1. “Aladdin” Directed by Guy Ritchie ★★★★
Starring: Mena Massoud Naomi Scott Will Smith
In recent years, Hollywood seems to have set off a new wave of live-action remakes of classic cartoons, following the success of the live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast”, when the popular “Aladdin” was also adapted into a live-action version, responsible for directing is the famous British ghost director Guy Ritchie.
From an adaptation standpoint, the live-action version was undoubtedly a great success.
The first is to put new wine in old bottles to bring out new sensations. How to tell such a familiar story as “Aladdin” in a compelling way is a testament to the director’s ability. The director, Guy Ritchie, has undoubtedly made great efforts in innovation, whether it is the friendship between Aladdin and the princess when they are getting to know each other, or having Aladdin attend a banquet and taking the princess on a flying carpet tour, these are all very good ideas, especially the scene when Aladdin dresses up as a prince to ask for her hand in marriage. In the climax of the film, the princess sings her heart out, just like the heroine in “Frozen”, and the director’s intention of pleasing the female audience is simply obvious.
Secondly, the casting is very appropriate. As a successful classic cartoon, the characters in Aladdin have already formed a fixed impression in the audience’s mind, so the casting cannot be too outrageous. The casting of this film is just as suitable as it is tailor-made: the kindness, sincerity and friendship of the male lead Aladdin is shown most vividly in the film; the female lead Princess Jasmine, though a vase, is a perfect vase with first-class face value, proud figure and online acting skills, and in time, she will step into the list of first-class Hollywood movie stars. Slightly overwhelming, but solidly contributes the main laughs and tears of the whole film.
The entire film is colorful and humorous, modern, with intrigue, love, magic, temptation, whimsical fairy tales, and even the battle between good and evil of human nature. …… I couldn’t ask for more from such a live-action animation adaptation!
2、The Thousand and One Thousand Findings Directed by Hayao Miyazaki ★★★★
Some historical masterpieces have been mentioned even by people who haven’t seen them, such as “A Thousand and One Nights”. Objectively speaking, this film is not my favorite genre, because I find its story too absurd and bizarre, but at the same time, it is a bit perverted and cruel to its bones. But in any case, it must be admitted that it is an extraordinary work of art.
In addition, it tells the story of a girl who grows up quickly in the face of disaster and saves her family. Family, friendship, and love fill the entire film, and it is hard for any viewer not to be touched by the strong and restrained emotions in the film, which is the most appealing aspect of the film.
In addition, the film’s characters and plot are full of unimaginative imagination, whether it is Chihiro’s parents turning into pigs, the white dragon who can’t find his past life memories, or the haunted faceless man and the giant baby who can’t grow up, they all contain metaphors of various sizes. Of course, in my opinion, this film is not for children, but for adults who are struggling in a cruel world.
3、”Narcotics Control 2: Duel between Heaven and Earth” Directed by Qiu Litao ★★★☆☆☆
Starring: Andy Lau, Louis Koo, Michael Miu, Karena Lam, Zee Shih, Zhang Guoqiang
Compared to the surprise brought by “Narcotics Control 1”, “Narcotics Control 2” is obviously inferior. Due to the inherent weakness of the script, there are many obvious problems with the film, such as the plot does not stand up to logical reasoning (is it possible that the main character has gone from being a gangster to a powerful business tycoon in 15 years? In order to save the injured and hospitalized accomplices, Andy Lau sends people into the hospital to steal people from the black and white, and even goes so far as to kill people (……), the old storyline is used a lot (the final parting of the lover before the action must be life and death, the tragic death of the lover before the duel is bound to inspire the man’s universe to explode…). …), and so on.
But the main reason why this film didn’t turn out to be a bad film, or even a decent film overall, is that Andy Lau and Louis Koo saved the film. Can Hong Kong movies still be beaten? Just look at these two combined over a hundred years old! These two are both model actors and actresses in Hong Kong, dedicated and dedicated to their jobs. Coupled with decades of polishing, there is also a reliable guarantee of acting, so when watching a film, the audience can be attracted by their performances, and ignore the problems of the film itself.
Although the most glorious days of Hong Kong cinema have long passed, and we are still gnawing on the past, with the existence of such a group of real filmmakers, Hong Kong movies can’t die, and we still have a little hope.
4、The Apostle 2 Directed by: Wen Weihong ★★★★☆☆
Starring: Louis Koo, Zhang Jiahui, Wu Zhen Yu, Jiang Pei Yao, Ma De Zhong
With the decline of Hong Kong movies, it’s not easy to see an authentic Hong Kong movie, but I’m glad that “Act of the Apostle 2” didn’t disappoint me. It gave me almost everything I wanted to see: the infernal hell of identity torture, a colleague’s antipathy towards his colleague, the brotherhood of brothers, and the battle between good and evil. ……
Of course, the common problems of Hong Kong films are still inevitable in this film: the plot is full of mysteries but loopholes, the pattern is trying to break through but the clichés are still old-fashioned. The reason for this is simple: compared to the fact that there is no succession of actors in Hong Kong films, the fading and unavailability of people behind the scenes of Hong Kong films has a greater impact. The most obvious one is the screenwriter. The screenplay is the soul of a film, and the only Hong Kong film in recent years with a script that can be used on stage is “Wushuang”. This film and “Narcotics Control 2” are not much different from “Wushuang” in terms of the cast and the scale of investment, but their reputation is much lower, and the key lies in the script. Therefore, although the performance of the lead actors, Koo Tin Lok, Zhang Ka Fai and Francis Ng, is remarkable, there are many regrets for the audience.
(PS: I was curious why the duel between good and evil took place in Spain, but later I realized that the bull, who is so fierce and tough that he gets hit by a car and falls down a hill, is the villain’s finisher.
5. “Ne Zha’s Magic Child Descends to Earth” Written and Directed by: Dumpling ★★★★☆
I’ve seen the trailer for Ne Zha and wasn’t too interested because I thought it was too ugly and outrageous, but I couldn’t resist the waves of self-promotion from my friends, so I took the time to watch it and found that I almost missed a Chinese manga classic.
Watching Ne Zha, there are five unexpected things.
One is that it’s surprising that Mandarin can make such a good film! It’s like watching “Wandering Earth” and not expecting China to make such a nerdy sci-fi movie.
Secondly, I didn’t expect the story to be so well told! To be honest, the original story of Na Zha has been criticized for many things, but the writer/director’s gyoza has made this not-so-appealing tale so much more eye-opening that it brings tears to the eyes. From the point of view of adaptation, this film is a very successful model.
Thirdly, I did not expect that the inherent characters such as Lord Taiyi, Li Jing, and the third prince Ao C would be transformed.
Fourth, I did not expect the special effects to reach a considerable height. The success of the film is equally divided between the story and the special effects. Director Dumpling is a perfectionist, he is almost outrageous in the details of the special effects, and because of this, there is a masterpiece of meticulous carving.
Fifth, I didn’t expect the rise of new directors in the Chinese film industry to be so fierce! In the past year, a new generation of young directors, from Wen Muyano (I Am Not the God of Medicine), Guo Fan (Wandering Earth) to Dumplings, have emerged, giving us hope for the future of domestic films.
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