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Kamis, 25 September 2008

The Story of Qiu Ju

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The kick is never shown, but the entire film is based around it. It's winter in the remote Shaanxi province. Pregnant Qiu Ju (Gong Li, 2046) is married to laidback farmer Qinglai (Liu Pei Qi). When village chief Wang (Lei Lao Sheng) kicks him during an argument, she sets out to ensure that her husband receives medical attention--and justice. Clad in a bulky jacket, face partially obscured by a thick scarf, the strong-willed woman, joined by sister-in-law Meizi (Yang Liu Chun), travels far and wide to find someone who can coerce Wang to apologize (she asked, he refused). All agree the chief was in the wrong, but each authority with whom she meets hands her off to another. Along the way, the couple is offered financial compensation (for medical care and lost wages), but an apology is as elusive as a dragonfly in December. Taking cues from both Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves), Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers) presents modern-day China as a country where bureaucrats run the show and the citizens--especially the women--must suffer the consequences. Fortunately, some are more persistent than others, and The Story of Qiu Ju is far from tragic. Just as their fifth pairing represents one of Yimou's rare contemporary efforts, the dressed-down title character is also an anomaly for Li, his real-life love at the time. The risk paid off and the result is one of their most cherished collaborations. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

A humorous fable of justice that traverses shot in the north of China. Gong Li plays Qiu Ju a tenacious farmer determined to right a wrong done to her husband. Defying all stereotypes of the passive Chinese woman she remains unbowed by the frustrations of bureaucracy in her quixotic search for dignity.System Requirements:Run Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: PG UPC: 043396141124 Manufacturer No: 14112

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Rabu, 24 September 2008

The Road Home

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At the start of the most recent film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, Shanghai Triad), a young man returns to his native village after the death of his father, the village's schoolteacher, who died while trying to raise money for a new schoolhouse. His body is in a neighboring town; the young man's mother insists that it be brought back on foot, lest his spirit not find his way home. From this starting point, the young man recounts the tale of his parents' courtship, which involved a red banner, mushroom dumplings, a colorful barrette, and a broken bowl. The Road Home is beautifully filmed, particularly the luminous face of Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), whose performance is a heartrending portrait of hope and yearning. A simple but deeply emotional film. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
The story of a man's parents' courtship unfolds when he comes home to bury his father.
Genre: Foreign Film - Chinese
Rating: G
Release Date: 27-NOV-2001
Media Type: DVD

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Raise the Red Lantern (MGM World Films)

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Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou) directed this fascinating, visually formal 1991 film about an educated woman (Gong Li) who is sent off to become the newest wife of a feudal nobleman in 1920s China. Nearly isolated in his spooky, palatial home, she develops relationships with several of the other wives and slowly becomes aware of a hideous legacy of punishment toward more willful women. The film has a brittle and dry quality that is deliberate, but also suggestive of Zhang working through various explorations of his own style (which he resolved in his next film, The Story of Qiu Ju). Gong Li, one of the world's great actresses, is superb. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou) directed this fascinating visually formal 1991 film about an educated woman (Gong Li) who is sent off to become the newest wife of a feudal nobleman in 1920s China. Nearly isolated in his spooky palatial home she develops relationships with several of the other wives and slowly becomes aware of a hideous legacy of punishment toward more willful women. The film has a brittle and dry quality that is deliberate but also suggestive of Zhang working through various explorations of his own style (which he resolved in his next film The Story of Qiu Ju). Gong Li one of the world's great actresses is superbSystem Requirements:Running Time: 125 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: PG UPC: 027616082626 Manufacturer No: M108262


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Kamis, 18 September 2008

Nightmare Detective

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Product Description

Japanese detective Keiko Kirishima discovers that two suicide cases were in fact murders after the evidence reveals that both victims were attacked in their dreams. This supernatural thriller follows Keiko as she tries to enlist the help of the NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE her only hope against a paranormal serial killer.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER UPC: 796019810128 Manufacturer No: 81012

Reviews

Reviews By Woopak "The THRILL" (Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell)

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE (a.k.a. Akumu Tantei, 2006) is the handiwork of renowned Japanese director/actor Shinya Tsukamoto who is also responsible for acclaimed hits such as TETSUO 1 & 2 and A Snake of June. I like this director's style, this film may have the largest budget bestowed him, but this director stands by his art, never for a moment does he give in to the pressure of making a studio-approved/influenced film. Tsukamoto just has a bigger budget to give mainstream viewers another shot of the bizarre and macabre. Would you believe that the director of this film also plays the main antagonist? Well, he does, and rightfully so. (Tsukamoto also played the lead in "Marebito", which I will review later)

A beautiful and competent detective named Keiko Kirishima (J-pop star Reiko Hitomi) is summoned to investigate supposedly two separate suicide cases. The supposed "suicides" have a common denominator; the victims dialed the same number on their cell phones just minutes before their demise. When one of the victim's wife makes a statement that she saw her husband cutting himself to pieces while he is asleep, it starts to feel more like a "serial" murder. Keiko and her partner, Wakamiya (Masanobu Ando) decides to enlist the aid of Kagenuma (Ryuhei Matsuda, Izo), a so-called psychic who can enter the dreams of another individual. The mysterious individual on the receiving end of the cell phone calls; "O" be the man behind the bloody incidents? Somehow, "O" holds the same mysterious power that Kagenuma wields.

At first glance, "Nightmare Detective" may feel like a rethread of Miike's "One Missed Call" mixed in with the horror elements of "Dreamscape" and "A Nightmare at Elm Street". However, the film sidesteps those boundaries and while its premise may hold similarities to other films, it plays like the comic book "Hellblazer" with a mixture of dark fantasy and mythology as the factors behind multi-dimensional connections. Water is used to symbolize one's immersion into "deep sleep" or a descent into the abyss and as a conduit to the dream world. "Constantine", anyone? (well, without the action and reliance to visual effects) I was rather a little disappointed that the usual J-horror gimmicks as the film does use a technological device as a link between the victims and the antagonist at first, but thankfully, the claustrophobic and atmospheric feel of the proceedings made me overlook the usual J-horror trappings.

Those who are familiar with Tsukamoto's work such as "Tetsuo" and "A Snake of June"; know that his work often relies on the creative visual manipulations of this director. There is a lot of bleakness in the proceedings, the "grainy" transfer of the film is done on purpose at times in order to allow the viewer to differentiate reality from the dream world. (Although, there are a few times it wasn't used to confuse the viewer). There are also a lot of themes and Christian motifs that involve birth and baptism, rebirth and redemption, damnation to hell and eternal suffering. While these complicated thematic style may be its strength, it may also frustrate those looking for the usual scary thrills. There are quite a lot of intense and disturbing images but somehow I did feel like the surface has only been scratched and further development of its plot still have to be finalized, it feels like a set-up for a bigger film. Well, I've read that "Nightmare Detective 2" is in production, so maybe, as with "Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer", the sequel will hold more answers and close this series more effectively.

Aside from the film's thematic affair that aroused my curiosity, the performances actually do save the film. I rather thought for a first-time performance, very sexy J-pop starlet REIKO HITOMI did a fairly good job. She plays her character with a bit of an edgy, unsettling feel. It was such a grand effort not to be taken by her sheer good looks. Ryuhei Matsuda is an actor that usually has the same style of acting, but he does give an unbalanced depth to his character. I was very impressed with Shinya Tsukamoto's performance. Boy, this director can indeed act with a very creepy charisma. As the main antagonist, Shinya steals the show; his movement and dynamic presence fits his character with an unnervingly, insane portrayal.

Overall, "Nightmare Detective" is a film with modest intentions and I really didn't find that many faults about it. Viewers looking for a fast-paced horror thriller may find their interest beginning to wane after the dream world begins to take center stage. The final encounter has that very surreal feeling that doesn't really reach a finality of closure that may prove to contain the potential to become multiple climaxes. Thankfully, the effort in adding dimensions to its back-story and character depth does succeed that I was rooting for the protagonists all the way. I'm very intrigued to see what this awesome actor/director has next up his sleeve. I'm sold to see "Nightmare Detective 2".

Recommended! For fans of Japanese fantasy/horror films. [3 ½ stars]

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Selasa, 16 September 2008

Hero

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Director Zhang Yimou brings the sumptuous visual style of his previous films (Raise the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad) to the high-kicking kung fu genre. A nameless warrior (Jet Li, Romeo Must Die, Once Upon a Time in China) arrives at an emperor's palace with three weapons, each belonging to a famous assassin who had sworn to kill the emperor. As the nameless man spins out his story--and the emperor presents his own interpretation of what might really have happened--each episode is drenched in red, blue, white or another dominant color. Hero combines sweeping cinematography and superb performances from the cream of the Hong Kong cinema (Maggie Cheung, Irma Vep, Comrades: Almost a Love Story; Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, In the Mood for Love, Hard Boiled; and Zhang Ziyi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The result is stunning, a dazzling action movie with an emotional richness that deepens with every step. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Set in China's past, before the first emperor, the film tells the story of a town magistrate who is summoned by the king of Qin to tell the story of how he defeated those who plotted to kill him.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 2-AUG-2005
Media Type: DVD

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