lauralh | yesterday

Now, I'm not exactly an afficionado of Honk Kong cinema, but I've seen a lot of Woo's stuff both before and after Face/Off, and I've always liked watching them. Even M:I2. I just can't argue with someone who wants his movies to look good. Style over substance? Nah. But I do indeed take the style seriously as an element. Well, it's just like reading a book, I suppose. I mean, it's no fun to read a book that's poorly written. And at the same time a bad plot doesn't make up for style.

We saw So Close yesterday at SIFF. Oh my god, what a fucking excellent film. And by that I mean all elements. Well, it was a little light on plot, but not that light. I mean, it beat say the latest Bond film in that department, or Cradle 2 the Grave. But it had girls kicking ass with kung fu stylee as well as with awesome firepower, which is all I ask for in a Honk Kong film. Plus, as I said, that standard over-the-top editing. Some decent CGI, lots of glass breaking, and even a fucking SWORDFIGHT. You know a movie is good when it includes a swordfight. Beyond that, as I said, lots of girls kicking ass, some underwear scenes and light lesbian subtext - the movie could have easily ventured into the realm of gratuitous, but it didn't bother. Not sure if they thought the teases would be enough, or that no one would care with the amount of action going down. Probably right, either way.

So then later, Chop Suey for "Teenage Kicks." That's what

alicetiara called it, anyway. At first it was a little dead but as the night wore on, damn. It was weird at first, though, because I've almost never seen that place so damn deserted. Meaning it's usually completely packed rim to rim. I was thinking of hitting on this one dude, but apparently he and Kerrin disappeared at the same time. Hmm. The only other guy that I was interested in was sort of a mack, and I think he thought I was with Steve. But he must have talked to three different girls over the course of the night. He kinda had a Justin Timberlake thing going.

Anyway. Steve and I saw some people whose LJ names I forget at the moment, and danced our asses off. I mean really, I guess I was a little dehydrated from drinking, but by the end of the night I was totally like BLEH. I could hardly breathe and I really quite hot. When we got home I sat outside on our patio drinking water and gazing at the stars for a while before I felt ready to come inside and go to bed.