The Coke, (pop) corn and cinema.
Heroes of Destiny.
Boom, bang! karate kid! Justified violence (revenge).
Boy meets girl, boy almost loses girl, boy reunited with girl!
When the bewitched Empress released her grip, she broke the chain of self-perpetuated violence.
It’s like cutting the credit card when you are a shopaholic.
Blood-thirsting regime will only know one solution: more blood shed to solidify power (the East was used to “Chu Di Tam Toc” i.e. kill off the enemy’s descendants down to the third generation.)
We got some humor and most importantly, the resolution (breaking the chain).
As Vietnam‘s m0vie-going is improved, so has its film industry.
More investors and actors take a plunge, as production costs are no longer prohibitive.
Valentine should see another date movie (the horror genre): House in the Alley.
My cousin used to work in Vietnam’s film industry. We used to get invited to movie premiers at Rex cinema before it turned to be hotel and now shopping mall.
The actors all lined up to greet guests on red carpet.
We had our own version of Brigitte Bardot (without Jean Paul Belmondo) in Tham Thuy Hang, and many generations of comedian. Still, the industry was in its infancy at the time. By the time it matures, technology has moved on to home theatre and small screens.
It’s an act of love and faith to plunge deep into movie making in Vietnam.
I admire the efforts by a new wave of French filmmakers such as the upcoming Norwegian Wood.
You can’t get a flatter world than that: Beatles’ title, Japanese novel, Vietnamese mis-en-scene.
Victor Vu started out with the horror genre, then moved on to action flicks.
He used Matrix and X-men special effects throughout his work.
But definitely, you know it’s a Vietnamese story: Nguyen Trai‘s sole surviving descendant seeking revenge and restoration of family’s name.
Part philosophy, part action (but not mindless); settling then stirring.
It’s entertaining, but not surprising.
What surprised me was the setting (Parkson) and the friendly greeting when we exited the theatre. In the States, you are lucky if they show you out to the right exit.
I hope producers and directors find strong materials and backing to ride the waves of change (low barriers of entry, yet declining ticket sales). If not now, then when, if not them, then who? I know we have yet told stories like the Fall of Saigon, Last Men Out, and A Day in the life (of successful Vietnamese immigrants). Before you know it, the digital generation is taking over, with fuzzy memories of how the’ve become who they are, with Ipad and Iphone.
No wonder why Steve Jobs commissioned his biography, “so my kids understand what I was doing”. Il’etait une fois……Once upon a time…..Everybody loves a good bed-time story, well-crafted and well- told. Victor Vu’s was one of those.
