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    <title>The Killer's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Film:The Killer</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Killer/18884/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
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<strong>Title:</strong> The Killer<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 1989<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> John Woo<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> Though <a href="/players/P___117248/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Woo</a>'s lifelong admiration of <a href="/players/P___105940/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sam Peckinpah</a>, <a href="/players/P____99378/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sergio Leone</a>, <a href="/players/P___110533/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Martin Scorsese</a>, and <a href="/players/P____98221/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Stanley Kubrick</a> are also evident in this stylish actioner, the film is essentially a tribute to <a href="/players/P___102465/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jean-Pierre Melville</a> and his cult thriller Le Samourai. During a restaurant shootout, hitman Jeff (<a href="/players/P____22826/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Chow Yun-Fat</a>) accidentally hurts the eyes of a singer (Sally Yeh). Later he meets the girl and discovers that if she does not have a very expensive operation very soon, she will go blind. To get the money for the surgery, Jeff decides to perform one last hit. The cop (<a href="/players/P____99139/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Danny Lee</a>), who has been chasing Jeff for a long time, is determined to catch him this time. The film's number of victims makes <a href=/films/34472/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Terminator</a> or <a href=/films/322845/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Rambo</a> pale in comparison, but its brilliant visual style and bravura direction earned accolades even from non-action fans. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 11<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 30<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 2<br/>
<strong>Number of discussion threads:</strong> 5<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2009 02:40:06 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>The Killer</spout:Title><spout:Year>1989</spout:Year><spout:Director>John Woo</spout:Director><spout:Plot>Though &lt;a href="/players/P___117248/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;John Woo&lt;/a&gt;'s lifelong admiration of &lt;a href="/players/P___105940/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Sam Peckinpah&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/players/P____99378/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Sergio Leone&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/players/P___110533/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Martin Scorsese&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="/players/P____98221/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Stanley Kubrick&lt;/a&gt; are also evident in this stylish actioner, the film is essentially a tribute to &lt;a href="/players/P___102465/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Jean-Pierre Melville&lt;/a&gt; and his cult thriller Le Samourai. During a restaurant shootout, hitman Jeff (&lt;a href="/players/P____22826/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Chow Yun-Fat&lt;/a&gt;) accidentally hurts the eyes of a singer (Sally Yeh). Later he meets the girl and discovers that if she does not have a very expensive operation very soon, she will go blind. To get the money for the surgery, Jeff decides to perform one last hit. The cop (&lt;a href="/players/P____99139/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Danny Lee&lt;/a&gt;), who has been chasing Jeff for a long time, is determined to catch him this time. The film's number of victims makes &lt;a href=/films/34472/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;The Terminator&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=/films/322845/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Rambo&lt;/a&gt; pale in comparison, but its brilliant visual style and bravura direction earned accolades even from non-action fans. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>11</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Tag Target (&gt;10)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>30</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>2</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads>5</spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/The_Killer/18884/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Top 5 Films of the 90s</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Forever_Young/Re_Top_5_Films_of_the_90s/85/35735/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5889/default.aspx'>Jymkata</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Forever_Young/85/discussions.aspx'>Forever Young</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 9/30/2008 7:22:27 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 1. Goodfellas - barely gets in as a 90's movie (1990), but it is my favorite Scorsese. Although I like Dances With Wolves, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth that it won over Goodfellas at the Oscars. Iconic movie. 2. L.A. Confidential - doesn't feel like a 90's movie because of the time period detail, but I love this film so much that I had a hard time deciding on making it 1 or 2. I will love Russell Crowe forever for his portrayal of Bud White. This Oscar loss hurt more than Goodfellas and I will always be cynical about the Academy for rewarding Titanic over this. 3. The Player - OK, this one definitely feels like and looks like a 90's movie, but it will never feel dated to me. Like most of Altman's films it is a capsule of a specific time and place. This is the ultimate film lover's treasure hunt - references galore! 4. Hard-Boiled - I will throw in an international film with this John Woo action pic. and it's a brilliant one. I prefer this over Woo's The Killer, but they are both perfect genre representatives. Woo's bullet ballet has become a parody of itself, but this film is a masterpiece of staging and Chow Yun-Fat turns in his best performance.  5. Bottle Rocket - This is Wes Anderson's "smallest" film, but it is indie perfection. The Wilson brothers have never been so good and I laugh just thinking of certain scenes in this favorite. I can forgive Anderson for The Darjeeling Limited (which is hard for me to do) because of Bottle Rocket.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:22:27 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Jymkata</spout:postby><spout:postto>Forever Young</spout:postto><spout:postdate>9/30/2008 7:22:27 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>1. Goodfellas - barely gets in as a 90's movie (1990), but it is my favorite Scorsese. Although I like Dances With Wolves, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth that it won over Goodfellas at the Oscars. Iconic movie. 2. L.A. Confidential - doesn't feel like a 90's movie because of the time period detail, but I love this film so much that I had a hard time deciding on making it 1 or 2. I will love Russell Crowe forever for his portrayal of Bud White. This Oscar loss hurt more than Goodfellas and I will always be cynical about the Academy for rewarding Titanic over this. 3. The Player - OK, this one definitely feels like and looks like a 90's movie, but it will never feel dated to me. Like most of Altman's films it is a capsule of a specific time and place. This is the ultimate film lover's treasure hunt - references galore! 4. Hard-Boiled - I will throw in an international film with this John Woo action pic. and it's a brilliant one. I prefer this over Woo's The Killer, but they are both perfect genre representatives. Woo's bullet ballet has become a parody of itself, but this film is a masterpiece of staging and Chow Yun-Fat turns in his best performance.  5. Bottle Rocket - This is Wes Anderson's "smallest" film, but it is indie perfection. The Wilson brothers have never been so good and I laugh just thinking of certain scenes in this favorite. I can forgive Anderson for The Darjeeling Limited (which is hard for me to do) because of Bottle Rocket.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Ghost Towns and Post-Apocalyptic Movies</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/Re_Ghost_Towns_and_Post_Apocalyptic_Movies/4/33935/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/130209/default.aspx'>unclefestering</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/4/discussions.aspx'>sci-fi</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 8/12/2008 9:35:07 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> [quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="SkyPilot"] I just stumbled upon this list of the top ten ghost towns, and all of them would make fascinating settings for post-apocalyptic movies. I think I'd most like to see a film made in the walled city of Kowloon:  "The Kowloon Walled City was located just outside Hong Kong, China during British rule. A former watchpost to protect the area against pirates, it was occupied by Japan during World War II and subsequently taken over by squatters after Japan&rsquo;s surrender. Neither Britain nor China wanted responsibility for it, so it became its own lawless city." I've never been to a ghost town myself, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has.   [/quote] That's a really fascinating article Adam.  Thanks so much for posting it.  Although The Kowloon Walled City seems to actually be the only entry in that list that didn't seem like an actual ghost town since it said squatters had been living there.  I don't think it's a ghost town if there is still people living there, even if they aren't really keeping the place up.  That's probably what makes that one the most interesting of all of them though. Here's some stuff about The Walled city being featured in films from the Wikipedia article: In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City. The Hong Kong horror film Re-cycle features a decrepit, nightmarish version of the Walled City complete with tortured souls from which the protagonist must flee. The finale of the unfilmed American remake of John Woo's The Killer was scripted to occur in the Walled city which was described within as a den of criminals outside the reach of the Hong Kong Police Force. [6] Some of the scenes in the Batman films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (particularly a walled neighborhood known as the Narrows) were shot on a set inspired by Kowloon Walled City.[7] The Walled city has also been seen in (or inspired) a number of television programs including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" which is set partially in Kowloon and episodes 3 and 4 of Street Fighter II V take place near the Walled City. In the music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U," the setting resembles the Walled City. [/quote] I saw The World of Suzie Wong ages ago and it probably hasn't aged well. But I think it was about an American businessman who travels to Hong Kong to become a painter and falls in love with Suzie, who lives in Kowloon. As it happens in real life, in the movie a disaster strikes Hong Kong and Kowloon is the hardest hit.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:35:07 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>unclefestering</spout:postby><spout:postto>sci-fi</spout:postto><spout:postdate>8/12/2008 9:35:07 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>[quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="SkyPilot"] I just stumbled upon this list of the top ten ghost towns, and all of them would make fascinating settings for post-apocalyptic movies. I think I'd most like to see a film made in the walled city of Kowloon:  "The Kowloon Walled City was located just outside Hong Kong, China during British rule. A former watchpost to protect the area against pirates, it was occupied by Japan during World War II and subsequently taken over by squatters after Japan&amp;rsquo;s surrender. Neither Britain nor China wanted responsibility for it, so it became its own lawless city." I've never been to a ghost town myself, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has.   [/quote] That's a really fascinating article Adam.  Thanks so much for posting it.  Although The Kowloon Walled City seems to actually be the only entry in that list that didn't seem like an actual ghost town since it said squatters had been living there.  I don't think it's a ghost town if there is still people living there, even if they aren't really keeping the place up.  That's probably what makes that one the most interesting of all of them though. Here's some stuff about The Walled city being featured in films from the Wikipedia article: In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City. The Hong Kong horror film Re-cycle features a decrepit, nightmarish version of the Walled City complete with tortured souls from which the protagonist must flee. The finale of the unfilmed American remake of John Woo's The Killer was scripted to occur in the Walled city which was described within as a den of criminals outside the reach of the Hong Kong Police Force. [6] Some of the scenes in the Batman films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (particularly a walled neighborhood known as the Narrows) were shot on a set inspired by Kowloon Walled City.[7] The Walled city has also been seen in (or inspired) a number of television programs including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" which is set partially in Kowloon and episodes 3 and 4 of Street Fighter II V take place near the Walled City. In the music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U," the setting resembles the Walled City. [/quote] I saw The World of Suzie Wong ages ago and it probably hasn't aged well. But I think it was about an American businessman who travels to Hong Kong to become a painter and falls in love with Suzie, who lives in Kowloon. As it happens in real life, in the movie a disaster strikes Hong Kong and Kowloon is the hardest hit.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Ghost Towns and Post-Apocalyptic Movies</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/Re_Ghost_Towns_and_Post_Apocalyptic_Movies/4/33877/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5353/default.aspx'>Risselada</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/sci_fi/4/discussions.aspx'>sci-fi</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 8/11/2008 7:31:28 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> [quote user="SkyPilot"] I just stumbled upon this list of the top ten ghost towns, and all of them would make fascinating settings for post-apocalyptic movies. I think I'd most like to see a film made in the walled city of Kowloon:  "The Kowloon Walled City was located just outside Hong Kong, China during British rule. A former watchpost to protect the area against pirates, it was occupied by Japan during World War II and subsequently taken over by squatters after Japan&rsquo;s surrender. Neither Britain nor China wanted responsibility for it, so it became its own lawless city." I've never been to a ghost town myself, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has.   [/quote] That's a really fascinating article Adam.  Thanks so much for posting it.  Although The Kowloon Walled City seems to actually be the only entry in that list that didn't seem like an actual ghost town since it said squatters had been living there.  I don't think it's a ghost town if there is still people living there, even if they aren't really keeping the place up.  That's probably what makes that one the most interesting of all of them though. Here's some stuff about The Walled city being featured in films from the Wikipedia article: In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City. The Hong Kong horror film Re-cycle features a decrepit, nightmarish version of the Walled City complete with tortured souls from which the protagonist must flee. The finale of the unfilmed American remake of John Woo's The Killer was scripted to occur in the Walled city which was described within as a den of criminals outside the reach of the Hong Kong Police Force. [6] Some of the scenes in the Batman films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (particularly a walled neighborhood known as the Narrows) were shot on a set inspired by Kowloon Walled City.[7] The Walled city has also been seen in (or inspired) a number of television programs including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" which is set partially in Kowloon and episodes 3 and 4 of Street Fighter II V take place near the Walled City. In the music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U," the setting resembles the Walled City.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:31:28 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Risselada</spout:postby><spout:postto>sci-fi</spout:postto><spout:postdate>8/11/2008 7:31:28 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>[quote user="SkyPilot"] I just stumbled upon this list of the top ten ghost towns, and all of them would make fascinating settings for post-apocalyptic movies. I think I'd most like to see a film made in the walled city of Kowloon:  "The Kowloon Walled City was located just outside Hong Kong, China during British rule. A former watchpost to protect the area against pirates, it was occupied by Japan during World War II and subsequently taken over by squatters after Japan&amp;rsquo;s surrender. Neither Britain nor China wanted responsibility for it, so it became its own lawless city." I've never been to a ghost town myself, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has.   [/quote] That's a really fascinating article Adam.  Thanks so much for posting it.  Although The Kowloon Walled City seems to actually be the only entry in that list that didn't seem like an actual ghost town since it said squatters had been living there.  I don't think it's a ghost town if there is still people living there, even if they aren't really keeping the place up.  That's probably what makes that one the most interesting of all of them though. Here's some stuff about The Walled city being featured in films from the Wikipedia article: In film, the martial arts tournament in the 1988 film Bloodsport, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, takes place inside the Walled City. The Hong Kong horror film Re-cycle features a decrepit, nightmarish version of the Walled City complete with tortured souls from which the protagonist must flee. The finale of the unfilmed American remake of John Woo's The Killer was scripted to occur in the Walled city which was described within as a den of criminals outside the reach of the Hong Kong Police Force. [6] Some of the scenes in the Batman films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (particularly a walled neighborhood known as the Narrows) were shot on a set inspired by Kowloon Walled City.[7] The Walled city has also been seen in (or inspired) a number of television programs including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" which is set partially in Kowloon and episodes 3 and 4 of Street Fighter II V take place near the Walled City. In the music video of Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U," the setting resembles the Walled City.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Tokyo Drifter</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/tallquasimodo/archive/2008/7/14/32526.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/38820/default.aspx'>tallquasimodo</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/tallquasimodo/default.aspx'>tallquasimodo Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 7/14/2008 12:08:07 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> I really wanted to be impressed by this movie, and I was, in a sense.  The color is fantastic, and the cinematography is nothing to sneeze at either.  It even had what must have been some very cool gunfights for its time.  Unfortunately the narrative itself was too hard to follow.  Call me racist, but I had trouble differentiating the various bosses from each other due to the similarity of their names to my western ear.  This left the majority of dialogue fairly difficult to comprehend.  I wish I had seen this movie before being exposed to some of the better handgun-based action movies made since, such as A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, Hard Boiled, Desperado, etc.  Even The Wild Bunch could be included in that category. <br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:08:07 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>tallquasimodo</spout:postby><spout:postto>tallquasimodo Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>7/14/2008 12:08:07 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>I really wanted to be impressed by this movie, and I was, in a sense.  The color is fantastic, and the cinematography is nothing to sneeze at either.  It even had what must have been some very cool gunfights for its time.  Unfortunately the narrative itself was too hard to follow.  Call me racist, but I had trouble differentiating the various bosses from each other due to the similarity of their names to my western ear.  This left the majority of dialogue fairly difficult to comprehend.  I wish I had seen this movie before being exposed to some of the better handgun-based action movies made since, such as A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, Hard Boiled, Desperado, etc.  Even The Wild Bunch could be included in that category. </spout:body></item>
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      <title>Spout Post: movie year countdown #21 - 1986 - Ying hung boon sik (A Better Tomorrow)</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2007/10/3/20390.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5353/default.aspx'>Risselada</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/default.aspx'>Risselada Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 10/3/2007 12:33:56 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> This blog entry is part of my &ldquo;movie year countdown&rdquo;.  To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.Ying hung boon sik (A Better Tomorrow)I&#39;m kind of fascinated by John Woo.  I haven&#39;t even seen many of his movies, but I feel like I have a strong impressions.  It seems like he was a master of action when he was working in the Hong Kong film industry.  But then he started working in Hollywood, bringing all of his same techniques over in ways that just seem all the more silly and don&#39;t fit.Movies like Paycheck seem like he saw the story as just surroundings for his action sequences.  When the action sequences had absolutely no relevance to the actual story which could have been interested if the director would have seemed to know what was going on or was invested.And then there is the fact that at the climax of nearly every single one of his movies there are shots of doves flying off.  It&#39;s an interesting calling card, and the fact that he seems compelled to use it no matter what is fascinating to me.  Even when it doesn&#39;t even fit and has gone beyond being melodramatic and ridiculous.What does this have to do with A Better Tomorrow?  Well not that much since this seems to be the first movie that really catapulted his career into a new level of notoriety.  I may not be entirely correct about this, but that was my impression.  Anyways this movie doesn&#39;t even have any doves in it.  But it does have a lot of action, and guns, and melodrama.  I&#39;ve also seen The Killer which also has a lot of action, and guns, and melodrama, and doves too.I find these Hong Kong movies amusing.  But I have to ask myself.  Is what Woo is doing in Hollywood any different than what he was doing in Hong Kong?  Did the action and melodrama fit any more in the Hong Kong movies than the American movies?  It&#39;s hard to say because I don&#39;t know Chinese culture that well and it&#39;s almost more fun to assume that things that seem absurd to me when watching a foreign film may just be part of the way of life for other people.Either way, I will admit his gun battles are pretty damn enthralling.Rating: 8/10<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:33:56 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Risselada</spout:postby><spout:postto>Risselada Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>10/3/2007 12:33:56 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>This blog entry is part of my &amp;ldquo;movie year countdown&amp;rdquo;.  To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.Ying hung boon sik (A Better Tomorrow)I&amp;#39;m kind of fascinated by John Woo.  I haven&amp;#39;t even seen many of his movies, but I feel like I have a strong impressions.  It seems like he was a master of action when he was working in the Hong Kong film industry.  But then he started working in Hollywood, bringing all of his same techniques over in ways that just seem all the more silly and don&amp;#39;t fit.Movies like Paycheck seem like he saw the story as just surroundings for his action sequences.  When the action sequences had absolutely no relevance to the actual story which could have been interested if the director would have seemed to know what was going on or was invested.And then there is the fact that at the climax of nearly every single one of his movies there are shots of doves flying off.  It&amp;#39;s an interesting calling card, and the fact that he seems compelled to use it no matter what is fascinating to me.  Even when it doesn&amp;#39;t even fit and has gone beyond being melodramatic and ridiculous.What does this have to do with A Better Tomorrow?  Well not that much since this seems to be the first movie that really catapulted his career into a new level of notoriety.  I may not be entirely correct about this, but that was my impression.  Anyways this movie doesn&amp;#39;t even have any doves in it.  But it does have a lot of action, and guns, and melodrama.  I&amp;#39;ve also seen The Killer which also has a lot of action, and guns, and melodrama, and doves too.I find these Hong Kong movies amusing.  But I have to ask myself.  Is what Woo is doing in Hollywood any different than what he was doing in Hong Kong?  Did the action and melodrama fit any more in the Hong Kong movies than the American movies?  It&amp;#39;s hard to say because I don&amp;#39;t know Chinese culture that well and it&amp;#39;s almost more fun to assume that things that seem absurd to me when watching a foreign film may just be part of the way of life for other people.Either way, I will admit his gun battles are pretty damn enthralling.Rating: 8/10</spout:body></item>
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      <title>Spout Post: Re: Help to find a missing film</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/missing_a_film/Re_Help_to_find_a_missing_film/263/13424/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5889/default.aspx'>Jymkata</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/missing_a_film/263/discussions.aspx'>missing a film</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 7/8/2007 11:59:42 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> [quote user="joem18b"] Plus, who is that Hong Kong director who frequently has two guys holding guns to each other's heads. And in one instance, the wife of one of them comes in and they hide the guns till she leaves again? (I was just looking at the cover of 13 Tzameti, which pictures something similar.) [/quote]Sounds like John Woo's Hong Kong films with two guys frequently squaring off with guns in each other's face. The scene you described sounds like The Killer where a blind woman is serving the two adversaries tea while they face off without lettting on that they have guns drawn right in front of her.The original Infernal Affairs also has the two leads facing off on a rooftop with guns drawn.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:59:42 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Jymkata</spout:postby><spout:postto>missing a film</spout:postto><spout:postdate>7/8/2007 11:59:42 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>[quote user="joem18b"] Plus, who is that Hong Kong director who frequently has two guys holding guns to each other's heads. And in one instance, the wife of one of them comes in and they hide the guns till she leaves again? (I was just looking at the cover of 13 Tzameti, which pictures something similar.) [/quote]Sounds like John Woo's Hong Kong films with two guys frequently squaring off with guns in each other's face. The scene you described sounds like The Killer where a blind woman is serving the two adversaries tea while they face off without lettting on that they have guns drawn right in front of her.The original Infernal Affairs also has the two leads facing off on a rooftop with guns drawn.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re: Overrated actors</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Totally_Over_rated/Re_Overrated_actors/170/13107/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51253q0yng.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/13606/default.aspx'>lukasblu</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Totally_Over_rated/170/discussions.aspx'>Totally Over-rated</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 7/4/2007 4:33:35 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> " I would argue that many of the films in which he has starred have been questionable - at best - for entertainment value (my opinion only). I have not seen him in anything since Adaptation because I have felt lukewarm (or worse) about every movie that he's been in since then. "i feel the same way about his acting choices that his made after 2001;BUT i have seen a few of his movies after 2001 that are worth considering :(Especially with the limited time you have).The ones that i have seen that have a pretty good script/story are Matchstick Men (2003),its a pretty good movie with alison lohman(pretty talented young actress);A father /daughter heist story with very good twistAnother i would recommend would be Lord of War (2005);It is not a swashbuckling action like con-air and face/off but it is worth watching:Its about an arms dealer,how he feels about it ,his relationships,what he is good at ,and he's rise to success;The movie has some very good lines and an ending which is quite unique;It also stars ethan hawke as a by the book detective who is in the hunt of capturing him;This movie reminds me a bit of  the  heat and the killers in which you do not neccessary root for the good or bad guy(criminal or cop),there are grey areas;The movie does a great job of telling you why the  characters are the way they are(especially the n.cage character)<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:33:35 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>lukasblu</spout:postby><spout:postto>Totally Over-rated</spout:postto><spout:postdate>7/4/2007 4:33:35 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>" I would argue that many of the films in which he has starred have been questionable - at best - for entertainment value (my opinion only). I have not seen him in anything since Adaptation because I have felt lukewarm (or worse) about every movie that he's been in since then. "i feel the same way about his acting choices that his made after 2001;BUT i have seen a few of his movies after 2001 that are worth considering :(Especially with the limited time you have).The ones that i have seen that have a pretty good script/story are Matchstick Men (2003),its a pretty good movie with alison lohman(pretty talented young actress);A father /daughter heist story with very good twistAnother i would recommend would be Lord of War (2005);It is not a swashbuckling action like con-air and face/off but it is worth watching:Its about an arms dealer,how he feels about it ,his relationships,what he is good at ,and he's rise to success;The movie has some very good lines and an ending which is quite unique;It also stars ethan hawke as a by the book detective who is in the hunt of capturing him;This movie reminds me a bit of  the  heat and the killers in which you do not neccessary root for the good or bad guy(criminal or cop),there are grey areas;The movie does a great job of telling you why the  characters are the way they are(especially the n.cage character)</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:Classic</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Classic/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/Classic/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>Classic</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 816</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 312</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1453</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:54:36 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>816</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>312</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1453</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:Best</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Best/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/Best/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>Best</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 78</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 91</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 122</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:01:38 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>78</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>91</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>122</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:pain</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/pain/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/pain/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>pain</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 127</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 28</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 69</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:09:20 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>127</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>28</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>69</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:accident</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/accident/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/accident/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>accident</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1329</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 27</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 62</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:32:36 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1329</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>27</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>62</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:guilt</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/guilt/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/guilt/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>guilt</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 521</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 23</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 36</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:42:35 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>521</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>23</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>36</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:hitman</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hitman/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/hitman/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>hitman</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 649</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 20</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 33</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>649</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>20</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>33</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:singer</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/singer/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/singer/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>singer</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3001</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 20</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 52</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:34:39 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3001</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>20</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>52</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:criterion</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/criterion/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/criterion/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>criterion</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 396</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 17</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 407</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:08:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>396</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>17</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>407</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:eye</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/eye/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/eye/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>eye</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 58</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 14</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 16</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:03:12 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>58</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>14</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>16</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:surgery</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/surgery/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/surgery/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>surgery</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 318</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 10</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 19</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:44:01 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>318</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>10</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>19</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:policedetective</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/policedetective/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/policedetective/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>policedetective</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 440</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 8</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 9</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>440</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>8</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>9</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:cheesetastic</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cheesetastic/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/cheesetastic/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>cheesetastic</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 19</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 4</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 21</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:52:56 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>19</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>4</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>21</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:hongkong</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hongkong/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/hongkong/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>hongkong</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 29</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 3</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 3</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:02:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>29</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>3</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>3</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:shoot-out</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/shoot-out/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/shoot-out/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>shoot-out</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 8</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 3</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 8</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:42:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>8</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>3</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>8</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:bloodshed</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/bloodshed/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/bloodshed/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>bloodshed</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 55</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 2</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:04:41 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>55</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>2</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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