Hero

cine · March 16, 2004, 12:02:25 PM

Quote from: MacGuffinThe Film will released in New York and LA this June.

If it's still there in July, I'm going to see it!

SiliasRuby · March 16, 2004, 12:28:39 PM

I'm going to see it as soon as possible and try to look for that region 3 DVD of it online

grand theft sparrow · March 16, 2004, 01:16:24 PM

I have a Region 0 DVD of it that I have yet to watch in its entirety. I don't even know what cut it is. Does anyone know?

I have this feeling it will not do too well in the US, as it will almost certainly be considered a "Crouching Tiger" ripoff (particularly the Tan Dun score and Zhang Ziyi). But Christopher Doyle's cinematography is perfection as always.

pete · March 16, 2004, 02:03:40 PM

yep, all available films are the 95-min version. there has yet been an 120 version cut available.
I really really dug most of everything about it, except for the script, which was kinda hoaky. We'll argue over it when the film comes out for everyone to see.

grand theft sparrow · March 16, 2004, 02:05:18 PM

Quote from: peteyep, all available films are the 95-min version. there has yet been an 120 version cut available.
I really really dug most of everything about it, except for the script, which was kinda hoaky. We'll argue over it when the film comes out for everyone to see.

Thanks for the info. BTW, do you know where I can get an English translation of the opening crawl? I'm curious to know what it says.

MacGuffin · March 16, 2004, 02:21:29 PM

Trailer

pete · March 16, 2004, 04:54:53 PM

the scroll in the beginning (I don't have the DVD with me so I'm translating from memory) roughly says that in the post spring-autumn/ warring states era of China, the countries constantly fought one another, Qin, being the greatest kingdom of the seven, used its divide-and-conquer strategy to reign China. There had been many documented attempts to assassinate Qin She-Huan, China's first emperor, this is one of the stories...

the words in the end are a little more important, but I guess it's kinda dangerous translating it here.

MacGuffin · April 01, 2004, 02:01:06 AM

International Trailer #1

International Trailer #2

MacGuffin · April 08, 2004, 11:18:23 AM

Miramax Preps 'Hero,' Jet Li Unoptimistic

Kung Fu Cinema reports that a trailer for Hero will be playing before Kill Bill: Vol. 2 screenings in North America. This is according to an Asian consultant for Miramax, the company distributing both films. Apparently, director Zhang Yimou and several of the film's stars will do a ten-city promotional tour this summer. Although not organized by Miramax, Yimou is also scheduled to appear in Boston at the end of May to receive an honorary award from The Coolidge Corner Theater for his efforts on Hero.

There is also reported interest by Miramax in picking up Chen Kaige's first martial arts film, The Promise, now in production and Zhang Yimou's second wuxia film, Shi Mian Mai Fu, now in post-production. However, Shi Mian Mai Fu producer Zhang Weiping has already expressed a reluctance to work with Miramax again.

In a recent press conference to promote a sports drink, Jet Li appeared uncertain about either the US release date for Hero or its reported title change to Jet Li's Hero. He was unoptimistic about its box office potential in the States and acknowledged that most Chinese fans outside of China would have purchased an import copy of the film on DVD already.

Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino recently expressed interest in self-promoting Hero for Miramax in order to ensure that it gets a wider release in the US. Miramax has previously stalled its release several times after originally purchasing rights to the film two years ago. It's now tentatively scheduled for release on August 20th.

pete · April 08, 2004, 12:02:13 PM

yeah miramax really did Hero and Shaolin Soccer in. I'm actually interviewing to be one of Zhang Yimou's translators when he comes to Boston!

EDIT: just found out, I WILL translating!

matt35mm · April 08, 2004, 03:39:55 PM

I saw Hero in China in 2002 (at a Chinese movie theater, which is just cool). Um, the movie is... it has it's ups and downs. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near great, and it's sorta just tepidly good. There are some nice fighting sequences. The visual effects are laughably bad--especially evident on the large screen. They looked like pre-viz stuff--and this was definitely the final, full-length version.

The cinematography was good, although at times it (in combination with the action taking place) became that sort of "too-artsy" for the sake of being artsy thing. It was also really awkwardly paced. The whole thing just felt like it wasn't finished--but I'm SURE it was because I saw it during its Chinese official theatrical run. And I know it wasn't the 90-something-minute version.

So I could believe that this movie was edited for pacing reasons... however, what I'm hearing is that it was just edited to be shorter, and not approved by the director. But I would say that this was a so-so movie. I'm right in the middle with this one.

(Another thing: I am half-Chinese, so there really wouldn't be any cultural miscommunication that would affect my opinion of the film)

pete · April 08, 2004, 07:27:56 PM

it WAS the 90-minute version shown at the Chinese theater though. So far, there's only been the 90-minute version available.
I didn't think the CG was too bad. I thought the script was badly written--the guy had too many things to prove and too many things he wanted to breakthrough, but I don't think he knows the form well enough to revise it.

matt35mm · April 08, 2004, 09:07:31 PM

The script was weak (e.g. STAB "Ugh, you were quicker than me...")

REALLY? Wow, I thought it was Miramax that was trying to cut the film. How... how come it would be edited in China? So technically then, the 90 minute is the Theatrical Cut, and the longer one is just the director's cut.

Cuz jeez, the movie felt long enough.

pete · April 08, 2004, 09:57:02 PM

I think Zhang Yimou wanted to go for some type of simple poetry--oh well, those who read the English subtitles will probably like it better (since "how swift thy sword" sounded much better than "what a fast sword!"). I'm sorry you hated it so much. I thought it was really entertaining, as long as I didn't let the plot twists bother me--I found a lot of them inconsistent, and maybe half an hour more of character development could have saved them. Oh well. I don't wanna defend a movie that I didn't think was that good in the first place.

matt35mm · April 08, 2004, 10:29:02 PM

Oh I didn't hate it at all. I feel about the same way that you do. It, as you said, "wasn't that good," but I wouldn't say that it's bad either.

But see now I think Crouching Tiger is great.

I don't think a half hour of character development would've saved anything, though. I thought the movie just should have been a bit tighter, cuz it meandered a lot.

The basic idea of the movie is neat, showing the event in three or so completely ways with different colors (it's been done, but still, it's neat). But I just didn't feel that it worked. It was still an okay movie, though.