New Vietnamese chick flick Nhung Co Gai Chan Dai hits Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi city on June 15. Of course, I won’t be able to see it but I don’t think I’ll miss out much. The only thing attracts me about the film is obviously the long legsVietnamese chicks. Anyway, the real reason I write this post is to draw your attention to the poster design competition. Although the entries are impressive, this is the one that speaks to me. The use of type tucks into the long legs is a nice touch. The color choice is quite aphrodisiacal. Nicely done.

A Vietnamese ghost story, Oan Hon, looks freaky as hell. It reminds me of the good old days when I was a kid in Viet Nam. At night, six or seven of us from the neighborhood always gathered around my friend’s mom and listened to her ghost stories especially when the power was out. She was such a great storyteller that I was scared to go home by myself even though her house is adjacent to mine. In fact, I was scared of taking a piss; I had to hold it all night long. Just listening to the voices on On Hon’s trailer gave me the same chill when I was a kid. I can’t wait to see it on Halloween this year. The DVD is due out October 31, 2004. Meanwhile, you can read the review at Asia Pacific Arts called Spirit of Vietnamese Culture by Chau Nguyen.

Actually, the title should be Spring…, Summer…, Fall…, Winter…… and Spring. The extra periods are added to warn viewers how long each season takes. Although the cinematography is absolutely beautiful, what you see from the trailer is what you pretty much get in the film. It’s the same place throughout the featured and only the season changes. Wish I liked the film but I couldn’t keep up by the time fall arrived.

What bother me the most about the film are the missing subtitles. They only come up about once every forth line. I guess the other three lines aren’t important so they don’t show the subtitles for those. They probably did that on purpose so that viewers can focus more on the aesthetic qualities; however, the paste is quite slow and there isn’t that many lines to get distracted from the beautiful shots.

Although the film is quite slow, there are some great moments come through nicely. I am not going to spoil it for those still want to see it. One of the themes the film plays on is nature. Obviously the beauty of nature is showcased throughout the featured but the deeper focus is on human nature. Sex, love, lust, angry, and jealousy are part of human nature. If we can’t control our human nature, one thing leads to another will get us deeper into sin. Even a monk commits murder if he can’t control himself. This is probably one of the Buddhist philosophies that the director, Kim Ki-duk, wants to get across.

What intrigues me the most about the film is the wall-less temple. There is a gate to the temple but there are no fences surrounding it. There are doors in the temple to separate the bedroom from the worship room but there are no walls between them. Is this a Buddhist indication of openness and acceptant? If you have any thought on this, I would love to hear it.

The title, temporary translated as Blood Money, is a bit exaggerated. Dinh Duc Liem’s Dong Tien Xuong Mau is not quite as dramatic as the title suggested. It’s more like Hong Kong’s romantic drama TV series but lacking the deep impact. Similar to soap opera, Dong Tien Xuong Mau takes forever to build characters. It would have been a great film if it were 2 hours instead of 12 hours series.

Since the plot is not too complicated, it could have been done effectively in 2 hours. Basically, the themes revolve around Dong Tien Xuong Mau are: money, power and relationships. The film emphasizes on the conflict between the old and new generations. In this case, the disagreement is between the father and his children. He’s protective but his children are willing to take risks. The family falls apart when the kids no longer listen to their father and begin to make their own decisions.

While most of the characters are above average, Lam Toi gives an outstanding performance as a father who holds the family as well as the series together. Truong Ngoc Anh is not so bad in her role as Lan Anh but she could have been stronger. Huyen Anh is the pretty one. She’s not drop dead gorgeous but her simple beauty is nice enough to add some visual elements to the film.

Although Dong Tien Xuong Mau is not one of the best Vietnamese drama films, it is still entertaining. If you enjoy Hong Kong’s romantic drama series, you might like this film. What I like the most about the film is the incorporating of Ngoc Lan’s music into the love story. Ngoc Lan’s voice adds tremendous aesthetic experience to the film even though her music was used subtly. Just picture a sad relationship on screen with Ngoc Lan emotional vocal on Tinh Khuc Buon playing in the background, what could be more heartbreaking than that? It’s a perfect enhancement.

Totally disappointed. I was looking for some hot action and there was more talking than fighting. Kill Bill Vol.2 focuses on the relationship between the Bride (Uma Thurman) and Bill (David Carradine). The love story between two people for 2 and half hours is a long time. This shows how much Quentin Tarantino loves his own work. The first few chapters are long and boring. He should have cut down some of those and save some time for the final fight between the Bride and Bill. The final fight is disappointing. Is Quentin Tarantino getting burned out at that point and decided to wrap up the film quickly?

The best part of the film is the action scene between the Bride and Elle (Daryl Hannah). The training scenes with master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) are pretty hilarious. Lastly, the little girl, Bride and Bill’s daughter, is so adorable. She gives us a few laughs. Personally, I don’t like Vol. 2 as much as Vol.1 even though the storyline is more solid and the characters have some dimensions. I am all about kung-fu flick with hot beats. By the way, RZA gives wonderful scores for both volumes.

Chris Rock definitely ain’t never scared when he rocks the stage. He speaks his mind and he surely doesn’t give a fuck as long as his audiance laughs. I wish rappers would lyrically assault Rock so I can hear him murder their ass in comedy. Rock takes shot at Jermaine, “the greasiest Nigger you have never seen. When Jermaine is on TV, I have to wipe the grease off the screen.” Rock rips Michael Jackson apart by describing how he would look after a month in jail, “When the perm grows out of his hair. The shit all nappy and gray.” He busts cap on Janet’s tittie, “40 years old tittie, your man’s tittie. 20 years old tittie, community’s tittie.” And of course he takes on R. Kelly, Kobe Bryant and many more.

Rock is just way too hilarious. His point of view on relationship hits straight on the mark even though it is biased toward women. The focus is always on her and he is absolutely right. Once you’re married, kiss all your dreams good-bye and “make the bitch happy.” Good relationship is simply eating and fucking. The longer you’re with someone, more eating and less fucking. It’s all about married and bored or single and lonely.

If you have seen Bring the Pain and Bigger and Blacker, you can definitely recognize Rock’s patterns. His main topics include hip-hop, politics, gun and race. The United State governments hate rap music because they are clueless about rapper killers. George Bush’s answer to gay married, “Fuck them fagots.” Rock loves to pick up chicks at abortion rallies because “you know they are fucking.” White people makes gun, no problem; Black rapper said gun, congressional hearing. His view on Affirmative Action, “I don’t think I should get a job over a white person if I scored a lower mark on the test but if there’s a tie, fuck them. You have 400 years head start motherfucker.”

Chris Rock is still the funniest man in America. He’s confident and he mastered his work. He is best at what he does best. Some thinks his hardcore hip-hop stage pose gets in the way. I don’t find it annoying at all. In fact, I don’t find him to be as hard edge as Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx or other black comedians. While some thinks the black and white issue is old, I think it is still relevant today. Racism still exists in America. And if you think he is sexist, you’re dead wrong. He is just keeping it real. Chris still rocks.

Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass takes us into the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a young intelligent writer at the New Republic. Glass wrote unbelievable stories that are truly not believable. As young kids, we think the sky is the limit. If we can get away with one, we can get away with many and we don’t think about the consequences. Glass’s case is no exception. He gets caught after written more than 25 pieces of made up facts.

Shattered Glass is not only skillfully written and directed but delightfully acted as well. Hayden Christensen is charming as Stephen Glass and Peter Sarsgaard is convincing as Chuck Lanes. In addition Christensen and Sarsgaard, the supporting roles also do a wonderful job of keeping the film engaging. What a terrific film about the art of lie, fraud and journalism.

This is an unforgettable work of art. Watching Dat Phuong Nam makes me proud of my beautiful country, especially the people, the lifestyle, the folk music, the rivers, the mountains, and the forests. Wish these aesthetic qualities could be shared with the American audiences and others around the world.

Although Dat Phuong Nam is more than 10 hours long, the cast does a remarkable job holding up the series. Hung Thuan gives a flawless performance from beginning to end as a young boy, An, who exposed to many things during his adventure in searching for his father. His adorable appeal and charming personality is his secret weapon that allows him to conquered difficulties. Everyone loves and protects him wherever he goes. In return, he respects and cares for everyone around him. Along side with Hung Thuan, Phung Ngoc also does a compelling job as Co (An’s best friend). Phung Ngoc brings joyful to the table. Even though both of these young actors are talented, not one overshadows the other and together they bring in an engaging experience to the adventure. Watching these two innocent kids laughing and enjoying life – even though life is ruthless – makes me want to be part of the crew. The cutest part is when they shaved their heads to become little monks.

Beside those two, the supporting cast deserves recognition as well. Director Vinh Son does a fantastic job at casting appropriate roles, noticeably Thuy Loan as Ut Trong. Thuy Loan’s countryside beauty and her charisma mesmerize me. Her acting is convincing as well. The love story between Ut Trong, the sweetheart, and Vo Tong (plays by Quang Le), the hero, is both tangible and relatable. Another standout character is Kieu Oanh’s Co Dao Nam Xuan. Kieu Oanh amazes me with her ability to take on this serious role. In my mind, she is always a crazy comedian yet she pulls off this one nicely.

Whenever I watch a Vietnamese film, the script always throws me off because of the awkwardness in the dialog. Fortunately, Nguyen Ho does a fantastic job of providing natural and realistic conversations between the characters. It’s nice to hear the southern accents that I can relate to. Of course, the rich and exquisite cinematography is one of the major accomplishments for this film. If you have never been to Viet Nam, watching this film will make you consider where to spend on your next vacation.

To fully appreciate Dat Phuong Nam, you might have to look past the preaching, put away the political point of view, and just enjoy the aesthetic experience. Emerge yourself into the beauty of nature, the timbre of the musical instruments, and the simple life. Once you let the characters take your breath away on a remarkable journey of adventure, drama, romance, and a little bit of magical, I am sure you won’t even noticed the message behind it.

As you step inside the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, prepare yourself for doses of adrenaline rush. This film is definitely one of a kind romantic comedy with imaginative screenplay and brilliant performances.

The process of erasing your unwanted memories using technologies intrigues me. So which memory do you want to defragment? The “love” drive, please. Ouch! That hot chic I stored in my memory two years ago is corrupted and she is infecting my brain cells. Let’s drag her ass to the trashcan to free up some memories for MP3s. Sorry, I am getting a bit carry away here but mad props to Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) and Michel Gondry (director) for this creative work of art.

Of course, the cast gives topnotch performances in order to hold the viewers attentions for two hours of craziness. I have never liked Carrey until this film. I just can’t stand his goofiness in other movies. Even though Joel Barish is a dramatic character, Carrey’s goofiness still slips through a couple of time. Kate Winslet is outstanding in a role that she is not known for. Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Woods and Mark Ruffalo enhance the film with their part.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is creative, original, engaging and fun. My only complain is the jerkiness of the camera. I was having trouble focusing because of motion sickness. Thankfully the acting and the storyline kept me in tuned.

Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” is a powerful work of art. The film depicts the last twelve crucial hours of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Gibson makes sure we experience the suffering of Jesus by focusing on the details of scourging, beating, nailing etc. The hardest scene to view is when Jesus flesh being rips off from the whip. I’ve always heard of stories about Jesus die on the cross but never truly understand pain he went through until watching “The Passion of the Christ.”

Is it a good movie? Absolutely. Watching it from a non-religious point of view, I fully appreciate the aesthetic experience. If it does nothing else, “The Passion of the Christ” brings me closer to Jesus.