The Last Emperor (1987)

I first saw the Last Emperor when I was still a child. And like many movies you watch when you were a kid , you tend to realize that when you watch it again as an adult that you actually had no fucking idea what was going on. That is exactly what happened when I decided to re-watch it again. Regardless certain scenes were embedded on my mind and I was able to recount them but then they were just images and no substance to them from my kid's viewpoint.

To those of you who have not heard of this film , The last Emperor is well the story of the Last Emperor of imperial China . I have read a lot about that era in Chinese history because I'm interested with the history of the Soong Family- Republican China's closest version of the Kennedys. Although I seldom touched upon the story of Pu-Yi the last emperor. A man who was raised to be an absolute ruler only to be turned into nothing more than a figurehead and a prisoner in his own palace. He never actually tasted power , by the time he was old enough to rule , China was already a Republic and he was nothing more ,but a symbol of the past. His life is tragic no denying that , but it does make for one compelling and dramatic story. The movie captured it beautifully , everything from the amazing cinematography , the lovely but sorrowful soundtrack and the great performance delivered by the cast , added to this gem of cinema . Trust me, even if this movie is close to three hours long, it is very entertaining and you won't feel that it is that long. It's like reading a great novel, the hours just pass by and you can't wait to turn one page after another. This is a masterpiece , hey and deserved all the Academy Awards it won back in the day. And the ending was bittersweet but oh so wonderfully done...

Watch Trailer Here

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci

Cast
John Lone as Puyi (adult)
Joan Chen as Wanrong
Peter O'Toole as Reginald Johnston
Ying Ruocheng as Detention Centre Governor
Victor Wong as Chen Baochen
Dennis Dun as Big Li
Ryuichi Sakamoto as Amakasu Masahiko
Maggie Han as Eastern Jewel (Yoshiko Kawashima)
Ric Young as Interrogator
Vivian Wu (credited as Wu Jun Mei) as Wenxiu
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Chang
Jade Go as Ar Mo
Fumihiko Ikeda as Colonel Yoshioka
Richard Vuu as Puyi (3 years old)
Tijger Tsou as Puyi (8 years old)
Wu Tao as Puyi (15 years old)
Fan Guang as Pujie (adult), Puyi's younger brother
Henry Kyi as Pujie (7 years old)
Alvin Riley III as Pujie (14 years old)
Lisa Lu as Empress Dowager Cixi
Hideo Takamatsu as General Hishikari Takashi
Hajime Tachibana as Japanese Translator
Basil Pao as Zaifeng, Prince Chun, Puyi's father
Henry O as Lord Chamberlain

Stand by me (1986)- Will Wheaton , River Phoenix

I've been meaning to watch this film for the longest time . I have encountered it in cable several times , but have only watched it for like five minutes before changing the channel . As many of you might know , Stand By Me is a coming of age drama directed by Rob Reiner , a man who seems to be at his best in this genre . The story is about four 12 year old boys who go out in an adventure to search for the body of a missing kid. There is this one line in the movie that I could really relate to and it goes like this " I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus does anyone? " Although as the quote states , I think most boys could relate to this . You see when I was twelve I also had three close friends ,four of us like in the movie , but thankfully unlike in the movie we have remained close up to this day , and I can't imagine not having those guys in my life , so I guess the film really struck a chord with me .

So before I become sappy , I'd like to go back into the virtues of the film . Many regard Stand By Me as the best coming of age film there is , I don't know about that , the classic Rebel without a cause absolutely rules that genre but I can see where most people are coming from . Will Wheaton as the main character is great in his role , although he is no match against the intensity of River Phoenix who plays his best friend , even at a young age there are already hints of greatness with this boy . I believe that if he had lived through his prime , he would most probably be clutching an academy award by now . The other stand out in this movie is Kiefer Sutherland in a douche bag role , why is he so amazing in douche bag roles? I mean I've see him in 24 , he's good as a hero , but not as good or half as amazing when he plays the douche . The story is also quite beautiful and well written , all the characters were given their own moment to shine , or show their flaws and vulnerabilities . And how the cinematography captured the landscape is just pure artistry . All in all this movie is brilliant , no other way to describe it... It is genuine and inspiring, a great movie to watch.

Watch Trailer Here