The Last Tycoon (大上海) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Chow Yun-Fat, Sammo Hung, Francis Ng, and Huang Xiaoming. The gals in the film include Yuan Quan, Monica Mok, Tong Fei, Yuan Li, and Feng Wenjuan. The movie is based on the high life of Shanghai-ers from the fall of the Qing Dynasty to its occupation by the Japanese.
Chow is the man in charge in Shanghai, outside of the military, no one else has more influence. We flashback to his country bumpkin days played by Huang Xiaoming. We also see that he has a crush on his neighbor sweetheart who will end up as one of the most famous opera performers in Zhong Guo. We see the tycoon, how he earned his strips and how he maintains his power. Along the way, there are women that enter their lives and it comes to a hedge on the heels of the Japanese's war into the Shanghai area.
This movie was long and sort of boring. It's like a drama of how Chow's character of Cheng Daqi rise to power from country bumpkin to the most powerful man in Shanghai. A Godfather take if you will. However, the women in the movie take up a lot of time, but you need the eye candy is my guess. Or its the presentation that the men are there due to their influence. Why try to be the most powerful man in Shanghai? Because you want to become so powerful that you can protect your woman?
Movie wise, it was well made. But the story lacked the heart that made me care for the individuals.
The Wolverine (金鋼狼:武士之戰) is an 2013 film. The movies Hugh Jackman as The Wolverine. The supporting cast include Tao Okamoto, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Will Yun Lee, Brian Tee, and Famke Janssen. The film is loosly based on the 1982 limited series Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
Logan is having trouble being around people. Hiding out in the woods somewhere, Logan relives having to take Jean Grey's life during X-Men: The Last Stand. Unable to sleep well, he dreams of Jean and accidentally stabbing her to death with his claws. Yukio travels to the US in search of Logan to bring back to Japan for her benefactor and employer, Yashida. Yashida was saved by the bomb blast during World War II when Logan used his body as a human shield. Yashida parlayed his life into transforming a company named after himself into one of the biggest conglomerates in Japan. Yashida wants to relieve Logan of his immortality. But Logan refues and Yashida dies. At the funeral, Yashida's granddaughter Mariko is named the heir to his empire. The yakuza kidnap her, but Logan rescue's her and they both go on the run since they are not sure who they can trust. Can Logan figure out how to save Mariko from those that want her dead and also save himself?
This movie was light years better than 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This story was well written, featured plenty of mystery, and had some good looking Asian people. Asian Americans Will Yun Lee and Brian Tee take a turn being Japanese with their faux Nippon accents. Both move the story along. The movie itself was pretty tense and moved quite fast due to having to cover so much. Tao Okamoto (Target's Phillip Lim collection commerical) is striking as the "damsel in distress" role.
The action was pretty well done although some things were a little absurd like ninja clan back story and the Silver Samarai with the energized swords made of adamantium. What?! Isn't it too easy to just cut adamantium?
In general, a good movie with good action, a mystery plot line, and lots of eye candy.
During the summer, PBS's POV series broadcast "High Tech, Low Life" (follow links from YouTube Video). It was an interesting look at how two people are dealing with censorship in their country. You have one older and one younger. Two different generations. Two different lives. Brought up in different locations, in different circumstances.
I was saddened and hopeful during the presentation. The video was free and online for a few weeks after its initial broadcast. It has gone dark on youtube now, only viewable through a purchase.
I would recommend it. But not sure I can recommend it as a purchase.
Mark Chao continues his accent into leading man status with the lead in this film by replacing Andy Lau as the younger Dee. The trailer starts with Mark's voice and it's on. Angelababy takes up leading lady status for this film. With the mystery set on high, we'll see if they can make these prequels a franchise. I for one hope it does.
西門町 (Westgate Tango) is an 2012 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Dylan Kuo, Anthony Wong, and Amber An. The film takes place almost entirely in Taipei's Ximending.
Amber An takes to the shops of the infamous Ximending of Taipei. There she finds a shop owner that takes in all sorts of pretty gals to help hawk all the crazy stuff you find there. Dylan Kuo is a shop runner and fortune teller in training. When their world's collide, Amber takes to Kuo right away. When the bad guys come running in to take some real estate properties, the life and death sakes of living in Ximending are escalated. Will the two be able to break on through to the other side, especially with Dylan's mysterious background.
The movie was slow, mysterious, and a hard watch. I liked the way the movie was shot as it did highlight Ximending I've not seen in other variety shows. As the premiere counter culture area of Taiwan, it attracts tourist, locals, and other Taiwanese to the area. In the movie, the various people land there and make a living there due to a past they are running away from. Others are just trying to make a living. This movie was a brief look into the lives of those that make it run.
Natural Born Lovers (天生愛情狂) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Julian Cheung and Annie Liu. The large supporting cast include Anna Kay, Ciwi Lam, Jinny Ng, and Kathy Yuen.
Julian plays a famous bakery chef with a child star past. One day, he bumps into Annie Liu being rejected by her lover. The bump heads later and she remembers how he didn't help her before. Thus begins the chase to woo Annie. The go to elevators, dates, and they break up. Because Annie is crazy when she gets in love. The kinda of love that suffocates a relationship. Can these two love birds make it work?
The movie was just ok. There was a lot of eye candy to keep one interested. But it's not enough when the story doesn't help it out. Annie and Anna/Mabel do make it hard to take your eyes of the scene. But there's just so much other stuff to distract and make us lose interest. Julian himself seems really old for the role he's in. Playing a late 20s guy didn't seem to fit him. And than there's the story telling. All over the place, but not very clear. Trying to set up moments and character traits seemed to drag. However, I didn't turn it off and watched to the end. Maybe it was the eye candy. Maybe it was loyalty to Julian. Maybe I was just lazy to stop too.
Kenichi Ebina, the amazing dance-ish-er, wins America's Got Talent Season 8 - 2013. Kenichi has had an amazing ride. From the look of befuddlement when he first walked onstage, this Japanese husband and father, takes America by storm with his amazing dance and performance arts skillz. The performances he gave at each stage seemed to improve on his first Matrix inspired performance.
My personal favorite was Cami Bradley after her amazing cover of Cher's "Believe".
Summer isn't officially over until September 22. But the summer movie season ends with the Labor Day weekend. Let's take a look at the dirty dozen that made it.
被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years) is an 2013 film out of Zhong Guo. It was released a couple of weeks ago in Zhong Guo, a week ago in Hong Kong, and this weekend in Taipei. Directed by Barbara Wong, it stars a mostly Taiwanese cast. The movie stars Bai Baihe and Joseph Chang. Amber An, Christine Fan, and 阿Ken round out the supporting cast. The movie trailer looked like a Taiwanese movie with the majority of the people. However, whenever Bai opens her mouth, you know she straight outta Zhong Guo. Which just seems weird given the context. However, its about the story, not the origins of its stars.
The movie is about a couple that was previously married. The wife in the story has an accident and loses memory of the last 5 years of her life. Believing herself to still be married to the husband in the story. Without the current life to fall to, she must now reconnect with her life from 5 years ago. Including the man she divorced not long ago.
Interesting story as it a simi retake or re-telling of the story from the The Vow. But it also looks to seek out why our lives change so much in a mere 5 years. Thus, the Stolen 5 years.
The Grandmaster (一代宗師) is an 2013 film out of Hong Kong. The movie is directed and written by the acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai. The film stars Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. The supporting cast include Chang Chen, Song Hye-kyo, Wang Qingxiang, Zhang Jin, and Zhao Benshan. Cung Le makes a brief cameo in a fight under the rain. There are three version of the film. I have seen the Hong Kong and US versions.
Ip Man is in Foshan in 1936. A northern master has come south to retire and handing the reigns to his disciple Ma San. However, Ma San goes overboard and hurts combatants. Ip Man is to represent the Southern masters in one last duel with the Northern master. The two come to a non-physical duel. The duel is of ideals for martial arts. Ip Man wins by his philosophical ideal of expanding martials arts beyond the border of northern and southern Zhong Guo. Gong Er is the daughter of the defeated Northern master. Gong Er and Ip Man duel to pretty much a stand still before a Ip Man breaks a step. The terms of the duel were that nothing would be broken by the winner. Gong Er and Ip Man are than separated and long to reunite for another duel. Do the emotions they have for each go beyond their reverence for martial arts? The Sino-Japanese war lands in Foshan and Ip Man is forced to live in poverty for much of the remainder of his life. 1950 is here and Ip Man relocates to Hong Kong and sets up shop to spread Wing Chun.
This movie was not an action film. It was a Wong Kar-wai film. If you paused the film, it would look like a photograph you might hang on a wall. It was a beautiful film. The way Wong gets his films to look the way they do is amazing. 6 years was way too long from his last film, My Blueberry Nights.
The Hong Kong and US versions of the film were like watching two different films. The Hong Kong version was clocked at 130 minutes and the US one at 108. Another international version shown at the Berlin film fest was 123 minutes. I think only the HK and US version will be available to the general masses.
I liked the Hong Kong version better. It was classic Wong. The scenes were filled with flashbacks to an earlier times in the beginning moments. The non liner presentation made me long to know what was next. All along, I was pressed into the current scene and the grand emotions there. The dialogue was also pretty amazing. The Hong Kong version I watched was completely in Mandarin, I didn't have subtitles to distract me. I was able to focus on the faces, the scenery, the movie! Zhang Ziyi is still a beauty. During the Golden Palace scenes, she was plain and seemed to be without make up. While the other women all around her were made up and had fancy clothes on. BUT Zhang Ziyi was still heads above more beautiful than the rest of them. A testament to her natural beauty. The teahouse scene in Hong Kong between Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung still resonances. From their philosophical chat and to Zhang's utter look of being defeated by life.
The US version was more linear and tried to tell a story from start the finish. Leaving out whole sub plots and inserting some scenes not in the HK version. I also enjoyed it and I recommend it to my US based friends as well. It's more digestible for the folks on this side of the pond. Marketed as a film about Bruce Lee's master, it left out the two main fight scene from Chang Chen's baji style.
In both films, the way Chang Chen's story was only a little of adding how the martial arts world had moved to HK was a disappointment. Knowing that rumors of an original 4 hour cut was around, I would have been very happy if Wong split the films into two!
The Intouchables (逆轉人生) is an 2011 film out of France. The movie stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. The supporting cast include Audrey Fleurot and Anne Le Ny. The is based on a true story. It has done very well for itself at the box office, both in its domestic country of France and worldwide. As of this writing, it is the highest grossing non-English speaking film worldwide.
Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic, looks for a replacement for a daily caretaker. Driss, an unemployed candidate, applies, but doesn't want to get hired. Instead, Driss only wants the signature of why they decided not to hire him. Phillipe ask for Driss to come back the day after. Going against the grain and of what was expected of him in society. The staff around Philippe are taken aback by the "crude" nature of Driss. Philippe likes the honest approach of his caretaker. The strike up a bond that is "intouchable".
The movie was good. I wouldn't want to watch again. I had a hard time having to follow subtitles. And sometimes what I felt from the emotions of the scene didn't translate well via the subtitles. The movie was well made. Told a very interest odd couple type pairing. The story does go heavy on the melodrama at the end. I also do not understand the cultural make up of France. Was Driss's background suppose to translate to that of "ghetto". Was I suppose to assume that there was this rags to riches moment for Driss? However, it did so well internationally that it seems stereotypes do cross borders.
一九四二 (Back To 1942) is an 2012 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Zhang Guoli. The supporting cast include Chen Daoming, Li Xuejian, Zhang Han-Yu, Zhang Mo, Wang Ziwen, Xu Fan, Tim Robbins, and Adrien Brody. There were many more, but the ensemble cast is too numerous to name. The movie is based on a book recollecting the famine of Henan in 1942.
Zhang plays Fan, a wealthy business man in the Henan countryside. When the famine hits, that part of Henan becomes a lawless arena of who can get the most grain. Fan's family decides to head towards the Xianxi border to "wait out" the times. Along the way, he starts to lose his fortune, grain, and family. All the while, the government is helpless to help. Brody plays Theodore H. White, a journalist for Life magazine. Seeing the famine first hand, he summits an article of the true face of the family, gov't neglect. Along the way, the refugees get no breaks from their countrymen and the Japanese bombers.
This movie was very hard to watch. I don't like to see so much suffering. Yet, someone had to make a film about it. Which is good for historical purposes, but it may not be the most entertaining in value. I didn't feel very good when watching the movie. I was sad for the victims, that history could play out in a similar way, and hatred for those in power that didn't do more. The corruption that played out in the film seems to reflect even the human nature of today. When you're in a position of power, how will it be used? The movie portrays the corruption as part of life.
September's Blockbusters may get all the attention, but there also are those that dare to walk the path less traveled. You might be one of them. Here's a few "offbeat" movies for you to chew on. This list is based on USA release dates.
