Comments on: Curse of the Golden Flower: Great Source of Ninjas http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/ Jannine and Nathan take Manhattan Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:35:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: rob http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-8 Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:44:28 +0000 http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-8 I was under the impression I could look forward to Chow Yun Fat being awesome and Gong Li looking amazing; then I hear there's ninjas and it's like Christmas in January. Why ruin such a movie with substance? I was under the impression I could look forward to Chow Yun Fat being awesome and Gong Li looking amazing; then I hear there’s ninjas and it’s like Christmas in January.

Why ruin such a movie with substance?

]]> by: Zane http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-4 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:44:44 +0000 http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-4 I've been thinking about this movie on and off all week and trying to analyze the layers of meaning in it. First, it is commentary on the superficial beauty that covers the deep pain and suffering in people's lives. The "first family" seems to have it all, but their lives form a web of deceit, revenge, and death. To a certain degree, this pain and suffering is unavoidable as there is a reason for the things people do--the queen is in a relationship with her stepson, paritally out of revenge, partially out of loneliness, because the king is in love with his first wife, who he can't marry because he wants to be the emperor. Secondly, despite individual pain and suffering (no matter how bad and disfunctional, and unavoidable it is), life goes on (the gong keeps beating every hour), and in the grand scheme of things, there is harmony, beauty, and order, or in other words...suck it up, your personal suffering doesn't really matter in the big picture. Depressing? Perhaps, since there is no message of individual redemption in this movie. At the same time, it seems to say that our individual lives to make sense in the larger scheme of things. This is perhaps offensive to Western sensibilities, where so much emphasis is placed on the individual, but resonates with Eastern views of the self embedded in community and ultimately the cosmos. Yes, and the flying ninjas were very cool. Overall, I think I like the film! (or perhaps I am just trying to convince myself that the money was worth it!) Okay...I'm off to class now. I’ve been thinking about this movie on and off all week and trying to analyze the layers of meaning in it. First, it is commentary on the superficial beauty that covers the deep pain and suffering in people’s lives. The “first family” seems to have it all, but their lives form a web of deceit, revenge, and death.
To a certain degree, this pain and suffering is unavoidable as there is a reason for the things people do–the queen is in a relationship with her stepson, paritally out of revenge, partially out of loneliness, because the king is in love with his first wife, who he can’t marry because he wants to be the emperor. Secondly, despite individual pain and suffering (no matter how bad and disfunctional, and unavoidable it is), life goes on (the gong keeps beating every hour), and in the grand scheme of things, there is harmony, beauty, and order, or in other words…suck it up, your personal suffering doesn’t really matter in the big picture.

Depressing? Perhaps, since there is no message of individual redemption in this movie. At the same time, it seems to say that our individual lives to make sense in the larger scheme of things.

This is perhaps offensive to Western sensibilities, where so much emphasis is placed on the individual, but resonates with Eastern views of the self embedded in community and ultimately the cosmos.

Yes, and the flying ninjas were very cool.

Overall, I think I like the film! (or perhaps I am just trying to convince myself that the money was worth it!)

Okay…I’m off to class now.

]]> by: J9 http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-3 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:15:54 +0000 http://blog.jannineandnathan.com/2007/01/22/curse-of-the-golden-flower-great-source-of-ninjas/#comment-3 And, again, I will say: ALWAYS listen to Jannine about which movie to go see! Instead of a downward spiraling tale of depression and incestous, familial angst, we could have seen Ben Stiller running for his life in a beautiful musuem. But, yes, the ninjas were totally sweet. And, again, I will say: ALWAYS listen to Jannine about which movie to go see! Instead of a downward spiraling tale of depression and incestous, familial angst, we could have seen Ben Stiller running for his life in a beautiful musuem. But, yes, the ninjas were totally sweet.

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