Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
:: Millennium Mambo ::
by Katherine E Clarke
This award winning movie premiered at Cannes in 2001 and is directed by the renowned Taiwanese director, Hou Hsiao-hsien who is better known for his historical pieces. However what made me curious enough to rent this was that the setting is modern day Taiwan and most of the Asian flicks I have seen have taken place in the past.
Vicky, our heavy drinking, cigarette smoking narrator, tells of her destructive relationship with Hao-hao, a scumbag of a boyfriend. First off, we are told that ten years have passed and Vicky is taking a jaunt down memory lane. She was supposedly obsessed with Hao-hao and simply could not dump him regardless of how unhealthy the relationship was. I found this exceptionally hard to believe because the chemistry between the two actors was non-existent. Several scenes played out the scenario of Hao-hao attempting to seduce Vicky. Vicky looks bored. Vicky lights up a cig. Vicky pours herself a drink. Hao-hao continues to pursue the matter. Vicky gets up in a huff and buries herself under the duvet. In my books, NOT the actions of a woman enthralled with a man. There were times that I actually felt sorry for Hao-hao despite the fact that he hocked his father’s watch because his friends finally tired of him borrowing money, searched through Vicky’s purse to find evidence that she was cheating on him, and neglected to wake her up for her finals resulting in her flunking out of school. Hao-hao is portrayed as the villain however his worst fault seemed to be that he was exceptionally lazy and none of the other characters were particularly likeable either.
Vicky becomes involved with Jack, the manager of the club where she dances. He is more of a father figure than a lover and tries to give her sound advice like get a proper job but she doesn’t seem to want to be helped. She is unhappy with her lifestyle but unwilling to take any steps to change her situation.
The film is basically a slice of life story and, I am sure, steeped with meaning and symbolism such as the portrayal of the emptiness of life, how the emergence of technology has resulted in the demise of human interaction, shallowness of humanity, and the ennui of our generation. I have been told that in order to fully understand and appreciate the movie, I should watch it more than once. There is one little problem. I didn’t like it the first time around. I found it pretentious and repetitive. I will say I appreciated a glimpse into modern Taiwanese culture but of course, being a film, it is debatable as to how accurately this was portrayed. The snow scenes in Japan were beautifully shot and the visual effects impressive but the story itself felt dead and inert, which to a degree, I can see as being a thematic device. I also have an appreciation for what the director was attempting. In the end though, for me, the movie failed to deliver. This flick is said to be the first of a series depicting modern day Taiwan. Let’s hope the ones that follow are more entertaining.
I give this film a C-.
