A time for review
So I said I'd review the previous two movies and I will, but I also just finished watching Princess Mononoke so I'll review that one too. =D Starting off, we have one of the first romantic comedies that rocketed the genre into the hundreds of wanna-be's out there. "Needing You," starring Andy Lau as Sammi Cheng's boss in an office building, the two start off with a rocky relationship but eventually grow to become something special, in a weird way. Sammi is the new employee who is amidst akward relationship with her boyfriend, in need of "love" and not just the repetitive verbal "i love you" kind. Andy is a womanizer who is known for his playboy-ish ways who finds interest in Sammi after trying to help her in her relationship. So that's the skinny; the movie starts off alright with it's expected silly antics that come with all HK films. The characters deliver great performances as expected from seasoned actors of Andy and Sammi. The supporting cast is somewhat insignificant but if you're into HK celeb's, you'll find a nice range of cameo's. The movie tries to end smoothly, but it kinda hits a few bumps along the way. Yes, like in all of these movies the two characters get back together but that's not the point of these movies. The reason why so many are made is because it's the journey the two characters go through that is enjoyable. Don't get me wrong though, I dunno if I'm sounding like I'm giving this movie high regards, but it's no My Sassy Girl. I would recommend this movie to all fans of the romantic-comedy genre, Andy Lau fans, Sammi Cheng fans, and just any fans of HK cinema. If you're not any of the above, you probably won't enjoy the movie as much. I personally am just a fan of HK cinema, so it satisfied my longing for a decent HK movie, even though a little dated, amongst all the horrible ones that are coming out now. It's good to see or rewatch an older, but much better, film once in a while.
Movie #2 is "Hail the Judge" starring the notorious comedian Stephen Chou. This is a movie that comes from Stephen's earlier days and can be regarded as a classic of his. The movie takes place back in the day when China had emperor's and flying swordsmen (yes, flying swordsmen but not in this movie), and is a parody of the popular stories about a judge who was hated for being a corrupt official. Stephen takes the role as the judge with a great supporting cast to back him up almost every step of the way. (some character's are just plain freaky) Stephen, a corrupted official, decides to take a turn for the better and become a great, honest official after hearing the case of one attractive young lady (played by Cheung Man, a hottie in her day). Stephen tries and tries, but he is surrounded by corrupt people all around him, from the lawyers to the government officials. The storyline, gets bounced in different directions as much as Stephen exchanges verbal diatribes with different people. One underlying storyline is Stephen's development of his verbal assault skills) However, it all does come winding back with an ending that surprisingly wraps it all up. The comedy is pretty much trademarked Stephen Chou, although more on his fast talking skills this time. People who aren't normal Stephen Chou movie watchers may find the comedy either very strange or just the thing to make you laugh your socks off. This is a must see for all Stephen Chou fans, director Wong Jing fans (as this is probably his better works), and any viewer who is looking for something different in a comedy who hasn't before heard of Stephen Chou. Warning for those who are looking for clean humor, this isn't it. Stephen Chou tends to be crude so if that's not what you're looking for, I wouldn't recommend any of his movies. There may be one or two that may work, but you'd have to ask me personally.
Finally, I get to Princess Mononoke. (I always wonder if I typed enough "no" 's in there) Another great film from Hayao Miyazaki (director of other famous/popular films as My Neighbor Totoro, Naussica from the Valley of the Wind, Sprited Away, and Castle's in the Sky) that, like usual, is a very powerful film. The film takes place roughly in feudal Japan, with samurai galore and villages of people producing iron. Prince Ashitaka, who comes from remote small village, falls under a curse after saving his people from a demon possessed boar. He learns that the curse will eventually spread through his body and kill him. The prince goes on a journey to find a cure to lift his curse from the Forest God who is rumored to be the only one who may be able to save him. Along the way he goes through "Iron Town", a large iron-producing village who has most of the women making iron while the men get the food, and finds that they are waging a war against the forest and are also trying kill the Forest God. Humans have been cutting down the forest to make room for their expanding iron enterprise and obviously the Forest God isn't happy about this. (this is where I picked up the next day, sorry if I repeat some stuff) I've forgotten many of the character's names except for the two main ones so sorry about that. Now enter Princess Mononoke, a human raised by the wolf clan of the forest. The head wolf is also a God, but a lesser one than that of the Forest God. She is one of the few weapons used by the forest to try and take out humans who are destroying the forest. Ashitaka and Princess Mononoke meet initially during an assassination attempt by Mononoke on the head of Iron Town. Ashitaka follows Princess Mononoke at first only to try to get closer to the Forest God, but eventually for another reason that will not be disclosed by me. Similiar to many of Miyazaki's other movies, an underlying theme that seems consistant is that individuals can make a difference. A great message to send to kids watching this movie =). Ashitaka is a persistant and strong willed character who appears to fight because his life is ending soon and his hopes for finding a cure for himself dwindle. He is the main mast for the movie while all other characters are more supplementary masts in this movie. Princess Mononoke's character is not really gone in depth, but for her role in the movie, I think the amount of detail on her was fine. (So really this movie is more about Ashitaka, but what has a better ring to it, Prince Ashitaka or Princess Mononoke? eh, there was a direct translation of the japanese name, but I don't remember it now) Now the version I watched was dubbed, a little poorly I might add. The dialogue was recorded at a lower volume than the sound effects and music so it was a little annoying changing the volume while watching it with my sister next door sleeping. Oh, I might also note that the musical score in the movie was amazing. I loved the music that came with each scene. The Japanese opera song that I guess could be noted as the theme song for the movie fits perfectly whenever it is played. Certainly the lyrics are different, but when people see an opera, they don't always understand what the performer is singing anyway. It's the whole piece of music that makes you feel the emotions and intensity in the film that just can't be presented in any other way at a movie. I can't think of many things bad about this movie. I guess the way that heads and appendages seem to fly off with one arrow in a surprising yet cartoonish way was a little awkward. I guess I initially thought this movie to be aimed for a slightly younger audience like some of his other movies, but it was a bit different. I don't think any average 15 y/o would get everything out of this movie. I think the movie is a bit more profound than initially perceived so I may end up watching it again some time to watch for other things. That's one of the great things about good movies, you find something new everytime you watch the movie again. Well aside from the weird violence portrayed and the bad dubbing job, I would have to say that I'd recommend this movie to just about anyone. Anyone in their teens that is. I think even middle aged adults would find this movie interesting near the end, since the beginning is like many other cartoon movies. Oh, one last thing I want to mention. One other way that I wasn't quite satisfied with the movie, was there were not any very intense scenes that got me really worked up. That's one thing I usually look for in a movie. Not very much so in this movie unfortunately. I usually rate movies, but I'm gonna recommend to all of you out there, who haven't seen this movie, to go check it out and stop reading here before I rate it. ::Go away!! ok, you're probably still reading, so whatever:: I'd like to think that this movie ranks quite high now on my all time fav anime movies up there in roughly top 5ish. If you're not a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, you will be after watching any one of his movies. =D Rating time, I'll give it a 9/10, which is pretty damn good for my scale. (you can see my older movie reviews for reference to what my taste is like to compare) Okey, well that was a lot longer than I had intended so I think I'm going to end it here after some final random notes.
If you're dying to know how I would rate the previous 2 movies (I know some of you are!! =P yea right~!) I'll give "Needing You" a 5/10 for being one of the first romantic comedies out there in HK cinema and decent acting. For "Hail the Judge," I'll give a 5.5/10 for good old Stephen Chou humor, even though it is sometimes crude and weird, it's classic for HK cinema.
I've learned to appreciate Nirvana, after finally being able to download one of their songs XD. Smells like Teen Spirit, one of the more well known songs by them probably. That's definately going to be on my playlist for a long time... =D Ok, I'm out now, spent too much time here! >_<
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