CELLULOID BURNING

Let the controversy begin… Numbers 20-11 have been revealed from the top 50 Hong Kong films of the decaded as voted by the readers of Lovehkfilm.com and this batch presents equal parts allause and headscratches. 2046 comes in at #20…. and I’m sorry but I really couldn’t stand this movie. I personally feel that when Wong Kar Wai spends too much time on a movie (this and Ashes of Time) he ruminates far too long on his obsessions and the resulting movie tends to drown in them.

On a happier note, there were 3 Johnnie To movies here: Mad Detective, Throwdown and PTU. All great movies… I found the quote from Grady Hendrix in regards to Throwdown to be very on point, “If I had to pick one Johnnie To film to watch forever, this would be it. He’s made better movies, he’s made more successful movies but he’s rarely made a more philosophically dense and moral movie.” Throwdown is a hard movie to describe other than on an intellectual level it doesn’t quite work… but it does and it will stick with you and haunt you.

Lovehkfilm.com Top 50 Hong Kong Films of the Decade #20-11