SeventhStar

What a Waste...

I watched Empress Ki way back in November 2017. I remember it so clearly, as it was the first K-Drama I ever watched. I was getting into East Asian cinema at the time, as the first 'drama' I ever watched was Empress of China with Fan BingBing. Then, I watched Empresses in the Palace, followed by Nirvana in Fire. I decided it was time for a shakeup and decided to watch Empress Ki, as the first 10 minutes of the show immediately captivated me.

When I initially finished Empress Ki, I thought it was one of the best things I've ever watched. However, as my tastes have matured and I've seen *a lot* of other dramas/movies, I have come to the complete polar opposite conclusion for Empress Ki: it sucks.

Now, hear me out. The first 20-23 episodes are pretty good. I still revisit the drama every now and then and rewatch certain scenes. Ha Ji Won & Joo Jin Mo never disappoint, as their acting chops are on full display throughout the entirety of the drama. The music is riveting and powerful, and the political intrigue of the late-stage Yuan dynasty is most certainly entertaining. The dynamics between El Temur and Tanasiri are hilarious. Tanasiri is soooo unhinged and I love it. Empress Ki has a lot going for it in the first 20-23 episodes, so much so that I don't have much to say about it other than it's great.

However, after episode 23 or so, it all goes downhill.

Sometimes, writers just don't know when to call the quits and make a drama 25 episodes or less. The moment that Lady Park gets killed and SeungNyang has to escape while being pregnant is where things all go downhill. I understand that film is not supposed to be realistic and that certain things are simply 'cinematic expressions.' For example, in Chungking Express, when Ho Chi Moo buys 30 cans of Pineapple that have a specific date on them, nobody is saying that people are going to do that (though, some might lol.) But it's a cinematic expression for the breakup the character is going through. Empress Ki, however, takes this liberty way too far and has her baby who gets thrown off a cliff survive! There are also so many other things that don't make any sense. For example, who cares about a 'blood vow' and who it was written by? A tyrant could easily forge it and convince others that their own blood vow is the real one. Even if the real one existed, who really cares at the end of the day? Li Shimin with the Xuanwu Gate Incident killed his brothers and forced his father's abdication from the throne. Henry the VIII killed his wives and told the Catholic Church to screw off; he even made his own church (the Anglican Church) just so he could marry the way he wanted. Why should tyrants like El Temur hold back over a blood vow? Some people say that Tanasiri using black magic to curse SeungNyang was too far, but I don't think so. She's a genuinely disturbed person, so I see no issue in that. The real issue is that the black magic actually *worked* on SeungNyang. Just stupid. It's a historical drama, not a wuxia/muhyeop. There are so many others I can't remember, but you get the idea. Again, there's a theme in all of this; when the writers can't get out of the clusterf**k they created, they take the easy route and write it off with some stupid tangent.

Additionally, after episode 23, Wang Yu's story takes a nosedive as well, as the whole 'counterfeit currency/vouchers' plot is another trope in historical dramas that's typically added when the writers don't know what else to do. The whole romance of Batoru and Wang Yu is just contrived and doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It's just there for there's sake. Just a huge yawn session through-and-through. Wang Yu's loyal sidekicks do give this section the humor is separately needs to be somewhat entertaining.

Let's talk about the most useless character in drama history: Togon / Yuan Emperor. This pathetic excuse for an emperor really gets on my nerves in the last few episodes. While he does grow a spine (much too late), he shows his unspeakable brutality by killing Wang Yu at the very end for no reason, under the 'guise' of protecting SeungNyang. SeungNyang evolves into a Mary Sue protagonist at this point, where she is the center of attention of all the male protagnists, and she is someone who can do nothing wrong. While this trope can be done right, it's not done well at all in this series. While Togon can't be blamed entirely for his infantile behavior, he certainly has to start taking responsibility at some point, especially after El Temur passes away. I honestly can't blame Kolta and the Empress Dowager for betraying Togon. The last scene where Togon orders the 'scum' conspirators of the court to be killed is pretty badass, though.

Now, with that all aside, what's the glaring problem with the drama overall? Well, it's the narrative behind our protagonist, SeungNyang. Her mother was killed by Tangqishi (son of El Temur) in the 1st episode, so she already has a deep-seated hatred for the Yuan Dynasty, so I get it. However, because the writers are so bad at their job, you start to feel that SeungNyang is overstepping her boundaries at a certain point. She makes an enemy of Bayan, Bayan's neice Bayan Khutugh, and the Empress Dowager after deposing El Temur, and while I certainly see why she's doing it, the writers are so bad at their job that I start to lose my interest in her story. She's grabbing at straws, and by the time she "wins", the Yuan Dynasty is practically moot and void. It's just so much trouble to go through for literally no gain. She probably lost her life, Wang Yu, Togon, Tal Tal, and many others. Maybe it was inevitable, but the drama doesn't make it feel that way. While Empresses of China was a mess narrative-wise as well, at least Wu Meiniang / Zetian actually became the only Empress in China's history, and the drama does reflect this somewhat. While not every drama needs a good or neatly tied ending, the motivations behind SeungNyang make me think that she went through all of that suffering for nothing. She got her revenge, but at what cost?

Overall, this drama became its own worst enemy. It didn't know when to stop and became convoluted, strange, stupid, and downright insulting at times. I miss the memories of this drama when I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I still recommend you give it a shot; but, after episode 23, do yourself a favor and either skip around the next 27 episodes or so or just watch/read recaps. I view Empress Ki and Queen Seondeok as sister dramas in a sense, and I'd take Queen Seondeok over Empress Ki anytime.

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Days of Being Wild Contains Multitudes

Does life matter? If so, how should life matter? Should life be treated seriously, or as a carefree joke? If yes to the latter, how will you treat it as a joke? Will you treat your own life as a joke, or others' as well? If life is a joke, do your actions and repercussions of said actions matter? If not, then does anything matter? Do the people around you matter? Is life simply a train that goes from station to station?

This movie hit me hard from multiple perspectives. Firstly, Wong Kar Wai never ceases to astound me with his ability to pick actors that fit their roles so well. Leslie Chung, Andy Lau, Maggie Chung, and Carina Lau all make up a star-studded cast, all of which have vastly improved their acting skills since their last outings. Secondly, WKW is a master storyteller, as each of his films either center around one major lesson or several interconnected lessons, with Days of Being Wild belonging in the latter category. Lastly, the cinematography of WKW's films is always mesmerizing. Christopher Doyle's first outing with WKW leaves a lasting impression. The dark emerald-green hue adds a dreamy filter to the film's dark color palette. The music, as ever in WKW movies, is a mix between east/west, casting an extra layer of sophistication to the film's setting.

Yuddy (Leslie Chung) is a carefree toyboy who is a troubled narcissist. Yuddy has a bit of a troubled past, as he was an 'unwanted' child, his real mother leaving him to his stepmom, Poon Tik Wa (Rebecca Pan). Yuddy uses this unfortunate fact about his mother to extrapolate his dislike for other women. If his mom didn't want him, then other women should not have the "privilege" of having him either. This leads to Yuddy manipulating both Li Zhen (Maggie Chung) and Mimi (Carina Lau) into believing that he has feelings for them, when really the only thing he wants from them is sex. When he finally "captures" his prey, he discards them like a bucket of meat. The contrast is quite jarring, as Yuddy is full of suavity and wittiness when seducing women, but as soon as he gets what he wants, he pretends like he doesn't even know them. Yuddy does not care how his actions affect others; Yuddy believes that he is the main protagonist of his own story, and all other people around him are simply side-characters—a means to an end.

Tide (Andy Lau), on the other hand, is in a way a foil to Yuddy's character. We don't know much about Tide other than that he grew up poor and had aspirations to be a sailor but had to put those plans to the side due to his ailing mother. Tide becomes a cop to pay the bills in the meantime. Tide gets assigned as 'night-time' patrol at the apartment Yuddy lives in. Tide develops a friendly relationship with Li Zhen as he becomes her confidant, as she is still reeling from Yuddy's emotional manipulation. With their interactions, we also learn about Tide's ability to empathize (another contract from Yuddy.) While Yuddy pretends to have these qualities by reciting vapid poetry and metaphors, Tide demonstrates an excellent capacity for listening and observation. As an example of this, Tide provides riveting commentary to Li Zhen when she compares the life of her cousin, who married a rich man, to herself, who is simply a ticket concession stand worker at a stadium who got stood up by Yuddy. Tide has an incredible response to this, and is one of my favorite lines from any movie:

"Not everyone can be that lucky; don't compare yourself with other people. I didn't feel poor until I started school. All the other guys got new uniforms every year, but I had to wear the same one every year. That's when I realized I was poor."

This is the turning point for Li Zhen, as she realizes she needs to move on. Tide promises that if she ever needs someone to talk to, she can talk to him by calling the phone right by where he patrols every evening. She appreciates this gesture, but realizes the lesson Tide taught her, and never calls back.

All in all, things end tragically for Yuddy, as he eventually finds his real mother, but she doesn't want him. He also ends up getting killed at the end due to him shafting a criminal gang who specializes in forged passports. He almost gets Tide killed because he lumps him in along with the action, once again, showing he has no regard for how actions affect other people.

Ultimately, the movie ends up with everyone moving on with their lives. Li Zhen never calls back Tide (except at the very end, but he has already moved on), Tide goes on to become a sailor, Mimi gets over her breakup with Yuddy, Poon Tik Wa marries her American suitor and lives a happy life. Yuddy, on the other hand, becomes a forgotten character—just an empty space in history.

A powerful movie that teaches us all that (1) if you treat life like a joke, life will treat you back like a joke; (2) your actions affect others whether you like it or not, and how you treat others ultimately will cement your legacy in others' mind, if they even remember you at all; and (3) you are not the protagonist of an 'overarching' story in life. Everybody has their own life to live; nobody is a protagonist, and nobody is a side-character. The world will simply move on with or without you. The world has no protagonists; it is simply a medium in which we live our lives. The world doesn't owe you anything and you don't owe it anything back. What you decide to do with the incredible opportunity called "life" is up to you; but, whatever you do, you will face the consequences of your actions one way or another.

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A Powerful and Respectful Homage to Ruan Lingyu

This film was close to being perfect. Stanley Kwan shows the amount of respect he has for Ruan and her contribution to Chinese cinema in this film by creating a biopic/documentary hybrid. Additionally, with Maggie Cheung playing Ruan so beautifully, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The cinematography is dark and morose, framing not just Ruan's inner struggles, but also the terrible time period she lived in. The music was also stunning. While it certainly was a riveting film, there is one major issue that kept it from being a 'cult classic'.

The film's glaring flaw is that it tries to do everything, thereby ensuring that it isn't 'great' at anything. While I appreciate the mix of documentary and biopic, it can be really jarring and confusing at times. Especially at the end where Ruan commits suicide, it almost seems like there was a blooper accidentally left in the movie, because Maggie Cheung is supposed to be 'dead', but she suddenly breaks character, and the film crew starts laughing. I found that to be incredibly bizarre; this is one of the saddest biopics I've ever watched, and yet, the seriousness of it is sucked out of the room with weird moments like this. I don't think it was intentional, I just think that Stanley Kwan made some very poor choices. I heard rumors that when the film was first presented, apparently it was shown out of order and that it was a bit of a mess. There's a reason Stanley Kwan is not talked about as much as someone like Wong Kar Wai, and the choices made in this film prove that sentiment.

The film's length has much to be desired as well, due to the whole issue of combining biopic and documentary. My biggest issue with this format is that I feel I was being told what to feel and know, rather than letting the film explain itself. The documentary portion would have been great as an extra; but, to add it to the film in this manner just doesn't make sense. It completely breaks the flow. This also made the narrative confusing at times, and it took me a good hour or so to finally figure out who's who, as you're not given enough context clues to memorable moments to remember names/characters. Information is just thrown at you. I do not know how much of Ruan's films are left, but I would have appreciated the complete removal of the documentary and replace them with the brilliant cuts from Maggie's acting to Ruan's silent films. Those parts made me tear up, especially at the end when Maggie's crying leads into the actual 'New Woman' film that was considered Ruan's penultimate. Also, from what I've heard, not much is known about Ruan's personal life prior to her joining the Lianhua Film Company, so I do appreciate that Stanley Kwan didn't add anything to the narrative for drama's sake. He kept things to the facts and allowed subjects that are mysteries remain mysteries.

The one thing I will give Stanley Kwan a lot of credit for is how he handled the suicide scene. There are no frills or melodrama. It's really sad, because Ruan at the end is happy, and kisses all the actors and producers at the end of the film, seeming like she's over the scandal that plagued her last days. In reality, much like how many suicide victims are, they will be quite happy during the last few days of their lives, because they've made the decision to remove themselves from this earth. It's not that they're actually happy; they're at peace with themselves finally, knowing that they made a decision to end their live and put an end to their suffering and their 'burden' on others. Kwan handled this immensely tragic scene with such class that I think it's one of cinema's most brilliant moments. It's respectful to the subject-matter while also allowing you to feel the devastation of her decision.

Another aspect I loved about this film was how it portrayed the difference between people who like to preach change versus those who put thought into action. Ruan's private life spills into the public newspapers due to her deadbeat ex-husband putting a megaphone on their divorce, and it's ironic because she is the archetype of the modern 'independent' woman that all the feminists in the film were allegedly fighting for. She stands up to her deadbeat husband, gets a divorce, and gets into a relationship with a man who buys her a new house, promises to take care of her adopted kid, and support her mother. She stands up for herself against a patriarchy in a way that is quite revolutionary for her time, especially for an actress and public figure like herself. Her penultimate film, 'New Woman' was a middle finger to the establishment press and norms of society at that time. Yet, when Ruan had her scandal, no one who purported to support those ideals stood up for her. They stood in the shadows and remained silent, not offering one word of support or comfort for her. They let her get to such a point that she wanted to commit suicide and then have the audacity to show up to her funeral and cry for her. It's disgusting. That part stung the most, as we still see the same cowardice today.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed learning a little more about one of China's most important silent-film-era actresses. While it wasn't a homerun because of bizarre decisions regarding the documentary-portion of the film disrupting the narrative, it still struck an emotional chord in me that I still think about this film a lot. Again, Stanley Kwan kept it professional, and while his efforts were misguided, I can honestly say that he handled this subject with the care and attention it deserved.

Last thing: it's quite hard to emphasize how good Maggie's acting is in this film.

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