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Flash Movie Review: The Great Wall
WALKING among the ancient relics in the midst of reproductions was exciting. The museum had opened an exhibit devoted to the achievements of ancient man. As I started to walk around the displays I came up to glass cases that had several items in each one. According to the printed cards next to each item these objects were all tools that must have been used eons ago. To tell you the truth except for the obvious hammer and chisel devices I would not know these things were tools. I wondered how the archeologists and scientists figured it out. Among the cases there were blueprints displayed on large easels that stood alongside each case. The plans were modern but they depicted the schematics to ancient structures that historians believed would have been built using some of these same tools that were in the cases. I may be a pessimist but how did they really know? At least I could see the blueprints and corresponding tools would make a good story for the visitors. IN another part of the exhibit there were computer monitors set up to provide visual mini tours of some famous structures. I gravitated towards these monitors and stopped at the first one which was focused on a famous temple in Cambodia. I knew about the temple only because a friend of mine had traveled to it and shared his photographs with me. Listening to the film’s narrator I heard a variety of statements being made about the uses or purposes to several portions of the temple’s structure. How could one really know that a platform jutting out from a side entryway was used for sacrifices I wondered? Maybe it was used as a balcony or it was a portion of a bridge that had fallen apart; who could really say with certainty what something was from so long ago? Call me a skeptic but I tend to need more proof before I will accept someone’s version of an ancient item’s purpose. Maybe this is why I had a hard time believing this action adventure film. MERCENARIES William and Tovar, played by Matt Damon (The Martian, Promised Land) and Pedro Pascal (The Adjustment Bureau, Game of Thrones-TV), were traveling through China in search of a black powder that was rumored to be a powerful weapon. Their search would lead them to something scarier than the powder. Directed by Yimou Zhang (House of Flying Daggers, Hero), this was the largest production to be filmed entirely in China. I will say this expansive fantasy picture had some wonderful visual scenes. Women warriors swinging off of the Great Wall of China looked like a cross between a ballet company and Cirque du Soleil; it was beautiful to watch. Also starring Tian Jing (Special ID, The Warring States) as Commander Lin Mae and William Dafoe (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Platoon) as Ballard, I found the story to be silly and the script to be even sillier. The idea of fending off “alien” creatures was an odd concept, but if that is the idea I would have reluctantly been okay with it if the script was written better. I was periodically bored and the CGI effects did not help the situation. Except for a couple of well choreographed fight scenes I actually enjoyed the craziness of the Great Wall’s defenses. Who knows, maybe there is actual proof somewhere that the wall used to do these things.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
When making a conscious choice I try not to regret the decision if it does not turn out the way I had hoped. If I had continued my studies in veterinarian science instead of switching into creative writing and photography could be used as one example. Then again there was a time I wanted to become a DJ. I could say I made a bad decision by taking the expressway instead of surface streets to cycle class, getting stuck in traffic and arriving late. At least my decision was an annoyance, not a life or death situation as it was in this comedic drama. Tipping his hat to the Coen brothers’ movie “Blood Simple,” visionary director Yimou Zhang (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers) created a richly colored palette of decisions gone bad. Noodle shop owner Wang, played by Dahong Ni (Curse of the Golden Flower, The Message); was led to believe his wife, played by Ni Yan (My Own Swordsman, Inseparable), was having an affair with his employee Li, played by relative newcomer Xiao Shen-Yang. Hiring corrupt chief inspector Zhang, played by Honglei Sun (Seven Swords, The Road Home), Wang devised a plan to be away from the shop when Zhang would kill the adulterous couple. The dramatic aspect of this film was beautiful to watch, with vivid scenes of color and style. I only wished the comedic side was ditched because it consisted of slapstick humor that I did not find funny. Except for the scene on the making of the noodles, the two other employees of the shop were minor distractions to me. Not up to the caliber of Yimou Zhang’s other films, I do not necessarily question his choice on directing this story; I only wish the story would have been executed better. There were brief scenes of violence and blood. Mandarin with English subtitles.
2 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Not One Less
Within our daily lives, think about the amount of objects we come in contact with, barely giving them a thought. From cell phones to computers to shoes to watches; all are just stuff. I have complained that most things these days are built to be disposable; nothing lasts as long as I remember. An example would be my portable CD player. I have gone through 3 of them in the past year; something breaks and I discard it for a new one. Talk about a movie that gave me a large reality check; who knew a piece of chalk could be so priceless. From the director who brought us Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers, Yimou Zhang created a sparse film based on simple emotions. When teacher Gao, played by Enman Gao, had to leave his class for 1 month, the mayor of the small rural village could only get Wei Minzhi, played by Minzhi Wei, to substitute teach the class. Barely out of school herself with no teaching experience, she was told there would be a bonus in pay if she kept the same amount of students in the classroom until the teacher returned. All that was given to her were 30 pieces of chalk, one for each day. The first part of this movie was set at a slow pace, as the students tried to take advantage of teacher Wei. I bet we can all relate to that from our school days. Just on the verge of me questioning my reason to see this DVD, the story really began to unfold. When a student went missing, taking off for the city, Wei was determined to bring him back. Here was where the magic unfolded in this wonderful film; when Wei incorporated the students into her plan, teaching them without really trying. Showing a barren life, simply letting the actors tell the story; this was a moving experience for me. Notice the cast credits at the end of the movie. Mandarin with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
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