The Assassin (2015)

Original Title

刺客聶隱娘 Cìkè Niè Yǐnniáng

Genres

Action, Drama

Director

Hou Hsiao-hsien

Counties

Taiwan, China, Hong Kong

Cast

Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zouu Yun, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Ethan Juan, Hsieh Hsin-Ying, Ni Dahong, Yong Mei, Fang-Yi Sheu, Lei Zhenyu, Jacques Picoux

Storyline

In the 8th century China, a female assassin (Shu Qi) is tasked with the dangerous mission to kill the leader (Chang Chen) of the largest independent military region in North China.

Opinion

If you are a regular reader of mine, you know that I don't have problems enjoying slow movies. That said, that's one of the problems I had with The Assassin because the pace is so slow it came across as a boring film.

And that did really bother me because unlike other slow and boring movies, Hou's actually had a story to tell. A story with a lot of potential. It could have been intriguing, engaging and it could have had some genuine drama. Instead, it was dragged and almost impossible to follow because of all those jumps. It could have been - and should have been - about people, but it actually was about politics, and the film just didn't provide enough (Chinese) background to understand it.

Now from a movie called The Assassin, one would expect plenty of action, right? Well, that was not my case, and it wasn't the film's either. And it wouldn't have bothered me if the emptiness caused by the lack of action was somehow compensated with dialogue. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. There barely is any dialogue, and nothing memorable comes out of the characters' mouth.

I have to admit though, that in spite of its slowness that gives the feeling this films goes on forever and the poor writing, this film is visually spectacular. On this aspect, from the sets to the scenery to the colours to the cinematography, this film is breathtaking. Too bad you can't make a good film out of that only.

Thursday Movie Picks: The Renaissance

Hello and welcome back to Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

It's Renaissance week aka that period going from the 14th (1301) to 17th (1700) century aka the week that drove me insane because I couldn't think of any film that fit the theme - it does have to be set in Europe, right? Anyway, I'm sure there are a lot of great ones, like those Elizabeth movies with Cate Blanchett I'm yet to see, I just picked the first three movies that came to my mind and that I could remember how I felt about. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Gipsy dancer Esmeralda has to assert her independence in order to help and save his deformed bell-ringer friend Quasimodo from the evil Minister of Justice Frollo. I think this is one of the darkest/more dramatic Disney films, but it has been one of my favourites since I was a kid and I still love it.

Your Highness (2011)

When his bride is kidnapped, Prince Fabious goes on a quest to rescue her accompanied by his lazy and useless brother Thadeous. I only watched this because of James Franco and Natalie Portman but if I knew what I was getting myself into, I wouldn't have done it. It is just a dumb movie, not really funny and definitely not entertaining. 

Assassin's Creed (2016)

With the hep of a machine, Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar, discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society and amasses knowledge and skills to take on the Templar organization in the present day. This film was a huge disappointment, but it wasn't terrible. The filmmakers just decided to focus on the wrong story, they preferred present day over the past which was a real shame. 

The Tree of Life (2011)

Genres

Drama, Fantasy

Director

Terrence Malick

Country

USA

Cast

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Finnegan Williams, Michael Koeth, Laramie Eppler, John Howell, Tye Sheridan, Kari Matchett, Joanna Going, Michael Showers, Kimberly Whalen, Jackson Hurst, Fiona Shaw, Crystal Mantecon, Tamara Jolaine, Dustin Allen

Storyline

It follows middle-aged Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn) as he recalls his life as a young boy, particularly his demanding and overly strict father (Brad Pitt).

Opinion

Will I ever be fully satisfied with a Terrence Malick film? The answer is pretty simple, no, it will never happen. I guess I just fail to understand his cinema because The Tree of Life was pretty much just another of his boring yet visually stunning films.

Once again Terrence Malick tries to tell a story without actually telling a story since this film basically has no plot - I'm not even sure if what I just wrote makes any sense. Anyway, it's just a series of sequences most of which are incredibly tedious and made quite annoying by the voice overs he loves so much. I have to admit though, that at some point when the film is finally focused on the love-hate relationship between father and son the film actually gets interesting and engaging.

Through that relationship, Malick tries to explore the meaning of life, he talks about evolution and spirituality, and questions the existence and benevolence of God. But like I said before, he does that in a very boring way, and with some sequences that are completely pointless and feel irrelevant to the meaning of the film. I'm talking about all that prehistoric thing.

Another problem I had with The Tree of Life was the difficulty, inability almost, to connect with the characters or care for them. I felt that especially with Sean Penn's character, a depressed and lost man who just seems detached from his younger self, like he doesn't care, so I ended up not giving a damn as well. But it's not Penn's fault, Malick is the one to be blamed.

Like I mentioned earlier, there's something that really amazed me about this film, the visuals. Mostly because of the astonishing cinematography by Lubezki, this is one of those films that are very beautiful to look at, and that has some very memorable scenes, like the flock of birds flying effortlessly.

Cabaret (1972)

Genres

Drama, Musical

Director

Bob Fosse

Country

USA

Cast

Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey, Fritz Wepper, Marisa Berenson, Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel, Helen Vita, Sigrid von Richthofen, Gerd Vespermann, Ralf Wolter, Georg Hartmann, Ricky Renee, Oliver Collignon, Kathryn Doby, Inge Jaeger, Angelika Koch, Helen Velkovrska, Gitta Schmidt, Louise Quick

Storyline

In 1930's Berlin, meanwhile the Nazism is rising, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with English professor Brian Roberts (Michael York) and the German Baron Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem).

Opinion

Like I said many, and many times in the past, musicals are my thing, but Cabaret is such a classic I felt the need to watch it anything. And I'm glad I did because it isn't just a musical, but a deep drama that also works as a comedy and historical film.

Based on Christopher Isherwood's A Goodbye to Berlin, the story is very simple yet incredibly complicated which is what make it so interesting. Also, the fact that it beautifully blends a personal story with a historical storyline.

It's incredible how the film manages to deliver a compelling love story/love triangle, and at the same time being about the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, with songs both moving the plot forward and making a strong commentary on the (rotting) world outside the cabaret and also about the need to be/feel normal. 

This film also features some very funny moments and a lot of witty dialogue. Not to mention the very well written and developed characters that are brought to life by a tremendous cast among which Liza Minnelli and Michael York stand out for really making you care about their characters. The rest of the cast also deserves to be praised for giving dimension to characters that could have easily been one-dimensional. 

Since it's still a musical, songs really play an important role in it, and they work perfect as they are brilliant and catchy, wonderfully performed, and they are combined with some beautiful colours, setting and cinematography.