[Editorials Update] January-June 2022

Hello and welcome. This is the first batch of 2022 editorials which I posted on my blog as well as other sites devoted to Asian cinema and dramas. As I have explained in my original post, I do not want to have subscribers of my blog (especially those from the mailing list) missing out on the content that is posted elsewhere. Therefore, I am providing a concise update about my publications in a post form. This batch includes articles and special reviews published between January and June 2022. I hope that you will enjoy these and please feel free to share your thoughts either via email or in the comments.
 
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Dr. Mack (1995) [Film Review]

Dr. Mack; or, Community Values
     There is no completely rational and unselfish doctor because we are all human. Let me show you the way.
Little do some cinema connoisseurs know Tony Leung Chiu-wai is such a versatile actor that he could even do stupid comedies back in the day. Dr. Mack (also released under alternative title Mack the Knife) is an excellent example of such a flick. Let’s explore together Tony’s personal take on House M.D. type of persona, inspired by a comic book series made by Sho Fumimura and Takumi Nagayasu.
Release Info
Directed by: Lee Chi Ngai Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Alex To, Andy Hui, Christy Chung
Language: Cantonese Original Title: 流氓醫生 Runtime: 98 min
Synopsis
Lau Mack (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) is a doctor who runs his practice in a working-class neighbourhood in Hong Kong, treating prostitutes, the elderly, and underprivileged. However he has a brilliant mind and exceptional medical skills. Because he obtained his licence in Africa, he is unable to work at a proper hospital, but still he always helps out his colleague Roger Law (Alex To) whenever there is a tough medical case. Nevertheless, Law secretly despises Lau and goes out of his way to revoke his licence…
Tony Leung in the House
If you expect to see a bitter, nihilistic Tony limping away and high on Vicodin, then better hold your horses. Tony’s Dr. Mack character is as genius and outspoken as House M.D. but this is where the similarities end. Mack remains devoted to his profession, even to such an extent that he rushes into action when clearly someone else (see Law) is at fault and unable to treat a patient in need.
In spite of this running theme, it is hard to call Mack a central character of the story. The movie rather focuses on the people Mack interacts with and how he inspires them to better themselves in their lives. If anything, the film’s proper title ought to be “Community” because Mack’s neighbourhood friends: a rookie doctor (Andy Hui), a high-school student (Gigi Leung), a clumsy cop (Sean Lau), an ailing prostitute (Eileen Tung) take the center stage.
Still, it is a darn fun seeing Tony in a light-hearted mode cracking jokes, charming an elegant lady (Christy Chung), and doing the right thing at the same time. Alex To is a great addition as Law, but I would not call his character a total baddie. The supporting actor who really shines on the screen is Andy Hui as Dr. So, his subplot could be the basis for a separate hardcore drama movie. I also appreciate a small but funny part done by the legendary Richard Ng.
An additional word on the official theatrical poster: Don’t let the cover artwork fool you. On the basis of the image alone, you may think that Dr. Mack is a kinky CAT-III flick, but it is not. The only scene that comes closest to the NSFW label is the opening sequence. The rest of the film is very mild, even to such an extent that details of hospital operations are not shown at all.
Recommendations
If you are looking for not-so-serious endeavours from Tony Leung Chiu-wai, then I recommend Dr. Mack. The only disadvantage is a dated English translation from Laserdisc times, which is most certainly not 100% accurate and puts you out of context at times.
Overall score: 7/10
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August in the Water (1995) [Film Review]

August in the Water; or, Melancholic Blue
     Sometimes I become uncertain if it was… real, dream or just memories, and whether I'm alive or not.
Allow me to say out-front that I approach this particular review with great trepidation. This is caused by the fact that I have seen Gakuryu (Sogo) Ishii’s August in the Water for the fourth time already in the course of a year and still I do not feel I have digested it fully. On the other hand, I do not want to wait indefinitely, because I am not sure if I will ever be able to fully comprehend this film. In consequence, I apologise if my opinions will not be articulate enough.
Release Info
Directed by: Gakuryu (Sogo) Ishii Starring: Rena Komine, Shinsuke Aoki, Masaaki Takarai
Language: Japanese Original Title: 水の中の八月 Runtime: 127 min
Synopsis
Two high-school students, Mao (Shinsuke Aoki) and Ukiya (Masaaki Takarai) befriend a girl called Izumi (Rena Komine). She practices high diving and participates in competitions organised by the city of Fukuoka. In the meantime, the world is plagued by drought and an unknown outbreak known as the stone disease. The only hope to restore balance is to perform an ancient ritual during a full moon. Izumi suffers an accident while jumping from a pool platform and, in consequence, she gains special powers. She can communicate with dolphins and plants. What is more, she gains an understanding of humanity’s place in the universe.
Water Sensitive
Many people across the internet refer to this movie as a mix between science-fiction and fantasy with a touch of teenage romance. In my opinion, August in the Water is neither of these things. It is most certainly not a narrative-driven picture. In fact, Gakuryu Ishii goes out of his way to enhance the viewing experience by putting emphasis on mesmerising visuals and extremely ethereal music score. As a result, the film very much feels like a dream, an illusive vision that stimulates your senses, yet it is not entirely comprehensible.
The story is there of course but it does not take the center stage. In his own auteur manner, Gakuryu Ishii presents the viewers with glimpses of events, filling in blanks by putting necessary exposition into conversations done by side-characters, TV clips, interviews, or newspaper articles. Therefore, the audience has to assemble the pieces of the puzzle on their own, which is a very challenging task indeed, and opens room to many interpretations of the film.
The way in which I personally understand the film is that the drought and stone disease function as an allegory for a topical problem of modern society, which is lack of empathy. People in the world of today are so dissociated from reality, from contact with another human being that they function as automatons. Hence, their inwards turn to stone. By falling in love with Izumi, Mao understood the value of positive emotions which allowed him to live to the fullest, appreciate nature, and wait decades for the return of the love of his life.
What is more, Ishii can’t help himself but question the organisational order yet again (*Crazy Thunder Road flashbacks*). In spite of drought and disease, the city of Fukuoka organises the high diving competition. Consequently, the country of Japan functions as normally as possible regardless of the immediate threat.
The editing and cinematography of August in the Water deserve a scientific monograph, so I shall limit myself and just say that Ishii really achieved the impossible. Just by camera movement and the marriage of visuals and sound, he creates a one-of-a-kind ambience which covers as well as overshadows the main themes of his picture. Even without the English subtitles, you come to appreciate what is presented on the screen. My favourite sequences, without a doubt, are the opening intro and a water-throwing festival. Had there been a Blu-ray edition of the film in the West, it would have certainly made a great demo disc to test your home cinema setup.
I could devote many more paragraphs to August in the Water, but I feel I would not give justice to the film, so let me end my thoughts here. I know I have to go back and watch it for the fifth time because with each viewing I interpret this film, and Hiroyuki Onogawa’s music, differently. If you wish to read more on the film, then please refer to this informative article at Dazed which has lots of sources.
Unfortunately, the DVD edition of the movie is out of print, so do not get fooled by some preachy sites that refer you to expired offers from Amazon or Yes Asia because most certainly the writers themselves had not seen the film on a physical disc. As of now, the film frequently pops up on YouTube, which is sadly the only way to watch it. I sincerely hope that either Criterion or Eureka! will buy the distribution rights and give August in the Water a proper release it very much deserves. 
Recommendations
I recommend August in the Water if you seek for a magical, other-worldly experience. People need to be more aware of Japanese productions like this one. It is truly idiosyncratic but not by any means pretentious or quirky. It is an emotion rather than a tale.
Overall score: 8/10
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Rumble in the Bronx (1995) [Film Review]

Rumble in the Bronx; or, A Fish Out of Water
     That’s my uncle’s car!
Fresh after the success of Police Story 3: SuperCop (1992) and Project S (1993), the duo composed of director Stanley Tong and action star Jackie Chan continued their fruitful cooperation in yet another bombastic project called Rumble in the Bronx. This movie would go on to prove itself especially important for Jackie’s career because it is often cited as one of the 90s flicks that made the Hong Kong actor recognisable in the United States.
Release Info
Directed by: Stanley Tong Starring: Jackie Chan, Françoise Yip, Anita Mui
Language: Cantonese, English Original Title: 紅番區 Runtime: 90 min
Synopsis
Keung (Jackie Chan) arrives in New York to visit his uncle (Bill Tung) who is going to remarry soon. Uncle Bill sells his grocery shop to a businesswoman called Elaine (Anita Mui). Nevertheless, problems arise when local thugs raid the shop. Keung helps out Elaine, but for his heroic action, he is assaulted and wounded by the bandits. He is looked after by his neighbour Danny (Morgan Lam), a physically-disabled boy, and his sister Nancy (Françoise Yip). In the meantime, a crime syndicate is looking for stolen diamonds in the neighbourhood. In order to fight the syndicate and protect his friends, Keung will have to join forces with the thugs.
Street Fighter
Rumble in the Bronx was made in-between Jackie’s popular Police Story movies, so it comes as no surprise that the team behind this franchise (director Stanley Tong, producer Raymond Chow, and screenwriter Edward Tang) crafted this particular motion picture. What is more, the movie was shot primarily on location in Vancouver, Canada, so the crew had to make sure that the setting would resemble NYC cityscapes.
The narrative premise as well as the fact that the film was shot outside of Hong Kong are reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972). In that film, Bruce plays a well-meaning newcomer from Hong Kong who finds it difficult to operate within Western culture, but who tries his best to protect his friends from baddies. This is exactly what Jackie channels in Rumble in the Bronx and he does that very well indeed. The movie is packed with breathtaking action stunts, meticulously choreographed fight sequences, and a light-hearted humour (mostly coming from Anita Mui’s character).
When it comes to US releases of Jackie’s films, as always there are differences in various cuts. The most popular edition of the Rumble in the Bronx from New Line Cinema runs at 90 minutes and is very much watchable; however, the Hong Kong release actually provides different contexts for the characters through the Cantonese dubbing. For instance, in the original cut, it is said that Keung is actually a cop and he has a girlfriend back in Hong Kong. In the American cut, there’s absolutely no mention of such a thing.
With regard to performances, Jackie as always shines on the screen as the happy-go-lucky everyman who never wants to cause any trouble. For some of his 90s productions, Jackie had this great skill of choosing pretty wooden actors, especially Western ones, but this is not the case with Rumble in the Bronx. Françoise Yip does well as the friend/love interest character, and (that’s only my observation), she reminds me a lot about young Cherie Cheung. It is always great to see the late Anita Mui alongside Jackie, especially in a comedic role. The actors playing thugs, such as the late Marc Akerstream, and Gavin Cross also did quite well, and it is clear that they must have had a lot of fun on the set.
Unsurprisingly, the only person who did not have fun on the set was Jackie himself who badly injured his leg. In the making-of footage during the end credits, you can see that he filmed some of his stunts with a leg in a cast that had a sock coloured to resemble a shoe!
Recommendations
Needless to say, Rumble in the Bronx marks Jackie’s epic entry into the Hollywood showbiz. 27 years after its original release, the movie is still an enjoyable ride. I saw it for the first time on a promo-VHS copy from Imperial Entertainment Home Video and the memories of the hovercraft chase stayed on with me throughout childhood.The DVD edition I have contains the standard Miramax cut and no bonus features, but there is a DTS audio track.
Overall score: 8/10
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