Movies: Asian
Best & Worst
Let The Bullets Fly
Writer-director-star Jiang Wen’s hugely entertaining take on classic spaghetti westerns was both a critical and box-office hit. Even if some of the dense symbolism went flying over one’s head, there was much to enjoy here from the top-notch performances from Jiang, Ge You and Chow Yun Fat to the exciting action sequences to the zip and zing of the humour.
The two-hour-plus running time could have been trimmed but there is no denying that this was an exhilarating cinematic experience from a film-maker with a singular vision.

Poetry
Thanks to the Lee Chang Dong retrospective organised by local distributor Luna Films in July, audiences here finally had a chance to watch this drama on the big screen more than a year after it wowed the Cannes Film Festival.
The quietly devastating Poetry juxtaposes lyrical beauty with an ugly crime and is anchored by an unforgettable performance by Yun Jung Hee, a major star of Korean cinema in the 1960s and 1970s.

You Are The Apple Of My Eye
A simple story of first love is turned into a fresh, affecting and uproariously funny movie by first-time feature director Giddens Ko.
The casting is perfect with winning performances from newcomer Ko Chen-tung as the rascally and immature Ko Ching-teng and actress Michelle Chen as the sweet-but-not-saintly Shen Chia-yi. For his endearing portrayal, Ko was named Best New Performer at the Golden Horse Awards last month.
The ending will break your heart and then have you laughing heartily. An all-round charmer.

What I Want To Banish
The misuse and abuse of CGI in films such as Legendary Amazons, The Sorcerer And The White Snake and Mural. Also, Taiwan-born actress Shu Qi needs to stop acting drunk pronto. Her most recent episode of inebriation was in the sappy melodrama A Beautiful Life.
(ST)