Curse of the Golden Flower (Zhang Yimou, 2006)

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Lino · #1 Post by **Lino** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:08 pm

Trailer.

The Invunche · #2 Post by **The Invunche** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:06 pm

Oh I thought it said "Curse of the Golden Shower."

Nevermind.

Mysterypez · #3 Post by **Mysterypez** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:51 am

Gong Li + Zhang Yimou = F*&K Yeah!

Lino · #4 Post by **Lino** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:36 pm

The Invunche wrote:Oh I thought it said "Curse of the Golden Shower."

Nevermind.

Both titles are lame...

But yeah, I'm with Mysterypez on this one: it's great to see Gong Li working again with Yimou.

That said, isn't the trailer a stinker? Why is it that every chinese film that gets advertised in the US must be made to look like one of the old Shaw Bros. productions? I know they're still hip among the young ones but surely Yimou deserves better?

Anxiously waiting for this one, though.

Antoine Doinel · #5 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:38 am

I think this trailer is much better

Lino · #6 Post by **Lino** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:18 pm

That one looks a lot better but I think they used the music of HOTFD on it, didn't they?

Antoine Doinel · #7 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:05 pm

Yeah, the music is similar if not the same, but this teaser has way more cleavage.

Simon · #8 Post by **Simon** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:43 pm

cleavages, golden showers, sounds promising!

Seriously, looks allright with gorgeous cinematography, I enjoyed his previous 2 films but I hope Yimou will work on something more intimate after this one.

Michael Kerpan · #9 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 6:32 pm

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (his most recently released film) -- which is very much an intimate film. Starring Japanese star Ken Takakura, as a man visiting China to try to complete a task begun by his estranged son (an academic studying Chinese folk drama).

Simon · #10 Post by **Simon** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:57 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (his most recently released film) -- which is very much an intimate film. Starring Japanese star Ken Takakura, as a man visiting China to try to complete a task begun by his estranged son (an academic studying Chinese folk drama).

Indeed, can't believe I missed that one and the DVD is dirt cheap. Glad to see I was wrong.

Lino · #11 Post by **Lino** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:50 pm

New trailer is now up.

Cold Bishop · #12 Post by **Cold Bishop** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:49 pm

Supposedly it's getting good reviews in China. Suprising, since the country didn't care much for his Hero or HOFD.

soma · #13 Post by **soma** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:01 am

Antoine Doinel wrote:I think this trailer is much better

Thanks for posting, this looks insane

Michael Kerpan · #14 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:54 pm

Cold Bishop wrote:Supposedly it's getting good reviews in China. Suprising, since the country didn't care much for his Hero or HOFD.

What is your source for the claim that Hero was not popular in China (as opposed to being unpopular with a certain group of critics there)?

Not sure as to the popular success of HOFD in China -- but my recollection is that Hero did quite well with regular audiences.

Lino · #15 Post by **Lino** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:52 pm

Very positive review from Twitch. I'm really itching to see this one!

Lino · #16 Post by **Lino** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:42 pm

Final trailer is now online. And it looks glorious!

Lino · #17 Post by **Lino** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:14 pm

US poster is now up:

Antoine Doinel · #18 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:16 pm

Given that the trailers are so visually sumptuous that poster is pretty uninspired. It's like they took the press photos for the film and threw them together.

Antoine Doinel · #19 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:30 am

Another new trailer

SalParadise · #20 Post by **SalParadise** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:13 am

Saw it last night in China.

I'll let you decide... :)

kieslowski_67 · #21 Post by **kieslowski_67** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:46 am

At least it's better than "the banquet". That's all that counts for me.

Grimfarrow · #22 Post by **Grimfarrow** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:38 pm

Lord, make it stop.

Michael Kerpan · #23 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:04 pm

Grimfarrow wrote:Lord, make it stop.

You really have it in for ZY these days -- don't you?

I just saw this -- and thought it was excellent. _Much_ better than the ill-fated Banquet. ;~}

Barmy · #24 Post by **Barmy** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:42 am

I liked Hero and HOFD.

But this is overwrought tripe. And not campy enough to be funny, although the audience was in stitches during the "shock" revelation scene.

Nothing happens for about 80 minutes, amidst garish neon decor that makes the tackiest Chinese restaurant in Milwaukee look serene and tasteful. Then a gazillion CGI peeps appear for a few minutes and scurry about. Then a dumb, flat ending that elicited boos and a few whatEVERs.

Kudos to the Gongster, however. After suffering the indignities of Miami Vice, she maintains her dignity throughout the proceedings. Chow just looks lost.

There is nothing here. The plot is beyond predictable, and recycles the usual royal intrafamily strife storylines that we've seen before dozens of times. And the action fan will want to litigate against the very deceptive trailer. There is far, far less action than Hero and HOFD. And very little, if any, of the action that there is will inspire admiration. It's mostly of the tedious army-of-thousands variety.

F+

Svevan · #25 Post by **Svevan** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:48 am

Not that it seems anyone is clamoring to see this movie, I thought I'd pop my head in to reinforce what Barmy has said - this is a camp movie made with all seriousness. With the right marketing campaign it could've been funnier than Snakes on a Plane, if the audience knew they were allowed to laugh.

The overwrought melodrama recalls Hero, but here it is hammed up by Gong Li (who said her performance was good? Twitching and jerking and throwing stuff around? She's ready for her closeup, Mr. Yimou) while Chow Yun Fat, it must be said, has gotten a lot fatter since last I saw him (15 seconds of the movie are devoted to his hair unfurling from his cap in slow motion, during the movie's final battle no less).

The intense choral music that accompanies a solid third of the film is misplaced, and adds a comedic touch when the camera is off-balance tracking backwards from Gong Li and her train. The attacks by the black-clothed ninja folk were hilarious and exciting almost the point of redeeming the movie. Then it was followed by more talking and overacting, more running through halls, and more twitching and jerking.

I hate people who laugh at movies when they aren't supposed to be funny, but here I was so embarrassed that I couldn't help it. The shock revelation (which every character in the movie figured out an hour after the audience did) illicited laughs from the entire fifteen person audience.

I recall someone laughing during the ending of House of Flying Daggers when I first saw it, and I hated them for it. Yimou has never been subtle, but he really went overboard here - is there something distinctively Chinese about this melodrama that my Western mind doesn't get? Is this what Chinese opera feels like?

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Curse of the Golden Flower (Zhang Yimou, 2006)