Reviews - Movies

I continue to follow Chinese director Zhang Yimou's films (his earlier film "The Road Home" is probably my favourite film of all time) which have moved into a new phase. Beginning with "Hero", and now "House of Flying Daggers", he's really got into Martial Arts films, of the slightly impossible flywire genre. While "Hero" was a much more complicated story with much poetic allusion (in particular, the changing colours) "House of Flying Daggers" is more like Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in its mix of love, beauty, betrayal and death. And also in common is the stunning Zhang Ziyi, fast becoming China's best known pin-up girl as the main character, Mei.

As expected, there is some fantastic flywire martial arts, including a brilliant fight scene in a bamboo forest. Also plenty of "bullet time" visuals, mostly in this era (800AD) of flying hand knives. Zhnag Yimou never skimps on brilliantly colourful scenic filmography, which is spendid as usual.

My first foray into a "Bollywood" film, the Indian film industry that makes well over a film per day. If you've never seeen a Bollywood film before (which I hadn't) it's quite an experience. A melange of moods that we normally never see together: international terrorism; large scale musical dance numbers; choreographed fight scenes; comedy; flowery love scenes; family themes; car chases, etc etc etc . "Grease meets Mission Impossible" might not be a far off description. I was at first fascinated, but as it dragged onto its third hour (!) I found myself looking for an exit.

I always maintain that the "gold standard" romantic comedy is "When harry Met Sally" and that all others must be compared to this.

Love actually stays within the genre, but creates a new class of its own. With its multiple subplots, and mixture of humour and pathos it is a departure from the usual "boy gets girl/girl gets boy via amusing story".

It also avoids many other hollywood cliches - somtimes the girl doesn't get the boy. Or the boy chooses the less pretty girl. A standout is Colin the "British sex god" who gets, amazingly, every boys wet dream in real life. Clever and well put together, it gives WHMS a run for its money.

AKA "The Beast of War" this film was strongly recommended to me by a good friend. Set in Afghanistan in the 1980's it opens with a brutal scene not unlike the first reel of Saving Private Ryan - here is war at is horrible worst. The Russians destroy a village, kill everyone and poison their water, revenge against local muhajadeen rebels. One of the tanks then gets lost in the desert, to be hunted down by the muhajadeen. Each side is shown to have its stengths and foibles, weaknesses and nobilities in a savage conflict.

Atanarjuat the Fast Runner is a story set in an ancient inuit community. Atanarjuat, of gentle nature and skilled at running and hunting, wins the love of a woman bethrothed to the son of the tribal leader. The story is then of betrayal, revenge and, unexpectedly, mercy.

The first film produced in the Inuit language, it provides and extraordinary look into the Inuit way of life, as well as a great story without the usual hollywood formula. Who would have thought the ancient Inuit made themselves sunglasses from bone? It received the 2002 Cannes Camera d'Or. A wonderful film.