Memoirs of a Geisha

I saw Memoirs of a Geisha last night with Peiqiu and Lolo. Overall, the movie was not bad -- it was a bit long and had this feeling of dragging on, but the acting in the movie (Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh) was definitely the highlight. Zhang Ziyi was good, but I definitely have to say that Gong Li was excellent as the temperamental and vindictive Hatsumomo. The book was definitely better since it was a better medium to explain the lifestyle of a geisha and the feelings involved. Lolo said that had she not read the book, the movie would be hard to understand because it could explain everything completely. I can see that, but I guess that's the problem with turning books into movies -- there's no way to go into as much detail. Minor things that bugged me were that the Chairman (Ken Wantanabe) looked far too young. Also, the young Chiyo is described as the year of the rooster, but isn't that Chinese Zodiac and not Japanese Zodiac? I guess I cannot give the movie a ringing endorsement, but I'm sure that Zhang Ziyi will be nominated for an Oscar for her role as Chiyo/Sayuri. I wouldn't be surprised either if Michelle Yeoh was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mameha. Gong Li was really good, but for some reason I don't really see that role as a Best Supporting Actress role.