The Monkey King 2 西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精

 Released Year: 2016

Directed by 鄭保瑞 Cheang Poh Sui

Casted by:

郭富城 Aaron Kwok as 孙悟空 Sun Wukong

巩俐 Gong Li as 白骨精 Baigujing

冯绍峰 William Feng as 唐僧 Tang Sanzang

小沈阳 Xiao Shen Yang as 猪八戒 Zhu Bajie

罗仲谦 Him Law as 沙僧 Sha Wujing

费翔 Fei Xiang as 云海西国国王 King of Yun Hai Xi Kingdom

陈慧琳 Kelly Chen as 观世音菩萨 Guan Yin

魏璐 Lu Weu as 蛇精 Snake Evil

齐浠儿 Xi'er Qi as 蝙蝠精 Bat Evil

母其弥雅 Miya Muqi as 箭猪精 Pig Evil

 Story:

500 years after Sun Wukong's imprisonment under the Five Fingers Mountain, a young Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang is sent on a journey to India to collect Buddha's scriptures. On his travels he accidentally frees Wukong and the Monkey King learns from the Mercy Goddess that he has to protect the monk throughout the journey. They also meet Zhu Baije, a lustful pig demon, and Sha Wujing, a djinn-like monk. All three demons accept Sanzang as their Master.

The company travel to the Yun Hai Xi Kingdom, a land terrorized by the White Bone Demon who snatches children. As the demoness learns about Sanzang, she decides to eat him in order to stop her reincarnation cycle and achieve everlasting demon-hood. She transforms into an old woman and beguiles the group into her cottage in the woods. While her disguised minions lure Wukong, Baije and Wujing into the forest, the demoness tells Sanzang a story about how she was forced to marry as a young girl, and when her village suffered with famine, the people blamed her for it, even calling her an evil demon, and left her atop a cliff as a sacrifice for the gods. As Sanzang comforts the old lady, she attempts to kill him, but is stopped by Wukong who has seen through her disguise with his Fiery Eyes. He kills the old lady and the demoness escapes. Sanzang and the others don't believe Wukong that all the women he murdered were demons, and blame him for killing the innocent.

The group arrives to the kingdom's capital and the King throws a feast for them, begging Sanzang to exorcise the bloodthirsty demoness. Suddenly the Lady White appears and demands the monk, but he expresses his desire to enlighten her. She tries to persuade Wukong to let her eat the monk, because only then he will be free of the spell that subdues his will. With Sun deceiving the demoness, a fight ensues. During the chaos, the King's guards kidnap Sanzang, but before the King kills the monk in order to cure himself of a disease - as he has been actually kidnapping all the children and blaming the White Bone Demon - Wukong saves him and the children as well. All of the group are celebrated as heroes, but as a little girl approaches Tanzang, Wukong kills her and her mother as well, seeing the demoness possessing them. That angers Sanzang, and, accusing him of seeing demons everywhere, orders Wukong to leave. Wukong flies away, but as soon as he does, the White Demon kidnaps Sanzang.

Baije and Wujing decide to disband, Baije heading to the Flower-Fruit Mountain to beg Wukong for help, and Wujing rushing to the demoness' lair. Baije arrives at the mountain, but Wukong's not there. In her lair, the demoness confesses to the monk that the story she had told him earlier was true, recounting her previous life. Sanzang gets to understand why she doesn't want to become human again, and gives up. Outside the cave, Wujing fights the the Lady White's skeleton army, and later is joined by Baije and Wukong, who saves Sanzang. After a hard battle, the White Bone Demon is defeated by the Monkey King. However, Sanzang pleads Buddha to save her soul, only to be told he would have to give up his own life in order to save her. Tanzang accepts that and the demoness is absorbed into his body. In his subconsciousness, the monk tells the Lady White he will do anything to help her, but she refuses, rather destroying herself. In the real world, Sanzang pleads Wukong to kill him, which he refuses to do. The monk tells him he desires to help the demoness change her doom, no matter how many lives it will take to accomplish. Wukong tearfully agrees, promising to wait for his return forever, and kills him. Because of Sanzang's sacrifice, the demoness is led to her reincarnation to human, finally free of her pain and hatred.

Some time later, Wukong and his friends still wait for the return of the monk, but continue their journey to the Thunder Monastery. It seems that Sanzang actually reenters life, as a human finger cracks through the Buddha statue Wukong is carrying with him.

 L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Due to Donnie Yen not able to act in this sequence, Aaron Kwok was given the chance to took up the main character and fight against Gong Li the diva. Comparing to the first movie, this is definitely much more better and follow more on the fiction. Well, if they have anymore sequence, will it be Donnie Yen or Aaron Kwok acting as the Monkey King?

Flirting Scholar 唐伯虎點秋香

Released Year: 1993

Directed by 李力持 Lee LikChi & 周星馳 Stephen Chow

Casted by:

 周星馳 Stephen Chow as 唐伯虎 Tong Pak Fu

鞏俐 Gong Li as 秋香 Chow Heung

鄭佩佩 Cheng Pei Pei as 華夫人 Madame Wah

陳百祥 Natalis Chan as 祝枝山 Chuk Chi San

黃霑 Jim Wong as 華太師 Chancellor Wah

宣萱 Jessica Hester Hsuan as 夏香 Ha Heung

苑瓊丹 Kingdom Yuen as 石榴 Sek Lao

梁家仁 Bryan Leung as 武狀元 Mou Zhong Yun 

劉家輝 Gordon Liu as 奪命書生 Evil Scholar

 Story: 

In the Ming Dynasty, there were four scholars, whose literary and artistic skills are unmatched in China. Tong Pak Fu is the most famous, for having eight wives in addition to his expertise as an artist, poet, and calligrapher. However, Tong's wives are all gambling addicts, unappreciative of Tong's artistic skills. This leads to Tong's quest for a woman who truly appreciates his strengths.

The Tong Family have been generations of martial arts masters and has two major enemies: the Evil Scholar, a notorious swordsman known for The Deadly Scholastic Sword, Due to these rivalries, Tong Pak Fu is forbidden by his mother to use any form of martial arts.

One day, Tong stumbles upon the convoy of the House of Wah, and meets Chow Heung, one of the four maids in the House of Wah. This chance encounter convinces Tong that he has finally found his true love. On the advice of a boatman, Tong pretends to be a lowly servant in order to gain employment in the House of Wah.

Tong finds life as a servant very difficult, until Madame Wah discovers that Tong is actually educated. After some persuasion by Chow Heung, Tong is hired as an assistant tutor for Madame Wah's two young sons.

After the sudden death of the main tutor of the House of Wah, Tong is promoted and manages to get closer to Chow Heung. However, the House of Wah is suddenly visited by Chancellor Wah's political rival, Prince Ning, who is planning a coup. Madame Wah is injured, and Tong steps in to finish the battle in the House of Wah's favor. Prince Ning seizes the opportunity to blame the House of Wah for insulting him. Embarrassed at being utterly defeated at the hands of a tutor, Prince Ning leaves hastily, vowing revenge. In reproducing a painting, Tong reveals his real identity to Madame Wah, who is the former love rival of Tong's mother.

Several days later, the Evil Scholar returns to annihilate the entire House of Wah. Madame Wah attempts to defend the family, but is almost killed. Tong appears and after a fierce battle, Tong kills the Evil Scholar and earns Chow Heung's hand in marriage as a reward. Tong then discovers that Chow Heung is just as much a gambling addict as his previous eight wives.

 L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

Hehe, one of my fav Stephen Chow's movie back in the 90's. The only time Stephen Chow film with Gong Li... Gong Li always give us the serious type of look, but in this movie, she did tried some effort to be funny, but of course she won't be able to compete with Sandra Ng, Teresa Mo, Sharla Cheung, Karen Mok or other Stephen Chow's movie actress... The biggest surprise would be Jessica Hester Hsuan in this movie, i almost lost my breath because i laugh too hard on some of her scenes~

The Dragon Chronicles – The Maidens 新天龍八部之天山童姥

 Released Year: 1994

Directed by 钱永强 Chin Weng Keong

Casted by:

林青霞 Bridget Lin as 李秋水/李沧海 Shui & Hai

巩俐 Gong Li as 巫行云 / 天山童姥 Yun

张敏 Sharla Cheung as 阿紫 Chi

林文龙 Frankie Lam as 虚竹 Xu

 Story:

Xiao Yao Zhi has 3 god sister which includes twins Shui & Hai and Yun. But Xiao Yao Zhi only fall for Hai and makes Shui jealous of her own twin sister; another hand Yun is having a lesbian love for Hai. To defeat the bad Qiu, mischievious Chi & honest Xu came for help and finally defeated him.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

When i read the novel, the story of Wu Xin Yun always fancy me but it really does not explain much on it. But this movie it created the twins character and lesbinate relationship instead, how true issit? But definitely Chi & Xu's are different from the original novel, no wonder Kam Yung is not that happy with this movie...

Eros

 Released Year: 2004

1. The Dangerous Thread of Things

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Casted by:

Christopher Buchholz as Christopher

Regina Nemni as Cloe

Luisa Ranieri as The Girl / Linda

 Story:

Antonioni attempts to breathe life into the old Italian movies of lover's spats and diversions and comes up with what feels like a script-less little mess of a movie bent solely on see-through blouses and nude cavorting on beaches.

2.  Equilibrium

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Casted by:

Robert Downey Jr. as Nick Penrose

Alan Arkin as Dr. Pearl / Hal

Ele Keats as The Woman / Cecelia

 Story:

Steven Soderberg makes a testy little script about an ad man in therapy with a bizarre psychiatrist exploring a recurring sensual dream. Shot is black and white the actors give it their all but the story is silly and becomes boring with all the distractions Soderberg works into the weak plot.

3. The Hand

Directed by 王家卫 Wong Kar Wai

Casted by:

鞏俐 Gong Li as Miss Hua

张震 Chang Chen as Xiao Zhang

 Story:

Wong Kar Wai presents the strongest of the three films in a dark story about a tailor who sublimates his desire for a courtesan by making clothes for her - a 'servant' who finally reverses his role. The photography and interweaving of the characters is very beautiful to experience.

L² Scored: 6/10

L² Comment:

To be fair, each movie will have a full 3 marks, the extra 1 mark will depends on what kind of surprise i got when watching it. For the `st & 2nd movie, sadly i will only score a 1 for each of them. Wong Kar Wai movie i gave it a 3 & extra 1 more score for the juicy Chang Chen's ass :)

What Women Want 我知女人心

Released Year: 2011
Directed by 陈大明 Da-Ming Chen

Casted by:
刘德华 Andy Lau as 孙子刚 Gang
巩俐 Gong Li as 李仪龙 Yi
Story:

Yi went in a marketing company and become the head of Gang which makes him frustrated as Yi is the top marketeer in the industry. Yi request all the male manager to try on the woman stuff that they are gonna sell soon.

Gang went home and put on all the stuff and incidently get electrical shock and make him has the power to know what a women thinks/wants. Therefore Gang used this to steal the idea of Yi in marketing wise and cause Yi to lose her job in the end.

But Gang has already fall in love with Yi. He get himself electric shock again to lose all his power and get Yi back to her work again.

L² Scored: 5/10

L² Comment:

This is not a too exciting movie for me as i watch Mel Gibson & Helen Hunt's version before in 2000. After 11 years, China decided to have their own version which i think it might be a new things for them, but not for a movie freak like me :)

Andy Lau look so skinny in the movie which indirectly cause the voluptuous Gong Li to look a bit fat standing beside him~

2046

Released Year: 2004
Directed by 王家卫 Kar Wai-Wong

Casted by:
梁朝偉 Tony Leung as 周慕雲 Chow
巩俐 Gong Li as 蘇麗珍 / 黑蜘蛛 Zhen / Black Spider
木村拓哉 Takuya Kimura as TAK
王菲 Faye Wong as 王靖雯 Jing
章子怡 ZiYi-Zhang as 白玲 Ling
刘嘉玲 Carina Lau as Lulu/Mimi
张震 Chang Chen as Bouncer
张曼玉 Maggie Cheung as 蘇麗珍 Zhen
董洁 Angel Dong as 王洁雯 Jie
Story:

The film is the third chapter of a shared story that began with Days of Being Wild and continued with In the Mood for Love. There are four main story arcs to the film. Three are about the relations of Chow with women that he meets after losing Su Li-Zhen. The first concerns Chow and Wang Jing Wen, the second is about Chow and Bai Ling, and the third is about Chow and a different woman who is also named Su Li-Zhen. The fourth takes place in Chow's mysterious world of 2046 and concerns a Japanese passenger falling in love with an android. Typical of Wong Kar-wai films, the arcs are presented in pieces and in non-chronological order. The approximate order of the arcs is listed below.

2047 Arc Part I
This section is the only part narrated by Chow's fictional character and not Chow himself. Set in the far future, a huge rail network connects the planet. The world is a vast dystopia, and lonely souls all try to reach a mysterious place called 2046 in order to recapture lost loves. In the world of 2046 nothing ever changes, so there is never loss or sadness. No one has ever returned from 2046 except the protagonist, a lonely Japanese man named Tak. As the story begins, Tak is on a long train ride returning from 2046.

"All Memories Are Traces of Tears"
As Chow Mo-Wan's life is revisited, we learn that he is still struggling to get over the loss of his idealized love, Su Li-Zhen. He returns to Hong Kong after being in Singapore for a number of years to try to forget his anguish. To cover up his pain, he becomes a suave ladies' man. Chow attends many lavish parties and beds many women. On Christmas Eve, Chow meets Lulu from the first film (Days of Being Wild) whom he remembers from Singapore, although she has no recollection of him. That night, Chow Mo-wan takes Lulu home as she is quite drunk, but accidentally keeps her room key. As he leaves, he notices that her room number is 2046, the same room number that he and Su Li Zhen had when they conducted their private affair. Upon returning a few days later to return the room key, the landlord informs Chow that the room is not available due to renovations. The landlord offers him the adjacent room 2047. Chow later learns that Lulu was stabbed in the room the night before by a jealous boyfriend. Chow agrees to rent room 2047 in the meantime. After the renovation of room 2046 is complete, the landlord asks Chow if he wants to move in. However, by this time he has gotten used to room 2047 and decides to stay there. The rooms 2046 and 2047 are connected by a common hallway, Chow regularly watches and gets involved with the people that move into 2046.

Wang Jing Wen and Wang Jie Wen Arc Part I
The first person that moves next door into 2046 is the landlord's daughter, Wang Jing Wen. Chow spends a good deal of time just observing her from his room. He learns that she has a Japanese boyfriend working in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the relationship is forbidden by her father. Eventually, Wang breaks up with her boyfriend, then suffers a breakdown and is institutionalized. Afterwards, the next tenant that moves into 2046 is the younger daughter of the landlord, Wang Jie Wen. She is young, attractive, and flirtatious. She frequently tries to seduce him but he refuses each time. A short time later, Chow runs into some financial difficulties, and stops going out. To make some extra money, he starts to write a science fiction series called 2046. The story is set in the distant future, about a group of heart sick individuals looking for love. The only place to find it is at a mysterious location called 2046. Virtually all of the characters in 2046 are based on people that Chow has met, such as Su Li-Zhen, Lulu, or Wang Jing Wen. Whether 2046 is a place, a room, or a state of mind is never explicitly defined. Chow makes the story somewhat bizarre and erotic, and readers seem to take notice.

Bai Ling Arc Part I
The third person to move into room 2046 is the coquettish Bai Ling. She wears similar qipao dresses as the original Su Li-Zhen but radiates a much more aggressive sensuality than her. While it is never explicitly stated in the film, it is implied that she is a nightclub girl who occasionally doubles as a high-class prostitute. However, she is intent on finding a long-term relationship. In one instance, when Chow overhears her arguing with a man, Bai tells the man that to continue seeing her, he must end his relationship with the other woman. Chow again spends a lot of time observing her across the thin wall separating rooms 2046 and 2047. On the next Christmas Eve, Bai runs into Chow just after she is dumped by her boyfriend before they are to go to Singapore. Chow suggests that they go for dinner, to which she grudgingly accepts. During dinner, Chow tells Bai about his experiences in Singapore. She is intrigued, and after dinner she agrees to try to form a platonic friendship with him by borrowing time from each other. Their brief friendship does not last however, as they soon develop carnal lust for each other. Not surprisingly, Chow wants to keep the relationship strictly physical; he continues to pick up other prostitutes. To compromise, Bai soon develops a compensation system where he pays her $10 each time he stays over. However, over time Bai finds that she has feelings for Chow, and she asks him to discontinue seeing other women. Chow refuses and gives a counter offer, the option to be his customer for $10 each night. Bai is crushed and breaks things off with Chow. As a way of revenge, Bai then descends into seeing men exclusively for money, frequently changing partners. A short while later, she moves out of Room 2046.

Wang Jing Wen Part II
After Bai Ling moves out, Wang Jin Wen moves back into 2046 after returning from the mental hospital. She is a shell of a former self, and still very depressed over the loss of her Japanese boyfriend. Her ex writes numerous letters in an attempt to reconcile with her, but she refuses due to her father. Wang passes the time by assisting her father at the hotel. She also starts to spend more and more time with Chow helping him with his writing and editing. At this point, he is regularly publishing chapters of 2046. These scenes are very similar to those in In the Mood for Love when Su Li-Zhen used to help Chow with his writing in their hotel room. Chow remarks that this period in his life is the happiest that he has been after Su Li-Zhen. However, before he realizes it, he develops feelings for Wang Jing Wen. He makes some minor attempts to start a romance with her, but nothing develops since she is still very much in love with the Japanese man. One day Wang Jin Wen asks Chow rhetorically if some things in life never change. He answers her by writing a story called 2047. In this story, a Japanese man leaves the world of 2046, but falls in love on the journey home. While he initially tried to base the story on Wang Jing Wen's ex-boyfriend, he realizes that the story is ultimately about himself.

2047 Arc Part II
Chow's fictional world is revisited. However, this time it is narrated by Chow himself. Set in the far future, for passengers to reach or leave 2046 they must take a long journey on a vast train network. The main character, Tak (who is portrayed by Wang Jing Wen's Japanese boyfriend) is trying to leave 2046 because he lost the love of his life in that world. As the train travels through the extremely cold sections 1224-1225, Tak becomes intimate with one of the train's female android assistants and later falls in love with her. He then asks her numerous times to come with him. However, each time the android does not answer. Tak has heard earlier that excessive operation causes the android's response time to slow down and decides to wait on the train to see if this is the case. He sits quietly on the train, and counts the seconds that go by, hoping the android will decide to leave with him. However, the android still does not respond. Ultimately, Tak realizes that it is not a delayed reaction that causes that android not to respond, but that she is in love with someone else and that their relationship is simply not meant to be. With this knowledge, he finally has the strength to leave the train and 2046. Completing the story marks a turning point in Chow's recovery.

Wang Jing Wen Part III
Next Christmas, Chow invites Wang Jing Wen out to dinner. After finding out that she still misses her ex in Japan, he takes her to his office so that she can call him to wish him well. Looking sadly through the window panes as Wang Jing Wen is overjoyed talking to her ex, Chow remarks that in fact Section 1224-1225 from the story are simply the dates for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when everyone is especially lonely and needs additional love. He goes on to say that while he had feelings for her, and most likely could have taken advantage of the situation (as he did the previous year with Bai Ling) he was happy that in this situation he did the "right thing". The call re-ignites the romance. Soon afterward, Wang Jing Wen moves to Japan and gets engaged. A short while later, while still feeling depressed over the loss of Wang Jing Wen, Chow runs into Lulu again as she has a violent confrontation with another woman that is sleeping with her current playboy boyfriend. This incident is identical to one that occurred in the original Days of Being Wild when she confronted the original Su Li-Zhen for sleeping with Yuddy. Chow remarks that Lulu, is likely to forever remain living in the past. However, he then remarks that this is not really a sad thing, as she seems perfectly content to be miserable. The incident strengthens Chow's resolve to get over Su Li-Zhen.

Bai Ling Arc Part II
Some time later, Chow gets a call from Bai Ling and the two go out to dinner. This time, Bai looks much less glamorous and more "run-down". She informs Chow that she plans to leave for Singapore, and asks him to provide a reference and plane fare. She also asks where he was last Christmas, as she stopped by at that time, and was hoping to see him. In fact, she remarks that she really misses him. It turns out, during last Christmas, Chow had gone back to Singapore in an attempt to find a former lover, another woman named Su Li-Zhen.

Su Li-Zhen Arc
Chronologically, this arc occurs first in the film. Chow met the second Su Li-Zhen some years back when he first arrived in Singapore. At that time, he was still grieving over losing the original Su Li-Zhen and spending much of his free time in the local casinos. After losing much of his savings, he encounters the second Su Li-Zhen, a mysterious gambler. They become lovers, and he soon wants to know everything about her. But she insists that he beat her in a "high-card" draw before she will reveal anything about her past, which he never is able to do. Eventually, she agrees to help him win back his money so that he can return to Hong Kong. When she does so, he prepares to leave, and asks her to go with him. Again, she challenges him to a high-card draw, which he again loses. Knowing little about her, Chow speculates that she, like himself, has a troubled past. Initially heartbroken about this, he remarks that after he completes the story '2047' he finally understands why the second Su Li-Zhen did not go with him, as he would again have tried to recapture the past by looking for elements of the original Su Li-Zhen. When Chow went back to Singapore to visit her the second time, he does not find her. He makes some inquiries as to her whereabouts and speculates that she either returned to Cambodia or was killed.

Bai Ling Arc Part III
Shortly after the events of 'Bai Ling Arc Part II' and the night before she boards a plane for Singapore, Chow again meets Bai Ling for dinner. Bai remarks that, between their two meetings, one of her clients has given her a lot of money and she wants to pay Chow back immediately. He refuses to take the money. Bai insists on paying for dinner, and Chow is stunned when she hands him a stack of money, each $10 bill representing one night they had spent together. Bai tells Chow to pay for dinner with this stack of bills, while unbeknownst to him, she sadly watches behind the restaurant's green window veils. After dinner, Chow walks her back to her apartment. Grasping his hands at the apartment door, she begs him to lend his time to her once more and spend the night. She then asks him "Why can't it be like it was before?" He refuses to stay over, even out of pity, coldly stating that that is simply something he would never lend. He exits by jerking his hands away from her and remarks in voiceover that this was the last time he ever saw her. He leaves in a taxi, staring emptily into space, as the camera slowly enters a whispering hole.

L² Scored: 6.5/10

L² Comment:

Winner of multiples awards, 2046 does created some fame in 2004 with all the stunning actors & actresses. But seriously, beside all these bling bling celebrities, how good is Wong Kar Fai? Is he good because of the uniqueness he shot his film? Well, in this movie, i see the good part of his directing, but i remember an old movie which i watch way earlier before was a disaster, but i dun remember the name.

Well, let's hope this weird director will give us some good movie in the upcoming future then :P

Farewell My Concubine 霸王别姬

Released Year: 1993
Directed by 陈凯歌 KaiGe-Chen

Casted by:
张国荣 Leslie Cheung as 程蝶衣 Die
张丰毅 FengYi-Chang as 段小楼 Lou
巩俐 Gong Li as 菊仙 Ju
葛优 Ge You as 袁四爷 Yuan
Story:

In 1977, the year after the end of the Cultural Revolution, two men in Beijing Opera costumes, one in a female role, the other as a stage king, enter the performance hall and are greeted by a voice off camera—they haven't performed in eleven years—and a single spot light falls on them.

The scene, now shot in sepia, cuts to 1924. A woman walks hurriedly with a small child in her arms through a crowded Chinese market. A man, recognizing her, tries to speak to her but she roughly pushes him off as he shouts,"Whore!" A crowd is watching a troupe of boys from a Beijing opera training school perform for coins in the street, supervised by their aging director, Master Guan. One of the boys, Laizi, tries to run away, and the crowd is insulted. The leader, a possible warlord, begins pushing around Master Guan. One of the troupe, Shitou (meaning "stone"), shames the crowd by breaking a brick on his head. The crowd cheers, but Shitou is later punished for pulling such a stunt.

The mother takes the boy to the troupe house but Master Guan refuses him because of a birth defect, a superfluous finger. Throughout the scene you can hear a peddler calling out his skill as a knife sharpener. Apparently the mother goes to him to get a sharp knife. As the child whimpers that his defective hand is freezing she covers his eyes with a scarf and cuts off the extra finger. There is silence, perhaps because his hand was numb from the cold, then a cut to a distressed child crying as his mother carries him back to the school. She signs the contract with his thumb print in blood and leaves without a word. Shitou welcomes him as "Douzi" [Bean]. The two boys soon become good friends.

A few years later. Laizi, craving freedom and candied crab apples, and Douzi escape, but return after seeing a performance by an opera master that makes Laizi weep and ask how they became stars, and how much they had to endure to become stars. Another reason for Douzi to return is his longing for Shitou. As Master Guan brutally beats Shitou for allowing the escape of Laizi and Douzi, Laizi hides to eat his crab apples. Douzi walks to the beating bench to accept his punishment. Master Guan begins to beat him mercilessly, but Douzi never screams though Shitou begs him to say he is sorry. Shitou charges the master but the assistant yells for the master to come: Laizi has hanged himself.

Douzi attaches himself to Shitou and is trained to play Dan (female) roles. He practices the monologue "Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery," but when he is to say, "I am by nature a girl, not a boy" he instead says "I am by nature a boy..." The monologue comes from the kunqu "The Record of an Evil Sea," kuhai (the Evil Sea) being a Buddhist term for a life of sorrow. Shitou learns the jing, a painted-face male lead.

When the famous theatrical agent, Na Kun, a Manchu, visits the troupe, Douzi is brought out to recite his bravura role, but he says again "I am by nature a boy," and the agent begins to leave. With the future of the troupe at risk, Shitou twists a tobacco pipe into Douzi's throat until he gargles in his own blood. Suddenly there is a soft whisper of, "I am by nature a girl... not a boy."

Jump cut to Douzi in full costume at an elaborate stage in front of a large audience in an elaborate private pavilion of the aging Eunuch Zhang, who admires him and his talent. Douzi and Shitou sing the famous duets, and the audience roars.

After their performance, the two are summoned for an audience with Eunuch Zhang. Shitou admires a beautiful sword in Zhang's collection, stating that if he were emperor, Douzi would be his queen. Douzi says that one day he hopes to give Shitou a sword like that. The boys are told Douzi is to meet Zhang alone.

Douzi walks in on the old man in a lascivious embrace with a young girl. Douzi is afraid as the man eyes him up and down. He wishes to find Shitou because,"I have to pee." The old man brings a glass dragon jar, tells him to pee, stares in lusty amazement at the boy's body, and reaches for him. Douzi tries to flee, but Zhang pushes him to the ground. Hours later he emerges, and Shitou cannot get him to say a word. On their way home, Douzi spies a baby abandoned in the street. Master Guan urges Douzi to leave the baby, saying "we each have our own fate, or yuanfen," but Douzi takes him in and eventually trains him.

Douzi and Shitou become stars of Beijing opera and take on the stage names Cheng Dieyi, and Duan Xiaolou. The adult Dieyi is in love with Xiaolou, but the sexual aspects of his affection are not returned. When they become a hit in Beijing, a patron, Yuan Shiqing, slowly courts Dieyi. Xiaolou, in the meantime, takes a liking to Juxian, a headstrong courtesan at the upscale House of Flowers. (Although she is later accused of being a "prostitute", she was somewhat more elevated than Dieyi's mother in the first part of the film).Xiaolou intervenes when a mob of drunk men harass Juxian and conjures up a ruse to get the men to leave her alone, saying that they are announcing their engagement. Juxian later buys her freedom and, deceiving him into thinking she was thrown out, pressures Xiaolou to keep his word. When Xiaolou announces his engagement to Juxian, Dieyi and Xiaolou have a falling out. Dieyi calls her "Pan Jinlian", a "dragon lady" from the novel Golden Lotus. Dieyi takes up with Master Yuan, who gives him Zhang's sword. Master Guan shames them into re-forming the troupe.

The complex relationship between these three characters is then tested in the succession of political upheavals that encompass China from the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The film also follows the fates of Na Kun, who turns his theater troupe over to the new government after 1949, and the abandoned baby, who is trained in the female roles. He is called "Xiao Si", or "Little Fourth Brother", which has the same sound as "little death." They go through Japanese Occupation, Kuomintang regime, Liberation in 1949, as the People's Liberation Army enters the city, and the Cultural Revolution in which the traditional opera is attacked as feudal. The portrayal of these events led the film to be initially banned in China.

"Xiao Si" and Douzi have an argument about "Xiao Si" training and punishment at the end of which "Xiao Si" threatens revenge. On the eve of the Cultural Revolution, Shitou and Juxian are seen burning now contraband literature and clothing. After a few drinks, they rekindle their relationship. The next scene shifts to Shitou being questioned by the communist party on a few unpatriotic words he said years ago and overheard by their manager.

"Xiao Si" is seen in the background seemingly in a position of power. The Beijing opera troupe is taken out for questioning and offered a chance to repent. Under duress, Shitou confesses that Douzi performed for the Japanese and may have had a relationship with Yuan Shiqing. Douzi, enraged, tells the mob that Juxian was a prostitute. Shitou is forced to admit that he married a prostitute but swears that he doesn't love her and will never see her again. Juxian is crushed to hear his words and hangs herself. "Xiao Si" is seen in a gym practicing Concubine Yu's role, happy over having usurped Douzi's position. Communist cadre catch him in the act. His fate is unclear.

The film then jumps back to the first scene. Douzi and Shitou are practicing Farewell My Concubine. Their relationship seems to have mended since the tribunal and suicide of Shitou's wife. They exchange a smile and Shitou begins with the line that gave Douzi trouble forty years ago. Douzi makes the same error of finishing the line with he is not a girl. Shitou corrects him and they continue practicing. Douzi then commits suicide by sword in the same manner as in the play.

L² Scored: 8.5/10

L² Comment:

A very good film from fiction as the same name by novelist Lilian Lee Bik-Wah. In this film, Leslie Cheung definitely outshine all the others actors and actresses. So damn charming when he's in the chinese-opera makeup. Expression and twist and turn of the storyline has push the film up to a high level.

A 3 hour film is a bit short to show the whole life of Chen Die Yi, really marvelous. 2 thumbs up :)

Shanghai

Released Year: 2010
Directed by Mikael Håfström

Casted by:
John Cusack as Paul Soames
鞏俐 Gong Li as Anna
周潤發 Chow Yun-Fat as Anthony Lan Ting
渡辺謙 Ken Watanabe as Tanake
Story:

Paul came to Shanghai to find out who killed his best friend whom is a spy for the America's agent. He met with Captain Tanake who's the lead Japanese army; Anthony the head of gangster and Anna the pretty wife of Anthony. Paul was attracted to this beautiful chinese lady but she was a very dangerous person.

Paul found out that before his friend died, he went to find a Japanese woman, Sumiko. After the mysterious killing of Paul's friend, Sumiko disappear within the thin air. Later on Paul realised that Anna has kidnapped Sumiko. Anna is doing this because Sumiko is Tanake's lovely mistress. She can threaten Tanake with Sumiko to take revenge on her father's death and help to kick out the Japanese from Shanghai.

A little chase of here and there between Paul and Anna to get Sumiko. But Sumiko was addicted to Opium due to Anna's instruction. Tanake get Anthony's help to get back Sumiko. Tanake even told Paul that he has killed his best friend because he sleep with Sumiko, and Japan has announced war to America by bombing the Pearl Harbor. Sumiko is suffering too much, Tanake has to end her life.

Tanake was angry with Anna by kidnapping his mistress and would like to take Anna back to the Japanese ambassador but was rejected by Anthony. Anthony used machine gun to shoot down his opponent but he himself was shot too on the tummy. With the help of Paul and Anna, the three of them went to the port side to leave by cruise. But Japanese has took over the port and Anthony was dead due to loss of too much blood.

Paul brought Anna along and finally they departed from Shanghai which has been attacked by Japanese. But Anna left the cruise in the Macau's port to go back for the political event and revenge. Paul went back to America and continue his life of becoming a journalist.

L² Scored: 5.5/10

L² Comment:

Frankly, war-kinda-movie is not my favorite all these while. I do doze off a bit when i'm watching this film. Though i do learn a lil bit of the World War II's history, but hey... its kinda boring actually~ haha

Gong Li is still gorgeous and lil bit too stunning in this film. Her role is much more important than Chow Yun Fat. And basically, i think Chow Yun Fat's character is kinda normal, anybody can just act even Chow is not casted. Seriously, i think they overpaid for this character.

But surprisingly, i think Cusack acted quite well in this movie. 2 thumbs up for him.