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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Coen Brothers: Fifteen Films Streaming on Roku

The buzz for the new film from Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis, continues to grow after its New York Film Festival screening.  Besides Rotten Tomatoes, where the Tomatometer rating stands at 89%, a good survey of the current reviews for the film can be found at IndieWire.  As further proof of the Coens' ongoing popularity, InstantWatcher has rated the newly available Fargo as one of the most streamed titles in the last 24 hours.

As it turns out, all of the 15 films written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen are available through various services on the Roku Streaming Device.  Five of them are available for free with a subscription (which as we know, ain't free): Miller's Crossing (Netflix, Amazon Prime), Barton Fink (Netflix, Amazon Prime), The Hudsucker Proxy (Amazon Prime), Fargo (Netflix, Amazon Prime), and Intolerable Cruelty (Netflix). Most other titles are available through Amazon and Vudu, as well as some other services (simply use the search function on the Roku).  I've listed the titles below in chronological order, using Netflix as the default subscription link and Vudu as the rental link (unless, as in the case of No Country for Old Men, Amazon is cheaper).

Posters and Synopses from The Movie Database

Blood Simple (Joel Coen, USA, 1984, 97 minutes)
A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.

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Raising Arizona (Joel Coen, USA, 1987, 93 minutes)
The Coen Brothers tell the story of a absurd yet likable family with an unproductive couple as the focal point. The couple has gotten themselves into some trouble while kidnapping a baby and give Hollywood one of the most memorable chase scenes to date.

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Miller's Crossing (Joel Coen, USA, 1990, 114 minutes)
Miller’s Crossing is the Coen brothers' first successful attempt at reaching a wider audience. They illustrate an atypical Mafia story that sways away from the typical films from the genre like The Godfather or Goodfellas. Taking place during Prohibition, this film is an incredible piece of work accompanied by superb acting performances.

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Barton Fink (Joel Coen, USA, 1991, 116 minutes)
New York intellectual playwright Barton Fink comes to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter. Staying in the eerie Hotel Earle, Barton develops severe writer's block when his studio boss orders the serious-minded Barton to write a low budget wrestling movie. His neighbor, jovial insurance salesman Charlie Meadows, tries to help, but Barton continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him even further from his task.

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The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen, USA, 1994, 111 minutes)
When Waring Hudsucker, head of hugely successful Hudsucker Industries, commits suicide, his board of directors, led by Sidney Mussberger, comes up with a brilliant plan to make a lot of money: appoint a moron to run the company. When the stock falls low enough, Sidney and friends can buy it up for pennies on the dollar, take over the company, and restore its fortunes. They choose idealistic Norville Barnes, who just started in the mail room. Norville is whacky enough to drive any company to ruin, but soon, tough reporter Amy Archer smells a rat and begins an undercover investigation of Hudsucker Industries.

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Fargo (Joel Coen, USA, 1996, 97 minutes)
Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

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The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, USA, 1998, 117 minutes)
Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is the ultimate LA slacker, until one day his house is broken into and his rug is peed on by two angry gangsters who have mistaken him for Jeffrey Lebowski, the LA millionaire, whose wife owes some bad people some big money. The Dude becomes entangled in the plot when he goes to visit the real Lebowski in order to get some retribution for his soiled rug, and is recruited to be the liason between Lebowski and the captors of his now "kidnapped" wife.

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O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen, USA, 2000, 106 minutes)
O’Brother, Where Art Thou? is a Coen Brother's film roughly based on Homer’s “Odyssey.” Taking place in the deep south in the 1930’s the film tells the story of three escaped prison workers and their journey for a buried treasure. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations.

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The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen, USA, 2001, 116 minutes)
A tale of passion, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity presents him with a chance to change it.

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Intolerable Cruelty (Joel Coen, USA, 2003, 100 minutes)
A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.

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The Ladykillers (Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2004, 104 minutes)
An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord: a sharp old woman.

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No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2007, 122 minutes)
Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.

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Burn After Reading (Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2008, 95 minutes)
This is comedic tale of espionage. An ousted CIA official's memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.

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A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2009, 105 minutes)
A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances, Sy Ableman.

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True Grit (Joel & Ethan Coen, USA, 2010, 110 minutes)
Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. Marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and adventure on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested.

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