curse of the golden flower?

[kunoichi2003]

Has anyone seen Curse of the golden flower yet? I seen a trailer for it on tv a couple days ago. If you have seen it, is it worth the price of a movie ticket?


kunoichi

[doc]

I saw the Good Shepherd, and personally, I think that was a great movie.

Now, if I can get another date, it's off to see Children of Man.

Hope it's playing next year.

[baiwanxi]

Yep, I've seen "The Curse of The Golden Flower".

Is it worth the price of a movie ticket ? I say yes. It's an entertaining movie. I heard it was the most expensive movie produced in China to date. Lot's of the color gold in the movie.

Now, how did I feel about the movie ? That's another question !

If you love Gong li as an actress, she's wonderful as always, and beautiful as always. And her breasts are amazing throughout the film. I know, you're a girl. I was saying that for any of the guys out there. Actually, as far as breasts go, there's a few scenes with scores of women all with huge, half exposed breasts !!! Chow Yun Fat plays the King, however, he plays a very subdued, stern character which doesn't allow for his skills as an actor to shine too brightly.

As far as Gongfu goes, the choreographing is great but not much Gongfu. Mostly people flipping and spinning around each other or slashing with weapons, coupled with speedy camera work.

As far the plot,,, not bad, but you expect most things to happen as they unfold. Not too many suprises. The story also starts to drag on when you approach the 3/4 mark of the movie.

I also feel, and this is my opinion, that Zhang Yimo is going down hill with his movies. "Hero" was his first Martial Arts movie that he directed by himself and it is great, but not simply because of his directing. The costume and set design (the colors) made that movie just amazing to watch. It was like a work of art constantly unrolling. But I feel Zhang Yimo's strength lies in his love stories and depictions of real life. THat's what he did in his early days, and I feel some of those movies are among the best movied ever made. Now, it's almost as if he's just trying too hard and spending his money doing it. He's trying to become too "Hollywood", and it shows in this movie. But that's only my personal opinion. Zhang Yimo was, by far, my fovorite director back before he had the mony and power to do these "big production" movies. I loved "Hero", but it's not much of a love story, and that's where he truly excells. I just wish he would hang up on the whole Gongfu thing and make a big production, real life, love story that just grabs you by the heart and squeezes with no mercy ! Just one ! Then he could go back to doing anything else in the world.

Anyway, I say yes, go see it. If for nothing else, the movie is visualy appetizing and Gong Li is wonderful. There is one really good sword scene between Chow YunFat's character, The King, and one of his son's. It's one of the first fight scenes in the movie. One of the final fight scenes in the movie shows a good amount of Guan Dao work which was nice to see. Not too many movies have ever made a used the Guan Dao all that extinsively... There's really not that many fight scenes in the movie, at least, not compared to the old school "Golden Harvest" movies.

Hope that helps. Sorry it was so long.

[kunoichi2003]

Thanks for your insight, baiwanxi! I just recently got a hold of a copy of the movie but haven't watched it yet. I wanted to see it on the big screen but unfortuantly it wasn't playing at to many places near me I love zhang yimous movies. Hero is still my fav by him,(probably because I love jet li) but I got to say the Road home had me in tears and I don't ever cry during movies. He truly has a gift for making movies that make you "feel". I agree that he is trying to become more Hollywood, which is very sad.

kunoichi

[daodejing]

Saw it with my girlfriend, good film. Very pretty, very tragic. Plot is typical asian revenge theater, wife does the only thing she can do to hurt the king, her husband, engineer the destruction of his sons. Good stuff though, worth the ticket.