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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 1723144" data-attributes="member: 812">Yeah, that's fair. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />I'm pretty tough on films, I know. What it is, to be honest, is that I'm always looking for what held a film back from being the jaw-dropping, mind-blowing experience that is a great film. When a film doesn't completely smack me out of the park, I look for reasons why. Because, as somebody who makes films, I'm always interested in seeing what other people did wrong, and trying to draw lessons from it.I don't think I enjoy films less than other people. Honestly. I love going to movies, even if I come out complainy and all, "This didn't work! I hated that!" -- that's FUN for me. Because it gets my brain going and my critical faculties revved up and that's a big part of enjoying art for me -- critical analysis.That might make me less fun to talk about movies with, I admit. And I apologise -- I have no wish to trample on other people's fun. And I don't insist that other people agree with me. I like to hear dissenting opinions because I want to know how other people see things -- so I try to ask questions or post my thoughts in the hopes that other people will respond and I'll get that "click" in my head as I see it from their point of view.I don't always do a good job of that, I know. I'm trying.My wife and I have largely abandoned going to movies with other people -- either they get annoyed with our post-film dissection OR they talk during the picture.And people who talk during a movie have, as far as I'm concerned, voluntarily given up all the human rights. Grrrrr....Not fair? Well, I dunno. What I find most deplorable is the state of the acting in Hong Kong these days. The Storm Riders and The Twins Effect both suffered from sub-par performances, I thought. I mean, plotwise, it's pretty hard to defend something like Swordsman II -- I've seen that film a zillion times and I'm not sure I really know 100% what's going on. But Brigitte and Jet and everyone else in it are so absolutely committed to whatever it is they're doing that you end up not caring. Ekin Cheng has a great look, but he's no Chow Yun-Fat or Tony Leung (either one). I think we got lucky for a while there -- Hong Kong had a startling combination of fearless director/producers, creative choreographers and cinematographers, and immensely talented actors -- which combined with just the right economic conditions resulted in a period of really intense creativity and productivity. Many of those people have left, or gotten too old to maintain their former levels (God love you, Jackie Chan, but you'll never make Supercop again), or just aren't doing those kinds of films anymore (I'm thrilled Maggie has a Best Actress at Cannes, but I sure wish she was going to be in Police Story IV) and new blood hasn't filled the vacancies.So I guess if by "not fair" we mean, "there's just not as many talented, creative people willing to risk lives and fortunes", then yeah, okay.Word. Last Vancouver festival they screened Come Drink With Me -- watching that stuff on the big screen is a whole new experience. Mad love is right.</blockquote>

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