My Top 10 of 2011

Last year I became a little frustrated just after I posted my Top 10 of the year as at least two films that would have easily made the list came to light in early January, the wonderful “Confessions” and the little delight of “Kung Fu Wing Chun”.  It is always a problem with doing these kinds of lists – you cannot see everything in the calendar year it was released, and moreover, because I am looking at films from abroad, I may have to wait for a DVD release, or at least online subtitles to become available.  But rules have to be maintained, so here are the ThingsFallApart Top Ten of the Year guidelines:

• The film has to have been released in its Host Country during the year in question – I will use IMDB as my guide here, but I know it is far from a perfect system.
• The exception is films released in the run up to Christmas, can be included (to get those last minute releases in).
• I have to have reviewed it.

So, that is the administration over, lets have a little look at the films that did not quite make the cut.  To be honest it has not been a great year for Asian Cinema on the whole, and I was afraid this was going to end up a top 5 at best, even with a little flurry of top films appearing in the last couple of months.  In fact, the year was punctuated by two awful disappointments – both the remake of “A Chinese Ghost Story” and “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” boasted great casts and where certainly pretty enough, but both totally missed the point of their existence. 

But reading back through the blog, there have been some worthwhile films that maybe have not quite stuck in my memory as they should have.  Apart from the two I mentioned in the first paragraph, I thought “Merry Go Round” (released in November 2010) was a great and touching way to start the year, with a touching set of stories and a fantastic if unusual soundtrack.  “Bruce Lee, My Brother” was a brilliant little bio-pic, more so as it concentrated on the man himself, and not his on screen persona.  “Come Rain, Come Shine” was simply an acting master class.  “Hello Ghost” was the yearly entertaining Cha Tae-hyun vehicle that I think I maybe enjoyed more than I admitted to.  My only real annoyance is that I could not get subtitles to the new Tsui Hark film in time for this post, as I have heard some good things about it.

The worst film of the year?  Easily “Mysterious Island”, a horror film so bad it not only has a nonsensical plot, but forgets to be scary.

But now on to the main list!

10. Love You You

Sue me.  I am a sucker for a gentle romantic comedy, and even though this one was pretty much pilloried by greater critics than I, it really won me over.  Sure, the story is silly, but I thought the little twists where on the good side (and made the film make a lot more sense upon a second viewing), and Eddie Peng and Angelababy had charm and charisma to spare.  In fact, Angelababy is someone I would normally ignore as being one of those Bikini Models who gets into film as eye candy.  But she actually was the best thing about “Love in Space”, even though she was surrounded by much more respected talent.

9. The Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Down Below

Finally an Anime makes my end of year list, and this one ticks all my boxes.  It is beautiful to look at, it is thought provoking, and for want of a better phrase is just so “mature”.  I just loved the way that the film concentrated on it’s themes of loss and grieving, without getting tied up in the fantasy/sci-fi mechanics of the plot, and was brave enough to put some roots of ideas down that it did not feel it had to explore as part of the main plot.  As I said in my review, this is somewhere to look once you have exhausted the Studio Ghibli back catalogue.

8. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

Another Jonnie To helmed rom-com, which despite a love triangle that held no actual threat to the end result, charmed me immensely.  The little trick of people communicating by messages pinned to the Windows of their Offices was the cutest idea I have come across in a long time.  Gao Yuanyuan was an attractive and fun leading lady, and Louis Koo managed to make a quite reprehensible character almost likeable.  It even made me feel sad for a poor Frog, and even though it did play that “look how nice it is in China” card near the end, I was able to forgive it for that.

7. Countdown

By far the best thing I saw out of Korea this year.  The initial caper side of the story is darkly comic and more than enough to make it a great film, but the sudden change of pace of the final third of the film reminded me of just what it was that makes me love Korean Cinema so.  Add to this two performances by two of Asia’s finest that were able to make me actually care for two Characters that would normally be completely unlikeable, then for me this film was a complete win.  The fact it underperformed at the Korean Box Office does make me wonder for the future of locally produced Korean films, but the ThingsFallApart team (i.e. me) thought this was a winner.

6. The Flowers of War

Two levels of shock here.  Christian Bale makes my end of year Asian film list, and Zhang Yimou makes a film that I actually got emotionally invested in.  Once we are past the “Saving Private Ryan” battle sequence (technically good, just out of place), we get a story about a shocking period in human history.  Yes, you could complain there is some Japanese bashing here. and that a couple of the moments seemed a little false, but you would be a hard person if you were not emotionally affected by this movie.  Add to this a couple of possible breakout stars, and this film has a lot going for it.  It’s not bad when it is being Epic, but its amazing when it drills down to the personal.  The scene between Bale and young Huang Tianyuan at the end of the film is one of the most affecting things I saw this year.

5. Help! My Girlfriend is a Vampire!

Friend of the site and damn good fellow blogger Miyuki bought this one to my attention, which is also my first Malaysian film ever.  It is low budget, a little wobbly, the acting is variable and the special effects are so-so - but the film is full of fun and heart, and even finds time to be a little post-modern.  It is like a Hong Kong film form the early 1990’s, and was the biggest surprise to me this year.  I adored every minute of it, and  in terms of sheer minute by minute fun, no other film on this list made me smile so much.  I will be looking for similar films from this region in the future.

4. Ladda Land

Thailand gets an entry this year too, and is the only Horror film on the list, which is ironic as Asian Horror is pretty much what got me started here.  This one certainly has atmosphere and scares, but what raised it up was the all too human story of a man trying to do the best for his family.  You could have cut out most of the ghostly goings on, and still had a pretty darn decent drama.  It’s not a film without faults – the initial Ghost is forgotten about, and the interesting story of the female Child get pushed off camera too quickly, but for film based on that hoary old standby of “Urban Legend” this one excels.

3. Starry Starry Night

Another new country for the end of year list, Taiwan (though I have seen many excellent Taiwanese movies), this is another excellent Jimmy Liao picture book adaptation.  It is a touching story about growing up, about dealing with family breakup through the eyes of children.  At times the images on the screen are utterly spellbinding, and I dare you not to fall in love with the character of Mei.  Other reviews have been less kind, but I think it speaks totally to those of us whose parents broke up at a similar age, about the loneliness and lack of understanding that you have when not quite an adult.

2. The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake

Herman Yau does it again – he takes a well known historical figure and creates a marvellous bio-pic on a fraction of the budget that most Chinese “epics” have.  This is a story of one of the most important feminist figures of the 20th Century (though I bet you had not heard of her if you are from outside China).  Great performances all around, with a bit of hyper-realistic kung-fu thrown in.  What really makes it a winner is that it does not try and claim Qui Jin as a heroine of the Chinese Revolution – she is a hero of China and of her Gender.  It spices up the potentially dull cradle to grave nature of many of these type of films by being a bit smart with the timeline, which makes it a really satisfying and engrossing watch.

1. Wu Xia

The one film I was really looking forward to that did not disappoint this year.  Utterly gorgeous, tremendously acted and intelligently directed.  This film managed to take the Wuxia genre, and look at it through a modern eye, whilst keeping the important aspects intact.  A story of honour and failed redemption, this film dissects everything that I have grown to love, casts a modern eye over it, and puts everything back together again intact.  It is a film seeped in intelligence, and I know that it will have disappointed the action junkies, with Donnie Yen fans being treated to very few real fight sequences. But if you can get past this, this is the most rewarding film I have seen this year, that succeeds at every level.

And now.. onwards to 2012.  What am I looking forward to? How about:

• Park Chan-wook’s “Stoker”, his English Language debut (you will see a theme here from the big Korean Directors).
• Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmasters”, finally? maybe? please.
• Edmund Pang’s “Love in the Buff”, a sequel to my film of LAST year.
• Derek Yee’s “The Great Magician”, blending both my favourite subject (Magic) with Tony Leung.
• Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer”, his English Language debut (see?).
• Kim Jee-woon’s “The Last Stand, his English Language debut (told you).