Hi Everybody...
I wanted my first few blogs to be about my passion. My passion for many things but mainly about my love for Movies, Music and Culture from the countries that i admire so much. To start off i want to talk about movies...
While i'm not asian, i have an amazing obsession with Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai cultures. I can speak a little Japanese and Cantonese (badly), and have been lucky to be able to visit both Japan and Hong Kong in recent years. As with most places that are different then my normal surroundings i was amazed with what i saw, heard, touched, smelt and tasted during my (unfortunately) short time in both countries and can't wait to be able to go back.
My passion for Hong Kong films started off when i was a little boy and my father showed me my first Sammo Hung movie, "The Magnificent Butcher". I was amazed at how someone could use their body to produce such graceful yet powerful movements and action. From that moment this little 8 year old kid was hooked. Since then i have been immersing myself in films that range from the golden era of Shaw Brothers to the more recent superior offerings such as "S.P.L." and the last film i saw "Protege". I think the thing that keeps me coming back to Hong Kong cinema is that it is such a tight knit community of actors that it always feels like inviting old friends into my life for a few hours. My first experience with Japanese cinema was when i was in my early teens and i was subjected to "Dead or alive" by Takashi Miike. Unlike the stale, bland world of Hollywood it was if someone took the film rulebook and not only threw it out the window but burned it to a cinder. While my love for Japanese cinema has grown it is still not on the level of my love for Hong Kong cinema. Finally, i have been increasingly interested in Korean film. I picked up a copy of "Shiri" on an off-chance and was immediately enthralled with not only the storytelling but the action and acting. My personal favourite films are "Crying Fist", "Friend" and "Memories of Murder". I'm also a huge fan of Anime but i'll go into that in a later blog...
I'm hoping to meet people who are as into eastern cultures as much as me and to learn from their experiences as i try to further my own.
This is Alastair saying until next time, peace out
