Referring to the trend of old movies reaching our theatres, after waiting for several years. And i do not mean those movies which had their screening delayed for months after it was opened in the US.
First of all, you had Lan Yu, the HK highly acclaimed gay director Stanley Kwan's 2000 gay melodrama, which finally reaches the theatres after it had it's premier at the SIFF 2001 and banned for 4 years.
Whang Yee Ling of 8 Days wrote on the review of Lan Yu in this week's issue of 8 Days: If you missed the screening of Lan Yu 4 years ago, that would be your everlasting regret. (which is Kwan's latest production, where he cast Sammi Cheng like Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven.)
Walked pass Lido cineplex yesterday, and found out that the afternoon show for Lan Yu has been sold out, while the night show tix are selling like hot cakes. Unsurprisingly, most of the audience makes up of potato queens and their ang mo bf, or older gay couples, or lonely man.
Wanted to catch this highly acclaimed drama in theatres, but now, i had a second though: buy pirated vcd's online.
Next, coming soon to theatres near you: High Tension and Bad Santa. In fact, next thurs will be the day where Luc Besson would see 2 movies produced by him to exchange clashes with one another. No, no, i am not talking about Bad Santa. I am referring to High Tension and Transporter 2.
High Tension is a French/Eng/Italian thriller that was made 2 years ago. Slapped with an R21 rating for violence and horror, it's about 2 girls who stayed in their relative's farmhouse to study for exams. A psycho murderer came and had the girl's uncle killed. The girls managed to hide themselves well, and they have to kill the psycho before he comes after them.
Bad Santa, on the other hand, is a 2003 comedy with Billy Bob Thornton aka Angelina's ex-hubby as a crook who dressed as a santa, and robbed a supermart on X'mas eve. He met with a problem when he befriends a troubled kid. If i'm not wrong, the screening was delayed for 2 years due to the coarse language used in the film. But i wonder: what's the point of screening Bad Santa if the screening was delayed for 2 years, and it wants to make a theatrical release, since it is not as good as Lan Yu?
Lan Yu has it's selling point in theatrical release, cos: 1. it's a movie that truly potrays the world of homosexuals, from the eye of a gay director from a online gay novel. 2. It's more of an arthouse than a cheapo flick.
Here comes the reason why Bad Santa is worth the 2 years wait: it is funny, crass, just like Team America. Should i go for Bad Santa? Think i would rather enjoy it on home video anyway.
And long before you have 3 movies with more than a year's delay screening, here comes 2 real life examples:
Open Your Eyes - the Spanish dreamy thriller directed by Alejandro Amenbar, with Penelope Cruz in the original Spanish version. 3 years after Vanilla Sky opens in theatres, the 1997 original version of Vanilla Sky finally opens in theatres, but under a limited release, just like Lan Yu and High Tension. While previously Open Your Eyes was rated RA, it has been re-rated to M18. Thanks to the new film rating system, Open Your Eyes was sparred from heavy cuts here and there.
Nabum Namja (Bad Guy) - another Korean arthouse (more like porn to me) by Kim Ki Duk. His 2002 production about a poor man's sexual fantasy make it to the theatres here after his recent 3 Iron and The Bow.
Matador - Almodovar's 1986 erotic thriller with Antonio Banderas and Assumpta Serna. Yangtze brings the classic into S'pore this year.
Blue Velvet - David Lynch's 1986 thriller about a old man and a singer discover a mystery when they found a ear that has been cut off in the night club. Courtesy of Yangtze again.
Eh...anymore coming up soon?