Guan yun chang - The Lost Bladesman

Guan yun chang - The Lost Bladesman
Hong Kong (2011)
Starring:  Yu Ai Li, Hong Chen, Siu-hou Chin, Donnie Yen

I just got my hands on this movie and the only subtitles I could find were a re-translation from a Vietnamese sub.  The resulting subtitle I used could have had a serious effect on the story as there are a few things that I seem to be missing - the gist of the movie I know I got fairly well.  My recommendation for those of you in the same situation I am in is to try and find a better subtitle file, but the movie is still good.

The Lost Bladesman was a super interesting movie on many levels.     Guan Yu, played by Donnie Yen, is a true Chinese general that helped bring an end to the Han Dynasty and ushered in the beginning of the Three Kingdoms.  It is still common to see small shrines dedicated to Guan Yu in Chinese stores and restaurants around the world.  The movie also depicts the warlord Cao Cao in a way that I had not thought of him.  In this movie he is depicted as a wise manipulative man and not necessarily the feared man who rained death upon everyone in his path.

With all of that said this is one cool movie.  The cinematography is great all the way through.  Most of the fight scenes use the pudao sword requiring large movements that were gracefully executed.  The history and the story part I'm still a little fuzzy on and I might have to do some reading and then watch it again when a different subtitle file is available.   All in all if you are a fan of epic period martial arts flicks involving kings, generals, provincial leaders, and an honorable hero this is certainly one movie you should be happy to get your hands on as well.

San kei hap lui - Mr and Mrs Incredible

San kei hap lui - Mr and Mrs Incredible
Hong Kong (2011)
Starring:  Louis Koo, Sandra Ng, Kwan Yue, and Chapman To

Mr and Mrs Incredible is a funny comedy that had me giggling all the way though.  The story is based on two married superheroes who retire forcing them to deal with some of life's finer points.  From arguments and health issues to acting normal and dealing with small town gossip this couple is plagued by the issues that come with being married for years.  From fertility to infidelity the comical bickering and bantering  was funny all the way through this movie.

Gazer Warrior and Aroma Woman are an inseparable duo that struggle to conceal their super powers and former identities from their friends during retirement.  They are successful, albeit barely, for a good while till trouble comes into their lives again. . .  Yes the silliness in the movie matches their superhero names.

All in all the film was kind of silly, kind of funny, and not super unique.  Foreign superhero movies interest me because they require quite a bit of imagination; I'm curious what types of situations and superhero powers other cultures can dream up.  From that perspective this movie was okay.   With that said, if one were to take Mr and Mrs Smith and cross them with the Incredibles, send them back in time about 900 years the result would be Mr and Mrs Incredible.  This movie really was an Asian fusion of those two movies.  If you youtube the actual trailer it will prove that point in about 30 seconds, though strangely enough the trailer is made with zero percent of the film footage.  It was still worth it just for the giggles.  Not to mention who doesn't like a superhero movie?

Quote:  Drunk carriage driving will be fined 2 dollars, serve six months suspension, and the horse will be confiscated.

Zhan gu - The Drummer

Zhan gu - The Drummer
Hong Kong/Taiwan (2007)
Starring:  Jaycee Chan, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Angelica Lee, Josie Ho, and Kenneth Tsang
Awards:  Golden Horse Award - Best supporting Actor (2007), Wine Country Film Festival - Best Feature Film & Best Actor (2009)

The son of a powerful triad gang leader through his own decisions turns his and his family's lives upside down.  After sleeping with the girlfriend of a powerful gang leader Sid is forced into seclusion as an alternative to losing his hands or his live.  Having been the drummer in a band he is drawn to the sounds of drumming echoing through the mountains in his exile.  The discovery of the Zen Drummers changes his life forever.

This movie was interesting.  There is a mix of some action with inspirational concepts buried in the story around the Zen Drummers.  It doesn't go so far as to be a spaghetti style Hong Kong triad movie and has a bit more action then your typical Buddhist inspired movie.  Such a balance is a difficult one to maintain in a movie and the did a decent job walking that fine line in this movie.

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors
Hong Kong
2009
Starring:  Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, and Kenny Ho
Awards:  Nominated for the Asian Film Award (2010)

Probably my second favorite genre of movies right now is the martial arts arena, fantasy martial arts movies are awesome because of the thought that goes into creating the worlds and the martial arts themselves.  Fung wan II is no exception to that.  Virtually all of the action sequences are friggin awesome.  The limits of reality are tested, sure, but that doesn't mean the story isn't cool.  If you liked the looks of Goemon you should certainly like the looks of this.  Some of the names in this movie were a little corny, but that very well could be something that is lost to me in translation.

I think we are coming into a new era for martial arts movies.  I have a hypothesis that the kids who grew up watching anime are becoming directors now with production budgets large enough to create the worlds and special effects their minds have been trained to imagine.  I think we're going to see a large number of flicks coming out of Asia that will rival Hollywood action productions in the next decade.

Storm Warriors has a decent plot behind it.  There is a strong element of good and evil, light and dark, and it approaches the high ranking martial arts training with that perspective.  There is a some type of a love story tied into this movie for both Wind and Cloud, but for some reason if it wasn't for the acting that wouldn't be overly apparent; the subtitles said little about it other then hints here and there.  If you like fantasy martial arts movies with good action virtually all the way through you should check this one out.

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."