RM Movie Club #1: Once Upon a Time in Shanghai

[Jorge]

The crane shot comes back at the end! Symmetry.

I really like this song.

Alright... let me think about this.

[Kaius]

RESUMING

My favorite bromance of all times.

[Jorge]

There are a few things about this movie that I enjoyed. I thought the art direction and design was great. There were a few really striking, surprisingly beautiful images throughout that betray the director's artier inclinations. I really liked Long Qi and thought the way the filmmakers played with our perception of the character was clever. I thought the chemistry between Long Qi and Fist Boy was great, and I enjoyed their growing respect and then affection for each other. The score was fine, you know, functional, but that recurring jazz ballad was very nice. I really like how it was used. The film moved along at a good pace, keeping things snappy rather than wringing every last bit of melodrama out of the (very melodrama-prone) story. That was good.

And yet, there's a lot that didn't work for me. The artfulness I mentioned actually got in the way of the fight scenes, which often felt obscured and unnecessarily stylized, diluting the impact of what should be some of the movie's most devastating moments with deliberately awkward framing and overt editing tricks. I don't think that approach works for something this pulp-y. Also I wasn't really invested in any of the characters aside from Long Qi. Fist Boy had zero charisma. But more importantly, there didn't seem to be much of a point to the movie. It felt like a simple 1930s-retelling of a couple strung-together folk tales exploring nothing. There's no discernible purpose in its stylistic choices (referring to the extreme desaturation here), no deftness in how it executes its themes. I'm not sorry I watched it. I just didn't really get much out of it.

edit: phone changed "desaturation" to "destination"

[@SkitchP]

Im not sure I ever watched a Kung Fu movie in its entirety before this. And I know why. I do not enjoy them. I appreciate a lot of the choreography and settings. But... I dont know. They just dont do a whole lot for me. Thanks though Kaius for giving me the chance to watch something I otherwise would have avoided.

[Jorge]

Did you actually watch it? Tell the truth

[@SkitchP]

Did you actually watch it? Tell the truth

yes. I watched it.

[Jorge]

Hmmmm.

Kaius, do you believe him?

[Norah]

I believe you, Skitch.

[@SkitchP]

I believe you, Skitch.

Thank you chudwick.

[Jorge]

RESUMING

My favorite bromance of all times.

It was pretty homoerotic, yeah? Eating hot dogs together and stuff

[bada]

Pretty clear what punching cows means vs the joys of eating hotdogs.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

[BurtReynolds]

I guess I should watch this.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

I guess I should watch this.

please do

also, ruddo promised a review last week but never posted it

[Rangi Guy]

There are two weeks to watch the fucking movie. People are busy, they'll do it whenever they can.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

There are two weeks to watch the fucking movie. People are busy, they'll do it whenever they can.

are you okay?

[Rangi Guy]

There are two weeks to watch the fucking movie. People are busy, they'll do it whenever they can.

are you okay?

I should have really kept that in quotes.....
Tired after a busy weekend

[lennytheweedwhacker]

There are two weeks to watch the fucking movie. People are busy, they'll do it whenever they can.

are you okay?

I should have really kept that in quotes.....
Tired after a busy weekend

peace be with you

[Jorge]

There are two weeks to watch the fucking movie. People are busy, they'll do it whenever they can.

Still true. This thread isn't going anywhere, people are welcome to chime in anytime

[Jorge]

I'm also still waiting for Kaius's own take on the film