Johnny To: 10 Films Streaming on Roku

Katherine Spring, recent author of Saying It With Songs: Popular Music and the Coming of Sound to Hollywood Cinema (congrats, Katherine!) posted an interesting link on her Facebook page to Ranked: The Films of Johnnie To From Worst to Best. Almost everyone commenting on the link agreed that there were problems with the rankings (that is true of all such lists, and that is why people keep making them), but nearly everyone agreed that the list itself was ambitious. While many fans in the West know To for his action and triad films, this list does a good job recognizing his romance and comedy output as well.  While I'm a personal fan of Running on Karma (2003), I'm not sure if I would place it at #3 among the films that I've seen so far, but then again clearly Jake Cole at Film.com has seen more of To's overall output than I have. His list has 49 titles, of which I have seen 20, most of which are the action films (and most are at the top of his list).

What inspired me to follow up on this list with a blog entry today was Cole's placement of Romancing in Thin Air (2012) at number 1 on the list. It's one I hadn't seen, or even heard of. Cole points out that while it has not been released in theaters or on DVD in the United States, it is currently available on Hulu (free Hulu in fact, not just Hulu Plus).  I did a little more digging and discovered it is also available on Amazon Prime Instant Video, for those who want to avoid Hulu's ads.

Romancing in Thin Air is certainly a charming, if somewhat predictable, romance. While watching it I was reminded how To has viewed his output as one film to keep Milkyway Studios going strong, then one film for the critics.  Certainly this film is for a general audience, it's well crafted and acted and certainly worth a look for those who are less familiar with this significant part of To's output.  I'm not as crazy about it as Jake Cole at Film.com, but it does fit in interesting ways into To's recurring themes in his non-triad work. Also streaming on Amazon Prime Instant Video is the #16 film on Cole's list, Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011, co-directed by Wai-Ka Fai), which I also hope to catch up with in the near future.

The other recent To films hat have received more attention from the critics currently are also worth checking out. Drug War has several interesting genre twists that really get you just when you think you know where the film going, and its third act really punches you in the gut. Life Without Principle is a clever network narrative following several characters on the day of a global financial meltdown. It features some abrupt shifts in tone that only To seems to be able to pull off effectively (or perhaps only To is allowed to get a away with).

I did a March, 2011 blog entry on To films streaming on Netflix, but while those links still bring you to the film's Netflix page (the links are not broken), very few of those titles are still streaming.

Posters and Synopses from The Movie Database unless noted.

Romancing In Thin Air (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2012, 111 minutes)

Amazon Instant Video: After a popular actor is jilted at the altar by an actress he travels to the mountainous area of Yunnan province. There, he finds true love with a heartbroken woman who is also a secret fan of the actor.

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Drug War (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2012, 105 minutes)

The taciturn police commander Zhang leads an undercover drugs team and in his continuous battle against the ubiquitous drug barons, takes up arms against his arch enemy, Timmy Choi. When he gets hold of Choi, he makes a deal with him: in exchange for his life (in China you can get the death penalty for producing only 50 grams of drugs) the young criminal will help the police infiltrate a sizeable drug network.

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Life Without Principle (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2011, 87 minutes)

A criminal, a bank clerk and a police officer find their destinies entwined when a loan shark gets assaulted after having withdrawn $10 million from the bank in the midst of the world financial crisis.

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Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Johnny To & Wai Ka-Fai, Hong Kong, 2011, 115 minutes)

Mainlander & financial analyst Cheng Zixin (Gao Yuan-Yuan), who followed her then boyfriend Owen (Terence Yin) to Hong Kong, runs into her ex-boyfriend while riding the bus. Owen is now with his pregnant wife and when his wife spots Owen talking to his ex she she freaks out. Cheng hurriedly gets off the bus and, being in a daze, is almost run over by a car. A haggard drunk named Fang (Daniel Wu) then saves Cheng. Meanwhile, in a nearby car, sits CEO Cheung Shen (Louis Koo) who watches everything that transpires. CEO Cheung Shen is a playboy who also works in an office building directly adjacent to Cheng Zixin. Cheung Shen soon starts to woo Cheng Zixin by sending messages to her through the window of his office building. The drunk haggard Fang, who saved Cheng Zixin's life, runs into Cheng Zixin a few weeks later. It turns out that the drunk haggard is a Canadian-born top architect going through personal problems. They soon become friends.

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Vengeance (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2009, 108 minutes)

François Costello arrives in Hong Kong to avenge the death of his daughter and her family, who were murdered by hired killers. Twenty years before, Costello was a professional hitman... As Costello's memory is fading away, three professional killers, Kwai, Chu and Lok, are sought to help him complete his revenge plan.

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Triangle (Johnny To & Ringo Lam & Tsui Hark, Hong Kong, 2007, 101 minutes)

Small-timer Fei (Louis Koo), his harried buddy Sam (Simon Yam), and antique store owner Mok (Sun Hong Lei) are all in desperate need of money. Fei wants his friend to drive a robbery getaway car but Sam backs out, throwing Fei in trouble with the triads. As the three are arguing, a mysterious man leaves them a map, leading them to an unlikely treasure under the Legislative Council building. All their financial woes seem to be solved after a late-night heist, but they are being tracked by shady cop Wen (Lam Ka-Tung), who is carrying on an affair with Sam's emotionally unstable wife, Ling (Kelly Lin), and has connections with Fei. When the twisted relationship tangles come to light, the brotherhood dangerously breaks down and the treasure ends up in the wrong hands.

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Mad Detective (Johnny To & Wai Ka-Fai, Hong Kong, 2007, 89 minutes)

A rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer.

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Exiled (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2006, 110 minutes)

A friendship is formed between an ex-gangster, and two groups of hitmen - those who want to protect him and those who were sent to kill him.

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Election (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2005, 115 minutes)

A drama-thriller centered on a democratic election within an organized crime society.

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The Heroic Trio (Johnny To, Hong Kong, 1992, 88 minutes)

Tung and Ching were both adopted by the same master. But later Ching was abducted by the eunuch-Chan. Ching grew up and became scientist Li's assistant and Tung married officer Lau. Chat had escaped from Chan at 15 and became a thief-catcher. During Chan's intrigue the trio united to become "The heroines of the East".

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Korea: I'm a Cyborg..., Poetry, I Saw the Devil, Mother

Here's a quick list of recent Korean films available for streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly.  Korean cinema has been very successful on the international film festival circuit in the past few years, and a few Korean directors have also earned a cult following in various areas of genre filmmaking (especially horror).

Chan-Wook Park is probably best known for Oldboy, which won the Grand Prix of the Jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.  His Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Lady Vengeance (2005) are also currently streaming on Netflix.  These next two films are interesting ventures in to very different genres: romantic comedy and vampire horror.

I'm a Cyborg, but That's Okay (Chan-wook Park, Korea, 2006, 107 minutes)
Netflix: Placed in a psych ward for believing she's a robot, troubled Young-goon forsakes food and attempts instead to charge her body with electronic devices. As her health deteriorates, another eccentric patient tries to inspire her to start eating again.  Netflix link.







Thirst (Chan-wook Park, Korea, 2009, 133 minutes)
Netflix: When the smoke clears from a failed experiment to find a cure for a fatal disease, a devout priest finds himself forever changed. Specifically, he's a vampire -- but that isn't the only thing that's different. Now he's also willing to commit adultery with the wife of his childhood friend, a sin he never would have considered before. Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin and Ok-bin Kim co-star in this horror offering from Korean director Chan-Wook Park.  Netflix link.






Lee Chang-dong's Poetry was particularly successful on the international film festival circuit, winning the 2010 Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival.  Poetry currently has a 100% Tomatometer critical rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Poetry (Chang-dong Lee, Korea, 2010, 139 minutes)
Netflix: A poetry-writing class inspires serenely self-possessed grandmother Mija (Jeong-hie Yun) to open her senses to her suburban surroundings, but in rushes an array of unsettling discoveries in this lyrical South Korean melodrama. Along with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease comes information that Mija's teenage grandson was party to a horrific incident, and it is left to Mija to compose order from the untidy emotional consequences.  Netflix link.





Kim Ji-woon is also known for his 2008 cult action film The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, which is also streaming on Netflix.  I Saw the Devil is not for all tastes, but you'll realize that when you read the synopsis.

I Saw the Devil (Ji-woon Kim, Korea, 2011, 142 minutes)
Netflix: From famed thriller director Ji-woon Kim comes this edgy thriller about secret agent Dae-hoon (Byung-hun Lee), who discovers how far over the edge he will go in order to seek revenge after his fiancée is brutally slain by psychopathic serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi). With the police baffled by Kyung-chul's murders, Dae-hoon decides to capture the killer, but his own increasing violence makes him wonder who the monster really is.  Netflix link.






Bong Joon-ho had an international breakthrough hit with The Host in 2006, and that film just became available again on Netflix Watch Instantly.  His most recent film, Mother, currently has a 95% Tomatometer critical rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Mother (Joon-ho Bong, Korea, 2009, 129 minutes)
Netflix: A murder rocks a South Korean town and suspicion quickly falls on a reclusive, mentally challenged -- and alibi-free -- young man (Bin Won). When an inept public defender botches the boy's case, his mother (Hye-ja Kim) sets out to prove her son's innocence. Acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong (Memories of Murder) explores the lengths a mother will go to protect her child in this atmospheric crime thriller.  Netflix link.

Bollywood: Kites and Kites: The Remix

This weekend I hope to compare and contrast the two versions of Kites that are available on Netflix Watch Instantly.  The closest we've come to a Bollywood crossover in the U.S. has been Slumdog Millionaire, but those familiar with Bollywood traditions know that Slumdog only gave lip service to the form with the musical number at the end of the film.  The biggest obstacles for Bollywood crossovers have been the lengths of typical films and the seemingly arbitrary musical numbers (no matter what genre the film might be otherwise).  The producers of Kites engaged in an interesting experiment to test the waters for a strategy for an American crossover.  Despite the relatively short running time for the film, they cut the American version from 122 minutes to 92 minutes, and they put Brett Ratner (Rush Hour films, X-Men: The Last Stand) in charge of the American cut.

I'd be particularly interested in comments from readers who also have compared the two versions.  I hope to update this entry when I've had a chance to do so.

Kites (Anurag Basu, India, 2010, 122 minutes)
Netflix: Although Mexican bombshell Natasha and Indian hunk Jay don't speak the same language, they quickly develop an intense, mutual attraction. But after they brazenly run off together, the sexy couple encounters severe danger and trouble with the law.  Netflix link.

Kites: The Remix (Anurag Basu, India, 2010, 92 minutes)
Netflix: Brett Ratner gives his treatment to the original Bollywood version of this story, which centers on two star-crossed lovers, Jay Ray and Natasha, who leave behind their wealthy significant others, to be together.  Netflix link,

Richard Linklater: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset

Here's an good idea for a double feature if you're looking for one: a marathon screening of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004).  Linklater has always alternated between his personal and mainstream projects, and Before Sunrise is perhaps one of his most indebted to European art cinema sensibilities (particularly with it's overt nod to Antonnioni in the location montage at the end).  Before Sunset is unique in that it is one of the few sequels to be made so long after the original (nine years) where the characters have also aged the same number of years (the other example that comes to mind is The Three Jakes, the sequel to Chinatown).

Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, USA, 1995, 100 minutes)
Netflix: This intoxicating film from director Richard Linklater stars Ethan Hawke as an American backpacker who strikes up a conversation with a lovely fellow traveler (Julie Delpy) on the train to Vienna and persuades her to spend his last day in Europe with him. Wandering the picturesque streets of the Austrian capital, the two share stories of their pasts and their dreams for the future, ultimately forging a bond that leads to love. Netflix link.

Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, USA, 2004, 80 minutes)
Netflix: Ethan Hawke reprises his role as Jesse, a traveling American who fell for a sweet French girl named Celine (Julie Delpy) while he was backpacking through Europe, in this sequel to the 1995 hit Before Sunrise that's set nine years after they met. Now a successful author, Jessie's on a book tour in Paris when Celine shows up at a reading, just hours before his plane leaves. It's their last chance at closure -- and maybe their second shot at love. Netflix link.

Wong Kar-wai on Netflix and Fandor

Following up on my post last week on Hong Kong's Johnny To, it is also worth noting that many films by the great Wong Kar-wai are also available for instant streaming.  Whereas Johnny To has been more firmly rooted in the genre-driven Hong Kong industry, Wong Kar-wai has made a name for himself with highly personal films for the international film festival circuit. His breakthrough film, Chungking Express (1994), is missing from this list, but it is available on DVD from the Criterion Collection.

A good overview of Wong's career can be found at the Great Directors page of the Senses of Cinema website.  A key collaborator in his career has been the cinematographer Christopher Doyle; if you start to watch any of these films streaming and the image quality is not to your liking, by all means stop and get the DVD or Blu-ray if available.  

The new streaming service Fandor has been receiving some attention in the press, and I will keep my eye on their listings for inclusion here.  For now, it is worth noting that two Wong Kar-wai titles are currently available there, Fallen Angels (1995) and Happy Together (1997).  The subscription rate is $10 a month, but a current promotion allows you to watch one film for free if you log in with your Facebook account.  If you have experience with Fandor please feel free to let me know your thoughts about the service in the comments section below. 

Ashes of Time Redux (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1994/2008, 93 minutes)
Netflix: In ancient China, swordsman Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung) retreats to the desert to recover from the sting of an affair gone wrong. With a hardened heart, he subcontracts out killings to bounty hunters, who face their own dilemmas on the road to redemption. Tony Leung Ka Fai, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Brigitte Lin and Maggie Cheung also star in Kar Wai Wong's recut of his 1994 wuxia epic, which adds a score by Yo-Yo Ma. Netflix link.

I had the opportunity to see a 35mm print of the film around 1997 or so, and it was one of my favorite screening experiences of all time.  This has some of the most gorgeous cinematography I have ever seen (although I was disappointed by some of the alterations in the redux version).  For an in-depth analysis of the changes between versions of the film, consult David Bordwell's blog entry on the film.  More so than many of his later films, Ashes of Time is dependent upon genre conventions familiar to the Hong Kong industry, specifically the wuxia pian or swordplay martial arts genre.  Some of the more interesting aspects of the film might be lost to viewers who are not already familiar with those genre conventions, as the film plays with whether it will fulfill or deny viewer expectations for a martial arts film.  The redux version reduces this tension to a degree, and moves more towards an art cinema paradigm and eliminates some of the more purely genre driven elements.  This is probably not the film to introduce yourself to Wong's cinema, but it is well worth visiting at some point, and returning to for multiple viewings.


As Tears Go By (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1988, 99 minutes)
Netflix: Hong Kong gangster Ah Wah (Andy Lau) does all he can to keep his friend and fellow mobster Fly (Jackie Cheung) out of trouble, but Fly continues to wind up in hot water. Ah Wah's crime boss has had about as much as he can stand of Fly, but Ah Wah continues to stand by his friend. To complicate matters, Ah Wah begins to fall for his cousin (Maggie Cheung) but can't find the time to start a relationship and keep Fly out of trouble at the same time. Netflix link.

Again, at this point in his career we still see the influences of the more dominant genre driven Hong Kong industry.  In this case, the genre is the mobster/triad genre, but we still see hints of things to come in Wong's later work.  While the repetitive use popular songs becomes a trait later in his career to great effect, I do have to warn you that you might have to hear a Cantopop version of "Take My Breath Away" a few more times than you would want to outside of watching this film.  Still, a great film, with perhaps the best scene to ever feature someone stuffing a gun down someone else's pants and firing it.

Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1990, 95 minutes)
Netflix: After learning that the woman who raised him is not his mother, Yuddy (Leslie Cheung) acts out by manipulating two women -- quiet Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung) and glamorous Mimi (Carina Lau). Su Lizhen eventually catches the eye of Tide (Andy Lau), while Yuddy's friend Zeb (Jacky Cheung) falls for Mimi. Meanwhile, Yuddy learns the identity of his birth mother and heads off to find her. This film won multiple honors at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Netflix link.

For me, this is where Wong Kar-wai starts to hit his stride, although I have to admit I did not know what to make of the film the first time I saw it.  My advice would be to take your time with the film, and don't force it to do anything other than what it is doing; just let the images work on you.  This a great meditation on time, loneliness, and the need to reach out to others, themes that will come back in subsequent Wong films.  By the end, we do see the re-introduction of genre components, but what will stick in your mind after the film is over will be vivid feelings and tones generated by specific lingering images.

Fallen Angels (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 2005, 98 minutes)
Netflix: A disillusioned Hong Kong killer (Leon Lai Ming) embarks on what he hopes to be his last hit -- all the while realizing that to truly get out of the game, he must overcome his romantic obsession with his rarely seen partner (Michelle Reis). In a seemingly unrelated subplot, a mute (Takeshi Kaneshiro) tries to get the world's attention in his own unconventional way. Kar Wai Wong wrote and directed this winner of multiple Hong Kong Film Awards. Netflix link.  Fandor link.

Often seen as a companion work to Chungking Express (in fact the story was originally going to be a component of that film), in Fallen Angels we see Wong spreading his wings stylistically, sometimes audaciously, to create a cinematically sumptuous experience.  Sure this involves a hitman, but we have now come a long way from As Tears Go By, and we are nowhere near the films of Johnny To from last week (as much as I love those films, too).

Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1997, 96 minutes)
Netflix: Gay couple Ho Po-Wing (Leslie Cheung) and Lai Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung) travel from Hong Kong to Argentina for a holiday to try to mend their dissolving relationship. They separate for a time, but when Po-Wing shows up at Yiu-Fai's door beaten up, Yiu-Fai takes him in. While Yiu-Fai begins a new relationship with another man, Po-Wing's life spins out of control. Director Kar Wai Wong's romantic drama won the Best Director award at Cannes. Netflix link.  Fandor link.

Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung are great in all of the Wong films that they appear in, but Happy Together is a particularly good showcase for their talents.  This film also benefits from the move away from Hong Kong and shooting on location in Argentina, which gives Wong and cinematographer Doyle a refreshing new palette with which to work.  Despite some great landscapes, however, the dominant feeling here is a kind of claustrophobia as the film vividly portrays the ups and downs of an codependent relationship.

In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 2001, 98 minutes)
Netflix: In director Kar Wai Wong's delicately mannered tale of platonic romance set in 1962 Hong Kong, neighboring married apartment-dwellers Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung, who won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) discover that their often-absent spouses are having an affair. The two spend much of their free time together and find they have much in common, but vow never to behave like their unfaithful mates. Netflix link.

A gorgeous, heartbreaking film.  All of Wong's familiar elements are here, working perfectly together.  Here is a film where art direction, set design, and especially the costumes are thrust into the foreground in a way that ads a special texture to the quiet, intimate story (every dress Maggie Cheung wears is stunning).  While I mentioned that the repetition of "Take My Breath Away" in As Tears Go By might get irritating, the repetition of Nat King Cole songs works amazingly well here and with great emotional impact. I'm less enthusiastic about 2046, which is a companion film to In the Mood for Love, but you should still check it out anyway.  You might also consider Wong's segment in the portmanteau film Eros to be a thematic companion to this film, and it is also available on Netflix Watch Instantly.


I look forward to your thoughts about these films in the comments section.  --JLK