Chocolate (2008)

what we have here are 2 major outlines on opposite poles of each other that best describe the movie. more like the angel on the left shoulder and the devil on the right if you will. the "dark" side of the movie portrayed as the "devil" brings about a negative sort of touch to the movie in terms of the script which is outrageously bad or in milder terms, too simple. the "angel" side of the movie shines in terms of choreography which is one of the best i've seen mostly because it is not repetitious and most of all, the heart of this movie reflects in the choreography's REALISTIC touch in the truest way possible. if you own the DVD version watch the end credits and you will know what i mean. the story is all common...one man army (in this case one-girl army...yes, people you've read correctly not one-woman, but ONE-GIRL ARMY)which sets about to bring justice with a personal touch to the one she loves most...her mother, but the incredible action/fighting scenes are even more complicated given the fact the girl is autistic, and as much as they're complicated they're gracious and extremely well executed especially with the slow-motion camera. after the 30-minute mark, gradually we are introduced in the world of martial arts at its finest, with a gradual build-up of simple moves which later enchant the eyes as they transform in spectacular acrobatics. the last half hour of the movie (besides the main character), is the crown jewel of this flick, as the viewer is treated to a whopping!!!! 20 minutes of non-stop!!!! action sequences and fine acrobatics. all-in-all the summary looks something like this: poorly written script with a story that excels in action/acrobatics...in other words choreography at its finest. the latter makes up big time in terms of what the script is lacking but given these circumstances i think a truly martial arts fan can easily overlook the only big minus of this movie...the script. if the script would've been more complex, this could easily have passed for the perfect movie of its genre, but you cant have them all, can you ? still it is a good one to watch, totally entertaining. and on one last note, the plot says "an autistic woman...." the character is a girl not a woman, there is a major difference between the two. peace all and enjoy this bruce-lee stylized flick.

Fmovies: In Thailand, during a tense meeting between the Yakuza Masashi (Hiroshi Abe) and the powerful boss of Thai mafia No. 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong), his mistress Zin (Ammara Siripong) falls in love for Masashi and becomes his lover. When No. 8 discovers their affair, he orders Masashi that does not know that Zin is pregnant to return to Fukuoka, Japan, alone. She delivers a baby girl named Zen and sooner the doctors diagnose that she is autistic. Zen is raised watching the students of a martial arts school nearby her home and Kung Fu movies on television and she learns how to fight by herself. When Zen (Yanin Vismitananda) is a teenager, her friend Moon (Taphon Phopwandee) uses her accurate reflexes to raise money to help Zin in her treatment of cancer. The snoopy Moon finds a black book with people that owe money to Zin, and he decides to collect the loans with Zen to pay the treatment of Zin. The girl is forced to fight with the henchmen of the businessmen to receive the money, attracting the attention of No.8 that captures Moon to force a meeting with Zin that tells Masashi that he has a daughter and is returning to Thailand.

I have just watched "Chocolate" and it definitely is the best action movie of 2009. The martial arts skill of Yanin Vismitananda is very impressive and the choreography of the fights is perfect, giving the sensation that they are for real. Along the credits, it is possible to see some accidents during the filming inclusive with the lead actress; in the end, the crew with a lady wearing a shirt written Brazil says good-bye to one injured actor or stunt in the hospital. Quentin Tarantino has recently provided his list of the eight best films of 2009 to the magazine Hollywood Reporter and "Chocolate" is ranked #5 in his opinion. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Chocolate"

Film was really surprising! The story was good, the acting was good, and the martial art/stunts were amazing! Its a must see if you ask me. This little girl and the rest of the crew put life and limb on the line (for real) as you'll see in the Jackie Chanish end blooper reel (well more like a injury video log).. Anyway you'll enjoy this well done film and you'll tell other about it. The story was interesting... We begin with the parents of our main lead .... The mother a gangsters girl and the dad the same gangsters rival.... Until they get together and have a child , that turns out to be autistic ... later her and her closest friend encounter trouble as they try to collect money to pay the mothers medical bills .... who has turned out to have cancer// Her great skills appear when her savant ability to see and copy TV/video games/etc makes her a martial arts goddess

Chocolate fmovies. Without divulging the plot or the ending, I want to share my thoughts about Jeeja Yanin, so that people will know what they are getting. Her father died when she was young, 11 or 12, and given that she was a gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do as a child who had achieved 3rd level Dan, (equivalent to Black Belt) she helped support her mother and brother by becoming an instructor of TKD at age 14. She auditioned at age 18 for a small part in Born To Fight, and was noticed by filmmaker Prachya Pinkaew, and action stunt trainer Panna Rittikrai, when they decided she was special enough to make an entire film for. This girl quit University studies and trained for this film for four years. She trained under Rittikrai, the mentor of Tony Jaa, and Jaa himself. She trained for 2 years in preparation and 2 years while making the film. She also studied the symptoms and behavior of autistic children, staying with them and working with them, and reading up on everything she could in available literature and film on the subject, including Rain Man, etc. In addition to this, she had to overcome fear of heights (you'll see why) and subjected herself to constant injury, including life risking stunts. Watch the movie and enjoy her spectacular debut, and remember that you were there when a star was born. Enjoy the fact that she is a very special person, who put heart and soul into making the movie.

For a start this movie has a story line without to many hickups and the main actors show a certain sensibility not common in a martial art flick. Basically it's about how athletic a human body can be and, if you put behind the idea of a young girl capable to fight a LOT of men, quite enjoyable. The truth goes on in the end, where they show a couple of scenes from production, making people understand this is a movie, not the real life. The acrobatic scenes on the building and the fight are the best scenes, even if ripped from Ong Bak and The Protector, but it's good to see there are many people capable to do this. Sit back and enjoy a good ride from the Thai cinema.

In this part of the world, there's no dearth of male action heroes, you know, those with real martial arts background. Think Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, and closer to home, Tony Jaa. How about a female counterpart? You're likely to struggle hard to name a credible one, Michelle Yeoh notwithstanding. So Thai director Prachya Pinkaew is probably shrewd enough to identify this golden opportunity, and so introduces us to Yanin Vismistananda in her debut feature Chocolate.

Those familiar with Pinkaew's martial arts extravaganzas with Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong, will know roughly what to expect from Chocolate. Since the rumoured falling out with his main star of those movies, there's definitely some big shoes to fill, and Yanin fills them quite nicely, martial arts wise, though there were certain scenes which were quite clear that she's still a diamond in the rough with many edges left to polish. But that's not to put down her effort, except that I thought as a lady, her final delivery of those choreographed punches and kicks lacked some really hard hitting edge to them, and the curious observation that some required some speeding up, was left to be desired. What could also be improved, is the transitions between fights, because each seemed pretty much stand alone, even though you know that she's supposedly to be battling enemies continuously, but with each combatant, there seemed to be a "reset" to on-guard mode.

But what was learned from the earlier two Thai action movies, was that it was no longer necessary to repeat the action from different camera angles. This would stem from confidence in showing off the stunts from a single viewpoint, and not feel sore from not being able to cover it from multiple angles. And Chocolate had some really nice buildup in the complexity of these set action pieces. It teases with what's over the horizon starting from a few thugs at a street performance, and sets up carefully crafted action sequences for our heroine to flit from one to another, each being an excuse to dispatch goon after goon coming at her.

Influences from Hong Kong action movies are without doubt, as you can recount similar settings in various HK movies being incorporated here, such as Fong Sai-Yuk's half- crouching styled fights under a stage. What was internalized in Chocolate, was probably from the Jackie Chan styled school of action, which fuses some bit comedy, with the utilizing of everyday objects in one's surroundings to throw off opponents, or worked into the action piece as a prop for acrobatic stunts to be performed. I'd bet there are numerous sequences here that Jackie Chan himself would approve and be proud of.

And in true Jackie Chan culture, besides the end credits featuring some of the NG shots and injuries to the stars and stunt folk, you'll be glad to know that Yanin did most of her own stunts, and it's indeed no mean feat fighting in a skirt of that length, without it getting in the way. While the finale battle involves countless of Crazy88 types ala Kill Bill in wave after wave of attacks, culminating in battling it out on the facade of a multi-storey shophouse building complete with smashing windows, ledges and neon signboards, my personal favourite had to be at the abattoir. In reddish hues, the villains are sans shirts, meaning risks of personal injury are higher without padding that can be hidden underneath the clothes. And with menacing looking meat hooks hanging, and using cleavers as projectiles, just ma