Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down Review 2019 Hong Kong 夜香・鴛鴦・深水埗

 
Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down 夜香・鴛鴦・深水埗

Year: 2019
Director: Leung Ming-kai, Kate Rilley
Writer: Leung Ming-kai, Kate Rilley
Cast: Leong Cheok-mei, Mia Mungli, Zeno Koo, Lam Yiu-sing, Gregory Wong, Kate Reilly
Running Time: 78 minutes
Country: Hong Kong

Four stories (three fictional, one documentary) show how fiction and fact, humour and drama, the personal and the political are contemporary facets of the same ever-fascinating, complex, challenging realties that constitute Hong Kong. Leung Ming-kai and Kate Reilly’s delightful anthology captures the rich mix of cultures that defines Hong Kong in lively and gently provocative fashion, following a diverse set of characters from different backgrounds as they reminisce on the past while looking to the challenges of the future. (Focus Hong Kong)

Memories to Choke On is an anthology film from two directors Leung Ming-kai and Kate Rilley. They work together to tell four different contemporary stories about life in modern Hong Kong. What is impressive about this film is how each story is completely different but they all feel incredibly real. It's basically a slice of life anthology.  Each story focuses on a different aspect of Hong Kong life, ranging from immigrants, family, food and politics.

The first film depicts the story of an Indonesian caretaker looking after an elderly Hong Konger. The story could use a little more urgency, but by the end, it all comes together. The relationship between the characters is simple but charming. They have good chemistry and begin to form a bond over the fact they both came to Hong Kong as immigrants. This story might be the weakest of the bunch, but that does not mean it was bad per se.

The second segment is arguably the best of them all. It's a simple story of two brothers hanging out in their mother's toy shop before she sells it to a new owner. The brothers browse through old toys and reminisce on memories of growing up and their mother's expectations of them. The style of this film stands out massively compared to the first. It's shot incredibly well, and they manage to capture the iconic urban city life. There are some stunning images of the characters walking by stalls and independent shops that looks like high-class night photography.

The third segment features the director Kate Reilly acting as an American living in Hong Kong as an English teacher. She meets another teacher on her first day, and they form a will-they-wont-they relationship. This story focuses on the differences between different races making Hong Kong their home, and it does this through a series of realistic and natural conversations. It's no secret to anyone that Hong Kong has some of the best food in the world. And if you are a foodie, this film will be a treat, as we get to see the characters going to eateries and sampling some of the best local dishes while their relationship blossoms. The structure of this film being non-linear can throw you off if you don't pay attention to the inserts explaining when it is taking place, and if you aren't familiar with when some of the Hong Kong holidays and events occur.

Surprisingly the fourth film is a documentary, which was a little jarring at first, but quickly becomes apparent on why it was chosen. The final film follows Jessica Lam as she runs for a job on the district council. This documentary works incredibly well because Jessica is such a charming and likeable person. She seems almost out of her depth running for a political office job, as she feels like a regular everyday person. But there is something fun and interesting about the way that she speaks and carries herself, that you can't help but cheer her on. It was a bit of a gamble finishing on a documentary, but it feels like the rightful ending.

Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down works effectively as depicting Hong Kong today, for locals and for outsiders. While the film in total only runs for 78 minutes, the plot of some of the films, especially the first one, might be a little too breezy for some viewers. The stories can be a little challenging with their subtlety and require some thinking about what the true meaning behind them is. But for a film like this, that is part of the fun. Now, where can I find some Hong Kong style French toast?

7/10

 

Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down is streaming as part of the Focus Hong Kong Film Festival from the 9th of February at 10:00 GMT until the 15th of February at 23:59 GMT.

Mifune: The Last Samurai Review 2016

Without them there would have been no Magnificent Seven. Clint Eastwood wouldn't have a Fistful of Dollars. And Darth Vader wouldn't be a Samurai.

Mifune: The Last Samurai, a new film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood’s breakthrough, A Fistful of Dollars, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars. Weaving together film clips, archival stills, and interviews with such luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Narrated by Keanu Reeves.

Mifune: The Last Samurai is a chronologically told portrait of one of the most important and influential actors to ever grace the big screen. Mifune as an actor and a person left an undoubtedly large impression on the world, but can an 80 minute documentary do his legacy justice.

Starting off with a brief introduction to Chanbara cinema, the audiences is treated to the foundations of early Samurai films traced back to the earliest days of cinema while viewing a collection of clips from extremely rare or long forgotten films. 'Chanbara' is the Japanese word for “sword fighting films” and is derived from the sound of two swords crashing together. A real highlight is the only surviving scene from a 1926 film ‘Chokon’ in which a Samurai takes on multiple enemies on his own, while licking the blood off of his sword to give him strength.

The documentary goes through his life from being born in China, to getting drafted to fight in World War II, to returning and trying to make a living as an assistant camera-man to then accidentally becoming an actor. All the way until his untimely death. Drawing the attention of Akira Kurosawa at Toho studios, a fierce collaboration between the actor and director started which would stretch over 16 films. Kurosawa left many choices up to Mifune and allowed his to create and mold his own characters, ultimately allowing him to create his own heroes. 

There are many intriguing interviews from big name Hollywood interviews like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg who offer their own praise on Mifune’s work and how it inspired them. But it's the candid interviews from his family, friends and Co-stars that are the real heart of the film. Kanzo Uni was his frequent fight choreographer and takes great delight in telling you he was killed by Mifune onscreen more than 100 times. His daughter explains why Mifune turned down the role of playing Obi-Wan Kenobi after George Lucas himself sought him out.

One of his Co-stars explains a hilarious yet scary situation while shooting the finale of ‘Throne of Blood’ were Mifune’s character is bombarded with hundreds of arrows. What people don't know is that these were all real arrows being shot towards Mifune which he actually had to dodge… and it was college students firing the arrows… and they also had no insurance for this scene. Stories like that show how dedicated to his art that Toshiro Mifune was. And just how crazy he could be.

The main problem with The Last Samurai is it is just too short. It's never really a problem to leave you wanting more. However, appearing in almost 170 feature films, the majority of these films aren't touched upon and some of the big ones are alluded. They also hint at why Mifune and Kurosawa stopped collaborating without really giving any detail. The same can also be said for his documented affair. Although, these could have been avoided because the documentary is more a celebration of his life and career and these issues might bring the tone down.

Mifune: The Last Samurai is still a very well constructed informative picture which will open eyes to newcomers of his work and the Samurai genre. And for his already established fans it offers a great intimate insight into his life with many details and stories they won't be aware of.

7.5/10

Mifune: The Last Samurai screens on Friday 24th February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.