Isabella (Pang Ho-Cheung, 2006)

[Grimfarrow]

Was just about to write the same thing!

Mr Grimfarrow: Is the Jia the doc on mutes? Have you seen it? Is it my favorite film of all time? Are the Tsai and Miike films finished? Have you seen them? Brief remarks? Maybe you should start a thread called "Why you all hate me, Mr Grimfarrow" which consists solely of a list of all the great films you've seen but which will never make it to LA or Boston!

No, the Jia doc is going to be unveiled very soon, but STILL LIFE is a real Jia film, albeit a much smaller film than THE WORLD. Dunno about the progress of Tsai and Miike, but I'd guess they'll be out by end of year latest. No, I haven't seen anything, but someone did see HANA and said it's "the best Japanese film this year". Take that with a grain of salt...

I'll be going to Toronto Film Fest later this year, so I'm sure I'll see a few there too Don't be jealous - you saw more films than me during HKIFF! (haha).

[artfilmfan]

It's been fun reading the above exchanges

And I thought "Isabella" was the name of the daughter!

MEK, I think you chose "the wrong" WKW films to watch I think you might like "Days of Being Wild" and "In the Mood for Love" (and maybe "2046", too). These are the only WKW films I've seen and the first two, IMO, are very good.

[Michael Kerpan]

Isabella spoilers below

Spoiler

Isabella = original name of the heroine's mother (which the mother dropped after she got dumped by the "hero") = name given to the girl's dog (bought after the mother had been diagnosed with cancer) = name of the actress playing the heroine.

I'll try more WKW one of these days -- it's not like I'm allergic to his films (unlike Tsai).

[Skritek]

I'm wondering if Kerpan still thinks this is a masterpiece. While I find it a nice film, with all the strengths and some of the pitfalls of Hong Kong films, I don't see what Kerpan saw in it (religious underpinnings, et al.).

Thank you very much for the reply.

[Michael Kerpan]

I haven't re-watched this yet. Though I've been thinking it was about time.

[sidehacker]

I think it is a masterpiece too. It looks lovely enough to negate any possible shortcomings. Pang's follow-up Exodus has a similar visual brilliance but is brought down by being a bit too silly.

[Michael Kerpan]

It would be interesting as part of a double bill with XU Jinglei's debut film My Father and I -- which has some thematic similarities. Xu's film is less flashy -- but just as good overall.

[Skritek]

I haven't re-watched this yet. Though I've been thinking it was about time.

Thanks anyways. I've been thinking of rewatching it also, that's why I wrote.