Named 'One of the best foreign films of the year' by the National Board of Review, the Curse of the Golden Flower is Zhang Yimou's latest historical drama. This past weekend, Chinese moviegoers paid 12.3 million U.S. dollars to see the new hit film, which will be released in the rest of Asia and North America beginning next week. Known best in America for directing House of the Flying Daggers, Chinese director Yimou uses an excess of color and melodrama in this epic martial arts tale.

With a rumored budget of 45 million U.S. dollars, this movie provides everything we love about the movies; love triangles, incest and jealousy. If that is not reason enough to go, the emperor's wife is played by the talented and hot Gong Li and there is a war going onso there is bound to be a lot of blood. The true dysfunctional family tale, this movie takes place during the Tang dynasty in the 10th century and has all the soap opera drama and martial arts you can handle. It looks like the Chinese know a good thing when it comes along.

The Curse of the Golden Flower is already playing in New York and opens December 22 in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Honolulu, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Toronto and Vancouver, and nationwide on Jan. 12.