An Empress & The Warriors - official site

[Beat TG]

http://www.anempressandthewarriors.com/

[Brian Thibodeau]

Trailer via YouTube for those who find the official site a bit choppy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOO_PzcckpE

Looks kinda cool, if familiar (Leon Lai almost doesn't look like Leon Lai!)



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[Tonic]

Looks interesting; fingers crossed!

[JohnR]

It truly does look promising. But Donnie Yen and Kelly Chen? These are two of my least favorite actors. And though I liked Leon Lai in "Comrades Almost a Love Story" and "Fallen Angels", I don't count him among my favorites.

Who knows, maybe Kelly Chen will break through. And maybe Donnie Yen will reign in his Donnie Yen-ness. But my hopes aren't very high.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Who knows, maybe Kelly Chen will break through. And maybe Donnie Yen will reign in his Donnie Yen-ness. But my hopes aren't very high.

Just because of two actors? I mean, I can understand some of the criticism of Yen, but the fact remains, he can act, even if most of the performances are of a similar style (which should surprise few of us at this point) so why not just go with what he does bring to his films—his own style, packaged as best he knows how? Makes the movies go down a bit easier, too, and allows the often countless good things about them (however one defines such things) to shine through. Chen is very much the same, attractive, a bit one-note, but she can act and she does have a screen presence, even if it's not as strong as some of her full-time-acting peers. Perhaps I'm just being overly optimistic, but I look forward to most movies that come down the pipe, regardless of the cast. Plus, there's a whole generation of viewers out there, and potential viewers, who aren't jaded over certain actors the way folks like us can often be. Sometimes it helps to approach every new movie with that sense of unfamiliarity, even if you gotta force it sometimes!

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

I've never been annoyed with Donnie Yen (I've been annoyed with some of his films he has been it), but he has never gotten on my nerves like Michael Wong can.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I've never been annoyed with Donnie Yen (I've been annoyed with some of his films he has been it), but he has never gotten on my nerves like Michael Wong can.

Wong's a tricky one. I'll always give him a chance, just because he is what he is. Sometimes directors know just what to do with him, other times they just seem to leave him to his own devices (usually in another variation on his "Stone" character), which is when he becomes difficult to take. I recently read a suprisingly favourable review of his directorial effort MILES APART that did little to change my own view that it was a mostly laughable (if noble) piece of filmmaking in which Wong wore too many hats (writer, star, director, and more) to be effective at any one, despite an honest effort. Sometimes little moments of sincerity or good intentions don't automatically make a movie forgivable, and MILES is one of those instances.

But yeah, Donnie's got a good thing going. And he knows his boundaries and an actor and as a martial arts performer. He does...what he does, and he does it as well as he can. I respect that. I watch a Donnie Yen movie because I want to see Donnie Yen do his Donnie Yen "thing" in all his Donnie Yen-ness, even if it bears resemblance to what he did in the previous picture, and even if he's self-obsessed in real life. I suspect his detractors keep expecting him to turn into something he isn't, and therefore feel obligated to sniffle their dismay when he revisits and refurbishes tropes that have worked for him in the past.

[cal42]

Donnie Yen is one guy I don't have anything against - really I don't! I've seen interviews with him and he's come across as a really nice bloke.

But for some reason he usually rubs me up the wrong way on screen. I don't like the way he comes across in his movies. I've probably said it before, but to me he looks like the Nicholas Cage of Hong Kong movies, and Nicholas Cage just leaves me cold. I had the same impression when I watched SPL again the other week. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the film this time around (I must get around to updating my review on that), but Donnie Yen just hampers the whole thing just being so damn COOL in it, from his low slung jeans to his designer shades he seemed scream "look at me!" all the time.

But at least his fights weren't undercranked to silliness this time.

[Beat TG]

I've probably said it before, but to me he looks like the Nicholas Cage of Hong Kong movies, and Nicholas Cage just leaves me cold.

haha, that's a nice comparison. even my brother said that one time I showed him the alley fight.

Donnie Yen just hampers the whole thing just being so damn COOL in it, from his low slung jeans to his designer shades he seemed scream "look at me!" all the time.

donnie's specific acting positions and certainty are evident (don't mind it) but there are some moments where he actually acts and it's there where he impresses me everytime I revisit the movie. in fact, long before SPL came out, I was more concerned of watching him in action (like most of us hk action fans) so him as an actual actor was non-existent, that is until now (at least for me). while he has the tendency to be quite posy, I strongly have faith that he could pull it off when given the chance although the problem is that he doesn't seem to be interested much (like Brian said, he's aware of his flaws and limitations).

An Empress & The Warriors, however, looks to have potentials for Donnie in terms of acting. hope this will be good.