Eson Reviews

A League of Their Own (1992)

A great film that is often overlooked or forgotten...

[8/10 · 20 March 2001]

This movie was surprisingly good, and still holds up well after nearly a decade. The creation of atmosphere and nostalgia, even during the first viewing, is a tribute to Penny Marshall as a director. There are feelings as if you've been there before, even when you know you haven't. The performances are all top-notch, with career-highlighting performances from Lori Petty and Geena Davis.

This movie is highly recommended, as a comedy, and as an example of the emotional strength needed for women to compete professionally in sports.

Peace Hotel (1995)

A Western in China

[8/10 · 14 January 2001]

This review contains minor spoilers.

This whole movie's look is very similar to the spaghetti western, but with richer production values. Peace Hotel is noteworthy in several respects. First, it is the last Hong Kong movie Chow Yun-Fat has made to this date. Also, Chow Yun-Fat is bald in the beginning, and does some fast-paced swordplay. These both are precursors to his now famous part as Li Mu Bai in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (which is not a Hong Kong movie, as Ang Lee does not work within the Hong Kong movie system, and the film is in Mandarin, not Cantonese). This movie also marks the reunion of Chow Yun-Fat and Cecilia Yip, who had not worked together since 1984 (Hong Kong 1941). This was also the last time Wu Chien-lien was in a movie with Chow Yun-Fat, who had been in Treasure Hunt and God of Gamblers' Return with him the year prior to this. However, her cameo lasts about two seconds.

Anyway, enough background. One of the few movies where Chow Yun-Fat contributed to the writing, this movie has his brand of comedy. It also has Chow Yun-Fat just killin' a whole mess of people. The visual design and costumes are pretty fantastic, and the movie has a good pace to it. There is a kind of fantasy feeling to this movie, as it is a mixture of the American western genre, but with Chinese tints to it. Cecilia Yip gives a pretty good performance here, and Chow Yun-Fat gets to show much of his range here as an actor, even though he tries to remain distant throughout the movie.

All's Well, Ends Well 1997 (1997)

I don't get Stephen Chiao

[6/10 · 1 January 2001]

This review contains minor spoilers.

I know Stephen Chow is the comedy king of Hong Kong, but I don't get it. Still, watching this reinforces the idea that you either love him or you have no idea what the big deal is. Although, the running gag about his character being a Bruce Lee fan is pretty funny.

This movie features a fairly impressive cast, but the more impressive elements don't seem to get much screen time. This is due to the rush to get the story of the relationships of three brothers crammed into ninety minutes. Emil Chow Wah-Kin, who has shown greater potential elsewhere, is in this movie briefly.

Anyway, aside from the Chiao-related humor, the biggest reason to watch this movie is that it features three fan-favorite actresses. The first is Gigi Lai, who does a good job of looking good for the brief time she is in the movie. The second is Christy Chung who actually plays an adorable mentally ill person for part of the movie, particularly when she falls and drools. In addition, she does some pretty decent kung fu work in overalls later in the movie. Third, is my personal favorite, Wu Chien-Lien. Sadly her onscreen time is short, but as usual she's a joy to watch. Also per usual, she plays someone from Taiwan or mainland China. Her best performance bit in the movie is when she acts possessed.

Not the greatest movie, but mildly entertaining. The poor production values are glaring though, and this looks like a movie that was filmed in 1980s Hong Kong. Even some of the actor (not actress) hairstyles are reflective of this.