CELLULOID BURNING

Hong Kong based Media Distributers recently showed the promo reel below highlighting their upcoming 2010 releases. The quality is less than to be desired, but it’s a special treat getting to look at these types of sales/promo reels as they are usually only seen my regional and international film buyers.

The highlights include glimpses at the following movies:
-Fire of Conscious – directed by Dante Lam and starring Leon Lai and Richie Jen
-Legend of the Fist: the Return of Chen Zhen – Directed by Andrew Lau and staring Donnie Yen and Shu Qi
-Reign of Assassins – produced by John Woo and staring Michelle Yeoh
-Punished – produced by Johnnie To starring Anthony Wong and Richie Jen
-An Untitled Johnnie To Movie – starring Lau Ching-wan and Richie Jen
-Single Men & Women – directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai staring Daniel Wu and Louis Koo

On paper it does look like a strong crop of movies, with 3 movies alone from Johnnie To… not bad at all

This may be the most personal list I’ve written on this site. With film having been around for well over 100 years and the huge number of great directors from all over the world that have come and gone, the choices where daunting. I don’t claim to be an all knowing expert on film. There are many amazing filmmakers to whom I have seen little or none of their work. The director’s I do love, however, I’ve seen everything they have made and often tracked down rare and hard to find film’s from their oeuvre. I used no objective criteria in my selection, just my gut instinct and personal preferences. I know there are going to be a lot of people out there who scream “bloody murder” because I left out their favorite director to which I say… start your own damn website!
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I’ve written here often… ok maybe like 2 times… that Johnnie To is my favorite living director. He is one of the more unique and interesting filmmakers around. You never quite know what you are going to get when you watch one of his movies, which is a breath of fresh air in the redo/remake/reimagine atmosphere we are currently in. His latest film Vengeace is getting a limited theatrical release in the US on May 14th, courtesy of IFC Films. The film has been getting mixed reviews since his Cannes debut. I haven’t gotten around to getting the all region release yet from Yes Asia so this is a great excuse for me to finally see the movie. Check out the trailer below and decide for yourselves.

Check out the official site HERE

Check out IFC Films HERE