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Review: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'
You probably won't ever see a better kung-fu movie than Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or a more original, mournful or beautiful cinematic vision in this movie-crowded season.
Perhaps it's more accurate to call it an artful collaboration -- part martial-arts spirituality, Western epic and Broadway musical -- between Lee, actors Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the musician Yo-Yo Ma and mythical combat choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping, who designed the dance-like scenes in The Matrix and sparked a revival of martial arts as spiritual and cinematic ballet.
The story unfolds in China in the time of Confucius, centering on the loss and search for a magical 400-year-old sword called Green Destiny. Its theft sets off a complex interaction between a sword-wielding warrior, his ally and a bandit (who falls in love with a desert thief, another beautifully shot sequence); the latter two happen to be women. So does their common nemesis, a creepy and lethal outcast right out of the witches gathering in "Hamlet" named Jade Fox.
Brilliantly bizarre and sometimes astonishingly beautiful, the movie takes martial arts far beyond the eerily-choreographed levels of The Matrix. From Walker, Texas Ranger to Jackie Chan to Charlie's Angels, martial arts is replacing the fist, .9mm and taser as popular culture's favorite form of combat. In fact, kung fu offers creative moviemakers a lot of possibilities: it has a richer history, and comes from deeper traditions than any of those other weapons.
But no one has yet portrayed it in this way. "Crouching Tiger" is gravity-defying: the fighters soar over rooftops, somersault around rooms, sail through trees and walls, in and out of rivers and lakes.
It's closer to the more spiritual sagas of earlier Hong Kong movies than to the popular and very funny Chan series. It feels very modern, though. It's unusual to see a movie like this featuring women in such strong and distinctly different roles -- but it also honors traditions of loyalty, learning and responsibility. In an era when the cultural gap between teachers and students has probably never been wider, this movie reflects a time and a culture when their bonds were unshakeable. Making money or being popular is the last thing on these warrior's minds, good or evil. They are obsessed with honor, growth and vengeance. In "Crouching Tiger," students love, even venerate their teachers and will sacrifice their own lives for their teachers' approval and honor.
Cellis Yo-Yo Ma's haunting score gives "Crouching Tiger" an even more brooding and enchanting quality. Yet for all its gravity and style, "Crouching Tiger" also has a sense of humor. It takes a skilled and supremely confident filmaker to pull off a quite literally dazzling movie like this.
to all these people complaining about the wirework: come on!! "laws of gravity" - gimme a break. this isn't supposed to be super-realistic. It's magical! Suspend your disbelief and enjoy it rather than grumbling "oh, *that* can't happen!" If it was supposed to be strictly realistic, then they would not have used wires.
Yup, Ray Park was his name. He also did the fight scenes for sleepy hollow, as well as toad in X-Men.
And some more...
Project A, part II IMPO, Jackie Chan's best work. Some of the best fight sequences, some of the insane stuntwork (running down a 5 story bamboo scaffold while it's falling!), and some of the funniest comedy sequences. Has a great sendup of the "two guys handcuffed wrist-to-wrist" cinematic gag.
Drunken Master. No, not Legend of the Drunken Master. This one has almost no production values aside from the martial arts, but it's amazing to see the capabilities of a young Jackie Chan.
Once Upon A Time In China 1 - 3. The latter ones are a different director, but they're amazing examples of wire-fu. #5 deserves a mention simply because it's so over-the-top, it's [un]intentionally funny.
By the Sword. Not asian martial arts, but a good martial plot instead.
"Hard Boiled" (1993): This is what most of us video junkies would call, at a minimum, "John Woo's greatest movie ever". Take the coreographed gun battles from some of his US movies "MI:2" "Hard Target" and "Face Off", combine them and multiply by 15, then add Chow Yun Fat. A masterpeice that includes a 45 minute shootout in a hospital that probably cost him a fortune to do. If, somehow this is taken, then try his classic breakthrough "A Better Tommorrow". Watch it, then get the DVD.
;) ;)
I'd also recommend "The Killer".. its plotline is a bit more solid than HB, though it is definitely lower-key.. And if you want a classic HK loyalty/betrayal study (which, besides the dual pistols, is John Woo's trademark), check out "Bullet In The Head".. Excellent film and DVD, though hardcore violent ballet junkies will be disappointed.
BTW, Check out Ringo Lam's work as well... "City on Fire" is an awesome film which is best known in the States as having inspired "Reservoir Dogs".. Also get the DVD of "Full Contact".. Excellent..
Gotta love HK movies.. Subtitles for the chicks, action for the guys
Your Working Boy,
Previously, kungfu films directed by Tsui Hark, like initial series of Kung Fu Master, are my 'standard reference'. But they're nothing compares to CTHD.
Unfortunately, local subtitling here is very bad. I believe it was because CTHD uses 'unpopular' Chinese dialect and not using English like other popular Hong-Kong made kungfu films.
-- andika
I don't agree. Before CTHD, presentation style is different, like for 'gin-kang' (flying?), usually accompanied by special effect sounds. In CTHD, there are no such 'disturbing' sounds. But I prefer this style much better. -- andika
I am the only who didn't like the movie?
I thought the story line, followed typical chinese movie(nothing special), revenge for a master/wife/husband death + master teaching his students and etc.
Action, well, in what planet where they filming this, why don't they just fly all the time, and skip the walking bullshit all together.
By the way, I love kung fu movies, just not as unrealistic as this.
You can't even compare this to Matrix. Matrix was original, where effects where just incredible and somewhat believible.
It was suppose to be fantasy - the wire work was exaggerated to provide mythic, dreamlike motions - much like dance. The choreogropher is THE wire work guy, so he could definitely pull off anything he wanted.
Scuttlemonkey is a troll
That's a typo... the official list has January 22nd instead of Jan 12th, which is when the movie is _really_ opening in those cities. You can tell since the Jan 22nd list is _before_ the Jan 19th list, and I know Austin's showing it starting Jan 12th.
Er... there was extensive "wire-fu" in Romeo Must Die.
First of all, Jackie Chan usually doesn't do wire-fu work. And CTHD is _not_ just about the action sequences. If you think that, you obviously haven't read any of the reviews very carefully. What makes CTHD unique is a _real_ plot that combines romance, mysticism, honor, loyalty, etc.
Bandwidth agnostic versions:
g er _hidden_dragon/
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/crouching_ti
I am aware that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon wasn't her first movie, but I was the first movie released with her in it. The Road Home was just released Dec 10th, were as Crouching Tiger was released in the summer. (Hong Kong)
I find the Hong Kong Movie Database to be a better resource...check http://www.hkmdb.com
The reason why Mr Katz, and every other critic, failed to recognize this, is because they're too busy paying attention to the performace of the well established actors to notice the new guy.
I had the rare treat of accidently getting sold tickets online to see this film on Metreon's IMAX screen Thursday at midnight. When I noticed there was no line, I asked an attendent and he said the tickets were sold to me by accident. I complained with the manager and he let me and 2 friends watch the movie in an IMAX theater alone, while the two Sony engineers were doing a dry run to see how it would look, since the movie wasn't designed for IMAX. A whole IMAX theater to ourselves...WOW. It had some issues, like slightly being curved along the outer edges, but the picture was so big we didn't notice once the film started. Plus we got to the the Final Fantasy Trailer in IMAX as well. A real treat.
Thanks! I *did* mean .357, and I picked that up right after I pressed Submit, naturally. But perhaps subconsciously I was thinking of one of the ones you mentioned. Yeah, that's it... ;)
This is why it is so funny to watch German television, where everything is dubbed. You should really hear James Bond speak German.
And CNN! Ha ha ha. They actually dub non-English interviews. Stupid.
It probably won't go into wide release unless it takes the Best Picture Academy Award. CTHD is in Mandarin with English subtitles. Very few US theatres will touch that kind of a movie assuming that the audience would be too small. The sad thing is that they are probably correct.
I expect this movie to be dubbed and re-released in the state in a few years. Bah! If you live near Vancouver, British Columbia and it isn't offered near you (Seattle?) come up and see it at the Park Theatre. But come early, the line ups are long and I'm not sure if they take American Express.
Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
QT did not do "Desperado."
Both El Mariachi and Desperado were written and directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Pope
Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! Monopolies offer Choice!
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
If you can at all track down "The Fate of Lee Khan," direected by King Hu, by all means GET IT.
I had the chance to see it at Toronto's Royal Cinema recently. They do a Kung Fu Friday every other week or so, and usually bring out the completely obscure titles such as this one.
It all takes place at an Inn in the desert, with political intrigue as the backdrop. It's from the late 70's (I think) and the fighting is exciting, real and not wire-based. Recommended highly if you're into old school Kung Fu!
Pope
Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! Monopolies offer Choice!
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
I saw the movie and I personally (and the other 5 who I saw it with) barely made it to the end.. this movie is one of the worst, if not THE worst movies I have seen this year .. and that includes such letdowns as mission to mars.. Great special effects? Better then the matrix? lol. The matrix was cool, this was just alot of strange jumps and floating around in random directions ..
oh, for the moderating crowd, this is NOT a troll/flame. I just happen to think the movie sucks.
I have both "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer" on DVD (unfortunately i got into it too late to get the criterion versions at a sane price...) and honestly i prefer "The Killer" to "Hard Boiled." It has several beautful sequences, both of the violent variety, and some that are more subdued. This is not to discount "Hard Boiled" as anything less than a great film, but it just didn't impress me quite as much.
anybody thinking of checking out what hong kong action is all about hould see those two films
#define F(x) int main(){printf(#x,10,#x);}
F(#define F(x) int main(){printf(#x,10,#x);}%cF(%s))
You are totally missing my point. There are no camera angles that are not Western influenced, because the camera is a Western invention. That is, without Western influence, there would be zero kung fu movies. Or movies period.
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. Whether the invention of the camera, and by extension enabling the kung fu movie, makes Western influence less than the pervasive evil that everybody seems to think it is, is also up to you.
Me, I'm going to go watch Seven Samurai and enjoy Kurosawa's contribution to cinema. Even though he was using evil Western devices to make it.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
Original!=good. Original!=bad. Originality is orthogonal to quality. A really really good retelling of a story can be at least as enjoyable as the original story. STORIES like CTHD have been around for 2000 years, but that doesn't detract from their appeal or quality.
As for your comments about "western influenced" camera angles, I think it's pretty silly, as "westerners" invented the bloody camera. (Yes, I know that eastern cultures came up with a bunch of interesting technology while my ancestors were still picking lice out of each other's hair, but I'm pretty damn sure that the movie camera wasn't among them.)
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I feel sorry for everyone here. This movie is not that original if you've kept up with Hong Kong cinema. This is a "classic" storyline with choreography that isn't that great compared to some other HK classics. Films like this have been around for 20 years.
What I especially disliked are the western influenced camera angles that press you right up against the action. Thank goodness they only did that for the first half of the movie and the action sequences got far better towards the later parts of the movie.
There were no witches in 'Hamlet', you're probably thinking of 'MacBeth'
:)
Shakespere didn't write 'Hamlet' or 'The Scottish Play', you're probably thinking of Shakespeare.
deus does not exist but if he does
Crouching Tiger has a better story, better direction, and better fight scenes than The Matrix. I was glad to see this film was subtitled and not dubbed with poor voice acting. If you liked the Matrix, go see this movie you will love it.
Has your brain undergone a seizure?
It was your typical chinese action movie, complete with wires and impossibly corny jumps across rooftops, running up walls, and rather lame fighting scenes (except for 2 specific fighting scenes which weren't too bad).
The only thing good I have to say about the movie is that the cinematography was outstanding.
Other than that it was just another chinese action flick to put next to the millions of others.
Ang-Lee is about 40-ish. His boyhood fantasies would have ttaken place in the 1960's.
Jackie Chan has not intellectually or stylistically influenced the content of CTHD.
You don't know as much as you think you do.
"To excuse such an atrocity by blaming U.S. government policies is to deny the basic idea of all morality: that individu
Its Christmas and responsible people have better things to do than moderate Slashdot.
"To excuse such an atrocity by blaming U.S. government policies is to deny the basic idea of all morality: that individu
(completely off topic, but...) Its Mandarin, and imho, its not _that_ hard to learn. I actually do it to relieve stress ;-)
At CMU, I learned basically a 4 year old's vocabulary in 3 months. As long as you practice ~4 hours a day, conversation comes easy after a while. Personally, I believe it is so easy because its not a romantic language (and thus, you don't start messing up one region's rules with another).
A good place to start learning is zhongwen.com
Writing characters is also fun...but it take PRACTICE! If you want to learn how to write a character correctly, be prepared to do it at least a couple hundred times. ;-)
zai2 jian4!
(i hope I got that right ;-)
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AHH! Stupid formatting...hope you can still read it :-/
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That pretty much describes every Jacky Chan movie. And while he doesn't do all of his own stunts anymore (after smashing his body for decades, age has definitely taken it's toll), his sense of humor is still worth the price of a ticket.
As for other movies that have the same hart and soul, look no further than any Kurosawa movie with Toshirô Mifune (one of my personal favorates).
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If I actually could spell I'd have spelled it right in the first place.
Somewhere on the official web site is a list of release dates for various cities. I can't go see it until Jan 22 :(
Code is garbage in garbage out.
Languge is garbage in, non-sequitor out.
Code is garbage in garbage out.
Languge is garbage in, non-sequitor out.
Damn, movies play in Buffalo before they make it to Pittsburgh, I really live in a cultural wasteland. We have about six or seven brand new huge stadium seating mega-plexs now but they all run the same ten big movies. If an art or foreign movies plays at all its at a tiny little theater run by the cultural trust and it runs for one week and is gone. The theatres are usually pretty empty too, I've been to many movies on weekend nights here when there where only half a dozen seats filled. Oh well...
hey. where did you get the info? i couldnt view the page because it was shocked. can you tell me about pittsburgh pa?
use LaTeX? want an online reference manager that
-- john
You could try looking on the distributor's site - Tai Seng is the distributor, I think. Still, I don't know if it's possible to get on DVD, and if it *is* a DVD, it might just be subbed in Mandarin.
Give it a shot, though; let me know if you have any luck.
But a small historical correction; Confucius lived during the Zhou dynasty, if memory serves; the movie is set during the Qing dinasty. There's a minor difference of about 2500 years.
I think this might be the first time I agree with JonKatz; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a great movie. However, I don't know if I'd really classify it as a kung-fu film. Sure, there's fighting in it - very *good* fighting, thanks to Yuen - but kung-fu movies are more than that.
Don't get me wrong; if you like kung-fu movies, you'll definitely like CTHD, but it's really a bit more arty. I'm generally not a fan of wirework, which this movie is full of, but CTHD pulls it off nicely.
In closing, I must disagree with Katz on one point: the best kung-fu movie ever is Fist of Legend.
- flying? jumping 20 feet in the air?
This is a staple of Chinese period films. In a film set in modern times (for example, the standard Hong Kong police movies that you've seen Jakie Chan in) the fight scenes are slightly more realistic. I think that the general consensus is that the real masters of martial arts lived in medieval times. What better way to show it than by depictions of flight?Another staple of Chinese period films is what I can only describe as a wandering plot. Its like they tried to tell three or four stories at once. Good examples of this are _The Bride with White Hair_ and _A Chinese Ghost Story_
You just have to accept these things in the same way that you have to accept the water droplet thing in anime... ^_^;
According to my father, the story of CTHD is merely the fourth in a five-saga series, each saga having multiple volumes, every one written well before 1960 or so (my dad was reading the sagas as a teenager and he was born in 1937). He said the movie took liberties with the story, but it's mostly intact.
;)
And your final supposition is wrong...
But that's all I'm gonna say
"My God...It's full of ads!" -Fry, about the Internet, Futurama
> The film was made in Mandarin. Guess what
> language the principle actors DIDN'T speak?
> You guessed it - Mandarin. They were all
> speaking in a foreign (to them) language!
> Wow. And I couldn't detect any accents at all
> (grin).
Of the four principals, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Chang Chen had detectable accents to native speakers (my parents).
According to my parents, Chang Chen's Mandarin was pretty hard to stomach, as well, although my brother and I had an easier time understanding it (probably because he was speaking slowly and enunciating to an extreme...).
Their opinion of Zhang Ziyi's Mandarin, however, was that it was downright flawless. Given that she's from Beijing, I wouldn't be surprised if she were a native speaker.
"My God...It's full of ads!" -Fry, about the Internet, Futurama
And I must agree this movie rocked. It wasn't really what I expected, not having seen any trailers or previews. I just heard watching the local news (Wash DC) that it was a really great and original martial arts movie. So I saw it last night. I was a bit surprised at the narrow list of theaters where it was playing, but thankfully one was close (the joys of being in city) and so we went there and watched it. It was sold out too - a testament to its popularity. This is definitly one for the DVD collection.
Sounds like a great movie. I will have to go check it out but I doubt that it will be as good as The Matrix. The Matrix had a great story line, special effects and outcome. There are not many movies that can add up to it.
"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people in the world?"
I'm sure the movie is probably great, but I hope it doesn't start another craze of people wanting to learn kung-fu. Learn a martial art that'll do you some good. - overflow (yah yah... I know.. offtopic)
There were no witches in 'Hamlet', you're probably thinking of 'MacBeth'
What fools boredom breeds.
I'm really excited to see this one. The best I've seen up to this point have been Jet Li's older movies (not Leathal Weapon 3! :). If you have a chance, don't miss:
Tai Chi Master (easily his best)
Once Upon a Time in China
Fist Of Legend
Fong Sai Yuk (funny as hell)
Success is as dangerous as failure, hope as hollow as fear.
crap... it doesn't come to my city til february 16... doesn't that suck...
No, the story is set in the Qing dynasty. Check out the pony tails of Chow Yun-Fatt. And he was a Han not a Manchu in the show.
Some likes it some don't.
I think those who do actually understood the story. That's good concidering it is a very traditional chinese story.
Those who don't many should either learn the language or watch it again and read the story. It's not what they say but what's not said. As corny as that might sound.
What I personally like about the film is that it is the first of the matrix like film with a proper story. I liked the matrix but it has a few large holes in the story line. This story isn't scientifically correct or what so ever. But it's a fantacy story where magic is real. Where as in the matrix it's quite hard to imagin why the machine would keep any humans alive. For power? No shit that's what nuclear plants are for.
CTHD is more drama then kung fu so don't compair it to what Jacky Chan can do.. Speaking of which at least none of the people in CTHD farthered illegitmate children.
I hate jet lag. I should have never gone back here to HK for christmas.. I should sleep so seeya.
I've just watched the movie yesterday and I think it's very well done. The story, frankly, doesn't quite follow the original novel (I've read the original story and still have the books). The first half of the movie was quite faithful to the novel...but the 2nd half...was pretty much made up by the movie (for example, Jade Fox didn't kill Li). Nevertheless, the movie was very well done (too much flying around rooftops IMHO, however).
Chinese martial arts films have been gravity defying pieces of action for a long time, even before the Matrix or Jackie Chan. The only difference is that the movies never made their way to the US until now, when Hollywood doesn't seem to be able to produce any truly awesome movies.
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It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
Yeah, it's subbed...but it's not like it matters. As long as you can read, you'll be fine.
By the way, check out my non-Katzian review of the movie.
Review here.
Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
Hold on. CTHD is NOT a great film; certainly not in any artistic sense. However, it may be an entertaining film, depending on your sensibilities. First, note that there is actually relatively little fighting in CTHD, and there is an unusually large quantity of plot-service and melodrama for the genre. CTHD is almost the anti-Jackie Chan movie. Also, keep in mind that while CTHD spends a great deal of time servicing a plot, the plot makes no sense in the first place, so don't expect it to. Indeed, what plot there is is resolved in an arbitrary and perfunctory manner at the end. Heck, there isn't even a real fight scene at the climax: instead you get a sudden flash of motion blur and special effects and then you have to wait for the requisite people to die. What you do get is a lot of wistful pseudo-spritual talk and a couple underdeveloped love stories. Actually, what I was thinking as I sat in the theater was that CTHD is "The English Patient" of kung-fu movies. (And I don't intend that as a compliment.) A word on the vaunted choreography: sure the choreography is craftily done, however much of it is un-physical (there is seldom any sense of physical contact other than sound effects) and is ultimately lost in the murky lighting and blurriness of the slow shutter speeds that are used. What bothered me most were the wire effects. In the Matrix, when the actors did super-human feats such as running up walls, they did so in ways that were almost credible with our normal perceptions of physics. In CTHD, the actors simply levitate and fly; in those moments when their feet brush the ground, they look more like they're tapping their feet than kicking off. Suspension of disbelief was impossible for me in these flying scenes because it was so obvious that the actors were literally swinging on a line: their pendulum trajectories were blatantly obvious. From my point of view, the choreography of Drunken Master II ("The Legend of Drunken Master"), rereleased in theaters a couple months ago, was far more impressive and exciting. The bottom line is that if you are a kung-fu fan, you will probably enjoy CTHD, provided your expectations are not too high going in. Furthermore, if you are a kung-fu fan with a girlfriend who is not a kung-fu fan, this film is probably a safe date.
> Very few US theatres will touch that kind of a
>movie assuming that the audience would be too
>small.
Hmm, I saw a preview of this movie on the big screen a few months back, and it wasn't in a small movie art theatre. Or if the big theatres don't pick it up, it'll be like Princess Mononoke; look for it in your local art theatre. Failing that, I bet there will be a dub/sub DVD released in a year or so.
because I'll be moderated down as offtopic... but I have to, for prosperity, because this is slashdot:
Zhang Ziyi is incredibly beautiful. Selling my kidneys, eyes, bone marrow, and anything else they can take would be but a minor inconvenience if that would get me by her side.
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Peace,
Lord Omlette
ICQ# 77863057
[o]_O
I saw it a couple of months ago (I'm in Europe), and I nor my friends really came away as wowed as we thought we would be.
:)
Some parts were wonderful (the 'stealth' scenes, some of the fighting, the backdrops), but there wasn't really a lot *to* the movie. Quite a trivial story, a very subdued style of acting (even more so than is traditional, there are several long scenes where literally nothing moves apart from lower lips), and basically any added value whatsoever.
Still, some scenes you'll never forget, and that's probably more than you can say of most movies
http://www.adcritic.com/content/movie-crouching-ti ger-hidden-dragon.html
My friends and I watched it last week and all we could say was "Oooh... play it again." This is on the top of our list of movies to see when/if we stop boycotting the MPAA.
Chinese (or Mandrain) is not that difficult to master. Usually, if you know the radicals, it is quite easy to write. On the other hand, there are a lot of words that seems similar but have very different pronounciation and meaning. That's does put me off though Anyway, sheng(4) dan(4) kuai(4) le(4) (meaning merry christmas)
you think some of the fight scenes in romeo must die are not wire assisted or something? even jet li can't hover in mid-air... or can he?
is this Matrix film with the great story the same one i saw?
its mandarin
yeah they dub interviews here too, but i notice they always allow a second of the guy speaking his own language before the dubber steps in. i guess the BBC and ITN think people can't read
haven't you seen any asian films apart from old bruce and jackie ones or something? they been using wires for years dude
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http://www.epinions.com/./mvie-review-331D-AE1DCD7 -3A36EFF1-prod1
I'll excerpt the first few paragraphs here and you can go to epinions if you want the whole thing. Please rate my review if you do check out the whole thing- thanks!
Gen
The best movie of 2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
by: gkanai (Tue Dec 12 '00)
Pros: You'll be amazed at what you see Cons: You'll want to see it again
Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
CAUTION: Spoilers ahead in this review!
The movie that stole the show at Cannes, The Telluride Film Festival, and the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival (which last year chose "American Beauty" as it's winner) has finally opened in limited release in the US. And what a masterpiece it is! It was the first time in I can't remember how long that I went to the opening night of a film and I have to say it was well worth it!
Let's take an overview of what Ang Lee brought together for this film:
Not only two of the top leading actors in cinema (Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh), but also one of the leading male heart throbs of Chinese cinema today (Chang Chen), and the 1960's female martial arts star Cheng Pei-Pei, and clearly the brightest female rising star (Zhang Ziyi).
Let's not forget music by Tan Dun, cello solos by none other than Yo-Yo Ma, and theme song performed by Hong Kong pop superstar Coco Lee.
Mix in the incredible beauty of the seldom-appreciated Chinese wilderness be it the Gobi Desert or the bamboo forests.
Finally add in martial arts director/choreographer extraordinaire Yuen Wo Ping and clearly an innovative mix of martial arts and computer graphics editing.
more at
http://www.epinions.com/./mvie-review-331D-AE1DCD7 -3A36EFF1-prod1
All of this has been done in single movies before. For an example, see Bai fa mo nu zhuan, AKA "The Bride With White Hair".
Mystical kung-fu is nothing new. From Hong xiguan (New Legend of Shaolin) to anime like Jûbei ninpôchô (Ninja Scroll) this sort of thing has been carried on on film many a time.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Now I know the moderation system's fubared. I know there's people out there who love to crab on Katz, but I usually don't have to read their boring posts. Try Score:0 Sarcastic next time. This is not a sig
I'll see it anyway...
I have been very lucky - I could see it about 2 months ago as a premiere in France. IMHO it's the best movie I saw this year, at least the one that made me dream. It is really what people need now - truth in the faith, honor, and a good dose of magic (do you really beleive kung-fu can make you fly?) (BTW a spoiler : I believe in the end she doesn't commit suicide but instead will fly) RIAA, MPAA and Hollywood f3eAR - China 3L33t art is coming !
God I like this kind of endings, when you're left to your own belief about what happened.
And don't worry about her desert boyfriend - I'm jure he will jump too, to meet her in a sequel :-)
Amazing movie - run, don't walk to see it!
:)
Just saw this - why oh why did they hold back on its release to the rest of the US outside NY and LA.
Anyway - on top of this they aree only showing it at one Landmark cinema in mid penisula Silicon Valley area (small Indie place). The first showing was sold out (and this is a place with no on-line prescence.
Beautiful movie though. It's fantasy and dance more than anything - but so wonderfully done. Go see it soon, so you can see it again more quickly
If this doesn't pick up every Oscar going this year... best actor should go to the actor who played Dark Cloud though, not Chow Yun Fat.
Winton
.375 H&H Magnum .375 Weatherby Magnum .375 Super Swede .375 Winchester
I think those are all magnum shells. I guess I would have to check the latest Guns&Ammo though right?
I think the .375 Winchester is a handgun cartdrige, which of course is what we are talking about, and not cartdriges like the H&H Magnum.
of course the guy meant .357 Magnum though. I don't think either of you knew about .375 cartdriges though.
This is my sig. The post is over.
Like in the most other small countries, we've got accustomed to watch most (around 98%)
of the movies subtitled. I'm sure Americans will get accustomed soon too.
After all the Eglish language is second popular language all over the world. And to some significant part of the US citizens English is not their mother tongue.
Also it's part of every person's education to learn some foreign language (you can see easily I haven't finished mine).
And what better way to do this than to listen to the original dialogs in a movie or two?
So don't give up yet; it may be at a theatre near you (if you're in a larger city)!
Hamlet has a Ghost, not Witches. Macbeth has the witches.
Witches ain't shit but ho's and tricks.
----- go to www.questionexchange.com.
...for it to open in Salt Lake City. I have been awaiting this movie since I heard about it.
Good thing it opens next weekend here.
Troy Davidson
"If I could wave my magic wand. I'd make everything alright."
I know people who can do most of what that bone head who played the red and black stripy faced guy was doing without digital effects.
Imagine how good Phantom Menace could have been if Lucas had taken the time to study the martial arts and perhaps even consult with a chi master. -Not so that he could duplicate Chinese kung fu styles in his films, (That would feel wrong for Star Wars, which seemed to be more a mix of Japanese feudal Samarai lore combined with Chinese chi/energy practice.), but rather, so that he would know where ground was. That way he might have written something which wouldn't have felt so confused and shallow. To be honest, I thought after the first three films that he already understood this stuff! That's why Menace was such a shocker to me.
--Granted, Lucas did well by studying Kurosawa way back in the beginning, but that's inbreeding. You don't study film to make film, or science fiction to write science fiction. Not exclusively, anyway. You need to study real life, otherwise you just won't have the insight.
I love Lucas, but when he was young, he knew his limits, and let real writers who knew their craft do the key script work. He should have done that again.
Fantastic Lad --Still depressed by Episode One.
I walked out of the theater feeling as though I was underwater. I was taken in very deep while watching. But I'm afraid I won't be ranking it up with the greatest movies of all time.
A truly GREAT movie, I think, should be able to touch nerves in every age group and demographic. Crouching Tiger, however, is one of those films which would leave most kids squirming in their seats before the first ten minutes had passed. (Granted, this is my definition.)
Plus, (and this is rather personal), I seem to prefer to be able to be the characters, rather than just watch them from an emotional distance, so to speak, like chess pieces. Crouching Tiger didn't clearly point out one character as the primary focus.
Essentially, without a main character, (a Luke, or a Jackie Chan, or an Indiana Jones), around whom the bulk of the story and emotional charges rotate, the viewer is forced to take a god's eye approach to watching the movie rather than an ego-centric human's eye perspective. 'Me in the middle.'
Good, or bad? Hmm.
Watching this film, and others like it, is like being forced to be a very old and responsible grown up. I feel a loss of personal cohesion and intensity whenever that happens, and it isn't comfortable.
But maybe that's not such a bad thing. Security blankets have a time and place, and I suspect these are lessons we all must learn.
Still, I miss childhood.
And a good one at that. Unfortunately, he didn't write or direct the entire film.
You think the movie would have been better if he'd written and directed? Nah. I'm sure you don't really mean that. --In any case, that guy was an egotistical moron, not to mention a total babe in the woods compared the real thing; guys like Jet Lee.
Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about.
Alec Guiness didn't know any kung fu, and he was a more convincing Jedi than any of the lame characters in Menace. He could move your heart with his eyes and words alone. That's a Jedi.
But you're right. You can chalk the problems in Menace up to direction and writing.
I don't think any kung fu movie could ever beat the drunken master II with jackie chan. I seen the subtitled version and I'm waiting for the dubbed version right now that I think should be in theaters but I haven't heard anything about it in months. But this movie not only has crazy kung fu action its a comady too. You get to see jackie chang stumbling around drunk and laughing while he kickes the bad guys ass. This is one of the funniest/ sweetest kung fu movies.
When I saw Crouching Tiger, I watched, jaw open, and thought, DAMN -- THIS is what the Jedi knights should be like in the Prequels!
I dont know...i havent seen this movie, but i doubt anything, ANYTHING can best bruce lee. sure, fights now a days look smoother, but bruce lee would beat the fuck out of any of thease martial artists
"Cornflakes are not the innocent critters they seem"- Sterling Morrison
not that i mind, i always, at the least, get a good chuckle out of his work =)
what hump?
... that the story of this movie doesn't revolve around it's action. This movie is a romance movie... not an action as all the trailers build it up to be. More accurately... it's a romantic tragedy ... like Romeo and Juliet. Also, this movie is also only one part of a 4-part series (i think it's the third, but i'm not too sure).
This film won the People's Choice Award at the International Film Festival in Toronto. The film that won that award last year was American Beauty, which went on to win several Oscars.
One more thing... there are no Crouching tigers or hidden dragons. They're two different styles of martial arts.
It's funny that you made so many comparison's to the Matrix's choreography. The same choreographer designed these scenes, too. That is all. Thanks you.
This *is* the REAL THING
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a great kung fu movie. After watching it, the Matrix really didn't compare. I've watched this movie twice already. It's a cinematic experience which shouldn't be missed.
The official website is here at, you guessed it, www.crouchingtiger.com. It's flash enhanced, too. Looks like an awesome movie.
NY and LA are a bit too far of a trip for me to see the movie. TIA
i went to see it last night here in sunny buffalo, new york. it's good to be in such a cultured city.
*snicker*
--saint----
The radio stations around here have been saying that CTHD is subtitled. Is this true?
By the tone of Katz' review, I did not get that impression.
Defecation occurs.
Hmmm... it's showing in the D.C. area.
Defecation occurs.
What do you mean he has yet to "climb the walls of the Black Iron Prison"? Are you implying that there is some other level beyond the robot controlled matrix... a matrix within a matrix? Subscribing to your theory (which I don't), it would seem that Neo leaves the BIP by taking the red pill. Though honestly I haven't looked into it before, I can assure you that I'm not so dense to be ignorant of your Gnostic explanation. I doubt, however, that the brothers (sorry, last name's spelling eludes me) meant to refer to this theory in their movie. You can base your beliefs around a kung-fu movie for all I care, but you can also build up a theory about the meaning of life from The Meaning of Life if you try hard enough. By applying such heavily skewed a view to something completely seperate, you ignore how it might impact others that haven't reached your apparent "enlightenment".
Dude, do you remember earlier in the movie? The story about the kid who jumped off Wupan Mountain, lived, and was never seen again? That's what happened to her. I hope no one actually thought she committed suicide. Now why would she do that? She was just testing her faith or whatnot given that her master and potential master had just gone ka-put. I bet her desert trist feels really shafted right now though :)
That, my friend, was a well thought out load of shit. Just because The Matrix liberally, but stylishly, rips off of a multitude of previously established ideas doesn't make it the best movie ever. Sure, it is an homage to some of the most thought provoking work in sci-fi (cyberpunk, blade runner, etc), but the philosophical portions of the film are so hokey that I have trouble saying it "challenged my long-held beliefs." Just look at the Ghost in the Shell -> The Matrix comparison if you want to see how much of a homage-flick the Matrix is. Quite frankly, the fact that there was no spoon caused me to think more of the mentalist that tried to break spoons than how I could break my own psychological barriers. Sure, Crouching Tiger follows a similar epic story line to about half of classic literature and epic films, but it's far more than that. Just as The Matrix took it's contrived backdrop to a new height with a stylized design and decent martial arts, Crouching Tiger does the same for the fantasy setting. No shit this is about a China that never existed, it's a FANTASY MOVIE. There is an entire genre built around this concept it the east. I doubt you've even seen the movie given your comment on "war and adversity" as it is more about the coming of age of someon than anything else - an event derived more from a sequence of experiences than any specific conflict. I realize that Matrix-karma-whoring will get you some massive bonus points here, but you should at least see a movie before you compare it to something. Also, though I respect your opinion, I'd caution against building some sort of existentialist philosophy around the Matrix and avoiding anything else presented to you.
The Midwest? We're just fine here in the Midwest, thank you. The film is showing on *four* screens here in Chicago. I saw it this past Friday night, and it was spectacular.
Best, Rotabilis
Actually, no. I happen to _like_ Chinese martial arts movies, especially compared to Western action movies - American movies tend to go too heavy on the guns and brawls, while the fine choreography of Chinese martial arts is really fascinating. And it bears more watching - I watched Matrix around four times, and after a while the sleeping-beauty thing really gets on one's nerves. Although I've only watched Crouching Tiger twice, I wouldn't mind watching it again. I watched it on the first day it opened here in the Philippines - I'd been waiting for it forever. I didn't want to wait for my friends to invite me out, so I -ahem- dragged my family along.. So, cool movie, although it ends a bit abruptly after reaaallly developing the little love story there. I like it. Don't have to be a guy to like these martial arts films, I guess. =)
Having said that, I saw the director being interviewed on TV and he said that they use a very strange dialect in the film which the actors had to be TAUGHT and that there may even be CHINESE SUBTITLES for showings in China.
slashdot really fucking sucks
Of all the negative reviews that could have been written on valid grounds about the movie in question, your condemnation seems to be reactionary and shortsighted. Rather than point out how the narrative of the film became significantly disjointed due to the extended flashback... you takes us down a path of philosophical clap-trap inspired by someone's paranioa-- indeed, even falling back on old '60s era, anti-establishment dogma about challenging beliefs. So lets procede on your terms, forgetting the film making for a moment. 'What makes a person human? And what is reality?' are completely valid questions; I would go so far as to say that these questions are really paramount and probably unanswerable (one more than the other anyway.) However, there comes a point where you have to live as human and as though reality can be taken for granted... or simply concede your life to an unfullfilled dysfunction. Once we take a step back from the lofty issues of existence into just getting by day-to-day, issues of honor, blood, faith (no matter how manifested), and magic (we're complex beings that like our imaginations to be captured) become significant and are probably more relevant to an overall quality of life than 'getting it' in the grand sense. Sure there are people who will take a concept like magic and attempt use it to answer the question of humanity or reality, just as there are people that will take it on faith that we've been put in a black iron prison to keep us from our destiny. (By the way, your line made me curious... precisely what is 'our destiny' that God is trying to keep us from? And Why? If God did not grant us our destiny, what gives us the right to it? If there is no God, how can we have a Destiny or have it denied to us?) Ultimately, the film only really just touches on honor, blood, and faith as its purpose and I would argue it had more to do with the personal conseqences of personal decisions. Yes, there were characters driven by honor and faith and a desire to live justly; but my sense was that these were mere trappings, scenery in essence to allow a message of misplaced personal denial in the face of duty to be conveyed. Think about it, one character said he wasted his life in the movie... if anything because he acted in a way that was claimed in the film to be honorable! Another character (trying not to give too much away) simply escapes... not for any of the multitude of reasons the character could have honorably done so, but perhaps more to escape a personal dillema. For those 3133t h4kk3r d00dz, I would far and away wish that they were weighing the issues of honor than not. Because in that day-to-day I mentioned before, the more people acting with honor in the world, the better the world will likely be to live in for me. Sure reality may be prison... but why feel compelled bring the roaches ourselves? As for your remarks about war and hardship... don't forget this is a movie. If this had been made more like 'My Dinner With Andre' we wouldn't be having this discussion now because no one would have seen the movie. We are complex beings, we like our imaginations stimulated. I don't think you need war to have honor; but as a narrative device, characters have far more reason and opportunity to show their true selves in extremely adverse situations. I can't blame the filmakers for taking the easy way out. I also need to challenge your assumption about challenging long held beliefs. Challenging beliefs long-held or not is fine, but I think you go a step farther and not only challenge, but simply reject them without understanding them. I think that is just as invalid and reactionary as accepting all dogma for truth. In fact, I believe that 'pushing the envelope', 'thinking outside the box' and being 'edgy' are simply the ideological fashions currently in vogue with as little substance as blindly held faith. Frankly, social rebellion is become cliche. PLEASE though, do not misunderstand... I am not saying that long held beliefs are valid because they are long held and it's not part of todays orthodoxy, I simply mean to say acceptance, or denial, of any believe or custom just because your parents held it (or not) is foolish. Finally, I enjoyed the film and would see it again. Is the greatest film ever made... no. But it was fun and very nicely shot... just bear with that flashback! Cheers!
I didn't notice the question, probably because I answered it already. No, I haven't had the chance.
I also haven't visited the Moon. But I've read the accounts of people who have, just as I've read the accounts here of people who've seen the movie, and I've visited the movie's website and read the interviews, and while I can't be certain that I'm right, I believe there is very little chance that Crouching Tiger has the depth of The Matrix.
I will also point out that I didn't start out comparing these two movies, Katz did. In a sense the comparison isn't fair, because Matrix was meant to be a lightshow disguising a puzzle box -- a trick I happen to greatly admire. Tiger is apparently much more straightforward. The thing is, hiding a puzzle box inside a light show is a much better trick than making your audience misty-eyed over things that are pretty much instinctive for humans anyway.
Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
Cypher isn't the second coming of Jesus; Neo is. Neo is supposed to know better.
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Did not have a chance to become confused by the flashback, as the movie has not come to New Orleans. I am basing my reaction on the statements of others who have seen the movie.
However, there comes a point where you have to live as human and as though reality can be taken for granted... or simply concede your life to an unfullfilled dysfunction.
Yes, one can choose to bask in happy ignorance or to press the frontiers. I made that decision when I was very young and have never looked back. I laud anything that encourages others to press the frontiers too -- and I'll admit that is a deliberately cultivated prejudice of mine.
For those 3133t h4kk3r d00dz, I would far and away wish that they were weighing the issues of honor than not. Because in that day-to-day I mentioned before, the more people acting with honor in the world, the better the world will likely be to live in for me.
Well, as Aleister Crowley suggested, if more people took up the deep questions they would end up understanding honor and integrity by association. It's like the calculus and non-calculus-based physics courses; yes, the non-calculus courses sound easier because you don't need the math, but when you have the math you can understand the concepts instead of merely accepting them by rote. Similarly, no morality is true if it is externally imposed; but if you derive it yourself from experience and inspiration it will be stronger than steel.
I also need to challenge your assumption about challenging long held beliefs. Challenging beliefs long-held or not is fine, but I think you go a step farther and not only challenge, but simply reject them without understanding them.
As Robert Anton Wilson likes to write, "convictions create convicts." Beliefs imprison you. I like to be exposed to new ideas precisely because I want my beliefs challenged, and I think more people should think this way (hmmmm, sounds suspiciously like a belief, doesn't it?). I really think people fall too easily into reality-tunnels carved by their expectations and, more often lately, mass media influences they don't understand. If you don't question everything you end up believing in things without having the slightest idea why you believe them.
I have a coworker who spent a week in Iceland some time back. He came back raving about how wonderful the place was, how clean and educated and orderly and blah blah blah and at some point I pointed out to him (you must remember this guy thinks Ronald Reagan is a genius) "It's a socialist country, that's why everyone gets an education and has a place to stay." His jaw dropped and he said, "no, it's a democracy." I said "Not only is it a socialist state it's a hereditary kingdom." And he had no idea, because he had been taught to hate socialism but when he saw its effects he liked them, without knowing why, without knowing where they came from, without even knowing what he was seeing.
David Lynch movies, The Matrix, PKD novels, and other sources I admire all strive (to some extent in vain) to put people where they can see these obvious things they are missing. That is a lofty and difficult goal, especially when you strive to hide your message so it will create inspiration rather than making a deadpan explanation. Is there anything like that in Tiger?
Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
Dick heavily inspired the SF writers like K.W. Jeter (anybody remember Dr. Adder?) and Bill Gibson who in turn created cyberpunk. Dick was deeply haunted by two deep questions: What makes a person human? And what is reality?
Before there was no spoon there were replicants; anybody recall the dynamite sequence wherein Prill nearly killed Harrison Ford, stopped only when he shot her several times in midair as she quad-somersaulted over him? But there were deep thoughts behind Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, which became Blade Runner in Ridley Scott's hands.
In early 1974 Dick either went insane or was touched by the hand of God, depending on whose interpretation you go by. He received the Gnosis, a divine inspiration which revealed that the universe we live in is actually an illusion (Dick called it the "Black Iron Prison," or BIP in his Exegesis) erected by a cruel God to prevent us from achieving our destiny. The Matrix is an exact allegory of Dick's vision. The technological things that don't make sense, like using humans as batteries, are actually drawn from a Christian mystical tradition older than the Council of Nicea. Behind the Anime-like illustrations of the Matrix are some very deep thoughts indeed.
Now we have Crouching Tiger, wherein the deep thoughts seem to be the lame old crap about blood, honor, faith, and magic. Bleeecch. It really torques my 'nads when I hear some 3133t h4kk3r d00d who has never so much as slaughtered a chicken in real life drone on about the character-building nature of war and adversity. By its own admission this film is about a China that never existed in real life, inspired by Jackie Chan movies. All I can say is, I don't care how many flying kicks they put in, it don't sound like it even comes close to comparing in any meaningful way.
I thought Matrix was one of the best movies ever made, but not because of the bullet-time animation. It was on a par with Last Temptation of Christ for challenging ones' assumptions about long-held beliefs. That is much more important IMHO.
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There are many other parts of the Internet where this kind of hatred belongs. Take it there, please.
Besta é tu si você não viver nesse mundo!
Sorry, Blow Hard, but you wrong. The movie isn't even showing in many theaters in NYC, according to my son, who has seen it there. He felt that the fact that it has subtitles is keeping it out of theaters. I've been looking for it in the Research Triangle area of NC, a place that has lots more than Die Hard, and it isn't here yet.
Besta é tu si você não viver nesse mundo!
NY and LA are a bit too far of a trip for me to see the movie. TIA
Jesus used to be my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat him.
I have to say these movies are really fun to watch. I am a big fan of sword fighting movies and ancient chinese story lines. They have existed for a while. Usually the ones that come out are from Hong Kong and they are really long. Some movies are epics. They last for 50 video tapes. They are like T.V. shows but with more action and cinematic sequences. I would like to see this type of stuff brought to the American Mainstream T.V. It would be really entertaining.
...you should catch these other amazing flicks. Some of the best I've seen her in:
Wing Chun (possibly the best she's been in)
Tai Chi Master (recently re-released as the Twin Warriors)
Both of these were directed by Yuen Woo Ping. great stuff.
Subtitled not dubbed- the dubbed over versions leave out story plot and subtle jokes. Check out Legend of Fong Sai Yuk part one and two(renamed The Legend at Hollywood and Blockbuster). Also The New Shoalin Legend is very good.
I have tried to go and see it at Pentagon City four times. Each time it was freaking sold out.. Once I arrived two hours early. Maybe I'll see it tomorrow. ^ ^
And it must be really fun posturing about all this cool magical stuff YOU know to be true (wouldn't that then make it part of reality?), and all us doubtful peons are just faithless party poopers. You're no different from lEEt hax0rs talking about how they have secret super-special codes to crash the internet.
Uh hunh- sure. Unfortunately, human jumping height is bounded by calf length, and ki lifts only work on DBZ.
Why is exactly that when people claim to have seen this stuff for themselves, it's always in a totally unverifiable way, or back in ancient legend? I'm sure there are some incredible martial artists out there, but somehow I think you're excited a little beyond reality.
There are some of you who have complained that there was no central character, or climactic fight scene. Since when are these requirements for a good film? Thats just what you're used to, and frankly, I'd rather watch films that innovate then just rehashing the same structures. How else will we evolve? Bottom line: a central character and climactic fight scenes are obsolutely *not* necessary for a good film; just necessary for a film to be easily digested by those with a closed mind.
Drunken Master II - the best Chackie Chan you'll ever see, and a comedy to boot. Kunk-Fu Cult Masters - Real wire-fu, Jet Lee, and a crazy story that rolls along at 1000mph Masters of the Shaolin Temple - Jet Lee, and a story as deep and interesting as CTHD, filled with love betrayal, and Jet Lee in drag. IMP the best one in this bunch Neat-o site for the latest dirt on HK cinema is www.kfccinema.com
Is it better than the Matrix? The Matrix could never have existed without all the Hong Kong films, without all the wire-fu, and without a whole bunch of other film influences. The Matrix is the first DVD I bought actually, that's how much I love it. But these are two radically different films. CTHD is a romantic period piece with spiritual and moral messages. Just imagine if the wirework in the Matrix had been romanticized like it is in CTHD. People would have laughed, and you'd have ended up with a bunch of Simpsons' comic book dealer types defending it, lamely, to its death (not that we don't all ready have that anyway). Still, I'm just as in love with CTHD as the Matrix, and I still love a lot of other martial arts films with or without wire-fu or romanticism or mysticism. I wished Jet Li had been in this. I liked him and Yeoh in Tai Chi Master. But if nothing else it revives all my brain cells that were damaged by seeing that putrid rot called The Grinch.
From reading most of the comments, I see people are enthusing about this movie. Although I haven't seen it and heard this is an old movie resurrected for the west/Hollywood, I want to say I have an idea what kind of movie it is. Moreover, for those who don't mind the subtitles, you can go to your local Chinese movie rental shops, and rent these types of movies. I've heard that CTHD is out for rentals, but don't blame me, if you didn't find it.
There is nothing new about the fantastic "Chinese Boxing." This should be the standard for a "martial arts" movie. The best part of Matrix aren't the martial arts scenes.... Anyhow, the following are some recommendations for rentals, in no particular order, if anyone has any interest.
-Fong Sai Yuk 1 and 2
-Once Upon A Time In China 1, 2 (best), 3 and other Wong Fei Hung clones (OUATIC 1+2 doesn't have subtitles)
-Blade Of Fury
-Dragon From Russia (a spin-off of anime's Crying Freeman series, or the inverse)
-Iron Monkey 1 and 2(?)
-The Tai Chi Master
-Mokei (forgot name)
-The Dragon Inn
-Fist Of Legend (Bruce Lee's Fist Of Fury clone)
-Invincible Asia (Dong Phuong Bat Bai)
-Bride with White Hair 1 and 2
-Wing Chun
-Body Guard From Beijing
-Blade (or Tau/"1 arm swordsman" isn't that great, too graphic)
-Dated Shaolin movies (forgot names)
-Other ones with Andy Lau, but I forgot
-A Man Called Hero (Chung Wah Ying Hung is from the comic book)
-Storm Riders (another from the comic book Tinha)
-Golden Panther (forgot name)
-Twin (forgot name, but it's a Jacky Chan movie)
Non-martial-arts, but great movies.
-Shanghai Grand
-Bullet in the Head
-Casino Raiders 1 and 2
-God Of Gambling 1, 2, and 3(?)
-Casino Tycoon (forgot name)
-Fist Of Fury 1 and 2 (hilarious comedy)
-A Chinese Ghost Story (the animation, or the very dated one with Jack Cheung in it. It's a love story.)
There are a lot lot more than that, but I forgot. If I look at my friend's collection, I'll be able to list more of them. These are the 80's and the 90's, but the earlier ones from the 60's and the 70's are truly realistic, for they had contacts/fight for real.
The reasons I want people to watch these because I want to see more of them made. There seems to be a shortage of new releases a few years ago. Either that, or we're too busy for them, but I highly doubt it. Also, super actors/actresses such as Andy Lau is also great at singing, and you don't find too many, if any, of this type of calibre in Hollywood. Another mention is majority of the actors/actresses do their own stunts. Just giving credit, where it's due.
Happy Holidays Everyone!!
can't wait to find this movie in chinatown bootleged on vcd and in chinese.
Okay, the only bad part of the movie (aside from some fuzzy filming in the very beginning), was the wirework. Yes, it's cool to see people flying in the air, especially when they're doing great martial arts. Unfortunately, it's not so cool when they're flying at speeds and in ways contrary to the laws of gravity. If they had done it 'correctly', though, it probably would've been too fast to do it safely for the actors. They just go way too slowly when coming down.
What I was _really_ impressed with was the following (which I knew going into the movie):
1) Chow Yun Fat is not a sword-guy - he had to learn all that for the movie
2) None of the principle actors had done wire-work before. This looked as good as anything I've seen (except for Matrix), yet all the actors were new to it. THAT'S impressive.
3) The Director was new to both martial arts films AND wirework. Not too bad - no experience, and he creates this film?
4) The film was made in Mandarin. Guess what language the principle actors DIDN'T speak? You guessed it - Mandarin. They were all speaking in a foreign (to them) language! Wow. And I couldn't detect any accents at all (grin).
That said, if I'm going to go see a movie again, it'd be 'Billy Elliot', not this one, though I did like it quite a lot. Especially Zhang Ziyi - she totally stole the movie from Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh (an amazing feat).
"Shanghai Noon" (which was only stupid
deliberately and as a form of send-up).
Shanghai Noon is one of the weaker Jackie Chan movies I've seen lately - check out (for example) the original Police Story, or Armor Of God for vintage Chan - he kicks ass in every sense.
"don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
This movie has some exquisite locale shots and a tavern fight right out of "Legend of Drunken Master."
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
Capsule: Great movie, except the plot was a little weak.
Am I the only one amused that critics are suddenly noticing this movie as if it's something brand new, and completely neglecting the fact that it's just one example of a genre they've been content to sneer at up 'til now?
--
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Ummm...I saw it in the AMC 20 in Leawood, Kansas, just yesterday.
--
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
It's not slander, since I didn't say that I had knowledge that he was a pedophile. I made a speculative comment based on information available to everyone here, namely Katz's own comment, and qualified it with the phrase "sounds like he might be". I'd love to hear someone explain Katz's comment in anything other than a sexist, paternalistic light at the very least.
Sorry, but if you read Katz, you deserve to have comments like mine inflicted on you.
This is a sort of sad situation- it used to be that there were a few small theaters around that showed great foriegn or independant films. Three years ago, I could have seen CTHD without trekking all the way into NY. No more. They've all died. One gorgeous old filmhouse even got flooded, and didn't have the insurance to recover. All I have in New Jersey now is an endless stretch of Clearview Cinemas, all of which tend to play the exact same movies, even if they're within ten miles of each other. It's a seriously screwed up world when I have FIVE theaters playing the supremely awful bomb D&D within 15 minutes of my house, but not ONE theater playing this incredible movie (which would certainly rake in big bucks from all the people in my area desperate for good films) within even a 45minute drive or train ride.
Jet Li has done a lot of wire work in his films.
Wire work doesn't make a film better or worse, it's just a different kind of film.
round up all the women and teenaged girls you know
/., news for nerds who don't know any women :-)
Hey Katz, this is
It really is difficult to round up women when you tell them its a fantasy martial arts film. But slowly the women I know are seeing this film, they just aren't letting men take them. The film is still playing here in Europe after several months, and I'm amazed how many women have seen it, but none of them would dare go see it when it first opened.
And if you read Aint It Cool News you'd know that Ang Lee has already started casting for one of the prequels, and money is being thrown at him to make all four stories into movies.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Which is why, upon seeing people jumping and flying in CTHD, I thought the portrayal of the real-life physics was simply too slow.
i'm sorry, but the stunts in superman and spiderman are just outrageous!!! flying? shooting spider webs out of his palm? Now the cool thing about films from Stallone & Schwarzennegger is that the shooting was _REAL_. Not this comic book rubbish.
But no one has yet portrayed it in this way. "Crouching Tiger" is gravity-defying: the fighters soar over rooftops, somersault around rooms, sail through trees and walls, in and out of rivers and lakes.
this "wire-fu" is the exact way that many martial arts movies from as far back as the 60s have portrayed the characters. in fact, the genre of "wuxia" novels from which CTHD comes is very old. again, it would be new to people who've only seen "Walker Texas Ranger" but it's certainly not the first movie in this style. however, yuen wo-ping is a certifiable genius. this guy has a unique style and takes the genre and the fights to a whole new level. you'd think the fight scenes would get boring but he keeps on improving and creating jaw dropping sequences.
It's unusual to see a movie like this featuring women in such strong and distinctly different roles
see michelle yeoh in some of her previous costume drama kung fu movies
Cellis (sic) Yo-Yo Ma's haunting score gives "Crouching Tiger" an even more brooding and enchanting quality.
the score is indeed excellent. one of the best i've heard in a while and yo yo ma is on it but it was composed by tan dun. i think the score won an LA film critics award (one of those award giving groups anyway).
you probably already have but if not, check out any of bruce lee's movies. you can see the evolution and development of his own personal philosophy and style through his movies. he has an intensity and passion and fury in his fighting that i haven't seen in anything since. it'll also help you to understand jackie chan's style more too which is in part a reaction to do the opposite of what lee did, which is why there is always a strong comedic element in chan's movies.
efnet #reconnect r0x0rs =]
Fight Spammers!
What about the people who jump out of planes because they don't like TJ Hooker?
Fight Spammers!
I had the chance to see this movie at the Pentagon City Loews Theater in the DC area yesterday....it blew my fscking mind. All I can say is that Yeoh deserves an Oscar, the guy who shot the film should be canonized, and Ang Lee is the world's most underrated genius. There are few movies that I, or my roommate for that matter, will go back to *The Very Next Day*, which is exactly what we did. The sword play is unbelievably choreographed...it makes the Matrix looks like something I might work up in my spare time....and Trinity is a pansy compared to Michelle Yeoh. Unreal movie, go see it if it's around you.
So there I was. Naked. In a refrigerator. With a potroast on my knees. Smokin a cigar. That's when it got REALLY weird.
I would note that the philosophical aspect of the film was what struck me the most when I saw it 4 months ago, and "Promise me one thing...whatever path you take in this life, be true to yourself." is my favourite quote from the film. The film is subtitled but if that is a turnoff for you then you wouldn't gain much from the film apart from enjoying the fight scenes (the dialogue is extremely important to the film). And it does make the fight scenes in the Matrix, Charlie's Angels, Romeo Must Die and even Enter the Dragon look lame. The scenes are fast but so well choreographed that you see every move (as compared to say RMD). A beautiful film that works on every level, a medieval chinese Star Wars.
- Here and here are two 7 minute RealAudio reviews on NPR, with extensive detail, and some conversation with director Ann Lee.
- Here is about 45 minutes split between the director Ann Lee and the Actress, Michelle Yeoh, a star in the film on the NPR program FreshAir
There is another one I heard over the weekend which really goes into detail analyzing the film. I have not found that link. I wish I had found that one, because it is a discussion of the film by people expert in the genre, and the asian film industry.But the ones above are at least educational.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
to your own post on how awesome this movie is!
I think the Matrix is only 15% of this movie!
Geek dating!
GPL Deconstructed
As a martial artist myself (1st Dan TKD, 2 years of
aikido) I'm always on the lookout for martial-arts
films that don't insult my intelligence. CTHD
joins a depressingly short list that began with
"The Challenge" (1982), and includes both "The
Matrix" and "Shanghai Noon" (which was only stupid
deliberately and as a form of send-up).
Great movie, visually gorgeous, fine performances.
Easily blows away anything else I've seen this
year, and I doubt any movie I've heard or read
about would change that.
>>esr>>
I've seen a few other alternatives listed today. Most of them suck, IMHO. I am a man who has seen more B movies than any other man on earth, and I can give you the lowdown on which movies you should rent this holiday season that has not been embraced by US pop culture. Feel free to take them home for the holidays! Here they are....
;)
"Seven Samauri" (1954): I feel like starting with a classic from the fifties. This foreign flick inspired the story for everything from "The Magnificent Seven" to "A Bug's Life", and set the bar that most dramatic martial arts movies try yo live up to even today. I even believe this is one of the top 10 movies on IMDB's ratings list.
"Hard Boiled" (1993): This is what most of us video junkies would call, at a minimum, "John Woo's greatest movie ever". Take the coreographed gun battles from some of his US movies "MI:2" "Hard Target" and "Face Off", combine them and multiply by 15, then add Chow Yun Fat. A masterpeice that includes a 45 minute shootout in a hospital that probably cost him a fortune to do. If, somehow this is taken, then try his classic breakthrough "A Better Tommorrow". Watch it, then get the DVD.
"Iron Monkey" (1993): If you have the blues and want to see something built like Crouching Tiger, then try Iron Monkey. This is laugh out loud ridiculous but has well produced martial arts stunts. Taking the story of Robin Hood and twisting it into Fist of Legend, this also features good and bad guys that can jump over rooftops and change direction in midair, but it doesn't stop there. Ever wonder why Chinese royalty wears those humongous sleaves? It's a weapon that can shoot out up to 100 feet! Just go rent it
"El Mariachi" (1992): Starting south of the border, this movie is what inspired Quintin Tarentino to create the sequel, "Desperado", here in the USA.
The production isn't nearly as high class, but the story is far better and much less predictable, and it is very enjoyable to watch. BTW, it stars the same dude playing backup guitar during the intro of Desperado. And, no, he didn't really get his hand shot onstage, that's a dream that QT inserted to keep from spoling part of the first movie....
"City Hunter" (1992): Jackie Chan dressed like Chun Li (street fighter II). 'Nuff said? Not yet. This is one of Jackie's worse movies as far as story goes, mainly due to the fact it was based on a Japanese comic book. Look beyond that flaw and you'll see the most innovative fighting and weapon scenes just short of Drunken Master 2 and also, a rarity in Jackie movies, gunbusting! If you've ever seen him spinning people around his body, even in DM2, this is where it began and where it worked best. It's also good for a laugh.
That's enough for now. Enjoy!
I agree. Not only that, sounds like he might be a pedophile too...
The central theme of the movie is not the green Destiny sword, it is the personal search each person is looking to resolve.
The sword is simply the device that allows the characters to search for that which eludes them. Whether it be unrequited love, vengance, or escape from destiny, eachcharacter strives to fight against their own nature to achieve what they truly desire.
I can't go into more details without spoiling the movie. But the movie is about what is truly important in life, love and happiness.
If you've already seen the movie, ask yourself, what does each personm in the film really want? Then look at the obstacles the person puts in their own way on the path there. Puts a whole different spin on the film.
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IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0190332 As of this post, it has 8.7 rating out of 10 with 1415 votes (ranked #137 out of 250 on the top 250 movie list). I consider that very good!
:).
Also, check moviefone.com for more details.
Notes: The movie is in Chinese (Mandarin) so you will have to read the english subtitles if you are watching in U.S. The movie is showing in limited theaters (i.e. not in AMC theaters).
The movie has three Global Globe nominees (2001):
1. Best Director -- Motion Picture
2. Best Original Score - Motion Picture
3. Best Foreign Language Film
From Source.
I still haven't seen it yet, but I am taking my relatives to see it soon
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Gee, I haven't seen any .375 Magnums. Maybe I need to check the latest Guns&Ammo.
Last I'd heard, they settled on .357 as a bore size.
You've gotta check five times for stupid mistakes, when you call someone else on their stupid mistkaes.
[
Katz is clearly on top of the trends here: he's noticed the surge in popularity of the .9mm gun. Using bullets ten times smaller than the popular 9mm which it replaces, the .9mm is a thousand times less deadly. People who have been shot with .9mm guns say it feels like the biggest fucking mosquito they've ever seen just bit them, hard. You need a good pair of tweezers to get the bullets out.
In a private interview with Katz, he told me that he was impressed by the fact that the .9mm was 2.4 times bigger than that other famous microweapon, the .375 Magnum. When I pointed out to him that .375 was actually an inch measurement, he turned an unusual shade of crimson and mumbled something about NASA and Mars probes before changing the subject.