It is New Years day in Brooklyn, NY. So what do people do on this first day of 2005? They eat and go to the movies. And like many others that is what we did. We had brunch with my wife’s parents in the City in what we call “the usual place” a nice French type restaurant (La Belle Vie 184 Eighth Ave. between 18th and 19th street Tel: 212-929-4320).
The place was packed around 1:30 PM. Champagne and Wine was freely flowing. We had a great time and the food was delicious. After a leisurely walk to Union Square, looking at furniture in a few stores, my in-laws went home and my wife and I went to a movie: The House of Flying Daggers. A Chinese movie very much in the tradition of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the more recent “Hero.” The movie theater was packed, we were just in time to buy tickets and find a comfortable seat.
All you need is a Chinese love story, stunning cinematography, yearning music, spectacular colorful dresses, impossible acrobatics and after 2 hours you feel you have had world-class entertainment of the kind that Hollywood seldom can live up to. At the end, when the melodrama had reached its pinnacle, the woman next to me burst into a waterfall. My wife and I smiled, we loved it from beginning to end. China is rapidly coming to the world stage as an economic as well as an entertainment power: Hollywood is in for some welcome competition.
My wife’s companionship, brunch with her parents and this movie, made New Years day 2005, a happy one.
For the movie’s trailer, look here:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers/trailer-open.html
Enjoy!
