Day 132 - Outcast(American/Chinese/Canadian)

"When the heir of the imperial throne becomes the target of assassination by his despised older brother, the young prince's only hope is the protection of his sister, and the reluctant aid of a war-weary Crusader, Jacob (Hayden Christensen), who must overcome his own personal demons and rally the assistance of the legendary Crusader-turned-bandit, Gallain (Nicolas Cage), to return the prince to his rightful place on the throne" -Wikipedia

I was looking forward to this movie because of the multiple cultures present in the film and fact is you don't see a whole lot of movies that are willing to do this in Hollywood. This movie was a great let down destroyed by horrible acting and a botched story as well as direction. Hayden Christensen simply destroyed his role, I can see why so many Star Wars fans dislike him. Nicholas Cage was alright but something in his performance was missing. Oh! I know what it is, it's heart! I felt nothing from his performance and I simply wish he would go back to seriously acting like he in the movie Leaving Las Vegas. It was nice to see Liu Yifei in the movie but I wish the director had used her better. I don't know what the director was thinking by making this film, it have no real value. It was directed by Nick Powell a stuntman who made his directing debut on this film. Maybe its already time for him to go back to doing stunt work. Overall skip the movie at all costs. 

0.5/5

Day 93 continued - White Haired Witch (Chinese)

"In the twilight of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial court is plagued by corruption as tyrants rule over the land. With the Manchurians preying on a weakened empire, war is imminent."

Not as bad as I thought but it needed a lot more work. Fan Bing Bing was as beautiful as she normally is and she was a delight to watch. The costume designs were stellar and really fitted each character. The direction was poor as was some of the action scenes. I thought the ending was a bit rushed as was the "lie" present in the film. The lie almost felt worthless as it really didn't do much and proved the main character made a sacrifice that was in vain. Felt like the director tried to cram as much as he could in this film as if it was his last chance. 

2/5

Starring

Fan Bingbing

Films:

A Battle of Wits

Flashpoint

My Way

Lost in Thailand

Day 71 - Brotherhood of Blades (Chinese)

 

"The film is set in 1627, towards the end of the Ming dynasty, when a young emperor decides to end the influence of all-powerful eunuch Wei (Chin Shi-chieh) and purge his supporters.Caught in the midst of the intrigue are three lowly cash-strapped warriors from the Imperial Assassins, the secret police, who are given orders to find and kill Wei"

 

The action scenes are the only talented part in the film the rest could be thrown away. There were no feelings of true brotherhood amongst the three main characters. The women were even worse, you could tell their job was to basically be dolls that look good. They were very beautiful but it truly felt like the director/script held them back. The script was very weak, I really wonder why this movie was even made. The story doesn't even reveal everything, so there are holes. Some of the characters are unbelievable which causes the viewer to lose interest. I suggest it to fans of Wuxia.

Day 28 - Nanking (American)

"Teens and young adults discovering their true identities while dressing up as fictional characters"

 

Such a good documentary to help spread information about the horror of what the Japanese military did to the people of Nanking and China. We get to hear and see through the eyes of the Americans, Germans, British, Chinese, and Japanese who were in Nanking. It was very shocking to see actual footage of some very hard images to look at. It deeply saddens me to know that some of these Japanese war criminal are honored despite the things they did. Honestly if you are interested in knowing more about The Rape of Nanking then this is the documentary for you.

 

4/5

 

 

little info

this film was made in honor of the victims of Nanking

and also Iris Chang

Day 26 continued - Iceman (Chinese/Hong Kong)

"An imperial guard and his three traitorous childhood friends ordered to hunt him down get accidentally buried and kept frozen in time. 400 years later passes and they are defrosted continuing the battle they left behind"

The worst Donnie Yen movie I have ever seen, the whole thing was ridiculous. There is way too much forced comedy and not a very good plot. The special effects are so bad you have to try not to see it in order to see Donnie Yen perform. Even though this film has a lot of big talent in it, it fails horribly. It could be because of the director Law Wing-cheung who will not be considered a good director anytime soon. The ending will get you mad since it sets up like there is going to be a sequel which will probably be released later this year. I swear if you are not a Donnie Yen fan do not watch this movie.

1/5

Day 11 continued - Incredibly Ever After (Chinese/Hong Kong)

 

"In ancient China, a husband and wife, both of them retired superheroes, contend with the high cost of living, infertility, and other contemporary life issues."

 

Such a corny comedy that will have you rolling your eyes rather than laughing. There are a few good elements but they are hard to find. I enjoyed a few of the characters but most of them lacked depth. Even the villain at the end really had no depth and was revealed at the last half of the film which leaves you wondering what in the hell. No one really performs well in the film but I think the director does an alright job. The script needed a lot of work but its still an okay film to watch if you are bored.

 

0/5