Curse of the Golden Flower

Yimou Zhang completes his wushu trilogy that started with Hero and House of Flying Daggers with this opulent and extravagant film that manages to be both epic and intimate and even more gorgeous to look at than his previous films. However as a whole I found it less engaging and the soap opera style storyline can sometimes get in the way of believability, leaving it more of a spectacle and leaving you emotionally distant from the characters, not least because most of them are to one degree or another rather unlikeable.

Set in 11th century China the film deals almost exclusively with life within the royal palace. A fortress of unimaginable wealth and luxury the Emperor and his family dwell within the structure preparing for the annual Chrysanthemum festival, which will bring with it the lies and the secrets they all have buried. The start of the film is very unlike Zhang’s other films, there is no epic introduction or captivating sequence, in fact much of the opening of the film goes against expectations introducing the viewers to the daily life at the palace. Whilst the film is quite slow moving the costumes and set design is breathtaking. The palace is bursting with reds and gold’s and the sheer level of detail and use of colour overshadows anything you may have seen before. In fact sometimes it’s almost too much, your eyes straining to take in every detail of excess that lies spread across the screen in front of you. Long time collaborator of Zhang’s Gong Li fills the shoes of the empress Phoenix, and her performance grounds the film. As she comes to realise the terrible truth about her husband we follow her situation from despair to revenge. Zhang’s decision to stay within the palace walls for the first hour of so is a very conscious one and captures Li’s increasing sense of isolation and claustrophobia.

Thankfully before the film slips totally into soap opera style drama we get some good old fashioned ninja fights, as per usual what action in the film is breathtakingly gorgeous despite itself and wonderfully executed. From this one act of violence that shakes you out of the main story we hurtle headfirst to the conclusion, an epic battle of almost unbelievable proportions, the sense of scale hard to comprehend as armies of silver and blue clash in a sea of yellow flowers. By the time the films grinds to its conclusion nobody is spared, the secrets are let loose and yet the blood is tidied away, a potent metaphor for how Zhang sees China the superpower.

Despite the flaws and familiar feel to elements of the film this is still a great film Visually without peer and engrossing and well acted this is a fascinating look into an ancient time and while it may not be as engaging or dramatic as Zhang’s other films it is still worth watching and a real treat for your eyes.

Extravagant, excessive and stunning to look at the slightly stodgy first half is opposed by a brutal and action packed ending. Less engrossing but every bit as stunning to look at as Zhang’s previous films this remains a mark above his many imitators.

Re-Post: Oh no not the R Word

When I was running my old site I had the aim of writing a lot more articles than I ever did, but one that I did write was on the subject of religion, and more importantly the word itself. Well whilst browsing the interweb today I came across this article on the BBC site that seemed in many ways to echo what I wrote about but also a lot of my feelings on the subject of the church at the moment. The article is well worth a read and so that my article does not get lost in the vaults of cyberspace I have decided to republish it below for those who have not read it, I still think it holds up and what with it being Easter tomorrow it even has a kind of context in which to be published.

P.S This is not just laziness because I have nothing new to write. Honest.

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One of the funny things about being a Christian is the very fact that you have a label. In the instant you adopt that moniker you suddenly have 2000 years of history attached to your name, to the person you are. All the connotations in society from that word are now yours – welcome to the family! I used to, and in some ways still do, live slightly in fear of this. It’s not quite up there with walking into a room full of spiders with the lights off, but it’s true that being a Christian is hardly a cool thing these days. But truthfully, it never has. To society if you’re a Christian you are a) boring, b) a hypocrite, c) in a position to judge people and d) religious.

Aha, there we go. That’s the ‘R’ word isn’t it? In fact religion is a very human thing, often entirely separated from God. What colour drapes or robes to wear. Which book the prayers should come from etc. Not very holy. You see I consider myself someone with faith, not religion. To be a Christian one thing counts, to acknowledge Jesus as God’s son and have a relationship. That’s it. You don’t need church, in fact it’s probably a surprise to many that Christians choose church! It should never be a case of duty, but something you want to do! Crazy but true. That doesn’t of course mean that just because you are tired you shouldn’t go, but it does mean that showing up 100 Sundays in a row just for appearances sake, means nothing if you are there for yourself.

The trouble really is people. We, as imperfect beings, do our best in this life but nearly always make the same mistakes. Namely we feel we don’t need God, that his existence isn’t as important as ours and pout ourselves and our selfish needs first. Often even good deeds are tainted by the fact we want people to see us doing them and to look good! All I’m trying to say here is to dispel some of the rumours and opinions about religion. I am not knocking it at all, its flawed yes but means well. The trouble is when it gives people negative views on Christians. Many a time I cringe and feel ashamed to be Christian after seeing opinions or reports of people. I just hope that the message of love and selflessness that Christianity is all about somehow makes it through the views of failure and corruption. Nobody is perfect, least of all Christians but people living with a sense of purpose and unity in their lives in a society so desperately seeking an answer should be admired, not looked down upon as much of today’s media does. Please note I am not aiming this at any particular person or group of people. I am fortunate enough to have not encountered hostility because of my faith or connections with religion and my friends have been very respectful. I am speaking against society’s general impression of Christians – one example being the strict and dull relative. Watching Cold Feet recently there was an episode with a baby’s christening. His Godmother was the mum’s sister, announced as ‘the Christian.’ True enough for her brief appearance she mentioned the Bible all the time and gave a reading damning people to hell. I’m sure it was very funny, and I’m sure such people exist. But really its like announcing the Godfather as being a Football supporter and have them run in, shirt on their head, with a pie in each hand and have then proceed to shout and tear up the church shouting ‘United!’ ‘United!’. This stereotype of Christians is one I must have missed on my visits to many Christian events, where I have met some of my best friends and some of the, hands down, nicest kindest and most inspiring people you could find. It was the experience of being around Christians that convinced me that there must be something too it, that these people had something special, Something that I wanted. That something is God and I saw that. People complain about Christians for being ‘happy clappy’, I’m sorry – is there something wrong with happiness now? Christians suffer the same problems as everyone else, maybe even more but the difference is they have people to support them and a strong faith in a God that will never forsake them. Surely this is what everyone is looking for? It is an up and down journey, tough, confusing and hard. But also joyful and exciting. Being a Christian is just being a person, who knows he is more than just flesh and blood. You may not agree with it, you may object, but at the end of the day it is either true or false. There is either a God or not. Religion is the result of belief, but not a necessary part. I guess at the end of all this what I’m trying to say is don’t let Religion put you off God, because that would be the biggest crime of all.

Hot Fuzz

It has been encouraging and surprising to see the rise of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright in recent years. I have been a fan ever since they hit the screen with Spaced and when the hit the big-time with their zombie rom-com Shaun of the Dead back in 2005. That film was a major revelation for many people, and a lot of pressure has been lauded on the teams follow up. Well you can put any fears you may have aside, Hot Fuzz is every bit as enjoyable and confident as its predecessor and stands as one of the most entertaining films released in recent times.

Pegg and Frost again take centre stage, but it is nice to see the riffing on their characters from Shaun of the Dead, and it’s a bit strange at first to see Pegg as the straight laced Inspector Nicholas Angel, a character far removed from his usual slacker types. However he acquits himself admirably and convinces as a hard nosed copper, whilst retaining his innate likeability. This is largely thanks to Nick Frost whose Danny provides the heart of the film, he creates such an endearing version of the ‘simpleton’ character that you grow a real attachment to him and the other residents of the sleepy village of Sanford that Angel is re-assigned to. As with Shaun the characters are placed in a situation where something is not quite right and the team really nail the creepy atmosphere that lurks behind the humour and once again they do not scrimp on the gore and horror as well as the laughs, something that separates the film from other comedy films. Truth be told the film is a blend of genres, managing to brilliantly parody the entire action film / buddy cop genre without ever reporting to obvious jokes or observations. Just like Shaun of the Dead was the team’s homage to the classic zombie movies, this is their tribute to films such as point Break and Bad Boys, only with a distinctively British twist that is handled brilliantly.

Edgar Wright has a very cinematic directing style and has done since the days of Spaced and here he again has created a wonderful looking and structured film. The pacing is note perfect and his trademark transitions again suit the atmosphere created. The only slight criticisms I do have are that the film suffers from the Hollywood shaky editing syndrome when the action hits towards the end, something a bit less chaotic would have been easier to follow – but maybe that was the point.

Many will compare this film to Shaun and while it may not feel as fresh as that film did a couple of years ago this is a great follow up and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this group of people are some of the most talented to come out of the British filmmaking industry in a long time, and long may it continue.

As entertaining a film as you could hope for this is packed full of great dialogue, performances and intrigue and its clever blend of action thriller and Wicker Man style village-with-a-secret mythology works despite itself. Apart from a couple of issues with the ending this proves that Shaun wasn't a one off and that the British film industry is still alive and kicking.

The Idiot Box

tras OK I admit it, as well as games and movies I love TV. Well I love some TV, and at the moment it seems to be American. No insult to British drama but aside from a few programs they just can’t compete with the stuff coming out of the states at the moment, the fact that they produce 20 odd episodes a series, as opposed to the British standard of 6 at a much higher level of quality all round is amazing enough. So from time to time I thought I would chip in here with my thoughts on a few programs I’m watching at the moment and how they are doing…

Lost

What started out as one of the most intriguing shows on television frustrated me in its first season teasing with questions but withholding answers, and randomly dropping storylines. However the show picked up for a great second series and so far despite a weak start the third season is keeping me hooked. Maybe because now I am used to the fact that concrete answers are about as hard to come by as a hot shower on the island that it doesn’t bother me any more but I am enjoying where the series is heading and appreciate the amount of time we have spent with the ‘others’ so far this year considering how secretive they have been in the past about showing them at all. While the program can still be frustratingly obtuse and the possibilities of an overarching explanation are becoming slimmer, I feel they have found a good way of keeping the plot unpredictable and allowing the viewers to feel they are being enough to go on whilst keeping them asking questions. But regardless of its flaws Lost is still one of the best shows on TV if only for its lush cinematography and the fact that it is so out there and different from the other shows on TV that it still feels like a breath of fresh air. As the second half of season 3 continues we shall have to see if the momentum they seem to be gaining now will pay off.

24

One of my all time favourite TV shows 24 is a masterclass in technical excellence, tight plotting and acting and exciting tension filled television. That said whilst I have been enjoying the latest series, it feels like something is missing, or maybe that the formula is starting to wear a little thin. After 6 years there is only so far they can escalate up the stakes of the day before we enter a series when the entire world ends up destroyed by nuclear arms. However the series is still one of the most compulsively watchable shows on TV and the writing is as tight as ever finding new ways to escalate the threats and involve older characters. Another factor in the enjoyment of this current series is the fact that it is the first for a while I am watching week to week, most of the series I have watched in the course of a week or two on DVD and more than any other series the format of 24 really suits this style of watching, having a week between episodes lets the tension fade and stops you getting so involved. So still a great show, and we are only half way through this season, but one that is perhaps better watched on DVD.

Heroes

Heroes is a new program that me and Martha recently got hooked on, it has just started on Sci-Fi and already has a great premise, ordinary people discovering they have super abilities, and enough mystery to sustain it for a good while. The characters are all interesting, though my favourite by far is Hiro the Japanese guy who find he can stop time. The show is really coming into its stride now and the word is it only gets better so keep an eye out Monday nights for this. My only criticism of the program would be that it tries to feature all the main characters in every show meaning that their storylines progress very slowly, which can be painful when the episodes are a week apart! Lets hope they break up the formula in the future to keep it fresh and that they keep the surprises coming!

Ugly Betty

I would blame Martha for me watching this, but I have to admit I enjoy it. Silly, camp and superficial it may be at times, but it also a remarkably sweet and enjoyable. Betty herself is fantastic character, naïve and nervous, but resourceful and inventive I can see her being in many ways a great role model and the blatant digs at the fashion industry are never too deep, the makers obviously have a love for the industry in all its bluff and that shows too and it stops the show becoming to cynical or lumbered with a purpose of exposing the fashion industry. These people are stereotypes, but they play to them so well it’s okay. It’s also nice to see Ashley Jenson from Extras in the show playing Betty’s best friend and while I have a few issues with the generally lightness of the show (even when it tries to do dark it never quite manages to get anywhere near) and the background storyline that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere involving Daniel’s father and a woman who may or may not be dead, this is still enjoyable TV all round and a pleasant surprise. Also the portrayal of family life in the show with Betty’s family is really well done, and though they are Mexican rather than Peruvian, I see a lot of similarities with them and Martha’s family and the warmth and love they seem to have is genuine and touching. So if you haven’t seen Ugly Betty, give it a go, you never know, it might just surprise you.

The O.C

Another show that I did not used to watch at all, but that I really got into on DVD. There is definitely something about watching a show over a short period of time that makes you really get into it and watching the existing three series of the O.C over the winter left me eager for the final series which started a couple of months ago on Channel 4. Now the series is not perfect, it does however have strong characters and it seems that in this final series they have abandoned a lot of the more serious elements of the show in favour of a more frivolous unrealistic attitude that has made this series really fun to watch, but has impacted on a lot of the things built up over the years. So it’s a bit of a mixed bag, more entertaining but less dramatic and despite hints of a real darkness at the start of the year things have more or less returned to normal, something I’m pleased about but that has really prevented any real growth or change amongst its core characters. Even so it will be sad to see the series end in a month or so, I just hope it goes out with a bang!

This is living

So the PlayStation 3 is here, Spiderman font and all. The console was launched in Europe at midnight ushering in the final transition between the next-generation and the current generation. Now all three consoles are available throughout the major territories in the world, and the focus can one more switch back to what is really important – the games.

Sony have had a lot of bad press lately, starting from the initial delay of the console to the price and recently the decision to change the European model of the console so that it runs old PS2 games through software emulation, meaning that many of the most popular PS2 games are not guaranteed to even play on the machine, or will play but with technical issues. Now usually I am one to gloat a bit, I admit I am not Sony’s biggest fan. In fact I admit that deep down it’s hard sometimes to fight my inner fanboy. You see I think a bit like with football teams everyone who is a gamer has a bias to one party or another, whether this is due to their first exposure to the medium (as with me, my first console was an N64) or just a drifting towards the machine that best somehow represented their attitudes. Now of course the industry is a multi-billion pound behemoth, a far cry from the likes of Sonic vs. Mario and yet the competition between companies and machines, especially amongst the so-called hardcore gamers is as strong as ever.

Now whilst I know in my head this is all rather ridiculous, most games are multi-platform now and the market can easily sustain three machines without any needing to crash and burn to the others delight, I still can’t help but feel an odd sense of smug satisfaction to see Sony seemingly miss stepping. Now I don’t happen to fall in with the doom-mongers who somehow see Sony losing this round of the fight, they have had a rocky start but have way too much momentum to let that happen. Though what it has hopefully done is even the playing field a bit more, which can only be good for the consumer. Many of Sony’s mistakes have been synonymous with a company full of confidence and ego trying to dictate the future of a market they believe they control and failing, and regardless of your bias, there is something satisfying about such a large corporation being taken down a peg or two. As I have stated before regardless of company I dislike misleading tactics and cheating companies and Sony have frequently been unable to live up to their promises of recent years.

Now though I think things will get better, for the first time in a while we have three fairly even machines in terms of potential market share and popularity. The Xbox 360 has a big lead and some great games, but the name is still an emerging one for many people and they have utterly failed once again to crack the Japanese market. The Wii is selling more than I think most people could have predicted and has the possibility to become as popular as the DS is proving to be, however the lack of big name games at the moment and reliance on ports and lazily transferred games could hinder it and developers need to make their games on the console really stand out, as its unique control method and way of playing is what will make people choose it over the graphically more impressive alternatives. And now the PS3 which will be popular I can guarantee it, but hopefully the lessons of the past year or so will serve to humble Sony a little to once again think of the consumer first rather than the technology. Recent announcements like the PlayStation Home service or Little Big World seem to be heading in the right direction and I for one hope this continues.

These new machines all offer the potential for groundbreaking games, though immersion and interaction or sheer size and scope but developers need to be willing to take the risk and there is a real danger that with the cost of making games skyrocketing and the market becoming so competitive that the actual innovative and unique games are overshadowed by the sheer volume of movie tie-ins, sequels and yearly updates that flood the market and will continue to do so. Games are getting stale in many respects and that is one reason that I hope Nintendo’s gamble on the Wii pays off and people start to innovate and experiment and create games that provide something new, but retain the fun that should lie at the heart of the industry. People play because they like to, because it is enjoyable, whether it is becoming immersed in another world, or fighting through breathless and exhilarating action sequences, or solving puzzles or playing sports. This is what draws people to gaming, it’s what attracted me and as long as publishers and developers keep this at the heart of whatever games they are producing then the consumers will always come out on top of the console wars.