The Banquet L.E. R0 (2 Disc)

Synopsis:

Director Feng Xiaogang's The Banquet, which premiered at the prestigious Venice film festival and screened at many other major festivals, became Hong Kong's submission to the Oscars this year. This epic features multiple award-winning actor Ge You, Feng's long-time collaborator, as a cunning emperor. The internationally popular Zhang Ziyi returns to Chinese cinema to portray a queen who experiences intense inner struggle. Hong Kong handsome prince Daniel Wu and best actress winner Zhou Xun from Perhaps Love also excel in delivering their roles. Inspired by the Shakespearean play Hamlet, The Banquet unfolds a story about power struggle in the royal court, which eventually climaxes at a night banquet.

The film promises a thrilling visual experience with its carefully designed details. Tan Dun and Timmy Yip, both Oscar winners for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, team up again in this project, offering wonderful art direction and captivating music respectively. Action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping designs the dazzling fighting scenes in The Banquet to enrich the film's aesthetic dimension, which deserves as much applause as its fascinating story.

Zhang Ziyi stars as the young Empress Wan, who used to be in love with Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu) but is now his step-mother. The late emperor's brother Li (Ge You) comes to throne and sees Wu Luan, now living away from the palace indulging himself in arts, a great threat to his power. He sends assassins to kill Wu Luan but the mission fails. The young prince returns to the palace and meets Empress Wan, who is newly married to Li, and a young girl Qing (Zhou Xun) who falls for him. Emperor Li decides to host a banquet, but everyone has a hidden agenda when they attend...

Super Mini-Review:

The film was beutifally shot, choreagraphed and scored. There was more fighting in it than I had expected. My girlfriend (Yvette) said "It's like they are dancing when they fight". This is how I saw it as well, and belive it was intentianal. You didn't want to take your eyes off the screen when this was going on.

It is inspired by the Shakespearean play Hamlet, and it had every bit of tragedy you would expect. I enjoyed the movie for what it was. It's not all together my type though. I am still really glad I saw it. The ending irritaded us a little, but I think that was also intentional.

The DVD is the HK SE 2-Disc L.E. Set w/ photo book. The DTS sound was really loud. Heard my speaker rattle a couple of times. The subtitles were really good as well.

I amost didn't review this, but since I said I would, here you have it. Sorry so short. What? No, I'm not!

Rating: Glad I saw it, but selling.

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Pan's Labyrinth - El Laberinto del Fauno Limited Edition DTS (R3 Korean DVD Set)

I'M BAAAAAACK!




Synopsis:

From Guillermo Del Toro, director of Devils' Backbone, Blade 2 & Hellboy. Pan's Labyrinth is a fanciful and chilling story set against the backdrop if a fascist regime in 1944 rural Spain. The film centers on Ofelia, a lonely and dreamy child living with her mother and adoptive father; a military officer tasked with riding the area of rebels. In her loneliness, Ofelia creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and secret destinies. With post-war repression at its height, Ofelia must come to terms with her through a fable of her own creation. This Film is on More than 100 top ten lists and was recently named best picture of 2006 by the national society of film critics.

Mini-Review:

This was not what I expected from this movie. In a good way. I had the impression, that it would be more of a fairy tail story more for kids. This, it is not!

I really enjoyed it. It is a touching story that is pretty violent. It's set in Spain 1944, and shows a conflict between the army and rebels. This could be compared to other conflicts in the past and now. It's the story of how a girl deals with what is going on around her. Again, a touching story.

The creator's and mystical world are wonderfully done. Same with the score (DTS was great on this release). I hope everyone gets a chance to see this. Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors, and I await more goodness from him in the future.


This release is the Limited Edition (Korean Version). It is a 2 disc, but unfortunately the second disc is not English friendly. As i said before, the DTS was booming when it needed to be. The subtitles for the film were really good. I've heard Del Toro did the subtitles himself (wait, that might be for the US release 0_o). Others have complained about the video. They say it was too dark. I did not really see this, but I also don’t have a whopper of a TV (35” Sony). Yeah, that’s right. BACK OFF!

One of my most valued renters @ RoseBusters* almost received a 2 month suspension to his account because of how the DVD was returned. See below:


This would have been his first and only strike, until I realized it was out of his hands (back to zero). This case has a mind of it's own. See this thread on DVDTalk. The outside casing and glue obviously did not agree on something.

I sent it back, and got a replacement. This is a nice set, but because of the above mentioned issue and the lack of subtitles on the extras, I will be selling this. Note: Not selling the movie, just the Korean release! I will be getting the R1 2-Disc release coming out on 05/15/07. Guaranteed English friendly.

Rating: Sell Korean version, GET 2 DISC R1 RELEASE!

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*Note: if you do not know what Rosebusters is, there is a reason. Don’t ask. You’re not cool enough and you suck it! ;)-

The Host (R3) HK DVD Review

Synopsis:

Gang Du's (Song Kang Ho) family is the epitome of dysfunctional. His son Nam Il (Park Hae Il) went from promising college graduate to cursing, molotov-throwing problem child; his daughter Nam Joo (Bae Du Na) could have become an archery star, but is now just the one who calms everyone down when things get heated. Gang Du spends his days running a snack stall near the Han River, and his only hope, indeed the family's hope, is on the shoulders of his youngest daughter, Hyun Seo (Ko Ah Sung). Unbeknownst to everyone, however, a horrible monster has been growing in the polluted waters of Han River, and it snatches Hyun Seo from their life. Unable to get any help from the authorities, the family is determined to get Hyun Seo back on their own, no matter what it takes.

Mini-Review:

I have been reading about The Host (Gwoemul) for while now, but have been holding out on a DVD purchase. Then the Hong Kong disc came out for $12.99, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I was impressed. It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. The mix of horror, humor and drama is something you don't typically see in movies. There are some extremely funny scenes in the movie, even when people are dying. There are sad moments, that mix humor. And, it works. You laugh sometimes, when your not sure you should, then the film makes you feel OK about laughing.

The story is straight forward. An American doctor (At an Army base) has his helper pour toxic chemicals down the drain, which pour into the river. Big mutant creature is born. Creature comes out and eats people. The story mainly revolves around one family. A Grandfather, his three kids and one of the kids daughters. During the initial attack on civilization, the young daughter is taken away by the creature (presumed dead). The government then think there is a virus being spread by the creature, and since the girls father had close contact with it, thinks the family is infected. The father then gets a call from the little girl, and off the family goes to save her.

There quite a few digs at the American government, but also at Korean government. At the end, the Americans blame the problems on "miscommunications". I will not go into the problems, as I don't want to give to much away.

The CG effects for the creature were really good. I thought it looked as good as any Hollywood movie, except for the final scene with the creature. You'll see what I mean.

I liked this movie allot. Not sure it's worth multiple viewings, but I am really glad I got to see it. Look for limited release in the US on 03/09.

The DTS soundtrack was very impressive and loud. The HK disc is Region 3.

Rating: Definitely watch, but not a keeper for me.

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Fearless: Director's Cut (R3) (141 min)

Synopsis:

Fearless follows the life of Huo Yuanjia (1867-1909), founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation. Apart from the gripping plot, partly historical and partly fabricated, the film also demonstrates great creativity in its action scenes. Rarely does a movie show contests between Chinese Kung-fu and Japanese Judo or Thai boxing, but Fearless will show you all these, with every scene carefully choreographed, plus more! The film's exploration into the spirit beneath Chinese martial arts, which is as significant as the stunning actions, distinguishes Fearless from ordinary Kung-fu movies. Jet Li will show fans the real meaning of Chinese martial arts, and why true heroes are Fearless.

Mini-Review:

I have to say "WOW!” This felt like a whole different movie than the theatrical release. With more than 30 minutes added back in, it makes a BIG difference. And, I liked the theatrical version, but this just makes it that much better. Not all directors’ cuts do that.

The opening scene is new, and it stars Michelle Yeoh. It is present day, and she is talking to a group of people about adding Wushu as an Olympic sport. Then we go to the story, when Jet Li's character (Huo Yuanjia) is a kid.

There are a few new scenes when he is a kid. There is a pretty cool fight scene with a Thai boxer. But, the main difference is the story. They show so much more about Huo Yuanjia's fall and rise. This for me, made the film much more interesting and believable.

If you have not seen Fearless yet (where have you been?), then I say do not waste your time with the theatrical version. Just see this version. It's the way it was meant to be seen. The DVD is Region 3, so you will need to have a Region-free DVD Player. If you don't, you should not be reading this blog! :)-

The Video (New HD transfer) and DTS audio are awesome! The action scenes will use your subwoofer and pack a PUNCH! The subtitles were really good as well.

Overall, this is the definitive version of this great film!

Rating: Keeper

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Fatal Contact DVD Review

Synopsis:

Wu Jing returns with more vigorous action in Fatal Contact after his stunning performance in SPL. The film also stars Ronald Cheng, whose comedian talent helps spice up this hard-boiled action movie directed by Dennis Law. After two youth films The Unusual Youth and Love @ First Note, Law shifts to the action genre for his third feature-length movie. Fatal Contact takes its viewers into the underground world of illegal boxing, a violent and merciless arena where one has to fight in order to simply survive. The top-notch action in the numerous martial arts sequences will surely keep the audience entertained.

Wu Jing excels in his role as the martial arts champion Kong who participates in underground boxing under his friend Siu Tin's (Miki Yeung of Cookies) encouragement. There he meets Captain (Ronald Cheng), an apparently good-for-nothing gangster who has actually concealed his real capabilities. While Kong repeatedly wins the matches in these illegal tournaments, a triad leader who runs another boxing circuit gets annoyed and finds a martial arts master to beat Kong. A life-and-death boxing game is about to begin...

Mini-Review:

This film stars Wu Jing. You will remember him as the blond-haired knife wielding bad ass in S.P.L. (Sha Po Lang). This was one of my favorite fights in S.P.L.. Donnie Yen and Wu Jing going all out on each other! I knew I would see more of this guy in the future. So, when I read a review about Fatal Contact, and realized this was his first lead role, I had to check it out.

The film starts off kind of slow, and the acting is pretty uncomfortable. They introduce the presumed love interest, but you can tell right away something is off. I don't want to go into to much, but that part of the film is annoying, until the end. Then you understand, kind of.

The film revolves around underground boxing. Wu Jing's character reluctantly gets involved for money and the presumed love interest. The fight scenes are great. You can really tell this guy has talent. I counted around 6 good fights. All were well choreographed, and sometimes brutal.

The DTS audio was awesome. Great base was used for the fights, and that's what I liked. The subtitles were good from what I could tell. They could have been saying something completely different, and I wouldn't know. 0_o

Overall, I am glad I watched the film. I can't wait to see more of Wu Jing in the future. The ending is not expected, and I usually like that. In this case though, I really didn't. It messed up the rest of the film for me.

Rating = Rental

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Exiled (R3) DVD Review

Synopsis:

After the hugely popular Election series, Johnnie To offers Exiled, another astounding piece depicting triad characters. The film was rumored as the sequel to To's acclaimed The Mission which features the same cast and a similar situation of brotherhood running into conflicts with triad regulations. Simon Yam, Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Roy Cheung, and Lam Suet from The Mission return to team up with Nick Cheung, who has gained much acting experience through his supporting roles in Johnnie To movies like Breaking News and Election.

Wo (Nick Cheung), a gangster who went into exile for a few years after attempting to kill Boss Fay (Simon Yam), returns to Macau with his wife (Josie Ho) and their newborn baby, hoping to settle down. There he meets his four friends, two commissioned by Boss Fay to kill him and the other two coming to aid him. The five hitmen open the film with a carefully designed gunfight that brings out both enormous tension and peculiar elegance. The brilliantly choreographed gunplay in Exiled promises to offer a stunning experience.

Apart from the action, Johnnie To's strength lies in bringing out the humane side of the action heroes, who in this film are doomed to be Exiled with their buddies. The strong bond among them simultaneously manifests in hard-boiled masculinity and sentimental emotions, a theme that is apparently contradictory but indeed recurs in many acclaimed Hong Kong action movies. From John Woo's A Better Tomorrow to Johnnie To's The Mission and Exiled, the alliance among action heroes remains a fascinating subject in Hong Kong cinema.

Mini-Review:

I have been waiting for Exiled to come out for along time. It is billed as The Mission 2. The Mission and Full-Time Killer are the movies that made me a Johnnie To fan. Over the years, I realized that as a director, he is pretty hit or miss. But, when he’s on, HE’S ON!

I heard rumblings about this movie being made a couple of years ago, and was very excited. I knew this would be one of his best. Then when it came out last year in Hong Kong, it started to get much praise and winning awards. My excitement to see this grew even more. Luckily, in the last couple of years, Hong Kong started putting DVDs out sometimes a couple of months of it’s theatrical release (America could learn something from this). I got my copy right before the New Year.

If you know my tastes in movies, there are many things that will really peak my interest. In Johnnie To’s case, it’s some of the coolest hitmen and lots of slow motion well choreographed gun fights! This film has all of this and more. It is a good idea to watch The Mission first, but this movie would also stand on it’s own. Seeing The Mission will just help you understand the camaraderie and friendships between the 5 hitmen. It starts off with one of them getting a hit put on him. Two of the guys are sent to kill him, the other two to protect them. This starts off with an awesome gunfight between the 5 friends. Things progress, and the main villain messes with the wrong killers. They unite and fight as one to rid the world of the bad guy. I don’t want to say how it ends, but it has one of those endings that I love. Basically, not usually what you expect.

The DVD packaging is unique. It is a single disc that comes with a “three-ring diary, featuring many photos, a full 2007 calendar, and even Exiled-branded note paper!” I ordered it, because it was the only one available, and I REALLY wanted to see this. My disappointment is the disc itself goes in a very tight little sleeve (see picture). This will allow for scratching when taking it out and putting it backing. The size of the packaging looks like it’s a 3-disc set, as the diary is not small. I think I will end up selling this one, and getting the 2-disc set, when it becomes available.

Rating = Keeper (Well, when I get the 2-disc S.E. of course)

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Rob-B-Hood Review

Synopsis:

The film is an action comedy about three robbers who kidnap a baby. For this film, Chan wanted to play a full-fledged villain, but Chinese censors rejected the original script. So, In the movie, Chan portrays a gambling addict who kidnaps the grandson of a tycoon for ransom, but ends up as a hero trying to protect the child from the mob.

The film follows a group of thieves made up of Thongs (Chan), Octopus (Louis Koo), and Landlord (Michael Hui). They steal for different reasons. Thongs is a compulsive gambler who faces debt collectors at his door. Octopus spends his fortunes to court a rich girl. Landlord does not spend his loot, but saves all of it and keeps it in a safe in his house. After Landlord's house was broke into and all his savings stolen, he was desperate to regain his fortune and accepted a job offer that will pay him in huge sums. At the same time Thongs and Octopus were both in desperate need of money again, and they went for the job without knowing the details. Only after breaking in did they know that Landlord was asked to steal a baby, and return it to the baby's alleged grandfather, who is also the head of a Triad. When they were on the way to hand over the baby, they ran through a police road block, resulting in a car crash. Landlord was hospitalized and kept in police custody because of the accident, while Thongs and Octopus was forced to take care of the baby, deciding that it will be best to hold on to their prize before the Landlord is released. They faced challenges from all fronts, including the Triads, Thongs' creditors, Octopus wife and of course, the baby they've stolen.

Mini-Review:

I will have to admit, I got Rob-B-Hood to see what Jackie Chan still had left. The action scenes where OK, but you can tell he's in his upper 50's. He just doesn't seem as fast and you could tell they sped the film up to make up for it. He does do some cool stunts, but the age is definitely showing.

Now, the movie itself needs you to leave your parenting ways at home. If there wasn't a doll used for most scenes, shaken baby syndrome would have occured many times in the film. Starting with right after the baby is born, he is snatched by a disgruntled ex-boyfriend of the mother, and is shaken around as he eludes the authorities and parents. Then, he is dropped about 2 stories before JC barely catches him on the side of an escalator. You see the "baby" hit the side of the escalator. He then slides out of his clothes and falls another story to waiting nurse’s arms. This is the first 10 minutes. There are many other instances, which will make most parents cringe.

The movie itself was just OK. It starts off with 2 burglars Thongs (Jackie Chan) & Octopus (Louis Koo). Thongs (not sure if the translation was correct on this 0_o) has a gambling problem, and Octopus is a womanizer that's married. It's your typical story of, bad men > steal baby > become better people by end of film.

The movie had it's moments that made you feel good, cringe (see above) and some OK action scenes (car chase scene with baby carriage stuck to back of armored car is pretty out there), but overall the film was pretty goofy. It wasn't a complete waste of time.

And yes Trey, there is a nice baby montage in it for you. I don't remember a baby powder scene, but it did have peeing in the face and dirty diaper to the face. There were actually 3 dirty (I do mean dirty) diapers to the face in the film. How many Hollywood films do we get that?

Rating: Rental

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