Disqus - Latest Comments for eswiftfire

Re: Haruki Murakami - The Elephant Vanishes

Edmund Yeo — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 22:59:22 -0000

I don't know about Justin. In the 11 years since we posted his review of THE ELEPHANT VANISHES, many things happened. We both ended up staying in Japan, I even stayed, for half a decade, in the dorm which inspired NORWEGIAN WOODS, studied in Waseda University. I ended up immersing myself in Japanese culture, finding myself to empathize more with the characters that he had written.

I'm not sure about Justin, but I myself probably tolerated him a little more compared to 11-12 years ago, when I first picked up WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLES and ended up feeling irritated (this happened right after I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA which became one of my all-time favourite novels, thus leaving me even less tolerant towards the things that Murakami was attempting with his book). Right now, I can't say I love him as much as I have loved Kawabata, Mishima etc. But some books I did prefer, like WILD SHEEP CHASE, DANCE DANCE DANCE, SPUTNIK SWEETHEART etc. all of which I read only just last year, and appreciated because the storytelling was more economical. There are shorts too which I read a few months ago which I fell in love with, like THE KIDNEY SHAPED STONE. So, no worries, as an artist I still explore his works when I feel like it. Even though I think back then, my main argument was also that people have gotten so into Murakami that they have ignored the rest of the J-Literature canon, there are still so many things to explore.

I appreciate the fact that such an old book review we did in a different stage of our lives can still generate discussions among visitors in this site. It's always fun to help me revisit the moments of that period of time.

Re: Remembering Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 02:45:38 -0000

Hi, I think you misread the post. I wrote this in 2012, when I saw all my friends posting remembrances of Leslie on my feed, which reminded me that it was the 9th anniversary of his death.

I absolutely didn't write that I found out about his death in 2003 via Facebook, in fact, I wrote really clearly that his death occurred during 'the days before Facebook and Twitter', which made it harder to verify the news of his death. I implore you to reread paragraph 5:

"I walked upstairs and went online, trying to find news about it. Back then, before the days of Twitter and Facebook, when I think I was still using dial-up connection, such news wouldn't appear that quickly online."

Re: The Short Fiction of Yukio Mishima

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 23:15:47 -0000

I have actually read "Fountains in the Rain", which I agree, is pretty great. I'll check out *Fireworks" if I have the chance. I think his shorts are indeed quite good, and some are pretty transcendent too, yet I feel that his novels are at a whole different level. (on the contrary, when it comes to Yasunari Kawabata, I actually think that his best works are his short ones)

Any other Japanese authors (short stories) you can recommend? :)

Re: Cinema Paradiso. Original vs New Version

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 21:31:56 -0000

It's just one of those (rare?) cases where studio interferences actually benefited a film! Kinda like Donnie Darko. The Director's Cut was very much weaker than the Theatrical Release, and like Cinema Paradiso, I regret that I saw the Director's Cut first.

Re: Simple Japanese Essays I Wrote (... Like A 3-Year-Old Child) About The Twin Towers and Beautiful Women

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 22:35:53 -0000

Put them in Google Translate, the romanization will appear :)

Re: In Defense of Fanfiction: Guestblogger Justin Goes Robin Hobbnobbing

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 09:35:15 -0000

I agree. To embrace and defend everything from the original author and dismiss the artistic merit of the so-called "everything else" is akin to, I don't know, defending the Star Wars prequels, merely because it's original and it's directed by its original creator. And because it is so, anything, Jar Jar Binks, etc etc, has to be lauded. And a SW fanfic, no matter how well-written, superbly constructed they are, cannot be as good as Phantom Menace.

It's already been ten years since this post was written, hopefully more people are less conservative towards fanfics.

Re: [OPEN THREAD] Cinta Tiga Segi telemovie

Edmund Yeo — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 07:06:49 -0000

Well, yes, I've updated the post with the video.(yes, I know I'm 7 years too late.)

Re: BAD FILM by Sono Sion [Tokyo Filmex 2012]

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 21:22:54 -0000

Re: BAD FILM by Sono Sion [Tokyo Filmex 2012]

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 22:24:18 -0000

On the other hand, this version on iTunes might actually have Eng subtitles

https://itunes.apple.com/nz...

Re: http://swiftywriting.blogspot.com/2006/04/swifty-presents-tetralogy-of-japanese.html

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 22:16:36 -0000

Oh wow, this is awesome! So this is actually a Pentalogy and not a Tetralogy!!

Re: Why Fanfiction Sucks (Part 2)

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 22:14:46 -0000

Hi Curtis,

Can't really say that I'm an expert when it comes to these matters. But sure, why not?

Re: BAD FILM by Sono Sion [Tokyo Filmex 2012]

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 22:13:52 -0000

Hmm, yeah, I haven't been able to find any. I guess I was lucky that I caught this at the festival.

Re: [Photo] I thought I saw an eagle up there | Edmund Yeo

Edmund Yeo — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 07:41:23 -0000

Hahaha, that was what I found out later too! So disappointed!

Re: Why Fanfiction Sucks (Part 1)

Edmund Yeo — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:17:30 -0000

Hi, thanks for replying. I wrote this post more than 10 years ago, at that time I was in my early 20s, a lot angrier, a lot more bitter. When I reread this post (because, I seriously can't remember what I wrote) I think my annoyance back then had more to do with the shallow characterization and the unconvincing relationship depicted by the writers. It was slash for slash's sake. Writers of these fandoms then were highly protective and defensive when it came to criticisms, anyone who criticized these slashfics were immediately accused of being homophobic etc etc. It seemed impossible for them to understand that the criticism had more to do with the artistic merits of their writings.

So yes, in retrospect, what I wrote in this post back then could easily be misconstrued as me hating a fanfic only because it was slash. I should have been more articulate with my words then, and said that it was BADLY-WRITTEN slash that bothered me. (I have started films since then, and quite a few of my films that I directed or produced, including last year's SECOND LIFE OF THIEVES, had homosexual content)

Yes, many other things you described bothered me too, and I could have gone after them, but ironically, I would end up defending the existence of fanfiction a few months after I wrote this post. (sometime in Nov 2005) when published fantasy author Robin Hobb went on an angry public rant against the fanfiction in general.

http://www.edmundyeo.com/20...

That argument then shifted my viewpoint, and I decided that there really wasn't anything about fanfiction to condemn anymore. People are free to create or write what they want, either to sharpen their skills, or for leisure.

Re: Short films from the VERY BAD FILM SCHOOL: James Lee Challenge | Edmund Yeo

Edmund Yeo — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 11:03:44 -0000

Yay, so happy!

Re: Short films from the VERY BAD FILM SCHOOL: James Lee Challenge | Edmund Yeo

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 12:44:14 -0000

Time for me to diversify! I think I can be a great romantic hero.

Re: Short films from the VERY BAD FILM SCHOOL: James Lee Challenge | Edmund Yeo

Edmund Yeo — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 12:16:25 -0000

When you direct, please get me as your actor.

Re: http://swiftywriting.blogspot.com/2006/12/swifty-reviews-love-conquers-all-after.html

Edmund Yeo — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 14:25:38 -0000

Urgh, deleted an 8-year-old comment by accident.

I was replying to an anonymous commenter who shared this article with me.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006...

Re: Swifty Reviews 'Gone Baby Gone' And Discusses Its Ending

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:16:57 -0000

Now that you mention it, it does seem like a recurring theme in his own directorial works (and his best acting performances). Chasing Amy, Gone Girl, Gone Baby Gone, and his subsequent stuff like The Town and Argo (apparently the estranged wife in Argo wasn't estranged from Tony Mendez in real life etc.) Guess it's a personal obsession.

Re: Swifty Reviews 'Gone Baby Gone' And Discusses Its Ending

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 23:38:52 -0000

Ben Affleck's character in Gone Girl would have taught him a thing or two about compromise.

Re: Why Fanfiction Sucks (Part 1)

Edmund Yeo — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 09:21:37 -0000

Point taken. Ten years have passed since I wrote this. Many things have happened since then, and I probably more or less have switched sides to the "pro fanfic" section. In 2006, we actually wrote a long article on this site to defend fanfiction when its very existence was condemned by a fantasy novelist, Robin Hobb.

Yes, fanbases are varied, and thanks to the veil of anonymity, the internet do bring out the worst in people. I was horrified then when I wrote this post. Now, it's just life.

Re: http://swiftywriting.blogspot.com/2006/11/yukio-mishima-sailor-who-fell-from.html

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 28 May 2015 02:00:24 -0000

I have yet to read this book, but I have read his Sea of Fertility tetralogy, so I think I'm qualified enough to say that Mishima's books weren't exactly meant for entertainment, or having someone "enjoy" it. (closest thing to an enjoyable read was probably Spring Snow, but that was dark too) He was psychologically disturbed, and was incapable of accepting what his country had become as they went against his own hard-ass samurai ideals and militarism, thus his books were reflections of that, they were emotionally honest.

Reading his books, and other literary works, in general, is supposed to help you get a glimpse of worldviews different from your own, to help you think, you don't have to accept it, you can be repulsed by them, but there's no point being close-minded about how people are different from yourself.

Re: Mobile SIFF Award Ceremony. Bye, Shanghai!

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:50:01 -0000

Hi, yeah, I'm not entirely sure what's going on at Shanghai now. Everyone I knew from the fest isn't working there anymore. Not entirely sure whether there's a Mobile SIFF this year, frankly.

Re: Edward Yang | Swifty, Writing

Edmund Yeo — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 09:31:33 -0000

Yeah, Taipei Story as well, if only there's a Bluray or something. It'll be glorious to watch it in HD or restored.

Re: Edward Yang | Swifty, Writing

Edmund Yeo — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 21:30:26 -0000

Heya Viktor. Due to how difficult it is to look for THAT DAY ON THE BEACH, your upload is actually quite important to us film lovers :) How I wish there would restore the film and come up with a Bluray or something.