the American release of that was recut by Miramax (of course), which couldn't have helped. I've not seen the original cut but I can't imagine it being drastically improved, but still, 20 minutes is a damn big cut.
hey, speaking of Jackie Chan, and directors of films he appears in also named Chan (Teddy and Benny in this case)
Shaolin just came out for legit American release and its not bad at all, well, it actually is, but don't let that stop you from seeing it. A little context first.
Benny Chan is one of the few directors in the Chinese film industry who gets to make fairly high profile genre films at a consistent pace. The reason he's not a big name is because he's not great, none of his films are classics of any sort and he doesn't have a damn clue about how to make compelling drama in between all the stunt and fight sequences that is his actual proficency. His best films are the ones that you can take the least seriously and with a minimum of teeth gnashing emotion (
Connected, the superior remake of the American Kim Basinger film, is one).
Shaolin is not in that latter catagory. But that's okay, even though you can make a viable and deadly drinking game every time some character (usually leading man Andy Lau, but almost everyone gets a turn) starts weeping, there's still enough entertainment value to be gleaned from the pretty damn good stunt and fight scenes and to be honest, the very earnest melodrama gets entertaing after a while. Its a mediocore filmmaker's attempt to get respectable, but still hits all the entertainment high points needed of a rousing action picture. It gets the job done, but is only as satisfying as a pretty good fast food cheesburger.
3/5
I would have less quibbles with
Martha Marcy May Marlene, but in its own way, its also not entirely complete, but that's by design. Its a low budget, true indie film that's almost a thriller about an escaped cult member and her difficult reintegration back into society. The flashback heavy structure mirrors her fragile and conflicted mental state, and does so well, but the main character remains difficult to read.
But then again, that's clearly kinda the point of it all. Elizabeth Olsen is terreffic in playing a spooked, unsure, confident, brazen, and very damaged character. Its a tough part, and the movie wouldn't have worked at all if she wasn't so utterly convincing as the volitile cipher that she puts on here. Its hard to get a handle on whats she's thinking, but then again, people in cults aren't known for being logical about most things, so that fits quite well.
It would have been nicer to see more of the compound where Martha lives with her 'boyfriend', or to get a better understanding of how she fell into that life in the first place and what kept her there. But those answers are almost certainly unclear to the protagionist as well, and as much as she reveals about herself she keeps just as much close to her chest. Its a film that will invarably frusterate the viewer, and I don't think its nessecary to be quite as opaque as it is, but its still a very good, very well performed film that earns every bit of the despairing emotions it wrings from the audience.
4/5
