Matador Reviews

Pop Foul (2006)

Absolutely amazing...

[10/10 · 2 February 2007]

I've had the pleasure of viewing Pop Foul twice now, once at Woodstock and once at Sundance. It just keeps getting better every time. The cinematography, music, the writing and direction of actors are all superbly confident. Molson shows an ability to get consistently great performances from his actors, even child actors. It's one of those rare shorts that points to a larger world, that doesn't seem constrained by the format. I'm anxious to see what Molson can do in features, he definitely seems ready for it.

All in all, an important movie, told with an important voice.

10/10

Manhunter (1986)

If you rent one movie this year. . .

[1/10 · 26 December 2001]

If you rent one movie this year. . .by god, don't rent this horrible piece of crap. Not only does it run about an hour too long, but it's uninteresting, badly acted, and not scary. Let's hope Ed Norton can do a better job as lead in the remake. But seriously. . .Horrible.

Pushing Hands (1991)

Better than the Joy Luck Club

[10/10 · 19 February 2001]

Pushing Hands is Ang Lee's beautiful film about an elderly Chinese man transplanted into his son's American home. While most films about this subject, which for some reason critics like to call "East meets West", hyperbolize the struggles that immigrant Chinese must face, Pushing Hands tends to focus on minutia instead. For example, the elderly grandfather does not know that tin foil cannot be put into the microwave, which leads to a scolding by his caucasian daughter-in-law. All the conflict in the film is grounded in the real world, as opposed to some very abstract 'generational conflict'. Because of this I found this film to be much more rewarding than most other films about Asian-Americans. A must-see for Chinese-Americans and Caucasians alike. Personally, I'd like to watch it with my Chinese grandparents.

Listen for James Schamus's cameo as the voice on the answering machine at the beginning of the film.

Original Sins (1995 TV Movie)

Breakthrough performance

[10/10 · 2 September 2000]

I watched this film when it first opened in New York and Boston (television). Mark Harmon's performance was one of the best of his career, but he was overshadowed by newcomer Bo Chun, proving once again that he is the new face of Asian film. His beautiful bronze features framed by locks of jet black hair complement the character of Boy #2 perfectly. His brief role however, though it does set the film's narrative in motion, is unfortunately short lived. I guess we'll just have to catch him in his next appearance at the multiplex.

King of Comedy (1999)

Not just a clever name

[10/10 · 8 August 1999]

Stephen Chow continues with a variation on a theme (guy who's good at one thing, but utterly incompetent in life), making him the closest Hong Kong replica to Hollywood auteur Adam Sandler (guy who's good at sports, but utterly incompetent in life). Still, the formula works just as well as Chow's other film goodies, such as "Fight Back to School", "Saint of Gamblers: Back to Shanghai", and "From Beijing with Love". Watch for the hilarious spoof of Hong Kong action films.

Happy Together (1997)

Wong Kar-Wai's best yet

[10/10 · 30 March 1999]

Wong Kar-Wai has already established himself as one of the most talented filmmakers working in Hong Kong cinema, and, indeed, the world. In his latest film, Happy Together, he recounts the story of two gay lovers, played brilliantly by Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung. As usual, the storyline in the film is rather sparse, which does nothing to detract from the final product. The beauty of Happy Together lies in Wong Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle's unsurpassed ability to simulate a specific mood through film. In Happy Together, the filmmakers continue their trademark visual style, consisting heavily on strobe, slow-motion, wide-angle lenses, and jump-cuts. For the first time in Wong Kar-Wai's career, he mixes black and white with color film, creating a complex web of flashbacks. The color, especially, seems to almost jump out from the screen. The music, taken from tango album 'The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night', by Astor Piazzola, beautifully excentuates the lingering feelings for a lover gone. Happy Together marks another point in Wong Kar-Wai's maturity as a director. Each one of his films surpasses those previous to it.

Chungking Express (1994)

Hong Kong is finally captured on film

[10/10 · 30 March 1999]

Wong Kar-Wai makes his first mature film. Shot during a break from the production of Ashes of Time, Chungking Express proves the theory that a director's best work can be done on the fly. The plot is rather simple, but the real beauty of the film is Wong Kar-Wai's ability to capture the moods of Hong Kong. From buzzing florescent lights to the bustle of market streets, the cinematography of Chungking Express depicts the flow of city life more closely than any other Hong Kong film I have ever seen. If this is the new wave of Hong Kong cinema, expect many, many more gems like this one.

Made in Hong Kong (1997)

The Best Film of 1997

[9/10 · 29 March 1999]

Despite a weak last half-hour, Fruit Chan's debut is absolutely stunning. It continues the 'new Hong Kong' visual style (strobe, overexposure, freeze-frames, and jump-cutting) that fellow director Wong-Kar Wai has pioneered in his last three films. In addition to superb cinematography and editing, the storyline also is exceptional, taking the viewer into the harsh realities of Hong Kong youth gangs. Autumn Moon, the main character, is a rare creation - both attractive and repulsive. The moment we begin to empathize with him, he pushes us away with his enormous capacity for violence. This perfect mix of tenderness and harshness push it head and shoulders above most Hong Kong cinema, not only of 1997, but of any other year as well.

Hurlyburly (1998)

Hurlyburly - movie, or mess?

[1/10 · 29 March 1999]

I watched Hurlyburly as a second choice after Affliction was sold out. I have never seen so many people walk out of a movie. Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, and Chazz Palminteri can do nothing to save this coke-snorting, endlessly pedantic, bad Mamet-wannabe.