11-01-2019, 08:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-01-2019, 08:11 PM by Drunk Monk.)
WTH? No really. WTFH?!
This is a Taiwanese film, now available on Amazon Prime starring Shu Qi and Eric Tsang. I love Eric Tsang. Danny Devito is like the Eric Tsang of Hollywood. He has a small part, one that I thought the film had totally forsaken when the credits started, but then there's an after credit scene that pulls it all together. Shu Qi, well, she's dirty without make-up in the beginning, a shackled slave wife, but then she becomes luminous and gorgeous like usual, and actually pulls of some decent dramatic scenes. I come and go with her, but this role worked for me.
The story is a period film about dumb greedy villagers, an ancient steampunkish device that erases memories called the Worry Ridder, a scamming Daoist, and a band of bandits that provide their own soundtrack with acapella beat boxing faintly echoing Bobby McFerrin. The bandits were great and sometimes, good villains are all a film needs to succeed for me. It's got some dark humor, brutally heartless yet tongue-in-cheek. I was surprised by several plot turns, and found it's sensibilities humorous, mostly because I was scratching my head trying to figure out where it was all going. And in the end, I found the conclusion satisfactory. It's got some stunning cinematography, well composed scenes, panoramic settings, swooping shots, the director moves the camera astonishingly well. They built a complete village for this, which gives it solidity, especially with some complex drone work. There's sword fights. The main villain carries this ridiculous ratchet. The finale fight is an innovative toggling of fast and slo mo, with absurd wire work, powdered with corn starch for effect.
Do I recommend it? Well, definitely for cf. I would enjoy your take on this very much. Also recommended for any of you that are Shu Qi fans. Greg, Shu Qi is Stephen Fung's wife, the action director of Badlands who keeps snubbing me despite Daniel Wu's support - not sure if you'd get this. It's award-winning Taiwan cinema, but it might be too quirky for you. I enjoyed it for what it was. It felt like fresh escapist fare. Some of its notions were hackneyed and uneven, but there was enough novelty that it kept me engaged.
This is a Taiwanese film, now available on Amazon Prime starring Shu Qi and Eric Tsang. I love Eric Tsang. Danny Devito is like the Eric Tsang of Hollywood. He has a small part, one that I thought the film had totally forsaken when the credits started, but then there's an after credit scene that pulls it all together. Shu Qi, well, she's dirty without make-up in the beginning, a shackled slave wife, but then she becomes luminous and gorgeous like usual, and actually pulls of some decent dramatic scenes. I come and go with her, but this role worked for me.
The story is a period film about dumb greedy villagers, an ancient steampunkish device that erases memories called the Worry Ridder, a scamming Daoist, and a band of bandits that provide their own soundtrack with acapella beat boxing faintly echoing Bobby McFerrin. The bandits were great and sometimes, good villains are all a film needs to succeed for me. It's got some dark humor, brutally heartless yet tongue-in-cheek. I was surprised by several plot turns, and found it's sensibilities humorous, mostly because I was scratching my head trying to figure out where it was all going. And in the end, I found the conclusion satisfactory. It's got some stunning cinematography, well composed scenes, panoramic settings, swooping shots, the director moves the camera astonishingly well. They built a complete village for this, which gives it solidity, especially with some complex drone work. There's sword fights. The main villain carries this ridiculous ratchet. The finale fight is an innovative toggling of fast and slo mo, with absurd wire work, powdered with corn starch for effect.
Do I recommend it? Well, definitely for cf. I would enjoy your take on this very much. Also recommended for any of you that are Shu Qi fans. Greg, Shu Qi is Stephen Fung's wife, the action director of Badlands who keeps snubbing me despite Daniel Wu's support - not sure if you'd get this. It's award-winning Taiwan cinema, but it might be too quirky for you. I enjoyed it for what it was. It felt like fresh escapist fare. Some of its notions were hackneyed and uneven, but there was enough novelty that it kept me engaged.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
