Tag Archives: 1990s

Double Dragon (1994) James Yukich, Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, Scott Wolf, Action, Adventure, Comedy

double-dragon-1994
Set 15 years in the future in post-earthquake California, where San Diego and Los Angeles are merged into one city, two teenage brothers have half of a powerful ancient Chinese talisman. Millionaire Koga Shuko (a.k.a. Guisman) has the other half and determines to get the brothers’ half in order to have the complete medallion and the absolute power of the magical Double Dragon talisman.
Read More »

Dai lo bai sau / Only Fools Fall in Love (1995) Roy Chiao, Shing-Chi Fung, Vincent Kok, Comedy, Romance

dai-lo-bai-sau-aka-only-fools-fall-in-love-1995
Millionaire Ji Fu (Lau ching Wan), the successor of Ji’s family, is arrogant and rude. He then becomes an idiot after being knocked out in an “accident”, which is actually created by the second-successor Ji Jack (Dayo Wong). After becoming an idiot, Fu meets Mon Tee (Wu Chien Lien), a girl who has almost married him for money. They fall for each other as they spend most of their time together. One day Jack comes and decides to do Fu in. Fu and Mon Tee decide to find his Grand Uncle and look for a fair judgement…
Read More »

Hong Kong Godfather / Tian zi men sheng (1991) Cheuk-Wing Ho, Andy Lau, Roy Cheung, Kwong Leung Wong, Action, Crime, Thriller

hong-kong-godfather-aka-tian-zi-men-sheng-1991
When the boss of a highly profitable Triad family is forced to flee from Hong Kong, rival gangs swoop in to steal any piece of the action they can. York Koo (Andy Lau) becomes the family’s acting boss, and must do what he can to handle the difficult situation, with mounting pressure from both the Hong Kong police, and rival families.
Read More »

Telo bez duse / Body Without Soul (1996) Wiktor Grodecki, Documentary

telo-bez-duse-aka-body-without-soul-1996
Documentary look at doomed male prostitutes in Prague, ages 15 to 18, who troll at the public swimming pool, the train station, a video arcade, and a disco. After the boys talk about how they got in the game, the camera follows them to the home of Pavel Rousek. Under the name Hans Miller, he makes gay porno videos, primarily for German distribution. Intercut with a movie shoot chez Rousek is an interview that follows him to his day job at a morgue, where he performs an autopsy as he talks about his work. The sex is without protection; the boys are without family. They talk about their bodies and souls, money, their sexual orientation, AIDS, their dreams, and death.
Read More »

Yume / Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990) Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda, Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Drama, Fantasy

yume-aka-akira-kurosawa-s-dreams-1990
Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker’s artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.
Read More »

Anata-ga suki desu, dai suki desu / I Like You, I Like You Very Much (1994) Hiroyuki Oki, Chano, Kazunori Shibuya, Hisanori Kitakaze, Drama

anata-ga-suki-desu-dai-suki-desu-aka-i-like-you-i-like-you-very-much-1994
This groundbreaking drama, one of few to feature gay lifestyles in a Japanese context, is the work of writer, editor, cinematographer, director and co-star Hiroyuki Oki, an avant-garde filmmaker. In the liberal enclave of Kochi City, Japan, a gay college student, You (pronounced using two syllables as “Yo-ooh”), is living a contented life with his lover and classmate. Then he spies an attractive young man at a train station, and their meeting leads to a subsequent sexual encounter. Although You confesses his infidelity to his boyfriend and even seeks the advice of an ex-lover, he does not completely break off his new relationship, leading to a love triangle that forces each of the men to question his sexuality and identity. Running barely one hour long, I Like You, I Like You Very Much (1995) was short for a feature-length film but earned critical respect for tackling what remains an extremely sensitive cultural issue in its home country.
Read More »