180 South

Wisdom and stunning cinematography combined!
The core conversation for me - the symbolism of walking towards the edge of a cliff. Rather than 'turning back' it's all about making a 180 degree turn and then 'stepping forward'. And this is only one of many jewels of wisdom and cinematography in a wonderfully honest and understated journey of a man who understands that nothing replaces the experience of going to beautiful and wild places. It grounds you and makes you really love a place - and then you feel the need to protect it. I had no idea what I would see when I randomly stumbled over this film, but I watched it twice that very evening only to watch it again.

What's Useless About It?
This movie is a documentary, but it's a little hard to categorize. I think I'd really call it a POLEMIC- against Western capitalist culture, which is dominating most of the world at present (since even so-called "third world" countries are intent on emulating the successes of capitalism). How DO you describe a movie that encompasses sailing, surfing, mountain-climbing, retracing a climb made in 1968 by world-class climbers, lectures about the evils of dams and environmental destruction, a commercial plug for protecting Patagonia, the history of Easter Island, and philosophical musings and mumblings, all wrapped together and packaged with some of the most idiosyncratic music score I've ever listened to in a movie? [I don't know what to call this music-it's mostly one-voice, accompanied by guitar or other simple instrumentals-it sounds sort of folksy-rustic-country, but nothing that I've ever heard before. Sometimes it was irritating, and sometimes I really enjoyed it]...

Gorgeous Cinematography w/Confused Message
3.5 Stars:

This film is the narrative of one man who is disaffected by the excesses of society and tries to simplify his life by casting himself into the unknown of adventure. With the goal of being the second person to climb Corcovado Volcano in Patagonia, he follows in the footsteps of several men who came before him in the 1960s. The message is a positive one of conservationism, and by just watching the protagonist trek around, you'll wish you were there getting lost with him. It is beautifully shot with an equally great soundtrack of subdued folk songs, including Mason Jennings' recent hit which is featured during the end credits.

But, the film's positive message is easily lost in the narcissism and vainglory of its characters. Through their own terrible self-narration, they come across as overly privileged, preachy, self-righteous, White bourgeois whiners. With their strong anti-corporate and anti-government bias, one is left only to feel that they are...

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The Warlords (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray]

A Remake of Chang Cheh's Classic Is a Rousing Epic!
THE WARLORDS (2007) is an ambitious film directed by Peter Chan, one of Hong Kong's known filmmakers. This film has a very impressive cast in Jet Li (Fearless), Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (Returner). This period epic is loosely based on Chang Cheh's classic; BLOOD BROTHERS. I've seen a lot of Chinese epics and thankfully "The Warlords" is not a part of the colorful, overindulgent film geared towards U.S. audiences. Truly, this film is darker and grittier than most Chinese epics, but still has massive commercial appeal and will no doubt be popular to international audiences.

The Taiping Rebellion has plunged the country in chaos. General Quing-yun Pang (Jet Li) is the lone survivor of a massive battle between the Christian Taiping and the Qing dynasty under command. That evening, he finds comfort in the arms of comely Lian (Xu Jinglei) but she disappears the following day. Pang encounters a group of bandits led by Er-hu Zhao (Andy Lau) and Jiang...

Outstanding in every respect
Jet Li as a villain is quite a remarkable piece of casting, and everyone really holds their own in this action epic set in 1860s China. The title in English is Warlords but in Chinese it was Blood Brothers, and features three men who are doing their best to survive in a wartorn land.
Jet Li, a great general in the Imperial army, is betrayed and the only man in his army to survive. His resurrection from the dead is both fascinating and appalling to watch as his desire for power obliterates all before him. Andy Lau gives the performance of a lifetime as the head of a band of brigands, who first follows Jet Li but later becomes disaffected by what he sees and tries to turn back from the collision course the ambitious general has set them all on.
Takeshi Kaneshiro as the youngest of the three strong male leads is remarkable in terms of both his battle prowess and how loyal he is to both men, until he is forced to choose sides. Complicating matters still further is the fact that...

Gonna get the Megastar import version instead.
Great film. Great actors. Great directing. Ho-Sun Chan is in top form here. But, once again, just like with "Iron Monkey" and "Suriyothai" we get these "American" cut versions. WHICH SUCKS!!! I am a film school student and have studied films for over 20 years and I despise it when a foreign film is cut "supposedly" to our western liking. Who asked Magnolia to cut 13-14 minutes of the film anyway? Surely fans of foreign films did not ask for this. Read the dvdbeaver comparison to find out what is missing in the "American" cut. Magnolia, you dropped the ball on this one. I bought your versions of "Haeundae" (interestingly renamed "Tidal Wave". Haeundae does not mean Tidal Wave. It is the town in South Korea where the tsunami hits), "Chocolate", "Ong Bak 2", "Let The Right One In" (except for the subtitle complaints) and others and I am pleased with them. But, remember this, true film fans want the "director's vision" of a film, not the version that you "think we would want"!!! I am...

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