We just got home from a night at the movie theatres.   Imaginary Diva and I decided to empty our wallets to view ”Jet Li’s - Fearless”.   We saw a preview a couple of weeks ago; Imaginary Diva liked it so we made up our minds to see this fabled epic. 

I expected a stereotypical martial arts movie from Hong Kong or China.  A run-of-the-mill action movie filled with wire based acrobatics and scenes filled with little Chinese guys beating up opponents eight times his size (and yes, I had a traumatizing childhood watching Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Steven Segal, Jean Claude Van Dam and those dreaded Ninja movies from the 1980’s).   Moreover, this film is (supposedly) Jet Li’s last martial arts epic he will ever make.    Do we see any dramatic roles for him in the future?

Now back to my impression of the movie.  Was it any good at all?  Was it bad?  Was the acting superb or did it mimic cheese way past its expiry date? 

I can’t honestly answer these questions because, after the first couple of minutes, Imaginary Diva and I decided to walk out.  We simply headed over to the Cashier so we can get a refund.  The Manager was kind enough to give us two movie passes for our next viewing.

Movies are supposed to be a simple form of entertainment.  Most viewers go to the theatre so they can get away from reality or spur their mind into an imaginative frenzy.   People want to see a movie screen filled with larger than life characters, beautiful people and jaw dropping cinematography.

In addition, there are some viewers that would rather watch a movie without having to read text messages appearing on the bottom part of the screen. 

And yes, “Jet Li’s - Fearless” is subtitled.  BTW, Imaginary Diva and I don’t know Cantonese, Mandarin, etc.

There will always be movie fans that like (or really don’t mind) subtitles accompanying foreign films.  I can see it from their perspective because a film can retain a majestic or original feel by keeping its native tongue.

On the other side, there will always be movie fans (like me) who detest reading text throughout a movie.   I would rather give my eyes freedom to see the entire screen, thereby viewing characters, objects and scenery without having to worry about text or written sentences.

If I really wanted to watch a subtitled movie, I would watch an independent flick,  a documentary or attend some over-bloated movie festival.  If I was really in a literary mood, you would see me at home reading a thousand page novel. 

In short, I really have no opinion toward “Jet Li’s - Fearless” because I never had the chance to view the movie in its entirety.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it had great action, colorful characters and the always impressive heroics by Jet Li.

Perhaps in the future, I’ll take a chance and rent “Jet Li’s – Fearless” when it becomes available on DVD.  But for now, I guess yours truly will head back to his humbled reality. 

I guess my fantasy of becoming that super green ninja turtle will have to wait another time. 

U.S. President, George W. Bush, recently spoke to world leaders at the United Nations Assemby to help support Mideast democracy.  He called for Iran to comply with U.N demands on halting uranium enrichment activities that could ultimately lead to nuclear weapons.  In addition, he urged the people of Iran to continue their quest for freedom by supporting leaders who embrance such values.

“Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change across the Middle East, or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists”. Bush told the General Assembly. 

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was asked if he would suspend their uranium enrichment activities “as a confidence building measure”.  He replied,  ”Whose confidence should be built?”.  Ahmadinejad continues, “The world? Who is the world? The United States?  The U.S. administration is not the entire world…Europe does not account for one-twentieth of the entire world.  When I studied the provisions of the NPT [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty], nowhere did I see it written that in order to produce nuclear fuel, we need to win the support or the confidence of the United States and some European countries.”

Ahmadinejad also called for the Bush Administration to “change its behavior, and then everything will be solved.”

The Iranian leader is also referring to the U.S. stance as an innocent victim or freedom fighter with the war on terrorism.  A United States of America (that Ahmadinejad views) as a nation that, ironically, relishes Justice and Freedom, while choosing a convenient path of ignoring a history of questionable foreign policies, and that of its allies around the world.

I’m not taking any sides with this Diplomatic Soap Opera.  A long history between these nations is beyond the scope of this blog post.  Plus, I’m not in the mood to write a 100 page report.

Nevertheless, people should continue to seek an open mind and a neutral stance while hearing both sides of a popular news story, especially before forming an opinion.  The mainstream media remains a questionable source as they continue to run ideological campaigns via filtered news or pursuit for ratings.   

In the end, I constantly see our world as neither black or white (good or bad).  It’s comprises of a lot grays.  An overabundance of them.  In the future, I also hope we experience a lot less yellow.  The radioactive kind…