[typoon]

These people who are sick of "wire fu" have obviously never seen too many Asian gung Fu films. You could say that 90 percent of all of them are like that. It's a typical Chinese style gung fu film. this Movie looks great and I'm glad Tarnatino was able to get it to the US. I wish it wasn't in English though. I believe that it is dubbed in English. I would have rather it been like Crouching Tiger. In it's orginal Chinese with English subtitles. The ONLY way to watch a movie like this.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by typoon:
I wish it wasn't in English though. I believe that it is dubbed in English. I would have rather it been like Crouching Tiger. In it's orginal Chinese with English subtitles. The ONLY way to watch a movie like this.

Hero is supposed to be in Mandarin with English subtitles for the North American release. At least it damn well better be.

BTW, now it has hit 25/25 - 100%, with a rating of 9.1/10. I'm still predicting around 80% after this week's opening, and my personal rating is 4/5.

[soul searching]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
NY Times: Cracking the Color Code of 'Hero' & Colours slideshow (ID: macnn, Password: macnn)
....

I hope they don't overuse the different color scheme (it looks like they might). If used properly, it can help the story a great deal though. For example, I like what the director did with color in Traffic.

Anyway, the previews look pretty cool. Can't wait to see it.

[greenamp]

I wish someone would bring casshern to the states

[davechen]

In case you missed it Zhang Ziyi is going to star in the film adaptation of Memoir of a Geisha. It'll be interesting to see how good her English is, since that's what it's going to be shot in.

My brother-in-law got me a DVD of Hero from NY Chinatown last year. No subtitles, though, so he emailed me a file with the English. I had to read it on my laptop as it went along. Actually it might have been a VCD since the picture quality wasn't that great. Anyways I liked the movie a lot.

ps- Zhang Ziyi makes me feel funny in the pants.

[Eug Wanker]

That's impressive... This will not last, but Hero is now in the Top 50 RT all time best list. It's also the best rated in 2004.

Originally posted by davechen:
Zhang Ziyi makes me feel funny in the pants.

Too much information.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:

Hmmm... It's premiering in Toronto today (a day early) at the Paramount downtown.

By the length of the movie it looks to be the director's cut which was the initial DVD release (or very similar), and not the subsequent extended version.

[GoGoReggieXPowars]

Originally posted by soul searching:
I hope they don't overuse the different color scheme (it looks like they might).

Trust me, it's gorgeous. The cinematography was done by Christopher Doyle, who also did all of Wong Kar-wai's films. The colour's also a hallmark of the director, notably "Ju Dou" and "Raise The Red Lantern."

I haven't seen a release date for "House Of Flying Daggers" though it is playing the Film Festival as a gala.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by GoGoReggieXPowars:
I haven't seen a release date for "House Of Flying Daggers" though it is playing the Film Festival as a gala.

When? I wonder how impossible will be to get tix for that gala. I REALLY want to see House of Flying Daggers (aka Lovers).

Apple QuickTime Trailer (Japanese)

WMV Trailer (English, but bad quality)

EDIT:

House of Flying Daggers is sold out. Sept. 11 at 9:30 pm at Roy Thompson Hall. I betcha it would have been $$$$ anyways. I've never been to a Gala before.

[Powaqqatsi]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
Where are you? I suspect it will be close to Xmas before Hero is officially on DVD here (Canada).

Belgium, the played it in theathers more than 6 months ago IIRC.

[ReggieX]

All I gotta say is WHOA

Not mine obviously.

[Oisín]

Originally posted by Powaqqatsi:
Belgium, the played it in theathers more than 6 months ago IIRC.

If it was played in Belgium at the same time as in Denmark, it's more than 6 months ago. I can't remember exactly when I saw it, but I think it was before the summer term ended (ie. before the end of May last year)...

And I want that DVD set.

[Eug Wanker]

The reviews are rolling in. So far 63/67 (or 78/83), which is 94%.

Wow, that's better than I thought it'd get. BTW, almost nobody talks about the performance of Chen Dao Ming (the king). I think some of the best acting in the entire movie came from him.

I guess it's just because he's not a well-known actor in the West. (He's a Chinese stage/dramatic actor.)

[daydreamer]

Originally posted by ReggieX:
All I gotta say is WHOA

Not mine obviously.

I have that Set, it's the Korean R3 Ultimate Edition. Absolutely gorgeous, especially if your a bit of a dvd freak.

Here are some more detailed pictures (not mine).
http://www.pson.org/dvdcollection/pi...-r3/index.html

The movie itself is obviously one of my favorites, it's a shame you have to watch it dubbed in english in the US though.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by daydreamer:
The movie itself is obviously one of my favorites, it's a shame you have to watch it dubbed in english in the US though.

It's not dubbed.

Apparently they changed the subtitles slightly though, vs. the Chinese DVD release. I like the original translation better, even if it's 3 words instead of two, for .

[Lancer409]

hmm ... i liked the chess fight the most... i didnt like the arrow scene. especially that one arrow with a camera strapped to it ... notice how slow it moved through the air while people were running around in the room? shouldnt the arrow be moving MUCH faster?

good movie ... and jet li's martial arts ISNT fake. since there is no unit of measurement, it is up to debate whether bruce lee is as good as jet li is.

[d.fine]

I liked to movie. There were some really nice composition scenes in there, nice colors and everything. Plus I really liked the story as well.
The stunts are very 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' like, but that didn't bother me, I liked that movie as well. I'd recommend it to everyone, it may only be a one-timer, but i thought it was good !

[Eug Wanker]

I saw it in the theatre today... almost. What a @#$!^%% let down. Major projector fsckups with during the previews, so they stopped everything. It was supposedly fixed and they started the movie...

First off it looked like there was something severely wrong with the print or lamp brightness setting or something. Although the lighting in the previews seemed fine, the movie was very dark, with bright scenes on the DVD seeming overcast in the theatre, and dark scenes having no detail at all. A little before the Go courtyard fight scene was to start, the projector cut out again. The sound was playing but you couldn't see anything. They played with it for a while, the whole time playing the sound which nobody could undertand, and then the video came back at the start of the Go courtyard fight scene.

Majorly p!ssed off, I just left (after getting my refund). I asked what happened. The bulb was NOT dying. The cover was not automatically opening like it should. I asked them and they said the first time they "fixed" it they just hit the projector. WTF?

I feel sorry for the others in the audience, because they would have no idea what was going on during that scene really, since the purpose of that scene was explained during that video blackout. Plus, I have no doubt the projector would have fscked up again. What I really don't understand is why so many people stayed, esp. the projector had already blacked out twice. The theatre (which was a moderately big one) was about 95% full, yet only about 10 of us left.

I'm gonna have to go back to see it tomorrow... preferably at another theatre. If you're in Toronto, it might be wise to avoid the Yonge and Eglinton theatre for this movie. Even if they manage to fix the projector, the print might not be good either. Hopefully the print at other theatres isn't quite as bad.

[ReggieX]

That sucks, man. I'm going to just head to the ol' Paramount to see it, never had a problem yet there.

[gorgonzola]

I just saw it today, and I liked it a lot. I thought the story worked well and the cinematography / color theme was just gorgeous. I still haven't seen Rashomon, annoyingly enough, so now I -really- need to see it.

And I didn't like Crouching Tiger at all; I thought this was better about several things. But that's another story.

[angaq0k]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
I just saw it today, and I liked it a lot. I thought the story worked well and the cinematography / color theme was just gorgeous. I still haven't seen Rashomon, annoyingly enough, so now I -really- need to see it.

And I didn't like Crouching Tiger at all; I thought this was better about several things. But that's another story.

I am longing to see that movie like I have been submitted to hunger for 2 years...

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Ya that is why I stick to paramount.

[soul searching]

Originally posted by GoGoReggieXPowars:
Trust me, it's gorgeous. The cinematography was done by Christopher Doyle, who also did all of Wong Kar-wai's films. The colour's also a hallmark of the director, notably "Ju Dou" and "Raise The Red Lantern."......

I saw it earlier today and I must agree, they used color rather well. Cool fighting scenes, too. Overall,

[Jaey]

Just saw it a couple hours ago.

3/5

[Eug Wanker]

Hmmm... Just saw it at the theatre. While the movie was the same, they changed the subtitles significantly in a few places. I don't think it was a good idea, since it really changed the meaning of several spots, reducing the impact. The Chinese DVD version's subtitles make for a better movie IMO. Plus, from what I could understand of the Chinese, the DVD version's subtitles are more accurate.

Plus, in the North American theatrical version, they really turned up the sound volumes for the fight scenes. All the hits and sword strikes were 3X as loud. It was very distracting. WTF?

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
First off it looked like there was something severely wrong with the print or lamp brightness setting or something. Although the lighting in the previews seemed fine, the movie was very dark, with bright scenes on the DVD seeming overcast in the theatre, and dark scenes having no detail at all.

A bunch of dim bulbs and projection problems are muddying movies at some Austin cinemas

Last summer at Cinemark Tinseltown in Pflugerville, director Tim McCanlies held a special sneak screening of his family dramedy "Secondhand Lions," which was filmed in rural areas around Austin. Friends, family and owners of many of the movie's key locations were there to see a heartwarming story set amid the bright, sprawling beauty of Central Texas.

But the screen never quite glowed; skies were dull and blotchy, the golden hues tarnished.

"The projection was so incredibly dim, people came up to me afterwards saying, 'I had no idea the whole film was shot at dawn and dusk!,' which of course it wasn't," recalls Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, McCanlies' assistant on the film.

Inadequate movie projection in Austin theaters � a genuine plague � also made tough work of finding Nemo, let alone any other fish, during the incandescently vivid "Finding Nemo."

"I knew something was wrong," says avid Austin moviegoer Kirby McDaniel, who caught "Nemo" at Cinemark Barton Creek. "There was no way the film was supposed to look that dark, especially in a Pixar animated feature for kids. They are supposed to be candy colors!"

But the central issue is bulb wattage. Using less powerful bulbs cuts costs. The bulbs, long xenon arc lamps, aren't cheap, and their life is quickly consumed when used for five screenings a day. A single 3,000-watt bulb goes for about $550 and lasts about 1,000 hours, which means a bulb needs to be replaced about twice a year per auditorium. A 4,000-watt bulb runs about $800 and lasts about 800 hours.

[itai195]

Originally posted by soul searching:
I saw it earlier today and I must agree, they used color rather well. Cool fighting scenes, too. Overall,

I agree, it was a beautiful film. I liked the acting, the cinematography was gorgeous, and the story worked well. I would've loved it if it weren't for the large number of overdone, derivative sentimental scenes. That, and the fact that I can't seem to go to the movies without managing to sit next to someone who either talks through the entire film, chews popcorn with his/her mouth open, or crinkles plastic wrappers for ten minutes... but I won't blame Hero for that

[soul searching]

Originally posted by itai195:
I agree, it was a beautiful film. I liked the acting, the cinematography was gorgeous, and the story worked well. I would've loved it if it weren't for the large number of overdone, derivative sentimental scenes. That, and the fact that I can't seem to go to the movies without managing to sit next to someone who either talks through the entire film, chews popcorn with his/her mouth open, or crinkles plastic wrappers for ten minutes... but I won't blame Hero for that

When I went to watch it there were these kids in front of us that complained they couldn't see because of some tall folks sitting in front of them. They kept asking each other, "What are they saying?! I can't read the subtitles! What's going on?" It didn't bother us much, it was actually a bit amusing.

(Start of possible SPOILER)

Then when we were leaving we overheard them say something like, "WTF happened? I saw people die then they were alive and then they died again, WTF? Seriously, WTF? I think I saw someone die five times!"

(End of possible SPOILER)

[ort888]

Here's some interesting trivia... played at actual speed, Hero is actually only 15 minutes long.

[Alezone]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:

Where are you? I suspect it will be close to Xmas before Hero is officially on DVD here (Canada).

I'm in Toronto, Canada, got the original DVD more than a year ago. Just go to some Chinese/Asian video stores and you'll find it.

Tips: Don't try Blockbuster or Rogers

[Eug Wanker]

"Hero" Slays "Anacondas"

Hero made mincemeat of all box-office foes this weekend, notably those pesky Anacondas, not to mention the evil Suspect Zero and the dreaded Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2.


Also here:

Wiring an estimated $17.8 million from 2,031 locations over the weekend, Hero eclipsed Bring It On's $17.4 million as the biggest end of August opening ever and posted a distant second best foreign language debut behind The Passion of the Christ's $83.8 million. It also nudged past Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's peak 2,027 theaters to become the widest Asian release of all time.


Just who the hell went to see the first Super Babies??!?!?11

[OreoCookie]

I loved that movie.
The images are extraordinarily beautiful, the movie is more than worth it for just that.

The fighting scenes are a question of taste, I prefer Zatouichi for that -- no superfluous movements whatsoever.

[torsoboy]

i saw it on friday night... not that impressive to me. It had nice pretty colors, but I thought the fight scenes weren't that good, and the story was kinda lame. And that dang slow chinese music going throughout the whole movie really made things drag. i hadn't seen any trailers, but I had heard that it was supposed to be good, but i was disapointed. It suprises me how many people are saying that it is great.

[godzookie2k]

I didn't like it, I thought it was self indulgent, I thought the story was staid and boring, and the CG was pretty bad. I thought it was cinematically beautiful, but lacking content.

[Alezone]

Watch the next one....

"Shi mian mai fu" aka "Lovers"

Trailer Here

[sek929]

Saw it last night.

I liked the twists in the storyline (and the overall storyline) but that said the story was painfully slow at times, and damn did the end take forever.

Stunning set design and cinematography, use of colors was also amazing (in the sets and costumes).

I don't mind wire-fu, because I understand that its meant to be like a fairytale, and I'm not the biggest fan of Anime either, but I do like a few that are well done, and I think of this movie in the same way.

I heard some people around me grumble about the subtitles, but having the dialogue in their native toungue made the movie much better than dubbing ever could have. Oh yeah and whoever played the King of Qin was great.

I probably will buy it, in the comfort of my own couches I would like it alot better (theater seats suck ass).

The only thing that still bugs me about it to this very second is trying to remember a scene without the use of slow-mo, it was cool yes, but thinking about it makes me realize just how much of the movie was done this way... maybe it would have sucked without it, who knows.

[Powaqqatsi]

I bought the DVD today and I just saw it. Overall I liked it, the scenery was beautiful. But, the story was a bit slow, that was the big problem with the movie. I like Wo hu cang long better. But hey, Zhang Ziyi made up for all the slowness

rating: 7,5/10

shu !

[PacHead]

(EDIT) - WARNING PacHead's POST IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!
WARNING PacHead's POST IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!

I saw this movie today at the theatre. Some nice shots/cinematography, ok fight scenes ( if you're into that sort of stuff), but a retarded plot.

What was the point of the whole movie ? These people trying to assasinate some king, then at the end, they basically say "oh what the hell", and they go and commit suicide. Ok, cool, a plot about losers/underachievers and people who don't carry out what they set out to.

It was also too cold at the theatre, but I won't blame that on the movie.

My rating 2 1/2 Stars out of 5

[Eug Wanker]

WARNING PacHead's POST ABOVE IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!
WARNING PacHead's POST ABOVE IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!
WARNING PacHead's POST ABOVE IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!

So the RT rating now is 121/128 which is 95%. The Cream of the Crop give it a 100% rating.

Quite frankly I'm astounded. I for the life of me would not have ever expected this. I would have expected maybe 20% of the reviews to be more like the last few posts here. Oh and they managed to get $18 million the first weekend. I wonder what the numbers will be like next week though.

BTW, here is a nice comparison of the various versions of the movie on DVD, with screen grabs. Apparently the Elite Group version from Japan is the best quality.

[PacHead]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
WARNING PacHead's POST ABOVE IS A GREAT BIG SPOILER!!!

I didn't read all 3 pages here, but I assumed the plot was already given away.

I'll edit my post and put your warning in it.

[Eug Wanker]

Hero wins Best Foreign Film award from Toronto Film Critics Association

P.S. I got the North American DVD. I must say the video quality isn't great.
The extra featurette is not bad though, and is very similar to the one on the Chinese DVD, except with subtitles.

[MilkmanDan]

Originally posted by greenamp:
I wish someone would bring casshern to the states

Honestly the movie sucked. The CGI was bad, the plot was very bad, and the action was few and far between. Don't see it. Ever.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
Honestly the movie sucked. The CGI was bad, the plot was very bad, and the action was few and far between. Don't see it. Ever.

But it looks soo cool!

[Lancer409]

saw it, enjoyed it.