What Have You Just Seen... Marks Out of 5

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 31 Jan 2007, 20:27

The Painted Veil (2007 - John Curran - With Naomi Watts and Edward Norton): 2 / 5

I wanted to like this movie, I really did.
Was expecting a period melodrama and it's exactly what I got, but it's not a good one.
It's boring.

Even though it's got the great Anthony Wong (always impressive) and Naomi Watts (whose acting has improved a lot since King Kong), Edward Norton and the director have ruined the film.
There is no chemistry at all between Norton and Watts, and no amount of overacting from Watts can make up for that.

But what's really wrong with Painted Veil is the pace.
It's slow. Even in the last third when you expect the pace to pick up a bit, the whole film grinds to a halt again.
Nothing happens in this film. And that's about the worst crime a filmmaker can commit. They got this superb background, great actors and a decent budget, and they just wasted all of it.

By the end, I was left with an overwhelming feeling of emptiness (a little voice inside my head that said: "you've just wasted 2 hours of your life, you idiot").

Didn't like it. Won't buy the DVD.
Sure it's pretty, sure the music's good. Don't care. It's boring.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 31 Jan 2007, 20:40

hey,

Beginner's Luck 3/5

Engaging stars (Lau Ching Wan, Wu Chien-Lien, Michael Chow) and very easy going pace by director Billy Chan makes Beginner's Luck a very engaging piece plus it doesn't challenge us with complex lessons either. Concerns gambling on horses vs. love.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 31 Jan 2007, 20:48

Su-ki-da

This a seriously mixed bag. The first 40 minutes is probably the best moving making of the 2000’s. If the whole movie was that good this would probably be my favourite movie in the world. It does have its minor flaws in terms of characters/story but Hiroshi Ishikawa’s movie making feels so far superior to any other drama director on the planet that it doesn’t really matter. Easily 10/10 footage every single minute.

That’s why it’s so sad the director almost crashes the film after the fist half. First we get an unneeded plot turn, then an unwelcome structure change, and finally even the soundtrack goes broken when we get normal background music (I so, so loved how there was basically no music except the short guitar tune played repeatedly by one of the main characters). And all this happens within five minutes. Until around 60 min the film sucks. Then it gets getting better again. It’s the same concept as in the beginning but it doesn’t work that well anymore. Nevertheless, the rest of the film is very nice until the ending, which really sucks. A total misjudgement by the director.

If there was just one quality drop down, it would be easier to handle. But when the second part of the film starts AND ends so badly it makes the middle part feel not so worth the fight. But I still recommend getting the film as the first 40 min is pretty much the most amazing cinema you’ll ever see. The cinematography and the framing is just beautiful, Aoi Miyazaki gives one of my favourite female performances ever (Kentaro Otani should be shot in the head for wasting her talents in ’Nana’) and the use of sound is so great there’s no words to descibe it.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 31 Jan 2007, 23:48

Cheers Hung... swap it for A Blue Automobile?

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 01 Feb 2007, 00:22

grim_tales wrote:At the airport Bruce looks at the picture of Nora Miao he has been given (she is at her loveliest here ) before recognising her. When Bruce goes to the toilet, because he has never seen one before he flushes it a few times, a guy looks in on what Bruce is doing, and then Bruce closes the door.

The humour is very local and I found quite often impenitrable.

When John Benn says "Be careful with the gun in public" he sounds like someone doing an impression of Bruce

That's because it was Bruce. He dubbed a few of Jon Benn's lines and those of the Italian thugs. Well-spotted.

RickyTheDragonSteamboat · Post by **RickyTheDragonSteamboat** » 01 Feb 2007, 01:22

Drunken Master - 5/5
I had passed this film up so many times and I definitely shouldn't have. It was a great little film and the fights were amazing. Why don't they don't make them like this anymore?

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 01 Feb 2007, 01:47

RickyTheDragonSteamboat wrote:Drunken Master - 5/5
I had passed this film up so many times and I definitely shouldn't have. It was a great little film and the fights were amazing. Why don't they don't make them like this anymore?

Isn't it great going back to watch the movies you loved when you were young and notice that they haven't got any weaker and maybe impress you even more now? Definitely an awesome film.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 01 Feb 2007, 05:08

The sequel is better.

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 01 Feb 2007, 06:44

Recently bought a copy of DM off hkflix.com. Looks kinda shoddy but I'm desparate for a full Cantonese version and being region crode free impaired at the moment, I had no other option. Anywho, I hadn't seen it in many many years and seeing it again in its original glory was an mazing experience. But DM II is better though.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 01 Feb 2007, 08:46

Drunken Master II is great, I'll have to see DM again sometime.

Thanks Mark for the pointer about WOTD, I'm guessing it doesnt have any "extra" footage at all and I'm puzzled because I haven't seen it in a while.
I'm sure Bruce also dubs the guy who asks for Chinese spareribs in the restaurant.
Until John Benn/Wei Ping Ao use the term "kung fu", the subtitles say "Chinese Boxing".

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 01 Feb 2007, 13:16

BiscLimpkit wrote:Cheers Hung... swap it for A Blue Automobile?

no

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 01 Feb 2007, 16:04

grim_tales wrote:Drunken Master II is great, I'll have to see DM again sometime.

Thanks Mark for the pointer about WOTD, I'm guessing it doesnt have any "extra" footage at all and I'm puzzled because I haven't seen it in a while.
I'm sure Bruce also dubs the guy who asks for Chinese spareribs in the restaurant.
Until John Benn/Wei Ping Ao use the term "kung fu", the subtitles say "Chinese Boxing".

you may have have originally saw the usa release which was cut quite badly.the scene on the toliet being one of the cuts.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 01 Feb 2007, 16:07

Lady In The Water 1/5

Gave this a second chance,unfortunately it's even worse 2nd time around.how did this vanity project ever get made.

appalling.

Borat 3/5

Not bad but overrated,not the laughfest i'd heard it was.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 01 Feb 2007, 17:40

saltysam wrote:how did this vanity project ever get made. appalling..

His previous films made a lot of money, duh.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 01 Feb 2007, 18:10

EvaUnit02 wrote:
saltysam wrote:how did this vanity project ever get made. appalling..
His previous films made a lot of money, duh.

yep,at disney and even they wouldn't greenlight this crap 8)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 01 Feb 2007, 19:05

Sam I don't remember seeing the USA "Return of the Dragon", all I've seen is the HKL and TBH I don't remember the toilet bit

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 01 Feb 2007, 19:36

well it was in the hkl grim,your memory must be failing you

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 01 Feb 2007, 20:03

Yes my memory is failing me

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 01 Feb 2007, 21:31

thelostdragon wrote:World Trade Center - 2.5/5
First 30 m inutes were 4/5.

The rest of the film however consisted of many "Tell my wife/family I love her/them"-s and close ups of Nicolas Cage's head.

As I suspect, a film I have less than zero interest in seeing.

tom2681 wrote:The Painted Veil (2007 - John Curran - With Naomi Watts and Edward Norton): 2 / 5

Pity. Still your taste in films sucks so it will probably be great.

Naomi Watts is an excellent actress (she was outstanding in 21 Grams) but agreed Ed. Norton is a drip. Lots of films nothing happens, that's not a bad thing per se.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 02 Feb 2007, 02:55

bradavon wrote:
thelostdragon wrote:World Trade Center - 2.5/5
First 30 m inutes were 4/5.

The rest of the film however consisted of many "Tell my wife/family I love her/them"-s and close ups of Nicolas Cage's head.
As I suspect, a film I have less than zero interest in seeing.

Watch the first 30 minutes. Really damn well made I have to tell you.

Flags of our Fathers - 3/5
Exactly as I imagined it was gonna be. I'm really looking forward to "Letters from Iwo Jima" now.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 02 Feb 2007, 07:07

Edward Norton has done some great acting - though I haven't seen this so am not commenting on it. Have you seen American History X, Primal Fear, The Score or Fight Club, Brad?

I'm not gonna bother with World Trade Center either. If they wanted soap why not get Ron Howard or seomthing? I expect hard politics from Ollie Stone. What happened to the days of Salvador, man?

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 02 Feb 2007, 10:14

How did you imagine FOUF, LD?

I'd like to see it too.

BTW Mark re: WOTD, I also liked the fights with Bruce, Bob Wall and Whang in-Sik

- though why Whang is playing a Japanese I'm not sure, and Bob Wall is listed as "Fred" (!) in the credits.

One thing that was cheesy was when Uncle Wang turns out to be a bad guy and kills Tony/Jimmy - WTF? That was clumsily handled and rather silly.

The finale in the colleseum (sp?) is great. 8) The film had a different subtitle translation to HKL I think, instead of "Today you will meet your death" it's "The man you just saw will kill you. You're at death's door".
The final graveyard scene is really quite touching here, and the music over the credits seemed a different arrangement to HKL/the Cantonese track

Also wierdly the "original trailer" isn't presented with the Mandarin track AFAIK

Even HKL got this right.
On the "Fist of Fury: PE" DVD from HKL the "original trailer" is in Cantonese despite the film's Mandarin track this time round.

slasher13 · Post by **slasher13** » 02 Feb 2007, 13:38

This film is not yet Rated - 4 out of 5
I really enjoyed this documentary on how the MPAA are in the US. Bloody hell, I thought the BBFC was git, but MPAA are on another level, being all secret about stuff. I really feel sorry for the indie director who just want to make a mark on hollywood. Very disturbing that the major players of the film industry are also on board the MPAA.
The only other disturbing thing about this documentary was the private investigor and what they do to get information.. bloody hell, def will think about getting a shredder

The documentary should what bits was cut out of movie (which was all sexual), and I do find it strange that US are ok with violence but not with sex.
Def worth a rent if you are interested in how films are rated and censorship issues.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 02 Feb 2007, 15:01

slasher13 wrote:This film is not yet Rated - 4 out of 5
I thought the BBFC was git,

Don't know why people think this. They were pretty terrible but are more or less spot on now.

Good documentary though, I agree.

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 02 Feb 2007, 16:01

FEARLESS: Director's Cut - 4/5
I liked the original theatrical cut but always felt the movie was very uneven and undeveloped. But no need to worry because that's what the DC is for. I thought the new footage really did make the movie better. I especially liked the extended scenes with Yuanjia and the villagers; all of which are crucial in showing Yuanjia's slow transformation into his new self. I know, everyone was upset about Michelle Yeoh's footage being deleted from the original cut but I thought those scenes were useless and pointless. That footage should've been cut and left somewhere else on the disc as a bonus feature. I'd give the film a higher mark had it not been for those scenes. Other than that, great film.