Father Geek here with our Asian reporting crew and their looks back over the Films of 2002 that they have seen (keep in mind many films released in the states have NOT open in their areas yet), plus a couple of reviews, soooo here's our editor Darius25, and AccSpy, Ms. Moon Yun Choi, and our new far east reporter Albert Lanier and their take on what turned them on in 2002...

Asia-AICN

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Well guys it’s the time of the best-of lists, and we here at Asia-AICN have some of our favourites to share with all of you! So while you’re keeping up with all the latest hits at the x-mas box-office don’t forget to try out some of our own little gems. Who knows, you might even like these films more than we did!

DARIUS25’S TOP TEN (NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILMS)

OK, before I begin my top ten, here’s my 3 favourite US productions from last year – just so you know that I watch the commercial stuff aswell…. Oh and “The Two Towers” is not here for a purpose – while I felt that the film was as good as the original, I didn’t think of it as a complete film as a whole. To me it was just a good middle portion of an EXCELLENT film, so as a result I can’t really judge it with the same standards as I judge any other film. That said, here’s my top 3 US faves:

3. Solaris – I haven’t seen the original, but Steven Soderbergh’s film is just so brilliant in so many levels, it just puts other Sci-Fi like “Minority Report” to shame!

2. Insomnia – Now I have seen the original, but Christopher Nolan has just completely reworked the theme to make a brilliant homage (unlike so many other Hollywood remakes) which makes this an even better film than “Memento”. And Pacino hasn’t really been this good since well, “Scarface”.

1. About a Boy – Hmm, this was the last movie I expected to put on this list, but Chris and Paul Weitz have surprised the hell out of me! The great story, combined with a career-best acting from Hugh Grant, makes this a heck of film, which gets even better on repeat viewings.

Now, lets get on to my top 10 list:

10. THE LION ROARS (HK, Dir. Joe Ma, Stars Cecilia Cheung and Louis Koo)

Joe Ma’s period comedy was one of the better HK efforts this year and combined a very decent amount of hilarious laughs with some touching romance. Cecilia ruled the screen with her dynamic presence while Louis Koo provided some good support, just like he did in “Dry Wood Fiece Fire” earlier this year. And yeah, I just LOVE period films.

09. ROAD (INDIA, Dir. Rajat Mukherjee, Stars Manoj Bajpai, Vivek Oberoi, and Antara Malli)

While the credits claim the director to be Mukherjee, it is no surprise that this is actually producer Ram Gopal Verma’s baby all the way. Verma’s touches are all over the place with all the funky camera angles, slick editing, and some really great laughs thanks to the over-the-top performance from Manoj Bajpai.

08. MIGHTY BABY (HK, Dir. Patrick Leung and Chan Hing-Kar, Stars Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo, Gigi Leung, Rosamund Kwan, and Cecilia Cheung)

Directors Leung and Chan reunite the entire team of last year’s smash comedy “La Brassiere” for this clever sequel which puts our heroes in a baby-products company this time around. No bras here, but you still get plenty of gorgeous women and some really good laughs, thanks to the dynamic trio of Gigi, Cecilia, and the lovely Rosamund in a rare film appearance). Definitely one of the most entertaining films out this year.

07. DOLLS (JAPAN, Dir. Takeshi Kitano, Stars Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, and Tatsuya Mihashi)

Takeshi Kitano returns to his directorial chair with this gorgeous looking love story. The film’s graced with some of the most beautiful images ever put on celluloid along with 3 really touching dramas revolving around love. The film may be slow-paced, but the payoff is definitely worth it!

06. DEVDAS (INDIA, Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Stars Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff)

Much has been said about India’s most ambitious film project to date, so I won’t go into details here. Lets just say that yes SRK deserves the acting, the production values and cinematography is dazzling, and the film deserves much of its kudos, but for me it doesn’t hold up as well as it did 6 months ago. It’s still very good, but to place it any higher would be a shame.

05. INFERNAL AFFAIRS (HK, Dir. Andrew Lau, Stars Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, and Sammi Cheng)

Andrew Lau has made a fine effort to make a film in the vein of director Johnnie To’s earlier productions, and this multi-starrer lives up to its gigantic task reasonably well. It’s a really fine thriller with some great acting from leads Andy and Tony, with some awesome support from Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang. As all multi-starrers, the film gets bogged down by each cast-members but they all do well with what they have. Nonetheless, Infernal Affairs is a fine Police thriller and IS comparable to the leader of the genre – Micheal Mann’s “Heat”.

04. AANKHEN (INDIA, Dir. Vipul Shah, Stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Sushmita Sen, and Arjun Rampal)

Vipul Shah’s clever thriller combined an original concept, with some great suspense and some really awesome laughs thanks to the over-the-top performances by Paresh Rawal and Amitabh Bachchan. Bachchan deserves all the praise for his performance here, and gets to steal the show from the entire cast. Lots of fun!

03. CHINESE ODYSSEY 2002 (HK, Dir. Jeff Lau, Stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong, Vicki Zhao Wei, and Chang Chen)

Lau’s period comedy is actually an ode to Wong Kar Wai films (who produced ) and the film marks all the touches of a WKW production. The film combines a great period setting with some dazzling camera work, a smart script, plenty of laughs, some good music, and some incredible acting from leads Tony and Faye (who last starred together in WKW’s Chungking Express). This was definitely the best HK film last year (except for “Hero”, which is a mainland production - that I haven’t seen anyway).

02. KAANTE (INDIA, Dir. Sanjay Gupta, Stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali, Kumar Gaurav, and Mahesh Manjrekar)

Sanjay Gupta’s highly ambitious remake of “Reservoir Dogs” is an incredible film – both in terms of style and casting. The director combines a great cast headed by Bachchan and Dutt, adds in all sorts of visual trickery you would expect, and gives it a very glossy Hollywood look never before seen in a Bollywood production. The film is just a marvel to look at, with the best action scene you’ll ever see in a Bollywood movie!

01. COMPANY (INDIA, Dir. Ram Gopal Verma, Stars Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Mohanlal, Manisha Koirala, and Antara Malli)

Director Ram Gopal Verma has crafted a thriller of epic proportions and has even managed to outdo his earlier efforts such as Kaun, Jungle, Rangeela, and Satya. This has got to be one of the best gangster films ever made, with a tour-de-force perfomance from newcomer Vivek Oberoi (in his first film!) and Ajay Devgan. Audiences can watch in marvel as Oberoi and Devgan fight their gangwar over 4 different countries , and wonder how the hell will Verma ever top this!

China/Hong Kong

ACCSPY’S TOP TEN HK FILMS

• 1. July Rhapsody (Jacky Cheung, Anita Mui, Karena Lam, Dir. Ann Hui)
• 2. Just One Look (Shawn Yue, Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Dir. Wiley Yip)
• 3. Fat Choi Spirit (Andy Lau, Gigi Leung, Lau Ching Wan, Dir. Johnnie To, Wai Kar-fai)
• 4. Inner Senses (Leslie Cheung, Karena Lam, Dir. Jim Law)
• 5. Chinese Odyssey 2002 (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong, Cheung Zhun, Dir. Jeff Lau)
• 6. Three-Going Home (Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, Dir. Peter Chan)
• 7. My Life as McDull (Dir. Tse Lab-man)
• 8. My Left Eye sees Ghost (Sammi Cheng, Lau Ching Wan, Dir. Johnnie To, Wai Kar-fai)
• 9. Dry Wood Fierce Fire (Louis Koo, Mariam Yeung, Dir. Wilson Yip)
• 10. Second Time Around (Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung, Dir. Jeff Lau)

Best Male Performance: Jacky Cheung (July Rhapsody) Runner-up: Anthony Wong (Princess D)

Best Female Performance: Angelina Lee (The Eye) Runner-up: Gigi Leung (Fat Choi Spirit)

Best Newcomer: Shawn Yue (Just One Look)

Worst Male Performance: Eason Chan (If U Care...)

Worst Female Performance: Rain Li (If U Care...)

Most Wanted of the Year : Francis Ng

MS. MOON YUN CHOI’S TOP TEN

Aloha! Moon Yun corresponding from Hawaii with the top 10 Art House films that I saw in year 2002. I saw the “critic’s choices” – such as “The Piano Teacher” and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” – but not all of them impressed me so you won’t see them on my list of favorites. Also, some of the year’s top foreign films haven’t come to Hawaii yet, such as the eagerly anticipated “Talk to Her” but the ones I’ve included were extraordinary film experiences.

At the top of my list is 11’09’’01, an amazing film project involving 11 internationally renowned directors and their unique vision on the September 11 attack in New York City. The title, in addition to marking the Sept. 11th date, is the precise length each director is given to create their own individual segment – 11 minutes, 9 seconds and one frame. Each of the 11 segments evokes a different response -- from heartbreak to anger and disagreement with the director’s message to even, ironically, humor and innocence.

I was blown away by Chihwaseon, a South Korean film about a 19th century Korean painter who leads an unconventional life. I was disappointed this movie, which won a 2002 Cannes Film Festival Award for best director, didn’t get nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Foreign Film category. Maybe that’ll change for the Oscar’s. However, I just fell in love with this film.

I can’t get Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine out of my mine. It was an extraordinary experience watching this documentary about America’s fascination with guns.

Lovely and Amazing was an intelligent and funny woman’s movie, totally the opposite of the lame Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which I avoided. I knew from the trailer that “Ya-Ya” was going to be bad.

I was dazzled by Monsoon Wedding, my first Bollywood film. After my first taste of exotic Indian spectacle, I want more!

Roger Ebert, who I love, may have found the Chinese language comedy Happy Times –about a poor guy who lies to find a wife and a blind girl he ends up deceiving -- to be creepy but the characters had a way of hooking me in while enraging me at the same time.

Huit Femmes (8 Women) had some of my favorite French actresses, Catherine Deneuve (of course), Emmanuelle Beart and Fanny Ardent. The movie is a murder mystery with weird musical numbers that broke out of nowhere. It was a humorous and crafty way to explore the woman’s psyche.

In Vietnamese as well as in English, Green Dragon had me crying throughout the movie. It’s about the first wave of Vietnamese refugee who was housed in camps in the U.S. in 1975. The Vietnamese cast had the significant roles in this drama but Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker gave the small film the “name” boost.

It was a while since I first saw the small independent turned mega-hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding however I can still remember laughing my head off to the uproarious comedy.

The Man from Elysian Fields – a movie where Mick Jagger plays the head of an upscale male escort service -- makes you say this has got to be one I have to see. The movie was good overall although it got watered down toward the end trying to make up a neat ending.

That’s my list for 2002. Hope you enjoyed it and will get to see the ones that have only been played so far at film festivals.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE Am Anderen ende der Brucuce

Mandarin/German with English subtitles

China/Austria – 2002 – 35 mm – 101 min. – Director: Hu Mei – Producer: Josef Koschier – Cinematography: Lu Yue – Screenplay: Wang Zhebin – Cast: Nina Proll, Wang Zhiwen, Susi Nicolett

It could be said that ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE is a simple love story about a young Austrian woman who falls in love with a Chinese national during the time he is in Vienna in 1931 studying to be a police officer at her father’s academy. Fanny Ebner can’t bear to be apart from Ma Yunglong. Against her father’s wishes, she follows her love back to China and marries him. As romantic as the story starts, by the film’s conclusion it goes on a deeper level to say the rock of a relationship is the woman who gives over her love completely to a man.

Fanny steps off the ship onto the China docks after a long voyage from Europe. As if bringing home a pretty flower found on a European hillside, Ma takes Fanny to his home in the Chinese countryside, where they must cross a bridge to get to his village. She is being carried on a “Chinese taxi,” an apparatus where four men are carrying the rectangular-shaped carriage at four corners. She calls out to Ma that she wants to walk. Strong-willed, she almost makes her way out of the carriage but not until Ma takes one of the beams, puts it over his shoulders and carries her. Fanny says from that moment she knew that as long as she’s with Ma she’ll feel safe in her new country. I can still recall her looking out from her carriage at her husband-to-be and him proudly carrying her on his shoulder.

There are some comical scenes with her learning Chinese customs, particularly the wedding scene where Fanny bows and stands out of step with the ceremony procession but we see quickly Fanny is no delicate flower. You see an emotional strength about her that won’t waver even if she was only 18 when she became a bride. That strength will carry her through the turbulent years that are to follow in China and the subsequent hardships that will fall on them. Her beloved husband will be placed in a penal colony and later deported to a labor camp. Undaunted by the long separations, she hangs on and fends for their children under the harshest conditions ever the while waiting for her husband to be returned to her. She’s a European bride in China during the difficult years of the National Chinese Units and the Red Guards.

The audience at the Louis Vuitton presents the Hawaii International Film Festival 2002 (Nov. 1-10) in Honolulu was the first one in the United States to view this joint China-Austrian film project which opened the 2002 Montreal World Film Festival. It was a touching love story worth seeing if it comes to your city.

One of the sub-stories was about Fanny’s best friend who got married also to a Chinese national studying at the Academy and went back with him to China. It turns out he already had a wife in China so her best friend leaves him and goes back to Vienna having borne his child. That child is later seen as a woman in her forties who’s had a failed marriage and her current relationship seems no better as she’s living with a man that’s non-committal. The daughter flies to China in search of her mother’s long lost friend. Her encounter with the wise, old version of Fanny enlightens her about committed love. As she leaves China, you feel she’s going to break off with her boyfriend once she gets back to Austria. You had a sense that the mother knew that Fanny would be a good, strong influence on her daughter and would help her get back on track with her weak personal life.

MoonYun Choi

CINEMA PARADISE FILM FESTIVAL

In case you are interested (and as an appetizer), here is my (Albert Lanier) top ten list of films for 2002.

• 1. 24 Hour Party People
• 2. Far From Heaven
• 3. Bowling for Colombine
• 4. Cherish
• 5. Lovely and Amazing
• 6. All or Nothing
• 7. Y Tu Mama Tambien
• 8. Moonlight Mile
• 9. Spirited Away
• 10. The Man from Elysian Fields

REVIEW: CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES by Albert Lanier

HONOLULU, HI- CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES is, as a film, a Catch 22. Screened as the closing night film of Honolulu's first independent film festival-Cinema Paradise-CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES is a excellent and intelligent debut film, a good solid independent film of its type that film critics are always complaining that they wish to see more of.

The problem, however, is that because the film is bright and intriguing with almost fully realized and fleshed out characters it doesn't have much to offer a large, mainstream audience weaned on split-microsecond editing, one-dimentional screenwriting, a multitude of puns, car chases, explosions and fistfights. In short, CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES is a film about real people for real smart people. That may be why distributors have opted not to charge like Bulls in Spain after the film's director and co-screenwriter Eric Byler in order to make any deals to release this film commercially (other than, at last word, cable's Sundance Channel). What a shame! CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES is the kind of film I look forward to seeing at film festivals after viewing 30 films by the halfway point of the fest.

CHARLOTTE focuses on Michael (Michael Idemoto), an auto mechanic who spends his days working at what remains of his families' auto repair and his nights at home reading one of a slew of books he has arranged in bookshelves (in one scene, he appears to be reading Albert Camus The Stranger-it looked like the cover of the paperback edition I had to read in high school English class as a Senior) in his apartment while next door, the sounds and squeals of the pleasure and rapture (all right, sex) felt by his beautiful next door neighbor Lori (Eugenia Yuan) and her boyfriend (Matt Westmore). But things get a little more interesting, after tripping the light fantastic, Lori gets out of bed and goes up a flight of stairs seperating both apartments to Michael's. The two wind up watching tv to the wee hours of the night. Right away, I found this a nice little plot point. The scenes don't require too much talk and the audience is forced to listen to every word, watch every gesture and action. My description may make this sound like it's a silent film but that's not what Iam trying to get across-these and other early scenes set the tone for the entire film which develops a soft, unforced mood with a jazzy soundtrack to buttress this moody feel. Lori and Michael have an easygoing friendship but you have the feeling that they both dig each other, they're both attracted to each other.

However, Michael winds up meeting an attractive woman named Darcy (Jacqueline Kim) at a club. Sparks fly-well sparks actually float-and the two start a tentative courtship of sorts.

Darcy, a self-described free-spirit, is slightly agressive but cagy. This is a woman who, seems to want to hook up but on her own terms Michael is attracted to Darcy but doesn't push or prod-that's not his style anyway. He wants her but tries to figure her out his way. Actually, "figure out" is an apt phrase because the film keeps hinting that Darcy isn't who she appears to be (whatever that is). CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES gets especially interesting when Lori and her boyfriend and Michael and Darcy meet. Darcy shows herself to be instigator of sorts and one keeps wondering about her.

We finally do find out the truth about Darcy but we aren't manipulated with redherrings, cheap theatrics, and stupid screenwriting tricks.We watch and observe, sizing up the people on screen and wondering what makes them tick. CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES has a maturity that makes other romances and relationship films look tame. Director Eric Byler allows his actors to talk and speak more naturalistically than spout lines and strike poses or stances. The script creates three-dimensional characters who lack the transparent manuverability favored by most script creations in Hollywood.

CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES is such a bright and textured film that you wonder why other filmmakers create the narrow but often entertaining features that populate multiplexes nationwide.

Some films speak about love, other films show sex-sometimes raw, sometime simulated. Yet others deal in lust and relationships. CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES shows lust, some times sex and maybe the possibility of love but always among real people and always with truth and intelligence.

Well, that’s it for this week’s column. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@rogers.com. See you next week.

Darius25