Chinese movie theaters
are completely opposite to ones in North America, I saw a new release called "the Banquet" great movie, very artistic (like Hero, and Crouching Tiger Hidden dragon); not enough action, but the story made up for it. It did not disapoint in the traditional Chinese filmaking style where everyone, I mean every important character dies. Tragety, since it was in Chinese (with English subtitles) you will probably never see it so i'll spoil it for you. SPOILIER WARNING:
So the Emperor of China was assiassinated by his Brother, (big surprise here, kinda like "got to save the girl syndrome in Hollywood") who knew that would be an excellent plot element? Okay so, the prince, whose uncle has gained power wants revenge and spends the entire movie sulking and depressed like a 5 year old over how to get it. Now the Uncle marries the previous Empress, who happens to be the princes step mother... (but is 4 years younger, someone is a (male version of a cougar... could someone remind me?) But the Empress is in love with the Prince... and some other girl. So some really cool and artistic cinamatography as well as fighting occuring along the way, and we get to the end.
Setting: the banquet (hence the name of the movie)
The Empress poisons the Emporers cup of wine, but just as he is about to drink it the other girl who is in love with the prince show up at the banquet, and asks to preform a dance, the emporer is so moved that he gives her the cup of wine. (She dies) Then the prince who was disquised as one of the dancers reveils himself(he loved this girl), and is once again heart broken, first his father, and now her perish, just as he is about to exact revenge, the emporer realizes his emporess was going to kill him, and he comes to the though that no one loves him or wants him seeing as the prince is about to kill him, so he takes the rest of the cup of wine and drinks it. So he dies... (talk about wasting a really good opportunity for some class action kungfu fighting with swords! BOOOO!) Then the brother of the first girl that died comes dashing out and tries to kill the Empress, since she poisioned the wine which killed his sister, but the prince stops him by catching his blade and yes, surprise surprise, the blade is poisioned so who dies? the Prince. Its not over yet, so then the Empress in that moment takes her hidden knife and kills the brother. Phew. what a massarce, something out of Freddy cougar or Jason movie... and it would not be a chinese movie if the Empress didn't die, so the last sence has a dagger fly into her back by some unknow assassin... The end....
After that I cried the whole night.
Oh and another funny thing was they don't turn off their cell phones in the Theaters... so every couple of minutes you would here someones cell phone go off, some frank sinatra.. then bionce, but i'm use to it ha!
If there was anything I would want more of here, it would be scrable games, I only brought one, and even that was a last minute purchase at your local friendly neighbourhood spide.... Walmart. The Highschoolers love the game, and its kinda funny the other night we they were playing they have the option for asking for help, so which word did I come up with "HELP" they were enthralled at the pun. Then the same team who I 'helped' (get it? are you ROFL yet?) spelt the word "WON" on the last turn, and guess who won? YES they did! This doesn't come across well over a blog does it.
English corner happens today! Time to teach them some baseball and slang! whooo hooo!
So the Emperor of China was assiassinated by his Brother, (big surprise here, kinda like "got to save the girl syndrome in Hollywood") who knew that would be an excellent plot element? Okay so, the prince, whose uncle has gained power wants revenge and spends the entire movie sulking and depressed like a 5 year old over how to get it. Now the Uncle marries the previous Empress, who happens to be the princes step mother... (but is 4 years younger, someone is a (male version of a cougar... could someone remind me?) But the Empress is in love with the Prince... and some other girl. So some really cool and artistic cinamatography as well as fighting occuring along the way, and we get to the end.
Setting: the banquet (hence the name of the movie)
The Empress poisons the Emporers cup of wine, but just as he is about to drink it the other girl who is in love with the prince show up at the banquet, and asks to preform a dance, the emporer is so moved that he gives her the cup of wine. (She dies) Then the prince who was disquised as one of the dancers reveils himself(he loved this girl), and is once again heart broken, first his father, and now her perish, just as he is about to exact revenge, the emporer realizes his emporess was going to kill him, and he comes to the though that no one loves him or wants him seeing as the prince is about to kill him, so he takes the rest of the cup of wine and drinks it. So he dies... (talk about wasting a really good opportunity for some class action kungfu fighting with swords! BOOOO!) Then the brother of the first girl that died comes dashing out and tries to kill the Empress, since she poisioned the wine which killed his sister, but the prince stops him by catching his blade and yes, surprise surprise, the blade is poisioned so who dies? the Prince. Its not over yet, so then the Empress in that moment takes her hidden knife and kills the brother. Phew. what a massarce, something out of Freddy cougar or Jason movie... and it would not be a chinese movie if the Empress didn't die, so the last sence has a dagger fly into her back by some unknow assassin... The end....
After that I cried the whole night.
Oh and another funny thing was they don't turn off their cell phones in the Theaters... so every couple of minutes you would here someones cell phone go off, some frank sinatra.. then bionce, but i'm use to it ha!
If there was anything I would want more of here, it would be scrable games, I only brought one, and even that was a last minute purchase at your local friendly neighbourhood spide.... Walmart. The Highschoolers love the game, and its kinda funny the other night we they were playing they have the option for asking for help, so which word did I come up with "HELP" they were enthralled at the pun. Then the same team who I 'helped' (get it? are you ROFL yet?) spelt the word "WON" on the last turn, and guess who won? YES they did! This doesn't come across well over a blog does it.
English corner happens today! Time to teach them some baseball and slang! whooo hooo!
posted by Chris at 8:17 PM
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