Beautiful music.
Occasionally I can get into an action movie, esp. with an interesting story, but not as much as I used to. Martial arts movies are a little more up my ally, and even better if the setting and imagery come from an older time, or there is some spiritual or religions themes or mythology tied in.
I loved the movie Hero.
I tried to watch one of those Asian drama shows you watch, and though some of it was appealing there was this soap opera cheesiness too. But I do love the settings!
I also loved Hero. Would like to find it to watch it again, in fact. It has been accused of being Chinese propaganda, but I don't care. It was so artfully done, with the multiple versions of the story. Visually stunning it was. And as well, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and House of Flying Daggers. All 3 of those movies had a similar 'feel' to them. The Chinese seem to be great lovers of tragedy, I may add.
As for the cheesy Asian dramas, there are 2 I'd stand by, in spite of their continuing-saga-soap-y qualities:
Strange Hero Yi Zhi Mei (Also called Vigilantes in Mask)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KQ-Eb8iFAM&feature=share&list=PLBD9A9395F3C977EEand
The Book and the Sword
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPF0R27fjB0/(You have to rely on the related videos to get you to the next-and-the-next episodes.)
The Book and the Sword got a bit long, just by virtue of all of the painful treachery in it, but interesting it was. Lots of artifacts of the period.
I also enjoyed The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng 2007, but I notice that the copyright police got hold of it on yt.
I was in the midst of a current series a few months back, when something strange happened to my computer, and I suspected that there was some cyber hanky-panky in the video. It was called "The Scarlet Heart2," and I'll always lament not knowing how it turned out.
But back to soundtracks. This cut by Tan Dun is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard, to be frank. And it stands alone, without having seen the film.
