I'm interested to hear any opinions of Lust, Caution. I respect Ang Lee and thought this movie was an excellent piece of film making. However, most of the reviews I've read seem to focus not on the movie but merely on the sex contained within the movie.
I'm interested to hear if people without a Chinese background fully understood this movie. And if you did was it because you had previous knowledge of this period of history? Do you think the film crosses cultural backgrounds?
I'm interested to hear if people without a Chinese background fully understood this movie. And if you did was it because you had previous knowledge of this period of history? Do you think the film crosses cultural backgrounds?
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Re: Lust, Caution
Sun, January 27, 2008 - 12:31 AMI haven't checked yet but I really hope there will be an uncut version on dvd soon because i don't want to see anything that was sliced up for the rating board. It looks like a great film. -
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Re: Lust, Caution
Wed, January 30, 2008 - 4:58 AMThe first time I saw the film was at the cinema in China, so a lot was cut out of it. It did, surprisingly, have English subtitles!
(I just watched the new Stephen Chow film but that didn't have English subtitles, so I didn't understand it all unfortunately)
I've read a lot of reviews about Lust, Caution. A lot of the American critics just don't seem to get it! Some of them, I think, mustn't have any knowledge of Chinese cinema.
I think maybe the NC-17 rating has affected their expectations of the film, as lots comment that you only get to see the sex 90 minutes into the film. Is this because they don't understand the history in the film and are therefore not able to understand the first half of the film, or does the NC-17 rating mean they were expecting something completely different?
(I'm not American so didn't understand what ND-17 rating was until reading about it in reference to this film.) -
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Re: Lust, Caution
Wed, January 30, 2008 - 10:25 AMI think that many American critics DON'T have deep knowledge of Chinese cinema. Everything they've seen stars Gong li or was directed by Wong Kar-Wai (whom I love, by the way), and they only know Stephen Chow from his last two films. They think that "Crouching Tiger" is representative of wuxia films (another film I like, by the way -- unlike many purists -- but I would never confuse it with a Shaw Brothers extravaganza).
Some things that Americancritics may underappreciate are the deep sentimental, maudlin streak HK film has; the intense male bonding that goes on in even the most violent gangster flick; the sheer love of food the culture has; the fondness for strong, "tough love" mother figures; the total worship of the "cool" male; and the many ways in which films reference each other (Stephen Chow, for example, loves Chinese cinema in-jokes). These are just a few items off of the top of my head that often get lost in translation.
I can't wait for Chow's new film -- what's it about? MonkeyPeaches.com mentions "CJ7" -- is it out yet?
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Re: Lust, Caution
Sun, January 27, 2008 - 8:08 AMI'm not of Chinese background, and didn't find the sex esp shocking. Scenes in 2046 were hotter for example-
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Re: Lust, Caution
Tue, April 15, 2008 - 11:29 AMMy main thought on Lust, cation is Ang Lee I want that 157 minutes of my life back. Him and War should team up and make the most boring pointless dreary film of all time and just get it over with.
Technically the movie was well done but what kind of story is that?! Also what is his deal with highlighting the deranged sex scenes so much? I almost started enjoying the film when it was about resistance fighters and a period of history I know little about (or rather I don't know much about the occupation of China specifically) but then it just turns into visual torture and drawn out boredom, not to mention the end. Wtf was that ending all about? Seems like he is trying to show he understands women's feelings but it's near insulting that the woman makes her choice right when she ...***************spoiler alert***********............ gets that rock on her finger, how typical is that? lol
Anyway I just didn't get anything out of this film in the long run, but then again I dislike most drama without a message, there is plenty of that IRL. -
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Re: Lust, Caution
Tue, April 15, 2008 - 11:31 AMoh and if you want to see a good film by Ang that is also about tragic love I'd higly recommend Brokeback, which was actually a good movie as sad as it may be.. In my not so humble opinion.
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Re: Lust, Caution
Tue, April 15, 2008 - 5:51 PMvisual torture about covers it, i understand the point he's making about how long the chick suffers for the cause and all, but i understood it looong before it was over...and it kinda gives you a stomach ache after a while... -
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Re: Lust, Caution
Wed, April 16, 2008 - 9:38 AMheheh yeah exactly, he just had to keep drilling that, and seemed to almost like the torture sex. Funny enough I actually had terrible heartbrun while watching it, I thought it was the food but now that you mention it ...hmm -
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Re: Lee, Caution
Wed, April 16, 2008 - 3:21 PM"The Hulk"?
Now you're giving ME heartburn. -
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Re: Lee, Caution
Thu, April 17, 2008 - 9:23 AMi liked the hulk better, but it did have that same sort of meaningless drifty feeling i suppose, i wonder what Ang Lee's personal life is like? -
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Re: Lee, Caution
Thu, April 17, 2008 - 6:02 PMThe "Hulk" film crew shot several days of scenes in my old neighborhood, which involved loud helicopters hovering DIRECTLY over my apartment.
So when I saw the film, I thought, "This is what I lost sleep for? FUCK Ang Lee." -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
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Re: Lee, Caution
Fri, April 18, 2008 - 1:44 PMI couldn't see how it could get any worse.
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