Reviews

it's a small nugget which shines against the general context of Stygian darkness of Chinese entertainment industry in twilight zone. owing to feng's unfeigned cinematographic skills and streamlined story telling that really counts, the renowned director makes this arduous project into a stellar gem, however there is still some tiny glitches unexpectedly thrust out, for example, the characters are way too immature to should the responsibilities of displaying grace under pressure, and the lighting did an awful job. we can forgive feng for these flaws, because the whole TV serial is awesome and i hope more people would come to view this touchstone for latter day teleserials.

Not only the best Chinese movie ever, but highly probably the best one of its time, i won't spoil you any disclosed details, however i strongly recommend you to check this gem out, it is really a must see, a true classic transcending its time and inborn boundaries splendidly. Xiao Fangfanf might easily be the most competent and understated actress of Hongkong, distantly followed by Zhang Baizhi and Lin Qinxia, i won't vouchsafe any plaudits and acclimation other than she, who now is pushing 60, but still shines simultaneously in the entertainment industry and politics circle, good for her. above all 1960s is globally considered the golden period for hongkong's movie making industry, during that particular time table, a slew of excellent flicks came into being, which including some major releases starred Liu Xiaoqing and Pan Hong who are both the huge shots of people's republic of china at that juncture. thus if you make pretension to be bona fide movie buff,please at least pay this bravura for inspiration a view

OH MY GOD!! SWEET Jesus!! My eyes are bleeding and my ears are swollen with oozing sores!!! I can't believe there is a whole hell bunch of people in the name of producers, directors or whoever were actually using their brains when they mindlessly messed up this flick. You can barely find anything worth watching: the lighting reeks, the acting sucks, the makeup stinks, the dialog fails, the overall plot challenges your endurance and intelligence in a flagrant manner. After stomaching this visual massacre for 90 minutes, I don't have any faith left, everything has been drained away from me to the last drip. It does not belong to the type of so-bad-that-it-is-good in a million year and it so way transcends the ambit of unjustified kitsch that the ambit looks like a needle to the pervert. I seriously doubt my discretion which even guided me to this awful disaster. It's more than monstrous, catastrophic, cataclysmic....

Notwithstanding the profanity, the only thing this devil makes me feel collected is now that I pulled myself through adversity of this magnitude and consequence, it can be for sure I am able to overcome any obstacles on my way upwards!!

From HERO to HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERAS, the reputation of director Zhang YiMo has been persistently and severely bombarded with a fusillade of invectives at home and abroad, all the critics are pointing fingers at Zhang's pedantic and unsuccessful insistence in combining both the commercial elements and artistry ,evetually director Zhang awakens to the realization that only serene yet powerful drama rather than a kind of courteous kitsch like KongFu movies is commensurate with his talents and can restore his dying fame.

QIAN LI ZOU DAN QI ( the lonely emissary in a thousand mile would be its literal translation) is the typical embodiment of all director Zhang's inimitable cinematographic skills and the stark views of Li river. the whole movie is inexhaustible in symbolism and director Zhang develops a predilection for slowness ,just like his other movies, for example, KEEP COOL, NOT ONE LESS,JUDOU... etc. The story is based upon a true one about a Japanese father taking care of his moribund son, who was bent on studying opera,intends to fulfill his son's last dream that is to learn opera. In the course of their rigorous quest, they meet a Chinese girl who later is chased after by hoodlums, the bizarre trio bond together and escape the prosecution from both countries.

QIAN LI ZOU DAN QI is the quintessence of underdogs thrown into turmoils,transcending adversity and reaping happiness ever after, such genre is director Zhang's forte. Dating back to the last century, the partnership of Zhang and Gong Li gave birth to a legion of typical ZhangGong-esquire movies such as RAISE THE RED LANTERN which is my personal favorite, THE STORY OF QIU JU, TO LIVE,etc.. Thus this one doesn't stray away from the path . You can still feel Zhang's aggression towards inequality, officialdom, unnecessary suspicion amongst people,vividly. ONLY this time it's somehow misplaced.

the screen-scripts of QIAN has been in gestation for five years and during the period Zhang has produced blockbusters like HERO and THE HOSUE OF FLYING DAGGERS. This time instead of casting renowned Asian actors repeating hoary tricks, QIAN casted little known actors to shoulder the responsibility of displaying grace under pressure. Ken Takakura playing Takada, fisherman, did an awesome job, he amazingly used his facial expressions and silent body gestures to reflect his pains, most time he is reticent about his past and don't resort to old-fashioned misty-eyedness or implausible frowns like many Asian actors still practice. Due to his taciturnity, he makes his portrayal of the sorrow-stricken father impressive. Kiichi Nakai playing Kenichi, Takada's ailing son , is no less wonderful and his performance and the effect of makeup synergistically convince people he is being seriously traumatized.

In the meantime,Zhang conveys the alienation inside the relationship - and the alienation outside - (I am referring to the fact that they are in a different country) through colors and camera-movements. We are constantly looking at the protagonists from a corner high above or through the window of a teeming street. Every single shot feels claustrophobic and it irritates the viewer. It makes the viewer long for closeness and clarity. It imitates the longing of the characters and their attempts - and failure - at connecting to each other. Their feelings, as does the eye of the lens, float above them in a silent, detached loneliness. Having said that, this movie isn't immaculate , director Zhang is not in his prime, so i consider it's unfair to juxtapose his recent works with his heyday success, QIAN still lacks originality and the whole plot remains nebulous as always. Zhang wants to depict darkness in the society while through intentionally using a wholesale of bright and roseate colors. Such contrast can be found in his former works,but highly unlikely his former glory, the theme of this movie is no longer appropriate for the spaghetti effect,you will not be surprised to taste bitterness and vacuity in his movie.It's not a entertainment enjoyment for everyone, i would recommend it to people with a penchant for symbolism and a propensity to dig pungent individualism.

8/10

as a bona fide red-blooded Chinese, i am a little bit abashed to find out that i know so little about this Stygian dark yet awe-inspiring documentary that depicts china's secretive past in a horripilating way.women as the other half of the sky at that particularly dusky moment had been tortured,excoriated,exploited in one way or another under excruciating circumstances.

we all know that back in 1970s china remains a rather backward,heavily underdeveloped underutilized nation that had to struggle against the fallout of culture revolution,the embargo adjured by US,and persistent diplomatic interference inflicted by japan.given all that rigorous and harsh condition,it's understandable why Chinese women suffered a lot in that unspoken period of time.the far-flung afflictions mainly ranged from finance frugality to birth control which still incorrigibly mutilates women's conception about pregnancy.this refulgent documentary just delivers everything you need in order to perceive china's tenebrous past comprehensively.

anyway,on a completely unrelated topic,i am heavily biased toward this documentary because my mother was one of the co-sponsors of this gem,once she told me some of the extremely desperate housewives back that time(if any) wasn't even biologically women,some were she-males stowed away from Thailand,Vietnam,north Korea or Cambodia,gosh,i guess you are able to deduce the tumultuous situation taking place at that time.

finally,let's stay level-headed at this stage,afore-mentioned dire,drastic situation has been improved across the board,if you come to china now,you will be astounded by its overwhelming transformations.people's living condition, especially that of women, has been ameliorating ever since.and the execrable birth control policy has been permanently abandoned due to a plethora of nationwide protests

Helen hunt and jack Nicholson make the most lovable comedy ever,the rarefied chemistry between them is so catching,,i really laughed out and loud at the final scene when jack and Helen kissed each other, and jack attempted to improvise his kiss the his compliment that is probably the nicest line in movie history .the whole flick is saturated with love and humor. the scene at the restaurant that really stands out is also very amusing, Helen tried desperately to read her loquacious prolix notes to Jake, ah... you can see the weird,funny,interesting romantic elements everywhere,i am not gonna spoil you with any disclosed details about the sequin, you should really go and check this out, a must see ,definitely a classic

i've already watched this masterpiece over more than ten times, each time i am destined to be more appalled by its fine and delicate structure and distinctive directing style than last time, it tells a story about a bunch of superficially disconnected couple who are,were or will be experiencing their turning crossroads of lifetime, but with the help of surroundings,inner self,and willpower.they managed to hurdle those obstacles and avoid debacle in time. i especially enjoy the final episode which depicts a lost lovebird who can't find her way back to her newly-met boyfriend when facing a host of buildings,a picturesque resemblance of lost in translation. above all, it's certainly a touching and melting flick for every generation and gender

eventually, something prods you up wildly. Adam wakes up in a dank room across from doctor Lawrence Gordon and the body of a guy who has blown his own brains out(ostensibly).not a happy place,obviously,and it gets worse when both men realize that they have been chained respectively and pitted against one another by an unseen but apparently omniscient maniac who is screwing with their psyches as payment for past sins.director James wan, who concocted this enormously grimy distraction with screenwriter whannell,has seen seven and any number of other arty yet existential-psycho-can-and-mouse thriller,so he has provided saw with a touch of flash,a slew of blood,and a bundle of ways to dispel you from the fact that it does not make a whole hell of a lot of sense.wan and whannell( who is not the most accomplished actor,either) pile on the plot twists,which after some initially novel ideas become increasingly juvenile and puerile.elwes works hard but looks rather embarrassed,and the estimable Danny glover suffers as the frenzied obsessed detective on the case

frankly speaking, given that an average Asian people person entrenched with conservative and Confucian ideology in comparison with Westerners in particular, i really sense somewhat awkward for not appreciating this movie way thoroughly although i truly consider it should be a glorious showdown of self-righteous high social status dudes versus underdogs advocated and mocked by fates or certain "papacy" when destiny displays a hideous face.as far as i am weightlessly concerned,tom hanks delivers an incredible portrayal of a veteran who unfortunately is a imbecile,meanwhile his slightly overbearing mother somehow manages to be impeccable and pushy despite the fact that her son happens to be physically and psychologically handicapped. all the tragical climax culminates when gump's little son was born and his overdosed wife passed away. you can clearly see the shock of middle-class populace wrestles with life and struggles to keep track with others pace,,however,i remain sort of suspicious why the general tempo and rhyme of the movie goes so smoothly and peacefully, i am also not able to totally understand the humor permeating throughout the whole movie,the genre of which to my knowledge belongs to unique Americanism.by no means to be offensive but it is destitute of emotive burst and spicy aggression which is vital to vivify the whole movie.

no wonder that natalie portman gracefully reaps accolades and acclaim from both critics and audience,she undoubtedly deserves those nourishing encouragements which reflect her innermost willpower to elaborate a prostitute who lapses into a habit of cheating but wrestles with it down to last breath. just due to her habitual cheating which drives away her ex-boy friend jude law,who in the last minute realises that everything they two lovebirds have laced together are just forfeit bubbles and nothingness. julie robots adds chemistry and unpredictability into a touch of mythological aura of the slowly-paced,heart-soothing would-be blockbuster.the opening scene dovetails gloriously with the ending episode,where both shots are being accompanied by the song named after a heroine who sacrificed her life to salvage two children,"a blower's daughter". the time line threading the whole covers over four years, during the period,julie,jude,natalie,and the noisemaker,makes intersection into mutual lives.one looking after another,then the other one not knowing where to show carving and love,they are all controlled by destiny to meet certain guys at wrong sites in the sanctimonious way. after all the struggles and rumors, they eventually find peace deep in their hearts, the restlessness ends up with a sabotaged relationships which foreshadows a life beyond their capability. you can never reprimand fate,saying that he treats whoever in the world unfairly, accepting it as it is originally planned would be like opening another door into your life and widen your horizon.