarious business and was once a great pickpocket himself. He has Chung's passport and even though he offers his fortune after he dies she does not want to be caged and wants her freedom. It is eventually their pity on Chung and not her initial coquettishness that wins three of the four to help her get her freedom. Kei is the odd man out until a specific encounter with Mr. Fu threatens his manhood, livelihood and sense-of-honor. While this film may be a bit laconic for some I found Sparrow to be one of my favorite films of 2008. It is beautifully shot, has an interesting characterization for Simon Yam and there are several sagacious scenes. One of these moments is where all four men ride the same bike (you have to see this, it is filmed quite beautifully) which symbolizes not only the team effort for this film (one of the most common themes in all of Johnnie To's oeuvre) but the actors themselves who destroyed several bikes while making this scene and spent so much time learning to balance while riding. Pickpocketing works better as a team effort (and you can certainly rake in more money), but you have to be in sync as well as completely trust your companions. Another great scene shows them put there skills together much like a similar scene in Robert Bresson's Pickpocket. One would expect there would be much more in common between these two films because of the subject matter but the underlying themes (with the exception of redemption) are quite different. The funniest scene involves all four pickpockets trying to corner Chun Lei so they can get a better explanation on why they got beat-up because of her. They get stuck in an elevator (well three of them do; how they lose one of them is part of the hilarity) with two movers who are carrying a large glass case. The two movers make the mistake of interfering with the three much more dangerous characters. The most sublime scene in the movie is the edifying climax involving a pickpocket duel amongst the rain and umbrellas. It is filmed (the filming alone on this scene took over two weeks) with such beautiful editing and splendorous slow-motion grandeur that you realize this Hong Kong and French hybrid works astoundingly well. There are several subtle moments to it so it helps to view it a few times. While the film is not perfect and portrays several of the characters as more ornamental then full-bodied humans, I found Sparrow to be a fun and rich experience. It is full of jaunty incidents with superficial references to various French film auteurs from Jean-Pierre Melville (of course the birdcages in this film also make you think of John Woo who is also a Melville fan) to Francis Truffaut. But To does this with a mixture of themes and situations that are important to him from team spirit, rooftop encounters*, wayward souls and Lam Suet. Johnnie To uses the splendid older Hong Kong locations to great effect (one of the main reasons he made this film was to document older buildings of Hong Kong that may not be around much longer because of the constant creative destruction and renovation) – this helps with the feeling of timelessness in the movie. This is especially evident when much of the stills through the credits show the buildings. Plus the music which is another hybrid of Eastern and Western influences by Xavier Jamaux and Fred Avril (whom To worked with in Mad Detective) which evokes a feeling of quirky nostalgia for a time and place that has never existed but in the mind of Johnnie To. That is one of the many reasons I love this film. The US DVD for this is an R1 Tai Seng/Universe release (that should be exactly the same as the R3 Universe release) that has no commentary but several worthwhile interviews with Simon Yam, Lam Ka Tung, Johnnie To and Kelly Lin, a press conference at the Berlin Film Festival, a making of and a Gala Premiere. * The rooftop is an important allegory in Hong Kong film. Many times the only way to escape the busy populace is to go up and obtain a measure of humanity by being a godlike place where you view the ants below. It is also an escape where you can either find another building to hop to (common in American urban action films) or find the ultimate escape by death (Infernal Affairs, Royal Warriors). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted September 26, 2014 Member Share Posted September 26, 2014 The most sublime scene in the movie is the edifying climax involving a pickpocket duel amongst the rain and umbrellas. It is filmed (the filming alone on this scene took over two weeks) with such beautiful editing and splendorous slow-motion grandeur that you realize this Hong Kong and French hybrid works astoundingly well. There are several subtle moments to it so it helps to view it a few times. Nice review. I, too, thought this scene was absolute beauty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted September 26, 2014 Member Share Posted September 26, 2014 Nice review. I, too, thought this scene was absolute beauty! One of the more underrated films (with the exception of Hong Kong fans who put it on the LoveHKFilm.com's The Best Hong Kong Films Ever list.) I'm still amazed on how many western critics who do not know who Johnnie To is (or who have only seen one or two films.) I try to correct this with recommendations and sometimes it works. Now for your own movie acumen have you seen Pickpocket? If not I highly recommend it (get the Criterion release). It is interesting how several French directors have had a big influence on certain Hong Kong directors certainly Jean-Pierre Melville with both Woo and To, but also Robert Bresson, Godard, Truffaut and Jacques Demy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted July 13, 2020 Member Share Posted July 13, 2020 Here is my Johnnie To DVD collection. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted July 16, 2020 Member Share Posted July 16, 2020 Great collection! Hoping to see most of those titles on Bluray/4K. It's a shame that To hasn't been consistent lately though. Drug War and Trivisa were pretty much the last good efforts he did in the last decade imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted July 16, 2020 Member Share Posted July 16, 2020 7 minutes ago, DiP said: Great collection! Hoping to see most of those titles on Bluray/4K. It's a shame that To hasn't been consistent lately though. Drug War and Trivisa were pretty much the last good efforts he did in the last decade imo. Thank you. I'm behind on his newer films (posted a long, long review here on Drug War so I do love that movie), so I cannot comment on those. I'm sure they are all better than Lucky Encounter. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted July 17, 2020 Member Share Posted July 17, 2020 I see that you have Three in the collection. Any opinion on that? I personally thought the first two acts were decent only to be followed by a hugely disappointing third act. Something about the whole production is off for me, mainly the way everything's lensed. It looks cheap and bleak. To came out with Trivisa the same year and that had way better cinematography/lighting. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted July 20, 2020 Member Share Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/17/2020 at 11:17 AM, DiP said: I see that you have Three in the collection. Any opinion on that? I personally thought the first two acts were decent only to be followed by a hugely disappointing third act. Something about the whole production is off for me, mainly the way everything's lensed. It looks cheap and bleak. To came out with Trivisa the same year and that had way better cinematography/lighting. Three is built basically for one awesome slow-motion (the cinematography on this is beyond excellent) scene toward the end. That was so exceedingly awesome that I forgave a lot of what happened before it. It reminds me in a way of Clint Eastwood's The 15:17 to Paris in that way where everything is done for a payoff. I still have not seen Trivisa. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted December 9, 2020 Member Share Posted December 9, 2020 After seeing him mentioned on these boards a lot, I decided to watch my first Johnnie To film today. Going in utterly blind, I chose 2013’s Drug War. Wow...I am blown away. This film is thrilling from start to finish. Not just thrilling but clever too. Even the little things are smart touches like the deaf guy that can’t hear the shootout. And it all gives way to a fantastic finale. This may very well be a five star film for me. Time to watch some more Johnnie To movies ASAP. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted December 10, 2020 Member Share Posted December 10, 2020 4 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: After seeing him mentioned on these boards a lot, I decided to watch my first Johnnie To film today. Going in utterly blind, I chose 2013’s Drug War. Wow...I am blown away. This film is thrilling from start to finish. Not just thrilling but clever too. Even the little things are smart touches like the deaf guy that can’t hear the shootout. And it all gives way to a fantastic finale. This may very well be a five star film for me. Time to watch some more Johnnie To movies ASAP. I'm glad you saw that. And I have to be annoying and recommend my essay on the film (I've written a lot on Johnnie To): 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted December 11, 2020 Member Share Posted December 11, 2020 On 12/9/2020 at 9:17 PM, Drunken Monk said: After seeing him mentioned on these boards a lot, I decided to watch my first Johnnie To film today. Going in utterly blind, I chose 2013’s Drug War. Wow...I am blown away. This film is thrilling from start to finish. Not just thrilling but clever too. Even the little things are smart touches like the deaf guy that can’t hear the shootout. Glad you liked this. I've read some negative reviews, but it's one of his best imo. On 12/9/2020 at 9:17 PM, Drunken Monk said: And it all gives way to a fantastic finale. This may very well be a five star film for me. Time to watch some more Johnnie To movies ASAP. I'd humbly recommend A Hero Never Dies (1998), The Mission (1999), PTU (2003), Running on Karma (2003), Sparrow (2008) and of course Throw Down (2004). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted December 12, 2020 Member Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) On 12/9/2020 at 9:17 PM, Drunken Monk said: After seeing him mentioned on these boards a lot, I decided to watch my first Johnnie To film today. Going in utterly blind, I chose 2013’s Drug War. Wow...I am blown away. This film is thrilling from start to finish. Not just thrilling but clever too. Even the little things are smart touches like the deaf guy that can’t hear the shootout. And it all gives way to a fantastic finale. This may very well be a five star film for me. Time to watch some more Johnnie To movies ASAP. That's a good choice for an introduction to Johnnie To's filmography. Sadly, it also marks the last time we got that post-1999 style that he perfectly refined with movies like PTU, Throwdown, Breaking News, Election, and Exiled to name some movies. Anything post-2012 have all been tarnished with that brand co-production style that many Hong Kong movies suffer from these days. I wonder what he's up to these days as I haven't heard anything from him at all. Has he retired or something? Edited December 12, 2020 by DiP 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 17, 2023 Member Share Posted February 17, 2023 Johnnie To blasts Chinese censorship at Berlinale 2023 Livestream. To just earned my utmost respect. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 17, 2023 Member Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) To's answers begin at 26:50. Proper translation of To's answers: 1. I think films around the world today are worse than before. Apparently the film world I used to know is vanishing bit by bit. It’s not the film world I used to know. I hope this is just a temporary phenomenon. Perhaps I’m a bit bold with my words, but they come from my heart. 2. I think films are always in the forefront. When there is authoritarianism, when people lose their freedom, films usually bear the brunt. That’s what happens in many places. Cultures will be put to an end. Films directly speak to the audience. Dictators therefore usually target films. I think Hong Kong (*no, sorry*), I think countries and people around the world fighting for freedom should support films because they speak for you. 3. Films are not to be evaluated in terms of money. I’d made several films that cost less than HK$2 million. I was happy and at ease making those films. I think what’s most important in filmmaking is passion and vision, without which no artist can do what they should do, even if they were given $10 billion. Edited February 17, 2023 by DiP 8 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Ah_Tao Posted February 17, 2023 Member Share Posted February 17, 2023 Ironically was watching Throwdown as I opened the forums and read this. Great stuff! Johnny To is the man 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Karlos Posted February 17, 2023 Moderator Share Posted February 17, 2023 I now love this man. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 20, 2023 Member Share Posted February 20, 2023 (edited) Looks like CCP is taking action, and is now banning every news related to Johnnie To on social media in the Mainland. There's also rumors of projects To has directed or produced that won't be released due to his comments. http://hktopten.blogspot.com/2023/02/20230219-johnnie-to-bot-is-banned-on.html Edited March 1, 2023 by DiP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted February 20, 2023 Member Share Posted February 20, 2023 Good for him. Hope he's made enough money to tell China to go fuck itself. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member PandaPawPaw Posted February 27, 2023 Member Share Posted February 27, 2023 Long Live Johnny To! Love his movies! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted May 3, 2023 Member Share Posted May 3, 2023 New interview by South China Morning Post. Johnnie To hints Election 3, and is prepping for a new project soon about hope inspired by dark moments in recent Hong Kong history. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3219092/all-lie-filmmaker-johnnie-hong-kong-censorship-citys-cinema-human-greed-and-prospects-making 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted July 3 Member Share Posted July 3 (edited) Posted a review of Fulltime Killer (2001) - https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/07/fulltime-killer-2001.html Edited July 3 by DrNgor 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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