Synopsis :
Chinese steampunk martial arts blockbuster about the early years of Tai chi master Yang Luchan, the man who founded in the 19th century what has now become the most popular Tai Chi style in the world. The second instalment of the “Tai Chi” trilogy continues the journey of Yang Luchan, a gifted child with a fleshy growth on his forehead who helped save a village from a frightening army of steampunk soldiers bearing strange machines with the knowledge of Tai Chi that they entrusted him with.
Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,” a fantasy action comedy produced by Stephen Chow, tells the story of a world full of demons where people’s lives are miserable. A young man named Xuan Zang bears the undaunted spirit of “sacrificing one’s own interest for the sake of others,” making pig monster and Sun Wukong his disciples and helping them remold themselves. Finally, Xuan Zang himself also feels the authentic meaning of “big love.” To save the commoners from their miserable lives and redeem their own evil, Xuan Zang and his three disciples unhesitatingly embark on the journey to the West.
Hero is a 2002 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC.
Hero was first released in China on October 24, 2002. At that time, it was the most expensive project
and the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese film history.[citation needed] Miramax Films owned the American market distribution rights, but delayed the release of the film for nearly two years. It was finally presented by Quentin Tarantino to American theaters on August 27, 2004.
In ancient China during the Warring States Period, a nameless prefect of a small jurisdiction arrives at the Qin state's capital city to meet the king of Qin, who has survived an attempt on his life by the assassins Long Sky, Flying Snow, and Broken Sword. Therefore, no visitors are to approach him within 100 paces. 'Nameless' (Jet Li) claims that he has slain the three assassins and he displays their weapons before the king, who allows Nameless to sit closer to him and tell him his story.
Nameless recounts killing Long Sky at a weiqi parlor; later to meet Flying Snow and Broken Sword at a calligraphy school in the Zhao state, where he set them against each other until Snow killed Sword and was herself slain by Nameless. As the tale concludes, the king expresses disbelief and accuses Nameless of staging the duels with the assassins, who surrendered their lives to allow him to gain the king's trust and take the king's life....
Nameless admits that he is a native of the Zhao state and that his family was killed by Qin soldiers, confesses that he defeated Sky without killing him and asked Snow and Sword to cooperate by taking a pseudo duel as well. Sword waited for Nameless on his way to Qin after his false duel with Snow, and told him that the only way to achieve peace was to unite the states under a common dynasty; namely that of Qin, which alone has the ability to do so, thus revealing why Sword gave up his earlier assassination attempt.
The king, affected by the tale and by Sword's understanding of his dream to unify China, ceases to fear Nameless. He then tosses his sword to Nameless and examines a scroll drawn by Sword, and understands that it explains the ideal warrior, who, paradoxically, should have no desire to kill. When Nameless realizes the wisdom of these words, he abandons his mission and spares the king.
Meanwhile, when Snow learns that Sword had convinced Nameless to forgo the assassination, she furiously challenges Sword to a fight and unintentionally kills him when he chooses not to defend himself so that she would understand his hopes for universal peace. Overwhelmed by guilt, Snow then commits suicide. At the Qin palace, the king reluctantly orders Nameless executed, being urged thereto by his court. As the film ends, Nameless receives a hero's funeral and a closing text identifies the king as Qin Shi Huang.
Traditional
英雄
Simplified
英雄
Mandarin
Yīngxióng
Cantonese
Jing1 Hung4
Directed by
Zhang Yimou
Produced by
Zhang Yimou
Written by
Feng Li
Bin Wang
Zhang Yimou
Starring
Jet Li Tony Leung Maggie Cheung Chen Daoming Zhang Ziyi Donnie Yen
Music by
Tan Dun
Cinematography
Christopher Doyle
Editing by
Angie Lam
Studio
Sil-Metropole Organisation CFCC
Elite Group Enterprises
Zhang Yimou Studio
Beijing New Picture Film
Distributed by
Miramax Films (US)
Beijing New Picture Film (China)
EDKO Film (Hong Kong)
Curse of the Golden Flower is a 2006 Chinese epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.
With a budget of US$45 million, it was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date, surpassing Chen Kaige's The Promise. It was chosen as China's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the year 2006; but did not receive the nomination. The film was however nominated for Costume Design. In 2007 it received fourteen nominations at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards and won Best Actress forGong Li, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Make Up Design and Best Original Film Song for "菊花台" (Chrysanthemum Terrace) by Jay Chou.
The plot is based on Cao Yu's 1934 play Thunderstorm (雷雨 pinyin: Léiyǔ), but is set in the Imperial court in ancient China.
On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden chrysanthemum flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun-fat) returns from his various military campaigns with his second son and general, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). The Emperor has returned to celebrate the holiday with his family. For three years, the Empress (Gong Li) and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit affair. Prince Wan secretly dreams of escaping the palace with his secret lover Jiang Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor's daughter. Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows curious and then worried over the Empress's health and her abnormal obsession with golden chrysanthemums.
For ten days, the Emperor had ordered Jiang Yiru, the Imperial Doctor and his daughter, Jiang Chan, to secretly add tiny amounts of a poisonousPersian black fungus into the medicine that the Empress takes several times a day. The Empress summons Prince Jai, revealing to him her plot of rebellion. She asks for his participation but Jai hesitates, saying that it would be difficult for him to take up arms against his own father. After seeing his mother take a poisoned dose, he relents and agrees to participate...
A woman-in-black is captured by Prince Wan and taken to the Emperor, and it is revealed that she was Jiang Shi (Chen Jin), Jiang Yiru's wife, Jiang Chan's mother, and also the Emperor's previous lover. The Emperor promotes the doctor, sending him from the Palace to serve as governor of a remote area. Prince Wan runs after them to see Chan. From the information that Chan provides him with, he senses that the Empress is plotting something, so he hurries back to the palace and confronts her. The Empress, already losing her mind, bluntly claims that she just wants Wan to die and continue with her plan. Wan, in a panic, stabs himself and is put under care.
The doctor's family are attacked by mysterious assassins-in-black who kill Jiang Yiru. Chan and her mother are forced back to the palace. When they return the Empress reveals that Jiang Shi was actually the mother of Prince Wan, meaning his secret lover, Chan, is in fact his half-sister. Realizing this, a shocked and crazed Chan flees the palace screaming in horror with her mother chasing behind. Both are killed by the assassins-in-black.
Prince Yu abruptly kills Prince Wan and attempts to oblige the Emperor to abdicate the throne to him. He confesses that he also learned of the plot and his brother's affair with the Empress and acted in advance to gain the throne. The Emperor's assassins-in-black eliminate Prince Yu's tiny rebel force easily, and the Emperor beats Yu to death.
Thousands of golden armored warriors led by Prince Jai and wearing the embroidered flowers of the Empress charge the palace. As they charge forward, the Emperor's personal assassins attempt to stop them. Although Prince Jai's men take various casualties, they manage to beat the assassins and move forward. As the golden-armored army marches into the imperial square, they are boxed in by a clever trap. It is clear that the Emperor had full knowledge of the plot and had quietly moved a large army into the palace. From their superior position they are able to cut down the rebels with a massive hail of arrows. The Prince continues to fight but eventually surrenders. The survivors of the golden army are gathered, bound and executed on the Emperor's orders. After the battle, the courtyard is swiftly cleaned up as if the evening's event had never transpired and the Festival begins at midnight as scheduled.
The Emperor offers to spare Jai on the condition that he henceforth personally administer the medicine to the Empress. Prince Jai refused his father's order, apologized to his mother for his failure and then committed suicide, his blood spilling on the Empress's medicine. The Empress lets out a furious shriek and slaps the plate out of the servant's hands. The film then ends with an image of the poisonous medicine landing on an engraved wooden chrysanthemum and eating away at it.
Traditional
滿城盡帶黃金甲
Simplified
满城尽带黄金甲
Mandarin
Mǎnchéng Jìndài Huángjīnjiǎ
Directed by
Zhang Yimou
Produced by
William Kong
Zhang Weiping
Zhang Yimou
Written by
Zhang Yimou
Starring
Chow Yun-fat Gong Li Jay Chou
Qin Junjie
Music by
Shigeru Umebayashi
Cinematography
Zhao Xiaoding
Distributed by
United States: Sony Pictures Classics Hong Kong:
Edko Film
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