Global TV: The Magic Blade and Darna on Viki

Apologies for the delay in new posts this week. One goal I have for the re-booted IVFF is to explore alternative streaming resources, apps, and websites.  I started looking at Viki, a Singapore-based resource, when its Viki Premiere app appeared at the Samsung Smart Hub app store. One of the more interesting things about Viki is that the subtitles for its programming are crowd-sourced (its slogan is "powered by avid fans") Depending on the quality of the source video, the Samsung Smart TV app looks very good, and I have also been successful flinging the Viki website to a television using Chromecast. The Samsung Viki Premiere app is free and it does not feature advertisements. Video streams at viki.com, however, will feature ads unless you purchase a "Viki Pass."

The two series worth looking at (so far in my brief explorations) have been The Magic Blade from China and Darna from the Philippines. The Magic Blade is an old-school wuxia pian serial in the tradition of the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong. (But this should not be confused with the 1976 Shaw Brothers film with the same title). While the production values do show the limitations of a television series budget, I was actually surprised by the overall quality of the production. (The location scout should have top billing, the outdoor scenes are often gorgeous.) One weak spot is the actual fight choreography (which requires a lot of time to do well) but other wuxia conventions like wirework are handled pretty well, relatively speaking. In what I've watched so far, The Magic Blade does not hesitate to swing from broad humor to somewhat messed up near-torture scenes. The main focus of the plot is, of course, revenge, but there are several interesting subplots begin to emerge even in the first episode.

The first few minutes of episode one of Darna should tell you whether you want to explore the rest of the series. The brief opening scene previews the kinds of super-villainesses we can expect later on, and some of them seem so over-the-top that I won't even pretend to understand what is going on. But one challenge to sticking with the show is that the origin story is dragged out over the entire first episode. Another challenge is the truly awful gender politics in the first episode, but that actually makes me curious about how those attitudes towards gender roles will mix with an empowered female superhero and female villainesses as the series moves forward. The production values for the show are not great, the video quality of the Viki stream is not ideal, and even the shows fans on Viki make fun of the special effects. But the show has a certain charm that makes me want to explore it for some more episodes. [Edit: Shortly after posting this I watched another Viki episode, which I now believe combines 2 30-minute episodes; Superhero Darna still hasn't appeared, and she is unlikely to appear for a few more episodes. So another challenge to sticking with the series is how tolerant you are of poorly treated child characters.]

For more information about the history of Darna, consult The Darna Wiki.

Posters and Synopses from Viki.com

The Magic Blade

The leader of the martial arts world is killed mysteriously and the crime goes unsolved. Fu Hong Xue (Wallace Chung), the leader’s son, is determined to avenge his father’s death 24 years later. But a number of people, including Yan Nan Fei (Zong Feng Yan), who wants to become the new leader of the martial arts world, plot to get rid of Hong Xue. Will Hong Xue be able to overcome Nan Fei’s gang and solve his father’s murder? What will he do when he discovers the shocking truth about his own life? The Magic Blade is a 2012 Chinese drama series directed by Gao Xian Ming and Huang Wei Jie.

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Darna

Darna is a Philippine drama/fantasy series adapted from Mars Ravelo's fictional superheroine of the same name. This latest adaptation was directed by Dominic Zapata and Don Michael Perez and developed by Jun Lana, based on the Darna graphic novels by Mars Ravelo. It stars Marian Rivera in the title role and her alter-ego Narda, Iwa Moto as her main nemesis, Valentina, as well as Dennis Trillo as Pancho and Mark Anthony Fernandez as Eduardo.

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Jia Zhangke: Chinese Underground to The World

Jia Zhankgke (listed as Zhang Ke Jia on Netflix Watch Instantly) was one of several underground filmmakers to emerge in China in the late 1990s who eventually made state sanctioned films in the 2000s.  In this case, Jia's transition to making films with government support was 2004's The World, which is a deadpan exploration of a love affair at a theme park.  Jia subsequently won the Golden Lion at the 2006 Venice Film Festival for his film Still Life, and many of his more recent projects have integrated documentary techniques and sensibilities into the narrative.  Be prepared to be patient as you watch these, but your patience will be rewarded once you get in synch with the rhythms of the films.

The World (Jia Zhangke, China, 2004, 139 minutes)
Netflix: Director Zhang Ke Jia's first big-budget feature revolves around the tumultuous love affair between two workers at a Chinese theme park -- Tao (Tao Zhao), a dancer who performs extravagant shows, and Taisheng (Taisheng Chen), a patrol officer who can't stay true to her. Through their story, the audience gets an inside look at the heartbreaking lives of the poor men and women who rely on this example of consumerism to eke out a living. Netflix link.

Unknown Pleasures (Jia Zhangke, China, 2003, 107 minutes)
Netflix: In a small, impoverished Chinese city in the remote Shanxi province close to the Mongolian border, two 19-year-olds, Bin Bin and Xiao Ji, are heavily influenced by American culture and the shifting prospects of their own immediate pleasure. They drink Coke, chain-smoke cigarettes, covet U.S. dollars, talk excitedly about Hollywood movies such as Pulp Fiction and dance to Western-style music at the local club. Think a Chinese version of Slackers. Netflix link.

Platform (Jia Zhangke, China, 2000, 148 minutes)
Netflix: In this charming coming-of-age film from director Jia Zhang Ke, a group of Chinese performance artists gradually come out of their shells to embrace their own talents during the country's transition from Maoism in the 1980s. With new respect for westernization and pop culture, the group changes and evolves along with their country -- socially, politically and personally. Hong Wei Wang, Jing Dong Liang and Tian Yi Yang star. Netflix link.