The Emperor's Shadow

I remember watching this Chinese movie on SBS back in my final year of uni. I'm pretty sure it was listed by SBS as "Son of Heaven". For ages I was trying to look it up under the name of "Son of Heaven" but to no avail. Although I do recall it being listed under another name on a few web sites.

It's about the rocky friendship between two men, Ying Zheng and Gao Jianli. Ying Zheng was the man who would become the first Emperor of China and Gao Jianli was his childhood friend, whom if memory serves me correct was the son of his wet nurse. Ying Zheng prior to becoming Emperor of China was the King of Qin, one of several Chinese kingdoms vying for supremacy during the Warring States era.

Whilst in the midst of conquering the rival kingdoms the King is after an anthem for the his subjects that will drive them onwards in his conquests. Gao Jianli becomes his captive during the King's conquest of Gao Jianli's native kingdom of Yan. As Gao Jianli is a talented music the King instructs him to compose this anthem.

The story revolves around the struggle between the two men as Gao Jianli harbours a hatred of the King's rule. However the bond of friendship between the two men is deep and both men are torn between their political convictions and their old friendship. Gao Jianli constantly pushes the temper of the King with disastrous results.

Whilst the story is a fictional account, the people and events in the movie are for the most part historical. The movie captures the Warring States era with the scenery, costumes and props all gelling well. Ying Zheng is portrayed in a realistic manner as a person with love for those close to him yet also capable of evil and with conviction.

The movie is a great work of historical fiction with an accurate background allowing for an intriguing tale to be told. Unlike more recent Chinese films of historical fiction it has a good depth to it and explores some important ideas. The main idea of art being able to influence people and government being unable to control artistic expression is as relevant in our increasingly interconnected and homogenous as it was back in an age of conquest and totalitarianism. A movie well worth its big, for a Chinese film back in 1996, budget and some of our attention.

War of the Worlds

Having decided to see the latest Spielberg blockbuster starring Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds, we decided to grab a bite somewhere first on the Parade in Norwood. There was a dearth of variety so we settled on an Italian joint called Gusto. It was a pretty roomy place with wooden floorboards and a nice lounge for takeaway customers.

For entrees we had the Tuscan flat bread and a salsicca (italian sausage) fry up. The Tuscan flat bread was rather nice, simply flat bread drizzled with some olive oil and herbs. The salsicca was flavoursome if a bit too greasy for an entree. For mains I had cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta which was quite a nice and not too heavy main. Overall the place was ordinary but pleasant enough, although the bill was comparable to Amalfi the food was nowhere near as good.

War of the Worlds was an entertaining film, although the acting wasn't much to write home about. The characters just weren't believable enough and at times were grating. Spielberg has done well the capture the gloominess and confusion of the story. The ending could have been pithier, it seemed as though the writers had enough and just wrote that they lived happily ever after. Overall a visual feast but not too memorable.

Revenge of the Sith

Having been fighting off cold and flu for quite a while I had managed to not see the last and best in the new Star Wars trilogy. I managed to see one of the last sessions in a big ticket theatre. The inner child in me had convinced me to get a Luke Skywalker light sabre with all the lights and sounds a few days before.

Having stepped into the cinema I knew straight away that only Senstadium and Cinemaxx theatres could do this film justice with their stadium seating and big screen and speakers. The introductory scenes just took my breath away with all the space fighter action and light sabre fights. George Lucas has obviously listened and learnt from his last two efforts.

The scenes were luscious and actually looked real, avoiding the whole painted background feel of the last episode. Natalie Portman, as usual, looked divine and totally delicious whilst Hayden Christensen actually showed some semblance of acting. Still he was better when fighting than when talking but hey it's Star Wars, who cares about the acting as long as there's plenty of action.

This episode actually did convey a feeling of being an epic which the last two somehow missed. The storyline did actually take me in and the action sequences just blew me away. Ewan McGregor managed to project the presence of the original Obi Wan and put across some of the emotion felt when Anakin turns to the Dark Side.

Overall a fantastic cinema experience and one which only a big screen and loud speakers can do justice. It was well worth the wait and trek to the less savoury parts of town to see in the Senstadium. It was definitely not as kid friendly as the first two in its trilogy but no worse than some scenes from the original trilogy. Star Wars Episode VI: Revenge of the Sith is one of the outstanding movies of 2005 and worthy of being compared to the original trilogy.

House of Flying Daggers

Well what can I say I've developed a blogging bug, probably cos I can forget the details of life outside office hours so easily. Continuing on my last post we saw House of Flying Daggers afterwards. I was a bit disappointed, people had been saying it had no plot and it was superbly shot. Well it was superbly shot but it didn't have enough fisticuffs for my liking and the plot just seemed to have been dragged out too much.

A couple of twists and turns is nice but a whole lot in one scene is just too much. Reminds of some other Chinese/Hong Kong flicks and shows, where everything changes in an instant beyond credibility. I was hanging out to see that big battle they were all alluding to but no I had to witness a Chinese version of a fight on Jerry Springer. The forests scenes, which were shot in the Ukraine, just didn't evoke the visions of China that usually comes to mind but I'm just being picky now.

Still it was a gorgeous film which didn't quite stand up to the torch of anticipation I had put it to. Despite all my misgivings I do hope there are more films like this being released into mainstream cinema. Let's just hope they don't become the cinematic equivalent of mainstream sweet chilli sauce: overly sweet and generally not enjoyed by those where it originated from but still marketed as authentic stuff.