Why is 海角大神 Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The 海角大神 Science Church, and we鈥檝e always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we鈥檝e aimed 鈥渢o injure no man, but to bless all mankind,鈥� as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you鈥檒l find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences 鈥� a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us

Movies

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop: movie review

( R )

( Monitor Movie Guide )

Set in the desert, 'A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop' is the tale of double and triple crosses as an old miser discovers his wife is having an affair and hires an assassin.

By Peter Rainer Film critic

Sept. 03, 2010, 6:26 p.m. ET

The Chinese director Zhang Yimou is no doubt best known to general audiences not for his movies but for his tutti-frutti over-the-top staging of the Beijing Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies. Actually, his most recent movies, 鈥�Curse of the Golden Flower,鈥� "House of Flying Daggers,鈥� and 鈥淗ero,鈥� were also pretty tutti-frutti.

There was a time, however, when Zhang鈥檚 films were hallmarks of restraint and sensitivity (e.g., 鈥淭he Story of Qiu Ju,鈥� 鈥淩aise the Red Lantern鈥�). His latest film, 鈥�A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop,鈥� is a loose remake of the Coen Brothers' noir thriller 鈥�Blood Simple,鈥� and it鈥檚 the most scaled-back of his movies in some time. Unfortunately, simplicity is its only virtue.

Set mostly in the desert, this tale of double and triple crosses involving an old miser (Ni Dahong) and his tarty young wife (Yan Ni) is replete with boisterously unfunny black slapstick. Zhang needs to reconnect with the sensibility 鈥� fierce, principled, humanistic 鈥� that made him one of China鈥檚 finest film artists. Grade: C (Rated R for some violence.)