Isabella

Pang Ho-cheung crafts some of the most exquisite shots of the year in this gorgeous film starring Isabella Leong and Chapman To. The story circles around the estranged relationship between a crooked-cop father and his wayward daughter, on the eve of the Portuguese handover of Macau to the Chinese. If you are a fan of the cinematography and style of "Chungking Express", I urge you to give this film a try. The performances are amazing. The music is lovely. This is glorious cinema for patient movie lovers.

I simply loved every Pang movies, probably my favourite is "Beyond Our Ken" and starting from this I'll try to explain the main defects I found in his new movie. BOK was a movie of great feeling tension and that was his strong point together with Pang's creative direction and a solid and particularly intriguing script: Isabella is the perfect opposite of this. Somewhat predictable script, so-so acting (can't get people who praised Chapman To, probably one of the most overrated HK actors in the last years and Isabella Leung was nothing special), it misses completely to deliver the mood even if the premises were really high due to the dramatic story. He tried to emulate Wong Kar Wai describing characters with simple touches but fails completely in delivering solid personality unlike WKW. One of the few good point is the camera work, sometimes genius as we have already experienced. Hope it will be back to the right path, if this is one of the so-called "maturity" movies, I want only immature, but damn real movies.

This movie gets it right. From a simple and "seen-it-before" premise-- a man reunites with his daughter he never knew he had--comes a tale of human frailties, failures, fears, familial fraternity and future-looking forgiveness. The themes and concept may be old news, but the look, feel and refined storytelling of this one is as refreshing as a cold beer in summer. It is quirky & funny with fine nuanced performances by both leads. Isabella Leong got a few acting nods for her role and she really carries the piece well trying to gain her father's favour and exploring a relationship she never had.

Music-wise this film is also covered with a prominence of powerful pieces that not only set the mood, but sometimes tell the story themselves. Peter Kam also get recognized for his work, but arguably its Ho-Cheung Pang's choices as well as calculated visual and sound editing that makes it all work.

Ho-Cheung Pang really gets the best of everyone with this. Earthy real sets & decors from the arts department, lighting & impressive camera-work, etc. From the potent acting to the steady interior shots or the moving exterior close-ups, everything fits into the beautiful puzzle. The cinematography is innovative, alluring, but properly restrained and like the music also tells the story in its own way. A little hint of Kar Wai Wong here with occasional focus on feet or parts of the body, but always very well done and adding to realness and proposed point-of-view.

The movie leaves the audience in a happy contemplative mood. Having enjoyed the slice of life, embarked with the characters and feeling all the better for it.

This is a great picture that will have me seeking Ho-Cheung Pang's past & future projects. A voice I definitely want to hear more from in Hong Kong cinema...

About two weeks have passed since I watched this movie, so I don't remember every detail of it perfectly anymore. But what I do remember is that I did enjoy watching it.

Luckily, I didn't read the plot synopsis on IMDb before watching it, because it sure looks boring and overcooked: Careless bachelor is tracked down by the daughter he never knew he had; they slowly start bonding while facing all kinds of obstacles... yaaaawn!

But quite on the contrary, this movie struck me as a fresh and playful drama with lots of funny moments (that for the most part didn't derive from the "oh-so-funny" plot-element of father and daughter trying to work it out despite not knowing anything about each other, which in turn results in awkward situations etc.). The cast was very good. I especially liked the stoic male main character and one of the supporting characters who was eating stuff in every scene he was in. There are also quite a few little plot twists that are believable and serve the story line well.

Overall, it's a very likable movie with the message that it's never too late to change your path in life, even though it may seem painful. Interestingly enough, that message is not only delivered through the father-daughter-main-plot, but also through sub-plots. And it's delivered in a non-hysterical, non-preachy way, which is a big plus in my book!

Isabella is definitely not a masterpiece, but it's the kind of movie I would like to see more; especially in times when the money that is being spent on any given super-hero movie would be enough to make literally a hundred movies that are relevant to people's lives, actually make a point and give just a little food for thought (not demonizing blockbusters here; just saying the balance is off).

That is one really creepy movie. But in a good way, if you can say that. This movie is about a police officer that has an unwanted/uninvited guest at his house ... who that is? Someone who wants to live there with him, but that's all I'm going to say, you have to watch the rest for yourself.

The actors are really great in it (some might know Chapman To only from Infernal Affairs, but he made other great movies too) and the storytelling is excellent. You get the mood of the characters mostly through their actions not through their words, which I really liked! Also kudos to the camera man, for his excellent work.

If you like an off-beat drama mixed with little comedy, than this is for you.