Movie Review: The Green Hornet

During my recent travels in Thailand, The Green Hornet was released in Asia...so, of course, I went to see it the very first day that it came out (as a dedicated Jay Chou fan).

Let me just say, seeing a movie in Thailand is interesting anyway...you stand for five minutes at the beginning of the movie in honor of the king while they play the anthem and show video footage of him. But anyways....we really liked the movie (and in fact went to see it again the next evening and later bought a bootleg DVD of it...hey, I did my part in supporting it in the theatre).

So, my review is as follows:

While I am a big fan of Jay Chou, I honestly didn't know what to expect...I knew I would think his English was cute, but honestly didn't expect for it to be great, and didn't know if he would really be able to pull off the subtle humor that the dialogue required....but he definitely did.

I am also not a big Seth Rogen fan, but I found him pretty funny in this movie. The movie itself is an anomaly, and I think a very good one, in that its treatment of Kato as a character is really positive for Asians....without turning him into a flawless martial arts god, they made Kato the "cool guy" and true hero of the film, while still allowing him character flaws (though admittedly not to the extent that Seth Rogen's Britt Reid displays as he deals with some major insecurities of playing second fiddle to the "sidekick".

The dialogue and fight scenes were entertaining and actually really funny, and the chemistry between Jay Chou and Seth Rogen is great. Cameron Diaz also is limited in screentime, which is probably good as she wasn't exactly super-convincing as the brainy Lenore Case.

Britt: "Sit with me Kato. Tell me your tale."

Kato: "I was born in Shanghai. You know?"

Britt: "Yes, I love Japan!"

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Apparently there are already talks of a sequel...which I fully support. It's about time Hollywood featured a cool Asian...not the stereotypical "funny guy with accent".

山楂樹之戀 Movie Review

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" is the latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou. This tells the story of a young girl dealing with the pressures of having capitalist parents during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the boy that falls in love with her.

The film is unabashedly innocent in tone, drawing us back to a different time in China. Like any good Chinese film, and most of Zhang Yimou's work, it ends in a decidely awful, tragic way...but rather than being akin to something like "A Walk to Remember", a film which allowed us to weep with the satisfaction that characters had some sort of closure, the tragic ending of this film leaves us stinging with the regret that the main characters must feel. This is part of the mark of a good Chinese film, so fans of lighter fare take heed before venturing into the realm of Chinese cinema.

Film Review-Mao's Last Dancer

Thanks to the wonders of the bootleg DVD, I recently watched "Mao's Last Dancer". It's a film about the life of Li Cunxin, a ballet dancer from a small village in China who comes to America to dance in Houston.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film for me (aside from the typical education that comes from highlighting cultural differences and someone's assimilation to a new culture) was the portion of the story that showed him growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the affect that this had on dance as an art form in China. Particularly touching is the depiction of Li's dance school headmaster and his subtle rebellion against the communist regime, and the way in which events play out.

The dancing is also beautiful, and so both as a dance film and a cultural/historical piece this film is captivating. I highly recommend seeing it! (It may be a little harder to find a showing in the States, but if you get the opportunity, jump on it!) I really want to read the book as well.