Painted Skin

Today, we watched Painted Skin, which also, very sadly, is King Hu's last film. Also, sadly, this is honestly not his best film. It has an awesome premise but the execution seems to be lacking, especially during the second half of the film. But, to his merit, at least he was experimenting outside of his comfort zone. There have been many filmmakers that have done this to differing level of success. For example, can you tell who made this film? This is from Cape Fear, a movie by Martin Scorsese. A man known for his gangster film this was a departure from the norm into psychological thriller. This would not be the last time he experimented in different genres, making movies such as The Aviator and Hugo. Can you tell who made this film? This is from Spy Kids which was directed by Robert Rodriguez, more known for his ultra violent, hyper stylized, action films. This was the first time he departed from that but would dabble in it a few times later in his career. Filmmakers, even though finding strengths in some genres will occasionally experiment with different genres, probably out of the feeling that cornered into a niche group will restrict them from being able to make the movies they want to. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't but one should never be discouraged if it doesn't work the first time, everything deserves practice.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a great love letter to King Hu. This film takes so much from King Hu’s trademark style that it’s hard to deny the impact that King Hu had on many filmmakers. It is true statement that filmmakers borrow their styles from those who came before them. I think it is very interesting to see where famous filmmakers got their influences and the fact you can see them all over their movies. For example, one man that seems to be a huge King Hu fan is Quentin Tarantino. Previous stated in blogs before, Quentin himself is a film connoisseur. But there is another ode to King Hu that Quentin has made. Another filmmaker that definitely used King Hu’s style inadvertently adapted from a graphic novel by a graphic novelist that was also inspired by King Hu. Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Sin City by Frank Miller has King Hu all over it. One of the asian characters seems to have been ripped directly from King Hu’s work. Also this week, we got to actually meet Cheng Pei Pei, a living legend in Chinese cinema. She was sweet and super generous to give us time to ask her questions. She has led a very interesting and fascinating life and her success is extraordinary and inspiring. To be that humble and that well known is very rare nowadays and I think a lot of people can learn from her example.

Legend in the Mountain

The second film he filmed in Korea was "Raining in the Mountain." This, honestly, is his most bizarre, different but unique film he has ever made. This is a straight up ghost story. No fights, no long exposition in the beginning. Long sequences of walking, talking, fog, and falling in love.

These types of moves may seem troublesome, but I argue that a mark of a good director is one that can jump into any genre and be great at it.

Let's play a game: Here are two movies, name its director.

1. Trainspotting.
2. Slumdog Millionaire.

Answer: Danny Boyle





Here's another one:

1. The Hulk
2. Brokeback Mountain

Answer: Ang Lee






Last one:

1. Casino
2. Hugo

Answer: Martin Scorsese

Raining in the Mountain

"Raining in the Mountain" is one of two films King Hu filmed in Korea after he found renewed success after "A Touch of Zen" won a Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival.

This film is very different from his previous works, with an emphasis on things other than fighting. The film was split into two different parts: a heist movie and a religious movie. Two things that seemingly do not go together work very well in the hands of King Hu.

The most interesting person in the movie is the gentle giant of the film. The underdog, the misunderstood, the guy you want to win. This has been a staple of many films, which is always entertaining. One reason is that it clearly shows the prejudiced notions that many people have when they look at someone for the first time. The unnecessary redemption these people have to go through is frustrating but the feeling you get when they finally get the respect they deserve is overwhelming.

Great examples of these:

The Valiant Ones most valiant ending.

The more and more I watch King Hu movies, the more I realize just how wide his influence is. His inventive, kinetically frenzied ending fight scenes are things that need to be seen to be believed. In this latest film we watched, The Valiant Ones, showcases a fight so crazy and long that many people in the class I watched it with couldn't believe their eyes. Either because of how absurd it was or just how entertaining it turned out to be.

The funny thing is, is that, regardless of how weirdly edited or prolonged it is, entertainment has been featuring this kind of fighting for quite some time. Just because technology has gotten better, does not mean that these fights are just as ridiculous. Take this scene, from the Matrix series:







Just as epic, just as ridiculous.

Or take this example from Dragon Ball Z:




Even in cartoon form, this fight is exciting, yet ridiculous.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, don't judge a movie because of one sequence. This movie has a lot of fighting in it, so by the end, the epic fight that happens makes that much more sense.

The Fate of Lee Khan - seeing King Hu's influences.

This week, we watched "The Fate of Lee Khan." Although it was surprising to see the decline of quality in production from his last film, "A Touch of Zen," this movie nonetheless was very entertaining. Just like his earlier films, this film takes place in an inn but there is one very cool difference.

The inn's owner and the majority of its workers are all females. I have noticed that King Hu likes to have the main character in many of his movies be very strong female leads, ones that rarely need the help of a man, which is ironically refreshing, even in 2016. And he was doing this back in the sixties and seventies. If that contributed to some of his unsuccessful films, then that is truly a sad statement on society at the time.

Regardless, it's nice to see that, especially since a lot of filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, Joss Whedon, and Quentin Tarantino do the same thing. We should also be looking for awesome female filmmakers as well.

One last thing, unrelated except for the fact that we are talking about King Hu influencing different genres. I realized that I was so attuned and entertained by King Hu's fight scenes mainly because I've been watching them since childhood. Check out this clip:

POWER RANGERS!

A Touch of Zen - the unusual end of zen.

In class, we watched the conclusion of "A Touch of Zen." After multiple exciting fight sequences, tragic deaths, and unmitigated suspense, it only makes sense that the ending to this movie would be as crazy and amazing as the rest of the film.

The ending shows a mythical abbott reaching nirvana, becoming just like Buddha. The most interesting part about this is not that he attains this status but how King Hu shot the ending sequence. It's confusing at first but then becomes very clear, yet still opens it up to interpretation.

After a prolonged final fight with the film's most dangerous villain, Hsu Yang, Abbott Yuan is fatally stabbed and proceeds to walk away. During this sequence Yuan experiences extreme hallucinations including hearing abnormal sounds, seeing spectacular colors, mistaking his own men for something else, and eventually throwing himself to his own death against his will.

Personally, I love endings like these because they create conversations and discussions about its subject matter. There are many movies that seem like they are going to have a predictable ending, but catches you off guard with an ending from left field.

Here are some examples.

Magnolia - 

2001: A Space Odyssey