Post by klep on Jan 21, 2019 7:42:33 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/21: Come Drink With Me
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK!
Perhaps more than any other kind of film, a great martial arts film is made in the editing. Truly great martial artists can be too fast for cameras to capture in a way the audience can appreciate, and some moves are simply too dangerous to do without some trickery. So fights get shot in brief sequences or even single moves, and it's up to the editor to cut them together into something both coherent and exciting.
And doing it right is critical. Bad editing can let the audience see the seams in the work. I remember watching The Transporter: Refueled and seeing a fight scene where it was extremely obvious everything was done shot-by-shot. Shots were entered a few frames early and left a few frames too late. There was no fluidity - no feeling of immersion. And certainly no believability that Ed Skrein was actually doing anything beyond putting his limbs exactly where he was told.
All of this prelude is to say that the editing in Come Drink With Me is exquisite. The action flows smoothly - except when it needs to be sharp and abrupt. Insert shots are applied judiciously and precisely to hide where blades don't actually connect. Those familiar with the craft will appreciate the old trick of film reversal for capturing thrown projectiles, but it never feels jarring. You never sit and think "Huh, that's where they broke to add the blood makeup." The seams just don't show.
Of course, it helps when you have someone with such grace and poise to serve as your star. Cheng Pei-pei, who plays Golden Swallow, was a dancer rather than a martial artist. While all of the actors are quite capable in their fight scenes she's the one who spends the most time in medium shot. From that distance, the ease and precision of her movements impress upon the viewer the Golden Swallow's confidence and skill.
When you have these elements working together - a great editor and a star you can film in a medium shot - it goes a long way towards making your martial arts film a memorable and special one. And in Come Drink With Me's case, it leads towards being remembered as one of the best ever made.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/28: Picnic at Hanging Rock
AUSTRALIA WEEK!
For Australia Week we'll be watching 1975's Picnic at Hanging Rock, a film about a group of women from an all-girls school who go out for a picnic.... and never return. Join us next week as we try to grapple with the mystery of their disappearance. Picnic at Hanging Rock is available for rent from Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK!
Perhaps more than any other kind of film, a great martial arts film is made in the editing. Truly great martial artists can be too fast for cameras to capture in a way the audience can appreciate, and some moves are simply too dangerous to do without some trickery. So fights get shot in brief sequences or even single moves, and it's up to the editor to cut them together into something both coherent and exciting.
And doing it right is critical. Bad editing can let the audience see the seams in the work. I remember watching The Transporter: Refueled and seeing a fight scene where it was extremely obvious everything was done shot-by-shot. Shots were entered a few frames early and left a few frames too late. There was no fluidity - no feeling of immersion. And certainly no believability that Ed Skrein was actually doing anything beyond putting his limbs exactly where he was told.
All of this prelude is to say that the editing in Come Drink With Me is exquisite. The action flows smoothly - except when it needs to be sharp and abrupt. Insert shots are applied judiciously and precisely to hide where blades don't actually connect. Those familiar with the craft will appreciate the old trick of film reversal for capturing thrown projectiles, but it never feels jarring. You never sit and think "Huh, that's where they broke to add the blood makeup." The seams just don't show.
Of course, it helps when you have someone with such grace and poise to serve as your star. Cheng Pei-pei, who plays Golden Swallow, was a dancer rather than a martial artist. While all of the actors are quite capable in their fight scenes she's the one who spends the most time in medium shot. From that distance, the ease and precision of her movements impress upon the viewer the Golden Swallow's confidence and skill.
When you have these elements working together - a great editor and a star you can film in a medium shot - it goes a long way towards making your martial arts film a memorable and special one. And in Come Drink With Me's case, it leads towards being remembered as one of the best ever made.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/28: Picnic at Hanging Rock
AUSTRALIA WEEK!
For Australia Week we'll be watching 1975's Picnic at Hanging Rock, a film about a group of women from an all-girls school who go out for a picnic.... and never return. Join us next week as we try to grapple with the mystery of their disappearance. Picnic at Hanging Rock is available for rent from Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.