(no subject)
Sep. 13th, 2004 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_tectonicJust got back from seeing Hero. Other people have said the same, but:
OMG! Go see this movie! You must go see this movie!
Wow. Just stunningly beautiful. There were a few moments that literally took my breath away. Absolutely gorgeous. It would be worth seeing even if there were no subtitles and you could understand nothing of the story, because it's almost like a moving painting.
The big thing is, of course, is color, which is used to sort of "tag" the different sub-stories. (And to make it really really pretty.) But I also thought there was a lot of neat stuff done with repeated visual elements filling up the screen, be it arrows or leaves or people or stairs or what have you. Wonderful visual texture all the way through.
Two random thoughts related to the wuxia/Chinese-ness of it: first, the movie has a very interesting story to tell, but it's worth remembering that as often as american movies end happily, Chinese movies end tragically. Second, there seems to be a language of symbols in the action scenes of wire-fu movies; like, it *means* something when, at the end of an exchange of blows, one of the characters' weapons is vibrating. I think I actually understood most of those symbols in this movie, but I kind of wish I had Cliff's notes or something to be sure.
Kung Fu Monkey has told me that I should invoke my authority as God-Emperor of planet Xerth-Q3 to tell you all to go see this movie. SO worth it!
OMG! Go see this movie! You must go see this movie!
Wow. Just stunningly beautiful. There were a few moments that literally took my breath away. Absolutely gorgeous. It would be worth seeing even if there were no subtitles and you could understand nothing of the story, because it's almost like a moving painting.
The big thing is, of course, is color, which is used to sort of "tag" the different sub-stories. (And to make it really really pretty.) But I also thought there was a lot of neat stuff done with repeated visual elements filling up the screen, be it arrows or leaves or people or stairs or what have you. Wonderful visual texture all the way through.
Two random thoughts related to the wuxia/Chinese-ness of it: first, the movie has a very interesting story to tell, but it's worth remembering that as often as american movies end happily, Chinese movies end tragically. Second, there seems to be a language of symbols in the action scenes of wire-fu movies; like, it *means* something when, at the end of an exchange of blows, one of the characters' weapons is vibrating. I think I actually understood most of those symbols in this movie, but I kind of wish I had Cliff's notes or something to be sure.
Kung Fu Monkey has told me that I should invoke my authority as God-Emperor of planet Xerth-Q3 to tell you all to go see this movie. SO worth it!
no subject
Date: 2004-09-13 11:49 pm (UTC)"So WORTH it!"
(Where "worth" is some funky verb that you just invented which means roughly "go and watch or I will disembowel you with my mind". It all stems from my underlying assumption that you are always playing around with language and messing with my head.)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 08:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 09:21 am (UTC)You are perilously close to uncovering my dastardly SEEKRIT PLANS. I'll have to watch you closely...
SEEKRIT PLANS
Date: 2004-09-14 12:34 pm (UTC)(With a PhD, you'd think that he'd realize super villains should not have blogs.)
-Super HEROic Kung Fu Monkey
Re: SEEKRIT PLANS
Date: 2004-09-14 05:37 pm (UTC)Re: SEEKRIT PLANS
Date: 2004-09-14 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-14 08:48 am (UTC)