Curse of the Golden Flower

An entirely fictional historical drama set in a court of a Chinese king is the target of Zhang Yimou's extravagance. At the time of release it was the most expensive Chinese film to be ever made, with Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li appraising the lead roles. A highly melodramatic story that features a royal family, incest and intrigue. But the plot is so obvious that the only thing that keeps you watching is the ethereal beauty of Gong Li and the elaborate costumes and sets. The only reason to subject yourself to this movie is if you are stuck on a plane with nothing to read.

Rating: * *

Poster via Wikipedia.

Farewell My Concubine

Cheng Deiyi (Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xialou (Fengyi Zhang) are inseparable since they are thrown together as apprentices at the Beijing Opera in the 1920s. As they grow older and closer, fame follows them as they rise to the top of the opera world. It is when courtesan Juxian (Li Gong) enters Xialou's life that the first fissures in the friendship appear. The political climate changes over the decades does little to help the intertwined relationships, as the film takes you through fifty years of modern Chinese history. But as always it is the Cultural Revolution that leaves the viewer shaking...

Rating: * * +

Shanghai Triad

This is another Zhang Yimou and Gong Li team up. The movie starts out with a young teenager coming to Shanghai to become Gong's servant. She plays the role of a singer at club who is kept by a don of the city. Being directed by Yimou I expected more from this film but it turned out to be a very simple gangster flick.

Gong Li as always is stunning on the screen. She plays a bitch for most of the film but there a couple of scene where she lets her guard down. The shift is indeed very startling. But other than for her acting there is nothing much else in the film.

Rating: * +