2. Teo claims that To is an active agent in genre evolution because he is taking an auteur approach to genre films. On one hand To examines social values such as heroism and a criticism of it but he also experiments with his films in terms of style too. So even though the characters may not seem as warm and inviting the gunfight sequence in the mall is a perfect example of his style as an auteur within genre films.

4. I think what Teo means by that statement is that throughout Tos films there are moments that fall into the idea of genre film and then there are moments that stick out at “Jhonnie To” moments. These “Johnnie To” moments are the ones that we associate with To being an auteur. However, these moments are varied throughout all of his films in terms of where they appear and the subject matter they cover and thus create the “inconsistencies” that Teo speaks of. Teo considers these a value rather than a fault because if they were consistent they would become a part of the genre as a whole rather than be attributed to To as a director.

5. A. One method To uses in overcoming the constraints of genre film structure is the idea of plurality. Instead of having the film stay in one genre in films like “Running on Karma” he explores various different genres. He also shakes up the genre in films like “Throwdown” where Judo replaces gunplay as the standard means of settling dispute. This plurality carries over into the overall messages of the film where one film will cover Christian ideals where the other will cover Buddhist ideals.

B. During the time these films were made was a time when the market and the entire area were in constant flux. Since auteurs generally start making films during a certain time period that then go on to define director, To hasn’t really had that chance because there have been numerous changes in “time-period” since To started making films. Also, since filmmakers generally try to capture what’s going on at that time in their films this “flux” will definitely show through in each film.
C. Since Tos films are generally inconsistent there is going to be some thing’s that hit and some thing’s that miss. Since post-modernism is an idea that celebrates the bad with the good it also implies that we should embrace the flawed films if they show signs of auteurship from the director.
D. Since the time-period that all these films came out in was a period of constant change and ups and downs the audience receptiveness will change as often as the economic and political status does. The directors would also have to respond to these changes not only as people experiencing them (just as the audience) but also they would have to respond to the changing audience ideals. This broad church comes from the widening of the genre over time due to the constant re-tooling from directors like To.