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 Curse of the Golden Flower 
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Extraordinary

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Post Curse of the Golden Flower
One of my most anticipated films of the year. It is just shown at AFI Fest, and the reviews started to pop up. The verdict? Divided opinions. Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety called it one of Zhang Yimou's worst outings, but Screendaily raved, and David Poland had good inks on it too.

The Hollywood Reporter

Quote:
Bottom Line: A disappointing misfire from a great director.
By Kirk Honeycutt

In "Hero" (2003), "House of Flying Daggers" (2004) and now "Curse of the Golden Flower," director Zhang Yimou has transformed Hong Kong martial arts/fantasy movies into grand, international spectacles. Some critics have worried about his obsession with visual dazzle and digitized effects, but the stories and fights in the first two films more than measured up to the sumptuous design. "Curse," though, feels disappointingly inert.

With a great cast headed by Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li -- thus reuniting Zhang with his one-time muse and lover -- and Asian pop star Jay Chou as well as palace interiors that would not be out of place on the Las Vegas Strip, "Curse" does dazzle the eye, but its story plays like a bad soap opera. This emperor's family is so treacherous as to make Hamlet seem like a fairly well-adjusted member of an easygoing household.

As the Chinese entry for the foreign-language Oscar and with a strong push from Sony Pictures Classics for this big-budgeted epic by one of the world's best directors, "Curse" should open well when it gets released nationally in January after a Dec. 22 limited release. But the boxoffice might not equal that of Zhang's previous action films because, frankly, there isn't all that much action.
Zhang makes the chrysanthemum the film's visual leitmotif. The story takes place during a Chong Yang Festival in 928 A.D. Still celebrated today, the holiday is closely associated with that flower, so Zhang fills the screen with flowers and costumes in opulent gold. In a statement, he quotes an old Chinese saying, "Gold and jade on the outside, rot and decay on the inside," to explain his determination to smother his characters and sets with gold. Meanwhile, in the lengthy corridors and vast halls of the palace, light shines through colorful art glass in walls, windows, pillars and props, thus establishing a Vegas look.

In his story, he finds plenty of rot and decay. It starts with the Emperor (Chow), who decides to add poison to the multiple daily doses of herbal medicine he has prescribed for the Empress (Gong). One would like a clearer understanding for this act. True, the Empress has conducted an illicit affair with her stepson, Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye). But this has been going on for three years so why does Emperor take action only now?

Oddly enough, the Emperor is about to promote Prince Jai (Chou), their son together, just returned with great success in battle, as his heir apparent, passing over the Crown Prince, a palace-dwelling wastrel. Nevertheless, the poisoning turns wife against husband, brother against brother, army against the palace guard. The nefarious family stratagems and schemes lay bare dark secrets dating back to the Emperor's first wife and ensnare the imperial doctor (Ni Dahong), his daughter (Li Man) and a wife (Chen Jin) long kept in hiding. If only the royals had an imperial family therapist.

Zhang devotes considerable screen time to the details of the palace's daily rituals as if scrutiny of these formalized routines involving maids, courtiers and eunuchs will reveal something about the malevolent rot beneath the surface. This greatly adds to the running time but not to insight into character motivation.

Corseted with stiff gold costumes, Chow and Gong still mange to convey a marriage of convenience fallen into ruin, the formalities unable to disguise the couple's deep contempt for one another. Jay Chow shows fire as the middle son, who is truly caught in the middle between father and mother. Liu tries to pull together the pieces of an erratically written character, while Chen makes up for her late appearance in the film with strong scenes and athletic fights.

Despite Zhang's collaboration with action director Ching Siu-Tokng, the film's few fights are cluttered and undistinguished, in direct contrast to the clarity of the terrific stunt work in the director's previous action films. Zhang over-relies on CGI, but the level of success in no way matches the battles of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the high bar to which any film attempting vast battles must now aspire. In the hand-to-hand combat, the action is often jarring and even confusing.

Alas, in "Curse," the costumes and sets have all the good lines.

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Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:30 pm
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Extraordinary

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Variety:

Quote:
"Curse of the Golden Flower," Zhang Yimou's strangest and most troubled film, abounds in hysterical, mannered Tang Dynasty-era palace intrigue and dehumanized CGI battle sequences. Zhang captured a rich wife's sequestered life poetically in "Raise the Red Lantern," but a similar sense of isolation in "Curse" turns almost suffocating, as royals tear themselves apart with much actorish emoting along the way. Despite superstars Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li leading the lavish enterprise, pic is unlikely to approach international B.O. numbers of Zhang's far more vigorous period epics, "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers."

The quasi-Shakespearean familial war at the film's center links "Curse" to Feng Xiaogang's equally spectacular but more effective "Hamlet" re-do, "The Banquet." Latter's fine balance between court drama and martial arts fight sequences is precisely what's missing in Zhang's adaptation (with co-writers Wu Nan and Bian Zhihong) of Cao Yu's 1930s play, "Thunder Storm," in which an ultimately miscast Chow struggles against his nature and Gong is frequently reduced to long stretches of sweaty palpitations.

In 928 A.D., during the conflict-heavy later phase of the Tang period (long a favorite of dramatists and filmmakers), the Emperor (Chow) marches home with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou) just before the start of the annual Chong Yang festival. Opening sequence is composed of an utterly confusing montage that only settles down when Jai returns to palace to reunite with his mother, the Empress (Gong), whom he hasn't seen since he left for the battlefield three years earlier.

The Emperor and Empress' marriage is in the freezer: He is the oppressor, she, the nervous victim. Complicating matters, the Empress is having an affair with Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), the Emperor's first son from his previous marriage.

However, Wan wants to run away with Chan (Li Man), the daughter of the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong), who's under orders from the Emperor to give the Empress medicine containing a Persian fungus that will render her insane. Thus relations in this royal family are not merely dysfunctional, but homicidal.

The Emperor's third and youngest son, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie), tries to be ingratiating to both parents.

When the Empress finds Wan with Chan, Wanpleads for and gets leniency, evidence that the Empress has a humanity that seems to be utterly absent in the Emperor.

Pic develops some fun intrigue when a disguised woman reveals to the Empress who's poisoning her and with what. The plot thickens when it turns out the woman is the Imperial Doctor's wife and Chan's mother, as well as the Emperor's ex-wife and Wan's mother.

Ominous meanings emerge in rather murky terms, and the constant barrage of ploys, counter-ploys and revelations are as weighty and elaborate as the lavish, glistening interior decor of the palace (by production designer Huo Tingxiao). Indeed, the webs upon webs of intrigue tilt over the edge of drama into comedy, with viewers' attention waning as they ponder how makeup artists Man Yun Ling and Liu Jianping managed to make Gong's lipstick glow, or how long it took hair artists Tam Ying Kwan, Chau Siu Mui and Emily Lin to style the cast's locks.

While the palace drama is framed by Zhang in a distressingly constant stream of medium and tight widescreen close-ups, the eventual battle scenes are imagined in God-like master shots involving seemingly millions of soldiers. Complaints directed at recent epics like "Troy" for reducing battleground troops to digitized army ants applies here in spades, resulting in turning what should be a moving and suspenseful war between imperial factions into a kind of video game.

The only truly arresting action involves the Emperor's personal guard of black-hooded soldiers who magically drop by ropes from the sky, yet even this element feels arbitrary.

Zhang's players unfortunately emote to the rafters, leading to third act demos of "acting" that put none of his talented stars or support in a good light. Chow, perhaps the ultimate figure of gun-toting HK action, is made to look older and gray here and appears unsuited to the throne. Gong projects fear, but her limited range in the role of Empress and her theatrical excesses look odd on the bigscreen.

As the sons, Jay, Liu and Qin all have moments of great energy, but like nearly everyone else (including the impressive Chen and Li), they're allowed to overdo it to pic's detriment.

Lenser Zhao Xiaoding (also on Zhang's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" and "Flying Daggers") opts for a riotous use of colors, but -- like the rest of the project -- it's simply too much. Once out of the palace quarters, pic's reliance on CGI and computerized visuals has diminishing returns. Shigeru Umebayashi's thudding score is heavy with Carl Orff-like bombast.

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Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:34 pm
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ScreenDaily:

Quote:
China’s most expensive production to date has every yuang up on the screen. One of the most sumptuous and almost absurdly opulent spectacles on screen in recent memory, Zhang Yimou’s $45m epic Curse Of the Golden Flower is fortunately not just a pretty face. It’s also a meaty, blood-soaked melodrama filled with intrigue, deception and incest that would make Lady Macbeth and Emperor Nero proud.

A warm reception should be forthcoming from critics and arthouse audiences around the world, although Golden Flower is short on action and unlikely to crossover to the young males who lapped up Zhang’s martial arts spectaculars Hero and House Of Flying Daggers.

But chances for awards recognition are high; the film is China’s submission for the Academy Award and stands a good shot at a nomination. And despite its foreign-language status, it is almost impossible to imagine that it won’t be acknowledged in cinematography (as was House) and design categories. Curse Of The Golden Flower opens in the US and China next month.

Zhang previously explored the gender politics of a powerful household in his masterful Raise The Red Lantern (1991) set in the early 20th century. In Curse Of The Golden Flower, a less disciplined but more lustily enjoyable affair, he goes back to 10th-century China to the imperial palace of the Tang dynasty, one of the most flamboyantly wealthy and ostentatious reigns in the country’s history.

After an absence of three years, the emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns to the palace with his second son Prince Jai (Jay Chou) ostensibly to celebrate the Chong Yang festival (chrysanthemum festival) but in reality to decide which of his three sons will be his successor.

While he was away, his estranged wife the empress (Gong Li) has been sleeping with his eldest, favourite son, crown prince Wan (Liu Ye), who was born of his now dead first wife. The empress is kept medicated by the emperor and the imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) for supposed anemia, but the emperor has recently introduced some new deadly ingredients into her daily brew.

Meanwhile Wan is having a secret affair with the imperial doctor’s daughter Chan (Li Man) and, to the empress’ chagrin, he is planning to leave the palace for a distant province with his lover and abandon his entitlement to the throne to Jai. The third son prince Yu (Qin Junjie) is still a teenager but he harbours his own youthful ambitions to usurp Wan and Jai as his father’s successor.

The empress has more plausible secret plans to seize power but she is increasingly prone to fits of fever and has developed an obsession with the golden flower emblems of the forthcoming festival.

Suspicious of the medication her husband forces her to take, she hires a spy to discover what is the new ingredient which is making her ill. The spy turns out to be the imperial doctor’s wife (Chen Jin), who, it emerges, has her own reasons for aiding the empress.

As the festival approaches, the imperial doctor is given a new posting to a remote region of China with his wife and daughter but on their way they are attacked by the emperor’s assassins who attempt to kill them all. Chan and her mother race back to the palace for a final showdown with the emperor and his decidedly dysfunctional family.

Like Red Lantern, Golden Flower takes place mostly within the confines of the palace itself, the only other location being a countryside inn. But Zhang and his cinematographer Zhao are not confined by their locations; on the contrary they sweep exuberantly through the golden hallways, corridors, bed chambers, apothecaries, dining areas and courtyards of the palace as if they were gliding through forests and mountain ranges.

The palace interiors and exterior are a wonder of design and set decoration, the costumes, hair and makeup staggeringly ornate, the colour palette of yellows and reds that Zhang has created is meticulous and breathtaking. The bloody battle in the forecourt of the palace at the film’s climax as a golden army is massacred on a bed of chrysanthemums is eye-popping. It’s almost too much visual splendour and information to digest in one sitting.

None of the twisted machinations of the operatic plot come as a surprise but the pleasure is all in the malicious relish of the performances, most notably from the magnificent Gong Li who quivers, sobs and heaves her way through the high drama, her bosom collapsing out of her jewel-encrusted bustier, her head bedecked in elaborate jewels and hairdos. One minute warmly embracing her children, the next plotting against her husband with icy vengeance in her eyes, the next tearfully gulping down a poison which she knows is driving her insane, Gong is a spectacle in herself.

She is matched by Chow Yun Fat, impressively imperious as the slightly demented emperor, and Liu Ye, who is effectively tortured as the unhappy oldest son.


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Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:37 pm
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David Poland:

Quote:
Crouching Film Fest, Hidden Pop Quiz

I just got back from closing night at AFI and while I don't have time right now to write a review, I did come up with this pop quiz.

The Curse of the Golden Flower is Zhang Yimou’s first…
A. Kurosawa movie
B. Bergman movie
C. Almodovar movie
D. Shakespeare movie
E. Wong Kar Wai movie
F. David O. Russell movie
G. All of the above

Zhang reaches deeper than in any of his other kick-ass films. It's darker, deeper, and in many ways, more beautiful visually (which seemed impossible). The material is a lot more serious, though it also has more campy, light moments than any of his other films also.

It is not the most fun or accessible of his films. But the answer is an easy "G."

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Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:39 pm
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And EDouglas from ComingSoon wrote in the reply:

Quote:
It's definitely not his "first" Shakespeare or Kurosawa movie. Man, but that last half hour is just an amazing piece of cinema. It was almost like he was saying, "Dear Mssrs. Peter Jackson and Ridley Scott... THIS is how you do a war scene. Good luck trying to top it."


Quote:
"I can't wait for Curse of the Golden Flower. Words out there are that they're gonna push him for Best Director and Gong Li for Best Actress in addition to Best Foreign Film. How successful do you think they're going to be at that?"

Will be interested to hear what David thinks. I think Best Director has a chance, and Gong Li really is pretty amazing in the role, but it may be hard for them to convince Oscar voters over all the other performances already clamoring for the lead actress nomination. I think SOny Classics would be much better getting behind Penelope Cruz, an actress that voters will know who is doing something good (for a change).. Volver just has this classic film feel that I think Oscar voters appreciate... I don't think Curse is as good as Hero or the performances in that movie, but I can see Zhang Yimou getting attention.

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Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:40 pm
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I'm really starting to get hyped for this :)

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Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:12 am
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i dont know why i read the title as the curse of the golden shower


Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:59 am
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bABA wrote:
i dont know why i read the title as the curse of the golden shower

It's a subconscious fantasy, baba. ;)

Too bad two Chinese films were submitted for the Oscar race; this way, maybe neither will get a nomination.

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Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:43 pm
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bABA wrote:
i dont know why i read the title as the curse of the golden shower



Because your mind is in the GUTTER!!

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Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:43 pm
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Another mixed review:

Quote:
Using the flamboyant Chinese dynasty of 1,000 years ago known as The Tang, director Zhang Yimou unleashes 21st century movie making flamboyance like there's no limit to his budget. Clearly, the success of the brilliant "Hero" and the artistic "House of Flying Daggers" have enabled a degree of expenditure that has become a burden to his storytelling. I don't suppose anyone could convince him now that less is more?

The story focuses on the imperial family, living in their palace compound and letting their hermetic existence distort their functionality, trust and mutual support as a family. Life here is formality, ceremonial ritual and intrigue, as the Empress (gorgeous Gong Li) turns to her step-son, Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye) for her physical needs. But don't blame her -- he's pretty much all that's available what with hubby, the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) exiled from her bed and affections.

To exacerbate the problem, Wan's heart beats not for her but for cute and lissome Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor's daughter.

This poor guy (using the term loosely for The Emperor, of course), not unaware of his wife's philandering, has been slowly poisoning her, obliging her to drink his supposed health potion which he has recently been spiking with a root of the loyal doctor's (Ni Dahong) devising that will eventually turn her brain to butter.

Now, we know there's going to be hell to pay when she finds out about it but, sticking to her royal guns, she continues drinking it even after she does find out what's been making her so ill -- the better to obscure her plot for an overthrow. Just how that's going to go you'll have to see for yourself but let me say two things: it involves middle son Jai (Jay Chou); and the decisions she makes concerning it are less than logical.

Under the direction of Yimou's 2nd unit "Action Director" Ching Siu-Tong, the action sequences are choreographed out of flying (and rapelling) concepts developed from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," his own "House of Flying Tigers" (remember the ninjas in the forest of bamboo?) with a bit of "Lord of the Rings" in terms of troop number and battlefield impossibilities. These sequences become more over the top than what's going on in the palace and seem stylistically detached, as though pirated from a drawing board. Perhaps it's all the posing and perfect symmetry, but such is the nature of excess and artificiality.

Visually, from the costumery to the architecture, it's all nothing less than stunning! Glorious! But one does wonder why, with a color theme of gold to render the sense of opulence, you'd put your sub-titles in gold. Some parts of the dialogue are, therefore, a real challenge to read.

As far as kingdoms go, there's no attempt to give a sense of who this royal family is ruling. Common people are as scarce as a rat at an exterminator convention. All you see outside the palace walls are ninjas and soldiers, revealing the stage setting limitations of Yu Cao's play from which Yimou's screenplay is adapted (with not a few echoes of Shakespeare).

Yimou's long time star Gong Li ("Miami Vice") does her best in her exquisite raiments and heightened dramatic stituation, and that is considerable. Not quite enough to pull this indulgence up to modern standards of storytelling in movies, but no stain on her range of talent either.

It should also be noted that Chow Yun Fat is quite excellent as the evil Emperor. Whoever decided on pressed, mostly exposed boobs for all the ladies in waiting's costumes also contributed something titillating to mix with the dastardly venom going through The Emperor's veins and the betrayals going on in the bedrooms. If only there were an antidote for the sensory overload.


Looking at all the photos, I knew some critics will have problems with the "pressed, mostly exposed boobs", but it's actually pretty accurate reflection of the way of dress inside the palace during Tang Dynasty.

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Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:01 pm
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xiayun wrote:
Looking at all the photos, I knew some critics will have problems with the "pressed, mostly exposed boobs", but it's actually pretty accurate reflection of the way of dress inside the palace during Tang Dynasty.


Heh, the same thought occured to me earlier, except i didn't know it was an accurate reflection ;)

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Fri Nov 17, 2006 4:46 pm
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Rottentomatoes has 99 stills.

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Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:36 pm
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Looked through about fifty of the stills. Golden Flower looks awful. ALmost all the images are of stolid, emotionally flat people. And the production is far too lavish. I never thought I'd say this, but when Yimou gets a cast of thousands, he doesn't really know what to do with them, and the feel of the film just screams Hero aesthetics, even if the plotline is mildly less conservative and offensive (can't really confirm this yet, though). I like how the article tips its hat, once again, to Gong Li, but claims even her talents can't breathe life into this production. I don't really like Yimou's martial arts kick, but the least he could do going that route is concentrate on a smaller cast, etc. His nicest scene in the past was still in House of Flying Daggers (Like how the article said Tigers?) when Ziyi is dancing with the drums. And that was a cast of one, tops three if you count the voyeur men.

Yimou isn't the next Kurasawa (I know different country, but whatever), and he needs to get over that. Few people can direct a film with battle scenes using that much crew, and Yimou isn't one of them.


Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:46 am
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Another rave:

Quote:
Curse of the Golden Flower is the grand finale of the trilogy, but also a film that separates itself from Zhang’s previous martial arts efforts. For those who feel that Raise the Red Lantern is still his masterpiece, Curse of the Golden Flower will be exceptionally pleasing. His newest feature has more in common with his earlier films than his last two martial arts epics, an exquisite piece of tone and visuals that is less about martial arts and more about character and theme. Those expecting the continuous battles of Hero and House of Flying Daggers may be disappointed by the slower, more deliberate pacing and personal drama of this picture. Curse of the Golden Flower is focused on characters first and foremost, spending a considerable amount of time establishing who they are in relation to each other and the world they inhabit. The most fascinating aspect is how careful and subtle the story is layered, building an operatic tale of palace intrigue and plotting. The narrative structure is particularly theatrical, which should be no surprise considering it’s based on a play by Yu Cao. This is old-fashioned Zhang Yimou, but with an ambition and scope unlike anything he’s ever done.


Quote:
Gong Li leads the magnificent cast in yet another beautiful collaboration with Zhang Yimou. His muse of many years, Li is stunning as the tortured and conniving Empress. There’s no doubt she inspires Zhang, and nobody films her like he does. The camera, simply put, loves her. Chow Yun Fat is equally good as the villainous Emperor with his imposing figure and malevolent plotting. This is his best performance in years.

Curse of the Golden Flower is a visually rich and thematically engrossing period drama, one of Zhang Yimou’s most confident and thrilling films. It comes out in limited release in December.

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Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:37 pm
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A couple more reviews:

Nick Shager

Quote:
Curse of the Golden Flower’s real centerpiece, however, is Li, her increasingly insane Empress – whether commandingly ingesting her toxic remedy without looking at her legion of servants, or grandly sweating and shuddering due to its effects – proving so over-the-top imperial that she almost singlehandedly elevates the film’s heightened drama into something epic.


Slant

Quote:
All manner of punches are pulled each time Zhang cuts to a sweeping wide shot; when he confines his gaze to the palace of the Later Tang Dynasty Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) and Empress (Gong Li) the film improves by leaps and bounds. Golden Flower is primarily concerned with matters of court intrigue (incest, secret poisonings, illicit affairs, a massive coup d'état) that spiral grandly out of control. These Shakespeare-lite machinations are well-performed by all with an appropriately exaggerated theatricality (there are facial expressions in this film for which the term "to the rafters" might have been coined), but only Gong—her torso wrapped bodice-ripper tight, her face covered in strategically-placed beads of sweat—manages to wring some profundity from the proceedings. Zhang wisely allows Gong's grande dame emoting to carry Golden Flower overall and her post-bloodbath banshee wail is one for the Dragon Lady Macbeth hall of fame.

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Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:49 pm
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Hmmm. Especially that last review says Li saves the acting in the film. All of these have noted her valiant effort, so it sounds a bit like Memoirs of a Geisha all over again. But will the buzz be enough for an acting nom? I just want her to get some big acting nom, frankly. The rest of the movie sounds like typical later Yimou. What do you think Xia, any chance? It does have a December release date here.


Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:56 pm
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The competition for Best Actress isn't turning out to be as deep as I thought, but the top candidates are too strong. Last year, Gong got nominated in Satellite and won NBR then fizzled afterward, and I can't her topping that this year. Only cinematography and costume design look possible, maybe art direction, similar to Marie Antoinette.

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Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:25 pm
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The reviews of the reviews in this thread have been so heart-stopping, I can hardly wait to hear what you think of the movie...


Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:01 pm
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If anyone's given Yimou his fair share of love and attemped viewings, its me. Hell, I even showed up for his last two martial arts pics, which received (in chronological order) a D and a C from me. Directors don't get free love (and money) from me unless they've set a precedence. I used to love him, but the images and trailer look like more of the same old thing, and the old thing wasn't too hot in the first place.

I might go cause of Gong Li, but at this point even that might not be enough.


Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:00 am
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It opens in China with record numbers. Gee, $12.5m, an astronomical number by China's standard.

The reviews, in the meantime, are still hovering around 50-60% fresh.

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Mon Dec 18, 2006 7:17 pm
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Extraordinary

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James Berardinelli gave it a 3-star.

I'm seeing it on Friday.

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Fri Dec 22, 2006 4:17 am
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Extraordinary

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xiayun wrote:
James Berardinelli gave it a 3-star.

I'm seeing it on Friday.

From the Berardinelli review:

Quote:
...Those expecting Curse of the Golden Flower to replicate Hero and House of Flying Daggers in terms of style and approach will be surprised by what this movie offers....


Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:59 am
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Extraordinary

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Awesome! How else can one describe an epic movie on historical China with a Shakespearean melodrama as it's narrative heart?

Though I enjoyed the recent Hero and House of Flying Daggers, the Imperial setting and intrigue provided a much richer vein from which to mine the titular golden flower. And speaking of titular, Gong Li was outstanding in the role of the Empress. If there were any true justice (smirk) at the Academy awards, she would be awarded Best Actress by default this year. She rules this film.

As for the cinematography and art design -- sumptuous would be one word to begin to describe them. After seeing a movie like Curse of the Golden Flower, you almost begin to think that film stock is wasted on lesser canvases.

Very, very pleasing to a fan such as myself interested in continuing to explore the mysteries of China...

6 out of 5.


Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:21 am
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Zhang Yimou is the Lenbi Riefenstahl of the 21st Century. John Milius looks like a communist against him. As marvellous as the movie looks and the asction is choreographed, the statement of the movie is so right-wing it isn't even funny.
How can anyone ignore his "revolutions are pointless, you're all gonna die and after it everything is the same as it was before" (beautifully shown by the way how the aquare was cleaned of the blood and beind decorated with chrysanthemes then seconds after the battle was over) and declare this one a good movie?
But it seems common with Yimou since most people in the US loved his pro death-penalty movie "Hero" as well. The saddest thing though is that Yimou is a really accomplished filmmaker. He might even be the best action director currently working, but why does he paint all his movies into the colors od a supporter of the regime? F


Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:35 am
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Finally i get round to see Curse and i'm left a little disappointed. Wonderful art direction and cinematography as Bradley said, but that was expected. Gong Li carried the film, but it didn't engage on any kind of emotional level. Excellent eye candy but precious little else. I think it'll probably get a C+ from me.

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Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:01 pm
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