Wai Ka-Fai has written almost every single Johnnie To movie, and co-directed several others (MAD DETECTIVE, RUNNING ON KARMA). In this film, Wai directs Hong Kong’s best actor, Lau Ching-wan, in the story of a woman whose dad dies, so she writes a book where she died and he lived, and in that book his character writes a book where he died and she lived…and on and on in an endlessly recursive loop as wounded characters desperately apply fiction to dull the sharp edges of their grief. Like a Charlie (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) Kaufman movie made in Hong Kong. -- From the New York Asian Film Festival notes
Though in recent years Wai Ka-Fai has generally been over shadowed by his long time business and creative partner Johnnie To - at least he has here in the west - Wai is a huge creative force in his own right and a reunion between Wai and leading man Lau Ching-Wan is a big deal indeed. So big a deal that it's really rather surprising that the pair managed to make Written By with barely anyone even knowing it existed until it was announced to premiere as part of the upcoming New York Asian Film Festival. Somehow I think that's about to change.
We've just gotten our hands on the first trio of stills from the film, and while I'm happy to see anything new with Lau Ching-Wan, festival organizer Grady Hendrix tells me that these do "nothing to convey how strange and strangely beautiful this movie is. Imagine Charlie Kaufman re-writing a Hong Kong drama, with production design by the team that brought you the second Harry Potter movie, and couple that with Wai Ka-fai's constant obsession with karma, story-telling and death." Um, yes please?
You can check the stills at the link below and if you're in New York, do try and make one of the three screenings made possible by the generous support of Chinastar. And not only will Lau Ching-Wan and Wai Ka-Fai both be in attendance for the premiere but they'll also be hosting a rare screening of The Longest Night as well, a film that will likely never re-appear on DVD thanks to lingering rights issues so check it out while you can!
The trailer is also now available, embedded below the break! Thanks Rhythm-X!
Well you gotta admit though, no HK DVD producer was doing decent work at the time those movies came out.
But yeah, all those pre-2000s Milkyway films...wonder if they'll ever get the treatment they deserve.
oh man, I wish I was in New York right now!
Yes please.
Also, I haven't seen any of these "classics" you guys mention precisely because of the lack of DVDs. Damn.
The Longest Nite was on DVD already, and I have it. Universe put it out. Probably can still find it in a lot of places.
A legend circa 1949-84
here is the trailer... strange that there isn't a Milkyway logo after the Chinastar one. must not be a Milkyway film afterall?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HKyfOT8pTM
Okay, I must have missed something along the way: why is The Longest Nite so rare on DVD? And please don't tell me it's something Weinstein-related.
those three classics from Film City, Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, as well as The Odd One Dies, and Beyond Hypothermia are must haves for any Milkyway or HK film collection for that matter. too bad that the dvds are history. with HK dvds, I've found it's best to pick up a copy of what you want ASAP, as you never know when it will go out of print.
Wow, I didn't know that ODD ONE DIES had gone out of print as well- but it has. BEYOND HYPOTHERMIA I've long since given up on. The people with US rights to that are First Look - their release of the recent film BLOOD BROTHERS is an atrocity in the wrong aspect ratio and with only closed captions for translation, so, as is usually the case with Hong Kong films on DVD, there is no hope.