859. Hsimeng jensheng/The Puppetmaster (1993)

Running Time: 142 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: Chu T'ien-wen, Li Tianlu, Wu Nien-jen
Main Cast: Lim Giong, Li Tianlu, Tsai Chen-nan, Yang Lai-yin, Vicky Wei

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART THREE OF THREE

Finally, we come to the conclusion of the "Hou Hat Trick" with the viewing, via YouTube, of "The Puppetmaster" - Hou's 1993 feature and one that left just as sour of a taste in my mouth as Hou's previous two offerings.

As far as I could tell, all "The Puppetmaster" was about was the life of Li Tianlu, a real puppeteer, living in Taiwan during the first half of the 20th century. Tianlu himself shows up throughout the picture to offer up personal stories and narrate the picture. Tianlu was introduced to the world of entertaining, through the use of puppets, at a young age and continued throughout his life, sometimes even putting on stage shows, with real actors. Unlike Hou's previous two works, the political aspects and Japanese oppression are cut back significantly in this picture, so that the film can focus more on the life of Tianlu.

Yeah, so that's about it. Two hours and twenty minutes of the life of a puppeteer. Are puppeteer's really this popular in Taiwan? I'm all about giving movies a second try and watching them again to make sure your mood was right, but I have serious doubts that I'll ever watch any of Hou's movies again, even ones that I haven't seen yet. He seems to be making pictures that are the exact opposite of what I'm looking for. They are from a different time and culture and they just don't do a damn thing as far as peeking my interest or making me care about what is going on. I seriously overrated "A City of Sadness" and "The Time to Live and the Time to Die" is already leaving me with the impression that it's going to end up being very forgettable.

Did I like anything about "The Puppetmaster"? Well, I liked the real Tianlu and his narration of the picture. I'm a big fan of hearing people talk and tell stories. I think, unlike most of the general population, I'm a better listener than I am a talker. I love hearing people recount stories and, to tell you the truth, I would have rather sat through a two hour interview with Tianlu and let him just tell me what happened to him. The few scenes that actually featured the puppets were pretty cool too, I guess. It is not my intention, with this review, to bash puppeteer's. What they do IS entertaining and I whoever did the puppeteer work on this film was top notch.

Can I just say one last thing without sounding like a giant racist, because truth me, I'm not. One of the problems I've had with Hou's films is that a lot of his actors look the same. And I'm not saying that because they're all of Asian decent and in my eyes all Asians look the same. I'm saying that because the facial features of a lot of Hou's actor's were very similar. Also, their names are hard to keep track of, probably because they all share the same last name and in Asian culture, the last name comes first. So you're left to sort through names like Wen-ching, Wen-heung, Wen-leung and Wen-sun (the names from "A City of Sadness"). At first glance, to an American like me, that looks like four guys who are all named Wen! It's not a big deal, just a very minor gripe that I wanted to air. The real problems are the ones I mentioned above.

RATING: 2.5/10  Well Hou, I tried, I really did, but you're films left a sour taste in my mouth and I have absolutely no interest in ever watching them (or any of your other work) again. That could change, but I doubt it.

MOVIES WATCHED: 580
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 421

November 18, 2012  7:47pm

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811. beiqing chengshi/A City of Sadness (1989)

Running Time: 157 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: T'ien-wen Chu, Nien-Jen Wu
Main Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Sung Young Chen, Jack Kao, Xin Shufen, Wu Yi-Fang
Click here to view the trailer

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART TWO OF THREE

Well it's taken me a few days to get back here, but finally I've made it and am ready to bring you the second installment in the "HOU Hat Trick". Normally, this is the time in the season where I start moving at rapid speed, but I'm not there yet, so bear with me.

"A City of Sadness" is set in Taiwan, during a transition period in the governmental status and something known as the "White Terror". The film centers around three brothers: the deaf photographer Wen-ching (Leung), Wen-leung (Kao), who is back from the war and insane and Wen-heung (Chen), the eldest. There is also a fourth brother, Wen-Sun, whom we only hear about, as he was lost in the Philippines during the war. There's also a man character in the form of a nurse named Hinomi (Shufen), who befriends Wen-ching, ultimately falling in love with him. There's also a side-plot which shows Wen-leung recuperating from his madness, only to be lured into a life of organized crime.

You know what, I'm just going to leave it at that, because I'll be damned if I could make heads or tails of this movie. It's really hard for me to admit when I just can't understand what's going on in a movie, even though I really tried to make sense of it all. In fact, I started "A City of Sadness" on Sunday night, but could only make it to the thirty minute mark. When I sat down to resume on Monday night, I decided to re-start at the beginning, fearing I was too tired and may have missed key elements. I really tried, RINGO!! You know what the real disappointing thing is though - not that I simply didn't like the movie, a movie that is supposed to be "must see" - but the fact that EVERYTHING, aside from the plot, was spot on. The music, the acting, the cinematography and not only the cinematography, but I love how Hou leaves his camera stationary, making us feel like onlookers to the story. Literally EVERYTHING else about "A City of Sadness, besides the plot, was perfect, I kid you not. Take one of my favorite movie's "Sideways", for instance. Lets say that instead of taking a scandalous trip through wine country, Jack and Miles were instead, caught up in a military coup, struggling for their freedom and all that jazz. If I left the theater after watching THAT version of "Sideways", I'm sure I'd be saying, "Why couldn't they have just driven through wine country, had some affairs and learned a few lessons?" That's what "A City of Sadness" was like. I just wished we could've examined these characters in more relatable situations, other than historical and political importances that I have no prior knowledge of.

On a side note, the Taiwanese people (and probably the Japanese too) have a very fascinating way of drinking tea. I don't know what they're doing, but it involves pouring water (presumably water) from a large tea pot into a basin and then pouring tea from a tiny tea pot into tea cups. It's all very fascinating and while we're on the subject, if I'm ever rich, I want a Japanese style house! I have an insatiable desire to eat while sitting Indian style and still be sitting at the table! Oh and if I get the Japanese house, you're all invited, but please...please leave your shoes at the doorstep!

RATING: 5.5/10  I probably shouldn't even go that high, but like I said, everything else was so spot on, that I can hardly give it a below average rating. At this point, I'm really not looking forward to "The Puppet Master".

MOVIES WATCHED: 577
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 424

November 14, 2012  5:56pm

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728. Tong nien wang shi/The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985)

Running Time: 138 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: Chu T'ienwen, Hsiao-hsien Hou
Main Cast: Mei-Feng, Tang Yu-Yuen, Tien Feng, Xin Shufen, Yiu Ann-Shuin

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART ONE OF THREE

Earlier today, it was announced that "Levinson Week" would be the final tribute week of this season, as we roll into the final twenty-five films and toward the sixth TOP 20 list. This, for those of you who care, will be the final "hat trick" of the season. Furthermore, it's worth noting that this was originally intended to be a Brian De Palma hat trick, but, because two of the three Hou films are currently only available via YouTube, I changed it.

The film centers around Ah-ha, who is just a boy when the film starts out. Ah-ha lives with his four older siblings (three brothers, one sister), his mother & father and his grandmother, the latter of whom constantly talks about returning to the mainland. Ah-ha is a typical boy; he has his group of friends, he gets in trouble, he plays games, he goes to school and for the most part, he has fun. His mother is strict and his father, who is in poor health, often distances himself from the rest of the family. When his father dies, Ah-ha and his family are devastated. Following the death of Ah-ha's father, we flash forward to see Ah-ha as a teenager, the leader of a street gang, who seems to have lost his way. He still holds his family in high esteem, keeping his cancer ridden mother at the top of his priority list, but as a troubled youth, still getting into a fair share of trouble.

'Ya know...that's really it! I mean, you'd think at a running time of 138 minutes, there would be more to detail in the plot synopsis, but really, as far as I could tell, this is a nothing happening movie. After watching "The Time to Live and the Time to Die", I visited a few message boards, read a few comments and as far as I could gather, a lot of people seem to think that this movie is a masterpiece. Well, unfortunately, the masterpiece element of this film was totally lost on me. At about the halfway mark, I stopped and wondered when something was going to happen, outside of the father dying. I realize that the film is about a boy who, after the death of his father, is lead astray and the film questions whether he'll return to the right path or continue down the wrong one. That's a fine theme to explore, but this movie just really bored me. If Hou could've juiced up the script a little more (maybe not added more action, but just made me care about the people and their situations more) and made the characters a little more defined and recognizable (besides Ah-ha, who was obviously the main character, since he's the only one that's really fleshed out) I think I could have really enjoyed this work. The music was good and the basic premise was fine, as I'm all for a toned down script, with not a lot of action and the exploration of a basic theme. The film seemed to really be made for a certain culture and a certain period and was very behind it's time, if you ask me. All in all it just totally failed to win me over and I have a feeling this "hat trick" is going to be a tough one to get through.

RATING: 3.5/10  Here's HOPING "A City of Sadness" is, at least, a little better. Expecting disappointment is a good thing, because that's when the biggest surprises happen.

MOVIES WATCHED: 576
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 425

November 11, 2012  11:33pm

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