Distractions of Lola

Flowers of War (2011) | there were some really great elements in this film, but it felt like Zhang Yimou was trying to be part Almodovar, part Saving Private Ryan-era Spielberg and overcompensating in every aspect. also Paul Schneider was GREAT in his odd little cameo, GREAT. yay first film of 2012!

Shanghai Triad (1995) | the film has some nice moments but the pacing and a woefully unsubtle performance by Gong Li kinda kill it. 

Maggie Cheung and Chris Doyle on the desert set of Hero. from ASC, excerpted from Doyle’s journal written during the making of the film.

Zhang Yimou. people knock him for creating crap films lately (true, Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers were a clusterfuck and an abomination, respectively) but go watch Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles, Hero, Not One Less, and older fare like To Live, and Raise the Red Lantern and tell me he’s not a brilliant director and filmmaker. moreover, he was the chief director of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing.