Once Upon a Time in China (Hong Kong 1991)

When it comes to Wuxia martial-arts action, Once Upon a Time in China (OUATIC) is considered a true classic and with just cause. You'll have a hard time finding a better example of what Jet Li is truly capable of on-screen (except maybe Fist of Legend, but this is no place to get into that never ending debate). Wong Fei-Hung would've been proud.

The story takes place in 19th century Foshan, with the legendary Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li) coming under the realization that China will no longer be the same with foreign forces (American, British, and French) beginning to increase their presence within the region. He is approached by the general of the Black Flag Army in order to recruit and train a 'militia' of men to protect the area from these potential new threats. Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) returns from America almost completely "westernized", much to the dismay of Wong Fei-Hung. After being back in China for awhile, Aunt Yee (not really Wong's Aunt) begins to realize how much she loves her country and just how much damage the foreign element is causing. We then meet Foon (Yuen Biao), who is a member of the Chinese Opera who arrives in town only to be harassed by Sha Ho and his gang who are extorting money from local businesses. Foon falls in love with Aunt Yee, but of course she has eyes for Wong Fei-Hung and wants nothing to do with him. Feeling alone and heartbroken Foon finds refuge with Master Yim (Shi Kwan-Yen), a vagabond who wants to defeat Wong in order to claim status as the best martial artist in town. If Master Yim succeeds, he'll be able to open his own school, which people will want to join because Yim will the best. Due to some unfortunate proceedings with the local authorities, Wong is placed under house arrest, which is a perfect time for Yim to make his move. Wong refuses to fight Yim due to his situation and thus everyone thinks Yim defeated Wong. The Sha Ho gang takes up with Yim and promises to help fund the building of his new martial-arts school. To make matters worse, the Sha Ho gang and Yim form the unholy alliance with the Americans (and their guns), who are sending Chinese women to America for slave labor, in exchange for riches and protection against Wong Fei-Hung. After some dastardly deeds take place, Wong Fei and two of his most faithful recruits, Porky (Kent Chang) and Bucktooth So (Jacky Cheung), are off to rescue Aunt Yee and finish off Master Yim.

Even though the story is based on historical events, the plot itself seems rather over-stuffed with ideas coming from every direction. This results in the film running at about two hours and twenty minutes. That's a bit long for a martial-arts movie. However, Once Upon a Time in China tries to tell a deeper story about the changing social and political climate of China at that time with some fantastic fights throughout to keep you entertained, but it really felt like the opposite. Running-time and an overly busy storyline aside, by no means should you pass on OUATIC if you haven't seen it. Even if you could care less about the story being told, the fight scenes alone are worth the viewing. Jet Li is excellent as Wong Fei-Hung. He displays an array of emotions portraying a man who you can't help but think was really someone special. Yuen Biao, as Foon, doesn't really come across as the goofy sidekick character that was probably envisioned at first (which would explain him being replace in part 2), but he does a good enough job, and we all know the boy can seriously throw down.

Once Upon a Time in China is one of those movies that you really can't help but like despite it's imperfections. The story is interesting enough without being boring, and the actors all do a fine job in their roles. The real reason to watch though, and let's be honest here, is to see Jet Li beat the crap out of countless bad guys. If you aren't a fan of the Wuxia, almost fantasy like martial-arts (think Crouching Tiger or House of Flying Daggers), than it might not be your cup of tea. However, you owe it to yourself to watch OUATIC at least once, and chances are it'll be in your DVD collection shortly after. (Lee)

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No Regret (Korea 2006)

Discovering who you really are and finding your place in this world are supposed to be the most exciting aspects about growing up. Other times, they can be the most frightening. Somewhere along the way, we want to find someone to share our journey with. No Regret, a low-budget, independent film from director Lee Song Hee-il, is centered around these very aspects of life. Never mind the fact that the main characters are gay, or that most will refer to it as a "gay-themed" movie, because it's about more than just sexuality; it's about love and life.

Raised in a countryside orphanage for most of his life, 18-year old Lee Su-min (Young-hoon Lee) says goodbye to the only life he's known, heading to Seoul in order to pursue an education in design. After his arrival, he gets a job working at a factory, while also trying to maintain his studies. Along with his already full-schedule, Su-min takes on other "side" jobs to make ends meet. On his shift as a chauffeur, he picks up Song Jae-min (Han Lee) from a bar to take him home and Jae-min is clearly attracted to Su-min. However, Jae-min is not who he appears to be as we learn he's from a wealthy, conservative background, and is even engaged to a beautiful woman. Back at the factory, the powers that be begin letting people go, with Su-min becoming one of the unlucky ones. As he storms out, he sees that the person in charge of the factory is the young man that he took home the other night. He begins hopping from job to job, now focused more on making a living than finishing school. Frustrated, Su-min realizes he'll never make the kind of money he wants by washing dishes and mopping floors, so he sinks as low as he can by taking a job as a male prostitute at a gay bar. He isn't happy with the new career path his life has taken, but the irresistible lure of big money is too much for him to shake. We find out that Jae-min has been trying everything to find Su-min, but Su-min remembers him from the factory and wants nothing to do with him. Jae-min eventually finds Su-min at the gay bar and continues to pursue him in a downright obsessive manner. He's been living a lie his entire life and is ready to throw away everything to be with Su-min. Naturally, Jae-min's family isn't going to accept their son's wishes without a fight.

No Regret presents the old formula of "opposites-attract" in a serious way, with the concept of love being explored to extreme ends. Sure, love is a wonderful thing, but it can also hurt, and even drive people to lengths they never knew they were capable of...sometimes with tragic results. To say that the performances in No Regret are amazing would be an understatement. Young-hoon Lee gives an award-winning performance as Lee Su-min, displaying acting chops and a range of emotion that you'd expect out of a seasoned veteran, not from someone making his film debut. Han Lee is just as impressive as the tortured Song Jae-min, but both actors really seem to put everything they have on the line in these roles and it shows. As his second film, director Lee Song Hee-il really seems to understand that next to a good story, deep and involving characters are the most important things in making a movie great. The film has a great gritty look to it that manages to match the story perfectly. No Regret has a cast that may do things that you might not do, or agree with, but everything plays out in a convincing manner and that's what matters in the end.

Understandably, No Regret isn't going to be at the top of everyone's "must-see" list due to its gritty nature and explicit sex scenes. Heck, let's be honest, many people won't watch it because it's a "gay" movie. I can only feel sorry for those that limit themselves, but I know it's not always easy to step outside your comfort zone. However, if your a person who can do just that, and you're a fan of movies with an engaging storyline and top-notch performances, then I can promise that No Regret will deliver in both areas, and possibly even change your perception of what a great movie can be. (Lee)

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200 Pounds of Beauty (Korea 2006)

It's no big revelation that we live in a largely superficial world where appearances seem to mean everything. People are obsessed with monitoring the daily lives of good-looking celebrities who are a necessity in magazines, commercials, films, and advertisements in general. Occasionally, the entertainment industry seems to exude a hint of guilt at not making enough shows or movies that 'real' people can relate to. Hence the existence for movies such as 200 Pounds of Beauty; a movie that manages to serve up some real comedic moments, while at the same time teaching us a thing or two about the meaning of true inner beauty.

Hanna Kang (Ah-jung Kim) is the 200 pound beauty of the film, and lives a life of extreme contrasts. Her day job consists of singing in a backstage area for an untalented K-pop idol Ammy who soaks up all the credit and fan adoration by lip synching over Hanna's beautiful singing ability. In the evening, she uses her soothing voice to run a phone-sex operation from her humble abode. She doesn't particularly like the job, but she needs the money in order to keep her mentally unstable father (Im Hyeon-sik) in the hospital so he can receive proper care. Back at Hanna's day job, the man running things behind-the-scenes is Sang Jun (Ju Jin Mo), and he seems to really appreciate all of the hard work that Hanna puts into making Ammy's entire existence a success. Naturally, Hanna develops a crush on Sang Jun due to his friendly and appreciative nature, and the fact that he looks like a model doesn't hurt matters. Hanna's best friend Jung-min (Kim Hyeon-sook) advises her that it would be best to dismiss any feelings she might have for Sang Jun. Fraudulent pop idol Ammy gets jealous of all the attention Sang Jun gives Hanna and makes it her goal to humiliate her every chance she gets. After an unfortunate incident in which Hanna overhears some revealing and hurtful information at Sang Jun's birthday party, she completely gives up on life and decides to end it all. A nicely timed voicemail from one of Hanna's regular 'customers' (who happens to be a plastic surgeon) interrupts her suicide attempt while giving her an grand idea at the same time. Hanna blackmails the doctor into performing various surgeries in an attempt to have the life she never had and maybe even win over Sang Jun in the process. One year later, and going by the name of Jenny, she returns to the life of music she left behind in an attempt to grab Sang Jun's heart and take over as the new queen of K-pop.

200 Pound of Beauty is a movie that forces itself to find a unique way of telling the same old story. When you're dealing with a concept of a persons appearance changing drastically, you know for sure that two things will happen: first, that person will become so egotistical that all of their friends from their previous life begin to loathe them, and secondly, that person will also reach a point where they realize that their previous life wasn't so bad after all. In 200 Pounds of Beauty, the same rules apply. So what can be done to deviate from the same old overdone stuff? In this case, we're lucky to have a likeable protagonist through Hanna. She's so genuinely sweet and innocent (before the surgery) that you can't help but empathize with her and hope that everything works out for the best. Ah-jung Kim does a good job at expressing a wide range of emotions and it's fun to watch her adjustment as a new-found "beautiful girl" once the surgery has taken place. Ju Jin Mo plays a suave music executive, but his personality can be conflicting at times. Alternating between hot and cold, it's difficult to know his true feelings and intentions. The supporting cast all do a fine job in their roles (although the plastic surgeon Dr. Lee is hilarious), but this movie is almost entirely about Hanna and the emotional roller coaster her life takes after her physical transformation. Of course Ammy will still be around to make Hanna's life a living hell, so it's not all fun and games.

200 Pounds of Beauty isn't perfect by any means, especially since it manages to stretch itself into an almost two-hour running time, which is almost thirty minutes too long in my opinion. Ninety minutes would've been more than sufficient to tell this story, and with a lot less filler. The ending is what you'd expect, comprised of the big secret of Hanna's true identity being revealed complete with the appropriate "gasps". It's all played out in an incredibly over-the-top fashion, that seems more concerned with tugging at the heart-strings than worrying about creating a realistic moment. However, the film manages to get it's message of "inner beauty" across in a way that isn't overbearing, but still finding the right balance between seriousness and what it is at it's core; a comedy. You'll laugh, possibly cry, and hopefully walk away more conscious of how we should treat one another. (Lee)

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