“Archaeologic Artefacts”
1. Shanghai Triad (DVD/ China/ 1996/ 107 min)
Director: Zhang Yimou
Actors: Gong Li, Li Baotian, Xiaoxiao Wang
2. The Emperor and the Assassin (VHS/ China/1998)
Director: Chen Kaige
Actors: Gong Li, Li Xuejian, Zhang Fengyi
3. Gourgeus (VHS/ Hong Kong/1999/95 min)
Director: Vincent Kok
Actors: Jackie Chan, Tony Leug Chiu-Wai, Shu Qi, Richie Ren
http://www.tntla.com/
4. Police Story (DVD/ Hong Kong/ 1985/ 96 min)
Director: Jackie Chan
Actors: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin
The gifted policeman Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) puts behind the bars the biggest drug dealer in town. Then he has to protect the major witness of the case, the gangster ´s secretary (Lin). When the girl disappears and the bad guy goes free, Chan has the personal challenge of bringing her back, facing all alone the gangsters. The picture images have grown old, but the amazing stunt work and the fightings still make this action movie a great fun.
5. Hard Boiled (VHS/ Hong Kong/ 1994)
Director: John Woo
Actors: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong)
6. Fist of Legend (VHS/ China/ 1994)
Director: Gordon Chan Car-Seung
Action: Yuen Woo-Ping
Actors: Jet Li, Chin Siu-Ho, Ada Choi Siu-Fun, Nakayma Shinobu
7. Hard Boiled (VHS/ Hong Kong/ 1994/ 126 min)
Director: John Woo
Actors: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, Teresa Mo)
Tequila (Yun-Fat) is a cop frustrated with his carrer, who would gladly change over from the revolver to a saxophone, from the police stationt to a smoky jazz bar (his nickname says all!). This way, he seems to be always running against the clock, performing the missions with a suicidal courage, and what for? To get rid of all vilains and finally dedicate his life to the music and his estranged girlfriend? Alan (Leung) is a killer working to the guns contraband mafia in Hong Kong and also has the desire of an early retirement. He seems sometimes reluctant executing the assasssination job, but is quite brilliant doing it. When Tequila and Alan finally have the paths crossed there´s a mutual recognition of souls. With a ironic difference revealed in Alan´s touching confession:” All I wanted was to be a normal cop”. The fine construction of the characters contrasts with the bloodshed that we´re submitted during the picture. Even so, Chow Yun-Fat holding a baby in his arms and shooting a gun in the middle of fire and explosions is moving, the way just John Woo could make it. Classic!
We´re living privileged times, with so many great films coming to our theaters. Just this year we saw Zhang Yimou´s “Hero” and “House of the Flying Daggers”, and Stephen Chow´s “Kung Fu Hustle”.
Hopefully we´ll close the year with the beautiful “2046”, Wong Kar-Wai´s new tale of love and pain.
On DVD I can name some good candy too. The release of old stuff, the new films that never made the ocidental screens, and even the archaeologic findings in VHS (those are precious!).
Well, we´ll review all of them, so stay connected! I´m listing some of the films I saw this year, with selected links. I count with your suggestions of other titles, or just comments on the list.
“Hero” (Ying xiong) China, 2002, 99´
director: Zhang Yimou
writing: Zhang Yimou, Feng Li, Bin Wang
actors: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi.
The director Zhang Yimou already gifted us with great films, full of solid drama and scenes that will keep forever in our minds (like “Farewell My Concubine”). By other hand, chinese cinema has the unique capacity of combining adventure, action and drama. Ang Lee´s “Crounting Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the perfect example, and clearly inspired this new fase of Yimou carrer. In spite of never have worked directing action films, “Hero” discloses the director´s talent also in this genre. “Hero” tells us, through a legend, the history of the unificacion of China, about 2000 years ago. And who´s the “hero” of the story? The Nameless swordman (Jet Li), that defeats the rebels? Or the same rebels – Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) e Sky (Donnie Yen)? Or maybe the true hero is the King of Qin (Daomin Chen), for having the boldness of building the great country of China? It´s all open to interpretation, but what really matters in this film are the fight scenes, a very elegant and elaborated coreography. Even if you´re not a fan of martial arts, you´ll be delighted. And the landscapes are truly amazing. Exotic deserts, fantasy forests, highly colored by the hand of the fotographer Christopher Doyle, a brilliant work. Finally, it was a beaultiful experience into the legend plus marcial arts genre. And it seems that Zhang Yimou realy enjoyed the play since he directed afterwards the also amazing “House of Flying Daggers”. Can´t miss it!
This is the second incursion of the director in the martial arts plus epic drama genre, and Zhang Yimou is more experienced and mature. And the challenge is bigger this time. More action, more breath taking landscapes and much more drama. Or I should say, more romance. The story is set when China is a great unified country, but the people still dislikes some governants. This established, enter two policemen (Andy Lau e Takeshi Kaneshiro) that are charged with the arresting of a beautiful young rebel (Zhang Ziyi) hidded at a brothel. They´re surprised to find out the girl is blind, and also a brilliant swordwoman. The tenent Jin (Kaneshiro) has the mission of faking the rescue of the blind girl, to pretend sympathy for the rebel cause, this way being able to discover the hiding-place of the state foes. During this journey, naturaly, the couple falls in love with each other.
So many scenes in this film are memorable, like the raid through the bambual (a scene that can´t miss in a martial arts classic movie) and the final duel at the snow field. Delicate and moving performances, inspired music, in short, another pearl of the director Zhang Yimou.
“Kung Fu Hustle” (Gong Fu) Hong Kong, 2004, 95´
director: Stephen Chow Sing-Chi
actors: Stephen Chow, Chi Chung Lam, Wah Yuen, Qui Yuen, Hsiao Liang
http://www.kungfuhustle.com/
Para mim, o melhor filme do ano, ainda mais que tive o prazer de vê-lo no dia do meu aniversário. Mas deixando de lado razões emocionais, Gong Fu é um filme divertido como a muito não se via, ao menos nas telas ocidentais. E nem dá para comparar com os filmes anteriores de Stephen Chow, que nunca chegaram às telas do Brasil. O que aliás é surpreendente, já que o sucesso anterior do diretor (Shaolin Soccer) combina o kung fu com o futebol, paixão nacional brasileira. Por que esse filme não chegou ao país? Pergunte às distribuidoras de cinema, escravas comerciais do cinema norte-americano. Mas vamos ao aqui e agora. Esse é um filme que surpreende em muitos aspectos, a começar pela direção segura e ao mesmo tempo criativa do Sr. Chow. Outro ponto positivo são os CGI, os efeitos especiais, presentes em grande parte do filme, mas sempre bem pensados e elaborados com grande sofisticação. A estória: nos anos confusos da china pré-revolucionária, gangues sanguinárias aterrorizam as zonas urbanas. Uma dupla de jovens sem-teto (Chow e Chi Chung Lam) sonha em fazer parte da famosa Gangue do Machado. Passando-se por membros da dita gangue, eles ensaiam uma tentativa de extorsão num condomínio pobre, sugestivamente chamado de “Beco do Chiqueiro” (“Pig Sty Alley”). Só que os azarados heróis se vêem diante de um grupo de moradores que lembra muito os daquela pequena aldeia gaulesa, que nunca se rendeu ao império romano, lembra? E quando a sinistra Gangue do Machado entra na festa... é um espetáculo de artes marcias pra fã nenhum botar defeito.
