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	<title>Asian &#8211; Film Legacy </title>
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	<description>Are movies better than ever?</description>
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	<title>Asian &#8211; Film Legacy </title>
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		<title>Dancing Village: The Curse Begins—Horror from Indonesia</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/04/26/dancing-village-the-curse-begins-horror-from-indonesia/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:59:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horror]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1150</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Unfolding like a folk tale that&#8217;s only dimly remembered, Dancing Village: The Curse Begins is a prequel to KKN Di Desa Penari, an Indonesian blockbuster released in 2022. This slow-burn thriller sends cousins and friends to a remote jungle village &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/04/26/dancing-village-the-curse-begins-horror-from-indonesia/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1152" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-3-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-3-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-3-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Unfolding like a folk tale that&#8217;s only dimly remembered, <em>Dancing Village: The Curse Begins</em> is a prequel to <em>KKN Di Desa Penari</em>, an Indonesian blockbuster released in 2022. This slow-burn thriller sends cousins and friends to a remote jungle village on Java. There they encounter ancient demons and curses.</p>



<p>Director Kimo Stamboel draws on Eli Roth and Ari Aster as much as Indonesian traditions. His movie fits comfortably into Western horror conventions. <em>Dancing Village</em> is paced so deliberately that most viewers will see the shocks coming a mile off.</p>



<p>That&#8217;s not to say Lele Laila&#8217;s script doesn&#8217;t build enough tension. The story exploits the contrast between its urban leads and their rural village counterparts while still finding ways to keep them on equal standing. Yes, it&#8217;s a different world in the jungle, but the people who live there have the same dreams and ambitions.</p>



<p>A long prologue set in 1955 depicts a ritual in which drugged or hypnotized girls dance until one survives for a ritual sacrifice. But a girl manages to steal the demon Badarawuhi&#8217;s snake bracelet, disrupting the spell. She races off into the jungle, leaving the shaman Buyut to deal with the consequences.</p>



<p>Twenty-five years later, Mila (Maudy Effrosina) brings her cousin Yuda (Jourdy Pranata) and their nerdy friend Jito (Moh. Iqbal Sulaiman) back to a nearby jungle village. A shaman has told her the only way to save her dying mother is to return the snake bracelet.</p>



<p>Villagers are friendly but unhelpful. Buyut, now the elder, is &#8220;away.&#8221; No one else will tell them where the dancing village is. Yuda persuades Ratih (Claresta Taufan) to stay in her house with her mother—who&#8217;s also mysteriously ill.</p>



<p>At night spirits glide by Yuda and Jito while they sleep on the porch of an abandoned house. Mila hears distant singing. Ratih&#8217;s mother spews blood from her mouth. When Mila and Ratih go to the women&#8217;s bath house, the demon approaches. Mila&#8217;s attacked by snakes, saved only when Ratih pulls her from the pool.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1153" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-6-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-6-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-6-DANCING-VILLAGE-THE-CURSE-BEGINS-Credit-Lionsgate-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Other encounters include a food stall serving butchered monkeys, flashbacks to Mila&#8217;s mother suffering in her bedroom, and various narrative red herrings and stings. Spoiler: Mila must enter the afterlife to free her mother from the demon&#8217;s grasp.</p>



<p>What impresses most about <em>Dancing Village</em> is the superb cinematography by Patrick Tashadian. The camera glides through the village, swoops over houses, pulls viewers into intimate contact with the supernatural. Tashadian and Stamboel build incredible atmosphere with very little effort.</p>



<p>Aulia Sarah plays the demon about as well as anyone could expect, given that her motives are obscure and her powers unexplained. Effrosina manages to look worried throughout the film, a one-note turn that lacks nuance. Claresta Taufan gives the best performance in the movie as a daughter who must betray to save her mother.</p>



<p><em>Dancing Village</em> was planned and shot as an IMAX production, a first for Southeast Asia. Unfortunately Lionsgate won&#8217;t be offering that version in the US.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Directed by: Kimo Stamboel. Screenplay: Lele Laila. Produced by Manoj Punjabi. Director of photography: Patrick Tashadian. Edited by: Fachrun Daud. Music by Ricky Leonard. Sound designer: Hiro Ishizaka.<strong> Cast:</strong> Aulia Sarah, Maudy Effrosina, Jourdy Pranata, Moh. Iqbal Sulaiman, Ardit Erwandha, Claresta Taufan, Diding Boneng, Aming Sugandhi, Dinda Kanyadewi, Pipien Putri, Maryam Supraba, Bimasena, Putri Permata, Baiq Vania Estiningtyas Sagita, Baiq Nathania Elvaretta.</p>



<p>Opening in theaters April 26, 2024.</p>



<p>Photos: Top—(L-R) Aulia Sarah, Claresta Taufan Kusumarina and Maudy Effrosina in DANCING VILLAGE: THE CURSE BEGINS (Credit: Lionsgate). Center—Aulia Sarah in DANCING VILLAGE: THE CURSE BEGINS (Credit: Lionsgate).</p>
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		<title>Life under a microscope: A Brief History of a Family</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/27/life-under-a-microscope-a-brief-history-of-a-family/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:03:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Film Festivals]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1138</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Classmates, one rich, one poor, are thrown together by accident. The poor one worms his way into the wealthy family, winning over the parents through deceit and subterfuge. An event changes the lives of all involved. No, it&#8217;s not Saltburn, &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/27/life-under-a-microscope-a-brief-history-of-a-family/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="251" class="wp-image-1139" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_1.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_1-300x126.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p class="has-text-align-left">Classmates, one rich, one poor, are thrown together by accident. The poor one worms his way into the wealthy family, winning over the parents through deceit and subterfuge. An event changes the lives of all involved.</p>



<p>No, it&#8217;s not <em>Saltburn</em>, although <em>Jia ting jian shi</em> / <em>A Brief History of a Family</em> follows a surprisingly similar trajectory to Emerald Fennell&#8217;s 2023 film. Writer and director Lin Jianjie is even aiming for the same targets, although his story takes place in an urban Chinese setting. <em>Brief History</em> screened in the Panorama section of this year&#8217;s Berlinale.</p>



<p>When Shuo (Sun Xilun) suffers a playground accident, his classmate Wei (Lin Muran) helps him to the infirmary. Over the following days, Shuo, shy and deferential, gradually reveals an abusive home life. Wei invites him home.</p>



<p>Wei lives in an expensive high rise. His father (Zu Feng) is a microbiologist; his mother (Guo Keyu), a former flight attendant. They ask Shuo to dinner and later say he is welcome to come back when he wants.</p>



<p>Shuo does return, frequently, whether or not Wei is there. Shuo realizes that Wei is a disappointment to his parents. An indifferent student, he doesn&#8217;t study, doesn&#8217;t practice athletics, and seems content to play computer games all the time.</p>



<p>On the other hand, Shuo is an exemplary student, knows more about Wei&#8217;s sports than he does, and pays attention to Wei&#8217;s parents. He remembers what foods his mother likes, what records his father plays. When they go on a business trip, they invite Shuo along. Wei has to stay home to study for a test.</p>



<p>Lin, who also goes by the nickname JJ, is an advocate of the slow burn. Scenes unfold slowly, the camera a hesitant observer, often looking through doorways or over shoulders. The production design is icy cold in Wei&#8217;s apartment, neutral elsewhere.</p>



<p>The music leans Western, a conscious choice on the director&#8217;s part. In fact, <em>Brief History of a Family</em> looks and feels more like a European film than a Chinese one. The big difference is one of scale. Films like <em>Saltburn</em> show extravagant inequalities. Here not that much separates the haves and have-nots.</p>



<p>Lin studied bioinformatics in college before attending film school at NYU. This is his feature debut. Occasionally he will insert montages of microscopic organisms, suggesting that humans operate under similar biological impulses. There&#8217;s a detached, clinical feel to <em>Brief History</em>, almost a sense that Lin is experimenting with his characters.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="251" class="wp-image-1140" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_2.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/202402436_2-300x126.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>The most interesting person in the movie is Wei&#8217;s mother, played with delicate precision by Guo Keyu. Speaking in whispery cadences, using soft gestures, she can&#8217;t completely hide her insecurity about her past as a glorified servant. Still, she hidden strengths. She blames her husband for his behavior during China&#8217;s one-child policy, and holds her trauma over him like a club.</p>



<p>Lou Yin, one of the producers, told me that Guo Keyu was China&#8217;s youngest best actress. &#8220;She won for <em>Red Cherry</em> when she was sixteen. That film appeared in the Berlin Panorama program in 1996. She&#8217;s returning here after 28 years.&#8221;</p>



<p>The psychology of the other characters isn&#8217;t nearly as interesting. Shuo is only trying to get ahead, using whatever means are available to him. Wei is alternately sluggish and resentful. His father is a workaholic. Since they are drawn so simply, their outcomes are evident early on.</p>



<p>At least <em>Brief History</em> avoids the histrionics that made <em>Saltburn</em> so annoying. But judging one film not as bad as another is faint praise indeed.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Written and directed by Lin Jianjie. Produced by Lou Ying, Zheng Yue, Wang Yiwen. Director of Photography: Zhang Jiahao. Production Designer: Xu Yao. Editor: Per K. Kirkegaard. Composer: Toke Brorson Odin. <strong>Cast:</strong> Zu Feng, Guo Keyo, Sun Xilun, Lin Muran.</p>



<p>Photos © First Light Films, Films du Milieu, Tambo films</p>
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		<title>The plight of test pilots in Born to Run</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/24/the-plight-of-test-pilots-in-born-to-run/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Mar 2024 14:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1131</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Released theatrically last year, Born to Fly follows pilots undergoing rigorous training in order to test mainland China&#8217;s experimental stealth fighter jet. Deeply patriotic and extremely silly, it&#8217;s propaganda devoid of suspense, humor, and credible characterizations. The screenplay by Gui &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/24/the-plight-of-test-pilots-in-born-to-run/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="394" class="wp-image-1134" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/69171-sinopsis-born-to-fly.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/69171-sinopsis-born-to-fly.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/69171-sinopsis-born-to-fly-300x197.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Released theatrically last year, <em>Born to Fly</em> follows pilots undergoing rigorous training in order to test mainland China&#8217;s experimental stealth fighter jet. Deeply patriotic and extremely silly, it&#8217;s propaganda devoid of suspense, humor, and credible characterizations.</p>



<p>The screenplay by Gui Gang and director Liu Xiaoshi follows the <em>Top Gun: Maverick</em> template pretty closely. Bookended by dogfights after incursions by foreign fighters into Chinese air space, the movie then introduces us to a military suffering from a raging inferiority complex.</p>



<p>&#8220;The first battle is the final battle,&#8221; an officer warns his students. Other countries help each other out, but &#8220;we are on our own.&#8221; Perfecting a stealth fighter jet is the only way China can protect itself from invaders.</p>



<p>To test the new &#8220;Taishan&#8221; engine, recruits take physical and psychological exercises designed to weed out the weak. Hero Lei Yu (Wang Yibo) competes against rival Deng Fang (Yu Shi) for the top spot, but is too individualistic to succeed.</p>



<p>Forced to fly with team leader Zhang Ting (Hu Jun), Lei becomes resentful. The movie also suggests he might be a bit of a coward when he ejects from a crippled jet. Another crash leads to Zhang&#8217;s death as he heroically steers his jet away from a populated area rather than saving himself.</p>



<p><em>Born to Fly </em>milks this sequence for everything it can get. We see Zhang&#8217;s family before, during, and after the crash, his young son bursting into tears now that he can&#8217;t have noodles with his father. A long funeral service gives everyone else in the cast the chance to cry. (It&#8217;s actually the second visit to a vast cemetery for pilots.)</p>



<p>Lei Yu had quit the group earlier, only to return after learning his lesson by packing parachutes for the true heroes, pilots willing to give up their lives to help others. He&#8217;s badly injured in the Zhang crash, and is nursed back to health by Dr. Shen Tianran (Zhou Dongyu).</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" class="wp-image-1135" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Born-to-Fly-281_.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Born-to-Fly-281_.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Born-to-Fly-281_-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Now a functioning part of the unit, Lei Yu implements his innovation of attaching an anti-spin parachute to the jets. (It&#8217;s the spectacularly non-aerodynamic equivalent of a T-shirt cannon bolted to the back of the jet.) Another near-crash sequence mirrors the beats of a sequence in <em>Top Gun: Maverick</em>.</p>



<p>One more inconclusive dogfight, the hint of a chaste romance between Lei Yu and Shen, and <em>Born to Fly</em> ends with what seem to be recorded transcripts of actual pilots.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s a measure of <em>Born to Fly</em>&#8216;s failure, its lack of imagination, that the filmmakers shoehorn Zhou Dongyu into the thankless role of lovestruck doctor. One of the best performers in cinema, she can&#8217;t do much with such a paper-thin, emotionally demeaning role.</p>



<p>A fixture in propaganda films, Hu Jun is appropriately stalwart as a veteran who leads by example. The other pilots are good-looking but essentially anonymous.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Directed by Liu Xiaoshi. Screenplay by Gui Gang and Liu Xiaoshi. Director of photography: Bai Yuxia. Director of lighting: Ma Qingyuan. Original music: Guo Sida. Visual effects producer: Jessica Yang. Visual effects supervisor: Wang Shaoshuai. Production designer: Qin Weili. <strong>Cast:</strong> Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi, Zhou Dongyu, Bu Yu, Zhai Yujia, Wang Zichen, Lu Xin, Qu Zheming.</p>



<p>Released on Digital and Blu-ray on March 26 by Well Go USA Entertainment. Photos courtesy Well Go USA Entertainment.</p>
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		<title>Tak Sakaguchi is the One-Percenter</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/19/tak-sakaguchi-is-the-one-percenter/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 18:31:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1118</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[For several years Well Go USA has been one of the best distributors of genre films in the country. But the company finds itself in a bind with One-Percent Warrior (aka One-Percenter), a martial arts adventure starring Tak Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/03/19/tak-sakaguchi-is-the-one-percenter/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1119" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-1.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-1-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>For several years Well Go USA has been one of the best distributors of genre films in the country. But the company finds itself in a bind with <em>One-Percent Warrior</em> (aka <em>One-Percenter</em>), a martial arts adventure starring Tak Sakaguchi.</p>



<p>Sakaguchi has figured in a sexual assault case involving cult director <a href="https://twitter.com/midnightmes/status/1764318479363322010" data-type="link" data-id="https://twitter.com/midnightmes/status/1764318479363322010">Sion Sono</a> and was <a href="https://twitter.com/midnightmes/status/1767952817476829200" data-type="link" data-id="https://twitter.com/midnightmes/status/1767952817476829200">accused of assault</a> himself. &#8220;Innocent until proven guilty&#8221; is a foundation of the US legal system, but I can&#8217;t deny misgivings about reviewing <em>One-Percent Warrior</em>.</p>



<p>Another reason is that it&#8217;s not very good. Sakaguchi plays Takuma Toshiro, has-been action star shunned by the industry because of his eccentric demands. Now he&#8217;s trying to jumpstart a comeback by shooting a &#8220;pure action&#8221; movie on a remote island at the site of an abandoned zinc mine.</p>



<p>However, rival filmmakers have already arrived, as well as triad gangsters after a fortune in cocaine. At first the fights are just skirmishes, but they quickly escalate to bloody massacres. Toshiro and his underling Akira rescue a gangster&#8217;s daughter, only to face waves of relentless killers.</p>



<p>Meta elements keep multiplying. The camera pulls back at one point to reveal that the entire story is actually taking place on a film set. Is Toshiro imagining his battles? If so, why are villains dying?</p>



<p>Action director Kensuke Sonomura (<em>Baby Assassins</em>) offers several set pieces that consist of bad guys waiting in line for Sakaguchi to take them out. The actor usually defeats them with a single blow, sometimes only tapping them on their shoulders.</p>



<p>The fights take place in corridors, stairwells, warehouse spaces and empty offices. Darkness and undercranking hide much of the action. The set pieces are repetitive to the point of monotony, despite the very obvious talents of Sakaguchi and the stunt players.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1120" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-2.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OnePercenter-3840x2160-2-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>One well-staged encounter with Jeet Kune Do master Ishii Togo builds considerable suspense, but it&#8217;s surrounded by poor, melodramatic plot twists.</p>



<p>The meta elements (including a bit of <em>Fight Club</em> misdirection) aren&#8217;t really worth the effort, and Sakaguchi proves a dour, uninteresting lead. Hardcore fans may find enough here to watch; for others, this is a dank, unappealing exercise.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Written and directed by Yûdai Yamaguchi. Action director: Kensuke Sonomura. Director of photography: Ozawa Hiroyuki. Lighting director: Kimura Akio. Edited by Hori Zensuke. Music composed by Kawai Hidehiro. <strong>Cast:</strong> Tak Sakaguchi, Sho Aoyagi, Itsuji Itao, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Keisuke Horibe, Ishii Togo.</p>



<p>On Digital and Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment. Streaming on Hi-YAH! starting April 5. Photos courtesy Well Go</p>
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		<title>Owning up to darkness in The Breaking Ice</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/01/24/owning-up-to-darkness-in-the-breaking-ice/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:47:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Releases]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1097</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Quiet and unassuming, The Breaking Ice follows three dissatisfied twenty-somethings navigating a world that hasn&#8217;t turned out the way they expected. Written and directed by Anthony Chen, and featuring excellent lead performances, it is a delicate but beguiling film that &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/01/24/owning-up-to-darkness-in-the-breaking-ice/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1098" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-7.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-7.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-7-300x200.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Quiet and unassuming, <em>The Breaking Ice</em> follows three dissatisfied twenty-somethings navigating a world that hasn&#8217;t turned out the way they expected. Written and directed by Anthony Chen, and featuring excellent lead performances, it is a delicate but beguiling film that operates on a different level than mainstream Chinese dramas.</p>



<p>The story takes place in Yanji, a city near the border with North Korea, during what looks like an endless winter of grim skies and frigid nights. Haofeng (Liu Haoran) is visiting from Shanghai for a wedding. Nana (Zhou Dongyu) leads tour groups when she isn&#8217;t blackout drinking. Xiao (Qu Chuxiao), who has been pining for Nana, feels trapped working at his relatives&#8217; restaurant.</p>



<p>The three meet when Hao misplaces his phone while taking Nana&#8217;s tour. With no bank card access, he can&#8217;t pay his diner bill. When Nana helps out, Hao ends up drinking at her apartment with Xiao. Missing his flight home means touring Yanji with the other two. Hours stretch into days.</p>



<p>Writer and director Anthony Chen fills in complex back stories for his three leads. All three struggle with depression. In fact, Hao&#8217;s phone may be missing because he doesn&#8217;t want to answer the doctors phoning him from a mental health facility.</p>



<p>An accident in Nana&#8217;s past has left her frozen, unable to forget what happened or move forward. Xiao, the poorest of the three, dropped one bleak future for another. The other two could have prospects if they would accept them, but Xiao has little more than a motorcycle that is falling apart.</p>



<p>Chen places his characters in a relentlessly gloomy China of crowded highways and concrete high rises. Factories belch pollution, bars are bedlam, stores sell counterfeits, work is boring and tedious and hard.</p>



<p>Still, the three leads character are cunning enough to realize how they are being victimized. They turn to companionship as much as alcohol for relief, knowing that the only answers to their problems are bad choices. Chen brings a light touch to situations that in other hands would be hard to watch.</p>



<p>The model for <em>The Breaking Ice</em>, as with so many recent Chinese dramas, is <em>An Elephant Sitting Still</em>, Bo Hu&#8217;s 2018 drama about lost souls in a wintry industrial city in the north. That film used real locations and long, involved takes to immerse viewers in a reality so desperate that suicide seemed like a viable option.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1099" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-Zhou-3.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-Zhou-3.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Breaking-Ice-Zhou-3-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Like <em>The Shadowless Tower</em>, a similar exercise in middlebrow depression, <em>The Breaking Ice</em> ultimately lacks the courage of its convictions. The three leads talk about &#8220;ending it all,&#8221; and occasionally one will totter on the edge of a great height, but Chen doesn&#8217;t believe that you can&#8217;t find solutions. Like Truffaut (whose <em>Jules et Jim</em> is a touchstone here), Chen is an optimist with elegantly pessimistic traits.</p>



<p>If you can&#8217;t make up your mind about <em>The Breaking Ice</em>, consider Zhou Dongyu, one of the finest performers working in Asian cinema. Zhou has starred in landmark films like <em>Soul Mate</em> and <em>Better Days</em>, and elevated comedies like <em>This Is Not What I Expected</em>. She is an extraordinary beauty and an exceptional actress, capable of conveying conflicting emotions with the simplest gestures. Liu Haoran and Qu Chuxiao are capable and attractive, but Zhou is magnetic, heartbreaking, utterly assured.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Director/Screenplay: Anthony Chen. Producers: Meng Xie, Anthony Chen. Director of photography: Yu Jing-Pin. Production Designer: Du Luxi. Costume Designer: Li Hua. Sound Designer: Zhe Wu. Editors: Hoping Chen, Soo Mun Thye. Original Music: Kin Leonn. <strong>Cast:</strong> Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haroran, Qu Chuxiao.</p>



<p>Photos courtesy Canopy Pictures, Huace Pictures, Rediance</p>
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		<title>Andy Lau stars in I Did It My Way</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/01/10/andy-lau-stars-in-i-did-it-my-way/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2024 21:59:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1081</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Andy Lau continues his remarkable resurgence in the crime thriller I Did It My Way, yet another variation on Infernal Affairs. Lau plays George Lam, lawyer for a drug ring so powerful it has evaded legal consequences for its crimes. &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/01/10/andy-lau-stars-in-i-did-it-my-way/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1082" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_3.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_3.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_3-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Andy Lau continues his remarkable resurgence in the crime thriller <em>I Did It My Way</em>, yet another variation on <em>Infernal Affairs</em>. Lau plays George Lam, lawyer for a drug ring so powerful it has evaded legal consequences for its crimes.</p>



<p>Battling him is Eddie Fong (Taiwanese star Eddie Peng), a tough, by-the-books cop working under Chung Kam Ming (veteran HK actor Simon Yam). The cops are hindered by corrupt judges and by Lam&#8217;s legal expertise. Both crooks and the police have informers, moles who leak details about payoffs and stings. When loyalty is for sale, no one can be trusted.</p>



<p><em>I Did It My Way</em> is a big production, filled with elaborate sets, massive shoot-outs, and extended chases. The script tries to be up-to-date by incorporating cryptocurrencies, virus-infected social media, and armies of hackers, but its view of the internet is mostly silly montages of lights pulsing through wiring.</p>



<p>Director Jason Kwan, who is also the director of photography, gives the movie a strong, vivid style, with plenty of moody close-ups to go along with the chaotic shoot-outs.</p>



<p>But Kwan can&#8217;t do much with a script filled with obvious twists and reversals, with confrontations that lead nowhere, with a narrative that&#8217;s needlessly complicated and at the same time largely irrelevant to the central drama.</p>



<p>That narrative core is the relationship between Lam and his enforcer Sau Ho (Gordon Lam Ka Tung). Long-time friends who rose through the crime ring together, they rely heavily on each other. With a wife and child, the blue-collar Sau has the life Lam thinks he wants, especially when the lawyer loses his own family.</p>



<p>The relationship between Lam and Sau is by far the most intriguing element of <em>I Did It My Way</em>, primarily because of the work by two exceptional actors. This has been a great year for Andy Lau, who won a lifetime achievement award last November at the Busan International Film Festival. He reunited with his <em>Infernal Affairs</em> costar Tony Leung Chiu Wai in <em>The Goldfinger</em>, and is absolutely brilliant in the show business satire <em>The Movie Emperor</em> (yet to be released in the US).</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1083" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_2.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IDIMW-Still-1340x754_2-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>But the best performance in the movie belongs to Lam Ka Tung, an actor who has built an impressive resume over two decades, and whose recent work has been revelatory. He was unforgettable as a down-on-his-luck army veteran in <em>Hand Rolled Cigarette</em>, and irresistible as a possibly psychotic spiritual master in last year&#8217;s <em>Mad Fate</em>.</p>



<p>Here Lam&#8217;s hangdog Sau—bitter, resentful, unable to be honest with anyone—is simply heartbreaking. He conveys so much with a look, a drag on a cigarette, the way he slumps his shoulders. Lam and Lau have worked together for years, and have an easy familiarity here that&#8217;s always fun to watch.</p>



<p>Unfortunately, their work is almost erased by the action scenes. Noisy, messy, poorly choreographed, the film&#8217;s shootouts are loud and repetitive without adding enough to the story. They (and Peng&#8217;s weirdly uninvolving cop) drop <em>I Did It My Way</em> from top-notch to serviceable.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Director: Jason Kwan. Produced by Li Yaping, Connie Wong, Andy Lau. Director of photography: Jason Kwan. Action director: Chin Ka Lok. <strong>Starring:</strong> Andy Lau, Lam Ka Tung, Eddie Peng Yuyan, Cya Liu, Simon Yam, Lam Suet, Philip Keung, Hedwig Tam.</p>



<p>In theaters January 12, 2024. </p>



<p>Top: Eddie Peng, Andy Lau. Center: Andy Lau, Cya Liu. Photos courtesy Well Go USA.</p>
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		<title>Shah Rukh Khan&#8217;s Jawan: Blockbuster is the latest stage in his comeback</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/11/01/shah-rukh-khans-jawan-blockbuster-is-the-latest-stage-in-his-comeback/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:53:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1050</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Shah Rukh Khan is the whole show in Jawan, his second blockbuster adventure in less than a year. Despite a strong supporting cast, Khan dominates the film, performing the kind of over-the-top heroics that have made him a box-office favorite. &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/11/01/shah-rukh-khans-jawan-blockbuster-is-the-latest-stage-in-his-comeback/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" class="wp-image-1051" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SRK-Jawan.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SRK-Jawan.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SRK-Jawan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SRK-Jawan-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SRK-Jawan-250x140.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Shah Rukh Khan is the whole show in <em>Jawan</em>, his second blockbuster adventure in less than a year. Despite a strong supporting cast, Khan dominates the film, performing the kind of over-the-top heroics that have made him a box-office favorite.</p>



<p>Absent from the screen since 2018, Khan made a riveting appearance in 2022&#8217;s otherwise so-so <em>Brahmastra Part One: Shiva</em>, then thrilled his fans in January with <em>Pathaan</em>. <em>Jawan</em> is more of what his base likes: a fearless, swaggering character; gross injustices to be avenged; melodramatic flashbacks; big production numbers.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s narrative is all over the place, rehashing scenes, subplots, and story lines from easily recognizable movies like <em>The Matrix</em> and <em>Fast and Furious</em>. If anything, <em>Jawan</em> has too much plot. A subway hijacking, a corrupt arms dealer, amnesia, girls with guns, farmer suicides, a single mom with a matchmaking daughter, another mom briefly saved from hanging because she is pregnant, military raids, highway chases, and more.</p>



<p><em>Jawan</em> leaps backwards and forwards in time, often for no real purpose. The three screenwriters, including director Atlee, manage to pull everything together by the end, but the ride is a lot rockier than it has to be. The musical numbers feel more like interruptions than integral to the plot.&nbsp; While the action scenes are fun, they, like Khan&#8217;s dancing, are indifferently executed.</p>



<p>None of this matters to Khan&#8217;s fans, who will buy any preposterous twist. Khan survives being shot five times and falling out of a helicopter, for example. He survives being repeatedly smashed in the face with a heavy chain. He survives two-story falls, truck crashes, and a scene-stealing ten-year-old who interrogates him about marrying her mother.</p>



<p>Atlee has helmed several huge Tamil blockbusters, often with Nayanthara, who plays Khan&#8217;s love interest Narmada here. A hostage negotiator with the police, she&#8217;s betrayed by bureaucracy and winds up in jail—like most of the characters who try to defeat oily villain Kalee Gaikwad (Vijay Sethupathi).</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" class="wp-image-1052" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deepika-Padukone-Jawan.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deepika-Padukone-Jawan.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deepika-Padukone-Jawan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deepika-Padukone-Jawan-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deepika-Padukone-Jawan-250x140.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Superstar Deepika Padukone, who was a memorable foil in <em>Pathaan</em>, doesn&#8217;t show up until the second half of the film, where she plays Khan&#8217;s wife Aishwarya. She is as arresting and effective as always, so good she threatens to tilt the film out of balance.</p>



<p>It says something about the plot that Khan can marry Nayanthara as well as Padukone. In fact, he plays so many roles in <em>Jawan</em> that viewers might lose track. He&#8217;s a prison warden, a bald terrorist, a cigar-smoking soldier shooting machine guns like Schwarzenegger, a tech whiz, a father, son, husband, lover, and conscience of a nation. He is, in effect, the whole show.</p>



<p><em>Jawan</em> is always entertaining, perhaps working best when it is at its most preposterous. Like a big production number in the women&#8217;s prison which lasts from day to night, Khan sporting a half-dozen outfits while sending out seriously mixed signals about criminal justice.</p>



<p>For me, the only honest emotions in <em>Jawan</em> came during a scene where Khan meets ten-year-old Suji (Seeza Saroj Mehta), daughter of his future wife. &#8220;I&#8217;m looking for a papa,&#8221; she tells him in forthright tones. It&#8217;s staged with admirable clarity and simplicity. &#8220;I need a papa to whack my teacher for me,&#8221; she adds, after forcing Khan to admit he dyes his hair. I&#8217;d watch a whole movie with those two.</p>



<p>Jawan is currently streaming on Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.</p>



<p><strong>Credits:</strong> Directed by Atlee. Screenplay by Atlee, S. Ramanagirivasan. Dialogues: Sumit Arora. Cinematography: G. K. Vishnu. Edited by Ruben. Music by Anirudh Ravichander. Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Seeza Saroj Mehta.</p>
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		<title>The lost dreams of Past Lives</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/05/30/the-lost-dreams-of-past-lives/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 18:08:34 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drama]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1027</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Quietly devastating, Past Lives follows two childhood friends as they face the paths their choices have left them. Made with remarkable skill and precision, it is a wrenching account of how dreams die. Childhood friends in Seoul, Nora and Hae &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/05/30/the-lost-dreams-of-past-lives/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="337" class="wp-image-1028" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_818466525b14681c6f08f791e65a043e7a1bae9b-4500x2531-1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_818466525b14681c6f08f791e65a043e7a1bae9b-4500x2531-1.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_818466525b14681c6f08f791e65a043e7a1bae9b-4500x2531-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_818466525b14681c6f08f791e65a043e7a1bae9b-4500x2531-1-150x84.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/https-__cdn.sanity.io_images_xq1bjtf4_production_818466525b14681c6f08f791e65a043e7a1bae9b-4500x2531-1-250x140.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Quietly devastating, <em>Past Lives</em> follows two childhood friends as they face the paths their choices have left them. Made with remarkable skill and precision, it is a wrenching account of how dreams die.</p>



<p>Childhood friends in Seoul, Nora and Hae Sung separate when Nora&#8217;s parents emigrate to Canada. Twelve years later they reconnect over the internet, Nora pursuing a career as a playwright, Hae Sung studying engineering after compulsory military service.</p>



<p>It takes another twelve years for the two to meet in person, when Hae Sung (now played by Teo Yoo) visits Nora (Greta Lee) in New York City. By now Nora has married Arthur (John Magaro), who is understandably anxious about his wife seeing her childhood sweetheart.</p>



<p>Writer and director Celine Song&#8217;s screenplay strips the film&#8217;s plot down to narrative basics. Romance in movies is built around delay, the inability of its leads to find happiness together. Song mines this element expertly (24 years is a long time to wait), building plausible reasons for Nora and Hae Sung to separate and reunite.</p>



<p>But <em>Past Lives</em> is more than a romance, it is a clear-eyed examination of how two characters (and by extension, a third) turn into people they never expected. Headstrong, impetuous, Nora finds her way changing as the world constricts around her. Stalwart, patient, Hae Sung must accept how his choices have shaped him. And Arthur learns that he can never truly know his wife, no matter how long they are together.</p>



<p>Song&#8217;s background in theater is clear in her &nbsp;elisions. The script glides from moment to moment, condensing and expanding time. Nora&#8217;s affair with Arthur unfolds in a few, brief scenes that stretch across years. Song isolates key moments between young Nora and Hae Sung, holding on situations that will reverberate throughout their lives.</p>



<p>Nora and Hae Sung are searching for a past that may never have existed, at least not the way they understand it. &#8220;This is where I ended up,&#8221; Nora admits to herself as one point.</p>



<p>Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner singles out these two characters in a teeming world. He frames Nora so that her memories become our memories. A tilt down from the Seoul skyline finds two young children climbing stairs. Years later, a similar tilt from the Manhattan Bridge finds two old friends walking along an East River path. Precise but unassuming, Kirchner continues a string of excellent work that includes <em>Bull</em> and <em>Small Axe</em>.</p>



<p>Keith Fraase&#8217;s editing is key to the movie&#8217;s success, never more so than during the final scenes. And the music by Christopher Bear &amp; Daniel Rossen maintains Song&#8217;s elemental style.</p>



<p>In a story about choices, Song has made all the right ones. No movie this year shows the hurt of lost dreams like <em>Past Lives</em>.</p>



<p>Written &amp; Directed by Celine Song. Produced by David Hinojosa, p.g.a., Christine Vachon, p.g.a., Pamela Koffler, p.g.a. Executive Producers: Miky Lee, Hosung Kang, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, Celine Song, Taylor Shung, Christine D&#8217;Souza Gelb. Director of photography: Shabier Kirchner. Production designer: Grace Yun. Edited by Keith Fraase. Music by Christopher Bear &amp; Daniel Rossen.</p>



<p>Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Seung Ah Moon, Seung Min Yim.</p>



<p>Photo courtesy A24.</p>
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		<title>Donnie Yen&#8217;s Sakra: a wuxia epic</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/04/17/donnie-yens-sakra-a-wuxia-epic/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:51:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1003</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[A passion project from one of cinema&#8217;s greatest martial artists, Sakra is a wuxia of epic proportions. Adapted from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, the film unfolds on a tremendous scale, with towering sets, scores of extras, and phenomenal action set pieces. &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/04/17/donnie-yens-sakra-a-wuxia-epic/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1004" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-Hero-1340x754-1-copy.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-Hero-1340x754-1-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-Hero-1340x754-1-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-Hero-1340x754-1-copy-150x85.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-Hero-1340x754-1-copy-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>A passion project from one of cinema&#8217;s greatest martial artists, <em>Sakra</em> is a <em>wuxia</em> of epic proportions. Adapted from <em>Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils</em>, the film unfolds on a tremendous scale, with towering sets, scores of extras, and phenomenal action set pieces.</p>



<p>Donnie Yen stars at Qiao Feng, as orphan who develops exceptional powers in the Song dynasty, a period marked by wars among several tribes. A leader of the Beggars&#8217; Gang, Qiao is exiled after being accused of murdering his parents, teacher, and others.</p>



<p>To clear his name, Qiao teams up with Azhu (Chen Yuqi), unaware that she is the daughter of another martial arts hero, Duan Zhengchun (Cheung Siu Fai). When Azhu is wounded, Qiao brings her to the heroes&#8217; gathering manor, a fortress filled with his sworn enemies, to save her life. The ensuing battle leaves both Qiao and Azhu gravely wounded.</p>



<p>Rescued by a mysterious hero, Qiao will be betrayed by friend and foe alike as he searches for the answers to his tangled past. Along the way he will reach a new appreciation of his true heritage.</p>



<p>Keeping track of the sprawling narrative, with its competing tribes and crossed family lines, is close to impossible, especially if you&#8217;re unfamiliar with the source novel. The large cast is similarly confusing, with many characters appearing and disappearing at little notice. Wong Kwan-Hing as the widowed Mrs. Ma makes a strong impression. Chen Yuqi and Cya Liu (who plays Azhu&#8217;s sister Azi) are both excellent.</p>



<p>The real reason to watch <em>Sakra</em> is Donnie Yen, whose moves here are extraordinary. The opening scene, where he battles a villainous monk in a classic restaurant confrontation, sets a high standard. Stretching throughout rooms and floors, it unleashes wire work, undercranking, vfx, and even diopters in a blur of action that&#8217;s amazing.</p>



<p>If there is a fault to Yen&#8217;s character, his Qiao is too perfect. He can overhear everything, runs over rooftops, survives falls and stabbings. Nothing can stop him, not even a spear in the back. For story purposes his powers are necessary; in a movie they seem too convenient at times.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1005" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-8-copy.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-8-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-8-copy-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-8-copy-150x85.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sakra-ChineseWuxiaFantasyActionAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-8-copy-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>This isn&#8217;t the first feature Yen&#8217;s directed, but it&#8217;s the best by far. Serious <em>wuxia</em> films are hard to find, at least those that aren&#8217;t satires or reworkings or combined with steampunk. In fact, you&#8217;d have to go back to Peter Chan&#8217;s <em>Wuxia</em> (also starring Yen) to find one as committed as <em>Sakra</em>.</p>



<p>Which isn&#8217;t to say Yen doesn&#8217;t bring a modern sensibility to the production. The cinematography and production design are both first-rate, with appropriately moody lighting and breathtaking locations and sets. Action directors are Kenji Tanigaki and Yan Hua, while Donnie Yen&#8217;s Action Team takes care of the stunts.</p>



<p><em>Sakra</em> sometimes grinds to a halt while characters spit exposition at each other. At times the film looks too dark and gloomy. Whole stretches could be dropped without damaging the story. But even with its drawbacks, <em>Sakra</em> is a stunning achievement. If you have any interest in <em>wuxia</em>, it is a must-see. And for <em>John Wick Chapter Four</em> fans, it is icing on the cake.</p>



<p><strong>Producers:</strong> Donnie Yen, Wong Jing</p>



<p><strong>Director: </strong>Donnie Yen</p>



<p><strong>Executive Director:</strong> Kam Ka Wai</p>



<p><strong>Screenwriters: </strong>Sheng Lingzhi,Zhu Wei , He Ben, Chen Li, Shen Lejing, Xu Yifan</p>



<p><strong>Stars: </strong>Donnie Yen, Chen Yuqi, Cya Liu</p>



<p><strong>Special Star: </strong>Wai Ying Hung</p>



<p><strong>Special Appearance:</strong> Wu Yue</p>



<p><strong>Stars: </strong>Cheung Siu Fai, Wong Kwan Hing, Du Yuming</p>



<p><strong>Special Guest Appearance: </strong>Lui Leung Wai, Tsui Siu Ming</p>



<p><strong>Action Directed: </strong>Kenji Tanigaki, Yan Hua</p>



<p><strong>Stunt Team: </strong>Donnie Yen’s Action Team</p>



<p>Photos courtesy Well Go Entertainment USA. Available in select theaters and on demand. https://wellgousa.com/films/sakra</p>
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		<title>Ride On: a new Jackie Chan film</title>
		<link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/04/13/ride-on-a-new-jackie-chan-film/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:28:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asian]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=999</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Thirty years ago Jackie Chan was the biggest movie star in the world. Films like Police Story, Project A, and Supercop were international blockbusters. They changed the face of action films everywhere. Now pushing 69 (I only know because we &#8230; <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2023/04/13/ride-on-a-new-jackie-chan-film/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1000" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_StarringJackieChan_WellGoUSA_1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_StarringJackieChan_WellGoUSA_1.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_StarringJackieChan_WellGoUSA_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_StarringJackieChan_WellGoUSA_1-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_StarringJackieChan_WellGoUSA_1-225x150.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Thirty years ago Jackie Chan was the biggest movie star in the world. Films like <em>Police Story</em>, <em>Project A</em>, and <em>Supercop</em> were international blockbusters. They changed the face of action films everywhere.</p>



<p>Now pushing 69 (I only know because we were born days apart), Chan is no longer the daredevil hero of his youth. Stunt doubles, wires, and special effects figure heavily into his current work, which you detect during the traditional closing credits outtakes of <em>Ride On</em>.</p>



<p>Chan&#8217;s recent films like <em>Railroad Tigers</em> and <em>Kung Fu Yoga</em> were essentially &#8220;greatest hits&#8221; vehicles that repackaged situations and stunts from earlier movies. Chan admitted his age, letting younger performers carry most of the dramatic and physical weight. They were uneasy hybrids at best, especially since Chan insisted on a brightly lit, antiseptic production design.</p>



<p>Which leads to <em>Ride On</em>, a highly sentimental tale of an aging stuntman and his best friend, a horse named Red Hare. Chan is back in <em>Miracles</em> territory, milking his soap opera encounters with estranged daughter Bao (Liu Haocun), former costars, the billionaire who wants his horse, the hapless crooks he owes money.</p>



<p>Every now and then some action erupts, mostly comical. A fight in a street market. A fight on a restaurant balcony. (How many of these has he done over the years?) A fight on the balcony of the stable where he lives. <em>Ride On</em> unfolds in a soft, easygoing, artificial world that never tries to approach reality.</p>



<p>The plot has Jackie (as stuntman Luo) train Red Hare to perform in movies. Because he&#8217;s so driven, he could injure the horse and sever new ties with Bao. &#8220;Real stunt men never say no,&#8221; he tells Bao (in English no less), even though that life&#8217;s led him to penury and eight months in a coma.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" class="wp-image-1001" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_WellGoUSA_Still03.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_WellGoUSA_Still03.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_WellGoUSA_Still03-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_WellGoUSA_Still03-150x85.jpg 150w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/RideOn_WellGoUSA_Still03-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>



<p>Approached by an old-time friend to appear in a prestigious production, Luo insists on doing stunts the old-fashioned way, in person and without help. &#8220;Do it for real,&#8221; as he says, a false argument as Chan has been using tech for years. When it time to shoot, Luo changes his mind, saving his life and that of Red Hare.</p>



<p>One of the hallmarks of a Chan film was his closing action scene, usually a chase with tremendous and frightening stunts. Here Luo won&#8217;t do action, and then cries for 20 minutes while the plot works out behind him.</p>



<p>I don&#8217;t want to harp on one of cinema&#8217;s great figures, or bring up his increasingly problematic politics, or ask him to endanger himself. What I would like is a film with some bite, a story that actually addresses something concrete, and a style that realizes that filmmaking has changed since 1992.</p>



<p>There&#8217;s a moment when Bao and Luo watch clips from Chan&#8217;s old movies. In a blurry background we see bits from <em>Police Story</em> and <em>First Strike</em> and <em>Rumble in the Bronx</em>, those unbelievable, death-defying stunts that place him with Keaton and Canutt and cinema&#8217;s other great action stars. Chan watches with tears in his eyes, earned from decades of devotion to his craft. If only the rest of <em>Ride On </em>reached that level.</p>



<p>Written and directed by Larry Yang. Released theatrically by Well Go USA April 7. Soon to be streaming. Photos of Chan, Liu Haocun and Red Hare courtesy Well Go USA.</p>
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