CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON

 

Jeri Jacquin

Now available in a Limited Steelbook is Sony Picture Home Entertainment and director Ang Lee is the stunning film CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

Li Mu Bai is a Wudang swordsman (Chow Yun-fat) living in China during the time of the Qing dynasty in the 18^th century. The person he cares for is Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) but honor keeps them apart because of the death of her fiancé Meng Sizhao. Deciding to lay down his sword Green Destiny, asking Shu Lien to take it to Sir Te’s (Sihung Lung) estate in Peking where she meets the Governor’s daughter Jen (Zhang Ziyi).

Later in evening, someone steals Green Destiny, and it is traced back to the Governor’s house and Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei), a woman who wanted to learn the Wudang way. Shu Lien tells Mu Bai what happened when he arrives and when a showdown between Mu Bai and Jade Fox happens, she tells him about her anger at not being trained. Mu Bai is not swayed and that is when a masked fighter appears to save Fox.

Jen has her own interest in love when Lo (Chen Chang) sneaks into her room to ask her to run away from her arranged marriage. At the wedding, Shu Lien and Mu Bai want to help Lo telling him they will send Jen to Mount Wudang. What happens from that moment on are rivals, mercy, final words and a sword that will not be destroyed.

Yun-Fat as Master Mu Bai is perfect to put opposite Yeoh as Shu Lien. There is something extraordinary about these two actors sharing a story line together. It is breathtaking and heart breaking at the same time. Of course, once the action comes into play, they glide as they are meant to with such timeless grace.

Pairing Zhang as Jen and Chang as Lo is another stroke of beauty. It is interesting that Zhang’s portrayal of Jen comes out as a girl who has more secrets than the rest of the characters put together and she pulls it off magnificently. Chang as Lo is the rugged desert pirate that may have no trouble cutting down anything that gets in his way, but he sure has a heart for Jen.

Cheng as Jade Fox is out for one thing and one thing only, to make darn sure that everyone who has hurt her in the past will feel her wrath now and in the future. She is swift, vengeful and has someone on her side who will have her back, front and anywhere else someone is pointing a sword at.

Other cast include: Li Fazeng as Governor Yu, Hai Yan as Madam Yu, Wang Deming as Police Inspector Tsai, Huang Suying as Aunt Wu, Li Li as May, Li Kai as Gou Pei, Feng Jianjua as Gou Sinung, Ma Zhongxuan as Mi Biao, Xian Gao as Bo, Li Baocheng as Fung Chang, Zhang JinTing as De Lu, Du ZhenXi as Uncle Jiao, Wang WenSheng as JiangHu Jia and Song Dong as JiangHu Yi.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Special Features include: 2 Feature-Length Audio Commentaries, Exclusive Introduction from Director Ang Lee, Six Deleted Scenes, The Making of CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON: Retrospective with Ang Lee, James Schamus and Tim Squyres, “A Love Before Time” Music Videos, A Commentary by Cinematographer Peter Pau, Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer and A Conversation with Michelle Yeoh.

The cinematography is stunning with a mixture of the old and new surrounded by a lushness that adds depth to the story director Lee is trying to tell. I love a film that uses beauty as a character that is just outside the story but always in front of our eyes.

The soundtrack is ethereal and moving which is just another layer the film cannot do without. The stunts are nothing short of a ballet with the boldness of swordplay that never took away my belief in what I am seeing on the screen.

Inside the stunningly beautiful and colorful Limited Edition Steelbook are two discs coming in at 120 minutes and in Mandarin. This is a fantastic way to own one of the most stunning films of 2000.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Peter Pau), Best Music-Original Score (Dun Tan), Best Art Direction (Tim Yip) and Best Foreign Language Film and six more nominations. The film won Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Direction-Motion Picture (Ang Lee) at the Golden Globes.

In the end – it is a timeless story of strength, secrets and two warriors who would never surrender!

 

GEMINI MAN Pits Smith Against Smith

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres this Friday from Oscar winning director Ang Lee, Skydance Media and Paramount Pictures bring a twist of DNA to Gemini Man.

Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is a hired gun and the absolute best in his field. After a mission comes close to going wrong, Brogan decides it is time to retire. Making sure it is what he truly wants, Del (Ralph Brown) pays him a visit to find out why. Brogan makes his feelings clear and loads up to head out fishing.

Gassing up on the dock he meets Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and heads out to meet Jack (Douglas Hodge) who tells him that his last hit was a set up by his own government. Not wanting to believe that it could be possible, Brogan is about to find out.

Back at the dock he figures out who Danny really is and lets it be known that she can go on her way. What he doesn't know is that agency director Janet Lassiter (Linda Emond) is working with someone Brogan knows from the past - Clay Verris (Clive Owen). Putting the pieces together proves to be difficult as everyone around him is dealt with.

He reaches out to his friend Baron who also knows Verris and tells Danny that he isn't someone to be trifled with. Now they are off to Budapest to meet with someone who knows why Brogan's life is in danger but there is someone following them.

Seemingly out of nowhere, an assassin takes on the chase with Brogan through the streets. Brogan and the assassin are a perfect fighting match and this doesn't go unnoticed by Danny. The young killer is sent by Verris to take out Brogan because of what he might know, but it's what the assassin doesn't know that will shock them all.

Smith as Brogan and Junior, oh wow I can't believe I'm going to say this, but they are boring, predictable and pretty much like watching I, ROBOT. Only in this film Junior is Sonny and Brogan is mixture of Del and Dr. Lanning. If you haven't seen I, ROBOT then you can stop here and go on your blissful way. I suppose I'm not suppose too criticize Smith in this way seeing as he is an icon action film star but then again to those thinking it I say 'so what?'. The truth is maybe he needs some criticism, dude, don't do a movie that looks like another movie you've done and call it original. It drives me nuts!

Winstead as Danny is pretty much there to pick up the pieces and be Brogan's excuse for a hostage to make deals with the dark side of the government. Of course she doesn't want to go because in her heart she knows Brogan's a good guy and is going to stick with him to the very end. Danny, you don't need a man to feel as if you're doing good for humanity girl, well, you did get a trip to Budapest and all you got was a lousy assassin chasing you - not even a t-shirt!

Owen as Verris gets to be the psycho scientist bad guy who just wants to watch the world burn his way although he attempts to justify his experiments which sounds like babble. He seems to have everybody in government right in his very handsome pocket which makes being evil even easier. Not sure what the story really was between Verris and Brogan but somebody got their little feelings hurt, you decide which one.

Kudos to Wong for taking the time to be the cool dude in the film. We can never have enough good distractions. Brown as Del is just a dude ruining a friendship and Emond was, well, I'm not sure what her purpose was other than to be subservient to Verris' character.

Other cast include Theodora Miranne as Kitty, Ilia Volok as Yuri Kovacs, E.J. Bonilla as Mario.

The story is fast giving no time to understand the misunderstood loner assassin character but then again I guess because it's Will Smith we should already understand? Look, if I'm shifting in my seat more than once an hour then I'm not impressed by what's on the screen and I shifted so much that the person behind me was getting irritated.

Is the Smith vs. Smith thing cool? Sure, but not to the point that I am thinking it’s the most awesome thing ever. Although, during the fight scene all I could think of was Jim Carrey in the 1997 film LIAR LIAR when he's in the bathroom wailing on himself and the guy asks what he is doing getting the reply 'I'm kickin' my ass do you mind!'. That's exactly what went on in my head which caused a sudden outburst of laughter. Hey, I'm old I can get away with stuff like that.

The young Junior is a purse-lipped scowler who seems to spend more time on the screen with tears in his eyes which doesn't read assassin to me. He clearly has daddy issues and it doesn't help when these issues surface while he's holding a very large semi-automatic weapon. DNA adjustments may make for a perfect killer but it doesn't make up for having a conscience, sorry Clive Owen. The good news is that the clone looks like Smith back in the day but the bad news is that it looks like a clone of Smith back in the day with photoshop.

Look, it's an action adventure film from start to finish and I think that's the wow factor. Lee decided to make a film that has cool special effects and let the story go where ever it wanted to. The cloning thing is great but once the cat is out of the bag so are the fun and games and let's face it, no one is going to get rid of Will Smith unless it’s a tub full of exotic jelly fish and Smith wants it that way (reference to the 2008 film SEVEN POUNDS…keep up people!). I don't know, maybe I'm still blue shocked from his screen time in ALADDIN - probably need therapy now.

In the end - who will save me from both of them!