Legendary Assassin 狼牙 (2008) – HK movie

Tonight we rented another HK movie DVD – Legendary Assassin 狼牙 by co-directed by Wu Jing  吳京、and Nicky Li 李忠志, (both also their debut as a director) a HK martial arts movie released in December 2008. 

Cast include:  Wu Jing as Ah Bo, Celina Jade as Hiu Wao, Sammy Leung, Hui Siu-hung, Alex Fong, Kou Zan Weng, Aoyama Noriko, Ronald Cheng, Kara Hui (Wei Ying-hung).  The 3 big guys (one being a ‘giant’).

The storyline is straight-forward.  It’s about Ah Bo forced to stay on an island after his assassination task, rescued Hiu Wao who was falling from a tree trying to rescue her cat.  She turns out to be a cop and how they develop feelings after and how he responded to his feelings.

This is a hard core martial arts movie.  You won’t see a lot of blood bath scenes, like Kill Bill.  The stimulation probably came from some very serious (jaw dropping) fight choreography and stunts.  Most are nicely done and a roof-top self-defense technique exchange scene is even romantic.  The rain scene, in my opinion, resembles the final fight scene, also in rain, in The Matrix Revolutions.  The giant-vs-Ah Bo fight scene was intriguing.

While you thought the fight scenes looked so real, they were as realistic as they could be – somebody’s head really got kicked, somebody’s chest really got yanked etc.  You will hear that in the Making Of.   I have a lot of respect of the stunts.  But I want to see them all healthy and safe when they grow old.  I think the filming industry is about entertaining people by creating illusions.  By that, I think everyone should be properly protected.  While real fight scenes may appeal to some fans, but in the long run, this is a vicious cycle.  I don’t want people getting hurt because there’s such a demand.  My heart aches when I see these fight scenes.

I am surprised – exactly at the time while I was thinking – what a typical hero-saving-his-girl (aka stupidity in my dictionary) act – at the end, my tears rolled down the cheek.  I must be tense hence my body involuntarily fell for its first release exit.

I quite like the ending tho I still don’t quite understand it. 

<Spoiler alert.>  Did someone hire Ah Bo to do this job?  If not, then why did he bother to do this?  I know about the bad thing the headless guy did, but what did that have to do with Ah Bo?  Any one? </Spolier alert>

Wu Jing is charming!  I saw one or two of his previous movies, didn’t leave me with that impression at all.  Yes I know he can fight.  In this movie, he’s directing plus he’s also the lead actor.  And he does not only excel in fighting, I think he handles the drama portion (his emotions) quite well too.   I keep telling my hubby he looks like Leon Lai.  Any one thinks alike?

Celina Jade is lovely!  I don’t know if she has any experiences in dramas or movies before, but she is pretty and cute with an elegant touch.  She takes this role well – didn’t over or under act.  Tho if some one has to be mean…  her (english) accent doesn’t sound like a local-born HK-ese’s accent.  But then I also wasn’t sure if her role was educated in a special school for the second-generation kids of the westerners working/living in HK.  Her cantonese is actually quite good.  So I think this criticism may not really hold.  🙂  I enjoy her presense and I think this couple sparks some interesting chemistry.

Most of the supporting cast deliver their roles well.  I think Aoyama’s expressions are ‘awkward’ – is she trying to show a woman inbetween insane and outrageous?  I don’t quite get her…

But overall an entertaining movie.  Please promise your next movie will have more protected measures done for your lovely and dedicated stunts – just don’t allow people kicking people’s head like that for real – that’s anti-entertainment.  It’s real-life torture and I will ban you.  I am serious!

Add a comment February 7, 2009

2nd month of Park Shin Yang’s Ban

Yesterday marked the 2nd month of the unjust and unfair ban on Park Shin Yang, a top-list South Korean actor, whom I have previously written here. 

Counter Ban for Park Shin Yang, a blog started because of this ban is 4-calendar-weeks old.

Its first strike, the  Feb 2009 – email campaign is now closed.

But the work is not finished. 

So, fighting – Counter Ban for Park Shin Yang!  Cheering on your back!

Add a comment February 6, 2009

6th Cello Lesson

Tonight I had my 6th cello lesson.  This also marked my month-and-a-half acquantance of my cello (hello dear!). 

Through practices, my left index finger started to develop a callus and soon other fingers, I believe.  And soon, I think some may surface on the right index finger too?  Time will tell.  (Is there a blog called, “Ask Yo Yo Ma?”)

Today I got answer to a question I had in mind for a long time.  This is about bowing technique.  Say there’s a group of four 16th notes.  Do I change bow direction at each 16th note, or do I do a legato bowing to bring out all four 16th notes in one long bow?  I may think that changing bow at each note sounds better, and someone else may think that a long bow sounds better.  Is it up to the interpretation of each musician to decide how to bow?   If you played cello before, did this question strike you?  Do you know the answer?

Another question I had was about applying rosin, which I talked about before, but I’d like to reiterate it once more with a little more details.  🙂   A rosin looks like a small see-through wax brick, looks like a rectangular honey soap but much harder than it.  I haven’t seen enough (as I only have 1) but mine has a plastic, U-shaped side holder wrapping the rosin in the middle.   Its primary function is to make your bowing sounds better.  Did you ever wonder how to apply rosin to the bow?  I did, when I first got my cello.  In my imagination, the rosin would be like butter, and when you drag the bow (hair) across the rosin, some rosin would come off and get stuck to the bow, and the surface of the rosin would change like dragging a knife on butter’s surface.    Was that your imagination as well?  Now I am going to tell you – no.  No.  At the first couple attempts, the rosin looked like nothing happened to it.  Not even scratches.   Ah then I asked my cello teacher, and he said I can use sand-paper to “start” a new rosin, then apply it, with force, onto the bow hair – drag the bow (hair side) across the rosin, back and forth, and make sure the hair stays on the rosin (not going in between the plastic side holder and the rosin).  As a lazy bum, I didn’t follow up with sand-paper, but now, I start to see dents at the edges.  The hair still look the same to me after each application, but the sound of a “rosined” bow is different.  That’s because the bow “sticks” to the strings better.  The rosin adds frictions as it is supposed to be.  So, the rosin is not butter and it won’t come off to the bow like butter hanging on to a knife.  Unless you pull the bow across your hand, or finger, or your pants by accident, (which will then leave a whitish/yellowish trail) you won’t see the rosin.  So no worries there, if you are a newbie here.  Just press hard when you apply the rosin to the bow.  You’ll see scratch marks eventually.  (Akham, I hope I am not spreading the wrong message here.)

So, any one care to share an answer to my question about bowing 16th notes?

2 comments February 4, 2009

The Beast Stalker 証人 (2008) – HK Movie

Last night we rented a DVD movie home – The Beast Stalker 証人 (2008), a HK movie.

Cast: Nick Cheung Kar-Fai, Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung , Zhang Jing-Chu, Liu Kai-Chi.  (The twin little girls are adorable.)

The story is about 4 groups of people whose fate became mingled after a car crash.  It is not overly intriguing.  It’s about the struggle of the social vs family role.  It’s about consciousness and needs.  It’s very down-to-earth.  The characters are identifiable.   It is sincere. 

Nick Cheung won the 15th Best Actor award winner of the HK Film Critics Society Awards (Traditional Chinese: 香港電影評論學會大獎) with his excellent interpretation of a ruthless thug  / hooligan who would do anything that gets him money fast.  He deserves this award.  But I have seen a better Nick before.  I forgot the name of the movie, but it’s about his character returning to the police force after being a successful mole, and the adjustment after his return.  There I saw a very impressed Nick Cheung.  I am not disappointed here tho – don’t get me wrong ok?

Kai-Chi is good as usual.  He’s always a great actor.

Jing-Chu is pretty.  Her wardrobe was a bit too pretty for her role, I think?  Perhaps it’s my stereotype of an image of a prosecutor.  Not sure.  Not her problem, but I think her role doesn’t hit the keenest qualities of a mother and hence her body language is kind of “restrained”.  IMHO, a mother would do more in certain scenes.

You will also see a different (maturing) Nicholas Tse.  He tries very hard to be “settled” but I think he’s trying too hard.  This doesn’t bother me too much tho, as I appreciate someone who’s trying his best to live up to the script’s requirement, and with this attitute, you can only get better, so I welcome this attempt.  On a side note,  he’s a bit of a walking skeleton.  He is so skinny – I hope he’s healthy!  Dedication is great.  But please make a safe movie.  (I agree with the Action Director, Stephen Tung Wei, on this aspect.)  I want to see more of your future movies!

Good job, director/co-writer Dante Lam.  No major complain except I just wish the camera can be a little more steady – the shaky and choppy style is not my cup of tea tho it may help convey a restless / pushy atmosphere but it makes me feel slightly neaseous.

My fav line of the movie:  (King (or Jing) (by Nick): Do you want a chicken leg?)  Ling Ling: … with salad. 

2 interesting points:

1) Nick’s wife in real life, Esther Kwan, did the v.o. for King’s paralyzed wife in this movie 

2) don’t miss the bonus material/documentary, e.g. the “Making Of” – you’ll see how this film shot the key car crash / rollover scene – it’s halarious.  You’ll also have a glance of Nicholas Tse’s dad (visit @ a filming location).  It has english subs.

1 comment February 1, 2009