Was really cool.

I agree.

I wouldn't know because my crappy theater didn't get it. Feh.

best cinematography ive seen perhaps ever.
pretty lame of tarantino sticking his name in the trailers when all he had to do with the movie was providing the money to release it stateside. imagine that-tarantino doing something lame! oh i also heard he is playing...get this...himself in the upcoming Muppet remake of the Wizard of Oz.

Yeah, who cares if the only reason you saw the movie was because he invested millions of dollars in a movie he loved and desperately wanted people to see. Since when did they start giving credits to people who did nothing but provide financial backing to a movie!?!

Yeah, I believe those hacks are called "Executive Producers"

well usually when his name is stapled to something, you think of his directing or writing. i dont know...it gave me the wrong impression when i saw the trailer before kill bill 2 as it said "from quinton tarantino...".
im happy he did fund it, i just think he can be a bit of a tool sometimes.
is he a fan of feable weiner or something, carl? if so, i apologize for saying something wrong about a friend of yours.

(Edited by SuperElk at 11:28 pm on Sep. 6, 2004)

I was just kidding around. I knew what you were getting at. That's always annoyed me, too. Especially when they say something vague like, "From the people who brought you The Lord of The Rings Trilogy comes... The Chronicles of Riddick!" and instead of being directed by Peter Jackson, some dude who played an orc or something is the best boy grip.

(Edited by carligula at 10:40 am on Sep. 7, 2004)

Wes Craven presents shit all the time. It's an advertising hook.

More likely is that Miramax figured that an Asian film would fare better at the box office if a big American filmmaker threw his name on it, and since its inclusion in the release calendar was at Tarantino's urging, and since said filmmaker is Miramax's cash cow, it all came together. I imagine Tarantino put up some money, but I'd wager that Harvey put up just as much.

But we can't just go around patting the 'Max on the back for bringing us this fine, fine example of glorious (if not exhuberantly pro-China) cinema. There's plenty here that is sinister. Hero is merely an apropos example of Buena Vista(miramax's parent company)'s terrible policy toward Asian cinema. They hold the rights to hundreds and hundreds of films, which they buy cheaply from their filmmakers in Asia and which they rarely release. They do however prohibit the sale of said films in the United States, even from legitimate (but imported) dvds. They make it nearly impossible to see scores of fine films. Hero, for example, first screened in this country (at festivals and on college campuses) in 2002. Why did it take so long for them to release it here? They wanted Zhang Yimou to recut it for American audiences. Why? God knows. As intended, the film played to the audiences I've seen it with famously. No one seemed put off in the least. But this (and other bureaucracy) prevented us from seeing Hero in wide release for over TWO YEARS. Hero was the cover story of American Cinematographer in August of 2003. But the thing is, Hero is in the massive minority of the films that Buena Vista holds the rights to, because you at least got to see it. Most films, many wonderful, don't get even that. But their rights are locked up by Buena Vista, who likely will do nothing with them, but won't allow anyone else to release them either. Tis a sad state. Take "Infernal Affairs." Reportedly fantastic film, opening under the Miramax brand tomorrow in New York, with no real plans of a wide release. The film stars Hero's Tony Leung, an incredible actor. But we likely won't see the film until Miramax releases Martin Scorcese's remake, starring DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Truly a shame.

But the biggest shame? Hero's cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, will continue to be denied the Oscar he deserves. In Hero, he accomplished what no other cinematographer (to my knowledge) has acheived: he gets mentioned, and his work praised, in every single review. No matter how lowbrow the publication, no matter how out of character it would be for the publication to discuss the technical process, ever review calls attention to Doyle's work. And with good reason: the film is amazingly gorgeous, and has interesting play with color you just don't see often enough. But Hero was nominated for Best Foreign Language film in 2002. This doesn't lock a film's chances at the Oscars (City of God was Brazil's candidate in 2002 as well, and received 4 nominations in 2003) but a film has to find its release within a year. Miramax let the ball drop, and in doing so, cost alot of people alot of recognition, Doyle more than anyone.

Buena Vista has the rights to another work of Christopher Doyle, Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, and Maggie Cheung: Wong Kar-Wai's 2046. Let's hope that we all get to see that one before 2006.

<end rant>

Will

i saw it a few days ago... i think that is the most beautifully shot movie i've ever seen. granted, i can see how it was requested to be recut from a pop culture standpoint; there were parts i could see suits thinking were too 'slow' for US filmgoers, but those scenes would allow you to just sit and take in everything onscreen.

i'm horrible at writing reviews. i'll just say this... i left the theater unable to say anything other than 'wow'

i keep hearing more and more about this movie. but the thing is, over the past few weeks whenever someone brought it up, i kept thinking, "wait a minute, i swear i read about this movie years ago...". I thought i was crazy. thanks for the clarification wiyum, you refreshed my memory. i remember reading a review and wanting to see it back in the day, but it never came to nashville and i totally forgot about it until recently.

unfortunately i'll prolly have to wait till video now.

Anything for a gent with a picture of Belmondo as his avatar.

And that member title. Can't forget that.

Do try to see it if it is still playing somewhere. Doesn't Green Hills still have it? I'd imagine they would...

Will

I'd say it's the best movie of the year.