10-04-2015, 02:59 PM
Another film in my Daniel Wu research. This one is a rom-com by none other than HK gangster violence master of mayhem, Johnny To. Gao Yuanyuan plays a role that would've gone to Meg Ryan if there was a remake prior to her cosmetic surgery catastrophe. She's an office worker caught in a love triangle between the seedy womanizing CEO played by Louis Koo, who inexplicably has hotties wanted to go to bed with him as soon as they lay eyes on him, and who also gets nosebleeds when aroused AND Daniel Wu, a burnt out architect turned alcoholic. Koo gives Gao everything - swank ride, swank apartment, dinners at 5 star restaurants. Wu builds an 80-story building inspired by her shadow. There is also a hideous frog.
I'm glad I saw this because it reminded me of the range of To, Koo and Wu. I'm used to them in gritty hardboiled gangster films, not rom coms. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here however, nor am I overly tempted to see the sequel which reunites the four made last year.
I interviewed Daniel on the phone last Monday. I had interviewed him last year. He's from the Bay Area, well known, but we never crossed paths as he was into Modern Wushu and I was into traditional Kung Fu. He was discovered quite randomly and has built an impressive career in Hong Kong, over sixty films, and many award winning. And he just might break the U.S. in a big way. Sadly, in retrospect, that interview last week was one of the worst I have ever done. I just wasn't in the game, missed some key points to really dig into this guy and get something unique. The article is salvageable because his story is intriguing, so in some ways the interview is superfluous. Nevertheless, I'm bummed at the missed opportunity.
I think I'm done with Wu movies for a while. I have yet to see his break out film, Bishonen, but that's not readily available on any of my streaming platforms at this time.
I'm glad I saw this because it reminded me of the range of To, Koo and Wu. I'm used to them in gritty hardboiled gangster films, not rom coms. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here however, nor am I overly tempted to see the sequel which reunites the four made last year.
I interviewed Daniel on the phone last Monday. I had interviewed him last year. He's from the Bay Area, well known, but we never crossed paths as he was into Modern Wushu and I was into traditional Kung Fu. He was discovered quite randomly and has built an impressive career in Hong Kong, over sixty films, and many award winning. And he just might break the U.S. in a big way. Sadly, in retrospect, that interview last week was one of the worst I have ever done. I just wasn't in the game, missed some key points to really dig into this guy and get something unique. The article is salvageable because his story is intriguing, so in some ways the interview is superfluous. Nevertheless, I'm bummed at the missed opportunity.
I think I'm done with Wu movies for a while. I have yet to see his break out film, Bishonen, but that's not readily available on any of my streaming platforms at this time.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse