it 's all about love is a 2003 romance-drama film written and directed by thomas vinterberg .

its narrative can be classified as apocalyptic science fiction , but vinterberg prefers to call it " a dream " .

unlike the director 's earlier danish-language films , it 's all about love is entirely in english and stars joaquin phoenix , claire danes and sean penn .

the production was led by denmark 's nimbus film , but the film was largely an international co-production , with involvement of companies from nine different countries in total .

it was very poorly received by film critics .

it ' s all about love

in the end , it ' s all about love . . . nothing else .
it ' s all about love
is rated r ( under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian ) . it includes some gun violence and discreet lovemaking .
this image of fred blew my mind , this act of endless love . maybe in the most profound deepest sense fred’s love , their love…all love is eternal . maybe , just maybe it is only “ love “ that crosses the threshold of this life into the next .
it ' s a romantic song without the typical
i love you
lyrics , and that ' s why it ' s on our list .
this song is all about accepting love no matter what others have to say about it . you might recognize the vocalist and chorus of this song from the marriage - equality - inspired hit
same love
by macklemore & ryan lewis .
it ' s all about love is the story of two lovers and their attempts to save their relationship in a near - future world on the brink of cosmic collapse . john , and world - famous ice skating star , elena , are about to sign divorce papers when they realise that , in spite of everything happening around them , their love is worth fighting for . it ' s all about love is a fresh take on modern love and future life as two lovers struggle in a conspiracy of epic proportions .
best quote :
i ' ve got a lot of tattoos and girls either love it or hate it but to be honest , most of them love it .
yes , it’s time to meet the cast of itv’s love island 2017 and boy are we in for a treat this year .
when giving a toast your job is to gather up all the love in the room and be the voice of all present . that is your gift to the couple – and it’s better than any toaster oven !
it is a very sad story , but this image has captured my mind this week . thinking about love . jesus , this profound mysterious god - man that mused , “ god is love . ”
as befits a film that closes with a monologue about how , when it comes right down to it , it really is all about love , from a man doomed to live out the rest of his life on an airplane , love has a jet - lagged rootlessness and pervasive sense of dislocation common to international co - productions , those cinematic towers of babel where nationalities and sensibilities all too often congeal into a swampy , stilted mess .
dopamine is the one neurotransmitter that everyone seems to know about . vaughn bell once called it the kim kardashian of molecules , but i don’t think that’s fair to dopamine . suffice it to say , dopamine’s big . and every week or so , you’ll see a new article come out all about dopamine .
the lyrics are super - sweet and sentimental – it ' s all about how the person you ' re with is a metaphorical reflection of who you are ( awww ! ) .
despite what the title might suggest , it ' s actually perfect for dancing ! the lyrics are about a shy groom ' s first dance ( sound familiar ? ) .
someone who’s a bit argumentative . i don’t mind confidence – in fact , i love it – but i don’t like arrogance . it’s a fine line . if someone thinks they’re too good , that’s a turn - off for me .
it ' s all about love is the story of two lovers and their attempts to save their relationship in a near - future world on the brink of cosmic collapse . john , and world - famous ice skating star , . . . see full summary »
it all got very firsky last year . can we expect more of the same , caroline ?
vinterberg is speaking about his new film , it ' s all about love , released next week . it ' s been a long time coming , and there ' s a great deal riding on it . back in 1998 , his last film , festen , took the world by storm . it was the first dogme movie , made under the
vow of chastity
he authored with fellow dane , lars von trier . with its radically stripped - down style and incendiary subject matter – a family confronting incest – it was one of the most influential films of the decade .
it ' s the perfect all - ages , family - friendly song ( everyone from your toddler niece to your grandparents will hit the dance floor when they hear it ) .
with dionne and cassandra it is
all about love
. from the first meeting with these ladies they were right on mark with all details . i can ' t say enough about being able to work with true professionals who are absolutely passionate and love not only what they do but the couples they work with . there attention to details is remarkable and i was so honored to work with them and can ' t wait to do it again . they are the planners to have .
best quote :
i think it ' s a good sign if a guy has a female friend who he ' s not romantically involved with , it means he ' s genuine .
it made vinterberg the poster boy of independent cinema . young , bright and beautiful – he ' s still only 34 – he could do anything he wanted . but how do you follow an act like that ? he spent 18 months fielding hollywood offers before deciding instead to make it ' s all about love , which he co - wrote with his old film school professor .
so there you have it . life in hollywood isn’t always as it seems .
yaass ! finally , my show is about to come been doing a countdown for april to come . i know i ' m gonna love this ! !
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we fight , we argue to believe certain things to get across the threshold into eternity , when the reality is…all we have to is love .
it ' s all about love of phoenix arizona was founded based on a concept of equality . we would be truly honored to be part of your wedding day or special event . whether simple or elaborate , traditional or non - traditional , let us have the privilege of creating a ceremony that truly honors and celebrates the love you have for one another . we will happily perform a customized wedding ceremony rich in life , love and laughter at the location of your choice .
some viewers like watching raunchy scenes and others don ' t . people love moaning , let them moan . british people love a good moan .
here is an anonymous email that we received . it & apos ; s purportedly from a disgruntled producer - who wanted to put love and hip hop on blast :
first - person essays , features , interviews and q & as ; about life today .
so dopamine has to do with addiction , whether to cupcakes or cocaine . it has to do with lust and love . it has to do with milk . it has to do with movement , motivation , attention , psychosis . dopamine plays a role in all of these . but it is none of them , and we shouldn’t want it to be . its complexity is what makes it great . it shows us what , with a single molecule , the brain can do .
so is dopamine your cupcake addiction ? your gambling ? your alcoholism ? your sex life ? the reality is dopamine has something to do with all of these . but it is none of them . dopamine is a chemical in your body . that’s all . but that doesn’t make it simple .
many artists scorn careerism , but vinterberg ' s desire to keep pushing himself is evident in every frame of it ' s all about love . it ' s a hugely ambitious work that sets itself the task of providing
a report on the state of the world
. it uses its science - fiction setting not to envisage technological change , but to explore the emotional experience of 21st - century living . its vision of a frozen future reflects the numbing heartlessness that vinterberg feels is endemic to the way we already live .
after a five - year break , danish helmer thomas vinterberg follows up his celebrated “the celebration” with “it’s all about love , ” a film that is considerably different in nearly every respect . this cool , contemplative , artfully composed meditation on the possible state of the world some 20 years hence deals with grand , philosophical issues in ways that are [ … ]
“i’ll still follow those guys and there’s no love lost just because i’m not playing there this year , ” he said with a slight crack in his voice . “i still love all those guys in the clubhouse and i hope they do well . i just hope we do a little bit better this week .
the experiment didn’t work . the english - language production is a jumble of poorly delineated notions about love , celebrity ( the kind the director says rattled him after celebration ) , the look of romantic movies , and the sound of american - style dialogue — and it’s been sitting on the shelf for over a year . but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth vinterberg’s doing . there’s nothing like the challenges of filmmaking freedom , it turns out , to deepen an appreciation for constraint .
love island airs on itv 2 at 9pm every night for seven weeks . it started on monday and will finish in mid - july .
we ' re suckers for a love song duet , and this one is no exception .
shocker : a disgruntled producer tries to ' expose ' love and hip hop . . . reveals all the secrets behind production ! ! ( do you believe this ? ? )
if you follow this custom , the theory goes , you will find eternal joy with your soul mate . so even if certain indian brides must first marry a tree or a south korean groom has to tolerate getting his feet whipped by family and friends , it ' s all worth it in the end . when love and happiness ever after are the outcomes , it ' s a win - win for brides and grooms .
© 2014 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies . all rights reserved .
© 2018 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies . all rights reserved .
his new film is the opposite of what anyone expected him to do . where festen shocked with raw ugliness , it ' s all about love startles with fragile , fairy - tale beauty . it ' s set in a near - future where everything is freezing , even the human heart . people are literally dying on the streets for lack of love . in the midst of this quiet apocalypse , claire danes plays a superstar figure - skater torn by the demands of her work and her marriage to joaquin phoenix . they are the last great romantic couple , on the run in a world that ' s lost its way .
my best girlfriend would describe me as confident , generous , and lovely ! i’ve got a lot of female friends . girls just want to be my friend for some reason . i hope it’s because i’m a nice person . i think it’s a good sign if a guy has a female friend who he’s not romantically involved with , it means he’s genuine .
this is especially true of movies that fearlessly , even recklessly push against the limits of narrative realism and dare us to take a leap of conceptual faith . two such films are francis coppola ' s
one from the heart
and baz luhrmann ' s
moulin rouge ! ,
genuinely daring works that fill me with more admiration than pleasure . another , lesser work is the quasi - futuristic
it ' s all about love ,
a recent feature from the danish director thomas vinterberg .
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what is dopamine ? love , lust , sex , addiction , gambling , motivation , reward .
a lot of them just want about ten girlfriends at a time . come on – you can’t go out with ten girls at once ! that’s not on .
true to its title , this delicate valentine of a movie is all about love – yet it has drawn some savage reactions from critics . at the berlin film festival last year , many greeted it with aggressive sniggering and howls of derision , dismissing it as a folly . but others came away in silence , tingling with the conviction that vinterberg had made something rare and precious : a magical film with the power to raise gooseflesh , whatever its flaws might be .
shocker : a disgruntled producer tries to ' expose ' love and hip hop . . . reveals all the secrets behind production ! ! ( do you believe this ? ? ) - mto news
i know that in this film , there ' s a certain pretentiousness ,
he says .
but i don ' t think that ' s so bad . i like that . this film is not escorting the audience from a to b on a secure emotional journey , as festen did . it ' s something else . i don ' t know what it all means , exactly . it ' s more like a painting , i guess . it demands something from the audience : it demands that you ' re willing to sit down and participate in a dream .
i’m going to be a great islander because girls love me , i’ve got great energy and i’m always positive . i’ve basically got a great all - round personality . i’m not going to lie , i do find it quite easy to find girls .
sportsline ' s top weekend picks : baseball rolls on with all the mlb action and division races heating up , sportsline offers its top weekend picks .
in case anyone was wondering , the feeling is mutual , especially for how wieters feels about his old teammates .
don ' t wait until the reception ' s end to chat up a venezuelan bride and groom — they could be long gone . it ' s good luck for the newlyweds to sneak away before the party ' s over without getting caught ; it ' s also good luck for whichever guests catches on that they ' re gone .
giving a global perspective to all this are not only the occasional glimpses of odd environmental spasms in far - flung locations , but also the ruminations of john’s older brother marciello ( an animated sean penn ) , who is forever circling the earth on planes and is finally stuck in the air , unable to land , because “it’s freezing all over the world . ”
i’ve been chatted up by a few celebrities . reality stars , mainly – they’re the same ones that message everybody ! they will dm me and all my girlfriends and they don’t seem to realise that we all talk to each other . there’s nothing more gross than a guy sending messages to all your friends saying the same thing . they’re idiots !
we claim in the film that you die from it , but i think in real life there ' s a lot of living dead . it ' s lack of love , lack of warmth . i think we get cold from floating around ; we get self - occupied and non - existent by not being present .
i’ve been extremely upset about someone before but i’m quite tough so i wouldn’t call it heart break . i’ve definitely broken hearts . there’s exes that still follow me on social media . the two exes i had are in relationships now so hopefully they see it as water under the bridge .
best quote :
whoever has signed up for this show wants to find love so hopefully i’ll find someone in there that’s looking for what i’m looking for .
all this leaden whimsy , the unpersuasive stabs at swooning romanticism and the ungainly attempt to blur the time period ( it ' s 2021 by way of the 1940 ' s ) recall some of the german filmmaker wim wenders ' s later follies , but absent the sincerity . the one - time dogma adherent ' s ambitions in
it ' s all about love
would be more laudable and his missteps more forgivable if mr . vinterberg actually believed in illusion , as does mr . wenders , and wasn ' t just using it as a contrivance for his own cleverness . creating a false world within the already false world of a movie can be tricky ; at best you end up with
the wizard of oz
and at worst something queasily evocative of
xanadu .
but if filmmakers don ' t believe their own lies , i don ' t see why we should either .
all the way through “it’s all about love , ” one can strongly sense vinterberg and his co - writer mogens rukov struggling for ways to give dramatic form to the many ideas they’re so anxious to express in the pic . what single story could they possibly invent that would organically and excitingly convey their urgent thoughts on cloning , multinational corporate control over artists , global winter , the transient nature of modern life , the death of love and the possible loss of gravity from a hole in the sky over africa that causes ugandans to float upward ? above all , the filmmakers are rather touchingly devoted to the theme of the difficulty of maintaining individuality in the technological world , a legitimate and sympathetic subject that gives the picture its one point of emotional entry .
the act of recruiting has many innovations taking place , mainly within the realms of technology , but the approach to acquiring talent is changing too . angela love talks about how apprentice talent is changing the way people work at active .
we ' ve rounded up 45 of the most awe - inspiring rituals from lands far , far away to give you an idea of what ' s happening beyond your backyard . if you ' re particularly charmed by a certain custom , feel free to adopt it for your own
i dos
even if it ' s outside your heritage . when it comes to love and weddings , there are no borders .
however , just because technology has transformed the world of recruiting over the past decade , does not mean the special skills possessed by all those in charge of attracting talent haven’t remained firmly in place , as they should . there certainly is an ability to see through it all and choose someone who’s a great fit for the company .
none . i’m feeling quite confident ! if it doesn’t work out , it doesn’t work out . if you get pied on telly , then that’s fine ! i don’t take anything personally .
it ' s a cuban custom that every man who dances with the bride must pin money to her dress to help the couple pay for their wedding and honeymoon . bank on it !
while most about - to - be marrieds brim with excitement and anticipation , congolese brides and grooms must keep their happiness in check — during their entire wedding day , from ceremony to reception , the two are not allowed to smile . if they do , it would mean they weren ' t serious about marriage .
“i don’t want to really anticipate any reception , ” he said with an uncomfortable shrug . “i enjoyed my time here and warm reception or not , it won’t change my feelings about the city and about the fans . i just hope that i remember to walk into this dugout and not the other one . ”
arrogance . someone really cocky , and with no manners . i wouldn’t get on with them at all .
the bride will traditionally wear a silver - and - gold crown that has small charms hanging all around it . when she moves , the tinkling sound deflects evil spirits .
like wong kar - wai ' s strangely simpatico 2046 , love finds a maverick largely abandoning logic and coherence in a quixotic quest for beauty and truth . it ' s through the looking glass time as vinterberg follows his wandering muse down a rabbit hole without caring much whether audiences will follow his lead .
in a brain that people love to describe as “ awash with chemicals , ” one chemical always seems to stand out . dopamine : the molecule behind all our most sinful behaviors and secret cravings . dopamine is love . dopamine is lust . dopamine is adultery . dopamine is motivation . dopamine is attention . dopamine is feminism . dopamine is addiction .
i’ve been lucky to have an interesting career that has taken me all over the world , and i have a lot of great experiences . i don’t know if that makes me different but it’s given me a different background to a lot of other people . i will definitely miss my work – i’ve had breaks from it before , like when i moved to london , and i found it difficult . it was a very life changing experience .
in this scandinavian country , it ' s typical at weddings to serve a towering special - occasion cake called a kransekake . it ' s made with iced almond cake rings to form a cone shape , and a wine bottle is often placed in its hollow center .
the full scoop : washington d . c . ' s top 5 spots to grab a frozen treat whether it ' s ice cream , gelato or frozen yogurt , here are washington d . c . ' s best places to score a tantalizingly delicious frozen treat .
some of them started laughing ,
acknowledges vinterberg .
some people said to me , ' listen , i ' m clueless , i don ' t get it . ' but other people stopped me in the street , crying , saying , ' you changed my life . ' the strange thing is , i find both remarks very fair . i do understand that some people don ' t get it . i had my problems getting it while writing it . but i also understand why some people keep dreaming about it . i ' m proud of it – but i am afraid of all the stones that are being thrown at me .
in pictures - the story of love and romance : from adam and eve to tinder and chemsex . compiled by martin chilton
i’m a serial dater but i don’t go for fancy dates . i like fun stuff like trampolining or bowling or just random stuff . it’s like an ice - breaker . it can’t be awkward if you’re doing something fun like that , can it ? there’s no cool way to trampoline ! you’re on your back half the time , giggling .
no , you only know summer has arrived when love island , itv2 ' s shag - tastic reality series , hits the screens – which means , dear friends , that summer has begun .
with all of these wonderful , interesting things that dopamine does , it gets my goat to see dopamine simplified to things like “attention” or “addiction . ” after all , it’s so easy to say “dopamine is x” and call it a day . it’s comforting . you feel like you know the truth at some fundamental biological level , and that’s that . and there are always enough studies out there showing the role of dopamine in x to leave you convinced . but simplifying dopamine , or any chemical in the brain , down to a single action or result gives people a false picture of what it is and what it does . if you think that dopamine is motivation , then more must be better , right ? not necessarily ! because if dopamine is also “pleasure” or “high , ” then too much is far too much of a good thing . if you think of dopamine as only being about pleasure or only being about attention , you’ll end up with a false idea of some of the problems involving dopamine , like drug addiction or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , and you’ll end up with false ideas of how to fix them .
a toast is such a unique form of public speaking . while everyone thinks they know what a toast is supposed to do it’s clear that few people know how to give a toast that is remembered for all the right reasons . even pippa middleton had to endure a wretched toast offered by her husband’s off - key best man !
it’s a bit of a joke if i’m honest . every boy i’ve ever been with has cheated on me ! girls just know , don’t they ? we have a sixth sense when it comes to that kind of thing . girls are like the fbi at knowing when a guy’s cheated .
i like the set up of the show ; it’s very organic in terms of the relationships that are formed . i like the idea of not knowing who you might meet . in my normal life , i end up mixing with the same people all of the time .
vinterberg began to wilt under the pressure . he spent years working on an utterly bizarre screenplay that seemed torn painfully from the innermost recesses of his soul . it was a futuristic sci - fi love story that doubled as a moody , arty meditation on love , loss , and a world that seemed to be spinning madly out of control .
vinterberg ' s next
suicidal career move
is a film about american teenagers and guns ( dear wendy , currently in production ) . for now , though , he ' s made a movie that even its detractors admit is clearly sincere . and if we can ' t handle sincerity without sniggering any more , then perhaps his notion of the death of the heart isn ' t so far - fetched after all .
the success of festen opened all doors around me ,
he says ,
which is not very creative . i read about 100 scripts , some of them very good , and i was tempted . but i felt like a little bit of a coward saying yes to a hollywood safe thriller . it was too easy , somehow . ' '
vinterberg ' s follow - up to the celebration , it ' s all about love takes place in a near - future troubled by
cosmic disturbances
that are alternately whimsically grim and grimly whimsical . the world is rapidly freezing . it snows in july . tap water turns to ice in seconds during cryptic freeze storms . ugandans begin magically levitating . people start dying en masse from lack of love , littering the streets with corpses whose hearts simply ceased beating , as much from a dearth of affection as lack of oxygen . heroin - addled superstar professional figure skater claire danes is being cloned excessively and saddled with a shaky polish accent that makes her sound vaguely vampirish ( i kept waiting for her to say
i vant to suck your blahd–in de future !
) arnold schwarzenegger is elected governor of california ( oh wait , that actually happened ) .
this song is like the 2014 version of
don ' t stop believin ' .
it ' s happy , upbeat , has an easy chorus and when the dj plays it , we ' re pretty sure it will have every guest on the dance floor making xs and os with their arms .
if you fail , it can be difficult ,
says thomas vinterberg ,
but if you have success , it ' s even worse . there was a giant pressure on me . it took me one and a half years to get out of that situation and just decide on the most suicidal and least careerist move i could do – and it was this . ' '
he 37 - year - old is more excited than ever before about the show , claiming this series is
sexier and has lots more hideaways
.
two and a half years . we split up about eight weeks ago and since then i haven’t gone on any dates . i’ve just focused on me .
obj , russell wilson show off their dance moves in the # inmyfeelingschallenge looks like drake ' s new song
in my feelings
has kicked off the latest summer dance craze and it ' s reached into the sports world .
forcing the royals to abase themselves by emoting , by being folksy , by speaking in a common demotic , does not make the monarchy any more democratic — all it does is rob the monarchy of those things which have enabled it to survive all these centuries . robs it of a sense of mystery , of aloofness from the general , of dignity , of being above the fray and ruling uncomplainingly . the very qualities we have witnessed for the past 65 years from queen elizabeth and the duke of edinburgh .
based on manga series
hito wa mitame ga 100 percent
by hiromi okubo ( first published 2014 in japanese manga magazine be love ) .
mashiro and sumire are back ! ! ! i love both mirei and keita in sumika sumire . excited for this new drama ! ! ! !
exclusive : beyonce pregnant again . . . new pics confirm it ! ! !
the bride ' s sisters and female cousins make off with the groom ' s shoe and , if he wants it back , he must pay ransom money for its safe return . this is one way to kick things up a notch !
h , yes , the key question . let ' s rattle through them :
i’m a little bit different to everyone else . i don’t beat around the bush : i’m going on to win the show , not to make friends ! at the end of the day , it’s a competition . i’m there to find love , yes , but i’m also there to win . and if i have to step on someone’s toes to do that , then i will do !
right before the wedding , it ' s common for indian women to gather their closest girlfriends and sit for hours at a time to have their skin intricately painted , in tattoo fashion , with menhdi , which is paint made from henna . the elaborate and beautiful skin art lasts about two weeks making additional accessories totally unnecessary .
the services sector is a great place for apprentices to be able to explore the right career path ; as there is ample room for growth , both personally and professionally . it’s up to us , as employers , to educate young people about the fantastic benefits that an apprenticeship can offer , both in a personal and professional capacity .
welsh bride think not just of themselves on their wedding day but also their bridal party . the bridal bouquet includes myrtle , an herb that symbolizes love , and the bride gives a cutting to her bridesmaids . the theory goes that if the bridesmaid plants it and it blooms , she ' ll be the next bride .
in the film , these themes are visualised in dream - like images . city streets are littered with the bodies of those whose hearts have given out . all water turns to ice ; there ' s a snowstorm in july . as gravity fails , people become weightless , lose their moorings . of course , not all of this works for everyone . if vinterberg ' s notions resonate for some , they strike others as far - fetched and pretentious .
in sweden , whenever the bride leaves the table , all the ladies at the reception are free to steal a kiss from the groom ! sweden keeps the tradition gender - neutral so whenever the groom leaves the room , all surrounding gentleman are free to plant a peck on the bride .
i’m definitely not modest ! they call me vain , and i do love myself a bit . i play on it , though . i’ll go , ‘i’m good looking me , aren’t i ? aren’t you lucky to be with me ? ’
moonlight is the surprise contender in this year’s oscar race ; directed by barry jenkins , and adapted from a play by tarell alvin mccraney , it’s the story of a black gay man at three different stages of his life . jenkins and two of his male cast , trevante rhodes and andré holland , talk about the issues surrounding black gay identity , while naomie harris explains how she got to grips with playing a crack addict .
so is love ultimately a fiasco or a secret success ? it ' d be a real stretch to call it a success , secret or otherwise , but it ' s exactly the kind of movie i want to highlight and pay homage to in this series , a film so stubbornly odd and singular it seems to belong to a subgenre all its own–a mad , mad mix of sci - fi , allegory , left - field social commentary , and romantic melodrama . if i weren ' t so damnably attached to this rating system , i ' d give it a final score more in line with its free - floating craziness , like say , three floating ugandans , two and a half claire danes clones , and seven loopy sean penn monologues . can i call it a semi - secret fiascopiece ? heck , if vinterberg can make a movie this defiantly weird , then i think i ' m entitled .
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the 4 best african restaurants in washington d . c . from nando ' s peri - peri to ethiopic , here are washington , dc ' s best african restaurants .
want a glimpse of your future spouse ? chow down on salty bread . that ' s what single armenian men and women do . according to the custom , if you eat a slice of the high - sodium specialty — which must be prepared by a happily married middle - aged woman or your grandmother — you will hopefully dream about your husband - or wife - to - be . let ' s hear it for carbo - loading !
an energetic exploration of a family union gone hideously , hilariously wrong ,
the celebration
remains one of the best films shot on digital video largely because the technology serves the story . as the gathering moves from day to night , and without the aid of artificial lighting , the visuals begin to degrade , a disintegration that mirrors the slow breakdown of the family itself . although
it ' s all about love
couldn ' t be more different from
the celebration ,
mr . vinterberg again attempts to make the film ' s formal elements , from the lighting to the jarring sound design , serve the story . while some of these elements merit praise , in particular ben van os ' s expressive production design , they are in service of a cringing romance that mr . vinterberg tries and fails to spin into a political allegory .
watching thomas vinterberg ' s dogme 95 breakout hit the celebration , i experienced a giddy rush of discovery . i was excited about the film , but i was equally excited about decades of vinterberg masterpieces to come . if he could accomplish so much while adhering to the rigorous set of aesthetic strictures he helped create as one of the architects of the dogme movement , i could only imagine what he ' d be capable of with no restrictions whatsoever .
my suspicion is that we were already heading in that direction anyway — urged to express ourselves , to wallow in a kind of narcissism and solipsism : i am , and that is all that matters . i exist and i feel , so you’d better take me seriously . this suited the leftish cultural mood of the time and was undoubtedly abetted by the first reality tv shows and the growth of that most narcissistic of all mediums , the internet . but diana was a personification of this new trait , however cruel her death may have been . she spilled her guts out and complained on tv about stuff , about her travails and how terribly badly she’d been treated .
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there ' s a widening gulf between missionaries and the churches back home who . . .
what ' s the price marriage ? in remote parts of papua new guinea , it involves a woman ' s parents handing over a negotiated number of pigs and shells to pay for a man to marry her . the porkers are then slaughtered and served during the wedding feast .
woooow , nakao ' s first drama ! ! can ' t wait < 3 by the , does someone know where i can find this manga ? i want to read it beforehand .
all now gone , i think . when prince philip announced his retirement earlier this year one could sense the baton being handed over to a very different set of creatures , creatures who will not be rude to foreigners but might well cry on television . it is difficult to see what exactly is royal about princes william and harry , except for their blood and their titles . and nobody thinks any of that matters any more , do they ?
though in many ways a stilted , awkward , leadenly paced mess , love nevertheless captures that fragile post - 9 / 11 mindset of naked vulnerability and yawning doubt , before our souls became re - calloused and we as a culture developed an insatiable curiosity about the private life of paris hilton and the sweet 16 parties of the super - rich and morally reprehensible . it poignantly evokes that curious historical epoch when it seemed somehow like the world would just stop , that the universe would punish us for the mess we ' d made of the world .
celebrity crush : jennifer lawrence . not only is she absolutely stunning , but she ' s got a great personality . she ' s funny and doesn ' t take herself too seriously .
blogger claims he spoke to drake . . . suggests that drake smashed kanye ' s wife !
5 recipes for awesome st . patrick’s day drinks these boozy beverages will turn any st . patty ' s day into a celebration that even st . patrick himself would raise a glass to .
we are updating our terms of service , privacy policy , and cookie and internet advertising policy effective may 25 , 2018 ! you can preview the new version and see details about the updates here .
let ' s hope the groom remembers to remove the arrowheads . in china , a prospective husband will shoot his bride with a bow and arrow several times then collects the arrows and breaks them during the ceremony , to ensure their love lasts forever . what would cupid do ?
“when teams are playing like both of ours are right now , you get a little bit of that playoff feel . it’s going to be a grind to see who can win this series . ”
these ladies are truly heaven sent . i didn ' t have to worry about anything . they took care of everything and all i needed to say was yes or no . not only were they able to create something magically on my small budget they also made it unique and the event resembles everything i have envisioned . they are the reason i want to have a wedding every year . these ladies are not just my planners . . they are now my lifelong friends
understand that although you’re toasting the couple , the real audience is the room – family and friends . what do you want them to know about the couple ? what do you want them to feel ?
6 . now , you do the actual toast . turn and look about the room – hold up your glass – say something like , “family and friends please join me in raising your glasses . ”
vinterberg appealed to no less than ingmar bergman to help him finish the film , but the master refused , i suspect because he found it far too lugubrious even for his legendarily grim sensibility .
bromeister , your flick is too depressing even for me ,
bergman probably said in between chess matches with the grim reaper . ( incidentally bergman was , at the time of love ' s filming , just over 1 , 000 years old and stayed above ground solely by beating death at chess . let ' s just say that either bergman is a very good chess player or the grim reaper is a very bad one . all art truly is autobiographical . )
what is dopamine ? dopamine is one of the chemical signals that pass information from one neuron to the next in the tiny spaces between them . when it is released from the first neuron , it floats into the space ( the synapse ) between the two neurons , and it bumps against receptors for it on the other side that then send a signal down the receiving neuron . that sounds very simple , but when you scale it up from a single pair of neurons to the vast networks in your brain , it quickly becomes complex . the effects of dopamine release depend on where it’s coming from , where the receiving neurons are going and what type of neurons they are , what receptors are binding the dopamine ( there are five known types ) , and what role both the releasing and receiving neurons are playing .
as wedding reception hosts , the parents of guatemalan grooms can do whatever they want , including smash things . when the newlyweds arrive , it ' s a tradition that the groom ' s mom break a white ceramic bell , filled with grains like rice and flour , to bring prosperity to the couple .
the unnatural evolution of laron landry ' s arms after his new gym selfies went viral , a look back at laron landry ' s transformation from scrawny high school qb to muscle - bound nfl ss .
5 . now it’s time to bring your toast to a head . offer a wish – be specific in your words and avoid clichés . rather than saying “i wish you joy , ” say something like , “of all the things i could wish you tonight , i especially wish you a lifetime of joy like i saw in your eyes earlier as you said your vows . ”
in lebanon , the wedding celebration , the zaffeh , gets off to a rowdy start with music , belly dancing and shouting at both the groom ' s and bride ' s homes courtesy of the couple ' s friends , family and occasionally pro dancers and musicians . eventually everyone ends up at the bride ' s house where the couple is showered with blessings and flower petals as they leave for the ceremony .
5 shocking medical stories from 2017 here ' s a list of shocking stories from this year that shows just how far science has come and how unbelievable ( and a little gross ! ) it can be .
a toast is your gift to the couple . therefore , it is not a roast . it is not an opportunity to embarrass the couple . it is not the time to practice your audition for the comedy club . avoid cursing and off - color humor ( leave that to the bachelor / bachelorette party ) .
how would you like to be all dressed up in your wedding finery and have your dad spit on you ? it happens in kenya after the ceremony when a masai bride leaves with her new husband . the purpose is not to tempt fate by being too supportive of the newlyweds .
you agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for the new york times ' s products and services .
someone who’s way too full of themselves . i like someone with manners . i can’t stand bad manners .
i found it necessary to get rid of the dogme rules ,
he says .
dogme was against the mediocrity of filmmaking ; it was against professionalism and careerism . it was a project on thin ice : we were exploring new territory , which was really great . i thought , ' i can ' t repeat myself , that would be ironic ' – and yet i still wanted to explore new territory . so i had to go all the way to the other end of the curve .
with apprenticeships , there’s no hr manager scrapping an application because the candidate doesn’t have the correct experience in x , or the right skills for y . a lot of the time , it’s down to willingness and interest in the sector or particular company that will get them the role , the rest is taught on the job !
and dopamine is busy ! it’s involved in many different important pathways . but when most people talk about dopamine , particularly when they talk about motivation , addiction , attention , or lust , they are talking about the dopamine pathway known as the mesolimbic pathway , which starts with cells in the ventral tegmental area , buried deep in the middle of the brain , which send their projections out to places like the nucleus accumbens and the cortex . increases in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens occur in response to sex , drugs , and rock and roll . and dopamine signaling in this area is changed during the course of drug addiction . all abused drugs , from alcohol to cocaine to heroin , increase dopamine in this area in one way or another , and many people like to describe a spike in dopamine as “motivation” or “pleasure . ” but that’s not quite it . really , dopamine is signaling feedback for predicted rewards . if you , say , have learned to associate a cue ( like a crack pipe ) with a hit of crack , you will start getting increases in dopamine in the nucleus accumbens in response to the sight of the pipe , as your brain predicts the reward . but if you then don’t get your hit , well , then dopamine can decrease , and that’s not a good feeling . so you’d think that maybe dopamine predicts reward . but again , it gets more complex . for example , dopamine can increase in the nucleus accumbens in people with post - traumatic stress disorder when they are experiencing heightened vigilance and paranoia . so you might say , in this brain area at least , dopamine isn’t addiction or reward or fear . instead , it’s what we call salience . salience is more than attention : it’s a sign of something that needs to be paid attention to , something that stands out . this may be part of the mesolimbic role in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also a part of its role in addiction .
have you downloaded our shiny new app ? it’s like a teeny tiny website in your hand providing a great listening experience , content to read on the go and the ability to contact your favourite shows live on air .
in modern life , everybody is living in transit ,
he says .
people are constantly on the move , going from one meeting to another , having conference calls and expressing their love in text messages over cellphones . this is my life , and a lot of other people ' s lives .
though it ' s quite possible vinterberg wrote the film before 9 / 11 , it nevertheless evokes how 9 / 11 single - handedly rewired our sense of the possible and the impossible , and upended our sense of reality . after all , in a world where planes fly into buildings and a motley aggregation of zealots armed with box - cutters can strike widespread , almost unprecedented terror in the heart of the richest , most powerful country in the world , why shouldn ' t ugandans begin floating mysteriously up into the ether ?
best quote :
i work out a lot . i call it a lifestyle more than a hobby .


the stool pigeon ( simplified chinese : 线人 ; traditional chinese : 綫人 ; pinyin : xiàn rén ; jyutping : sin3 jan4 ) is a 2010 hong kong-chinese action thriller film directed by dante lam and starring nicholas tse , nick cheung and gwei lun-mei .

the film is about police detective , don lee ( cheung ) , who uses informants to gain information about gangsters .

lee begins to feel guilty when his informants are caught , but sends out a street racer named ghost ( tse ) as an informant to gain information about a gangster name barbarian ( lu yi ) .

the film was released in china on august 24 and two days later in hong kong .

the film performed well in the hong kong box office , though it has received mixed reviews .

the stool pigeon ( 2010 film )

his fellow hong kong director dante lam’s latest action film “the stool pigeon” shattered [ this suggestion ] .
a by - the - numbers look at my 2010 movie viewing yea . . .
the stool pigeon is screening as part of the 37th annual seattle international film festival . for more details about the festival and screenings , please check out siff site .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the stool pigeon near you .
( left ) nick cheung , and ( right ) nic tse and guey lun - mei in the stool pigeon .
link to trailer for “the stool pigeon” here . it doesn’t have english subtitles , but the action excitement is a universal language .
the…hong kong cops and gangsters film “the stool pigeon” was screened for the press in beijing recently , and [ despite scenes of intense mayhem ] the film had passed the mainland examiners and would be presented in its original form without any cuts .
for the creative team behind “the stool pigeon , ” making this film must have been a no - brainer . director dante lam previously collaborated with actors nick cheung and nicolas tse to great success with 2008’s “ beast stalker . ” that film earned nick cheung a hong kong film critics society award and a hong kong film award for best actor , and the screenplay and editing nabbed similar nominations . their 2010 follow - up “the stool pigeon” carries the feeling of a well - earned victory lap : it’s an entertaining if unremarkable hong kong thriller .
in this film , the director prefers to be more realistic when expressing his aesthetics of violence . when a stool pigeon is stabbed by a group of gangsters , the director zooms in to capture the facial expression of the stool pigeon . while an informer is escaping , dante lam cuts the sound and adds light music to augment the actor’s concentration .
the energetic driven , rock infused and pulsating soundtrack to the hong kong mega blockbuster film ' stool pigeon ' ; composed by hong kong composer henry lai , who also composed the ost for ' three kingdoms - surrection of the dragon ' .
action thriller “the stool pigeon , ” which opens in theaters on august 24th , released its final trailer in order to catch audiences’ attention . sina . com reports .
“the stool pigeon” has a slick look with an earthy color palette that recalls christopher nolan’s two batman films . hong kong media outlets reported that nick cheung was unhappy with the amount of screentime he received in the film but cheung later said his words were taken out of context . the film does struggle to focus on two protagonists at once , with cheung and nicolas tse disappearing for periods of time , but i imagine that fans of either actor will go home happy . i personally would have enjoyed “the stool pigeon” more if the action quotient was a little higher but , regardless , “the stool pigeon” is a gutsy thriller from a region that could use more gutsy thrillers from filmmakers that aren’t johnnie to .
hong kong international film and tv market ( filmart ) , organized by the hong kong trade development council since 1997 , is the leading event of its kind in asia and one of the most important film markets for the global film industry .
hk action thriller “the stool pigeon” ( 线人 ) with nick tse , directed by dante lam – final trailer and 2 english reviews , including this blog’s exclusive [ crienglish . com / sweet & sour cinema / sweet & sour cinema exclusive film review ]
dante lam is one of my favorite working hong kong directors . a real pro , he doesn’t always score high with me ; but in the case of “the stool pigeon” he does — with a predominantly authentic - feeling , and authentically thrilling , cops & robbers film .
the stool pigeon could make for a great double feature with another hong kong film about undercover police work , the excellent infernal affairs . whereas infernal affairs dealt with the complexities of undercover work and how twisted loyalties can become , the stool pigeon makes everything more personal , focusing on the moral and psychological effects of deceit and undercover work . the story concerns police officer don lee , who is in charge of undercover operations , he is tasked with bringing down a renown jewel thief and enlists the aid of ex - con ghost , jr .
police inspector don ( nick cheung ) works with stool pigeons - dangerous informants willing to rat on others for the right price . don is also wracked with guilt after the near death of his prior stool pigeon jabber ( liu kai - chi ) , who is now insane and living out of cardboard boxes .
any film which rejuvenates the often - tired hong kong cops vs . gangs genre is worthy of praise , and i walked out of “the stool pigeon” feeling invigorated thanks to dante lam’s expert direction and some fresh casting choices . if this genre appeals to you , i expect you’ll enjoy it .
hk action thriller “the stool pigeon” ( 线人 ) with nick tse , directed by dante lam – final trailer and 2 english reviews , including this blog’s exclusive [ crienglish . com / sweet & sour cinema / sweet & sour cinema exclusive film review ] | sweet & sour socialism 糖醋社会主义
summer 2010 issue featuring an exclusive interview with alan moore . also features on mike paton , robyn , roky erickson , marc almond , chrome h . . .
los angeles , ca , oct . 26 , 2010 – the american film market ( afm ) and the hong kong trade development council ( hktdc ) have collaborated for “hong kong day” at the 2010 afm on thursday , nov . 4 . throughout the day , events and activities will focus on the benefits of producing and co - producing in hong kong , the breadth of films and projects from hong kong sales companies and the 2011 edition of hong kong international film & tv market ( filmart ) . afm managing director jonathan wolf and hktdc assistant executive director raymond yip made the announcement today .
despite not having the word
beast
in its title , the stool pigeon is a solid hong kong film and a fine recovery for dante lam after the underwhelming experience that was fire of conscience . it ' s predictable and sags in the middle but the ride is a good one . nick cheung and nic tse are again pretty damn good .
the only film i have seen on the list is stool pigeon and i liked it very much despite the bad performance from nick cheung . nic tse on the other hand is a superbly talented actor . i wish he was in more films . thanks to you that now i have a good reference point to check others . i kind of entered into a voluntary hk film break after watching
murderer
.
los angeles , ca , oct . 26 , 2010 – the american film market ( afm ) and the hong kong trade development council ( hktdc ) have collaborated for
hong kong day
at the 2010 afm on thursday , nov . 4 . throughout the day , events and activities will focus on the benefits of producing and co - producing in hong kong , the breadth of films and projects from hong kong sales companies and the 2011 edition of hong kong international film & tv market ( filmart ) . afm managing director jonathan wolf and hktdc assistant executive director raymond yip made the announcement today .
meanwhile , lam has made a subversive change to the cast . although the film is made by the same team that produced the action film , “the beast stalker , ” nick cheung , who won best actor at the hong kong film awards for his role as the kidnapper in that film , plays a cop in this one . and the sergeant nicholas tse from “the beast stalker” now portrays a recently released convict who becomes an informer for cheung .
to everyone’s surprise , the ending of the film is also included in the trailer , but it will take the viewer some time to find it .
: more , actually , than the number of hong kong movies made in other years that i viewed for the first time in 2010 as well as the number of movies from any other territory in the world ( including the usa , mainland china or japan ) .
it wasn ' t so long ago - just back as the 2000 ' s rolled into double digits - that hong kong ' s dante lam made the transition from being a journeyman jobbing director into one of the world ' s finest purveyors of large scale , hyper kinetic action cinema . 2008 effort beast stalker led the charge with 2010 releases fire of conscience and stool pigeon seeming to seal the deal to the point that he was being regularly name dropped in the company of john woo and johnnie to and not feeling at all out of place .
the stool pigeon is a dante lam directed hong kong undercover action thriller starring kwai lun - mei , nicholas tse and nick cheung . it has a bunch of really sweet action set pieces , but it also takes every single element out of the beginner’s handbook for melodramatic filmmaking .
these changes within the film and the actors may not reform the current downturn situation of hong kong films , but at least it’s a refreshing break .
tai fung ( tsu ' s ) co . ltd . ( film stock supplied by )
viewers who are searching for the next great action movie out of hong kong may find themselves slightly disappointed by “the stool pigeon . ” the film is nearly two hours long but the script favors melodrama over action . towards the end of the movie , a subplot involving nick cheung and his ex - wife takes center stage and injects the film with an almost overbearing amount of emoting . the unpredictable plot twists that follow during the final thirty minutes attempt to recall the bygone era of early 90’s hong kong crime films , but what’s missing is an innovative or tensely - staged shootout . the story’s denouement is an exercise in brutal stabbings and bludgeoning that goes for a primal rather than choreographed feel .
hong kong - - smarting with as much psychological as physical bruising ,
the stool pigeon
is an action film with a grave , melancholic strain . it ' s a conventional yarn , slightly dragged out and belabored by director dante lam , in which a beleaguered cop and his desperado informant develop loyalties in spite of themselves but are forced into betrayals against their wishes . nevertheless , the performances nick cheung and nicholas tse deliver make one agonize with their quandary .
in a prologue , police stakes out a factory to round up a gang of ice dealers . senior inspector don li ( nick cheung ) jeopardizes the life of his stool pigeon jabber ( liu kai - chi ) in his urge to nail the big boss marco . marco escapes anyway , but jabber , seriously injured and traumatized , has to go under .
one critic said the film wiped away the recent years of love stories , as it recalls the classic gang themes from hong kong crime films . there are definitely a few violent scenes which stimulate the senses and gets the adrenalin flowing .
don lee ( nick cheung ) , a police detective in kowloon whose reliance on informants leaves him struggling with a guilty conscience . lee ' s previous stool pigeon ' s cover was blown and was attacked , leading him paranoid and driven from his wife and home . lee begins to doubt his own methods . lee recruits a street racer named ghost ( nicholas tse ) as his latest stool pigeon who is assigned to infiltrate a gang lead by the notorious armed robber barbarian ( lu yi ) . ghost accepts lee ' s offer so he can rescue his sister from a life of prostitution as well as help his father ' s one - million dollar debt .
the trailer starts with [ scene clips from ] director dante lam’s last film “beast stalker” ( 《zheng ren》 , 2008 ) . it [ the new film ] features many fierce shootouts and car racing scenes and also the first screen kiss between taiwan actress guey lun - mei and hong kong heartthrob nicholas tse .
filmart attracts renowned producers , distributors , investors and professionals from around the world for launching full - scale promotions , networking with key industry players and negotiating deals . the 14th edition in 2010 was a record - breaking year with more than 540 exhibitors and some 5 , 000 visitors from 51 countries and regions .
from hong kong cinema ' s dante lam , we get the stool pigeon , a police / crime tragedy like only hong kong does them . the film splits the focus between an informant and his police handler , and perhaps loses itself in its subplots at times , but i tend to respect the effort to give each character an interesting ( if melodramatic ) background . but these do impact the story and fuel the theme of a cursed cop who changes the fortunes of those he meets for the worst , putting their lives in danger through his very function . the scenes are well played by the ensemble cast , the director makes every shot interesting , the car and fist action is well done , and the violence looks like it really hurts . hard to ask for more .
the afm is produced by the independent film & television alliance ( ifta ) , the trade association representing the world ' s producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs . more information can be found at urltoken .
crime drama i viewed on a big screen in 2010 , i felt a thudding in my head . although some might not consider it a good sign , i did - - because rather than being signs of a migraine or tension headache , what i took it to be was a physical manifestation that this film that reunited the two main stars ( nick cheung and nicholas tse ) , scriptwriter ( jack ng ) director of
i have a love - hate relationship with every hongkong crime film that came out after infernal affairs but this one was great .
the china - taiwan - hong kong cast helps in varying degrees . oddly , lu yi is dubbed into cantonese while guey lun - mei speaks in her own mandarin . they , along with keung ho - man and miao pu ( as inspector lee ' s crippled dance instructor crush ) deliver solid performances , and liu kai - chi chews scenery in his gloriously inimitable manner . this is really the nick and nic show , however , with both outshining the whole cast in screentime and performance . the action and acting carries the film such that it compensates for quite possibly stool pigeon ' s biggest problem : the curse of the china co - production . more specifically , everyone gets what ' s coming to them , making every character ' s fate easy to guess . still , the filmmakers and actors infuse the situations with enough emotional resonance and kinetic surprise to make the whole package work . if the challenge facing hk filmmakers is how to work within sarft ' s confines , then dante lam and jack ng succeed in a strong , if not completely stellar fashion . ( kozo 2010 )
this is a big break for tse , and his performance will provide him with a good chance to win best actor at the hong kong film awards next year .
standard - issue undercover crime caper directed by dante lam ( and not to be confused with fellow hong kong action maestro ringo lam ) . despite the tried - and - true premise , the film manages to be fresh and entertaining thanks to its hair - raising chase sequences ( both on foot and on wheels ) and slick production values . as its name suggests , the stool pigeon is a police informant movie along the lines of infernal affairs and reservoir dogs with nicholas tse as the mole and nick cheung as the investigating officer . tse , a career criminal recently released from prison , has been promised a hefty reward for his efforts to bring down a high - profile gang leader . but the plan backfires when tse falls for the gang boss’ trophy girlfriend , …
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lam has stated he was conscious of trying not to repeat “ beast stalker’s ” formula with this film , however successful it was . “the stool pigeon” is almost the flipside of the popular “infernal affairs” series : instead of following a cop who’s undercover with the triads , we see what it’s like for criminals who decide to become informants for the police . nick cheung plays the main character , a hong kong supercop who is haunted by the mistakes of his past . his latest informant is a street racer named ghost jr . , played by nicolas tse . together they’re working to bring down a ruthless criminal named barbarian before he pulls of his latest jewelry store heist . in the meantime , nicolas falls for barbarian’s girl ( kwai lun - mei ) and cheung worries that another informant is about to die on his watch .
for all its violence , bloodshed and heavy combat ,
the stool pigeon
is less a hard - boiled cop thriller than a melodrama of human suffering , underscored by a crushing aesthetic of pain . every main character wear cuts , plasters , casts , limps or gets hospitalized . ghost jr . is more of a martyr than a hero , ennobled by his ability to endure bullying rather than power to fight back or defend his loved ones .
is about informants , with nick cheung playing inspector don lee , an expert at recruiting and using lower - level criminals to bust even more dangerous ones . but there’s a dark side to the biz , witnessed in an opening sequence where lee betrays an informant ( liu kai - chi ) when unexpected circumstances get in the way of a bust . flash - forward a year and lee recruits a new stool pigeon , jailed driver ghost jr . ( nicholas tse ) in hopes of bringing down jewelry thieves tai ping ( keung ho - man ) and barbarian ( lu yi ) . as most criminals would , ghost jr . wants nothing to do with the fuzz , but lee has some powerful tools : money and leverage . he can help ghost jr . in ways that his old gang pals can ' t , and if ghost jr . says
no
, lee can force his cooperation . eventually , ghost jr . has no choice but to become lee ' s latest stool pigeon .
the first dante lam film i viewed in 2010 provided me with a real roller - coaster ride of a movie experience . filled with highs and lows , it opened with a scene that left me slack - jawed in amazement - - it was that astoundingly innovative and good . unfortunately ( and this is a good part why it is only at number seven on my list ) , it ended with a whimper as far as i ( and quite a few other people i know ) are concerned . if only the last quarter or so of the film had lived up to what had preceded it . . . including some visuals that had excellent special effects and others that made use of the kind of stunt work and dedication to physical acting duty that contributed quite a bit to what made many of us fans of hong kong cinema .
as an observer of the hong kong cinema scene , it ' s been interesting to see the reception that this nostalgia - tinged derek kwok and clement cheung movie revolving around an unlikely group of old school kung fu exponents and youthful followers has gotten in various spheres . at the hong kong international film festival screening that i attended ( and which was graced by a number of its stars and derek kwok ) , the film received the kind of rave reception that many a filmmaker and actor can but dream of . but although it appears to have become quite the film festival favorite overseas as well , it had but a modest commercial run in hong kong - - indicating that this is the kind of movie that appeals only to a certain ( as opposed to truly wide ) audience .
first day of domestic release in hong kong bodes well with $ 112 , 000 worth of tickets sold . overseas ancillary looks hopeful . reactions from major festivals however , have been lukewarm , possibly due to the emotionally overcooked ending and familiarity of the police - mole relationship in hong kong cinema . indeed , despite reuniting the same main cast and mapping out neat symmetries of character and plot with lam ' s critically lauded
beast stalker ,
pigeon
falls short in tension and stylistic brio if judged as a sister film .
one thing that became very obvious over the course of the conversation ( that took in the works of tsui hark and john woo as well as their own ) was how much they really are film buffs ( and not
just
filmmakers ) . and there ' s a wonderful scene in
adheres more to the tried and true , with characters never breaking from conventional expectations . some details and subplots are more labored than they should be , with inspector lee’s backstory reaching particularly egregious heights ( or depths , perhaps ) in order to make his character exceptionally and unnecessarily tortured . furthermore , some of the film’s biggest twists are handed to characters who lack the same generous development as inspector lee and ghost jr . that uneven focus hurts the film ' s momentum , but lam ' s execution compensates nicely .
“hong kong offers an efficient and skilled environment for producers , a gateway to mainland china and filmart , the region’s only global film market , ” wolf said . “we are thrilled to have the hong kong trade development council join with us at afm . ”
don learns that a jewelry heist gang led by a man known named barbarian ( yi lu ) is back in hong kong and setting up for their next score . word on the streets is that the gang is in need of a getaway driver . don then attempts to recruit ghost jr . ( nicholas tse ) , an ex - con supremely talented at street car racing , as his next stool pigeon . when ghost jr . discovers that his sister works as a prostitute to pay off their dead father ' s debt , ghost jr . decides to work for don . . .
film looks suitably large scale , but that is some terrible cgi . it seems that chinese movie companies are still using special effects that were available in the 90 ' s . sometimes they totally ruin an otherwise excellent action movie .
don ' s story starts off promisingly as a police procedural , but then morphs into the most dire , wrong - headed kind of melodrama , complete with uncontrollable weeping , hysterical mental illness , and syrupy love songs . we learn a couple of things about the serious , incredibly straight - laced don as the movie progresses , but they fail to illuminate him in the context of the story in which he inhabits . the losses that he suffers outside of the job are so contrived , pulled so thoroughly from the
bigger emotions are better
playbook , that they effectively derail much of the stool pigeon ' s third act in an orgy of unearned tears and drama . in particular , there is a revelation about his wife that we learn which is so dumb ( there ' s no better word for it ) that you would suspect it was pulled from a script parodying this kind of silliness .
there are a couple of well - staged and tense action sequences peppered throughout the film - - in particular a car chase through the city streets which ends in a more realistic way than many film car chases do , then becomes a pretty interesting foot chase through a market that works in spite of not really answering how the characters are finally able to make their escape . again , these scenes are part of a much more interesting movie that has a recognizable shape and would be easy to recommend were it not grafted onto the terrible other half which should be avoided like the plague .
nick cheung brings a heightened level of authenticity to his role , seeing as how he was an actual member of the royal hong kong police officer for five years ; and the rhkp’s most beloved actor , danny lee , was the one who helped cheung get his start in films . nicolas tse delivers a dependable performance , even if the script calls for him to smoke more than act . the real revelation here is taiwanese actress kwai lun - mei . i was shocked to read online that lun - mei has a ‘good girl’ image in the press because in “the stool pigeon” she comes across as a smolderingly sexy and dangerous criminal who isn’t afraid to open fire at a moment’s notice . it’s a shame that the screenplay gives her character so little backstory or motivation ; kwai lun - mei appears to have created this interesting but troubled woman out of thin air .
hong kong offers an efficient and skilled environment for producers , a gateway to mainland china and filmart , the region ' s only global film market ,
wolf said .
we are thrilled to have the hong kong trade development council join with us at afm .
the upcoming edition is the 15th anniversary of filmart to be held march 21 - 24 , 2011 at the hong kong convention and exhibition centre in the downtown wan chai district .
what with 2010 being the 70th anniversary of bruce lee ' s birth , it was almost inevitable that there would be a hong kong international film festival programme commemorating the man who may well still be hong kong cinema ' s internationally most recognizably personality even after all these years . less predictable - - at least to me - - was that there also would be a biopic made of the individual known to cantonese - speakers as lee siu lung ( little dragon lee ) , that the biopic would actually have far more drama than action , and that it would turn out to be a watchable movie even for someone who ' s not been that big a bruce lee fan for decades . ( confession : as a child , i was a big fan - - and remember having been in utter disbelief as well as devastated at the news of his death . )
plays like a procedural on the cop - informant dynamic , with lam showing us the compromises and moral issues involved in using bad guys to catch other bad guys . inspector lee can apply police pressure to get his way , making the stool pigeon less of a partner and more of a pawn coerced into betraying his kind . then , if lee wants a little more , he can always change the deal . after all , who cares about the well being of a three - time loser when seeking justice ? on the flip side , if you betray someone who trusts you for your own ends , what does that make you ? these are worthwhile themes and dante lam and jack ng’s script tackles them smartly , making both inspector lee and ghost jr . into strong and involving characters . both cheung and tse are excellent in their roles , with cheung once again edging tse as the efficient yet tortured inspector lee .
having already reviewed this chan hing ka and janet chun movie on this blog , i don ' t see much reason to write much more about the film . instead , here ' s taking the opportunity to recount that some years back , i had the privilege of meeting chan hing ka and his frequent collaborator ( including on this movie ) , producer amy chin . the official reason was to interview the director about a previous movie of theirs (
film fan , culture vulture , foodie , and independent travel and hiking enthusiast who has lived and worked on four continents . i moved to hong kong in 2007 and still do love it after all these years .
unbeatable was a pretty unmitigated success both critically and commercially . and i wouldn ' t worry about zhang and peng : whether one likes them or not , they ' re two of china ' s most charismatic actors . the trailer does look a bit rough ( kind of like footage quickly put together for early film market exposure ) , but it looks pretty enticing to me ! to the fore was indeed a puzzling misfire ( and i ' m saying that only after having seen the film , mind you ^ ^ ) , but this should at least be entertaining .
“given our long - time alliance with afm , we are honored to launch the inaugural hong kong day , especially as we are celebrating the 15 th anniversary of filmart next year , ” said yip . “through an interesting variety of activities , we hope that overseas film professionals at afm will discover hong kong as an effective trade platform for exploring the asian markets , particularly the vast potential of china . ”
given our long - time alliance with afm , we are honored to launch the inaugural hong kong day , especially as we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of filmart next year ,
said yip .
through an interesting variety of activities , we hope that overseas film professionals at afm will discover hong kong as an effective trade platform for exploring the asian markets , particularly the vast potential of china .
principals – actors nick cheung and nicholas tse , and writer jack ng – and an entertaining and involving hong kong film . as usual , lam combines morally complex characters and strong action beats into a hopefully potent mix , but unlike
a dutiful cop , guilt - ridden over saving the life of a gang leader , becomes obsessed with bringing down the crime syndicate of the man he saved .
in a recent talk , hong kong filmmaker derek yee shared his experience about how to deal with mainland film examiners . as for advice when shooting action films , he concluded that directors had better use a panoramic view to shoot violent scenes .
founded in 1981 , the afm quickly became the premier global marketplace where hollywood ' s decision - makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof . unlike a film festival , the afm is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed . in just eight days , more than $ 800 million in deals will be sealed - - on both completed films and those that haven ' t started shooting yet - - making afm the must - attend industry event .
a gritty tale of a police detective ' s internal struggle to cope with the sacrifices his informant must undergo for the big bust . the flow of the story is captured with an urban crime ridden atmosphere and filled with violent action . the gorgeous gwei lun - mei plays dee who fleshes out the story wonderfully adding a touch of humanity and retribution to the overlying bleak tones .
in the 1970s , the hong kong government enacted a policy that granted each male heir of new territories villagers the privilege to build a house without paying any dues to the government . . . . see full summary »
there’s plenty of excitement for action fans . a desperate chase which turns into a running battle of brutal hand - to - hand combat showcases dante lam’s capacity for action set - pieces that are deceptively simple yet devastating . it is worth noting , as the above reviewer does , that this film’s violent scenes passed the mainland censors completely ; which itself illustrates the dynamics between ultraviolence and restraint which lam skillfully utilizes .
inspector don lee often works with informants to solve his cases , with stool pigeons . in a ploy to convict the notorious jewel thief barbarian , don smuggles ghost jr , recently released from jail , into his gang . lee is plagued with scruples ; an informant from an earlier case whose cover was blown now leads a destitute and traumatized life on the streets . lee has also ruined his wife’s life with a slip - up . when ghost enters dangerous waters , lee decides to step in . with his most recent film , dante lam , whose
beast stalker
was shown in the 2009 forum , presents a sophisticated genre piece that successfully lends its characters emotional depth . the tragic love stories of three couples appear against the backdrop of surveillance and wild chase scenes , giving the plot a crucial change of direction . but above all lam uses real - life places in hong kong for his visually stimulating scenes . the modern architecture plays just as important a role as the small labyrinthine markets with their wooden sheds and an abandoned classroom piled up with tables and chairs .
could this just be a bad trailer for a good film ? i certainly hope so because i ' d like nothing more than crazy - ass dante lam back throwing hand grenades at the screen again . but all i know right now is that it ' s a pretty bad trailer . take a look below .
) . but the icing on the cake came after the interview ended and chan hing ka and i hung out and talked movies for fun for a couple of hours , with amy chin joining in at some part during the conversation .
thanks for the list . i know someday i will start catching up on hk films from the past 2 years and this is a good starting point . i get the sense from the comments that i am not the only one who has drifted away from hk films for other interests . why was dream home banned in singapore ?
the business of independent motion picture production and distribution - - a truly collaborative process - - reaches its peak every year at the afm when more than 8 , 000 industry leaders converge in santa monica for eight days of deal - making , screenings , seminars , premieres , networking and parties . participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives , agents , attorneys , directors , distributors , festival directors , financiers , film commissioners , producers , writers , the world ' s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry .
a tycoon ' s daughter playing a woman so desperate to get her dream home down to an affordable price that she will kill to make it happen . only in hong kong and only josie
daughter of stanley
ho ? the fact that she not only plays the role with such gusto but also pulls it off - - and is the pang ho cheung - helmed film ' s producer - - is a real credit to her . and it is a real credit to the cinematic work that its horror credentials didn ' t take all that much away from the seriousness and validity of much of its commentary about hong kong real estate prices , related housing issues and average people ' s salaries in the territory .
for female audience members , some of the violent scenes may be tough to swallow ; but rest assured most men will enjoy the action .
put another way : i found this work which centered on a physically unassuming police inspector whose job is to make use of low level criminals to bust higher level ones and one of his selected stool pigeons to be absolutely thrillingly intense and emotionally involving - - the latter not least because i found the main characters to be so satisfyingly complex and believable , however dramatic the situations they found themselves put in . additionally , while its two main men were indeed superb , i ' d like to give a shout out to kwai lun mei for impressively investing a scene she was in with amazing fury borne out of a desperation that felt all too real .
champion competitive marksman ken comes across an armored van robbery . he sees a policeman held hostage and shoots and kills four of the robbers . one of the robbers escapes and the . . . see full summary »
in the awesome climax , barbarian tracks down ghost jr . and dee to a disused classroom . his brutality is so pitiless and the couple ' s desperation so vivid even desks and chairs seem as menacing as knives and spears . the action is partly shot from the point of view of li , who watches from a window across the classroom but cannot get over to their side in time . it mirrors the prologue when jabber is stabbed by marco .
, the 1973 shaw brothers production credited with playing a major part in reviving cantonese language cinema . but due to such as it being graced by a lot of faces who are most associated with that era ( notably anita yuen ) , this work directed as well as starring eric tsang also got me thinking of hong kong cinema ' s most recent golden age - - that of the period between the years 1985 to 1994 . to be sure , the nostalgia factor played a part in my enjoyment of this movie that essentially revolves around two rival families headed by men in love with the same woman but the film also possesses plenty of sight gags and in jokes that hit the spot ( i . e . , my funny bone ) . additionally , i can definitely imagine that people who watch plenty of contemporary tvb shows as well as decades of hong kong movies would have a lot of extra fun spotting the multitude of stars that appear in this work !
as a detective is ordered to turn a recently release convict into an informant in order to bring down a high profile criminal , the film takes a surprising turn in becoming a much more powerful story about a guilt and the desire from both leads to make things right , by whatever means they can , even as it takes them on a path that could ultimately risk everything and endanger everyone around them , inevitably leading into a violent conclusion . its an emotionally gripping story and the performances are superb with a development that is unexpected but adds to its depth . definitely one worth recommending .
the narrative could benefit from more tautness . as if worried about the audience ' s attention span for drama , action scenes are intermittently inserted through out but they don ' t build to one big momentum . some become run - of - the - mill . still , the main set pieces have a thrilling ferocity .
the leakers ( hong kong - mainland china , 2018 ) - 6 . 5
however , this is not the case with the other half of the movie which deals with police inspector don lee ( nick cheung ) , who drafts ghost jr . into becoming an informer in spite of his own reservations about endangering another snitch . the opening of the movie shows us an operation gone wrong with jabber , another informer who is nearly hacked to death after the criminals he exposed track him down and decide to teach him a lesson . wracked with guilt from this as well as the incredibly ridiculous circumstances of his own personal life , don nonetheless does what he can to get ghost jr . to help him take down the gang .
has a number of strong , kinetic action sequences , with the climactic school - set chase / beatdown proving surprisingly brutal . at its most powerful , the violence in
established in 1966 , the hong kong trade development council ( hktdc ) is the international marketing arm for hong kong - based traders , manufacturers and service providers . with 40 offices worldwide , including 11 on the chinese mainland , the hktdc promotes hong kong as a platform for doing business with china and asia . the hktdc also organises trade fairs and business missions to connect companies with opportunities in hong kong and the mainland , while providing information via trade publications , research reports and online . for more information , visit
the camera is fixed on the iron - gate behind which jabber is trapped , and nothing else is shown except his frightened howling off - screen . the audience is made to share li ' s frustration as an impotent spectator of the horror . other mise - en - scenes also exude a prison or cage like atmosphere , such as the hellishly grubby and labyrinthine housing estate where li and ghost jr . have their secret meetings .
the problem is the same problem with all hk movies now . the producers think they must cover ever base , every character must have a love story etc etc if they want ppl to see it in hk . the sad thing is that it is true , people only go to the movies here to watch celebrities and hence want to see them all get their screen time and want to see them in some cheesy romantic situation .
tse plays the informant for cheung’s police detective and infiltrates a gang . hooking up with the leader’s girlfriend played by kwai lun - mei isn’t the smartest thing , at least when it comes to his own chances of survival but there’s certainly enough action and on foot and car chases to make for an entertaining two hours . but every attempt at character depth and emotional scenes becomes an exercise in over the top eye - rolling for the…
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which brings us to operation mekong . based on the true story of a chinese / thai / laotian joint operation to investigate the killing of 13 passengers and crew aboard a merchant vessel working the mekong delta in 2011 , this promised to be a return to the sort of large scaled action that had people so excited not so long ago . and he has certainly tried to do that but the recently released trailer leaves me with more concern than excitement .
a statutory body established in 1966 , the hong kong trade development council ( hktdc ) is the international marketing arm for hong kong - based traders , manufacturers and service providers . with more than 40 global offices , including 11 on the chinese mainland , the hktdc promotes hong kong as a platform for doing business with china and throughout asia . the hktdc also organizes trade fairs and business missions to connect companies with opportunities in hong kong and on the mainland , while providing information via trade publications , research reports and online . for more information , please visit : urltoken .
nick chewing is as solid as ever and it ' s another decent role for nicholas the but the whole thing gets dragged down by a somewhat unnecessary romantic subplot that comes out of nowhere .
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nice list . i was really disappointed by ip man 2 . i found the acting by the western actors to be pretty awful and the choreography doesn ' t hold up to the first installment ( maybe because sammo hung was taken ill half way through filming ? ) . also i think you are right about old jc . he seems to be the least popular actor in hk these days , but he seems to have brought it all on himself so i have little sympathy .
this is a heavily - mined genre in hk so to make it work and work well is highly laudable . the device that puts its over is probably the fact that star and matinee idol nicholas tse is playing against type as a the titular character , a somewhat grungy ex - con .
with jurassic world : fallen kingdom now in cinemas , we take a look at how imdb users rated the films of the franchise . plus , browse exclusive lego® jurassic world playsets , presented by lego .
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urltoken is a non - profit website for the private use and entertainment and / or parody purposes .
i could not agree with you more . the movie would have been much better had it just followed tse . wasn ' t really into cheung ' s side of things . i remember being really into the movie during and just after the car chase , but it then it lost me . don should have stayed to the side and they should have stuck with ghost jr . to tell a simple story .
hi ytsl , awesome list , i liked what you liked too ! ! a pity that dream home will never see the light of day in singapore on the big screen as it ' s banned . sigh : (
ghost jr . isn ' t an especially deep character , and we more or less know where the story will take him : that he ' ll be attracted to the pretty lookout dee ( lunmei kwai ) and that the feeling will be mostly mutual , and that between her and the cops , ghost jr . will find himself in over his head . there ' s something to be said for taking basic material and simply writing it honestly and well , with an understanding of a script ' s characters that is clearly articulated to the viewer .
dante lam has had an interesting career trajectory . during the early 00’s he seemed to be mired in comedy and action fluff , co - directing movies like “the twins effect” and “love on the rocks . ” ambition must have bit lam in the ass since as of late he’s attempted to become something like the hong kong analog to paul greengrass ( “the bourne supremacy” ) or michael mann . lam specializes in crime films that provide an in - depth look at their gritty characters . he delivers action scenes with a street - level , handheld - camera style . although dante lam hasn’t achieved the level of michael mann when it comes to intense character studies and kinetic violence , one senses that he does have at least one truly great movie in him , waiting to come out .
an old but serious miscarriage of justice clouds a current police investigation looking into the death of a mutilated corpse .
i wouldn ' t have had such a problem with the structure being split between the two characters if don ' s story wasn ' t stubbornly just an entirely different movie with a wildly different ( and silly ) tone .
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spotted at admiralty yesterday afternoon also seen at admiralty yesterday and today even beyond the designated study corners , . . .