When a young woman unexpectedly arrives at an older man's workplace, looking for answers, the secrets of the past threaten to unravel his new life. Their confrontation will uncover buried memories and unspeakable desires. It will shake them both to the core.
In 2004, director Zhang Yimou caused a sensation with his astonishing HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, and his CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER is yet another dazzling, visually stunning film.
Calling again upon the talents of the striking Gong Li, Yimou tells an epic tale of lust and power set in the opulent world of the Later Tang dynasty. The plot follows the story of the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) and his Empress (Li) and the tragic disintegration of their royal family--whose problems go far beyond the merely dysfunctional. For starters, the ailing Empress has long been having an affair with her stepson, the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye). Unbeknownst to her, Wan has been dallying with the Imperial Doctor's daughter (Li Man), and has plans to escape the palace with her. Meanwhile, the Emperor himself has just returned from a long trip, and while relations with his wife are obviously icy, it becomes clear that his plans for her are far more ominous than she could ever imagine. Everyone involved has a secret plan for either escape or domination, resulting in an explosive ending wherein the darkest family secrets are revealed and horrifically bloody battles are waged both inside and outside the walls of the sparkling, gold-encrusted palace.
Cast: Yun-Fat Chow , Li Gong, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Dahong Ni, Junjie Qin, Man Li, Jin Chen
Directed by Yimou Zhang
Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion - dancing. Her dream is to appear on "The Corny Collins Show," Baltimore's hippest dance party on TV. Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem - she doesn't fit. Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the in-crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna (John Travolta). That doesn't stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this big girl knows, it's that she was born to boogie.
Cast: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Nicole Blonsky, Zac Efron, Allison Janney
Directed by Adam Shankman
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) - a man unjustly imprisoned for 15 years, manages to escape back to London with a vow of revenge. Adopting the guise of Sweeney Todd, Barker returns to his old barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's pie-making premises. There he sets his sights on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who sent him away in order to steal his wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), and his baby daughter from him.
When a rival barber, the flamboyant Italian Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen), threatens to expose Sweeney's real identity, Todd kills him. Mrs. Lovett sees this crisis as a potential solution to her ailing business - and suggests using his victims as filling for her pies. Mrs. Lovett dreams of respectability and a life at the seaside with Sweeney as her husband. But Sweeney has only revenge on his mind - to the detriment of anyone or anything else.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bohnam Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly
Directed by Tim Burton