Fant-Asia diary

>> Week two: Bleeding sculptures, Seoul transfers, and True Horror twits

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

I've finally figured out what it is I love about Hong Kong crime films, after seeing As Tears Go By and The Odd One Dies last week: the protagonists still chain smoke. Larry Hagman can kiss my ass.

Russell Mulcahy's Talos the Mummy wasn't the disaster a lot of True Horror fans pegged it as. A popcorn-chomping B-movie is what it was. But, see, that's how True Horror fans are... a lot like True Metal fans (I suspect some crowd crossover here), foaming at the mouth about False Metal, based on standards that in no way reflect the tastes of the ordinary consumer. A necessary voice, I guess--I just wish that voice weren't so loud and shrill.

In my book, True Horror is the reality of man's inhumanity to man (and more so animals). I've always said The Killing Fields was the scariest film I've ever seen. Then again, I took a pass on T.F. Mou's Man Behind the Sun, his shockudrama about a Japanese concentration camp in China. I couldn't stomach the thought of a cat being eaten alive by starving rats, or children dissected while alive and conscious. Despite about 20 walkouts, most of the crowd hung around for a very emotional Q&A with the director. Too bad about the idiots laughing out loud at all the wrong moments... must have been True Horror fans.

More guests are pouring in for the upcoming week. Jim Van Bebber, who brought his Manson flick Charlie's Family down last year, is back in town with not one but two movies. He's presenting Deadbeat at Dawn on Saturday night, and then on Sunday he's joining Nacho Cerda and Douglas Buck for the short film soirée (a steal at two bucks). It was Spanish director Cerda who knocked us stupid with his beautiful ode to necrophilia, Aftermath, last year. He's back with Genesis, about bleeding sculptures and undying love.

Korean producer Chul Shin will be dropping in to present the romantic ghost fable Gingko Bed on Sunday evening. Aside from the Korean/Hong Kong coproduction Beyond Hypothermia, which showed last year, this is Fant-Asia's first taste of Korean Seoul food, and it looks like a beaut. Also on the spooky ghost story tip--and much closer to home--local director Maurice Deveraux will be presenting his Lady of the Lake on Sunday as well. Word is that gore and shocks take a back seat to mood and atmosphere, a welcome relief to all but True Horror fans. Well, screw 'em.

My own hot picks: Makaraga is the new sci-fi-fantasy freakout from Japanese director Keita Amemiya, the dude responsible for the insanely excellent Zeiram flicks. It plays on Sunday, too (yeesh, some day of rest), and is not to be missed, especially since foxy ice princess Yuko Morimaya (Iria in Zeiram) is part of the cast.

On the hard-boiled crime front, don't miss The Longest Nite, one of the toughest triad jobbies I've ever seen. Corruption, betrayal, deceit and a lead pipe to the knees. It stars Tony Leung (Hard Boiled, Happy Together) and Lau Ching-Wan, who is in my estimation the coolest motherfucker in HK cinema today. Those who've seen him in Beyond Hypothermia, Two Many Ways to Be Number One, and Full Alert (playing again this Friday) will likely agree. He's got that perfect balance of crabby machismo and existential fatigue. And he chain smokes!