Movie Reviews

[Anonymous]

I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the “Terracotta Warriors” presented at the Kodak theatre. The cost, while substantial, was more than worth the theatrical delivery. I was thrilled by the presentation. The actors were quite professional, acrobatic, and ceremonial. The story was enthralling… it shared the dynasty of Quni Shi and her affection for a soldier/warrior. The lover was of course put to death and eventually the emperor lost power.

The play offered an English transcript of the Chinese presentation which helped to provide a depth of understanding. My favorite part was the two young children acrobats, they were about five, or six years old and they stole my heart.

I suppose that I would use this story as an indication to children that they are a very important part of the future of their culture and family traditions. I would have difficulty explaining to ten-year-olds the meaning and interaction in this presentation. But, all children understand the importance of ritual in their own lives and most cannot wait to share these stories in a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Hong Kong films, known for their violence, are being geared to the expanding Chinese market and stricter censorship standards there. Some worry that Hong Kong cinema is losing its edge. Directors are favoring ancient Chinese epics/period dramas that are less likely to offend Chinese censors. Chinese censorship bans quite a few topics, including sex, violence, and the dark side of real life, despite other free-market reforms. Stories about gang fueds and urban love affairs are becoming rare. John Woo, Hong Kong director, is starting to shoot "Red Cliff" based on a famous Chinese battle. Many of these films are being shot in Mandarin rather than Hong Kong's Cantonese dialect. Some in the film industry fear China's control is stifling creativity in this small former British Colony. Most likely, it all boils down to $$$$$.

[Anonymous]

This is a Peter Greenway film in which a young girl is marked by three experiences from her life that make a true impression. The three experiences include caligraphy, a sensual diary, and her father being blackmailed. These are experiences that she becomes obsessed with throughout her adult life. She seeks to find love through caligraphy, seeks to duplicate the writings and lifestyle of Shongu Sei (the author of the diary), and the revenge of her father. It takes place in different parts of China as well as Japan. It begins with black and white film and as she becomes a woman it turns to color. Towards the end of the film when she loses her lover and revenges her father it returns to black and white. It is an interesting film using several different scences on top of each other so your seeing past and present. It was also spoken in mandarin and english at the same time. I did not think that was a great idea just because alot of the mandarin spoken was not translated. The film was really graphic perhaps the book is better.

[Anonymous]

I did not know what the film was about but I see now that Susan Pavelka Gregg reviewed it earlier. It was a wonderful film that I would like to see again. The opening scenes of Lijiang and references to Kunming were especially meaningful. I'm glad I saw the film after our China visit. I definitely felt such a connection to it from the beginning.

I think it is a good fillm to present to high school students, as there are important issues for discussion. The story crosses two cultures-Japanese and Chinese, and perhaps the most important theme was how the lack of communication, for whatever reason, creates distances between people. the lack of contact between Mr. Takata and his son Kenichi appeared to stem from Mr. Takata's hurting him deeply when Kenichi was young (but I never figured out what that was). Some of the questions to ask students after the film: What did Mr. Takata envy in the opera singer and why (what did the opera singer do openly that Mr. Takata could not?). Why do you suppose Mr. Takata made such an effort to find the opera singer's son? What purpose did this mission serve? The title of the opera, "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles," has great significance in the lives of Mr. Takata and Kenichi. How? What attitude(s) did Mr. Takata display toward the Chinese that helped him achieve his goals? Mr. Takata and the opera singer's son seemed to have made an emotional connection. What do you think caused this? the mask i the opera is an important symbol. How? Before showing the film, I would encourage students to look for examples of the communication theme and take notes. I would need to see the film again to explore more issues and analyze this further. There's lots more to discuss. The movie moved me (I cried several times), especially when Kenichi made the realization that his father was taking a step toward reaching out to him even when Kenichi rejected his father's visit (although I wondered if Kenichi's sister had fabricated the letter to make her father feel some comfort, but in the end, I believed the letter was Kenichi's words). When Mr. Takata was leaving the village of the opera singer's son, the son chased after the car and Mr. Takata continued waving until he could no longer see the boy. Oi vey. That was sad, too. On the other hand, I don't know if I could show the film to students because I would cry, again. I'm a wimp. I saw that someone reviewed "The Joy Luck Club." That was another movie that made me cry buckets (at the theatre, even, how embarrassing). My family has a running joke about me with sad movies. "How many boxes of tissue is that movie? It's a 2-1/2 box movie." Okay. So I won't show the movie to a high school class.
aileen willoughby

[Anonymous]

I join my colleagues in highly recommending this movie. I liked it better than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", in which I found the fighting sequences somewhat hard to believe. This story takes place two thousand years ago when China was split into seven feudal kingdoms. The tyrannical but shrewd and insightful King of Qin who wants to unite the seven kingdoms into one powerful country, bringing peace and stability, is the target of three legendary assassins. This movie is a clever telling of three different versions of an assasination plot. The film is almost a cultural essay ( regional retellings of an ancient legend) rather than a Jet Li action flick. I could use this film with students to teach several literary elements. There is an amazing metaphoric use of color in the film. The cinematography is awesome. The imagery is beautiful and of course as I mentioned the story is told from multiple points of view. The theme to discuss , in my opinion, would be that " the pen is mightier than the sword". So genre, figurative language techniques, and literary elements could all be viewed and discussed, as well as the historical references made to the Chinese feudal kingdoms. If the film has any weakness at all, it would be that the ending could have been shortened. My students (middle school) might not be able to hang with it that long! [Edit by="coneill on Jun 30, 9:06:45 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Okay, this is my movie review. I don't want anyone to laugh! I selected these movies to review because not only are they entertaining but they contain some valuable information which is a good source for classroom discussion. As a Physical Education Instructor, our staff needs movies to show at least 100 seventh and eighth grade students per period on rainy days. It is difficult to find movies that are PG rated. We also want movies that have a message behind them in regards to promoting teamwork, self-confidence, and making positive life choices. Both of these movies contribute to positive childhood development with lots of opportunity of discussion. The students not only enjoy these action packed family classic movies but it gives the teachers an opportunity to discuss some history, as well. We discuss the sport, Karate (Karatedo), which originated in the Ryukyu Kingdom. This also leads into the discussion of Okinawa and the Battle of Okinawa. Other topics of discussion arrived from these movies include the Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens were interned during World War II. Manzanar becomes a class discussion since the wife of character, Mr. Miyagi, died in the camp. Regardless of the flim locations, California and Hawaii, the setting of the films were authentic to Japanese culture which also adds to class discussions. Both movies can be a motivating way to keep the attention of students and still have a meaningful lesson. I recommend both of them along with some history lessons.

[Anonymous]

Movie Review – Floating Clouds

Floating Clouds is a Japanese film with English subtitles. It’s based on a novel by Hayashi Fumiko and it was filmed by Naruse Mikio in 1955. He is he known for producing a series of “chick flicks” around this time. Floating Clouds makes you want to tell the female protagonist to move on and find someone who truly values her beauty and qualities. The story is based on a love affair between a young, 22 year old and an older married man. They meet in Indochina in 1943. After the war, they return to Tokyo and try to resume their affair. Problem – Tomioka, the married man, feels responsible and obligated to care for his wife, especially when she comes down with T.B. Yukiko is looking for a commitment from the man she loves and floats from “gray cloud to gray cloud” with bits of sunshine in between. ( My little take on the story!) With social issues of adultery, abortion, and embezzlement, you would think you were watching a “made for TV” movie in the U.S. This simple but moving story, with a predictable ending – no she didn’t kill the guy, gives you a glimpse into Japanese society after World War 11. A discussion on values or postwar stress could be addressed. Be aware there are some scenes that would not be appropriate for classroom viewing. I enjoyed this film, but in my opinion, this is a movie you watch and discuss with your friends, not your students.

[Anonymous]

The movie was great. Not only was it historical in nature, it was culturally sound too. I was surprised that the same issues young women faced in the 50s are still happening today. Tradition is hard to change. Teaching elementary, I would not use this movie in my class - I still like using clips from CCTV - Beijing's English channel.

[Anonymous]

Movie Review: The Curse of the Golden Flower

As Haydee stated, the movie was set in the Tang Dynasty and was about the relationship between the Emperor and Emperess.

So, does an R rated movie with lots of killing in the end have anything to offer my class?

The answer is yes. First, the film was filmed in the Forbidden City. The colors were more vibrant than when we were there, but I can imagine some of it. It is important to note that the Tang Dynasty's capital was in Xi'an and not Beijing. Xi'an was the largest city in the world at this time.

Next, the courtyard of the Forbidden Palace was filled with chrysanthemums in preparation for the Chong Yang Festival. This holiday is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month on the lunar calendar. Chong means double and the 9s are doubled - double nine (the emperor's number).

I would bring up a few things about the Emperor's comments. He states and even writes "Loyalty, Filial Diety, Ritual, and Righteousness". Sound like confuscianism? Confuscianism was on the decline during the Tang Dynasty, in fact, the Wild Goose Pagoda that we visited was built during this time. Another point of interest, Taoist poets were also popular during the Tang Dynasty.

There are other points of interest to be shared in any age class, just turn it off before the killings starts or just use clips.

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