Zhang Yimou

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:04 pm

I just watched Hero yesterday, and I'm watching House of Flying Daggers today. i've been reading around for some reviews, and i just flat out don't get this one on netflix:

Quote:

A bit about me: Zhang Yimou is my favorite living filmmaker. Hero is one of my all time favorites (as is Red Shorgum). I love kung fu movies, and to a slightly lesser extent wuxia (sometimes called wire fu). So, I should be spilling out explatives like there's no tomorrow right now... but I can't. The film is beautiful, the two main performances are great, the action scenes are really, REALLY great, and the music is fantastic. But even with all of that, I still can't call the movie great. Worth a viewing? Absolutely. But not great. This film has iliicited a ton of bad press siting unintentional laughter as a huge flaw. If you take the film at face value, they're totally right. It's possible that the film is a parody, like Kitano's Zatoichi. If so, it didn't stradle the line it was trying to saddle. In my opinion, if he was going for parodying the wuxia genre (which makes sense considering Hero is all about insulting traditional values as shown in wuxia) we should have gone all the way... let the audience in on the joke. Otherwise, he could have played it totally straight and it would have said basically the same thing and been really good at the same time (which is what Zatoichi accomplished). In summation, dissapointingly cheesy. However, when the cheese factory gets put on hold, the film has moments of brilliance that are certainly worth your time.

basically i don't see what points of House of Flying daggers are eliciting laughter, and i didn't read Hero as a parody of the wuxia genre, probably because i don't really know much about this wuxia stuff. can someone who is a bit brighter than i clue me in?

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:16 pm

in other news, there is a chance that either i forgot to give cotton a copy of this dvd with subtitles, like it had when i watched it, or that cotton watched this movie in chinese because he could not turn the subtitles on. i am deeply troubled either way.

Dalen · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:20 pm

chase, have you got a decent copy of House Of Flying.. on dvd?

how can i obtain this?

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:21 pm

Dalen Wrote:

chase, have you got a decent copy of House Of Flying.. on dvd?

how can i obtain this?

i think that i deleted it and sent my copy to cotton, and he claims that there are no subtitles on it, so no apparently i don't. i'll look when i get home and see though if it's still on there.

Dalen · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:25 pm

cool, thanks.

nick · **Posted:** Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:29 pm

i just watched hero this weekend and thought it was pretty fucking rad.
but what the hell do i know?
damnit derek, i'm a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor.

puma · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 2:45 pm

I don't get that review either.... I don't think Hero was a parody of the wuxia genre- the central theme around the movie was based on loyalty to your country & betrayal.

Although I want to get this on DVD and watch it again, it lost me at a few points but it was a fuckin great movie.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 3:07 pm

unfortunately i don't have HOFD anymore, but it did have subtitles, apparently. that makes me feel better.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

do you want me to mail that back to you? Lemme know. I'm personally a bit surprised you haven't sunk your pirateering claws into that last Danny Boyle flick.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Tue Jan 11, 2005 11:26 pm

Cotton Wrote:

do you want me to mail that back to you? Lemme know. I'm personally a bit surprised you haven't sunk your pirateering claws into that last Danny Boyle flick.

nah, i don't need it back. i've seen it. that boyle flick looks interesting, though.

Cotton · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 pm **Posts:** 17155

To be hgonest I totally forgot about it until I was reading in some new British music rag (burn - it's craptacular) that it was one of the best of the year.

dude that avatar is awesome. i wish i could incorprate that into a t-shirt.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:19 pm

Cotton Wrote:

I'm personally a bit surprised you haven't sunk your pirateering claws into that last Danny Boyle flick.

i still haven't seen Millions. i signed up for a preview screening of it but it turned out to be the same night as that aesop/lif show.

The Obgoblin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:28 pm

chase Wrote:

probably because i don't really know much about this wuxia stuff. can someone who is a bit brighter than i clue me in?

Wire-Fu is all about the crazy running on the walls and bouncing off people's heads and stuff like that...Alot of the movies made in the early 9o's were like this...Earlier Jet Li stuff ...It's basically fantasy stuff (flying) that wouldn't work in the real world...

Radcliffe · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:49 pm

I thought HOFD was irredeemable shit. The story felt like they made it up as they were filming, changing character traits and motivation on a whim. Easily the worst movie I saw last year.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:57 pm

Radcliffe Wrote:

I thought HOFD was irredeemable shit. The story felt like they made it up as they were filming, changing character traits and motivation on a whim. Easily the worst movie I saw last year.

better or worse than sin city?

Radcliffe · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:58 pm

chase Wrote:

Radcliffe Wrote:

I thought HOFD was irredeemable shit. The story felt like they made it up as they were filming, changing character traits and motivation on a whim. Easily the worst movie I saw last year.

better or worse than sin city?

Worse. Not even close.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:59 pm

awesome. what else did you hate?

Radcliffe · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:02 pm

chase Wrote:

awesome. what else did you hate?

Why don't you just give me a list of whatever you liked, and we can assume every entry will work as further examples of shit I hate.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:03 pm

yeah, i've already kind of surmised that you opinion on everything is the same, but thanks. i was more looking for specifics.

Black Magic Putin · **Posted:** Thu Nov 03, 2005 12:55 am

So Millions finally came out on DVD this week, what the fuck is that about? a goddamned year after release?

Zhang Yimou

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