She’s been queen of the toy box for nearly 50 years, but now sales of Barbie are taking a bashing. The culprit? The bling-bling Bratz dolls. Margaret Talbot wonders whether we should be worried. Continue reading ›
Also tagged paris hilton, personality, Story, teens, usa
Forget everything you know about Feng Xiaogang. While Zhang Yimou, one of China’s most revered arthouse directors, used the wuxia epic to make a move towards mainstream success director Feng, one of China’s most successful commercial directors, is here using the wuxia to make exactly the opposite move.
Feng’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Banquet is every inch an epic scaled art film - deeply theatrical, stunningly beautiful, filled with intriguing contradictions, and a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the source material.
Set in tenth century China when the vast land was a political shambles, the dominant empire crumbling with rebellious regions splintering off into rival kingdoms, The Banquet stars Daniel Wu - a major star who has long since outgrown the teen idol roles that inexplicably remain his staple - as Wu Luan, the reluctant crown prince of the empire who withdrew to the country and joined an acting troupe three years previous when his father married Wan (Zhang Ziyi), his childhood friend and would-be lover.
Wu Luan’s quiet life as an artist is shattered when his ambitious uncle kills the Emperor, assumes the throne and sends a band of assassins to kill the rightful heir. Wan, for her part, recognizes that the self appointed Emperor is a threat both to herself and to her true love, Wu Luan, and in a bid to protect him agrees to marry the new Emperor.
With this slight modification to the character of the queen, who is now step-mother and lover, the film now moves ahead mirroring Hamlet quite closely throughout.
The Banquet is a curious blend of competing and seemingly self-contradictory elements - at once larger than life yet tightly restrained, both shockingly beautiful and shockingly brutal - and that Feng is able to pull it off is a testament to his very talented cast, his range of gifted collaborators, and his own skills as a director.
Reportedly frustrated with his reputation as a purveyor of fluff Feng has intended The Banquet as proof that he is capable of more and prove his point he has.
Read more at TwitchFilm
Also tagged china, Story
It’s the first male heir born to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 41 years. Regardless of how it may dent the hopes of those who wanted to see a change to allow a female heir to ascend the throne, it has to be seen as good news for Japan.
The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. The family’s lineage dates back to the sixth century BC, though the title of Tenno (emperor) or Sumera-Mikoto (heavenly sovereign) was assumed by rulers in the sixth or seventh century and has been used since. The family crest (above) is the kiku, or chrysanthemum.
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