I'm not as cool as Jessica, but I still get stuff for free

Last night it was free passes to a screening of "The Promise". And as much as I hate to be like everyone else, I have to go with "everyone else" on this one...

It was absolutely beautiful.

If you like gorgeous imagery and spectacular pageantry, this is a movie you have to see. It is, no holds barred, the single most visually stunning thing I have ever seen on the big screen.

And for those of you who like a little action with your visual goodness, there is plenty of that, too, starting with the spectacular battle scene and wending its way through the attacks by the mysterious assassin and the Duke and his deadly fan dance (Trust me, it's not nearly as gay as it sounds.)

The storyline is classic...a romantic tale of love, loyalty, ambition and destiny, The Promise marks acclaimed director Chen Kaige’s foray into the martial arts fantasy genre. Richly imagined and breathtakingly realized, the film follows the intertwined fates of a beautiful princess and the three men who fall in love with her: a general, his slave, and a rival Duke. Unbeknownst to the men, the princess made a pact with a goddess in her youth where she forsakes the prospect of true love for The Promise of riches and power. Any man she loves, she will lose, a bargain which has hitherto born no consequence for the princess, as haughty as she is lovely.

But when a slave -- disguised as a mighty general – defends first her honor and then her life with unflinching valor, the princess feels something stir within her for the first time. With the awakening of passion, she realizes with dread what destiny holds for her.

Enslaved to the fate that has befallen them, only the truest love of all can alter the course of their destiny…

Deep, huh?

Oh, and it was sub-titled, which made it extra sexy.

Then there were the feathers. Lots and lots of feathers. Various characters (most notably, Wuhuan, the Duke of the North) were decked out in feathers at every given opportunity. Don't get me wrong...they were lovely, and added dimension to the costuming, but I couldn't help but wonder if I was missing some deeper hidden meaning. I've given it a lot of thought (and checked out the website), and have concluded that they were just there to be pretty.

A big double thumbs up on this one...skip the rental store this weekend and head to the theatre. You'll thank me for it.

P.S. You're welcome.