Diary of a Mad Old Man: Wayne Wang’s film follows a Japanese sexagenarian as he recovers from a stroke; his family, for the most part, is more interested in his assets. The sole exception is his Chinese daughter-in-law, who may or may not be sincere in her efforts. Nothing in the situation, characters, and relationships is novel or particularly engaging. The performances are fine: Lily Franky, as the old gentleman, is effective in portraying both the sickness and his lustfulness; FAN Bingbing, as his attractive daughter-in-law with a hint of femme fatale, is OK. Most of the film takes place in a beautiful traditional Japanese house, well decorated by production designer HATAKE Tomoya. Cinematographer FURUYA Kooichi’s work is effective but overly traditional.