Hey yall~
Yes, I am reviving my blog! And what's more, I have decided to keep to a regular schedule too!
This blog will be updated every Sunday! That's right - it's ☀️Skye Sundays☀️ !
(Sometimes, there may be extra posts during the week too! For example, this post is out on Tuesday because it's time sensitive- the movie is still playing in theatres if you want to catch it~)
Schemes in Antiques 古董局中局
Released : 2021
Language: Chinese
Genre: Action, Drama
What's it about: (no spoilers)
(Modern) treasure hunters scramble to uncover a precious Buddha head. Expect tomb-raider adventure style puzzles, a dollop of humor and a wild rush to be the first to unravel the mystery that has been kept under wraps for generations.
Xu Yuan (孙许愿) is our main character. He is our smart but lazy and dishelleved ruffian. The downtrodden guy with lots of potential but zero motivation in life. (He gives me kungfu panda vibes!!!)
His family is disgraced for being traitors during the war - his grandfather had given away a precious Tang Dynasty Buddha head to the Japanese. So Xu Yuan grows up in shame despite not actually commiting any crime. He has a lackadaisical life involving scams and fixing electronics. However, his real talent lies in his expertise in appraising ancient artefacts. He can tell a real from a high quality fake.
 |
| said Buddha Head |
The story begins when his father (who abandoned him when he was young) dies in a car crash holding a coin tightly in his hand. Xu Yuan gets embroiled in the search of the real Buddha head when Yan Yan 黄烟烟, granddaughter of the antiques society's head, scouts him out to search for the truth.
They go up against genius pretty boy Yao Bu Ran 药不然 (I do not lie. That's the name of the character lmao lmao) from the official antiques society, as well as sophisticated underground dealers that would not hesitate to get rid of anyone in their way. He's sleek, young, modern and also capable, the anti-thesis of Xu Yuan, who is old, crusty, and goes about things in a seemingly haphazard way.
Also from what I understand, the actor for Yao Bu Ran, 李现 is very popular! He's alright. That brown leather jacket tho.
Thoughts:
Irony: After reading about Buddha and his philosophies, it's EXTREMELY crazy how people chase his 'image' in the form of a statue, what more lie, cheat, beg and steal just to retrieve it. Don't even talk about the bloodshed. Buddha will definitely not approve~!
This isn't a kungfu movie per-se - don't expect Shangchi level of fighting sequences! There is drama, as well as twists and turns but no tearjerking moments. It's a fun romp with humorous bits here and there.
This movie is a welcome change for me because I have not watched Chinese action films in a long, long time!
I was reminded of the Zodiac movie of Jackie Chan, something I've watched when I was younger. I was also reminded of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, where the team just troops around solving mysteries using obscure clues and references. Cool.
Overall I think this is a fun adventure movie anyone can enjoy.
I am very pleased that Clover Films (a regional film distributor in Singapore) has been bringing in Asian movies! I've also watched Till We Meet Again (月老) which features some of the cast of 那些年 . It is also a 九把刀 movie. New fan of Clover Films!!! Can't wait to watch American Girl (美国女孩）although it looks absolutely heart-wrenching. That will be next on my list!
Watch the trailer below!
Ciao!
Love,
Skye
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