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winterOver the past four days, I've seen three critically-dissed movies. I've enjoyed every second of every one of them. In order of viewing:
The Libertine
I've heard this movie called boring, emotionless and needlessly gritty. It leaves me wondering what the reviewers were smoking.
The key to enjoying The Libertine, I think, is to remember it's a play. You're watching a theatre performance, filmed for your convenience as well as that of Mr Depp's, whose multiple engagements would be prohibitive to actually going on tour with the play. And it's a play within a play within a play: the Chinese-puzzle structure is immensely enjoyable. It's also emotional in that we follow Rochester's quest to feel. It takes a despicable character and makes you like him and pity him. Plus it doesn't gloss over the ugliness of the era: grittiness-wise, this movie should be obligatory viewing for any POTC writer with ambitions towards realism.
It's not a movie I'd like to own, but I'm very happy I watched it. It moved me. It created a lasting impression. And it renewed my deep respect for Johnny Depp's acting skills. Yay him :)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Uh. Kids' movie, right? Right. So that's why there are much scarier monsters, tentacles, people threatened with being eaten alive, people eaten alive by a giant squid, and a father forced to lash his own half-nekkid son :D
It drags a bit, especially in the cannibal segment, and of course it's not the fresh new thing POTC was, but Jack is Jack, Will is himself, and all the unexpected cameos from old favourites were very welcome indeed. And Keira Knightley, incidentally, is anorectic and should seek help. Skin and bones, that girl.
Wu Ji (The Promise)
From the director of Farewell My Concubine comes a summer blockbuster that grabbed my heart. This is a shameless Chinese folk tale transcribed directly to screen, without the philosophical pretensions of Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Draggon. Since I disliked those "look how cool Eastern philosophy is!" segments in the aforementioned movies, this one was pure fun. Visually, of course, it's beautiful - my favourite so far, even over Hero. I'd love to have almost every still from the movie as a painting on my wall.
But what makes it my favourite are the characters. No pretensions to grand destinies and Confucian calmness here. They want, they love, they laugh and cry and freak out spectacularly. Even the background characters are sketched very lovingly - the first army officer we meet is. Um. Gay as a cupcake :D And loving it. This also drives the plot, with hubris and love and vengeance. No sacrifices here, and no suicides, which is such a relief.
And it has a villain that came and knocked the Snow Queen right out of the top spot on my list of Best Folktale Villains. Wuhuan, the Prince of the North, is a sorcerer, scheming vengeful bastard, stylish beyond belief and smart as anything. I adore smart villains. And on top of everything, he's played by Nicholas Tse, who is quite a beauty. As for personality - remember my favourite bratty vampire, Herbert von Krolock? This is Chinese Herbert, pouting and gleeful and flamboyant. Herbert, Spike mixed with Angelus, Gerald Tarrant at age twenty and petulant - yes, I do have a type :D
Wu Ji is to wuxia what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is to vampire movies. If you liked Buffy, you might just love this.
Tomorrow I'm going to the cinema again. Partly to combat the heat, but mostly because I loved Wu Ji so much, I need to see it again. And buy it on DVD. I have also hunted down several Nicholas-Tse-as-Wuhuan pictures to be made into icons. He's spiffy.
The Libertine
I've heard this movie called boring, emotionless and needlessly gritty. It leaves me wondering what the reviewers were smoking.
The key to enjoying The Libertine, I think, is to remember it's a play. You're watching a theatre performance, filmed for your convenience as well as that of Mr Depp's, whose multiple engagements would be prohibitive to actually going on tour with the play. And it's a play within a play within a play: the Chinese-puzzle structure is immensely enjoyable. It's also emotional in that we follow Rochester's quest to feel. It takes a despicable character and makes you like him and pity him. Plus it doesn't gloss over the ugliness of the era: grittiness-wise, this movie should be obligatory viewing for any POTC writer with ambitions towards realism.
It's not a movie I'd like to own, but I'm very happy I watched it. It moved me. It created a lasting impression. And it renewed my deep respect for Johnny Depp's acting skills. Yay him :)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Uh. Kids' movie, right? Right. So that's why there are much scarier monsters, tentacles, people threatened with being eaten alive, people eaten alive by a giant squid, and a father forced to lash his own half-nekkid son :D
It drags a bit, especially in the cannibal segment, and of course it's not the fresh new thing POTC was, but Jack is Jack, Will is himself, and all the unexpected cameos from old favourites were very welcome indeed. And Keira Knightley, incidentally, is anorectic and should seek help. Skin and bones, that girl.
Wu Ji (The Promise)
From the director of Farewell My Concubine comes a summer blockbuster that grabbed my heart. This is a shameless Chinese folk tale transcribed directly to screen, without the philosophical pretensions of Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Draggon. Since I disliked those "look how cool Eastern philosophy is!" segments in the aforementioned movies, this one was pure fun. Visually, of course, it's beautiful - my favourite so far, even over Hero. I'd love to have almost every still from the movie as a painting on my wall.
But what makes it my favourite are the characters. No pretensions to grand destinies and Confucian calmness here. They want, they love, they laugh and cry and freak out spectacularly. Even the background characters are sketched very lovingly - the first army officer we meet is. Um. Gay as a cupcake :D And loving it. This also drives the plot, with hubris and love and vengeance. No sacrifices here, and no suicides, which is such a relief.
And it has a villain that came and knocked the Snow Queen right out of the top spot on my list of Best Folktale Villains. Wuhuan, the Prince of the North, is a sorcerer, scheming vengeful bastard, stylish beyond belief and smart as anything. I adore smart villains. And on top of everything, he's played by Nicholas Tse, who is quite a beauty. As for personality - remember my favourite bratty vampire, Herbert von Krolock? This is Chinese Herbert, pouting and gleeful and flamboyant. Herbert, Spike mixed with Angelus, Gerald Tarrant at age twenty and petulant - yes, I do have a type :D
Wu Ji is to wuxia what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is to vampire movies. If you liked Buffy, you might just love this.
Tomorrow I'm going to the cinema again. Partly to combat the heat, but mostly because I loved Wu Ji so much, I need to see it again. And buy it on DVD. I have also hunted down several Nicholas-Tse-as-Wuhuan pictures to be made into icons. He's spiffy.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 04:36 pm (UTC)She swears she isn't but...yeah. She looks scary. I remember her at the oscars, she looked positively skeletal.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 04:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 04:46 pm (UTC)Hmmmmm...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 05:06 pm (UTC)And the lashing. Unexpected and enjoyed. ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 05:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 06:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 07:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 08:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-24 07:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-24 11:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 07:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 07:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 09:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-23 10:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-24 07:53 am (UTC)Did you know that Nicholas Tse is a singer as well?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-24 11:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-24 01:16 pm (UTC)