For one week only, from March 7 to March 13 showing daily at 4:30pm at Capitol Theatre, come see Stephen Chow’s latest film (2013) Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.
Capitol Theatre is located at 1390 West 65th Street, Cleveland, OH 44102. For information: 216-651-7295 or visit their website. Tickets on sale now!
The movie takes place before Tang Sanzang got his disciples and embarked on the Journey to the West. A young village girl plays by the river and her father frightens her by pretending to be a fish demon, although he is then killed by a mysterious underwater creature. A Taoist priest kills a giant manta ray and insists the demon is dead. Buddhist demon hunter Xuanzhang appears to warn the animal is not the true demon but is violently ignored. The demon reemerges and kills a number of villagers but Xuanzhang is able to beach the fish-like demon, which turns into a man. Xuanzhang then opens a book of nursery rhymes and begins to sing to the man. The man feels harassed and attacks Xuanzhang but another demon hunter, Duan appears and captures him in her cloth, turning him into a puppet. Xuanzhang reveals to Duan that his master taught him a humanist approach and to use nursery rhymes to coax goodness out of demons, a tactic Duan scoffs at. Disillusioned, Sanzang meets back up with his master and bemoans his lack of capabilities in comparison to more aggressive demon-hunters such as Duan. His master reaffirms his philosophy of trying to reform evil demons and sends him off again, telling him to find “enlightenment.”