Sí, el titular es llamativo. Puede parecer un truco sucio para llamar vuestra atención, pero no es nuestro.

Zhang Ziyi ha anunciado que quiere a Shu Qi para la película “Secret Fan“, basada en una novela del mismo título de la escritora Lisa Lee. ¿Y qué tiene que ver esto con los desnudos? Pues parece ser que la novela tiene más de una escena en que las dos protagonistas aparecen completamente desnudas, escribiendo una en el cuerpo de la otra.

Shu Qi empezó su carrera en películas de categoría III, y fotografías eróticas (no os las vamos a poner aquí ¡pervertidos!…para eso está Google), así que parece que no le hace mucha gracia la idea. Ziyi está intentando convencerla a toda costa, pero por si acaso no lo consigue, hay una lista de posibles sustitutas: Fan Bingbing, Ruby Lin, Yao Chen, Zhou Xun (¡¡¡voto por Zhou Xun!!!), Gong Li (Gong Li desnuda, seguro que la mitad de búsquedas de Google en la historia, contienen esas palabras…), Maggie Cheung y Li Bingbing.

La verdad es que la lista parece que la hayamos hecho nosotros al responder a “¿A quien te gustaría ver retozando con Zhang Ziyi?“, pero no es nuestra, lo juramos.

A todo esto, la película trata de dos amigas (en chino “laotong” amigas unidas, como en un juramento de hermanas), que viven los tortuentos finales del siglo XIX (Crisis política y social en China, la última dinastía estaba a punto de caer). Lily y Snowflower (así se llaman las chicas) han pasado la vida recluídas en casa, y ambas han sufrido el vendamiento de pies, y su relación se va haciendo más fuerte poco a poco hasta que llegan a lo de escribirse cosas en el cuerpo (al parecer, una tradición poética de Hunan).

En fin, Zhang Ziyi es la que ha dado la lista, suponemos que para crear todo este “hype” respecto a lo de los desnudos. Lo que no sabemos si esta vez, Ziyi se desnudará o utilizará una doble de cuerpo como ha hecho siempre hasta ahora.

Comme pendant chaque changement de saison, j’aime penser à ce qu’il me plairait de porter ces prochains mois. Par contre, je ne sais pas si ce sont les fêtes et leurs tentations qui approchent, le manque de choses à mon goût en magasins, la frustration occasionnée par le “régime Loub” depuis cet été (= pas d’achats à moins de revendre, histoire de n’investir que dans de belles chaussures) ou encore le manque de temps, mais j’ai du mal à concrétiser mes envies esthético-vestimentaires du moment… A défaut de les montrer portées, j’en partage ce soir avec vous les inspirations, pour le plaisir des yeux – et en espérant pouvoir en livrer très vite des réinterprétations “tirées des fonds de placard”!

- Des matières et couleurs précieuses. Les premières sont un peu une constante, soie, lainage, cachemire, angora, j’essaie depuis déjà quelques temps de bannir les synthétiques; j’y ajouterais aussi des plumes, broderies, strass, fourrures, en détails le jour, en profusion la nuit… Les secondes se promènent dans la gamme de la joaillerie ancienne : bronzes, rouges rubis, verts émeraudes, vert-de-gris, ors… J’aime les images et associations qui évoquent des bijoux anciens, patinés par le temps, qu’on ne trouverait que dans des trésors de famille ou au hasard d’une brocante, mis en scène dans des ambiances boudoir ou carte postale début de siècle…

- Des noirs profonds, façon Belle-Epoque, relevés encore par une touche de “luxe” : brocards contrastés, empiècements ou broderies d’or, fourrure moelleuse et douce… Les plissés reviennent aussi régulièrement :

- Au moins une nouvelle tenue d’inspiration masculine; les variations fantaisie sont les bienvenues, comme les deux “héroïnes manga” des côtés droits…

- Remettre des chapeaux. J’ai passé l’été à l’abri du soleil, en tenues légères, et il était déjà temps de retourner à la fac, en se dépêchant le matin et en évitant les extravagances superflues. Mais les bibis me manquent, surtout depuis l’exposition années 40 qui en présentait de toutes sortes, et aussi à cause d’une élégante demoiselle chapeautée de plumes et plumetis, à Paris…

J’ai déjà ressorti les bérets, je pense customiser quelques vieux fedoras pour les féminiser :

- Une (très) (grosse) influence orientale : empiècements origamis, manches kimono, couleurs riches en associations inhabituelles, motifs floraux, broderies précieuses, bijoux de cheveux…

Au programme : des matières douillettes et précieuses, des jeux de textures, de la fourrure, du plumetis aux jambes ou devant les yeux, des ors, des bronzes, toutes sortes de verts et de rouilles, des teintes assourdies mais en associations éclatantes, un peu d’élégance épurée des années 40 d’un côté, un peu d’extravagance orientale de l’autre… Certains éléments peuvent paraître contradictoire, mais dans mon imagination c’est très clair!

Trouvés :

- des gants au poignet de fourrure bien touffu!

- une veste chinoisante, dans le tissu (un brocard satiné rouge) et dans la coupe.

A faire :

- un tri de mes chapeaux; certains seront mis à la vente. Dans le même rayon, décorer quelques vieux fedoras défraîchis…

- décorer des bas de perles et de rubans.

- (essayer de) coudre quelques jupes amples : priorité aux tissus précieux noirs, et aux tissus à motifs baroques ou contrastants.

- demander à ma couturière de réaliser une veste mi-longue à la coupe épurée, mais dans un tissu orné de fleurs de cerisier contrastantes. L’inspiration? Celui porté par les soeurs siamoises dans la dernière scène de “Big Fish”…

- rallonger mon manteau de soirée en brocard rouge un peu trop court avec un large galon de fourrure. Peut-être réaliser un col assorti…

- pour le soir, coudre une surjupe de tulle noir, décorée de bandes de dentelle ou de roses en tissu pour jouer sur les transparences – sur l’idée de la robe de Madeleine Vionnet, et dans l’esprit aussi de ce défilé Dior…

2004: 2046 di Wong Kar-wai

“Un film dal gusto squisito, dalle atmosfere struggenti” (Il Messaggero), “…un meraviglioso rebus, sospeso fra immaginazione letteraria, passato che viene dal cinema e futurismo della mente” (Ciak), “…un cinema di incantamento dei sensi e di piacere assoluto dell’immaginazione” (Repubblica).

Dello stesso regista, e con lo stesso protagonista, abbiamo ammirato lo splendido In the mood for love (e 2046 è il suo seguito ideale).

L’ammirazione si ripete per questo nuovo capolavoro (frutto di tre anni di lavoro) permeato da una perenne atmosfera onirica, intrigante e affascinante oltremodo (1).

“Un film di eleganza sopraffina dove i personaggi e i luoghi si mescolano in una sinfonia di luci, impressioni e colori”, così lo presenta Cult, il canale satellitare che lo sta mandando in onda in questo periodo. Un continuo, ammaliante oscillare tra immagini anni 60 e immagini futuristiche dove non sai se applaudire maggiormente la straordinaria abilità registica, la eccezionale bravura dell’intero cast, la suggestiva colonna sonora, il bellissimo contrasto (come qualche critico ha sottolineato) tra la smagliante bellezza ed eleganza delle figure femminili e l’ambiente miserevole e degradato in cui si muovono.

Presentato al Festival di Cannes 2004, è un film complesso ed ermetico («Attenzione, 2046 non è una storia d’amore… ma una storia sull’amore - sottolinea il regista di Shangai -. Nessun finale felice. La “chiusa” è affidata allo spettatore perché il film è come un pranzo: noi offriamo l’antipasto e il piatto principale ma il pubblico deve portare il dessert»), un film raffinato ed estetizzante (visivamente è uno splendore) che parla del passato che rimpiangiamo e che non ritorna, un film da gustare scena per scena e che chi ama il “vero cinema” non dovrebbe assolutamente perdere.

p.s.

Così Wong kar-wai ha presentato 2046: «I due film, ‘In the Mood for Love’ e questo, sono nati in contemporanea. Sono in un certo senso la stessa storia. Finito ‘Mood’, questo è ricomparso. Ma non lo considero un seguito. Semmai una rilettura degli stessi personaggi, il rapporto fra i due film è lo stesso che il protagonista ha con il proprio passato: più cerca di dimenticarlo, più quello ritorna, Il messaggio del film è che bisogna prima o poi fare i conti con i propri ricordi».

note:

(1) Gian Luigi Rondi scrive: “Quel 2046 ha tre significati diversi. È il numero di una stanza d’albergo, è l‘anno in cui Hong Kong finirà definitivamente sotto la sovranità della Cina, è il titolo di un romanzo di fantascienza in cui uno scrittore triste immagina un misterioso treno destinato a trasportare i suoi passeggeri dagli anni Sessanta dell’azione in tempo presente verso il 2046”.

scheda

premi e riconoscimenti

sito ufficiale

I’ve recently viewed three modern classics of Chinese cinema which had been recommended to me: Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower.

Hero had beautiful landscapes and gorgeous cinematography, but those landscapes were barren and sere – rather like the emotional context of the film. The story, while having many meritorious points, argues both directly and indirectly for unification under a sole authority. It is both authoritarian and patriotic – it’s easy to see how the cooperation of the Chinese government was acquired for the scenes at the Imperial Palace. It’s certainly a good film, and its political overtones don’t occlude the quality of the storytelling, but it is somewhat jarring. Strikingly, Zhang Yimou himself denied having any political message. It may be more a matter of baseline assumptions that inform the content of the film than an attempt to convey information.

House of Flying Daggers struck me as a more interesting narrative with even more gorgeous scenery. The plot twists were carried off better than those of Hero in my opinion. Both movies were strongly influenced by the traditional Chinese love of nature scenes, but those in Flying Daggers were lusher and not as stark. The plot is tragic, but in a way I found to be more satisfying. Brighter and cheerier scenes, an extraordinarily creepy brothel, and a haunting bamboo forest make this a memorable movie.

Curse of the Golden Flower… well, it’s something like “Titus Andronicus” crossed with “Hamlet”, only without the happy ending. I have never appreciated Aesthetic Minimalism as much as I did after viewing this movie’s representation of the interior of the Emperor’s court – it takes baroque elaboration and vivid color to the point of garishness. The royal family is doomed, treacherous, incestuous, and proud. Their machinations tear their world apart, and ultimately no one wins. And they might not even be able to bring themselves to realize it.

Da hong Deng long Gao gao Gua

Pais: China
Duración: 125 min
Dirección:  Zhang Yimou
Guion: Ni Zhen -Novela: Su Tong
Producción: China-Hong Kong – Taiw
Música: Zhao Jiping – AKA Zhao Ji Ping

Reparto:

Gong Li, Jin Shuyuan, Cao Cuifeng, He Caifei, Ma Jingwu.

Descripción:
La película nos muestra la vida de las cuatro esposas de un hombre rico que viven en una gran casa. El hombre es el dueño y señor y las mujeres son de su propiedad y cada día elige a una de ellas para pasar la noche,mediante la colocación de una gran linterna roja en la puerta de la habitación de la mujer escogida. Este rito da lugar al título y provoca las mejores situaciones de la película, al reflejar la tensión y la rivalidad producida en las mujeres cada atardecer, cuando esperan en las puertas de sus habitaciones ver en cúal de ellas lucirá esa noche la lámpara.  Esas cuatro paredes, este patio interior, típico de las casas chinas, se convierten en un microuniverso -que no quiere saber que fuera hay otras alternativas- en el que hasta el más pequeño detalle adquiere la mayor relevancia.

Críticas:

Una vez más, Yimou vuelve a hacer gala de su gran capacidad para manejar la tensión en las entrañas de esta sorprendente cinta. Regresa con una profunda critica a las tradiciones chinas más ancestrales, deleitándonos con su visión del mundo femenino y sus relaciones, todo ello a través de un espléndido drama que ofrece una extraordinaria visión del sexo, la intriga y la pasión, en una única localización pero con una belleza estética propia de un obseso de la fotografía como es el realizador.
Cine de alto vuelo.

—
Obtuvo en Venecia un León de Plata, el premio Fipresi y el Premio Elvira Notari; en Valladolid, el Premio a Mejor Fotografía; y estuvo nominada al Oscar como Mejor Película Extranjera.
—
LA LINTERNA ROJA armoniza de forma exquisita unas imágenes brillantes, equilibradas y sosegadas, de cuidada ambientación y fotografía, con la densidad de las pasiones que muestran, donde los personajes, perfectamente definidos, se nos van descubriendo poco a poco. Yimou posee un ritmo tranquilo que combina los primeros planos con planos generales, y que siente cierto disfrute viendo las cosas frontalmente.
—
Algo tan excepcional que embarga todos los sentidos. Una obra de arte que apasiona sin grandes alardes.
¡¡¡ Pura poesía visual !!!

Datos técnicos:
Tamaño: 1,75 Gb
Duracion: 01:59:47
Vídeo codec: Xvid (doble pasada)
Resolución: 672 x 352
Bitrate: 1868 Kbps.Qf: 0,316
Códec Audio: 0×2000(AC3, Dolby Laboratories, Inc)  CBR
Bitrate Chino: 48000Hz  224 kb/s total (2 chnls)
Subtítulos:[Castellano]

Capturas:

Película V.O.

Substítulos Castellano

]]> http://bluemoviereviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/miscellaneous-debris-september-edition/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:16:22 +0000 Screaming Blue Reviews http://bluemoviereviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/miscellaneous-debris-september-edition/

A round up of news, rumors and opinions at the edge of the fall season.

September’s pretty much over, and the whole industry greets the coming of autumn and winter not with cooler temperatures but with meatballs. Lots and lots and meatballs. Once again a CGI spectacle rules over adult-oriented films like The Informant! and Surrogates, even while the rest of the Top 10 looks like a scrap heap. The coming months at least bring a few intriguing films: the Gerard Butler-Jamie Foxx ne0 noir Law Abiding Citizen, the perfect storm of hipsterness Where The Wilid Things Are, the Coen Brother’s A Serious Man, and dozens of others. So there’s light at the end of the tunnel, even as the days grow shorter.

The following few news items are a miscellany of observations and opinions we’ve built up over the last month. The opinions are our own, though you’re welcome to discuss.

Does it still happen if no one's watching?

1. As far as box office goes, September was notable not for what made money but for what didn’t: Jennifer’s Body, the double flash-in-the-pan teaming of Megan Fox and Diablo Cody, was dead on arrival despite a saturating media campaign. Meanwhile the Jennifer Aniston romantic drama Love Happens (which we like to call Pointless In Seattle) also went nowhere, even in a year in which other romances like The Proposal and (500) Days of Summer have exceeded box office expectations.

We think the lesson to be learned is pretty simple: people are bored, and ready for something new and fresh. Aniston and Fox are both overexposed, though Proposal star Sandra Bullock isn’t. The public won’t pay money to see faces they see too much already, for free, on magazine covers.

2. We bitched some about the season premiere of Mad Men, but the show has gotten substantially better with each episode, and the last couple especially can stand with the best of the series. Watching the Sterling-Cooper ad agency unravel from within is a suprisingly gut-wrenching process, even as Don and Betty Draper (Jon Hamm and January Jones) seem to prepare themselves to finally go their separate ways. Cheers also for bringing back Draper’s nemesis Duck Philips, played so well by Mark Moses.

As last night’s episode, “Seven Twenty Three,” was the halfway point of the seasons, we’ll risk predicting that by season’s end both Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) and Don Draper have left Sterling Cooper, either by choice or through firing. We also hope there’s some resolution to Joan Halloway’s flailing marriage, though we can’t help but see domestic violence on the horizon.

Jon and Kate plus hate.

3. Has reality television finally, at long last, neared its tipping point? Scandals such as the murder mystery surrounding VH1’s Megan Wants A Millionaire and the ongoing tabloid marketing scheme that is the Gosselin’s marriage seem to be the kind of negative-buzz generating backlash events that signal the end of a trend. We hope so. In roughly a decade the advent of “reality” based television has rearranged the television landscape, and largely for the worse. As the major networks grow increasingly desperate, quality programming has fled to some cable networks, while other cable channels, such as VH1 and especially TLC, cater to a lower denominator than was even thought to exist ten years ago. Television does not have to be a vast wasteland, the efforts of most reality programming to the contrary. Enough already.

4. One potential bright light for network scripted drama arrived last week in the form of Flash Forward, the ABC sci-fi drama adapted from Robert J. Sawyer’s novel by David Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Brannon Braga (Star Trek: Enterprise). The Goyer-directed pilot was a long way from perfect, lacking as it did the confidence and effortlessness that accompanied previous landmark debuts such as ER and Lost to the screen. We’re also not sure about star Joseph Fiennes’ ability to center the somewhat expansive cast, which includes Courtney B. Vance, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Dominic Monaghan, and Gabrielle Union.

Still, the premise – everyone on Earth gets a 137-second glimpse of their near future, six months hence - is intriguing enough to earn our loyalty for two or three episodes, by which time the show will have probably found its sea legs or not. Ratings for the debut were solid, meaning the show’s fortunes now depend on word of mouth. If not, hpefully ABC will show the series more patience than it extended to other sci-fi fare like Invasion and Life On Mars, neither of which we imagine carried Flash Forward’ s hefty payroll.

Yo ho, yo ho hum: Depp

5. In what must be the answer to a question nobody asked, Disney is moving forward with a fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, this time with or without Johnny Depp’s involvement. Depp is reportedly aware the second and third Pirates movies lacked quite a bit in quality, and wants script approval after former Disney studio chief Dick Cook resigned last week.

Just so this doesn’t go unsaid, Depp’s post-Jack Sparrow career is nothing to crow about: Secret Window, Public Enemies, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory are nobody’s idea of classic cinema, and the upcoming Alice In Wonderland looks like standard Tim Burton weirdness. Depp might do well to get out the eyeliner once again.

Gong Li in Shanghai

6. A rare highlight of the last Pirates film was Chow Yun-Fat’s appearance as pirate warlord Sao Feng. The long delayed Shanghai, in which Chow co-stars with John Cusack and Gong Li, has been delayed yet again, this time looking at a release sometime next year. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom (1408) and featuring Ken Watanabe and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the saga of an ill-fated romance in the months leading to the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor seems a treat for older film audiences, offering the kind of film spectacle Hollywood rarely attempts anymore. So why the delay?

7. Finally, we forgot to mention While The City Sleeps in our recent list of movies watched while under the influence of DVR-enabled cinematic insomnia. If you’re a fan of classic cinema, Fritz Lang, movies about newspapers, Ida Lupino, and/or lurid trash, this film has something for you. Basically, its sprawling plot follows the staff of a major newspaper as its department heads race to outdo each other pursuing “the Lipstick Killer,” a freudian nightmare of a serial killer preying on women who live alone.

Lang directs the 1956 film with a kind of dreamlike detachment, keeping the characters in close proximity to one another even as they never really establish meaningful contact, even when intimate. The always-underrated Dana Andrews plays the television commentator leading the hunt for the killer, with Vincent Price, film noir siren Rhonda Fleming, and John Drew Barrymore also swirling around the tangle of events. Part film noir, part melodrama, and part Hollywood ensemble piece, it’s a weird mixture that doesn’t come off as well as it should, yet still remains completely, if cheaply, entertaining.

UPDATE: We’ll be back Monday. Thanks for reading.

- Michael Kabel
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Don’t you just love obscure, fashionistah movie references, especially ones based on foreign films? Haha.  I don’t know why Asians have to make such heartbreakingly sad movies.  They are often masterfully directed with unique art direction but I’m always left with a runny nose, puffy eyes, crying into a pillow and heart crumbling like a shortbread cookie.

2046 (Hong Kong, 2004),a celebrated film directed by Wong Kar Wai is a surreal journey in time narrated from the point of view of a writer played by Tony Leung (from The Lover).  The movie centers on a hotel room 2046 and the intertwined stories of lovers that come and go.  The plot unfolds yet always keeps you wondering if it is the future or the past.  It’s a poignant story, well acted with intense and vivid scenery.  The costuming is also awe-inspiring with stunning Asian actresses in sexy, chinoiserie dresses and stylized, period hair and makeup.  Plus, I will watch anything with Gong Li.  You might cry a river but it’s worth it.

2046: Worth the $5 membership to your local independent movie store.

Ju Dou

Pais: China
Género: Drama
Duración: 93 min.
Dirección: Zhang Yimou
Guion:  Lui Heng
Música: Zhao Jiping (AKA Zhao Ji Ping)
Producción: Coprod. China-Japón

Reparto:
Gong Li, Li Bao-Tian,Li Wei, Zhang Ziyi.

Descripción:
En la China rural de los años veinte, un hombre mayor, propietario de una tintorería, compra a Ju Dou, una joven campesina, con la esperanza de que le dé un descendiente varón. Se niega a aceptar que es impotente y paga sus frustraciones con ella, golpeándola constantemente. Un sobrino del hombre, que vive en la misma hacienda que la pareja, es testigo mudo de la situación hasta que intenta consolar a Ju Dou y entre ambos surge un amor prohibido y apasionado, cuyo fruto es un niño. Obligada por el anciano a mantener en secreto la condición del bastardo, la mujer deberá afrontar su difícil situación y los rumores de la comunidad.

Críticas:
Maravillosa historia de amores prohibidos en la dominante sociedad feudal de la China rural de los años veinte. Cosechó excelentes críticas, fue nominada al Oscar a la mejor película extranjera y abrió el camino a las salas occidentales de un excelente cine proveniente del lejano oriente que, hasta entonces, apenas llegaba a círculos minoritarios de grandes capitales y algunos festivales de cine. (Pablo Kurt: FILMAFFINITY)
–
Entre Edipo y las brumas de Shakespeare nos llega esta sórdida tragedia china. Zhang Yimou nos ofrece un oscuro, oscurísimo, retrato de la vida feudal en su país al tiempo que deslumbra con una de sus pasiones, la fotografía, tan virtuosa en los contraluces y sobreexposiciones como tenebrosa en los frecuentes claroscuros. Los apuntes de las costumbres tradicionales -el cónclave familiar para decidir lo que es correcto; la ceremonia del cortejo fúnebre; el comercio de esposas-objeto; el trabajo en la tintorería, con esas inolvidables telas ondeantes- se entretejen con los avatares íntimos del cuarteto protagonista: el viejo marido, tan déspota y cruel como miserable (la mezquindad hecha parálisis); el sobrino bobalicón y casi perfecto; el terrorífico niño de piedra y, claro, la bella Ju Dou, una semilla de crisantemo que jamás llegará a florecer. La atmósfera de morbidez que lo impregna todo nos asfixia desde el inicio con la continua sensación de que la pareja de amantes está maldita. La suerte está echada. O sea, un Shakespeare de tragedia negra con acento mandarín.

—
Nada nuevo bajo el sol… bajo este epígrafe se puede esconder el argumento de la película china. No existe nada que no se haya contado de una u otra forma a lo largo de la historia, la violencia, la vileza, el amor, el deseo, la frustración, el engaño, el miedo, el odio, la desesperación… todos ellos son sentimientos humanos universales, la maestría de la película radica en la forma de contarlo al espectador occidental… éste, perplejo, lleno de tabúes y de prejuicios se espera una triste película de agricultores chinos poco menos que mudos y sin sentimientos, pero todo lo contrario, los personajes están dotados de una fuerza brutal que pasa del más absoluto de los encantos de la mujer a la más absoluta de la barbarie de su hijo, testigo mudo de unos amores que él considera pecaminosos y que observa sumido en un mar de odio. Las imágenes de las telas al sol y el colofón final con el rojo brillando dentro de la piscina de tinte, son maravillosos, así como el respeto que muestra el director hacia la tradición, la censura, la critica, pero al mismo tiempo es respetuoso… Amores imposibles y encuentros improbables.

Datos Técnicos:
Tamaño: 1,23 Gb
Duracion: 01:29:54
Vídeo codec: Xvid
Resolución: 688 x 384
Bitrate: 1725 Kbps.Qf: 0,261
Códec Audio: 0×2000(AC3, Dolby Laboratories, Inc) AC3
Bitrate Chino: 48000Hz  224 kb/s
Subtítulos castellano [Castellano]

Capturas:

Película V.O.

Subs.castellano

La publiqué tal y como viene en el Dvd, en V.O. (chino-mandarín) y los subtítulos en castellano, aparte. Quería presentarla así y no incrusté los subtítulos. El audio también lo he respetado y está tal cual, Ac3- dolby.

La calidad … intenté sacar algo decente del original.

Deseo os guste

]]> http://carlosdev.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/curse-of-the-golden-flower/ Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:34:10 +0000 carlosdev http://carlosdev.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/curse-of-the-golden-flower/

Even corridors are filled with color and light.

(Sony Classics) Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Liu Ye, Ni Dahong, Qin Junjie, Li Man, Chen Jin. Directed by Zhang Yimou

It is a well-known Western aphorism that it is lonely at the top. It is also true, universally, that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

During the Tang Dynasty in the 10^th century, the Emperor (Fat) returns home with his son, Prince Jai (Chou) from war against the Mongols to celebrate the Chrysanthemum festival. However, all is not well at home. The Empress (Li) is very ill, despite regular doses of medicine. And, shockingly, she is having an affair with Crown Prince Wan (Ye), her husband’s son by his first marriage.

This is not just a dysfunctional family, it’s a homicidal one. The Empress isn’t just ill; she’s being poisoned with a rare Persian fungus which will eventually drive her insane. This is being done by the court doctor (Dahong) on the orders of the Emperor. It seems he is a mite ticked off at his wife.

In a move of self-preservation, she enlists the help of Jai to overthrow his father. He is at first reluctant, but when he sees the condition of his mother he is moved to vow that she will never drink the poison again. This sets the stage for an epic battle in the very hallways of the Imperial Palace, one of the most lavish and ostentatious ever known.

This is one of the most visually arresting movies ever, with bright colors dominating the sets and costumes. The palace is aglitter with Chinese art glass, crystal columns lit from inside in shades of red, gold, green and blue. Armies in gold armor clash with armies in obsidian. Assassins fly like wraiths through the air, throwing wicked curved swords to filet their victims. Pots of chrysanthemums fill a huge courtyard to the very steps of the palace. It is certainly a feast for the eyes.

It is also a soap opera on steroids. The story, taken from Thunderstorms, a 1933 play written by Chinese playwright Cao Yu, is full of juicy palace intrigue, forbidden love and terrible secrets. Chow Yun Fat, one of the most honored actors in Asia, plays the Emperor as a brutal man – not necessarily an evil one. His loyalty is to his throne, even ahead of his family. It’s a difficult role, but Fat handles it with grace.

Director Yimou is reunited with his longtime leading lady Li, who collaborated with him on such classic movies as Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou.  She is beautiful and regal here, but is most often called upon to express revulsion and shake like a leaf at the effects of her poisoning. Pop star Chou is solid as the heroic Prince Jai, put into an impossible situation.

There is a good deal more CGI here than is usual with wuxu films but it adds to the epic scope and awesome majesty of the movie. The detail is extraordinary and one must pay tribute to the artisans who worked on the set and costumes, most of which are authentic. Sure, there is some quibbling with historical accuracy (for example, the armor worn by the competing armies in the final battle were not the sort that Chinese soldiers of the time would have worn for anything other than ceremonial purposes; also, the architecture of the palace was more suitable to the 15^th century although the interior is more or less accurate) but that’s all right; you won’t want to see this as a history lesson. Indeed, this is one of the most stunning movies I’ve seen from a visual aspect ever; Cecil B. DeMille would have certainly approved.

WHY RENT THIS: Out of this world visuals make this a stunning feast for the eyes. Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li are two of the premiere actors in Asian cinema today and they show why that reputation has been earned here.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The soap opera aspect is a bit over-the-top in places.

FAMILY VALUES: The battle scene is extremely violent, and there is some implied incest.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The Imperial Palace exterior is the largest set ever built in China. The battle scene set there took over twenty days to shoot.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: The making-of documentary is particularly interesting in how the sets were constructed, the costumes made and the overall theme to the movie.

FINAL RATING: 9/10

TOMORROW: Lymelife

A couple of months ago I discovered thanks to Pino the existence of Soundcloud. How could I ever have stumbled upon Floh im Ohr or Rob Babicz without the orange fuzzy cloud?

Today jumping from link to link I landed on Soundwalk. The branded Louis Vuitton product is stylish indeed, featuring Joan Chen and Gong Li. But there’s also a more obscure, evocative and obviously unbranded Berlin soundwalk…

Cold summer rain, the skyline view from the Weekend’s terrace over Alex, cold Oslo sounds and even colder vodka…a month ago, me and MeinMann in Berlin…

Photo – stylewalker

Att hamna i ett ogenomträngligt fack är mången skådespelares bistra öde. Men ett sådant fack är också en strategi för marknadsanpassning i den kommersiella filmvärlden. Publiken förväntar sig att Ben Stiller ska spela tönt i lättsamma komedier, att Tom Cruise medverkar i blockbuster action och att en viss Helena Bergström ständigt är en känslomässigt labil gråterska.

Dock är det inte rollerna inom ”facket” som ger skådespelaren respekt av publik och kritiker. Det är när rolltrenden bryts, när skådespelaren visar att han eller hon kan och vågar ta andra, oförväntade roller som ögonbrynen höjs och uttalanden av förvåning kan läsas i filmkolumnerna.

Ronald Reagan i The Killers

Ronald Reagan, lät sig inte lätt övertalas av Don Siegel att medverka i The Killers (1964). Hans image innebar sympatiska familjefäder i lättsamma familjekomedier och rakryggade advokater i TV-deckare. Det var så publiken hade lärt känna honom, som en hederlig och patriotisk helylleamerikan. Men att gestalta gangsterbossen Jack Browning blev Reagans sista spelfilmsroll och sedan vet vi ju hur det gick med karriären.

Charles Chaplin i Monsieur Verdoux

Charlie Chaplin förvånade omvärlden med att självmant bryta från sin roll som vilsen trashank genom en cynisk, känslokall kvinnomördare i Monsieur Verdoux (1947). Genom denna framstod Chaplin inte bara som ett komiskt geni, utan även som briljant skådespelare.

Gong Li

Ikonstjärnan Gong Li förvånade den kinesiskspråkiga filmvärlden då hon lämnade de konfucianska, Fjärde-Maj-inspirerade offerrollerna och gav sig på två vitt skilda roller i den humoristiska äventyrsskrönan A Terracotta Warrior (1990). Den ena självironiskt som ett alter ego i rollen som dum skådespelerska.

Till skillnad från Ronald Reagan lät sig däremot Jackie Chan inte alls övertygas att spela skurk i Demolition Man (1993), trots att han arbetade för en internationell karriär. Jackie kompromissar inte med sin image som snäll, kampsportstränad våldsmotståndare och Wesley Snipes fick rollen. Hollywood dröjde dock inte länge efter det internationella genombrottet Rumble in the Bronx (1995).

Bill Murray, mest känd som B-komediskådis fick en mer seriös paradroll i Lost in translation (2003). Som besviken Oscarnominerad förmådde han sig inte att applådera den Oövervinnelige Sean Penn, vinnare i striden om den gyllene statyetten. (Se upp för Bill i Ghost Busters III, 2012!)

Bridgette Lin & Takeshi Kaneshiro

Hong Kong-superstjärnan Bridget Linn fick se sin image ändrad helt och hållet. Från att spela veka och gråtmilda kvinnor fick hon ta sig an genusdiffusa roller i filmer som Swordsman II (1992), The East is Red (1993) och Chungking Express (1994).

Rita Hayworth & Orson Welles

Men ett imagebyte kan även orsaka allmän moralpanik som när Rita Hayworth visade sig i kortklippt frisyr i rollen som depraverad Femme Fatale i Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Och ibland går det helt, helt fel – som när Halle Berry väljer att gå ifrån seriös drama till banal B-action med Catwoman (2004). Hon tog dock värdigt, modigt och personligen emot en välförtjänt Golden Raspberry Award.

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Ciarán Hinds, Justin Theroux and Barry Shabaka Henley
Director: Michael Mann
The Verdict: I want my MTV cops, not these VH1 Classics doppelgangers director Michael Mann passes off as Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. In his long, tedious and predictable big-screen rendering of his flashy 1980s TV series, Mann makes the assumption that we already know and love his designer-suited drug busters. Sure, we know and love the Crockett and Tubbs played with confidence, wit and sophistication by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. But Mann never allows us to get close to knowing anything about Colin Farrell’s Crockett and Jamie Foxx’s Tubbs, other than that they both share a dangerous—and almost costly—weakness for smart, sexy women. The only thing distinguishing from one detective from the other is the Larry the Cable Guy-like handlebar mustache Farrell inexplicably sports. Such is Mann’s intrigue with the politics of the international drug trade that he sadly fails to inject Crockett and Tubbs with any personality. Then again, Mann’s so determined to put Miami Vice’s goggle-box past behind him that he strips the Magic City of its color and vibrancy. That’s a far cry from the tropical party town image Mann helped perpetuate with the TV show. Mann has so little use for Miami—from its landmarks to its culture—that he could have relocated Miami Vice to any major city in America. Heck, much of Miami Vice isn’t even set in South Florida; Mann sends his rule-breaking Miami-Dade vice detectives off on some humdrum undercover mission in South America. Yes, Crockett and Tubbs pose as traffickers in order to bust a drug baron (Luis Tosar) responsible for the murder of several FBI agents. Not much happens, other than Crockett tumbling into bed with the drug baron’s wife and business partner (Gong Li). Sparks hardly fly between Farrell and Li, and unfortunately this is all the fault of the usually terrific Chinese actress. Like Penelope Cruz, Li’s too stiff and self-conscious when she’s not speaking in her native tongue. Not that Farrell or Foxx fare any better. They’re stuck firing off inane police jargon while looking all very serious and intense. They’re not having any fun, and nor are we. It’s quite understandable why Mann would want to distance himself from his trend-setting cop opera. What was hip and fashionable in the 1980s is laughably cheesy today. You can’t have Crockett and Tubbs wearing pastel T-shirts and no socks. Or Crockett living on a boat with his pet alligator. But if Mann happily uses the Fort Lauderdale-based Nonpoint’s cover version of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” why not dust off Jan Hammer’s “Miami Vice Theme”? Unfortunately, Mann’s not interested in making us feel connected to the source material. Hence his decision to shoot Miami Vice in the same edgy manner as his Collateral rather than recapture the cool atmosphere of the TV series. If Mann’s that embarrassed by the TV show, then he should have started from scratch—in a different locale with new characters—rather than peddle a Miami Vice in name only.
Release Date: July 28, 2006
Rating: R
Running Time: 135 minutes

”Acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s daughter Zhang Mo said in an interview that her father’s former lover, Chinese movie star Gong Li, had ruined her childhood.

Director Zhang Yimou who was known for films such as House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower, first met Chinese actress Gong Li on the set of Red Sorghum in 1986.

A year later, Zhang divorced his wife. His daughter Zhang Mo was just 7 years old then.

Zhang Mo, who is now studying in the United States, said in an interview conducted there that it was this relationship that deprived her of the many things children enjoy during childhood.

“Back then, my father had nothing. It was due to my mother’s support in everything he did that he can achieve what he did today,” Zhang Mo said.

“Until today, I still cannot understand why Gong Li, being the famous movie star that she is, had to treat my father’s only daughter the way she did. Why did she have to try to smother the relationship between my father and me?”

Zhang Yimou’s relationship with Gong Li lasted until 1994. According to the Chinese media, it was the director who called it quits, as he could not tolerate the way Gong Li treated his daughter.

It was reported that on one occasion during their relationship, Gong Li tried calling Zhang, but was unable to get through to him for almost two hours. When she finally did, she concluded that Zhang must have been talking to his daughter, and berated him for it.

After the incident, Zhang Yimou concluded that Gong Li was unsuited to be his wife and his daughter’s mother, and subsequently initiated the breakup.

It has been more than a decade since Zhang Yimou and Gong Li called it quits, and the Chinese media speculated that the reason for Zhang Mo’s speaking up now might hint at her intention to join the entertainment industry.”

*source:AsianOne

It’s strange that Zhang’s daughter would just speak up now after a long period of silence. It’s possible to say she is talking to reporters about the past as a way to start a profile for herself, which is quite low, then again many beginner ’stars’ do that. Or she could actually be just as hurt today to that degree. Honestly i think it did make a big difference to her when she was younger but she has probably accepted the past but just doing this to create some buzz.

I never liked Gong Li, her facial expressions always remind me of those bitchy girls in play grounds who throw things at you or say your clothes look ugly today. I hope this story doesn’t hold too much truth otherwise that’s quite sad. Only positive thing to say is at least Zhang had the rationality to put an end to his affair as his daughter is more important, just a shame it took a decade.

Michael Mann isn’t known for his female characters. His films are heavily male-centric, but unlike that other cinematic chronicler of masculinity, Oliver Stone, Mann’s women aren’t castrating bitches or hysterical harpies (Mann also doesn’t seem to hate them nearly as much as Stone does). Probably the biggest knock against Mann is that his women tend to exist to create the masculine reality for his central (male) characters. More often than not they exist to hold out of the promise or potential of romantic and/or domestic happiness—a promise Mann’s men must (usually) sacrifice for their code and their mission. If Mann’s women are more plot (or thematic) points than characters, they’re not necessarily simplistic and seldom boring. Let’s examine them, shall we (really, where did you think this was going?)

Thief—Valerie Perrine is James Caan’s main squeeze. She’s a bit of a bimbo, but Caan sees her more as an element to his domestic dream/fantasy than a soulmate. In the end he must send her and their (kinda) adopted kid away so he can kill some folks without worrying about them. Mann’s utilization of women as plot elements really doesn’t get much more blatant than this.

The Keep—What? Keep what? A Michael Mann movie? Nope, never heard of it. Never happened. It’s just a myth. Just a myth. Just a myth…

Manhunter—While Kim Greist’s Molly Graham isn’t as fleshed out as she is the novel, she nonetheless transcends her role as “the-chick-who-tells-the-hero-not-to-go-back.” Yes, that’s precisely what she does, but check out the way she backs down Dennis Farina’s Jack Crawford with  single look (and dig Farina’s perfectly quivering, “Hi Molly.”) My favorite line is when she snaps at her husband, “Will Graham, you are going to make yourself sick!” It sounds like a mom scolding her child, and why not? The logic of Graham not going back into psychological profiling so he doesn’t, you know, lose his mind is a no-brainer. So when he chooses to do it, he treats him like the child he’s sorta being. But then they make love, and Molly remains Graham’s refuge, his dream, his anchor to sanity. In the end he comes back home to her and their son—a happier ending than Robert Harris gave him in the book.

Last of the Mohicans—In the end, Hawkeye and Madeline Stowe’s Cora are both orphaned and alone, separated from their pasts and cultures, facing the future together. For the first (and only) time, a Mann woman enters into the world of alienation and separation as his men. Good Mann!

Heat—Both of Mann’s doppelgangers are ultimately alone in this film. Amy Brennman’s Eady is rather a wan character, a transplanted Angelino with no friends and no life beyond her chance encounter with DeNiro’s McCauley. More than anyone else, she’s a plot-point, existing solely so that McCauley can cruelly look her in the eye and turn away. Brenneman’s silent emotional destruction is heart-rending and some good acting. On the other side, Diane Venora’s Justine comes closest to an Oliver Stone harridan, having an affair to protest Hanna’s absenteeism. Even with this, she never devolves into “castrating bitch” mode, but emerges an angry, wounded, self-possessed character. She’s  saved from being a stereotype, but only barely. Natalie Portman, as Pacino’s emotionally wounded step-daughter, recognizes him as the honorable man in her life, just not the one she loves and wants to be honorable (that would be her neglectful dad who’s never seen). She validates his integrity by attempting suicide in his hotel room. The subplot’s a bit disturbing when you think about it. The most powerful woman to emerge from Heat is Ashley Judd as Charline Shiherlis, abused wife of DeNiro crewmember Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer). She defiantly protects Chris and even blows the trap the cops set up to nab him. Her loyalties are skewed and debatable to say the least, but she’s unapologetic about it. Just like one of the men. Good Mann!

The Insider—Er…the women in this one actually do tend to be harpies and harridans. Bad Mann! That’s a very bad Mann!

Collateral—Jada Pinkett’s Annie is a dream girl to Jamie Foxx’s Max. She exists to demonstrate a road he probably wouldn’t have traveled without his encounter with the homicidal Vincent. She also serves as the woman to be rescued. She’s an all-purpose fantasy and little more than that. Still, Pinkett’s low-key performance and the warm chemistry she has with Foxx helps you forget that fact. Once more, an unusual case in which Mann lets the guy get the girl as they walk together into the dawn.

Miami Vice—Li Gong’s drug cartel consigliore Isabella allows herself to fall in love with Colin Farrell’s Sonny Crockett, but damned if we can figure out why. Likewise, we’re none to clear on why Sonny chases her (aside from the fact that, you know, she’s Gong Li). Mann sets up a love story he barely takes interest in. As a matter of fact he barely likes these characters. He sure doesn’t want to delve very deeply into any of them.

Public Enemies—Here is a love story Mann seems genuinely interested in. Marion Cotillard’s Billie Frenchette allows herself to be swept away by the glamorous criminal who’s infatuated with her. She even allows herself to believe the myth that they will spend long and happy lives together—but only intermittently. Her story—easily overwhelmed by the gunfights of the rest of the film—is of the tension between believing the lie and accepting what she knows is true. Dillinger, for his part, is purely unable to accept the truth of their predicament and embrace Mann’s worldview of alienation and loneliness. Even when his friend Red makes a dying declaration that he has to “let this all go…let Billie go…” he can’t. And he maybe dies for it.

Gong Li (simplified Chinese: 巩俐; traditional Chinese: 鞏俐; pinyin: Gǒng Lì; born December 31, 1965) is a Chinese-born film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States.^[1] She has twice been awarded the Golden Rooster and the Hundred Flowers Awards twice as well as the Berlinale Camera, Cannes Festival Trophy, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle Award, and Volpi Cup. She married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Soeng in 1996, and became a Singaporean citizen in 2008.^[2]-wiki

I am so going to watch this movie tomorrow:

How powerful her acting skills are even in once upon a time films:

Farewell my concubine with Leslie:

Oh, didn’t get to watch this too, damn it:

Her 2006 stint in Hollywood (Hollywood is now in China, by the way):

Facts:

1. Gong Li was voted the most beautiful woman in China in 2006 -wiki

2. Michael Mann and Rob Marshall refer to her as the “Meryl Streep of China”.-wiki

Filmography( from wiki)

The weather has been an absolute nightmare. First, it rains like you wouldn’t believe. I get sick because of it. Then TODAY, it gets really, really, really hot. I don’t think I’ve stopped sweating. Except for when I have air-conditioned classes. Man, I do not want to talk about sweat.

I’m really missing my friends in Jakarta. It seems like forever since I last saw them. Especially Coopey, I haven’t seen him since I last lived in Jakarta, which was three years ago. I don’t even know when I’m gonna see them again. Except for Bea. I could probably go to Manila this semester break and see her then. But I wanna see everyone.

Anyways, I wanna retell this story I just e-mailed to my friends. OK it’s not a story. So last week I planned to watch the entire Godfather trilogy. So get this. I’m at the last and final chapter, right (Godfather Part III) and not even 10 seconds into the movie, the DVD decides to be an idiot and doesn’t play. Like, it leaves me with, and I’m not even joking, the damn name of the damn movie. And it doesn’t get fixed after that. So infuriating. Anyways, I decided to rent ‘Hannibal Rising’ and ‘Scarface’ yesterday. ‘Hannibal Rising’ because of, mainly, Gaspard Ulliel. Yeah, he’s probably the only reason I’m watching this movie. I haven’t seen ‘Red Dragon’, but I saw ‘Silence of the Lambs’ when I was a kid and I’m still traumatised to this day. I blame my beloved father, because he let me watch it. ‘Scarface’ to get my dose of Al Pacino being all awesome, making up for the loss of ‘Godfather Pt. III’.

Al Pacino is so hot in the Godfather movies. If that’s not a creepy statement.

i am adding patrick dempsey to the awkward list of “men i love.”  ”love” is loosely but sincerely used to mean “admire,” and you should note that i am not a regular run-of-the-mill fangirl.  the only way to explain is to divulge who these other “men i love” may be.  there are several, but i’ll stick to top-billing actors for right now, and i want to work in threes.  the two others?  david hyde pierce and tom hanks.  my dedication to them and innate stirrings of the heart don’t fit obsession, because i’m a quiet kind of fan, but they do fit meek star-struck respect and wide-eyed astonishment: i watched hellboy on television last summer; i was flipping through channels when suddenly abe sapien spoke, and he had david hyde pierce’s voice.

but yes, the title is misleading.  i have fallen in: in a tale of three viewing experiences, how patrick galen dempsey wormed his way into my heart.

grey’s anatomy
i didn’t get the whole mcdreamy shtick.  then it expanded, to include mcsteamy, and i don’t watch enough grey’s to know if there are more now.  the problem may be that i am no longer a romantic, so what caused the characters of izzie, christina, and meredith (good looks, charm, the “package deal” dr. shepherd supposedly is) was lost on me.  i also find meredith grey rather irritating and the mcdreamy aspect was further negated by his like for her…even though this is all in a television microcosm, and has little bearing on patrick dempsey himself.

made of honor
a netflix subscription gives you access to a decent stock on films to stream, and it doesn’t cost you extra.  upon finding this, i was browsing through and came across made of honor. think extreme romantic comedy.  i repeat, i am no longer a romantic, but i didn’t stop watching because any disdain i had for the ridiculousness of the situation was sometimes shared by dempsey’s character, but more than that – dempsey and michelle monaghan put on worthwhile performances, which was enough to overshadow the “unappreciated girl goes on vacation, boy misses her and realizes he loves her, girl comes back engaged to royalty who surpasses her friend in every which way but still her heart belongs to him” storyline just barely.  it still peeked out, inducing sighs of disbelief.

i’m going to compile a summer film list later on, and i had intended to include made of honor for the sole reason of beginning to make me appreciate patrick dempsey, but its mention is done here, and can now be left off that list.

enchanted
this made me so, so happy!  in 2006, following a screening of curse of the golden flower, i made it a point to find whichever films of gong li’s i could, as i had become enamored by her.  i think enchanted has a similar effect in regards to “mcdreamy.”  this summer may just end up with a handful of dempsey films, particularly from the 80’s.  oh, how i enjoy going back in time.

notably, he is dyslexic, and he juggles.  for some reason, both those items only intensify my newfound feelings toward him.