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Thread: Hero <<Ying Xiong>>

  1. #16
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    Your right, Stumble

    Right after I posted that, I picked up my email and there were several spam ads from DVD/VCD websites pushing pre-orders. According to them, the release is the 19th (today.) NOw I don't have to watch that Taiwan bootleg.

    Question for those of you who've seen it - is it appropriate for children? What rating would you give it?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #17

    rating?

    Man, I don't understand the rating system. This one has no real bloody scenes or cruel violence and the sex scene was prety tame.

    So PG?

    Does your kid watch this type of movie? I don't let mine. It's too dark. Then again, the powerpuff girls movie was much more violent and my kid cried during elmo's movie so what do I know.

    I think it's a PG type movie. Not an R or even a PG-13.

    I'll have to chek Chinatown this weekend if the Hero DVD is out in SF.

  3. #18
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    hasayfu

    Nowadays kids that are our age can't even watch TV. It'd ridiculous. As for movies, I'd love to have to luxury to screen everything, but I barely have the luxury to see movies anymore. My kid watched Spiderman and that was ok. I'm always afraid of what will frighten her, but she thought the green goblin was funny, like aliens on star trek, and a lot of her classmates have seen spiderman so she recognises him right alongside bugs bunny, et. al. As for KF movies, if they're just fight flicks, like say Undaunted Wudang, I don't let her watch them yet. There's already issues about pushing at preschool soo why exacerbate it. But she enjoys Jackie, especially the slapstick, and she loves his cartoon but we seldom watch it anymore.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #19
    For those who ordered it online: where, and how much did you pay?

  5. #20
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    Hero

    I thoroughly enjoyed Hero. What a spectacle. I can't wait to see it on the big screen instead of my tiny TV.

    It's way overblown for Zhang Yimou, not at all what I was expecting given his earlier work. At first, the color usage reminded me more of Tsui Hark and the slo-mos reminded me of John Woo. The legion sequences echoed Kurosawa, but then, he broke the mold when it came to choreography on the massive army scale, so any ancient battle pales by comparison. What surprised me most was the use of CGI. The story is told in flashbacks, and there is another nod to Kurosawa akin to Ras****n.

    Moreso, I loved the themes of swordsmanship as art and art as a vehicle for enlightenment. That really spoke to my soul. That "big picture" theme is what I was expecting from Zhang and as usual, he delivered with that kind of nagging imagery that comes back to you later. The overall message, the moral if you will, was beautiful and brilliant.

    The fights were mediocre from a martial arts standpoint. Donnie vs. Jet is cool. I liked Maggie vs. Zhang for it's sureal quality (plus who can deny swordswoman cat fights?) It's high fantasy with lots of flying wire work, but entertainly executed. Traditionalists will complain about the wire work, but they can save their money for the Shaw Brothers rerelease.

    As for the inevitable CTHD comparison, it's not another CTHD. It won't get that kind of recognition. It's not geared to westerners in the same popular vein. Plus CTHD cut a path that will be hard to follow up. That's too bad since I think more highly of Zhang Yimou then Ang Lee. But it will stand as one of the more magnificient martial arts movies in our oh-so-B-grade genre. I think many will look down on Hero because of this comparison, which is the real shame.

    And my kid enjoyed it. She thought Jet was a really funny name and told me she could jump and fly like that someday. It was fairly bloodless and the one sex scene was more implied. My wife frowned at the stabbing, but wives do that sometimes, and for my daugther, they were off camera enough so it wasn't much different than Peter Pan vs. Capt. Hook.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  6. #21
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    ras****n

    You know, I've encountered the Ras****n problem previously and forgot. I think it's kinda funny myself. I mean really, how do you effectively censor the net?

    I did not do the ball and sword test. I thought about it, but given my background and the fact that my wife is a Yoga teacher, we figured the logical class to enroll her in was trapeze school. She will find her path, no doubt.

    The CTHD comparison will really hurt Hero. It's sad because Hero is truly a magnificent work and a great tale of wude. CTHD was more of a romance with wude undertones. But I think the music and the presence of Zhang Ziyi will make the comparison inevitable and Hero will lose on the popular front.

    One more thing I'd like to add to my review. In classic Zhang Yimou style, the women really shine. He can really direct women. Maggie and Zhang Ziyi turn in the best performances. Tony Leung's work was engaging but somewhat helpless. Jet was so stoic Chuck Norris could have done that part. But Zhang Ziyi's small part had some great emotion to it - she has such beautiful neck muscles that flair right on cue. And to think that she's done fights scenes now with all the big martial stars. As for Maggie, well, I've been in love with Maggie since when she was Jackie's helpless girlfriend. I even loyally sat through Irma Vep. It's great to see her get past the cute girl (almost kogal if she were Japanese) role and take on more mature women. Her performance was the most powerful.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  7. #22
    i recently saw a version with only mandarin
    didn't understand much of it so i just looked at the pictures

    didn't really understand the story...

    so i only thought it was average.

  8. #23
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    Hero

    I just got the Miramax and Chinese production "HERO" which has Tong Leung, Maggie Cheung (both famous HK actors known for in Wong Kar Wai's flims), Jet Li, and Donnie Yen. It is an awesome kung fu movie much like Couching Tiger and Hidden Dragon in terms of budget, beautiful dresses, colors, and landscapes, and of course flying type kung fu. It is out on VCD and there are bootlegs DVDs, but much more intellectual than Ang Lee's flim.

    I highly recommend that you go to your local chinese video stores and purchase this VCD, it does have english sub titles. The fight scene between Jet Li and Donne Yen is nice. Tong Leung and Maggie Cheung were beautiful actors and I always loved their body of work when they work together.
    Mr. Bao

    "A gung fu man, then, should be soft-yet not yeilding; firm-yet not hard." Lee Jan Fan

  9. #24
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    I watched "Hero" last night.

    I thought some of the fight scenes were good when they weren't flying around but overall I would rate it as average.

    The political aspect of it all left a bad taste in my mouth though - the unification of China through military force.

    Glad I didn't pay to watch it at the cinema.

    hakka mui

  10. #25
    I've seen it. Love it.

    It's a gorgeous movie.

    Would recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.


  11. #26
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    Emperor Qin

    I think viewers need to understand who Qin was and what he did. That's a critical part of the plotline, as well as the myth that Hero was retelling. With that knowledge, we know pretty much what is going to happen from the introduction. For those familiar with Chinese legend and history, it's a lot like watching a retelling of Arthurian legend.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  12. #27
    or The Emperor & the Assassin

  13. #28
    Overall, I'd also rate "Emperor and the Assassin" as a slightly better movie--if you aren't interested in fight choreography.

    Gene ruined Hero for me. I had never intended to interpret every scene as an inferior version of CTHD...until he told me that it was inevitable.

  14. #29
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    [Censored]

    Sorry dude, but if it wasn't me, it would have been someone else.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  15. #30
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    Just saw it. Loved it!

    It makes Ben Hur look like an epic.

    seriously though, the colours were superb, the cinematography was lush and crisp.

    the swordplay choreography was excellent and the dream sequence fights were some of the best wire work I've seen. (prolly cuz da folks on teh wires are pretty good at it )

    the story was very well told.

    Overall, I'd give this flick a 9 out of 10. Cause, noones perfect.

    The Emperor was Qin xi Huang Ti is that correct or is it a later period emperor qin?

    anyway, no matter, you don't need to know anything about chinese history to enjoy this flick. It is definitely one of Li's better ones.

    cheers
    Kung Fu is good for you.

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