geek_frappa Posted April 7, 2004 at 06:05 PM Report Posted April 7, 2004 at 06:05 PM Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon .... ZZZZzzzzz..... not my favorite. does that make me wierd? or the quality not as good as other similar films ....? actors were good, but the story was not very compelling... Quote
Quest Posted April 7, 2004 at 09:17 PM Report Posted April 7, 2004 at 09:17 PM It was a weird experience watching CTHD. The story was actually quite good, but the characters accents really spoiled all the fun. I didn't like it until I watched the English dubbed version. Quote
Ian_Lee Posted April 7, 2004 at 10:00 PM Report Posted April 7, 2004 at 10:00 PM For CTHD, usually there are two groups of audience – the group that really likes it and the other group that really dislikes it. Probably you belong to the second group. Let me guess the reasons why the movie makes you ZZZZzzzz: (1) Most of the scenes in the movie are filmed in the night. If you watch it in a smaller screen, i.e. 20-in TV, that probably may make you dozing. (2) You must be a regular Kung Fu movie fan. For HK-produced regular Kung Fu movie, there is a formula that a fighting scene must appear about every 12 minutes in the movie otherwise the audience will get bored. But Ang Lee, who have only directed mlodrama before this movie, didn’t let the first fighting scene appear in the movie until 20 minutes afterwards. (3) CTHD is basically a feminine movie which portrayed how two female characters handled their passion. If you are not a girl, then probably you may not be able to grasp. (4) The actor and actress do not look good in the movie. Michelle Yeo looks better as a Bond Girl while Chow Yun Fat looks better in John Woo’s cop movie. In fact, they seldom acted in Kung Fu movies. (5) The story line seems without beginning or ending. That is true because it is just an excerpt of some chapters from a Kung Fu novel. Quote
Nephand Posted April 7, 2004 at 10:15 PM Report Posted April 7, 2004 at 10:15 PM Personally, I like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Obviously concerns over accent weren't, and still are not, an issue for me. All there was left was plot and imagery. The plot I like - it's got depth to it and even though I imagine the characters have all been done over a thousand times in Chinese cinema - I don't watch much...any...Chinese cinema yet so it was new enough to me. I usually find a strange barrier that blocks me off from getting emotionally attached to characters in foreign language films but the little quirks of the characters were endearing ("Give me back my comb!") and the portrayal of relationships, however surreal, was also a nice factor. One of the strongest points for me was the imagery. All but two scenes (the Dark Cloud outlaw raid and when Lo/Dark Cloud tried to interrupt the wedding procession) were quite melancholy, a sense of serenity to them. Possibly a stereotype that I implanted, or maybe an intention of the director.... either way it made the movie better in my eyes. Then, of course, is the fighting. The style in CTHD was unknown to me before seeing the film. It isn't even matrix-y. There's grace to it like no other film I'd seen before (or since) and it all just meshed well. The fights were never just gratuitous fighting (matrix reloaded merovingian hall scene, anyone?), they all served as plot advancement in one way or another [normally a character relationship development]. Some scenes did feel a bit weird, and one completely ridiculous moment was when .. you know, this is annoying me - I heard her name as Shu Lian, but I still don't really know what it is, jumped off the waterfall after the green destiny sword. Well, just after she did there was a brief cut to Li Mu Bai for a 'reaction' shot and he just looked like a Thunderbirds puppet with a very small mouth movement to express surprise. All in all, I'm proud to have it in my DVD collection! Quote
geek_frappa Posted April 7, 2004 at 11:23 PM Author Report Posted April 7, 2004 at 11:23 PM (3) CTHD is basically a feminine movie which portrayed how two female characters handled their passion. If you are not a girl, then probably you may not be able to grasp. IMHO, it is an anti-feminine movie, where women are unable to hold their emotion (Zhang Ziyi) and women are unable to show their emotion (Michelle Yeoh). it portrays women as out of balance with reality. (4) The actor and actress do not look good in the movie. Michelle Yeo looks better as a Bond Girl while Chow Yun Fat looks better in John Woo’s cop movie. In fact, they seldom acted in Kung Fu movies. Michelle Yeoh is a beautiful, brave and complex actress. She is more than a sex object. You see signs of genius in movies like Wing Chun. You will see much more interesting work from her now that she has made the money she needs. Chow Yun Fat will always be God of Gamblers to me. hehe (2) You must be a regular Kung Fu movie fan. For HK-produced regular Kung Fu movie, there is a formula that a fighting scene must appear about every 12 minutes in the movie otherwise the audience will get bored. But Ang Lee, who have only directed mlodrama before this movie, didn’t let the first fighting scene appear in the movie until 20 minutes afterwards. As for my attention span? I like long, detailed 4-hour epic films about ancient battles and complicated social interactions between characters, like the Seven Samurai, for example. Those are the films that make me feel good upon completion. Quote
geek_frappa Posted April 9, 2004 at 06:46 AM Author Report Posted April 9, 2004 at 06:46 AM at least i know that i am not wierd... Quote
Lu Posted April 17, 2004 at 04:26 PM Report Posted April 17, 2004 at 04:26 PM IMHO, it is an anti-feminine movie, where women are unable to hold their emotion (Zhang Ziyi) and women are unable to show their emotion (Michelle Yeoh). it portrays women as out of balance with reality. It is feminine in that it is mostly about women, and women who fight. Unlike for example James Bond-movies in which women only wail 'James!'. Quote
geek_frappa Posted April 17, 2004 at 04:59 PM Author Report Posted April 17, 2004 at 04:59 PM It is feminine in that it is mostly about women, and women who fight. Unlike for example James Bond-movies in which women only wail 'James!'. that may be true, but it may seem like a feminine movie because it has women in stronger roles than often portrayed. a movie with 100% men can still be feminine. IMHO, the women are shown to be unbalanced, incomplete people while CHOW YUN FAT and the governors were all seen as crafty and knowledgeable. Quote
Nephand Posted April 18, 2004 at 12:13 AM Report Posted April 18, 2004 at 12:13 AM I saw the men more as rigid and followers of rules. That's why it was so hard for Li Mu Bai to have given up the green destiny and to leave his meditation. The primary women are, to me, portrayed as passionate and willing to step outside the norm to get what they want and to do what needs to be done. Quote
geek_frappa Posted April 18, 2004 at 02:56 AM Author Report Posted April 18, 2004 at 02:56 AM The primary women are, to me, portrayed as passionate and willing to step outside the norm to get what they want and to do what needs to be done. hmm... so the men could not let go of control while women were fighting to have control of their own situation? very interesting. i never saw it from that perspective. Quote
hparade Posted April 19, 2004 at 05:20 PM Report Posted April 19, 2004 at 05:20 PM I sort of quite like it for it's quite different from the average HK kungfu stuff, don't blame me for that . Quote
geek_frappa Posted April 19, 2004 at 07:59 PM Author Report Posted April 19, 2004 at 07:59 PM i watched it again while thinking about the ideas in your post. i like it now a little more. thanks for your comments. Quote
channamasala Posted May 3, 2004 at 03:41 PM Report Posted May 3, 2004 at 03:41 PM ...hehe, at least neither actress has a name like Cherry Lovelock or Gisele Morehead or Chesty McBoobs or Sexie Laroux or something. I had this great ideal of Chow Yun Fat from CTHD, which he then went and ruined in Bulletproof Monk...a fantastic movie to watch while disgustingly drunk. Quote
confucius Posted May 18, 2004 at 07:24 AM Report Posted May 18, 2004 at 07:24 AM I just saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for the first time on TV. That was Michelle Yeoh? Wow, she's getting old. I didn't think it was an excellent movie. It was quite predictable from the beginning. Chinese heroines frequently end flicks with suicide; ho hum. Watching the China scenery kept me interested in the film. The usual "been there done that" or "I know where that was filmed" scenes are included. They could have done a little more with Turpan and Dunhuang, like sex on the sand dunes rolling into Crescent Lake or something. (I guess that's extra on the DVD.) The walking on air bits were too corny for me. The first cat fight between the two female kung fu fighters was the only scene worth 2 RMB. The story sucked: "I don't want this sword any more...hey, who took the sword?...give me back my comb... I don't want to marry that dude...free yourself the feminist way; kill or be killed...Kung Fu Girl takes on Moe's Tavern.....Chow Yun Fat takes on Elderly Wench......die, bitch!....I'm poisoned...meet him at Wu Dang mountain....(I don't wanna make a stupid sequel with this Kazakh bastard)...Here, hold this, I'm gonna jump off this bridge." After watching this film my first thought was "I could have done better", meaning you can expect to see my "filmed in China" comedy caper on the big screen in the future. I promise the sexy chick won't kill herself at the end. Quote
channamasala Posted May 18, 2004 at 12:37 PM Report Posted May 18, 2004 at 12:37 PM Crouching Tiger, Hidden Confucius Confucius: I don't want this sword anymore Shu Lien: Well I'd like to bury your sword to the hilt, you rogueish American you Confucius: OK but only if you promise to do some catfighting with that other hottie and I can watch Shu Lien: Sure! Oh baby! Confucius: Wow, that other girl sure is fast What's her name: Give me back my comb so I can comb my hair and look all sweet and cute Bearded guy: No What's her name: Yes. Here, I'll screw you so you'll fall in love with me and then give me back my comb, complete with gratuitous weird hot springs scene Bearded guy: Don't ever leave me What's her name: See ya Governor: You have to marry this guy who will probably beat you and force you to submit What's her name: I don't want to marry him, I want that rogueish Confucius! Confucius: Oh baby! Don't ever stand up for yourself around me, it's my job to stand up around you! What's her name: Would another fight turn you on? Confucius: You bet! Chow Yun Fat: How come Confucius gets all the girls and I don't? Confucius: Because we Americans are so much better in bed than you Chinese men Chow Yun Fat: O, Rogueish Confucius, teach me the American ways of love! Confucius: Oh Jesus. I have to write you out of the script now you sorry bastard. Go make Bulletproof Monk. Shu Lien: No! Confucius: Yes! What's her name: Meet me on Wudang Mountain, COnfucius has eyes only for Shu Lien Bearded guy: OK Confucius: But I love all my laydeez! What's her name: Oh no, what a mess. As a Chinese girl, it seems to me that the only way to get out of it is to jump off a mountain!* It's tradition! *yes, I know that line is a bit offensive, but I can't help myself Quote
geek_frappa Posted May 18, 2004 at 01:51 PM Author Report Posted May 18, 2004 at 01:51 PM i hope Hua Mulan I and II are more complete. does anyone know if they are training CHOW YUN FAT to lose his accent? ... that would help a lot... Quote
krinkle Posted May 21, 2004 at 03:47 PM Report Posted May 21, 2004 at 03:47 PM have not seen it and not really all that interested in seeing it BUT i LOVED 'eat drink man woman' from the same director soooo i will probably watch it someday k Quote
allaboutchina Posted May 27, 2004 at 11:03 AM Report Posted May 27, 2004 at 11:03 AM we Amreicans are so much better in bed than you Chinese men What do Americans do in bed then, tell the girl she's a terrorist, stick a bag over her head, get her to stand on a box and tell her she'll be electrocuted if she falls off, then take photos of her, with your grinning face in the foreground? Obviously not, but it just shows what conclusions you might come to if you base your ideas on prejudice. For example, you might think all Americans are arrogant, self-centred ignorant idiots if you based your view purely on the single case of Channamasala. When obviously that's not true. By the way, I think CTHD is a good film, but overrated. Quote
Lu Posted May 28, 2004 at 07:55 PM Report Posted May 28, 2004 at 07:55 PM Eh, do you know what irony is? Quote
BeijingSlacker Posted June 10, 2004 at 11:59 PM Report Posted June 10, 2004 at 11:59 PM The movie is boring as hell. Quote
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