What a waste of my time!!!

The greatest movie ever made..!

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

I just really enjoyed this film. It's young, it's innocent, and it carries none of the angst that typifies so many gay films.I do think that some miss the trees for the forest in this film. It's more than just sex: it speaks very much to friendship--the characteristic non-sexual male bonding that appears throughout so much Chinese cinema--that rises above and beyond being gay or in love. This is a theme that is repeated throughout the film, and shows itself in everything from Yu's immediate acceptance that Tien will of course be staying with him, to each boy's attempt to comfort Yu in his breakup with what they understood best, CC with gossip, Alan with his weights, and Tien Tsai with his idealism--it continues in Tien's immediate declination of Richard's initial offer to him because, "my buddy's heartbroken, I'm going home"..and through to, and especially, Jun and Richard.There is a scene in the movie, in which Tien runs into Bai and Jun on the elevator, watch who Jun watches, then watch as both he and Tien reach for the button panel at the same time, and the metaphor is all too clear. Yet, throughout the film, Jun's unspoken feelings for Richard are kept suppressed by him, even to the point of giving Richard up when he realizes that the latter really does love Tien Tsai. Those feelings reveal themselves, however, in the elevator scene, and in the twisted smile he gives Richard three times: first when he comes upon Richard and Tien-Tsai in the shower together, second when Richard is unable to kiss him, and third when he asks Richard the, for him, fateful, question: "Do you want to see him again?" and Richard's answer, "You know I do". The guy who plays Richard doesn't get enough credit for carrying his part so well.Finally, while I would agree with Natalie above that Duncan Chow turns in some very good scenes--those in which he is interacting directly with Tien...the two really did have wonderful chemistry together...their scene on top of the building at night was really nice...and, yes, the countdown scene was sweet as hell...the heart of the show is Tony Yang as Tien. He comes across exactly as he should: a sweet kid who is shocked that his internet paramour doesn't want to know him, just do him...shy yet heated up by a sexy man he sees displaying interest in him...unsure of himself in dealing with Richard, urgent in his first kiss, and the morning after scene, where he is just remembering the night and exploring Richard's bedroom, can't help but bring back memories to any guy who's ever felt those emotions. I think it was that scene which won him the Newcomer's Award...gay or straight, you'd have to be a statue to be untouched by the clarity of what he projected at that moment.Even the music is perfect for this film...I don't understand a word of Chinese, but it doesn't take much to understand what's going on...Rock Bang is the theme song for Tien Tsai, there's a really beautiful set of guitar chords that speak to Richard and Jun's relationship, there's a sad song the notes of which speak more to lost love than the words ever could...it was just really all very well matched.Just a nice film to enjoy for lighthearted fun. As one reviewer noted, "if the melodramatic conclusion doesn't leave you with a silly smile on your face, it's probably because you're not human." We all need silly smiles now and then. This film delivers.

I think "Formula 17" is excellent because it's an encouraging fair tale for homosexuals, and even for people of all ranks. It's a fair tale, of course, firstly because the two leading roles are both handsome and attractive men, just like the prince and the princess as it would have been in an ordinary fair tale such as "Snow White" or "Cinderella". But the point is that it demonstrates the life of homosexuals not in a realistic, but in a fabulous way. That's good, actually, in my opinion. So I'm shocked when I learn from other's comments that the Singaporean Government bans it for that reason. I don't like it if the film is labeled as a "beautification of homosexuality" or something similar. I think there's touching true love in gay and straight groups alike, as is one-night-stand. So this film is excellent in that it breaks the stereotype of homosexuals in a great number of movies made before. But this fair tale, in addition to the handsome guys, pretty settings, and touching lines, is also encouraging, especially for homosexuals. We are not naive enough to believe that such true love as in the movie can fall upon us so easily as in the movie. But at least there's hope: the hope for true love and the hope for future. And that's what really counts. That's the same for all fair tales. After reading or watching "Snow White" or "Cinderella", we may at first moved by the story and wish we could have the same beautiful life. But later, especially when we've experienced more, we know that we have to try our best to pursue our happiness. The same holds true for "Formula 17", as we can see from some lines such as "Love is only to be seen by the brave ones" and "Even love has the past tense...But we can run faster to catch up with it". As long as we still cherish hope and never give up, we can certainly find our true love and happiness, no matter if we are gay or straight.

'Shi qi sui de tian kong' (FORMULA 17) is a very fine first venture into film making by two young Taiwanese women - Yin-jung Chen, director and Rady Fu, screenwriter - who are unafraid to take on a taboo subject in Taiwan and find some excellent talent and ideas that suggest that there will be more films from them in the future. Though the central theme and two characters of the story are excellent, the movie drifts into wide-eyed burlesque with its supporting cast, and thus the six rating instead of eight.Tien (Tony Yang) is a naive seventeen-year-old from the provinces who comes to Taipei to live with his old friend Yu (Chin King), a bartender in a gay bar, for a summer. Tien is gay, a virgin, and intends to stay a virgin until he is in a meaningful love relationship. Yu is suffering from a relationship that is tainted by distance, but he sees the need to introduce Tien into the active gay life in Taipei - and to put an end to Tien's virginity. Together with Yu's friends (way over the top flamboyant kids) Tien is introduced to gay bars, is set up with hunks, but he holds to his values - until he eyes 30-year-old playboy Bai Tieh-nan (Duncan Lai), a lothario famous for his one night stands. We gradually learn that Bai is a sensitive hunk with issues who is afraid to fall in love, hence his one night stand rule. The story at the core of this film is how the two ultimately fulfill each others' ideals and needs.Much of the film dawdles in stereotypical situations and poorly acted and directed excursions into the bar scenes, but the work of Duncan Lai and Tony Yang makes the film credible and well worth watching: both men are handsome, talented actors who develop a fine screen chemistry. For all its weak points, FORMULA 17 is a film with a big heart and a gay film that manages to deal with some important issues of fidelity and honesty instead of focusing on merely the superficial. In Mandarin, Cantonese, English with subtitles. Grady Harp

One of a few gay Asian movies out there today. It depicted a naive young Taiwanese gay man who ventured out to a very much open Taipei society in search of his true love only to encounter that lust rather than love was on the minds of most. Formula 17 also tried to approach this love story through a comedic style...with characters that were quite dramatic and over-reacting. In retrospect, I appreciate Formula 17 not only because it was a work of art, it was also an expression that many gay people out there could also relate with. Love have been lost and is seldom seen but the main character in this movie tried to bring it back for us to see and taste.I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone...gay or straight.