This is another Chinese film that came as a recommendation from our cinephile friend and as it appears to be the debut feature of its director Zhang Dalei, is probably far too obscure for me to come across it in the ordinary course of things. It won a bunch of awards and except for a short sequence at the end, is entirely in black and white.
Heathers (1989)
I added this to the list because it has so much mindshare and cultural influence even though I thought I probably wouldn’t like it. There was supposed to be a television series based on this film earlier this year but it seems to have been delayed indefinitely due to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. After watching this, it’s pretty obvious why its subject matter doesn’t feel like anything to joke about these days.
Sonatine (1993)
After being acquainted with director Takeshi Kitano from A Scene at the Sea, it’s only right that I pay some attention to what is likely his best known work, especially in the west. Sonatine bombed in Japan when it was released but it gradually attracted the attention of critics and other filmmakers in the west who were intrigued by its unusual style. In fact, the Japanese seemed to be so embarrassed by the film that they were reluctant to license it for distribution.
The Gate of Firmament
I’ve played plenty of Western RPGs but never any Chinese or even Japanese ones so I took notice when this title appeared on Steam. Reading up, it seems that this is one of the newer entries in what is supposedly the longest running Chinese RPG series with the first games appearing in the 1990s and the first one that has been completely translated into English and made available on Steam. Jumping straight to this one meant I would have no idea what went on before but that’s okay as I’m mostly interested in seeing what they are like.
The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014)
Our cinephile friend cautiously recommended this to us, noting that while it’s not a great film overall, it has its moments as an action movie. It’s certainly a high profile release, being directed by Tsui Hark and more importantly, I believe it’s culturally significant to the Chinese. It’s an update to a classic 1970s film that was itself based on a novelized account of a real event in 1946. According to Wikipedia, it might well be one of the most well known stories in China.
Drishyam (2015)
So I think I got this from Marginal Revolution but I only realized that it’s a remake until after watching it. It might have been a better idea to watch the original Malayalam-language film from 2013 that won a whole slew of awards even if this Hindi-language version had a wider audience and earned more money.
Nova
After being overwhelmed by the sophistication of Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, I approached this earlier novel by Samuel Delany with some trepidation. In retrospect, I needn’t have worried as it is a much shorter and simpler work. Though it is thematically rich with plentiful references to mythology, contemporary events at the time of the novel’s writing, art and much more, I think the plot is a little too straightforward and I’m not sure that its central theory on the relationship between people and the work they holds up well.