Long Shan: Home of the Mountain Dragon

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

To Moon Lee Choi-Fung, February 14, 1965. From 1983 to 1998 this tiny beauty was one of the premier action stars of Hong Kong film. A former dancer, she used her physical abilities to delight and awe moviegoers and reviewers alike. Reading about her at the time could give the impression that her first name was "The ferocious"(Moon Lee), as she was often styled. She was also an excellent dramatic and comedic actress. Since her retirement, Moon has returned to the world of dance, teaching in her own school. Let's hope her students absorb some of the grace and style she represents.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

To Zhang Ziyi, best known for her 2001 release Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and much more outstanding work. Do check out HelloZiyi.us, a terrific site with lots of news, pictures and downloads.

Red Cliff I (And last)

 

Or, "...a tale told by an idiot; full of sound and fury, signifying nothing..." Macbeth, - Act 5, Scene 5:

What were they thinking? After watching this leaden mix of hyper-extended and curiously remote battle scenes and obvious boredom from the actors, I wanted to go straight to the computer and order The Promise. To watch some of the finest actors in the business, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Zheng Fengyi and Chang Chen, act with all of the subtlety and panache of John Woo's American fence posts, John Travolta and Tom Cruise, is truly painful.

And Takeshi Kaneshiro. Couldn't Woo have found someone with a bit more macho energy than this wooden icon of mopey soulfulness, say, Gigi Leung or Vivian Hsu? In fact, the only warlike character of the leading cast was Zhao Wei. Maybe she repeats a little of her pert, spunky routine from other work, but she has the life and color otherwise completely lacking and does seem a credible warrior. And she's gorgeous.

Speaking of color, the film is competently shot, if a bit gray and flat; most of the CGI scenes are passable set pieces without any Wow! moments or notable artistry. It is the director's hand that inflates the film with more padding than Love on a Diet. Oh, for the hand of Ching Siu-Tung at the helm.

It is obvious that I'm not a John Woo fan. The repetitive blood-soaked odysseys of the past may have made stars of Chow Yun-Fat and Woo himself but he hasn't made a decent film since Bullet in the Head (1990) and yes, I count the ridiculous Hard Boiled (1992), apparently the ultimate wet dream for a lot of folks I never want to know. When there is consistently so much reviewer yapping over style, one might be inclined to overlook the matter of substance. Could this be an accident?

At least I don't have to wait to see if there will be an integrated release with Part II for the West, I can save my money for something valuable like Pink Force Commandos or Holy Weapon.

Oh Yes; I already know how the story ends and if I was smart I would have left it at the history books (and Wikipedia). This film is NOT recommended.