Tuesday

I rented Hero two weeks ago but didn't manage to watch it. I'd never seen any of Yimou Zhang's films. I once watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (not the same director, but a similar style) but I wasn't really paying attention. Last night, however, I saw House of Flying Daggers. I thought it was fairly incredible. In general, however, it received poorer reviews than Hero, so perhaps what I appreciated could just be elements copied from that film. I don't know. It was mainly the effects, the stylistics, that I was impressed by. The sound, too, was astonishing - both in the sword fights, and in the love scenes when intimacy is conveyed through the breathing alone. The battle scene in the bamboo forest (if that's what it's called) was breath-taking at times. The problem came in the plot itself, which was compelling to begin with but undermined itself with a twist towards the end. And then it kind of faded away. Nothing is actually resolved, it becomes almost ridiculous. Although I felt there was less of the 'flying' that there is in Crouching Tiger, which I find a bit annoying. Overall, what I admire is that they're not afraid of making serious, epic films. Anyway, I eagerly await seeing Hero.

P.S. Yes, yesterday I did indeed post a short story (or short something, prose poem?). I hope you enjoyed it. I don't know yet if will become a regular feature or not.