Columbia Pictures Heath Ledger stars as
would-be knight William Thatcher in "A Knight’s Tale."
“A Knight’s Tale” Starring Heath
Ledger, Rufus Sewell and Shanynn Sossamon Directed by Brian
Helgeland
William Thatcher wants to be a medieval tournament champion.
Australian heartthrob Heath Ledger plays the youthful dreamer and
delivers a rousing speech while hastily overlooking the obvious.
“You can’t even joust,” his comrades remind him.
Well, he can’t act either, but that hasn’t stopped
Ledger (“The Patriot,” “10 Things I Hate About
You”) from pursuing his real-life profession. Unlike his
off-screen alter ego, however, Thatcher must master his craft
before winning the support of the jousting junkies and the heart of
the ravishing Jocelyn (Sossamon). In 14th century Europe,
Thatcher’s dream of winning a jousting tournament is as
unlikely as his hopes of hooking up with the noble Jocelyn. A
wide-eyed underdog from humble beginnings, Thatcher thinks he can
change his destiny. He pretends to be a knight and successfully
competes in numerous tournaments under the guise of Sir Ulrich von
Lichtenstein. Medieval social hierarchy acts as a convenient
obstacle to evoke compassion for William’s cause.The device
is exploited throughout the film to evoke sympathy for William,
because Ledger’s performance isn’t going to do it on
its own. The use of classic rock throughout the movie puts an edgy
spin on the fairy tale premise, but ultimately compromises the tone
of the film. In the opening scene, fans at a jousting tournament
eat turkey legs and do the wave to Queen’s “We Will
Rock You.” The farcical tone of the film comes through loud
and clear ““ the film is obviously not a serious period piece.
The transitions from medieval melodies to rock music are abrupt,
making scenes awkward and absurd. For instance, when Thatcher and
Jocelyn are immersed in a dainty medieval dance the music suddenly
turns from a serenely elegant opus to a modern hip-hop ruckus. As a
last ditch effort to elevate the movie’s climate, the film
makes a clumsy allusion to a great literary figure. Thatcher meets
an unemployed writer by the name of Geoff Chaucer (Paul Bettany).
Not only is Chaucer too witty for his own good, he has a serious
gambling problem and dreams of gaining revenge by fiction. He is
also the only character that flaunts his presence with an inventive
freshness that lacks from the film as a whole. Though many of the
tournament scenes are propelled by a momentum that captures the
rabble-rousing excitement of the period, weak performances and a
crippled storyline blunt the film’s attempts at sincerity.
Even with the help of War’s “Lowrider,” “A
Knight’s Tale” is clearly a film without a cause.
Emilia Hwang Rating: 4
“Pavilion of Women”
Universal Focus
Starring Luo Yan and Willem Dafoe
Directed by Yim Ho
For a wealthy and powerful Chinese woman in 1938, buying a
concubine for your husband to escape sexual duties seems like a
smart move in return for a semblance of independence. But nothing
ever works out as planned. This is the premise of “Pavilion
of Women,” a powerfully emotional and provocative film about
pre-World War II China. Its impact, however, derives from
predictable, clichéd tear-jerking tactics that often come
across as more canned than genuine. Based on a novel by Nobel Prize
winner Pearl S. Buck, this movie presents an old Hollywood, classic
love story, in line with “Doctor Zhivago” and
“Gone with the Wind.” It’s an international
production, with most of the film shot in China. The movie is the
English-language debut for Luo Yan, who also produced the film and
co-wrote the screenplay. Yan plays the impeccable Madame Wu, who
announces she will arrange a concubine for her husband on her 40th
birthday, scandalizing her guests by breaking with tradition.
“He deserves someone younger,” she explains. Young
peasant girl Chiuming (Yi Ding), however, fails to satisfy Mr. Wu,
who instead frequents the local brothel, a surreal place called the
“Flower Boat” that seems a bower of bliss. Wu’s
son, Fengmo (John Cho), objects to the marriage from its onset. But
soon his sympathy for Chiuming turns into affection, and their
affair further challenges his family’s traditional values.
This is more than a messy love triangle. And Chiuming isn’t
the only stranger to enter the Wu family’s life. Madame Wu
hires an American missionary doctor (Willem Dafoe) to tutor her
son, and they fall in love. The movie tells the story of a family
attempting to uphold old values and its façade while its
members no longer can adhere to its feudal rules. The family and
the town they live in slowly modernizes and becomes aware of
international politics, culminating with the invasion of Japanese
soldiers. With so much of the film filled with symbolic
significance indicated by mood music, dramatic scenes sometimes
become trite. Looking through Andre’s telescope for the first
time, Madame Wu looks at the moon and sees beyond her world. The
subtext is that each member of the family similarly realizes that
there is more of a world out there, not accounted for by family
rules. Still, does the audience want to watch a movie that employs
such obvious visual metaphors and heavy symbolic moments, such as
Madame Wu naming an orphan “Love”? Visually beautiful
with its lavish, colorful displays of Wu wealth and scenes from
China’s countryside, images bring the film to life like a
cinematic picture book. But the ambitious scope of a film fraught
with dramatic irony ““ with the appearance of electricity and
the Communist Chinese Army, simply to name a few ““ is too
wide, and the film tries to do too much. Characters are tied
intimately to their actions and scenery, turning them more into
stereotypes than believable, three-dimensional people who really
lived. Take Andre, for instance, who runs an orphanage, complete
with scantily clad children who are just props and symbols of this
character’s altruism. Sure, it’s touching and heart
warming to see him risk his life by running into a burning building
and saving a child, but you get the sense that you’ve seen
this scene before and that it was better the first time, despite
this film’s intensity.
Emi Kojima Rating: 5
“Time and Tide”
Starring Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai
Directed by Tsui Hark
Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark seems to have an impeccable
ability to reinvent himself. Though he is known for action and
martial arts films such as “A Chinese Ghost Story” and
“Once Upon a Time in China,” he has also shown his
capability to do drama and comedy, such as in “The
Lovers” and “The Chinese Feast.” Hark does it
again with his latest directorial work, “Time and
Tide,” (“Seunlau ngaklau”) which he also
co-wrote. This time Hark blends his action and drama styles to
create a serious work that is also fun to watch. The plot of the
film is convoluted, following Tyler (Chinese pop star Nicholas
Tse), who is simultaneously trying to financially support his
unborn child, pay back a loan shark by joining his bodyguard team
and to flee to a South American paradise. These plans, often
contradicting each other, cause Tyler to evaluate his life. The
style of the film is fast and furious. Hark uses his signature
quick cuts to present stimulating images at such a fast pace that
it often causes confusion. But rather than coming off as
amateurish, it comes off as genius. Instead of merely asking for
the audience’s suspension of disbelief, Hark literally forces
it on you with ease. Hark, who was educated in Texas, pays homage
to many American films, essentially Hong Kong-izing them. For
example, Jack (Wu Bai, another pop star) jumps off a building
holding a firehose as Bruce Willis does in “Die Hard.”
The only difference is that Jack flies off to a nearby freeway
overpass, pushing the limits of action. Hark also makes use of
computer effects, which are rare in Hong Kong films due to
financing. In a nod to “Fight Club,” Hark has an
apartment blow up due to a loose gas fuse. The quick zooms
prevalent in commercials and “The Matrix” are also
used. Hark struggles with a desire to create a drama along with an
action film. The switch between the two styles sometimes clashes,
causing confusion for viewers. The first half is more dramatic than
the second, which is devoted to action. Although this transition
isn’t completely seamless, Hark makes the case that the
action is derived from the drama. Like John Woo’s films, the
mindless action has meaning only because of the drama that proceeds
it. The film begins as a meditation on life and creation, mirroring
the two pregnant women (Candy Lo and Cathy Chui) who deliver during
the course of the film. Later the film shifts gears and becomes a
crime film that more closely resembles a Quentin Tarantino film
than a film about impending fatherhood. As action begins to eclipse
the drama, Hark begins to come alive with the vibrant action for
which he is known. Tyler chases down an assassin, sliding on floors
and down escalators with the fluidity of Jackie Chan without the
feeling of premeditation. The camera pans make the urban landscape
of apartment complexes and skyscrapers seem panoramic rather than
claustrophobic, adding depth to the space of the action. Hark is
often credited with creating the Hong Kong New Wave, which has
since faded away. But elements of it appear again in “Time
and Tide.” Hark is obviously still interested in exploring
the mores and ethics of an increasingly urban, capitalistic
environment. But make no mistake, this film is also an action flick
aiming to please, and it does so splendidly.
Howard Ho Rating: 8