'SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS' : Tuesday 12th October 2021

Finally, Greater Sydney has come out of three months+ of COVID-19 enforced lockdown on Monday 11th October, and with it movie theatres have reopened. As such, a whole slew of films released elsewhere in Australia and across the world are now available for the avid moviegoer to play catch-up on some of those more recent cinematic releases. The first film that I saw post-lockdown at my local multiplex earlier this week is 'SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS' - the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous film making credits take in 'Short Term 12' with Brie Larson and Rami Malek in 2013, 'The Glass Castle' in 2017 with Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson and 'Just Mercy' in 2019 with Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson. This film has so far grossed worldwide US$404M off the back of a circa US$180M production budget and has generated positive Critical acclaim. 

And so the film opens up setting the scene for how the ten rings came about. It seems that one thousand years ago (plus or minus a few years) Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) discovers the mystical ten rings which grant the owner of said rings immortality and other worldly powers. He forms the Ten Rings organisation, over throwing kingdoms and toppling governments throughout history to accumulate wealth and power. Fast forward to 1996, and Wenwu searches for Ta Lo, a village that exists in a different dimension and reportedly harbours mythical creatures. He travels through a magical thick bamboo forest to the village entrance but is stopped by guardian Ying Li (Fala Chen). After an initial (sort of) fight between the pair, the two fall in love, and Wenwu foregoes the Ten Rings for a life of normalcy with his new wife and children Shang-Chi (Jayden Zhang) and Xialing (Elodie Fong). When Shang-Chi is seven years old, Li is murdered by Wenwu's enemies, the Iron Gang. Wenwu goes in search of the Iron Gang with the young Shang-Chi and massacres them all except for the leader who was not present at the time. Wenwu then resumes leadership of his organisation again. He makes Shang-Chi undergo brutal martial arts training, but does not allow Xialing to train so she teaches herself in secret, having observed Shang-Chi's training techniques and replicating them, only better! When Shang-Chi is fourteen (Arnold Sun), Wenwu sends him to assassinate the Iron Gang's leader. After fulfilling his mission, a disheartened Shang-Chi runs away to San Francisco and takes on the name of 'Shaun'.

And so we fast fast forward to the present day and Shaun (Simu Liu) is working as a hotel valet car parking attendant with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina), who knows nothing of his past life. Travelling on a bus together, the pair are attacked by members of the Ten Rings organisation, with Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) who has a machete blade for his right hand, stealing a pendant that Li gave to Shang-Chi when he was a young boy that gives him access to Ta Lo. Wenwu anonymously provides Shang-Chi with the location of Xialing in Macau and, fearing that the Ten Rings will go after Xialing's matching pendant from Li, Shang-Chi decides to go in search of her. Katy, not wanting to be left out and having survived the vicious attack on the bus, imposes herself on Shang-Chi, who reveals his past to her on the flight over to Macau. They find Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) at an underground fight club in Macau, which she formed after escaping from Wenwu. The Ten Rings attack the fight club with Wenwu arriving to capture Shang-Chi, Xialing and Katy. Wenwu takes his daughters pendant.

The three are helicoptered into the Ten Rings compound, where Wenwu uses the pendants to reveal a magical water map leading to Ta Lo. Wenwu explains that he has heard his wife, Li, calling to him and believes she has been held captive in Ta Lo behind a vast sealed gate. He plans to destroy the village by burning it to the ground, unless they agree to release her. When Shang-Chi and Xialing object saying that he must accept that their mother and his wife is dead, he imprisons them with Katy. In an ante-room to the cell where they are locked up, the three meet former actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who previously took on the guise of the Mandarin and was abducted by the Ten Rings for impersonating Wenwu, now becoming a 'court jester' or Shakespearean fool for Wenwu. They also meet his hundun (a legendary faceless furry animal the size of a wombat with wings from Ta Lo) that Slattery has named Morris, who offers to guide them back to his village.

The group escapes in Razor Fist's souped up 4WD and drive through the bamboo forest with the trees rapidly closing in behind them en route to Ta Lo. They drive through a portal hidden within a water fall which sees them exit in a separate dimension and into Ta Lo, with a myriad of Chinese mythological creatures all around them. There they meet Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), Li's sister, and aunt to Shnag-Chi and Xialing. Nan explains the history of Ta Lo, saying that thousands of years ago, the village was attacked by the soul-eating Dweller-in-Darkness and its guardians, but was saved by a Chinese dragon called the Great Protector who helped seal the Dark Gate to the Dweller's world. Nan further states that the Dweller-in-Darkness has been influencing Wenwu to believe Li is still alive so that he will open the Dark Gate. Shang-Chi, Xialing, and Katy join the villagers in training and preparing for Wenwu's imminent arrival, using weapons they have fashioned from dragon scales. 

Wenwu and the Ten Rings heavies arrive and attack the villagers. Wenwu overpowers Shang-Chi and forces him into the nearby lake where he slowly sinks to the bottom unconscious. Wenwu then attacks the Gate with the rings. This gives some of the Dweller's guardians the chance to escape, and through the onslaught the Ten Rings heavies, now abandoned by Wenwu, join forces with the villagers to fight them off. Shang-Chi is revived by the Great Protector, which flies out of the lake to battle the marauding guardians. Wenwu and Shang-Chi come head to head once again and Shang-Chi gains the upper hand, but chooses to spare Wenwu. The Dweller-in-Darkness bursts out of the weakened Gate and attacks Shang-Chi. Wenwu saves Shang-Chi, bequeathing him the rings before being killed by the Dweller-in-Darkness. Shang-Chi, the Great Protector, Xialing, and Katy battle and kill the Dweller-in-Darkness. Afterwards, Shang-Chi and Katy return to San Francisco where they are summoned by the sorcerer Wong (Benedict Wong) to the Sanctum Sanctorum, with more divulged in the mid-credits scene. 

With nods to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in some of the fight sequences, the return of Trevor Slattery apologising for the misstep of the racial stereotypes of his impersonation of The Mandarin in 'Iron Man 3', and the reference to the Sanctum Sanctorum in the final mid-credits scene, together with the well crafted action set pieces, the usual dose of MCU humour, emotion and a smattering of pathos all make for an enjoyable Asian-centric addition to the MCU canon. The performances by Leung especially as the antagonist with heart is the stand out role for me, with Liu, Zhang and Awkwafina all giving solid enough performances but still clearly finding their way, which will undoubtedly come in subsequent Shang-Chi instalments, and cross-over films within the ever expanding MCU. And in the Director's chair, Cretton here makes effective use of flashbacks to move the story arc forward in a way that most other Marvel films have not, while keeping this origin story grounded and relatable. The ending when it comes however, feels protracted and over the top with too heavy a reliance on CGI dragons, mythical creatures, and a battle in which not a drop of blood is shed and everyone who dies does so off screen. The film does not reach the dizzy heights that 'Black Panther' did in 2018, but nonetheless, as your first visit to the cinema post-lockdown you could do a lot worse. 

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE FAREWELL : Tuesday 17th September 2019.

'THE FAREWELL' is a PG Rated American comedy drama Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Chinese born American film maker, Producer and Writer Lulu Wang and apparently loosely based on her own life experiences. Made for just US$3M, the film saw its Premier screening at January's Sundance Film Festival before its wider US release in mid-July having taken so far US$18M and generated mostly widespread critical acclaim.

Born in China, aspiring writer Billi Wang (Awkwafina) moved to the US with her father Haiyan Wang (Tzi Ma) and mother Jian Wang (Diana Lin) when she was a child but kept up a close, albeit long distance, relationship with her beloved Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen), meaning paternal grandmother in Mandarin, her father’s mother therefore. Having been rejected for a prestigious arts fellowship grant, Billi learns from her parents that Nai Nai has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and has been given but just a few months to live.

Nai Nai is however, blissfully unaware of this diagnosis, as she was accompanied to the hospital for her tests by her younger sister, Little Nai Nai (Lu Hong) who then received the test results before Nai Nai was able to sight them. Through deception and manipulation of these medical test results therefore, Nai Nai is, instead, falsely told that her most recent scans revealed only benign shadows which are now receding, and therefore she is in the clear.

An impromptu, and fake, wedding for Billi's cousin, Hao Hao (Chen Han), from Japan has been planned in China, as an excuse to reunite the family (for the first time in some twenty years) to spend what is expected to be one last time with Nai Nai. Fearing Billi will end up exposing the lie to her grandmother because she can't yet keep her emotions in check, Haiyan and Jian tell her to remain in New York for fear of giving their ruse away. 

Haiyan and Jian fly out to Changchun to be with Nai Nai leaving Billi at home, but Billi disobeys her parents' orders and travels to Changchun, the day after the rest of the family have arrived. Billi makes a commitment, albeit very reluctantly, to her parents that she will not reveal the cancer diagnosis to Nai Nai. She clashes on more than one occasion, however, with the rest of the family, including the Hospital Doctor treating her grandmother, over their deliberate dishonesty towards her grandmother. 

Overcome with emotions of guilt, Billi expresses mixed thoughts with her parents over the Chinese cultural beliefs that give rise to a family refusing to disclose such a life-threatening disease with the family matriarch. One evening, her Uncle, Haibin (Jiang Yongbo), reasserts that the lie allows the family to bear the emotional burden of the diagnosis, rather than Nai Nai herself, so allowing her to spend her last few months in peace and happiness. Billi subsequently learns that Nai Nai also told a similar lie to her husband up until his death when he was terminally ill.

Come the wedding day and during the lavish banquet held for numerous family and close friends afterwards, Haibin speaks on behalf of himself and his brother and breaks down in tears on stage while thanking his mother for making him the successful man he became. A short time later Hao Hao also breaks down in tears for reasons that are not entirely clear, but both are able to proceed through the rest of the banquet ceremony and formalities as planned without raising Nai Nai's suspicions.

Later that same evening, Nai Nai gives Billi a traditional red envelope containing a sum of money, encouraging her to spend the cash gift as she chooses, but not on bills. When Billi reveals to her grandmother that the art fellowship application fell through, Nai Nai responds by positively encouraging Billi to continue pursuing her dreams anyway as she is a smart girl. 

Billi maintains her commitment to keep the secret and shares a tearful goodbye with Nai Nai, as the rest of the visiting family members return to their homes in Japan and America. The credits reveal that six years after her diagnosis, the woman Nai Nai's character was based on is still very much alive and still practising her Tai Chi.

I did quite enjoy 'The Farewell', but that's about as far as my praise goes. Sure the film has a couple of funny moments - particularly a scene where the gathered family are leaving various offerings to the spirit of Nai Nai's long since deceased husband by his graveside, and another scene involving a collapsing umbrella during a rain storm - and the film also has moments of warmth and heartbreak too. Awkwafina also gives a stand out performance proving her acting chops once again and this time in a more dramatic role despite the look of perpetual sorrow, grief and angst inhibiting her face. As for Zhao Shuzhen's Nai Nai, well she just about steals every scene she's in dispensing her own brand of wit, wisdom and earnest advice whilst remaining completely oblivious to what is really going on around her. The other cast members also all hold their own, especially Tzi Ma, Diana Lin and Jiang Yongbo. The film is ultimately quite watchable, painless and has just about enough weight to carry it through its near one hundred minute run time, but, it's almost instantly forgettable, drags and meanders particularly in the middle section, is devoid of any real emotional heft and the comedic moments are few and far between.

'The Farewell' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

CRAZY RICH ASIANS : Monday 3rd September 2018

'CRAZY RICH ASIANS' which I saw at a packed out theatre earlier this week is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan. This romantic comedy drama is Directed by Jon M. Chu whose previous Directing credits include 'Step Up 2 : The Streets', 'Step Up 3D', 'G.I.Joe : Retaliation' and 'Now You See Me 2', and is the first major Hollywood studio film to feature an Asian American cast in a modern day setting since 'The Joy Luck Club' released twenty-five years ago now. The film has so far taken US$144M at the Box Office from its Budget outlay of $30M and has garnered generally positive press. With this Box Office and critical acclaim, a sequel is already in development, and so watch out for follow on films, as Kwan has written two sequel novels - 'China Rich Girlfriend' and 'Rich People Problems'.

After an early set up in 1995 in which we are first introduced to just how rich the Young family really are, we are quickly fast forwarded to the present day New York. Here Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is a Professor of Economics at New York University who is in a steady relationship with Nick Young (Henry Golding), also a Professor at the same University. Over a bite to eat after a days work, Rachel accepts an invitation by Nick to fly to Singapore to accompany him to his best friend's wedding, at which he is to be the Best Man to Colin and his bride Araminta (Chris Pang and Sonoya Mizuno respectively). The trip presents the perfect opportunity for Rachel to meet Nick's family, and catch-up with her old mate from school Peik Lin (Awkwafina). On board the plane, Rachel is expecting to fly cattle class and is somewhat taken aback when the Hostess ushers the couple to their private first class cabin. Nick let's on after being questioned by Rachel, that his family are reasonably well off and comfortable.

Upon arrival in Singapore Nick and Rachel are greeted at the airport by Colin and Araminta and they spend the remaining day eating and drinking their way around Singapore's street food markets. The next day, Rachel visits her former school buddy Peik Lin at her grand and opulent family residence. There she learns from Peik Lin and her family over a lavish dinner at home hosted by Peik Lin's father Goh Wye Mun (Ken Jeong), that Nick is in fact Singapore's most eligible bachelor and that the Young family are super rich, and how they came by their money in real estate development when they relocated from China back in the late 19th Century when Singapore was nothing more that rice paddies.

Later that evening Peik Lin joins Rachel at a party at the Young estate, attended by the entire Young clan and a Who's Who of Singapore's A-Listers. At the lavish party Rachel is introduced to Nick's domineering mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), who has quickly formed a less than favourable opinion of his American Chinese girlfriend. However, upon meeting the matriarch of the family, Nick's grandmother Shang Su Yi (Lisa Lu) that welcome reception goes off a lot more favourably.

The next day Rachel and Nick head off in opposite directions - Rachel attending Araminta's Hens Weekend celebrations on a remote luxury island, and Nick attending Colin's Stag Weekend party aboard a container ship. Things don't go too well for Rachel as she is quickly branded a 'gold digging bitch' by the other jealous girls who all consider themselves a better catch for Nick's affections. Similarly Nick and Colin both want off the container ship and all its over the top 'entertainment' and manage to engineer their escape to a private bolt hole somewhere by the waters edge with a few beers. While alone Nick tells Colin of his plans to propose to Rachel, and even produces the engagement ring. Colin is naturally happy for his best buddy, but is equally worried that Nick's family's disapproval of Rachel and the couple's cultural differences will be too much for the relationship to withstand in the long term.

Meeting up after their respective weekends away Nick asks Rachel how she went with the other girls. Rachel confides that it was a nightmare and the reasons why. Nick apologises to Rachel but is fairly matter of fact and grateful that no one got hurt, and that it could have been a lot worse than some verbal sledging from a bunch of shallow jealous wannabe girls. He also apologises for concealing his families wealth and takes her to make dumplings by hand with his family - a tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation.

Whilst gathered around the table making dumplings Rachel admires Eleanor's distinctive engagement ring. Eleanor tells her that Nick's grandmother disapproved of her and denied Nick's father the family ring, and so he had the one she is wearing made specially. She goes on to say that Rachel will never be good enough for Nick after which Rachel considers leaving Singapore. Peik Lin however, convinces her to stand her ground with Eleanor, and giving Rachel a therapeutic glamorous makeover before the wedding with help from Nick's cousin Oliver (Nico Santos).

At Colin and Araminta's lavish ceremony Rachel outsmarts Eleanor at the wedding by impressing Malay Princess Intan (Kris Aquino). Afterwards at the Reception, Nick's mother and grandmother confront Nick and Rachel with some undercover covert investigations that they have been conducting into Rachel's family history. Eleanor reveals that Rachel was conceived through an adulterous affair, after which Rachel’s mother, Kerry (Tan Kheng Hua) abandoned her husband in China and fled to settle in America with the infant Rachel. They forbid Nick from seeing Rachel for fear of their family getting involved in a scandal.

Rachel does a bolt and shacks up with Peik Li for a few days to take stock of her predicament. Kerry arrives in Singapore unannounced and explains herself to her daughter and why she left behind her abusive husband. She became pregnant by an old classmate while still married, and left China for a fresh start in America, never once contacting Rachel's real father for fear of reprisals. She reveals that Nick asked Kerry to visit and paid for her flight, and urges Rachel to see him. She does, and Nick proposes marriage. Later, Rachel asks Eleanor to meet her at a Mahjong parlour. Over a game, Rachel tells Eleanor that she declined Nick's marriage proposal, but advises that any future marriage Nick has with Eleanor's approval will only be possible because Rachel allowed it. Eleanor wins the Mahjong hand, but Rachel reveals in standing up to leave that she threw the hand, as a metaphor for their conversation - that she allowed Eleanor to win, this time! Kerry was sitting nearby out of sight, and as she leaves the table mother and daughter embrace, and leave arm in arm, with Eleanor watching on. 

Rachel and Kerry board an economy flight home making their way down the back end of the plane amid the hustle and bustle of cattle class passengers. Nick arrives on the plane and negotiates his way through the hubbub of boarding passengers, and proposes again on bended knee in the cramped and very public aisle, but this time, with Eleanor's ring. Rachel accepts and they stay in Singapore an extra day for an engagement party.

In essence 'Crazy Rich Asians' is a story we have seen a thousand times before. Here a middle class girl of questionable cultural upbringing falls for a handsome Prince, and against all the odds he whisks her away to some far away land and they live happily ever after, Amen. And so it goes! I'm not big on comedies and whilst this film raised a few smiles, there were hardly any memorable comedic laugh out loud moments that I can recall. At its heart this film is about the power of love overcoming adversity, it's about acceptance and it's how the super rich live their lives and the power and influence they wield. Good on Hollywood for making a mainstream film largely centred around women and wholly centred around Asians and for wrapping it up in a feel good, warm hearted, inoffensive romance that has colour, a modicum of emotion, strong performances, a thumping Asian soundtrack but is entirely predictable and saccharin sweet. See it for all the opulence, extravagance, luxury, wealth and trappings of the super successful and mega rich and their wannabe hangers on, and how they spend their time and money in this art imitating life fairytale offering.

'Crazy Rich Asians' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, At Odeon Online-