The Good – Red Cliff
Is, without a doubt, John Woo’s best film since Bullet in the Head. It’s also his first “real” Chinese movie since leaving HK in the mid-1990s. Red Cliff could wear the subtitle: The Emperor and the strategist. It stars Tony Leung and Zhang Fengyi as opposing figures in this historical epic based on the famous Sino text “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. A perfect blend of character and action with spectacular CGI. It’s guaranteed to leave you thirsting for more – part 2 opens around Asia during Chinese New Year!
The Bad – Lust/Caution
Will Ang Lee ever stop making films about sexually repressed people? (I sort of doubt it). Apart from that, L/C routinely defies any logic with plot contrivances worthy of the credit: written by Wong Jing. Enough said…..
The Weird – CJ7
Was it a comedy? Was it a sci-fi flick? Was it an ET rip-off? I still don’t know! But I do know it was Chow Lite and not in the same league as his Kung Fu Hustle or the brilliant Shaolin Soccer. I have fond memories of watching the rise of Stephen Chow via Canto films – I fear I’m now watching the fall of Stephen Chow.