Chinese Movies

Yesterday I watched "Raise the Red Lantern," a Zhang Yimou directed movie starring Gong Li when she was really young. I thought it was pretty good. It was based on a book which I could tell was much more involved than the movie. At the end they make some references to a dead person haunting the house. Knowing Chinese movies and literature, I'm sure there was an overriding ghost theme throughout the book, but it only showed up in one scene in the movie, so it seemed pointless.

I realized that if I had seen that movie before seeing a lot of other Chinese movies I would probably think it was much better. Once you get to know a director's style though, their usage of certain devices becomes a little boring. Old Chinese architecture is really grand and simple and makes a shot really beautiful. After you do it enough it's a little played out. I think it's Zhang Yimou in particular; Wong Kar-Wai mostly focuses on how emo people can look while smoking a cigarette.

I also watched "The Visitor" which is about a man who lives in CT and comes into NY for a conference, only to find a couple squatting in his apartment. They are illegals, and long story short, he gets caught up in their lives because he hates his own life. Other than being fairly predictable, it was really good. All the acting was good and the ending didn't try to be too perfect or cheesy. 4/5 stars.