# House Of Flying Daggers



## Foxbat (Nov 28, 2004)

This looks interesting

http://movieweb.com/movies/film.php?2483

By Zhang Yimou (he of Hero fame)


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## Brian G Turner (Dec 11, 2004)

Trailer here:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/houseofflyingdaggers-tlr.html

Seems like Crouching Tiger has opened up a whole area of commercial stylised theatre.


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## Blue Mythril (Dec 14, 2004)

I said:
			
		

> http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/houseofflyingdaggers-tlr.html
> 
> Seems like Crouching Tiger has opened up a whole area of commercial stylised theatre.


 hey hey hey hey hey! Settle down Tiger. I maintain that this "commercial stylised theatre" existed long before CTHD. I also maintain thatit isn't commercial at heart, what is commercial is Hollywood's epiphany that 'hey, we can sell this concept!'.

 *pulls a face* If I just made sense then...

 Anyway, the reviews have all been good, but I can't wait for this to hit the big screen. Must admit I'm trailing in the Lacey Faery's wake with this genre. I'm falling in love! Each movie I see is just so much more poignant than the one before it.

 Plus, I heard that a blind female warrior is part of this story. Sounds very cool.

 I just love the way these films are made and presented. Its just so beautiful...

 sigh

 *wanders off with falling blossoms drifting past her mind's eye*


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## erickad71 (Dec 14, 2004)

We just watched Hero...then I saw the trailer for this one, I just love the visuals for these movies! They are gorgeous. I can't wait to see this one!


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## Silk (Dec 14, 2004)

Blue Mythril said:
			
		

> Must admit I'm trailing in the Lacey Faery's wake with this genre. I'm falling in love!


Too true, I can't wait to watch this film and its already avaliable on DVD from Asia so I don't think I'm going to even waite for it to come out on the big screen


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## Blue Mythril (Dec 14, 2004)

Yeah, see that is the one thing which is both good and frustrating about this genre. Most of these films were released in Asia years ago and its only now that Hollywood has decided to re-release them. I mean "Quintin Tarantino presents"!? Damn. The most frustrating thing about that is that it worked. I kept hearing, oh, I really wanna see that movie, isn't it directed by Tarantino?" Or other such things along those lines. I just gave up trying to say that he really had nothing to do with it, they just used his name (with his permission of course) to "introduce" it to Western Cinema (even though its been on the backburner as such for ten years now).

 But then again, we might never get to experience these fantastic films on the big screen over here. we'd have to resort to importing DVDs or seeing them in Asia if we are lucky and have money. Sigh. So i guess I should just be grateful and hope that Hollywood doesn't grow bored with this 'fad' too quickly...


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## fallenstar (Dec 15, 2004)

O goodness now I finally realized what the House of Flying Dagger is..... I have heard of it in Chinese years ago.  Apparently it is one of Zhang Yimou's style of wuxia movie again: great visual and sound effects, and poor plot lines. I have seen the plot summary of this movie....unfortunately I am at Canada so I can't see it yet. I can probably rent it at a Chinese video store but I don't have the spare money. But in contrast to the western view of the movie include Heroes, the Chinese ourselves basically detested them.....


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## Brian G Turner (Dec 15, 2004)

Blue Mythril said:
			
		

> I maintain that this "commercial stylised theatre" existed long before CTHD. I also maintain thatit isn't commercial at heart, what is commercial is Hollywood's epiphany that 'hey, we can sell this concept!'.


Exactly right - Crouching Tiger simply showed that this genre could produce commercial success, and that's why the whole genre has become a lot more accessible. Which was my only point.


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## Fitz (Feb 17, 2005)

fallenstar said:
			
		

> O goodness now I finally realized what the House of Flying Dagger is..... I have heard of it in Chinese years ago. Apparently it is one of Zhang Yimou's style of wuxia movie again: great visual and sound effects, and poor plot lines. I have seen the plot summary of this movie....unfortunately I am at Canada so I can't see it yet. I can probably rent it at a Chinese video store but I don't have the spare money. But in contrast to the western view of the movie include Heroes, the Chinese ourselves basically detested them.....


 
Unfortunately, I have to agree... they look great visually, but has no plot to fall back on. 
I watched CTHD only a while ago, but was sorely disappointed because it wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be. It didn't look that different to other Chinese waxia movies and when it finished, i was sort of like "uh... is that it?" 
Same thing happened with House of Flying Daggers. It looked awesome, not to mention that some parts of it looked anime-ish, which i thought was great, but the ending was just disappointing.


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## Silk (Feb 21, 2005)

The plot in House of Flying Daggars is much weaker that CTHD but its so beautifully stylized that it doesn't matter; I could watch it over and over just to see the colours


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## GrownUp (Feb 21, 2005)

Hello,
 I'm new here. Is it alright if I join in the discussion?


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## Brian G Turner (Feb 21, 2005)

Of course - feel free to settle in to any of the discussions here.


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## GrownUp (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

Thanks, I, Brian.

First of all, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a masterpiece, in my opinion and probably in everyone else's in the world. All substance and all style. Both.

Mind you, when I went to see "House of Flying Daggers", with a friend - after a while so that the plot had already failed to stun, there was a point when she and I started giggling. You know, the sort where you desperately are trying to laugh silently, but the whole row of cinema seats can't help but feel the shaking?

I mean, we knew it was a melodrama already. This had not passed us by.

*SPOILER*
It was at that point where Zhang Ziyi, gets up and starts having a chat after taking a knife in the heart. It was a little silly. Then there is a substantial period where a couple of lads are fighting? We were subsiding, but after this time the camera wanders over to her she has a few more lines. It set us off again, it struck as unlikely- humorous. Then she pulls the knife out of her heart? And she falls over, as a result, fair enough, I would do the same. But then the bloke walks over to her and she starts off chatting again. Oh, it goes on and on and on. The bloke starts singing to her, you know. Yep. Even that. He had been fighting a lot too, getting stabbed a lot. Alright, not it the heart, but still, you think he'd not be well. 

There have been much, much better Asian films out in the West since Crouching Tiger. Infernal Affairs, for example. (A gangster movie-not sci-fi.) And it's even better prequel Infernal Affairs 2.

I suppose I am ranting, I thought I'd ask permission before I started. I had been rather looking forward to House of Flying Daggers so the disappointment probably exaggerates the Zombie-Mills & Boon quality it has in my eyes. The scenery was nice.


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## Fitz (Feb 22, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

I agree Infernal Affairs was a great film (i cried at the end). But Infernal Affairs 2 is no where near as good as the first one. In fact, by normal standards, i wouldn't even say it was a good movie. That might have something to do with the acting though.


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## GrownUp (Feb 22, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

Oh Fitz no. I don't agree. Admittedly I saw I.F. on a DVD and I.F.2 at the cinema, and that may have changed the impact. 

I.F. seemed like one chap's sad story, but the second film was more intricate and surprising.


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## Fitz (Feb 22, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

Perhaps watching it in the cinemas might have made the difference. But the I.F. 2 still looks to me to be a sad attempt to cash in on the first one's popularity, and I was most overwhelmed when a THIRD one came out.


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## GrownUp (Feb 22, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

There's a third one? Wha.. when... how...

How come no one told me?


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## Fitz (Feb 23, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

LOL, yep there's a third one. it's set AFTER the first one. you probably didn't hear about it because it wasn't all that hyped up.


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## GrownUp (Feb 24, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

Does it have cinema or DVD release in Europe?


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## Fitz (Feb 25, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

ummm, no idea, but i'm sure if you visit a local chinese video store (assuming there is one...) i'm sure they should have it on DVD. it was out sometime last year, i believe.


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## Leto (Feb 25, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

next month in Belgium theaters according to imdb.com, should be around the rest of europe too.


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## GrownUp (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: House Of Flying Daggers *Spoiler**Spoiler**

Yay


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