16 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES ith an US$80 million budget, military wisdom is made sexy and which makes Red Cliff (赤 enthralling when Takeshi Kaneshiro and W 壁) the most lavish Asian Tony Leung Chiu-wai take on the roles of production to date, and a running master tacticians in a complex battle that time of more than four hours, which Once more unto the RED CLIFF (赤壁) involves a maze-like military formation. has seen the movie split into two Woo’s unconventional interpretations installments, John Woo’s (吳宇森) DIRECTED BY: JOHN WOO (吳宇森) of historical figures have caused Chinese sword-and-sandals epic marks controversy. Doubts serviced when the a triumphant return home for the STARRING: TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI (梁朝 director cast Japanese-Taiwanese actor director after 16 years in Hollywood. 偉) AS ZHOU YU, TAKESHI KANESHIRO (金城 Takeshi Kaneshiro as one of China’s Set in the Three Kingdoms period 武) AS ZHUGE LIANG, ZHANG FENGYI (張豐 most revered scholars. If audiences of China’s history and centering on the 毅) AS CAO CAO, CHANG CHEN (張震) AS SUN expect the heartthrob to exude Chinese legendary Battle of Red Cliffs (赤壁之 QUAN, LIN CHI-LING (林志玲) AS XIAO QIAO, virtue and be the living embodiment 戰), the epic sees Woo live up to his Not all Chinese sword-and-sandals epics are made HU JUN (胡軍) AS ZHAO YUN, ZHAO WEI of intellectuality, they’ll be sorely breach (趙薇) AS SUN SHANGXIANG, NAKAMURA reputation as a masterful storyteller who equal, as John Woo proves with his lavish production, disappointed. Instead, the actor gives the SHIDO AS GAN XING reinvigorates a somewhat overworked Red Cliff. PHOTOS: AP AND COURTESY OF CINEPLEX crusty character Zhuge Liang a playful and cliched genre with a good old- update, bringing a sometimes slightly fashioned narrative developed by a rich such as Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang With ‘Red Cliff,’ John Woo restores LANGUAGE: sissy young scholarly strategist to the IN MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES cast of capable actors. Fei, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu (Tony credibility to Chinese epic filmmaking big screen. Set during the Han Dynasty’s death Leung Chiu-wai, 梁朝偉), Zhuge Liang RUNNING TIME: The casting of Taiwanese supermodel throes, the film opens with shrewd Prime successfully contrives to defeat Cao’s BY HO YI 84 MINUTES (FIRST OF TWO PARTS) Lin Chi-ling (林志玲) also raised a few 張豐 Minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi, vastly superior land force. STAFF REPORTER eyebrows, but she manages to hold her 毅) sending his million-strong army and The victory proves to be Pyrrhic TAIWAN RELEASE: ON GENERAL RELEASE own in the film. a sizable fleet off on an unprecedently when the allied forces find themselves With Red Cliff, Woo proves that large campaign to forge a unified confronted by Cao’s fleet of more than in Asia in January of next year. The the two opposing sides, which culminate been released in recent years. China’s rapidly developing film industry empire. Unable to match Cao’s army, the 2,000 warships anchored off shore. As the epic’s lengthy running time is justified in a Good vs Evil finale. Audiences quickly find themselves has both the know-how and talent to benevolent exiled leader Liu Bei (You decisive battle looms, the two military by Woo’s grand narrative, which is told Though there are lavish sets, falling for the colorful ensemble of make Hollywood-style blockbusters. Yong, 尤勇) sends his military strategist masterminds scheme to secure victory. in the vein of Star Wars and Lord of spectacular choreography and massive characters and become absorbed in The country also has a seemingly Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro, 金城 Having opened in China, Hong Kong, the Rings. With the filmmaking luxury battle scenes enhanced by CGI effects, it the film’s narrative threads, which are inexhaustible archive of historical 武) to secure an alliance with Sun Quan South Korea and Taiwan yesterday, of length, Woo defines his characters is the substantive narrative that sets Red enlivened by imaginative camera work, narratives to plunder at will, so expect (Chang Chen, 張震), a southern warlord. this is the diptych’s first segment. The through anecdotes and slowly builds up Cliff apart from the glut of big-budget fast-paced editing and superbly executed many more to follow. Hopefully, more Buttressed by formidable warriors second part is scheduled for release the tensions and the contrasts between Chinese historical dramas that have choreography. Even ancient China’s will be as well-made as this one. This year, it’s ladies first for a change Between Charlize Theron in ‘Hancock’ and the rest of the stars below, this summer is suddenly looking like the ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ at box offices BY TY BURR AND WESLEY Hathaway stands beside Carell comedy about a cautious man MORRIS more than she stands next to confronted with a gloriously NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, BOSTON, him. Contrary to Jolie’s example, uninhibited woman. MASSACHUSETTS the definition of strength is not a * Lainie Kazan in You Don’t Every year around this time woman’s ability to hold a pistol. Mess With the Zohan we hear the complaints: There It’s her ability to resist using it on If women who go to movies are aren’t enough good parts for a shamelessly funny co-star. underserved, women who appear women, actresses are relegated * Hiam Abbass in The Visitor in them are undersexed. So it’s to decorative supporting roles, The best news about the Adam Sandler’s Israeli assassin- the movies have become a man’s movie’s unhappy detour to an turned-hairstylist to the rescue. He world. We beg to differ, at least From left to right: Actresses Charlize immigrant detention center is makes love to half the seniors in for the moment. Theron, Angelina Jolie, Kristin Davis, Abbass’s arrival as the inmate’s New York, and Kazan is his first Sex and the City has already Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Sarah mother. Her refined beauty and and most unflappable partner, proved there’s a vast female Jessica Parker. PHOTOS: AGENCIES mannerly carriage make her seem holding court with the hilarious audience desperate for entertain- too delicate for the outrageous wisdom of a dame who’s been ment, and Wanted has unexpect- ing space probe from the mother- situation into which she’s been around the block. If not sexually, edly posited Angelina Jolie as ship. Yet WALL-E works as a swept. But by the end, you’re then comedically for sure. the season’s new action hero. literally star-crossed romance while from cynicism. The hardest task She looks fearsome when holding and Bullwinkle. She’s handy floored by the realization that this * Angelina Jolie in Wanted (The movie’s opening weekend convincing us that Eve (voiced in this movie is keeping faith, and a rifle, but she’s even more moving with a sword, too, making her patient, thoughtful woman is the They call her ... Fox. Go ahead in the US attracted a 52 percent by Elissa Knight) could save the Breslin channels the courage and when wondering why men need possibly Indiana’s most closely strongest character in the film. and laugh; she’ll laugh with you, female audience, thank you very human race from its own worst everyday decency of an earlier era. such stupid things. matched adversary ever. Blanchett * Ronit Elkabetz in The Band’s and then break your spine. Jolie’s much.) Between Charlize Theron impulses. Just don’t get her angry. * Galina Vishnevskaya in * Cate Blanchett in Indiana has played more indomitable Visit cool-eyed assassin is much the in Hancock and the stars of the * Abigail Breslin in Kit Alexandra Jones and the Kingdom of the characters — Queen Elizabeth, The leader of an Egyptian best part of this resplendently films below, this summer is sud- Kittredge: An American Girl The movie about the babushka Crystal Skull Bob Dylan — but none this police band — a prim, sad man noisy summer boy’s-toy, mostly denly looking like the Ride of the She wields a typewriter who drops in on her soldier It’s great to see Karen alluringly scary. (Sasson Gabai) — is marooned because she’s the only one who Valkyries at the box office. instead of a gun, but Breslin’s Kit grandson at his barracks could Allen back, but the fourth Indy * Anne Hathawayin Get Smart with his men in a flyspeck Israeli seems to know how silly it all is. * Eve in WALL-E Kittredge is exactly as tough as have been some kind of sitcom. adventure only kicks into gear Yes, Steve Carell gets most town and forced to shack up with Regally insinuating herself into Guys: Have you ever met a you need to be to get through the But not when the granny is the when Blanchett’s Colonel Dr of the laughs. And yes, he and the local cafe owner (Elkabetz). the mayhem, the star riffs on woman who was just out of your Great Depression with family and grand dame Vishnevskaya. The Irina Spalko is strutting about his stunt double get most of the She is everything he isn’t: wild- her Amazonian public image and league? That’s what the look in soul intact. The movie lets the Russian opera diva’s maternal barking orders like an S&M action sequences. But playing haired, funky, oozing humor and amps it up a few notches. There’s WALL-E’s lenticular eyes says when character skate along the edge of force dominates Alexander fusion of Natasha Fatale and Special Agent 99 in this so-so weariness and sex.