Movie Review - Red Cliff I & II

Movie Title
Red Cliff I & II
Year
2008/2009
Genre
War Drama

Story
In 208 AD, Cao Cao, Prime Minster of Han Dynasty led a full-scale war on the kingdoms of Xu (in the west) and Wu (in the south) in a mission to unite all of China.

This is the latest take by John Woo (the most expensive film ever produced in Chinese movie history) on the classical Chinese War Epic – the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, with the focus on The Battle of Red Cliff (hence the title). John Woo lets the audience understand who the major players of the movie are by taking the time to develop the multiple facets of their personalities (eg: learning that Zhou Yu was not only a master strategist at war but is also a renowned musician! The same applied to Zhuge Liang!) and steadily builds up the momentum of how the forces of the 3 armies were mobilized, culminating in the final epic battle at Red Cliff!

Altho’ the focus is more on Zhou Yu & Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan, the Prince of the Wu Kingdom, and the other legendary generals from Liu Bei’s camp are prominent supporting characters in the show:
- Zhao Zilong (who also recently had a movie: http://jmerb.blogspot.com/2009/01/movie-review-three-kingdoms.html)
- Zhao Yun
- Guan Yu
- Zhang Fei
Acting
Discounting a few rather awkward/over-the-top scenes, some injected elements of humor and a couple of rather illogical action sequences, the acting was very credible. The witty interaction between the 2 main War Strategists Zhou Yu (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) & Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) juxtaposed against the villain Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) constitute my favorite parts of the show.
Additional Comments
Being unfamiliar with the original text, this cannot be said with certainty but John Woo had taken some liberties to include certain sequences that helped break the pace as the movies were interspersed with some lighter moments to give the audience a breather every now and then.

Also, it is hinted here that the main reason for Cao Cao’s war was his love for Zhou Yu’s wife - Xiao Qiao, whom Cao Cao considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Magnificent Epic” are the only words appropriate to describe these 2 movies (recommended to be viewed & enjoyed in 1-sitting). Combined, the 2 movies last about 4 hours & 30 minutes.

Overall
This movie has it all –
- Action
- Betrayal
- Battle of wits
- Full scale war
- Love
- Loyalty & Alliances
- Romance
- Suspense
- Appreciation of the arts
Highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10

Comic Review - Thor 1-12

Title/Storyline

Thor 1-12
Publish Date
2008
Creative Team(s)
JM Straczynski, Oliver Coipel, Marko Djurjevic
Publisher
Marvel
Story
Thor is finally back (and so is Dr Donald Blake) after the final Ragnarok in the previous Thor series destroyed all things Asgardian. That was why he was not part of Civil War (only his clone appeared if you recall).

When Thor restores Asgard on Earth, he carefully executes his plan to restore only its “good” inhabitants but eventually, Loki was inadvertently freed. But he returns as a she (yup, you read that right) and she looks hot (and you will know why when you read #12 or in the Spoiler Section below)!

The story flows directly into Marvel’s first book that has an issue number as big as 600 – Thor 600!

Art
Oliver Coipel is a very good artist but I disliked how Thor was made to look like a primitive Neanderthal! Other than that, I loved his work here in the series. His artwork is very clean but jam-packed with details and subtle nuances of the characters.

Now, mark my words - Marko Djurjevic is a superstar in the making. His work on issues 7-8 was simply breath-taking. Reminiscent of Trevor Hairsine, Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver & Mike McKone’s finest work. His pencils are more detailed than Coipel’s.

Additional Comments
There were many things that I didn’t like about the new Thor series initially. I didn’t like the new armor, or the fact that Asgard is now floating over Oklahoma (!!). Thor was also made to look more like a Neanderthal in Coipel’s renditions than a Norse god.

Fortunately, the good things far out-weigh the negatives. JM is a genius! I absolutely loved how he took his time to weave an intricate tale that changes almost everything we thought we knew about the Asgardian lore. We learn more about Odin, Balder (who happens to also be Odin’s son!), Loki and how Loki had a hand in all these events we learn of only now. Having Loki come back as a woman using Lady Sif’s body is totally wicked and a stroke of genius!

Food Review - Zhen Wei Vegetarian House

NameZhen Wei Vegetarian House
Food
Vegetarian Chinese
Location
Behind the Main Road in Taman Connaught. Cheras. Right next to the UR My Pet House.



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Getting there
As you come from Jalan Cheras towards Mid Valley, this restaurant is located at the right side (ie: opposite side of the UCSI), vice versa. The shop is located behind the shops facing the main road.

ParkingThere are ample parking spaces around the shop-lots and also at the houses nearby.

ServiceThe wait staff is quick to attend to diners with the menu and immediately take your orders. You may also ask them for some recommended dishes if you are not a regular.

Ambience
It is a no-frills eatery with only the very basics but very clean, well-lit and well-kept. Taste
We had the following:

- Kon Choy Pai Kuat Tong (Pork Ribs in Dried Vege Soup)
- Choe Mai (Unpolished Brown Rice)
- Kangkung with Keiji (Water spinach sprinkled with Chinese wolfberries)
- Fried Tofu Bricks with White Fungus in Lemon Sauce - Deep Fried Abalone Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce and curry leaves
- Mixed Vege and Nuts in Yam Bowl

For vegetarian dishes, they were indeed tasty. However, in comparison to meat dishes, they may seem relatively more bland as the meat flavors are derived artificially. This is more pronounced with the soup and the tofu dishes than any of the other dishes. The Unpolished Brown Rice had a very rich texture that is so unique everyone ought to try it at least once. The Deep Fried Abalone Mushrooms were also exceptionally good as they were fresh from the kitchen – warm and crunchy but smothered with the “cheese” sauce which everyone loves.

Presentation
All the dishes are neatly presented on plastic plates.

VarietyThere is more than enough variety of dishes ranging from “meat” & “seafood” to the various creative forms of tofu to sate even the appetites of any non-vegetarian.

Value for Money
For all of the items that are listed above for 4 adults and 1 child, it set us back by about RM50. It’s not in the same price range of economy mixed rice but then again, this is an air-conditioned restaurant. Hence, it’s good velue.

Overall
A good place for some body-cleansing vegetarian meals in a clean and comfortable environment.