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Upcoming Release Calendar
38
12 Rounds Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Curse of the Golden Flower
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MPAA RATING: R for violence
Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Liu Ye, Chen Jin, Jay Chou, Ni Dahong, Li Man, and Qin Junjie
Set in 10th century China, the film portrays the imperial Chinese family rapidly losing internal strength due to a power struggle between the emperor (Yun-Fat), the empress (Li), and the couple's three sons.
| GENRE(S): | Action | Adventure | Drama | Foreign | Romance |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Zhang Yimou
Cao Yu (play) |
| DIRECTED BY: | Zhang Yimou |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: March 27, 2007 Theatrical: December 21, 2006 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 114 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | Hong Kong / China |
| LANGUAGE(S): | Mandarin (with English subtitles) |
Original title "Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 70 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Sylocat gave it a5:
To say that the visual aesthetic of this film is stunning would be the understatement of the century; this movie is so gorgeous that it almost deserves a viewing on the big screen for that alone, and the battle sequences are among the most epic in the history of wuxia movies. That said, the story of the film is a stunning exemplification of every problem I have with wuxia movies. The overblown symbolism, the soap-opera plot, and the ending so pointlessly depressing that you could almost picture the writer(s) laying awake in bed at night trying to think up the method to cynically jerk the most tears out of the pretentious art-film audience. The emperor in this case is so cartoonishly sadistic that I found myself thinking, "Surely they wouldn't go to all this trouble to hammer into us how evil this guy is without planning to dethrone him in the end," but sure enough, they did exactly that, because having the powerful remain in power and the rebellious characters die is an ingrained staple of this genre, and the moment I realized they were in fact going to do that (about a half-hour short of the finish line), I felt like turning it off in disgust. They raised our hopes at the very end again, only to dash them. Now that's a metaphor for the movie.
Dawn S. gave it a10:
I love this movie, it always want to make me cry at the end!
Jennifer S. gave it a9:
Just beautiful. Suprising and interesting plot. Gong Li was brilliant.
Armond A. gave it an8:
For the first time in seven years, since I installed a an 8.5 foot projection system in my home, I felt that someone was going say, "Man you're gonna need a bigger...screen!!". This movie cannot be shrunk, or in any way reduced--in size, in sound, in color saturation, in brightness. I was lucky enough to see the blu-ray version of the DVD, and run through a new 3-chip RUNCO projector, the image made jaws drop--though as I've said, even a relatively enormous home screen seemed a bit skimpy. Those who saw it in the "theater" may still not have gotten the full treatment, because the film should be shown on a super- wide that's more than twice as wide as it is high. Zhang Yimou is a truly cinematic storyteller, which means that the entire "scene" is part of the narrative. Most of Mr. Zhang's films are based on rather simple, classic tales, often carrying old truths. This story was an illustration of the Chinese saying "Jade and Gold on the surface, Rot and Decay underneath. " If you see this film presented correctly you SEE and experience the spectacle of overwhelming splendor and disgusting carnage.
Dan gave it a9:
A thoroughly enjoyable movie. The plot is interesting, but the film is really brought to life by the spectacular costumes, stylish Crouching Tiger-like fight scenes, and a brilliant performance by Gong Li as the empress plotting her husband's overthrow while having some on the side fun with her stepson (surprisingly she is not the baddie).
John B. gave it a7:
Curse of the Golden Flower is a solid movie that both captivates and entertains. Like many others have said, the costumes and sets really steal the movie. Overall, it was worth seeing and great all around just nothing outstanding.
HJ gave it a2:
One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Laughable fighting scenes, some famous but inexperienced "actors" like Jay, and large titties, that's what's the movie all about.
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