Su Qi-Er - True Legend

Su Qi-Er - True Legend
China
2010
Starring:  Man Cheuk Chiu with Xun Zhou and guest appearances by Michelle Yeoh and David Carradine  


Su Qi-Er is a great fictional movie about the founder of the drunken boxing style.  

Do you remember the kung fu flicks of days past?  The awesome striking, kicking, blocking, and unique techniques?  The awesome moves all the way around with names to match?  Have you watched one lately?  I find them cheesy now.  This movie though, True Legend, is one awesome display of martial arts!

I find when looking at reviews that this movie is under appreciated.  True Legend though involves so much that it is one awesome movie.  The story begins in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).   Su Qi-Er opens with one of the best martial arts scenes.  The movie incorporates battles of good against evil, of family against the forces seeking to tear it apart, of love against separation, and of devotion and believing.

I dare not tell too much about this movie for fear of spoiling it.  This movie though involves daggers and swords.  Gods and poison. And amazing scenes.  I recommend this movie as a top notch hand to hand martial arts flick, a well choreographed and artistic display of Asian cinema, and as a story worth hearing that has survived a millennium.  There is no aspect of this movie that is lacking.  From mortals to gods and everything in between it should be seen by martial arts fans around the world.  It will get you pumped and keep you there all the way through.  Even if just strictly for its martial arts this movie is awesome; watch the firsts 10 minutes and say no to the rest, I dare ya!  It is easily one of the best Kung Fu movies I have seen in a decade.  The choreography of Woo Ping is at its best in this movie and the scenes are just spectacular.  I didn't see this movie nominated for any awards yet, but by the time 2012 hits my assumption is that it will win awards in movie festivals across the world.  I rate this movie as a must see!!

Reviews

Had family tonight and started drinking.  I have 3 reviews in draft right now so we should be on target for another 6-10 total by the time the weekend is over.

Joong-cheon - The Restless

Joong-cheon - The Restless
South Korea
2006
Starring:  Jun-ho Heo, Woo-sung Jung, and Kwang-il Kim

The Restless presents life and death in a distinctly unique fashion.  From hoards of demons, legendary swordsmen, ethereal guardians, legions of the dead, and of course one beautiful love this movie moves through the life and afterlife with stunning visual sequences.

This movie is listed as a horror in virtually every database, but it's certainly not what I as a westerner consider a horror.  The movie has elements of adventure, action, fantasy, and romance.  All the ingredients I need to sit down and try to dedicate a couple of hours to something.

Joong-cheon  is also full of visually stunning sequences.  It was nomiated for the Most Visually Stunning movie in the 2007 Asian Film Festival and it won the Best Art Direction award in the Grand Bell Awards.  It contained some very well choreographed fight scenes too.  The Restless is a unique journey through this world and the afterlife.  For fans of the fantasy martial arts genre I recommend this movie.  There are some parts that I had to shake my head at, but all in all this is a pretty cool movie.

Veer-Zaara

A

Veer-Zaara
2004
India
Starring:  Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukherjee

This review is biased, mostly because I fell in love with both Bollywood and Preity watching this movie.  In my mind no greater love story has ever been written.  The depiction of honor, beauty, and valor in Veer-Zaara is epic by any standard.  So much did this film move my heart I could write pages on how this movie made me feel, but that would require spoilers :)    This movie was the first Bollywood movie I had ever watched and has eternally earned the spot of the number Bollywood movie ever; I know someone will argue that.  The culture displayed through this movie was quite interesting as well.  This movie depicts in subtle ways the multiple cultures that exist through northern India and Pakistan.

Veer, a pilot in the Indian army, and Zaara, a gorgeous woman from Pakistan, crossed paths in the strangest way as she was fulfilling a promise made to her beloved grandmother.  The most beautiful love that could never have formed began.  The rest is all in the movie.  The love story in this movie is the foundation for one of the most beautiful struggles I have ever seen.  If I could I'd name constellations after this couple.

I recommend this movie 100% and to those who don't like it, well don't watch it twice :)

The most amazing love story that has ever been conceived is right here in:  Veer-Zaara

Quote:  "Give me this, one day from your life.....I know a day is very precious to you.   But, I promise that you'll never forget this day."

Shin ge jeon - The Divine Weapon

Shin ge Jeon - The Divine Weapon
2008
Korea
Starring:  Jae-yeong Jeong, Eun-jeong Han, and Jun-ho Heo

We all know that China invented gunpowder right?  So this wonderful invention that for centuries in written history did nothing but flash Korea found a way to turn into a propellant.  Korea developed the first rocket propelled arrows.

This movie is a great movie detailing the formulation of a weapon and what it can take out of a family and a nation when one is on the right path of destruction.

Between the development of the fire arrow, martial arts, Korean period outfits, and a decent story I really have to say I enjoyed this movie.  Korean movies are a little difficult to follow sometimes, but this one was worth the effort.  I learned quite a bit about what modern weaponry developed from by watching this movie and I truly just enjoyed the story itself!

I recommend this movie for anyone that is a weapons or martial arts fan; sure there are some slow parts, but it's not that bad if you love the first two qualifiers.  Korea did historically create advanced weapons from gunpowder anyway.  This movie was both entertaining if you dig Korean cinema and insightful in a slightly historic way.  No matter what you're after this movie was cool.

Quote:  "We'll test the Grand Singijeon in the morning, then it will all be over."

Ye yan - The Banquet

Ye yan - The Banquet
2006
China
Starring:  Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, and Daniel Wu

Ye yan, is credited with being an adaptation of Hamlet from China.  Ye yan
is about a prince who has turned his back on being a future ruler of his kingdom; he would prefer to study the arts then to take the crown and play aristocrat.

The Banquet is complete with back stabbing, forbidden love, poison, family struggles within the government, assassins, and a few good ass kicking scenes.  Wu Luan, the crown prince, has the cards stacked against him from the beginning.

This movie has some spectacular martial arts scenes.  If it is available in HD it would be worth the acquisition. For the lovers of martial arts movies and Chinese period flicks this is a must watch.  If you enjoyed Crouching  Tiger Hidden Dragon for the art and martial arts then you will most certainly enjoy this movie.

Quote:  "Why do you wear a mask when you perform?"
"It transports an actor to the highest state of his art.  Without a mask, happiness, anger, sorrow and joy are simply written on his face.  But, with a mask a great artist can convey to the audience the most complex and hidden emotions."

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Jadesoturi - Jade Warrior

Jadesoturi - Jade Warrior
2009
Finland
Starring:  Tommi Eronen, Markku Peltola, and Jingchu Zhang

Is a fusion of an epic Finnish poem called The Kalevala and Chinese feudal wuxia this movie is the first from Finland to make it into Chinese cinemas.

Kai, the main character in this movie, remembers his past when he was a master blacksmith in China.  His blacksmith past from another life is riddled with mystery, love, sacrifice, and challenge.

I rated this movie a 3 on netflix because I liked it, but I didn't love it.  This movie wasn't overly spectacular and I was watching a subtitled version, but it did have some cool concepts.  A blacksmith must save the world for his love of lifetimes ago to be his again; can he rise to the occasion?  For the story alone I would rate it a 4 or 5, but I personally have a hard time with most movies from Scandinavia; sad, yet true and I cannot say why.  Even with all that said I would recommend this movie.  The action and intrigue come in irregular intervals and just in time to pull your attention back to the story.  Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.  In cases like this one I am more than happy to pay for the rental just to do the little I can to encourage the cross cultural collaboration.

Quote:  "That kind of oath should not have been sworn alone.  It becomes a curse."

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Jeon Woo-chi - The Taoist Wizard

Jeon Woo-chi
2009
South Korea
Starring:  Su-jeong Lim, Yun-seok Kim, Dong-won Kang

Jeon Woo-chi was a whole lot of fun to watch.  This movie is a fusion of fantasy, adventure, action, humor, and deities.

Jeon Woo-chi is about a wizard, Wooji, who is grand in all aspects except that of the reality painted in the movie; his character is acting inside of acting.  He is a jester, adventurer, a wizard, wise, and a prankster.  His character makes the movie.

This movie is another from South Korea that explorers time travel and integrates it into the movie.  In Jeon Woo-chi the part of the movie takes place in the distant past and part in some time that resembles our present.

The way magic is used in this movie is a new portrayal of the subject to me.  This movie uses Taoist magic consisting of charms or spells written on pieces of paper which are only good once as best as I can tell.  The use of Taoist magic is a fitting compliment to the gods that are portrayed in the movie.

I have to say I enjoy what I call outlandish outfits used in many of the period movies of South Korea.  They make me smile.

All in all I had a great time watching this movie; it was fun, a good laugh, entertaining, and presented some really unique CGI/magic.  If you're into the fantasy martial arts genre this is a movie for you.

Quote:  "I am a wizard.  What is a wizard you ask?  A ruler of the winds, a bringer of the rain on dry lands, who leaps through space and governs the world with a swift blade, but handles that sword like a gentle flower.  A wizard's duty is to aid the helpless.  The head is where all decay begins!"

Aragami

Aragami
2003
Japan
Starring:  Takao Ohsawa, Massaya Kato, Kanae Uotani

Have you ever seen a movie that takes place in 1 room?  This whole movie takes place inside a remote mountain temple.  You will certainly not have a problem following the cast in this movie.  There are only 3 main characters and 1 or 2 others.

Aragami, for those sword and weapon loving martial arts fans, is a movie that one should see.  I don't recall it being overly impressive, however, the story is decent - even though it can be understood very early on in the movie.  It's a movie I wouldn't rush out and try to buy, but it's a nice reserve when you just feel like a little action with few other complications.  Check it out.  Alcohol plays a funny part in this movie too.

Quote:  Now this liquor is from a land called Russia.  They call it vodka.  It's pretty strong.

Ip Man

Ip Man
2008
Hong Kong
Staring:  Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan

Ip Man is an awesome movie!  If you're a martial arts fan all the of the Ip Man trillogy really are must see movies.  Donnie Yen pulls of some of the smoothest bone crunching, jaw dislocating moves I've seen in a movie in years.  This movie will certainly go down in the annals of martial arts movies as one of the greatest.

Ip Man was a teacher to many world renown martial artists; one of the most famous was Bruce Lee.  This movie is a semi-biographical account of Ip Man's life prior to teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong.  From the annoying sessions of being challenged in front of his wife, to kicking ass all the way up the local Japanese command during their occupation in Foshan Ip Map is nonstop action done with some class.  This movie is not to be missed!!

Quote:  "Good Kung Fu does not depend on age or sex, but on how well you fight.  You will understand in a bit."

Heer Ranjha

Heer Ranjha:  A True Love Story
Punjab
2009
Starring:  Neeru Bajwa & Gurchet Chitrakar

Heer Ranjha is a true love story from Punjab.  The story is said to be over 300 years old.  Heer and Ranjha have a mausoleum shrine in Jhang that is visited by lovers to this day.  Every year to date in this town there is a festival thrown in their honor.

This movie follows the story of this couple dubbed the Romeo and Juliet of the east whose story of love, dedication, pain, and loss has spanned hundreds of years.  The legend of these lovers has only grown in recent years; their story epitomizes what every hopeless romantic dreams regardless of the centuries that have passed.

I do not remember the dance sequences in this movie because they were all overshadowed by the depth of the story.  The cinematography in this movie wasn't super spectacular.  I think the movie was made to carry a small anti-drug message as well; it is the first Bollywood movie that I have seen where they mentioned marijuana and opium then portrayed those who smoked it as slow and dimwitted.  All in all for the story alone this movie is a must see.  Again Bollywood has brought us an epic love story that will make your heart yearn and tears fall; this movie is well worth its time.

Quote:

Stardust

Stardust
2007
Starring:  Clarlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Ben Barnes, & Michelle Pfeiffer

Stardust begins in a small English village that lies just beyond the outer edge of a fantasy kingdom.  The only way between the two different worlds is over a wall at the edge of the town.  Beware of the guardian!  This movie is a tale replete with magic, comedy, lost family, falling stars, witches, kings, spirits, adventure, the struggle between dark & light, and love.  It will be enjoyed by nearly everyone.

For the fantasy genre lovers out there Stardust is a must see; I thoroughly recommend it.

Quote:  "Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?"

Mr. Nobody

Mr. Nobody
2009
Starring:  Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, and Diane Kruger

Mr. Nobody has a misleading title.  For a while the title sounded kind of depressing, but don't let that scare you off; the movie is phenomenal in its own rights.

The movie continuously uses Schroedinger's Cat theory as a base for a temporal exposition that left me in awe.  I am a fan of the movie on two parts.  The first is because of a foundation of physics used through the movie and the second is the story itself.  This in essence is another movie on life, but it portrays it in a very entertaining and easy to follow manner.


About all I can tell you without spoiling the movie is that it begins in the year 2092 and Nemo is the last mortal on earth.

Mr. Nobody received awards at the Catalonian, Stockholm, and Venice film festivals.

Quote: "Nothing is real, everything is possible."

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Guzaarish - The Petition

Guzaarish - The Petition (2010)
Starring:  Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy

Guzaarish is a very deep movie.  With the main character being a magician and the previews showing him doing shows I had went into the movie expecting a slightly lighter tone complete with epic magic shows; this was a false expectation.

The movie chronicles the struggles of a quadriplegic fighting for the court to allow him to end his life after being incapacitated for 14 years.  Ethan (Hrithik Roshan) shocks many people with his petition.  Some are supportive while others are not; Guzaarish reflects the struggle humanity has with the subject and tries to portray both sides while keeping the main character's desire for assisted suicide in the forefront.

Ethan's struggles remind us that each of us no matter our positions in life could end up in a similar fate.  There are two quotes I will leave you with from the movie that I love

• Life is always too short. But it is long enough, if you live fully every
• Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love deeply. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile

Like all the movies that I watch, this movie is not for everybody...but, if you have an inclination toward the topic I would certainly recommend it.  I think it is a great movie.

Endhiran - Robot

Endhiran - Robot (2010) 
Tamil
Starring:  Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai, and Danny Denzongpa


Robot is reported to be the most expensive Indian film in history.  I hope they gross a ton of money for it, their efforts do show!


Every American over the age of about 30 will see a touch of A.I., Terminator, and RoboCop in the background of this movie.  Even so I still enjoyed this movie, granted my opinion is biased.. I just think Aishwarya Rai is gorgeous and I love her other films.


Endhiran begins with a man's life achievement about to come to fruition.  This achievement is to create an advanced robot.  The movie takes a few twists and turns that I did not quote expect; but, the plot was predictable through most of the movie; but it's saving grace was the humor that was incorporated into the movie as well.  The end was quite satisfying and the journey through the movie was worth the time.  As I personally expect with all movies Bollywood there were a few dance scenes.  One of the songs sticks out in mind because it varies greatly from the traditional Bollywood type of music and is more reflective of a poppy trance almost.  They were choreographed and coordinated well. 


Endhiran has it's bases covered with all the makings of a good sci-fi flick and should do well around the world.  While the love story in this movie isn't the typical epic (on a cosmic scale) that I am familiar with from Indian movies, it is still a very cute one.  There are also some very stunning CGI in the movie.  All in all, I watched it and enjoyed it; I do recommend this movie.

Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie

Ultramarines:  A Warhammer 40k Movie (2010)


I will never watch this movie again.  If I was a Warhammer fan I probably would have really enjoyed this movie; but alas, I had not even heard of it till I saw the movie.  


With that said...  the movie was likely done on a budget since I think you can only get it from Warhammer.  For being on a budget they were able to pull off decent CGI.  


For those who aren't fans of Warhammer I wouldn't watch this.  Well, maybe if it was a lazy Sunday afternoon and you have absolutely nothing else to do because you were snowed in and you feel like a violent bloody cartoon...

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)


The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec is quite a whimsical movie.  Louise Bourgoin and Mathieu Amalric kept me laughing with some of the silly things their characters did.  If you like a decent fantasy movie that is a little familiar, yet has something different about it, then you should see this movie.


The movie starts out by introducing some of the key players and the narrator certainly let's you know he's talking to you.  I found this interaction with the audience a little odd, but quickly forgot about it as the movie developed.   This could have just been in the translation I was provided with though; stranger things have happened.  


Adele is most likely one of the most amusing women characters I have seen.  She doesn't take flak from anyone, is extremely smart, and has some luck like no other.  Her character is very well developed and she is the central piece to the whole movie.  Adele is based on a comic that bears many similarities to Indiana Jones, but the movie while it touches on a hint of this does not give us the Indiana Jones feel... thank god. 


If you like your fantasy adventure mummy movies you should check this out.  At 107 minutes it's not super long, was filmed very well, and I am sure you'll find more than a few chuckles in there.  The visual composition of the movie is excellent and the plot is uniquely outlandish.  I will be surprised if this The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec doesn't win at least a couple awards as time goes on.  For uniqueness and sheer amusing intrigue I think this movie is worth its time.  You might enjoy it more if you understand French, even so I still recommend this movie.

Samsara

Samsara 2001

Samsara caught my interest because the movie is centered around a  Buddhist monk who questions what he is doing meditating and praying all day.  He questions what it is to be selfless and not have desires.  When he asks his teacher directly one day the response is, "What is better? Satisfying one thousand desires or conquering just one?"  Of course the movie does a good job defining the Buddhist concept of Samsara, the movie is aptly named.

Samsara surprised me as the movie went on.  I was quite bored with the story at first and watched for the amazing scenery.  After a while I found myself watching the story and not the scenery.  In this movie the monk leaves his holy temple, falls in love, has an amazing impact on those around him, changes his life and that of many others.  The movie is not fast paced nor is full of action.  The love story of this movie is not one of timeless love, but instead one of a strong bond that may or may not be broken.  The spiritual love story in this movie is one I am glad I did take the time to watch.  There is one question asked at the beginning of this movie which is answered at the end:  How does one keep a drop of water from drying up?   The answer is so simple..
If anyone watches this and would like to discuss theories on what the ending means I would be more than happy to entertain that conversation.  Do be warned that this movie contains some very sexually explicit scenes, I had to shut it off as my little brother ran through my house when I was watching it.  In the end for me this movie was well worth watching.  It is a little out of my typical genre selection, but amazing in so many ways.  I also give props to the director for putting out such a well composed movie on a small budget; it is deserving of the AFI and Melbourne Film Festival awards.

Cheon Gun - Heaven's Soldiers

Cheon Gun (Heaven's Soldiers) 2005

Heaven's Soldier's, from Korea, is surrounded by quite a bit of speculation.  This movie while produced by South Korea is viewed by much of the world as a plea for a unified Korea.  This speculation might have been lost in translation, but I can understand how it might have been inferred.

After a super secret meeting between North & South Korea and a nuclear weapon is stolen.  After some cosmic events this weapon is transported back in time by pure coincidence - along with a small group of special forces troops which were firing at each other prior to traveling through time.

One of the first people the team comes into contact with is a figure of extreme historical significance who instead of being the valiant conqueror/protector is a petty thief and beggar.  The North Korean troops are deluded enough to believe that this great figure is part of the ruling line of their country while South Korea reinforces how that is impossible.  From that point on there are many pokes at North Korea by the South Korean troops.

This movie was filmed fairly well.  There are also many parts of the movie that made me laugh.  The fights between the future troops and invading barbarians of the past were done well.  There's one part of the movie, a scene where a claymore blows up that is a must see.  Cheon Gun makes it in my list of to see movies as one of those you put a number on and wait for the day when you have plenty of time.  It is entertaining and it does give some very slight insight into the relationship between the Koreas.

Maghadeera

Magadheera (2009)  Telugu  Starring:  Ram Charan Teja, Kajal Agarwal and Dev Gill

I saw this title around many times before I decided to watch it; I enjoy Bollywood movies for many reasons, the epic stories, the culture, and the dance.  Magadheera has the same storyline of your typical Bollywood flick.  Two lovers who face difficult odds in making their relationship work is central to the main premise of the movie. This movie does a wonderful job moving from the past to the present and developing the history as it tells the story of these lovers.  The visuals from the past are stunning in composition and a good portion of the present in the movie provides for a chuckle.  The love story in this I really personally enjoyed, it allows for the romantic dreamer of cosmic love to dream.  Magadheera also has some good action in it.  There's a fight scene that is not to be missed!  The dance scenes are fairly entertaining also.

Bhairava (Ram Charan Teja) displays a grand sense of honor in his actions throughout this movie.  Mitra (Kajal Agarwal) is as beautiful and I think plays her part wonderfully.  Retrospectively this movie is among my favorite Bollywood movies.  It rivals almost anything the great Khans have done.  Sure there are a couple parts that I thought were purely silly, but the story itself was one of the best stories of love and honor I have ever seen or heard of.

For any lover of Bollywood or Indian cinema this movie is a spectacular must see.  Months after I watched it, this is still one of my all time favorite movies and love stories.