Total Recall 30th anniversary

30 years ago this month. the Blade Runner for my generation. the feeling when you're introduced to sci-fi and dystopia is indescribable. although the 2012 version was a cool update, it never reached its heights.

"You only win when you maintain your dignity. Dignity always prevails."

Requiem for a Dream 20th anniversary

20 years ago this month. usually i recommend films - this i'll say proceed with caution. an utterly miserable and bleak film, with Aronofsky at the top of his game.

The Shining 40th anniversary

40 years ago this month. one of my favourite films from an all-time top-3 director. to classify it as horror would be an injustice. i rarely watch a film twice, even my favourites, but i had to for this.

要想人前显贵 必得人后受罪

"When I look at him in the rear-view mirror, I can tell he's always thinking about stuff in his head. I guess that's what geniuses do. But it don't look fun to be that smart."

冰冻的一坨屎 只要不咬它 就是冰淇淋

You always say we should never stop being curious, to always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?

后来的我们什么都有了 却没有了我们

"If you hold back anything, I'll kill you. If you bend the truth or I think you're bending the truth, I'll kill you. If you forget anything, I'll kill you. In fact, you're gonna have to work very hard to stay alive. Now, do you understand everything I've just said? Because if you don't, I'll kill you."

笼鸡有米汤锅近 野鹤无粮天地宽

Shutter Island 10th anniversary

10 years ago this month. gripping from start to finish, backed by a stellar cast.

when you dance with the devil, you wait for the song to stop.

千金散尽还复来

my top 10 films of 2019

1. Joker

spare me the talk that the treatment is irresponsible and it's empty at the core. you can tell a great, powerful story without unnecessary burden. this film takes a difficult topic (mental health) and an impossible character (Joker) and somehow blended something that makes sense. then there's Joaquin Phoenix's performance, which alone is worth the entry price. then there's the stairs scene.



2. Parasite

some films are all style no substance; some films have a lot to say and trip over themselves. Parasite lands at the perfect centre. it's slick, intelligent, tight and a heavy social critique.

3. Midsommar

like Shyamalan and Villeneuve, Ari Aster is a master of tension, and by my criteria, I'm half sold. the other half is maybe how carefully the characters were written and directed. and I haven't even mentioned the insane plot. you know where it's headed, but still you cannot prepare for it.

4. Avengers: Endgame

I guess this is what they call a monumental cinematic experience. I'm not a big Marvel fan and certainly wasn't an Avengers fan, but this two-part conclusion to The Infinity Saga is as good as movies get. not forgetting I'm usually quite critical of blockbusters.

5. 犯罪现场

a cookie-cutter movie to some, I admired the complex-yet-not-convoluted story, the pacing, and how the large cast is considerably fleshed out. a rarity in Hong Kong cinema these days.

6. 热带雨

Anthony Chen makes such simple films you wonder why he takes years to make one. yet consider how sensitive he is to his material and you realise a lifetime for a lesser director would not have produced the same work. taking a path vastly different from Ilo Ilo and more discomforting for Singaporeans, Chen nevertheless displays masterful control. not to mention the genius marketing.
 
7. Verdict

sure, Raymund Ribay Gutierrez basically imitated his mentor Brillante Mendoza. but any decent imitation of the brilliant Brillante will be a good film. capturing so many Filipino issues, this has such a raw quality it can be mistaken for a documentary. and as a courtroom movie, I haven't seen anything like it.

8. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

I love Tarantino and initially this felt draggy and I didn't know where it was heading. but I'm a sucker for alternative history (Inglourious Basterds) and it all wraps up nicely.

9. 送我上青云

a decidedly female vehicle. a single, not-getting-young Chinese woman with an independent streak finds out she has cancer. with some lush cinematography, the film explores what it means to be unmarried in China and death while weaving in gender politics and money politics.

10. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

it's cringey, it makes little sense in the wider canon, and it makes me question the point of the sequel trilogy. but it's also fan service and emotional, and sometimes that's all cinema needs to do.

Best twist:
Bacurau

Worst conclusion to a series:
Dark Phoenix or Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Most fun:
Knives Out

Most progressive:
Captain Marvel

Most quotable:
银河补习班

Most tearjerking:
小Q

Most underwhelming:
The Dead Don't Die