Movies

I've been watching a lot of foreign films lately. I'm not sure what started it, could have been Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which I've yet to finish. Chinese cinema is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

The King of Masks: the story of an older man who realizing his time is short and he has no one to pass his craft to, decides to purchase a young boy from a slave trader to be his heir. As is custom the knowledge can only be passed to a boy and as the story unfolds and the truth about his new heir comes out he has to decide between custom and family. I loved this movie, it was a very sweet story and the actors were wonderful. The music is great as well. Rated All in the countries it was released, it would probably get a G or PG rating in the US

The Road Home: Wow, this movie was amazing, beautifully shot, great score, wonderful actors. Its a timeless love story told in a very simple way. I watched thinking at first that it was kind of slow, but this director knows what he's doing, his art is to use cinematography to set the mood and tell a story that you become personally involved in. By the end of the movie I was in tears. Rated G (USA)

Raise the Red Lantern: I wasn't sure about this one, the description was that it was about a woman who becomes a 4th wife to a rich and older man. I didn't know what to expect, but it was a beautifully done story about the hopelessness of giving up your dreams to do your duty and losing freedoms in the process. There was no risque scenes which is what I worried about, it centered more on the relationships between the four wives and the pettiness and plots between them. Rated PG (USA)

As you can see Yimou Zhang is my favorite director, he has a way of using the camera to set the story, the mood, everything. Next on my list of movies to watch

House of Flying Daggers
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Hero
Not One Less
Happy Times
The Story of Qiu Ju
Red Sorghum

I love how the director realizes he doesn't need scandalous shocking scenes to portray a powerful story. He doesn't distract the audience with overly sensuous scenes. There are many more that I am looking forward to watching.