Watched all of yours aside from Ichi - Miike is a touch too gory for me. My Gong Li-favorite: Story of Qiu Ju where the ordinary and heavily pregnant heroine goes in 90ies-China on an odyssee to seek justice from the Chinese bureaucracy for a kick in the nuts her husband suffered from a local Party-bigwig. As easy and safe as building the Great Wall all by yourself...
Very HK-dominated my list unsurprisingly:
Possible SPOLERS ahoy - though if someone feels spoiled by movies available for several years in all cases.... get a grip! ^_^ I didn't mention endings aside from "A Better Tomorrow" but since you listed that one already I feel safe doing so. Also there's a shocking amount of non-Happy Ends in my list *wonders*
1) A Better Tomorrow, Hong Kong, by John Woo The only movie that makes me bawl - because what could be more tragic and wonderful then Chow Yun Fat shaking off humiliations and crippleness to take a heroic last stand and be gunned down by 500 bullets in slow motion while brothers Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung reconcile only to still have both lifes ruined at the end (at least they're loving family again!)? *sigh*
2) A Chinese Ghost Story, Hong Kong, by Tsui Hark One of the best fantasy flicks of all times imo. The visuals are to die for. Leslie Cheung was never more charming, shy and adorable, the story is funny, romantic, angsty, tragic and over the top - and they don't cop out for a completely illogical happy end as Hollywood would have done. Also Wu Ma's Cantonese ghost-banishing-rap has been seared into my brain forever! A terrible fate.... but unavoidable as everyone who watched agrees ^_^
3) 7 Samurai, Japan, by Akira Kurosawa This man directed so many groundbreaking master pieces but this one tops all others in my regard.
4) City on Fire, Hong Kong, by Ringo Lam I prefer him to woo even. He was also cleverer than Woo and escaped earlier from Hollywood-disasters and JCvanDamme *gags* The master of Heroic Bloodshed with a realistic down to earth touch and heroes and villains from the non-glamorous side of life. I adore Prison on Fire and Full Alert equally but this is the first hit. Also homoerotic manly friendship and betrayal with Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee in a genius casting role-reversal playing cat and mouse - yay! And he discovered my personal obsession, Hong Kong's movie-villain-deluxe Roy Cheung Yiu Yeung, for this one *drools*
5) As Tears Go By, Hong Kong, by Wong Kar Wai Happy Together, Chungking Express etc. are wonderful but this is my favorite. Andy Lau has never been more beautiful, sexy and rebellious, Maggie Cheung is fantastic and the story gorgeous and bittersweet - and you still can show it to violence-obsessed boyfriends due to Triad-action ^_^
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-02-12 05:22 am (UTC)My Gong Li-favorite: Story of Qiu Ju where the ordinary and heavily pregnant heroine goes in 90ies-China on an odyssee to seek justice from the Chinese bureaucracy for a kick in the nuts her husband suffered from a local Party-bigwig. As easy and safe as building the Great Wall all by yourself...
Very HK-dominated my list unsurprisingly:
Possible SPOLERS ahoy - though if someone feels spoiled by movies available for several years in all cases.... get a grip! ^_^ I didn't mention endings aside from "A Better Tomorrow" but since you listed that one already I feel safe doing so. Also there's a shocking amount of non-Happy Ends in my list *wonders*
1) A Better Tomorrow, Hong Kong, by John Woo
The only movie that makes me bawl - because what could be more tragic and wonderful then Chow Yun Fat shaking off humiliations and crippleness to take a heroic last stand and be gunned down by 500 bullets in slow motion while brothers Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung reconcile only to still have both lifes ruined at the end (at least they're loving family again!)? *sigh*
2) A Chinese Ghost Story, Hong Kong, by Tsui Hark
One of the best fantasy flicks of all times imo. The visuals are to die for. Leslie Cheung was never more charming, shy and adorable, the story is funny, romantic, angsty, tragic and over the top - and they don't cop out for a completely illogical happy end as Hollywood would have done. Also Wu Ma's Cantonese ghost-banishing-rap has been seared into my brain forever! A terrible fate.... but unavoidable as everyone who watched agrees ^_^
3) 7 Samurai, Japan, by Akira Kurosawa
This man directed so many groundbreaking master pieces but this one tops all others in my regard.
4) City on Fire, Hong Kong, by Ringo Lam
I prefer him to woo even. He was also cleverer than Woo and escaped earlier from Hollywood-disasters and JCvanDamme *gags* The master of Heroic Bloodshed with a realistic down to earth touch and heroes and villains from the non-glamorous side of life. I adore Prison on Fire and Full Alert equally but this is the first hit. Also homoerotic manly friendship and betrayal with Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee in a genius casting role-reversal playing cat and mouse - yay! And he discovered my personal obsession, Hong Kong's movie-villain-deluxe Roy Cheung Yiu Yeung, for this one *drools*
5) As Tears Go By, Hong Kong, by Wong Kar Wai
Happy Together, Chungking Express etc. are wonderful but this is my favorite. Andy Lau has never been more beautiful, sexy and rebellious, Maggie Cheung is fantastic and the story gorgeous and bittersweet - and you still can show it to violence-obsessed boyfriends due to Triad-action ^_^