the film log

 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon How did this mediocre movie get such a high rating on imdb and win so many awards? I have so many issues with this movie. First, it’s so blockbuster to cast very famous but not Chinese (from China, not HK or Malaysia, etc) actors/actresses in this movie. I’m complaining about Michelle Yeoh in particular, because most of the time, Chow Yun Fat’s Mandarin was understandable. Michelle Yeoh’s is sooooo accented, it’s almost like she didn’t even practice. It’s like a foreigner speaking Mandarin. I blame the director for not dubbing her lines into the correct accent. I’m sure Michelle is a great actress when she’s not speaking Chinese, but in CTHD, she’s not very good.  Is it me, or did Zhang Ziyi steal the show? Compared to the other leading actors/actresses, she was the most interesting and least lame. Maybe if Li and Yu (Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh)’s characters were taken out of the story, it wouldn’t be so bad. Seriously. Little Tiger (or Cloud or whatever) and Little Dragon (um…)’s story was so much more interesting. Like once the flashback started, the movie stopped sucking majorly. Then, the acting was sooo awkward in some places. Inconsistent. Like they’re talking about some Very Important Stuff and taking things Very Seriously, but the script (especially in the beginning) is lame. It seems like much more effort was put into the action and fighting sequences and flying. Which is okay, but then why do they have to treat the talk-y parts like they’re so ~serious~?  Too ambitious. Yo Yo Ma for the cello solos. The soundtrack is nothing standout most of the time, and so they thought having this famous Chinese cellist would make Chinese people patriotic and interested in watching this. Huh.  Fox Witch lady flies away with that ribbon thingy like the ribbon dance. WTF? Guy with thick eyebrows gets knocked on the forehead with his own weapon a few times when the thief first shows up, and he’s perfectly fine. Okay….? Little Dragon’s face looks very very tanned when she’s pursuing Little Tiger after the ambush. I thought it was a fast-forward of a few weeks instead of the dirt sticking to her face. Basically, an overrated Chinese action flick. I’ll ask what my parents think. I was really looking forward to watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon today (because it got such a high rating on imdb and that must mean it’s at least decent, right?), and wow, I should never look forward to anything directed by Ang Lee again. This is the second movie he’s directed that I’ve seen (the first being Sense and Sensibility), and I guess I just don’t like his direction. So why do my parents like him so much again? Oh yeah, cuz he’s Taiwanese.