Tativille (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
The past ten years have not been the strongest internationally in the history of the art form. Certainly, as with the previous, vaunted decade-and-a-half, wherein notably Iran and the new cinemas of the Chinese world emerged, vital and compelling art has come from unexpected places: in the present decade, Argentina, Germany, Romania and Southeast Asia have all developed into new epicenters of the medium....
Hell on Frisco Bay (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
More than ten years ago, the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, then still located in Golden Gate Park, hosted a retrospective of the work of Taiwanese master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien. I was preparing an extended trip abroad myself at the time, and missed the entire cycle, but upon my return I often heard Hou's name spoken in hushed tones by local moviegoers, and determined to seek his work out. I began...
Fin de Cinema (Free subscription) | 02/11/2009
Le voyage du ballon rouge [ Flight of the Red Balloon ] – dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien [Edited together from previous entries] There are so many singular aspects of Flight of the Red Balloon , Hou Hsiao-hsien’s first film made outside of Asia, to marvel at that it's almost stupefying that the film encompasses them with such ease. Firstly, there's Mark Lee Pin Bing's cinematography, with is so ravishing...
Vinyl Is Heavy (Free subscription) | 17/08/2009
by Ryland Walker Knight The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp [Powell & Pressburger, 1943] # Despite the propaganda, there is a critical eye towards tradition. Love the conceit about Kerr playing three ladies, and Wolbrook's tenderness is perfect; Livesey's got stuffy down pat to the point where I don't know how much he's acting. The Flight of the Red Balloon [Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2007] # A year later,...
Eternal Sunshine of the Logical Mind (Free subscription) | 01/03/2009
I put this screenshot here for no better reason than the obvious...It's frosty beer.The Flight Of The Red Balloon (2007 - Hou Hsiao-Hsien) - Ed Howard's comments about "Mulholland Dr." in this House Next Door post kinda fits my own general feelings about Hou's latest (in particular the last line):"Did I understand it? Not even close. Subsequent viewings revealed layers of narrative and...
Out 1 (Free subscription) | 04/02/2009
by Brandon Colvin Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy marks the crest of a recent wave of profound minimalist filmmaking that has dominated the attention of critics in the past year. Along with Wendy and Lucy , films such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Flight of the Red Balloon , Lance Hammer’s Ballast , Jia Zhang-ke's Still Life , Ramin Bahrani’s Chop Shop and Carlos Reygadas’ Silent...
digitallyOBSESSED.com DVD Reviews (Free subscription) | 27/01/2009
From: IFC - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: October 21, 2008 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * - Recommended! Hou Hsiao Hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon works as an homage to the 1956 classic short film, The Red Balloon. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work as a family drama, thanks to an underdeveloped story, and despite some wonderful acting. The DVD is a mixed bag, in...
Movies (Free subscription) | 03/01/2009
by Eugene Hernandez (January 3, 2008) Hou Hsiao-hsien 's " The Flight of the Red Balloon " topped indieWIRE 's annual survey of more than 100 North American film critics, which was originally published last week. It was named best film of the year and Hou was singled out as best director in a survey of 105 critics conducted last month by indieWIRE . Written by Hsiao-hsien Hou and Francois...
GreenCine Daily (Free subscription) | 24/12/2008
"The best film to grace our theaters this year, Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon is, in its clean, well-lighted long takes, weightless and grounded, frantic and placid, modern and timeless, Eastern and Western, and cheaper than therapy,"...
Fin de Cinema (Free subscription) | 24/12/2008
Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon was named the best film in indieWIRE's Critics Poll; Hou also was named best director. Though both of those wins were certainly welcome and exciting, most of the other winners went to predictable choices: Mickey Rourke, Heath Ledger, Charlie Kaufman, Man on Wire and Ballast . Look deeper though and you'll find a lot of wonderful picks, like Asia Argento for...
DVD Times (Free subscription) | 13/09/2008
DVD Video Review: Hou Hsiao-hsien's 2007 remake is paired with Albert Lamorisse's 1956 classic French short film for its UK DVD release by Network. Noel Megahey looks at both and compares.
DVD Times (Free subscription) | 13/09/2008
DVD Video Review: To accompany the release of Hou hsiao-hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon, Network release the original classic short film from Albert Lamorisse, collecting it with another of the director's award-winning short films. Noel Megahey reviews.
Drifting: A Director's Log (Free subscription) | 21/06/2008
Yen and I went to see Hou Hsiao Hsien's Flight Of The Red Balloon the other day, during its brief North Texas run. Two or three shots into it, I leaned over and whispered "how'd they do that?" in...
atHome Top Story (Free subscription) | 16/05/2008
Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Flight of the Red Balloon is two films – one set in Paris and one set in a media wonderland that could be anywhere.
San Fransisco Chronicle (Free subscription) | 15/05/2008
RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE)Flight of the Red Balloon: Drama. Starring Juliette Binoche, Simon Iteanu and Song Fang. Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. In French with English subtitles. (Not rated. 113 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. To see complete movie listings and...
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