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Review

Amphetamine (2010)
Prominent Hong Kong filmmaker Scud has had two films that received worldwide festival play and commercial success in Asia (Permanent Residence in 2009 and City Without Baseball in 2008), yet neither has been available on DVD in the US... until now!

What are the hallmarks of a Scud film? First: there are gorgeous young men - more often than not in the nude (showcasing the Bruce Weber-like beauty of his male leads). There are also stylish Hong Kong locationss, elaborately designed sets, impressive cinematography and unpredictable stories that double as sexy explorations of what it is to be queer in Asia today.

Mainland China-born, Scud began his career in IT, started his own company, moved to Australia, and then returned to Hong Kong in 2005 to begin a new chapter in his life: as a filmmaker.

Amphetamine tells of the erotic, troubled, intense and, at times, violent relationship between a young straight man (the stunning Byron Pang) and a wealthy Euro-Asian (Thomas Price). Kafka (Pang) is a swimming and martial arts instructor who works to take care of his ailing mother - and to feed his drug addiction. Stuck in an unsatisfying relationship with a woman, he falls for the openly gay Daniel (Price). The two become passionate lovers. But will their cultural, financial and sexual differences - and Kafka’s haunted past and present drug addition - be too much for them to overcome?

Set amidst Hong Kong’s beauty and wealth, in a spectacular high rise apartment, this tortured gay love story is infused with striking cinematography and unexpectedly thrilling fantasy sequences.

City Without Baseball (2008)
Though it is not without drama, sentimentality and some heady personal themes, City Without Baseball often has the feel of one of those 1980s sex comedies about desperately horny teen boys who are just looking to get laid before the last day of school or camp – except this one features positively gorgeous cinematography and a whole lot more male nudity and homoeroticism (we’re not complaining!). The opening credit sequence alone – wherein the camera caresses the members of Hong Kong’s national baseball team while they enjoy a light game of “slap-ass” in the shower – is enough reason to dim the lights, close the drapes and grab a box of tissues.

The cast is made up of real players (using their own names), but City Without Baseball is a work of fiction – filmed in 2008, but based during the 2004 season. We follow the entire team as they play their hearts out and commit to a sport that drives in little to no spectators in Hong Kong. The boys are simply doing what they love, but come to question their choices and enthusiasm based on the general public’s lack of interest in their sport of choice. They’re also questioning other things – namely their sexuality. When a love triangle involving a cute, but troubled young girl threatens to ruin the friendship between two of the boys, one of them begins suspecting that he may be more interested in his buddy than he ever was in the girl.

The music in the film can be corny at times, laying on the emotional themes a little too thick, but it is consistently interesting to see what elements must come together to create a mainstream hit in Hong Kong. The differences between their mainstream attractions and the types of films we’re accustomed to in America are vast. The fact that City Without Baseball met with success in Asia is thrilling - considering how frankly it talks about and deals with issues concerning homosexuality and bisexuality. And, again, the absolutely delicious (and frequent!) nude scenes will certainly help keep your eyes glued to the screen!

Permanent Residence (2009)
Oh the agony and ecstasy of your first straight-guy crush. He’s cute, he’s sweet, he knows you better than anyone else... but, alas, he’s into girls more than guys... or so he says. Writer/director Scud's 2009 film Permanent Residence does a great job of capturing the emotional tug-of-war that accompanies having a desperate desire for that special fella that isn't entirely ready to love you back (we've all been there, right guys?).

Sean Li gives a heartfelt performance as Ivan, a computer whiz with an intense fear of death and a growing fascination about what may come in the afterlife. Ivan is slowly learning to accept his homosexuality. Unsure of himself in the beginning of the movie, he spends a lot of time at the gym. He's overcompensating - trying to appear as macho as possible in the hopes that no one will peg him as gay. It is inside the gym sauna, however, that he first meets Windson (Osman Hung), a super-sexy taekwondo enthusiast who isn't shy about dropping his towel to show off a few choice spins and kicks.

Ivan and Windson hit it off almost immediately. There is a strong attraction between them - and even though Windson is straight and has a girlfriend living in Mainland China, he eventually comes around to the idea of having a romantic and sexual relationship. They start out with some playful nude wrestling and skinny-dipping, but confess their mutual affection before too long. As Ivan tries to guide Windson into expressing his love and getting over his personal fears, he starts to become more comfortable with himself and his own desires - which leads him to disappointment when Windson can't return the same pride in their relationship.

Spanning over 50 years, Permanent Residence uses a wildly ambitious scope to tell Ivan and Windson's story - and the film, though a little melodramatic at times (cue the broken English cover of Savage Garden's "Truly Madly Deeply!"), largely succeeds. Like all of Scud's work, Permanent Residence features positively gorgeous cinematography, warm, relatable performances and heart wrenching drama that leaves an indelible mark on the viewer. It's also fun to watch how Scud slips in tons of (very welcome!) gratuitous male nudity without ever making it feel sleazy (see Love Actually... Sucks, Amphetamine and City Without Baseball for more examples).

Love Actually... Sucks (2011)
Taking inspiration from six different court cases involving crimes of the heart, controversial Hong Kong filmmaker Scud examines the intense, often self-destructive sexual longings among several well-to-do young Hong Kong residents – gay, lesbian and straight.

The film opens with the most scandalous wedding reception ever put on film: a young couple’s marriage ends (in the most dramatic fashion) before it begins. There is the 30-ish married gym instructor who trolls the active bathroom scene for young flesh; a lesbian couple with roleplay issues; a dance instructor who becomes the object of attraction to his much older student; a married painter who falls for his male model; a brother and sister who take family togetherness a bit too literally; and a young man who becomes increasingly deranged until he takes his love interest problems into his own hands.

In Scud’s world, every love story is a fairy tale – but here the stories are sexual and troubling.

 -- Raymond Murray