tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post3045974358299683766..comments2024-02-15T06:33:28.234-08:00Comments on LL's Musings 小賢角落: 3 HK movies I plan on watching this year….Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-61459408823506490552016-02-23T07:22:50.264-08:002016-02-23T07:22:50.264-08:00@tamaya: I actually want to know too. I checked ...@tamaya: I actually want to know too. I checked their FB page, but haven’t been able to find anything. I also did a few searches for it last week when I wrote my post, but the only stuff that came up in terms of videos were the trailer and various interviews with the directors as well as news clips about the movie.<br /><br />Some good news is that production company Golden Scene has ‘signed up’ to support Ten Years and help them with distribution of the film outside of HK. The first stop in their ‘international tour’ will be Japan, as the movie will be featured in the Osaka Film Festival.<br /><br />Also one other piece of possible good news – I found out last night that they may be able to release a DVD version after all. I don’t have any details though, since I heard it through someone else on weibo (which being a Mainland platform and all, the person didn’t want to give tremendous detail). I’m hoping this news is true though and a DVD version does get released so that at least overseas viewers can watch.<br />llwy12https://www.blogger.com/profile/02401832364832078932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-42589860099849630192016-02-23T06:58:10.191-08:002016-02-23T06:58:10.191-08:00no surprise there. Do you know where I can watch t...no surprise there. Do you know where I can watch the movie online?<br />Tamayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13527095699512743403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-70983372894802794862016-02-23T06:43:49.741-08:002016-02-23T06:43:49.741-08:00Well, here’s the latest news about Ten Years: Ten...Well, here’s the latest news about Ten Years: Tencent and CCTV have officially announced that they will NOT be broadcasting the HK Film Awards this year due to Ten Years’ nomination in the Best Picture category (CCTV has official broadcasting rights for the program in Mainland while Tencent has broadcasted the program live every year prior). Of course, I’m not surprised by such a move, since this IS Mainland China after all, so we expected such censorship. Kudos to the HKFA people though for not budging in the face of pressure – the board’s president, director Derek Yee, said that the nominations were the result of 1149 votes by film association members and will not be changed no matter what….he said that it is regrettable that the awards ceremony won’t be broadcast in Mainland, but there’s nothing they can do about that – every place has their policies and procedures<br /><br />I also loved the response from one of the directors of Ten Years, Chow Koon Wai: “I would like to ask – what are they [Mainland] afraid that the film will do?” This response is very much in-line with Ten Years’ other director Au Man Kit’s sentiment, which was essentially that if ‘one country, two systems’ truly exists like people claim it does, then why should he have to worry that doing his own work in HK will get him in trouble with Mainland? <br />llwy12https://www.blogger.com/profile/02401832364832078932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-59795102904030689952016-02-18T12:54:36.471-08:002016-02-18T12:54:36.471-08:00@dxalemap: You’re welcome! :-)
I agree with how ...@dxalemap: You’re welcome! :-)<br /><br />I agree with how crazy it is that theaters are pulling the movie left and right, even after the movie got such widespread attention (oh, btw, the movie was also nominated for Best Picture at the HK Film Awards – I doubt it will win given the controversial nature of the movie, but good to see that at least the HK film industry is opened-minded enough to give the movie a well-deserved nomination). In a way, I’m not sure if I should be happy for the directors that the movie got all the attention it did, since the attention and focus on the movie were obviously huge factors in the movie getting pulled. <br /><br />In a way, I don’t blame the director if he decides not to pursue the matter further and just let whatever happens happen. Given how sensitive the political environment is in HK right now, the entertainment industry is in a precarious position that is absolutely unprecedented in HK, so it doesn’t surprise me that most folks in the industry would choose to take neutral positions or just go about their work without leaning toward any political position…after all, why cause unnecessary trouble for themselves? Also, since the movie is so HK-centric, I’m not surprised that the directors wouldn’t try to pursue an overseas market for the film, since that’s really not their target – plus we should remember that these are 5 newbie directors with no commercial / big name backing whatsoever, so they might not have the means to pursue alternative routes such as independent film festivals or distribution in other arenas/countries. <br /><br />With all that said though, I also hope that there will be an alternative way out for the film. Part of me is actually hoping that the movie wins Best Picture at HKFA (even though I know it’s a long shot and has pretty much zero chance of happening) because with that clout , it means a brighter future for the film and people will be “forced” in a way to acknowledge its contribution to HK. To me, an HKFA win for the movie is very powerful and definitely is a much more peaceful, non-antagonistic way to get the message across than a violent protest!llwy12https://www.blogger.com/profile/02401832364832078932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-22206381342421180382016-02-18T11:46:28.236-08:002016-02-18T11:46:28.236-08:00I completely agree that the HK entertainment indus...I completely agree that the HK entertainment industry means a lot. I grew up watching several TVB shows and improved my Cantonese. But now my Cantonese is going downhill, too. ): I do find myself watching K dramas and I get curious about the culture. Yet I feel disconnected. I feel disappointed in myself that I should learn more about my own culture, my ancestry. It is always that conflicting knot of thoughts I have...<br />I went off on a tangent. But music industry! I grew up listening to 张学友 and other 90's singers. I was born in the mid 90's and apparently it is weird that I listen to "old" music at my very age. Regardless, 90's music is a part of me. I only hope that there would be more singers that were as talented as 张学友. That will be hard, but I'll keep my hopes high for now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-827583348731336682016-02-18T11:39:03.688-08:002016-02-18T11:39:03.688-08:00Thank you for your reply llwy12!
I can't beli...Thank you for your reply llwy12! <br />I can't believe it is not in theaters anymore. Lucky to those who watched it already! It is crazy that some theaters did not accept the film due to their business ties with Mainland! This only emphasizes the increasing power of the Communist Party over the Hong Kongers. That ridiculous Global Times article makes me even more angry, and all I can say is that the director needs to be stronger. Regardless of whoever is stopping from this film to air, he should find a way in United States. For example, last summer, they held Cinema on the Edge in New York City. Cinema on the Edge showcased independent films that were usually shown annually in the Beijing Independent Film Festival. However, I forgot why but the festival was banned. They held a Kickstarter project and raised a lot money to showcase these films in NYC. I was so happy this happened and I am crossing my fingers that this will happen for Ten Years, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-58342832115464486962016-02-18T00:18:17.417-08:002016-02-18T00:18:17.417-08:00
Regarding Ten Years – I’m actually super happy to...<br />Regarding Ten Years – I’m actually super happy to see someone else support this movie. I read an interview recently that one of the directors of the movie did and hearing him describe some of the hardships he and the other directors encountered when filming the movie really moved me and made me want to see the movie even more. Oh, there are a few updates that came out of that interview that are extremely disturbing. First, the movie is no longer being shown in any HK theater – well, the release of the movie was already limited in the first place, as most larger theaters refused to show the movie out of fear that it would affect future business with Mainland China. The few theaters that were willing to show it have now removed the movie (though not after the movie was able to rake in 5 million HKD, which is absolutely impressive given that this is a small budget independent film released only in a few theaters). I have some friends who are going back to HK this month and are already complaining that they can’t find a single theater (not even in the more remote areas) still showing the movie. The director who was interviewed talked about how one of the theaters that agreed to show the movie (it was a pretty ‘famous’ theater in HK, but the owner has business ties to Mainland) immediately pulled the movie ‘off the shelf’ when it found out that tickets for the showing sold out in a matter of hours (that’s SO messed up – I sure hope that stupid theater gave the audiences who bought tickets refunds!!!). <br /><br />The second thing I found out (which I am extremely bummed about) is that the movie most likely won’t be released on DVD. The director said that due to all the attention the movie has gotten, the powers-that-be appear to be stepping in now (one hint of this is the fact that all HK theaters have stopped showing the movie)…without revealing too much, it was implied that the movie will no longer be allowed to be distributed in HK in any way, shape, or form.<br /><br />The director said something in the interview that really resonated with me. The reporter asked him what his thoughts were on the “criticism” that the movie got from Mainland China media (the Global Times – a major government-leaning newspaper in China – slammed the movie big time, basically claiming that the directors and producers were trying to “poison” HK society and incite fear in its citizens). He was also asked about all the “indirect” intervention from the powers-that-be. His reply was this: “The criticism from Global Times obviously represents the strong stance that the Mainland government backing them has decided to take. To me though, it really goes back to the ‘one country, two systems’ ideology and whether you believe it or not. If ‘one country, two systems’ truly does exist, then I shouldn’t have to worry, right, since I’m merely going about my own business in HK. But if I’m being told that I SHOULD be worried now because ‘trouble’ will be knocking on my door soon, then that’s proof right there that the so-called ‘one country, two systems’ mandate actually does not exist anymore. If we think about it, isn’t this precisely the type of ‘worry’ that Ten Years is trying to convey?”<br />llwy12https://www.blogger.com/profile/02401832364832078932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-18999682248586219312016-02-18T00:18:00.841-08:002016-02-18T00:18:00.841-08:00@dxalemap: Welcome and thank you for your comment...@dxalemap: Welcome and thank you for your comment! Yea, totally hear you about not watching HK dramas anymore, especially TVB ones, as that seems to be the trend nowadays. We’ve definitely noticed that decline in AF and it’s actually quite sad. Even someone like me who has been an avid follower/supporter of TVB and HK drama series for most of my life has gotten to the point where I don’t want to bother with TVB series anymore.<br /><br />I think for me, the biggest frustration is that it’s not just the HK television industry that is in decline – both the film and the music industries are as well. This essentially means that the entire HK entertainment industry is in bad shape and for someone like me who grew up with HK entertainment as a way of life, it’s like watching a close friend or relative deteriorate right before my eyes yet not being able to do a thing about it. Call me a pessimist, but I wouldn’t be surprised if sooner or later, our only option will be to re-watch old stuff because the ‘new’ stuff will no longer be watchable.<br />llwy12https://www.blogger.com/profile/02401832364832078932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765116522593136045.post-26391046155263526282016-02-17T21:22:12.100-08:002016-02-17T21:22:12.100-08:00Hello! I am a quiet reader of this blog and I came...Hello! I am a quiet reader of this blog and I came across here from Asianfanatics. I don't check Asianfanatics that much because I have stopped watching HK dramas a long time ago. I do rewatch the TVB dramas I grew up with to have a throwback moment. Reading your previous comment just boggles my mind that the HK film industry is going downhill. <br />But the very last film you mentioned, Ten Years, caught my attention. I rewatched the trailer several times already and LOVE the last line, "It's not hatred that keeps me going, but hope." I am crossing my fingers and hoping it will come to US as soon as possible! <br />Thank you for sharing your 3 must watch movies for this year! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com