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Reviews
El laberinto del fauno (2006)
It was a good movie but somewhat overrated (possible spoilers)
I've heard of rave reviews before I went to see it and sort of know the theme of the movie. I also cautioned myself against high expectations before viewing it and it actually worked: I enjoyed more with somewhat less expectation.
First of all, I am absolutely a lover for fantasy movies and also appreciated the fact that the director tried to blend reality together with fantasy. I also liked the presentation of the fairy world as a darker, somewhat evil haven for the little girl. The storyline is decent. Color and camera work are good though nothing particularly spectacular.
However, this movie has quite a few clichéd moments and kept reminding me of some other movies. Basically, I always knew what was coming and nothing really surprised me. I also found the fantasy part bear some resemblance to the animated movie " spirited away".
Another part I didn't find satisfying is the acting, or say the portrayal of certain characters. The captain for one is a bit too one dimensional. They actually don't have to repeatedly show the killing or torturing to prove the cruelty of the captain. I got the message the first time he shot one man. Sometimes, indirect portrayal would carry a more chilling effect. Ofelia's acting is somewhat lacking too. I know she's supposed to be a quiet, reserved girl in desperate need to escape. However, her acting is sort of bland. No matter what she heard, saw or realized, her expression never changed much and sometime came off as not caring about much at all. Even when her mom died, she never looked heart-broken. I don't wanna to be so picky about a child actor, but she actually has a very heavy role in the movie and I felt the plain acting took some power away from movie.
Overall, it was a good movie and I enjoyed it. But I felt the directing and acting could have kicked up a few more notches.
Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (2006)
A decent movie if you got your expectation right
First of all, this is a commercial movie of period drama with some sort of martial arts in it. If you're looking for anything deeper, then it's not for you although the movie is loosely based on a masterpiece of play in China.
That being said, I think it's actually a nice movie.
Story: B The story line is nothing amazing but flows well although not devoid of a few confusions or loopholes. For the people who're not familiar with all the power struggle, backstabbing stories of Chinese royal families, some relationships and emotions may seem a bit too much. And it did actually get a bit overheated at certain point possibly for theatrical tensions. But overall, it made sense to me. My major complaint is that he could have cut out some of the side stories while allowing the major line to a fuller development.
Acting: B+ This movie focuses on Gong Li and she's a good actress. So, yes, she did a great job even though I wish it could have been toned down a bit. Chow Yun-fat is also good but his role is not as rich as hers. Liu Ye (crown prince) is adequate for his role and the character also has a limited range. Jay Zhou (the second son)is not quite up to par with the others (after all, he's not a professional actor). But he got better in the end.
Visuals: A- Actually, I wanted to give it a B+ but I awarded it a higher mark for being so daring. It does have tons of colors and shades in it. Most of time, they actually work out cool, at least for me. But I totally understand if someone finds it way over-the-top. I actually like the fact that ZYM used bright colors, only if he had used fewer kinds of them. Those fighting scenes didn't quite catch my attention not because they're no good. Actually they're proper and effective. But since I've seem so many martial arts movies, they did not bring any surprises to me
Overall, it's an entertaining movie with an understandable story and believable characters.