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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.21
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply Stunning
Review: What a wonderful movie, best watched in the original Mandarin with subtitles, watching it in English there are just too many words and it muddles the story.

What a story, something for everyone. There is romance, action, humor, martial arts, fantasy. I higly recommend this for anyone; and be sure to watch the entire screen, there is something to be seen in every corner.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect movie
Review: Don't think about it, just buy it

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Unconventional point of view
Review: It is very interesting how everyone claims this film to be an absolute masterpiece, and in a way, it is. But although it is a very graphic experience that deserves a place in every artistic inclined DvD collection, it's overall impact is unfortunately hindered by extremely poor wire/fight coordination and an unbalanced, overdone storyline. I believe indeed that this film's success is largely based on ther general public's ignorance on asian moviemaking, and encourage everyone interested in the genre to watch titles like Tsu Hyark's The Blade, a flawless and far more believable experience. Tiger and Dragon still deserves a rental for it's exceptional beauty, but hardly the kind of praise it receives.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A movie for the ages
Review: The movie's title is an old Chinese saying which refers to mysterious and dangerous people ("dragons and tigers") who are lurking around every corner. It is also a pun, for two characters in the movie, referred to as "Jen" and "Lo" in the subtitles, happen to be named "Lovely Dragon" and "Little Tiger". The irony is that "Lovely Dragon" detests being hidden and "Little Tiger" is tired of crouching and waiting; their youthful rebellion is a perfect contrast against the repressed feelings and demeanors of an older couple played by Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. There is also a contrast of people who pursue material gains (one character steals a woman's comb, another steals a sword) against others who strive to achieve a higher level of understanding and enlightenment. These potent themes are what elevate this glorious martial-arts film from other films in this genre. The imaginative fight sequences are fantastic and exhilarating, but they do not dominate the movie as they often do in movies of this genre. Kudos to director Ang Lee and co-writer James Schamus. (The two had never made a martial-arts movie before, and in fact had made 2 box-office bombs prior to CROUCHING TIGER.)

The anamorphic video transfer on the DVD is outstanding -- images are crisp and sharp, colors are vibrant and realistic. The picture overall looks a bit dark for my liking, but details are never obscured. This is one of the best-looking DVDs I've ever seen.

The DVD includes optional yellow English subtitles and an English dub track. Although subtitles are almost always preferrable to dubs, this DVD happens to have one of the best written English dubs I've ever heard. Lee and Schamus worked on the translations for the dub themselves, and the result is literate and polished. In one scene, the tersely written subtitle reads, "Giang Hu is a world of tigers and dragons, full of corruption." But the more lyrical English dub reads, "We are beset with peril, and it is not weapons. The real danger resides in the human heart." This is not to say that I'm recommending the dub over the subtitles, of course. The viewer should never be denied the chance to hear an actor's own voice, which is ALWAYS more authentic-sounding than someone else's.

The DVD's audio commentary track is informative and entertaining. Lee and Schamus speak with great self-deprecation when they criticize many of their own choices -- the "cliches' in the fight scenes, the "cheesiness" of some of the dialogs, the lessons they learned during the shooting. Early in the commentary Lee explains what "Giang Hu" is: "If filmmaking is a 'world', then Hollywood would be a 'Giang Hu'." A "sub-world", so to speak. Lee also jokes about how he "prayed to the water, which symbolizes money, box office." The two also recount various difficulties from the directorial and screenwriting perspectives.

There is also a 20-minute "making-of" special that features a few clips of Lee working on the set, sound bites from Lee, Schamus, Yeoh, Chow, composer Tan Dun, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and a short clip of Coco Lee singing the theme song. Michelle Yeoh has her own interview segment where she elaborates more on her craft and the movie's themes.

The DVD comes with PCFriendly, but web links are the only DVD-ROM features.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: love it or hate it
Review: You will either love or hate this movie (I was neutral in my rating). Director, script, cut and camera are excellent. It is the story and special effects that will decide whether you like the film or not. If you are able to cope with an idea of flying people who generally defy the rules of gravity, you will probably enjoy the entire film. Acting is very good and the beauty of Chinese landscapes and rural settlements, along with amazing martial arts scenes, add to the special atmosphere this film produces. In either case, it's probably one of the best Chinese movies ever. See if you like it, you can always get your money back!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another Viewer from USA
Review: Viewer from USA is full of himself. Great movie. Great story. Great effects. I guess 'viewer from usa' expects every movie to be solidly based in reality. I feel sorry for him/her. Movies are escapism; nothing illustrates this better than this movie. I hope someday 'viewer' will apprecitate great filmmaking; otherwise stick with documentaries if you want realism.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: amazin form the begining to the end.
Review: you must watch it to believe in what i saw,,,, great and much fiction that make your life go away for a certain time.. chinese guys are so good as a figter...... lets watch it with your girlfriend. and you will feel as a hero.. but remember to have the lots of popcorn because will be no time to make more.....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This is a great movie, beyond words. It lost a star though because it's annoying to read the english text when it's in Mandarin and in English it's hard to understand them, so you still need subtitles, but don't this stop you, buy it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awsome!
Review: This film is fantastic. Well worth a look. The fight scenes are shot in a way I have never seen in any other film. Matrix offered a new notion of cable work, and in some of the fight scenes you could see the actors grabbing invisible cables whilst doing spins in the air. The fight scenes in this film are far, far better, obviously there are cables involved, yet the actors make it look so smooth and flowing you could almost believe they can actually fly. The story line is really good, when I heard it was a love story I prepared for a sleep until the fights started. The story is gripping and delivered in a way that keeps you interested all the way through the film. I wish I had watched this on the big screen, I feel I have missed out on the amazing settings this film was made in. The colours are sharp and clear and the dubbing is practically invisible, just remember to switch on English in the audio settings before you start the film. Ignore the bad comment on this list, buy this film now. You won't regret it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best epic action ever.
Review: I went into the movie not really knowing what to expect, other than it was going to be up for a bunch of awards. I came out with a whole new respect for Asian cinema. Not only was the scenery spectacular and well shot, but the costumes were well done too. But, by far the most important and fetching parts of the movie are the action scenes and the character development. All three main characters have surpassed the kung-fu genre and put Bruce Lee to shame with the help of a few special effects. While this movie kicks ass, it also survives well WITHOUT the action. Ang Lee touches on many basic human emotions through the characters, who have depth despite their robot like precision with martial arts. The DVD is well made, with neat seques in menues. This film deserved best movie far and above the poorly acted (with the exception of Russel Crowe) and written Gladiator.


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