ONTD:
After winning his first Oscar last year for “The Fighter,” can Christian Bale make it a repeat this year? Judging by the first international trailer for Zhang Yimou‘s Oscar-contending “The Flowers Of War,” we somehow doubt it, but the scale of the film does look impressive even if the tone seems somewhat uneven.
www.ges-sa.co.za | Set in the time of war against Japan and China we find a man with only one goal and a convent of girl with another. John (Christian Bale) is a mortician who came to china to bury the priest who ran the British established Catholic Church and convent. Being there for no other reason but to bury the priest and get his money he is stuck in the middle of a war zone with a bunch of girls from the convent. All these girls want is to get out to a safe place and all John wants is to get paid and go home but that does not happen.
Jeremy of We Got This Covered wrote, "Yimou Zhang‘s The Flowers of War is currently the most expensive Chinese film ever made, starring Christian Bale and gathering numerous awards nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination in 2011. You’d think all of this praise and attention would mean that movie is at the very least a dramatic war film with a gripping story and intense performances. The Flowers of War is dramatic and does contain one notable performance, but aside from that performance and some expertly shot battle sequences, it’s merely just another lengthy Chinese war epic that could use a trimming in the editing room and a little more flavor in the casting department."
Nicholas of Movies Hate You Too writes:
Last week’s Blu-ray releases were on the paltry side with the holiday but this week’s schedule is packed mostly thanks to Warner Brothers releasing a large amount of catalog titles.
Nick’s Blu-ray Pick of the Week: This week I have two because couldn’t make up my mind. First up we have...
I know that this is a period piece but I haven't seen a movie that Bale has done that he hasn't put everything he has into it and it looks like he does it again in this movie. I know it's a foreign film but even with subtitles I will go see this movie.