Mediocre Taiwanese Movies Are A Thing Of The Past

Taiwanese movies are starting to become a trend with me. I was in Taipei this past week and if I had more time I would have caught a few more Taiwanese movies.

There were also a few Japanese movies showing in the cinemas (Taiwan being closely influenced by Japanese culture and standards), I wasn't sure if they had English subtitles as I don't read Chinese as fast as they appear on the screen.

KANO was also one of the movies showing at the time, which is a fine example of my statement above. It looked like a very good movie that's been getting a lot of positive reviews all over the media. It's produced by a Taiwanese, Wei Te Sheng, and directed by a rookie Japanese director, Umin Boya; with both Japanese and Taiwanese actors (but of course; if you know the subject of the movie, that is).

But I was ecstatic when I found out that this particular sequel was coming out on my last day in Taipei. I caught the first movie on the plane just a few months back. It definitely opened up my eyes to what kind of quality Taiwanese can produce in their movies today.

The number of explosions alone in the first one alone could have rivaled a Michael Bay movie. In the past, more often than not, when most of the budget was allocated to action, the story usually suffers greatly. Not Black & White. Though slightly convoluted, there was still a very solid story in there that kind of made me reminisce on Die Hard or The Rock.

Huge comparisons, yes; and though I had some problems with the movie especially in the last act, but that's how much impressed I was as a whole.

Now with Tsai Yueh Hsun leading the action front and Giddens Ko with a fresh new take on rom-coms, it is definitely a good time to be excited about and for Taiwanese movies.

Unlike Hong Kong movies that have ruled the Chinese exports in the film industry before being taken over by China's more serious offerings with historical themes, Taiwanese movies are the fresh face of Chinese cinema on the world stage.

As I speak strictly on the basis of what's popular outside of their own countries or what's being exported:- Hong Kong movies tend to be more slapsticky verging on silliness and China movies can be quite monotone; Taiwanese movies, however, are filling that gap in the middle very nicely by being more fun and easy-going while still not losing on being logically sound.

If I'm getting my facts wrong on the above, well, I apologise as I'm not here to offend. I'm just basing it on what I see in my part of the world. Those are the movies that are being brought in so those are the types of movies I see.

Which is why I would if I could, lobby for more Taiwanese movies to come in to Brunei, rather than those silly Hong Kong movies that are one and the same.