Curse of the Golden Flower - Sony Pictures

Not up to the hype.....

I am a fan of the Asian artisitic movie style. What draws me to this style of movie is the culture, colors and often time sound effects. This movie did not have a lot of aciton through out the movie. They had big scenes towards the end and an ending that left you unsatisfied. This is the first Asian movie that did not leave me fully satsified and enriched at the end. I also love A/V...and this Blu Ray did not have great PQ and NO AUDIO ADVANTAGE in english. Only the Chinese version has the PCM sound available. This should have been a DVD 5 dollar sale item.

Just Okay, But Worth a Watch

Let me state first that I am not an expert on Asian foreign films, but I am an avid movie watcher of many genres.

Curse of the Golden Flower was just okay for me. The cinematography and special effects were great. The Behind-the-Scenes feature captured a lot of the mystery involved in the special effects, and the interviews with the cast were enlightening and humorous, giving us a peak inside thier true personalities. Chow Yun-Fat provides an awesome performance. It's not Gong Li's best, but she is, as usual, believable. I'm a new fan!

The idea for the story is good, but the delivery lacks - no fault of the actors, it's the script. There are some areas where the lines are not believable and the best of actors might have a hard time pulling that off. The movie also felt a bit rushed. I felt some scenes simply dropped off for no real reason.

I would add this movie to any good DVD collection, even just for "guest" night.

Worth Watching

Ancient Chinese stories; fictions and non-fictions, often offer deep subtle cultural values not found in Western philosophy. The Curse of the Golden Flower, despite an inappropriate title because it does not or barely describes what the movie is about, is one of them. The movie is a sobering demonstration of the devastating effects of deceit, malice, lust, envy, personal ambitions combined, yet on the other hand, humility, affection and simplicity swallowed up and ruined by the depravity of men displayed in betrayal, murder and blood-baths, within the backdrop of complex relationships in an imperial family. In few words, I would describe it as a serious, honestly humane, and painfully realistic colossal drama with surprising intrigues. One should not expect this movie to be a mere entertainment where the good guys kill the villains like John Rambo gunning down hundreds of Vietcong soldiers and a happily-ever-after ending, but be prepared to think, feel and learn; something needful in the midst of the nihilistic theme of most typical Holywood movies.

Visual Masterpiece

First of all this movie has stunning cinematography!!!Yet what an awful story...who needs a family like that. A well told story of deceit,treasury, betrayal, abuse and manipulation. Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li shines as well as Jay Chou's singing at the end credits is quite enjoyable.

Cinematografia Perfecta

Si ud. aún no la ve, no lo dude. un 10 a esta pelicula. Si apenas piensa comprar Blu-Ray No lo dude, este es uno de los mejores transfers que se han hecho para este formato. Eso si nada mas tiene subtitulos en ingles.