Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, ‘300′ is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller’s (Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.
Star(s) to watch : Gerard Butler (”Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”) as King Leonidas, Lena Headey (”The Cave”) as Queen Gorgo, & David Wenham (”The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, “Van Helsing”) as Dilios.
Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama, Adaptation, War.
Maggie Q and Andy Lau’s latest epic movie ‘Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon’ finally gets a trailer. The movie is based on “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, a vast 600-year-old novel by Luo Guanzhong that ranks as one of China’s four most important pieces of literature, which also provided source material for John Woo’s upcoming ‘Battle of Red Cliff’ which stars Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Taiwan supermodel Lin Chiling.
As usual, Chinese war movie is good. The action and the fighting of this movie is good. The dialog is also cool and the acting is awesome. You’ll be easily satisfied by watching the action without thinking the story line.
Andy Lau stars as Zhao Zilong, a veteran general of the Kingdom of Shu who took a last stand against the invading forces from the Kingdom of Wei. Maggie Q is the fictional Cao Ying, a grand-daughter of the warlord Cao Cao, whose son Cao Pi became the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.
Star(s) to watch : Andy Lau (”Infernal Affairs”, “The Warlords”) as Zhao Zilong, & Maggie Q (”Naked Weapon”, “Live Free or Die Hard”, “Mission: Impossible III”) as Cao Ying.
Genre : Action, Adventure, War, Drama, Adaptation.
Love, politics and loyalty threaten to tear apart three soldiers in this lavish historical epic from Hong Kong. In 1870, the power of the corrupt Qing Dynasty has been threatened by the rise of a revolutionary army, led by religious fanatics, and civil war is tearing the nation apart. Pang Qingyun (Jet Li), a good man who finds himself fighting for the Qing leadership, is one of the only survivors of a bloody battle in between revolutionaries and Qing troops, and is looking for someplace to go when he’s offered shelter by a beautiful peasant woman, Lian (Xu Jinglei). Pang and Lian spend the night in each others arms, and he finds himself falling in love with her. Pang sets out to make his way home when he’s befriended by Zhao Erhu (Andy Lau) and Jiang Wuyang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a pair of bandits. When Jiang is attacked in an ambush, Pang helps save his life, and the three men become blood brothers in a gory ritual. Pang convinces Jiang and Zhao to join him in the fight against the revolutionaries, and with their help Pang is able to achieve some impressive victories. However, when Pang allows his own ego and dreams of glory to override his common sense and loyalty, Zhao and Jiang come to distrust their ally, and matters become worse when it is revealed that Lian is Zhao’s wife. Tou Ming Zhuang (aka The Warlords) was a major box office success in China and Eastern Asia before making its way to theaters in Europe and the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Star(s) to watch : Jet Li (”Hero”, “Fearless”, “Kiss of the Dragon”, “Once Upon a Time in China”) as General Ma Xinyi, Andy Lau (”Infernal Affairs”) as Cao Er-Hu, & Takeshi Kaneshiro (”Returner”) as Zhang Wen-Xiang.
In ancient China, rival kingdoms grapple for ultimate reign. On a battlefield, a dying king commands his daughter, Princess Fei-Er (Kelly Chen) to take the helm and defend their kingdom with help from general Xue-Hu (Donnie Yen). Fei-Er’s cousin, Wu Ba (Guo Xiao-Dong) also has his eyes on the throne and sends out assassins to kill the princess. A mysterious man named Duan Lan-Quan (Leon Lai) manages to save Fei-Er from the grisly fate and they fall in love. Fei-Er must choose between following her dreams to elope with Duan and submitting to her duty to defend her kingdom.
Star(s) to watch : Donnie Yen (”Hero”, “Dragon Tiger Gate”) as Xue-Hu, & Kelly Chen (”Infernal Affairs”) as Fei-Er.
