Movies
I've been cutting back on Chinese streamer films because I was slowly starting to overdose (Shaw Bros flashbacks). I'm not ignoring them completely though, as they continue to provide slick genre entertainment. The Book and The Sword is one of Liu Binjie's latest films, and as I liked some of his previous ones, a good bet for a quick sample of the current state of the genre. Chen Jialuo takes over the position of chief of the Red Flower Society when their old leader dies of illness. He learns that the society is under attack and that their fourth leader has gone missing. Together with a local dancer and two more members of the society Jialuo goes on a journey to find out what happened to their fourth leader. There's nothing here you haven't seen before (unless you're completely unaware of these films). There's a little political intrigue, a couple of good action scenes, cool settings and costumes, but iffy CG. The film is short and punchy, but there's nothing here that is too memorable. Very good genre fluff in other words.Read all
Surprisingly capable. It's a shame this was conceived as typical streamer filler, because director Binjie shows a lot of promise. For certain, the film borrows royally from more famous sci-fi classics (Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell being the most obvious ones), but the mix with Chinese lore works really well. For once, I would've appreciated a bit more depth and detail. An underground organization in South Korea is kidnapping your girls to turn them into experimental mutants. Wu manages to escape the facility after her treatment has already started. She possesses a special ship that the organization wants to retrieve. With the help of a local cop, she tries to stay out of the hands of the organization. The sets look absolutely lush, the CG is more than decent (not a given with these films), the camera work is strong and the action is flashy. The plot is basic sci-fi nonsense and sometimes the nods to other sci-fi franchises are a tad too on the nose, but give this man a bigger budget and a bit more creative wiggle room, and something truly spectacular might come out the other way.Read all