Film

I tend to watch many, many films and although I do not have the resources to review every single one I see, I do try to note the ones that prompt me to write, for good or bad reasons. Although I do not have all the reviews, I sometimes list the film anyway to (a) indicate its rating, and (b) in the hopes that I will write the review later.

Ratings: the rating for each film is within its intended audience niche. That is, one would not be able to usefully compare a Kurosawa epic with a Rollin film. I happen to be a fan of both directors, but most people, who like the one would probably dislike the other. Therefore, all ratings reflect the ranking of the film compared to others of similar type. The rating is indicated by the last number in the parentheses following the title of the film. The system is fairly simple:

10: absolute masterpiece -- I am still trying to pick up my jaw from the floor;
8-9: jewel of a film -- the difference between 8 and 9 is so subtle, even I can't tell what it is;
6-7: solid piece of entertainment -- good cinematography, or acting, or story, but not all three;
3-5: pretty darn awful -- may have some redeeming quality (e.g. an appearance by a favorite actress);
1-2: the dregs of cinema -- more often than not, these are worse than bad, they are annoying as hell.

Deciphering the Names

There is a somewhat mild but permanent confusion in the West about the proper way to transcribe Asian names. This site follows several simple, not necessarily correct, rules.

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Japanese names. Traditionally, the Japanese write the last name first and the given name second. This is how it is done on this site as well. Thus, the famous Akira Kurosawa will be under Kurosawa Akira. There will be no comma separating the names in the list of directors.

Chinese names. The Chinese also write their family name first. However, things are a little more complicated here. There are three related problems: (i) although written with the same characters, names are pronounced (and therefore Anglicized) differently in Cantonese and Mandarin; (ii) many directors and actors, especially the ones from Hong Kong, have their own anglicized names (e.g. John Woo); and (iii) some have a mix of English and Chinese, and it is not unique (e.g. Tony Leung, there's two of them). To deal with these issues, I used to following system. I always use the most famous name, for example Michelle Yeoh and not Michelle Khan, or any of her other apellations. I use the rendering of the name that seems most appropriate: so Joey Wang is not Wong (Cantonese) but Mandarin since she's Taiwanese. In keeping with Chinese tradition, the family name always comes first except when anglicized. Thus, I keep Wong Kar-Wai but have John Woo. Both will be listed under "W" but there will be no comma in the first case, and there will be a comma in the second. Finally, for the mixed names, I try to list the Chinese name of the actor/director after the non-unique English name. Confused yet?

Please, let me know if you notice any inconsistencies. I do not speak any of these languages and am thus at the mercy of (often incorrect) references.

Collection

My collection is pretty small, which is a reflection of my limited budget. I have sold most of my VHS tapes and I am in the process of replacing everything with DVDs. Some films are not (and may never be) available on DVD, so I've kept taped copies, listed separately. Both lists are by title only. I have many other VHS titles that are (mostly) copies from laserdiscs, or PAL sources, and I will list them ASAP.

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Please, don't ask for copies of the tapes unless you have something interesting to trade. I will not sell any of these, regardless of how much you whine or offer. However, I am willing to exchange titles that might be of interest to you for titles that are of interest to me (duh!).