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2012 - The Great Magician
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yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 413
Location: United States

PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:35 am    Post subject:

Hi Safran, I use Firefox on a Mac, Sina videos seem to play OK (from US). If you use other systems, you may give this browser (it has both Mac and PC versions) a try if possible. Good luck.

The Great Magician Premieres in Shanghai.


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Jamaica



Joined: 27 Mar 2011
Posts: 419
Location: Lexington, KY United States

PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:00 am    Post subject:

Thanks for so many wonderful new things to see, ladies! Very Happy
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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Safran



Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 1322
Location: Austria

PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:01 am    Post subject:

Thank you yitian - for your kind advice Smile - and the nice pics also Smile !
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Jamaica



Joined: 27 Mar 2011
Posts: 419
Location: Lexington, KY United States

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:07 am    Post subject: TICKET GIVE-AWAY in AUSTRALIA

http://www.thereelbits.com/2012/01/11/win-the-great-magician-ticket-giveaway/
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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hamberger362



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 599
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:11 am    Post subject:



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hamberger362



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 599
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:18 am    Post subject:





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Jamaica



Joined: 27 Mar 2011
Posts: 419
Location: Lexington, KY United States

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:20 am    Post subject:

Thanks Ham!
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 413
Location: United States

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:22 am    Post subject:

Premiere in GuangZhou - Last stop - Tony can take a break now.







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yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 413
Location: United States

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:27 am    Post subject:

More and Bigger




And this one is amusing
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hamberger362



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 599
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:39 am    Post subject:

The Great Magician premiere in Beijing (video )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xoO-XC4BEw
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hamberger362



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 599
Location: Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:48 am    Post subject:




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Safran



Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 1322
Location: Austria

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:21 pm    Post subject:

Many thanks Ham - for the "youtube" video Very Happy and the beautiful latest pics !!!
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Jamaica



Joined: 27 Mar 2011
Posts: 419
Location: Lexington, KY United States

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:01 am    Post subject: A Couple of Reviews

From the reviews, it sounds like Tony's has ended up with sort of movie he wanted to make - something to make you smile. Smile It'll be great for Chinese New Year!


http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20120112-321344.html

my paper
Thursday, Jan 12, 2012
THE GREAT MAGICIAN (PG)

Dramedy/129 minutes

Rating: ****

Chang Hsien (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is a magician who returns to Beijing to reclaim his childhood sweetheart, Liu Yin (Zhou Xun).

She has been kidnapped by a warlord, Bully Lei (Lau Ching Wan), to become his seventh wife.

This Derek Yee-helmed film is the first Chinese blockbuster of the year.

Forget about the plot and this happy mishmash of genres and cliches actually surprises you.

Expect great acting and moments of lucid philosophical insights into love and politics.



http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2012/01/review-the-great-magician.php

REVIEW: THE GREAT MAGICIAN LEAVES THE RABBIT IN THE HAT


by James Marsh, January 12, 2012 5:02 AM

ACTION, ASIA, COMEDY, DRAMA
It seems like a number of years since Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung Chiu Wai graced our screens, but in fact it was only 2009 when the second installment of John Woo's epic RED CLIFF was doing the rounds. Perhaps because many A-list Chinese actors feature so regularly in major releases - Leung's co-stars Lau Ching Wan and Zhou Xun have each had two other films released in the past six months - that two years feels like an eternity. Leung has spent the majority of that period participating in the still unfinished THE GRANDMASTERS for Wong Kar Wai, and it was in fact during one of the numerous breaks in production that Leung starred in this comedy thriller from director Derek Yee.

Yee has enjoyed a string of critical hits in the past decade, including ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, PROTEGE and THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT, as well as success as a producer with Felix Chong and Alan Mak's two OVERHEARD films. His last outing as director, TRIPLE TAP, had been a notable failure, and THE GREAT MAGICIAN marks a deliberate change of style and genre from his previous films. It is also worth noting that all the films mentioned above featured actor Daniel Wu, who again pops up here in a brief cameo in the film's opening minutes.

Set during the Warlords Era of the early 20th Century, as the Qing Dynasty was collapsing and the country was fragmented and in perpetual turmoil, THE GREAT MAGICIAN is the story of Chang Hsien (Tony Leung), a famous magician who returns to Beijing after many years spent overseas. Chang is in cahoots with a band of rebels looking to kidnap the local warlord, General Bully Lei (Lau Ching Wan), so they can bargain for the release of one of their senior officers. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Chang has his own personal reasons for targeting Lei - namely that the General's 7th wife, Liu Yin (Zhou Xun), is Chang's estranged fiancée.

Lei is a relatively small-time warlord, and is facing serious threat from larger forces on all sides. This forces him into an uneasy coalition with a number of other Generals that could erupt at anytime. Lei is looking to buy a fleet of tanks from a Japanese industrialist, and is also dabbling in a spot of film investment as a potential propaganda tool. Suffice to say that the fearsome but rather simple-minded General has enough on his plate, not to mention seven jealous and manipulative wives to placate, that he is slow to realise who Chang is until he has already won over his trust.

Stylistically, THE GREAT MAGICIAN is clearly influenced by Jiang Wen's blockbuster LET THE BULLETS FLY, and much of the film's look (as well as historical setting) echoes that film. However, Yee's script is nothing like as smart as Jiang's and as a result the film steadily descends into broad comedy. That is not to say that the film isn't funny. Much of the comedy works on its own merits, but when General Lei defends himself in a knife fight using a pair of roast ducks as weapons, it is hard not to concede that the film has slipped into silliness from which it will never recover.

The magic on display is largely impressive, and even through the medium of film, much of the sleight of hand and other conjuring tricks on display still dazzle. The film is at its strongest when Leung takes to the stage to perform his tricks and he is a reliably magnetic screen presence throughout. Yee lets the audience peek behind the curtain and see just how many of these tricks are performed and one can't help but draw comparisons to Christopher Nolan's THE PRESTIGE. However, THE GREAT MAGICIAN never attempts to be as cunning or duplicitous as that film, instead creating a carnival atmosphere designed to entertain but little else.

One disappointment is that Zhou Xun's character Liu Yin isn't explored further. For much of the film she is little more than a trophy for which Chang and Lei compete, but we do learn that her father was Chang's magical mentor and that she is one of the few characters with martial arts prowess. Sadly Yin is given little opportunity to use her talents and as a result it is difficult to fully appreciate the appeal of her character, despite the obvious allure of Zhou Xun herself.

Lau Ching Wan has proven time and again that he makes for a lovable onscreen dope and Bully Lei is certainly no exception. What is interesting is how the presentation of his character shifts as the film goes on. At the beginning he is presented as a volatile and homicidal sociopath, with a healthy misogynist streak and insatiable appetite. As the film goes on, however, he becomes more of a compatriot to Chang as the inevitable political element begins to seep into the script. The film culminates in all-out war on the streets between loyal supporters of the failing Empire, funded by opportunistic Japanese arms dealers, and the anti-imperialist rebels, while Lei is left all but on his own.

In the end, however, it is the comedy that wins out over any political agenda and you never feel that you are being talked down to about anything more weighty than choosing the right future to wish for. That said, after all the showmanship and grand spectacle Yee dazzles us with for two hours, THE GREAT MAGICIAN ends with a fizzle rather than a bang that will glean little more than a shrug from the audience rather than rapturous applause. In doing so, THE GREAT MAGICIAN succeeds in delivering its pledge and its turn, only to sadly fumble the prestige, leaving us scratching our heads but without the sense of perplexed wonderment that comes from witnessing real magic.
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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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Safran



Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 1322
Location: Austria

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:17 am    Post subject:

http://moviexclusive.com/detail.php?c=62&desc=G&p=1225&t=the-great-magician-2012_1225 Smile

Tony´s part is reported undisputed brilliant - in all reviews I found Very Happy
I´m already curious about first reviews/opinions of our fellow fans on-site Wink
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yitian



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 413
Location: United States

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:08 am    Post subject:

Thanks Jamaica and Safran for these review articles. According to my reading, Tony became more and more happy while filming the movie. It's most important that he's happy. Laughing Laughing Laughing
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