What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
Post Reply
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Modern Porno Tale (Japan, 1971) [DVD] – 1.5/5
A dated and thoroughly un-shocking exploitation drama, providing modest nostalgia values for genre devouts. The usual suspects are plenty, from Reiko Ike’s wildly unconvincing good girl protagonist to Miki Sugimoto’s lesbian cameo, but it’s the French import Sandra Julien the film will be remembered for – if for anything. Expect an interracial shower scene briefly followed by a gang rape by tattooed gangsters. It all smells like a routine effort by director Norifumi Suzuki who could be a master of exploitation when he felt like it.

Tokugawa Sex Ban: Lustful Lord (Japan, 1972) [DVD] – 1.5/5
Sandra Julien’s Nippon holiday part II, with kimono (un)attached. Norifumi Suzuki’s modest period pinku is a historical comedy with good production values, but few laughs. Julien provides the film’s main curiosity, sharing the top billing with Miki Sugimoto. Action is non-existent, but there are a few violent bits, including the most ridiculously cheesy-romantic harakiri scene of all time, and a few Teruo Ishii / Joys of Torture esque bits of female punishment.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Lustful Shogun and his 21 Lovers (Japan, 1972) [DVD] – 2/5
A classy yet unexciting period pinku by Norifumi Suzuki, this time with Reiko Ike as a ninja! Her supporting role provides a few brief action scenes – including a Red Peony Gambler replica fight – to a film that isn't such a bad effort in its genre. If nothing else, it’s a reminder from the era when exploitation was still a studio genre with impressive production values. Plus kudos to miss Ike’s hair stylist.

Path of the Beast (Japan, 1980) [DVD] – 3/5
In critic-favorite Tatsumi Kumashiro’s over-rated pink-filmography this is one of the better ones. A slice of life piece as could be expected from the director, Path of the Beast excels with terrific cinematography and stylish long takes. Acting is poor, though, and characters lack depth despite the potential. Sex scenes blend in better than average, but still stand out. The use of music is effective, as nearly always in Kumashiro movies.
saltysam
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 9357
Joined: 27 Oct 2004, 19:27

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by saltysam »

Chinese Zodiac 2/5 Not as bad as i expected but still disappointing 3rd entry in the Armour Of God series. mediocre action sequences and pretty poor acting throughout.plus points are few but i suppose despite it's 2 hour run time it moves pretty quickly and despite his age Jackie still retains some of the spark of his younger peak days.
working class blu-ray fan
gasteropod
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 6868
Joined: 03 Nov 2004, 18:16

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by gasteropod »

saltysam wrote:Chinese Zodiac 2/5 Not as bad as i expected but still disappointing 3rd entry in the Armour Of God series. mediocre action sequences and pretty poor acting throughout.plus points are few but i suppose despite it's 2 hour run time it moves pretty quickly and despite his age Jackie still retains some of the spark of his younger peak days.
I want to get the HK Blu-ray but it's expensive and over the customs limit, are torrents the only option in the meantime? (I don't torrent).
Killer Meteor
Hail the Judge!
Posts: 2350
Joined: 16 Mar 2005, 23:05

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Killer Meteor »

NOT SCARED TO DIE (1973)

Well this is a rather bizzare film, one that feels like a hold-over from the 1950s - the shrieking title theme sounds like something out of an old news-reel on the Bataan Death March.

Supporting hero Jackie Chan looks almost unrecognisble - just as well, his acting is rather grotesque here.

Wong Ching makes for a poor lead - and is it me, or does his rudeness to the hooker cause all the death and destruction?

Fight choreography - well, looks like something from the 1950s. That end fight seems longer then purgatory.

The best part? NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN playing following an eye gouging.

4/10
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
saltysam
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 9357
Joined: 27 Oct 2004, 19:27

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by saltysam »

gasteropod wrote: I want to get the HK Blu-ray but it's expensive and over the customs limit,
DDDHouse & YesAsia are customs-friendly.
gasteropod wrote:are torrents the only option in the meantime?
i imagine so
working class blu-ray fan
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Markgway »

Ivan Drago wrote:The best part? NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN playing following an eye gouging.
:lol:

Haven't seen it in 15 years or so.

Wong Ching is a great character actor, but probably no one's idea of a charismatic leading man.
Image
Killer Meteor
Hail the Judge!
Posts: 2350
Joined: 16 Mar 2005, 23:05

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Killer Meteor »

Markgway wrote:
Wong Ching is a great character actor, but probably no one's idea of a charismatic leading man.
Mind you, going from this film, you wouldn't have thought Jackie Chan would be either!
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Isn’t Anyone Alive? (Japan, 2012) [DVD] – 3/5
Sogo Ishii reborn. The legendary punk director changed his name to Gakuryu Ishii and announced he now believes in dialogue. The absurdist end-of-the-world theater play adaptation follows this new philosophy in filling its 113 minute running time with endless student talk. Yet at the same time Ishii’s skills as an audiovisual storyteller are evident, from stylish cinematography to effective use of music. The film is often surreal, even in terms of dialogue, and darkly funny, but runs 20 minutes too long. The ending is nevertheless a satisfying, giving a punchy conclusion to an original film that has been bashed by many foreign viewers. In Japan, the film seems to be doing better, with relatively wide theatrical run followed by home video release that turned into a small hit in rental stores.

River (Japan, 2011) [DVD] – 2.5/5
Ryuichi Hiroki references several recent tragedies with this indie drama. The film is set in the post 3/11 Japan, with a main character who lost her boyfriend in the 2008 Akihabara massacre. It is Hiroki’s return to less commercial cinema after a couple of mainstream efforts. However, Hiroki who is known for brutally beautiful urban character films isn’t at his best here. The cheap digital video does no favors to the cinematography, which already suffers from technical issues. Long tracking shots occasionally come at the cost of shaky handheld camerawork, reflection errors, and by passers staring into the camera. Character drama mostly functional, but lacks the naked honesty of Hiroki’s early 2000’s movies. The film's most memorable part is the ending which is set in the disaster struck areas. The sheer power of the images is devastating, but it's more due to the real life tragedy than Hiroki's filmmaking.

Image Image
saltysam
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 9357
Joined: 27 Oct 2004, 19:27

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by saltysam »

Bruce,The King Of Kung Fu 1/5 execrable Bruce Le flick about Bruce Lee's early days in Hong Kong.Fight scenes are plentiful and pretty much non stop but Le has the personality of an eggplant and even by bruceploitation standards this is shoddy. Very sad to see Enter The Dragon stalwarts Shek Kin & Bolo Yeung slumming it here.

The Grandmaster 2.5/5 By turns Stylish,Pretentious & arty-farty Wong Kar Wai comes late to the Ip Man party. Tony Leung is an understated Ip Man,arguably the focus here is more on Zhang Ziyi as Gong Er, a martial arts masters daughter who forms a connection with Ip Man.i deduced from the fight sequences that it rained a lot in those days :D Chang Chen is electrifying in a couple of fight scenes but he's underused. 1 watcched the 13o minute cut,reportedly the international version will have 15 minutes trimmed by the director himself.
working class blu-ray fan
Killer Meteor
Hail the Judge!
Posts: 2350
Joined: 16 Mar 2005, 23:05

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Killer Meteor »

saltysam wrote:Bruce,The King Of Kung Fu 1/5 execrable Bruce Le flick about Bruce Lee's early days in Hong Kong.Fight scenes are plentiful and pretty much non stop but Le has the personality of an eggplant and even by bruceploitation standards this is shoddy. Very sad to see Enter The Dragon stalwarts Shek Kin & Bolo Yeung slumming it here.
I have this on dvd under the title LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE. Pretty rubbish crossbreed of Bruceploitation and Jackieploitation.
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Sengoku Bloody Agent (Japan, 2012) [Yubari Fanta] – 1.5/5
Bruce Lee fanatic Naoki Takeda’s martial arts mixture had its premiere at the same time as Takanori Tsujimoto’s similarly themed Bushido Man. While the latter starred martial arts expert Mitsuki Koga, Sengoku Bloody Agent stars former bikini model Ayumi Kinoshita. That, unfortunately, is just about all that needs to be said about Sengoku Bloody Agent. Takeda films action without wires or CGI, but inspiration is lacking and casting is wrong to begin with. The storyline of rogue fighters vs. yakuza makes little to no sense. The outcome feels like a bad episode in the TV series Alias, and should mainly please the fans of Kinoshita and c-grade direct to video action.

Bushido Man (Japan, 2013) [Yubari Fanta] – 4/5
Seven warriors, seven battles. It’s been a while since Japan produced a martial arts film this pure and manly. Bushido Man, which stars Mitsuki Koga and an army of action choreographers, stunt men, and martial artists, is an all out fight fest. Koga wanders around Japan challenging masters of different martial arts – sword, knife, kung fu, nunchaku, and so on. With next to zero domestic demand for action films, director Takanori Tsujimoto (Hard Revenge Milly) has to do with minimal budget and rough looks. What is lost in aesthetics, though, is taken back in exhilarating action choreography that echoes 1980’s Hong Kong movies. Humoristic metaphysics and cameos towards the end hurt the film a bit, though.

Image Image
gasteropod
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 6868
Joined: 03 Nov 2004, 18:16

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by gasteropod »

Chinese Zodiac (2012) - 3/5

I went in with low expectations, and it was actually all right. Very cartoony, but the fight scenes were better than I was expecting (especially since I showed my mate The Accidental Spy recently, very poor fights). It rehashes Operation Condor too much though, and why is Asian Hawk now called JC? The English dialogue was bad, I wish they wouldn't insist on doing that in Chinese films! But I shall buy it when I find the Blu-ray for a reasonable price.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Outrage Beyond (Japan, 2012) – 3.5/5
Kitano’s sequel to his mean and lean yakuza film invests more on plotting and talk. Quality wise it’s a notch below the original, but still a solid genre effort. Though, like its predecessor, Outrage Beyond should not be compared to Kitano’s masterful 1990’s films – the new Kitano is a straight forwards mix of nasty violence, laconic humor, and crime politics, wrapped in a stylish package and making more money at the box office that ever before.

Flashback Memories 3D (Japan, 2012) – 3.5/5
Perhaps the first film with meaningful use of 3D, courtesy of genius documentary filmmaker Tetsuaki Matsue. A fitting follow up to his superb Tokyo films Live Tape (2009) and Tokyo Drifter (2011), Matsue focuses on musician Goma who lost his memory some year back. Utilizing 3D technology, Matsue sets a live concert in the front, and re-creates Goma’s past in the background in 2D. Talking heads are nowhere to be found as Matsue uses archival footage, personal interpretations, and even animation. In the end, the viewer is not quite sure whether he witnessed a documentary or a live concert – or both. An original and successful film, though the visual information flood can be a bit much and Goma’s music is not for everyone.
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by grim_tales »

Kekko Kamen (2007): 2/5

WTF did I just watch?
What is on paper a dark anime with disturbing themes - a school full of evil perverted Nazi teachers who torture and humiliate young girls - is actually hard to take seriously. This is largely because of the title character - a shapely female superhero who only wears boots, a mask and a scarf (I shit you not), the whole thing is so camp and OTT and largely played for laughs. Its meant to be a parody of hentai anime apparently and there is copious amounts of nudity in a nudge nudge kind of way and the pervert teachers are actually very silly. The battles against crazy villains add to the fun but there isnt really much to the story - a student is 'punished' and then our heroine appears, fights a baddie and saves the day with no overriding mystery other than "Who is she really?"
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

grim_tales wrote:Kekko Kamen (2007): 2/5

WTF did I just watch?
What is on paper a dark anime with disturbing themes - a school full of evil perverted Nazi teachers who torture and humiliate young girls - is actually hard to take seriously. This is largely because of the title character - a shapely female superhero who only wears boots, a mask and a scarf (I shit you not), the whole thing is so camp and OTT and largely played for laughs. Its meant to be a parody of hentai anime apparently and there is copious amounts of nudity in a nudge nudge kind of way and the pervert teachers are actually very silly. The battles against crazy villains add to the fun but there isnt really much to the story - a student is 'punished' and then our heroine appears, fights a baddie and saves the day with no overriding mystery other than "Who is she really?"
Hentai Kamen just opened in theaters today:
- http://hk-movie.jp/index.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV67vV-WUVQ

The fun thing is that it's in wide multiplex distribution... they're marketing this to mainstream audiences:

Image
(stolen pic)

Haven't watched it yet. Gonna be the most awkward moment at the ticket counter since Zombie Ass. I bet there's gonna be some sweet 16 year old school girl selling tickets again :oops:
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Markgway »

ハング拳: 1 つの変態仮面のチケットをしてください。

チケット販売: あなた変態 !
Image
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by grim_tales »

Actually I just checked IMDB and I have the date wrong - I *think* what I rented is the original anime (1991) going by the cast list, 2007 is the DVD release.
Love the theme song too :D
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Invisible Waves (Thailand, 2006) [DVD] – 4/5
Last Life in the Universe director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s fascinating and atmospheric film escapes genre classification. The minimalist film explains very little – so little, that an hour into the movie the viewer still doesn’t know what it’s about. Tadanobu Asano stars, with Oldboy’s Kang Hye-jung and Erick Tsang in supporting roles. Most of the dialogue is in broken English, which for once works perfectly and enforces the feeling of alienation. The cinematography is by Chris Doyle.

Don’t Laugh at My Romance (Japan, 2007) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Nami Iguchi goes semi-mainstream without losing her touch. Ken’ichi Matsuyama is cast somewhat against type as a quiet loser falling in love with his university teacher. A pretty typical set up also used recently in Yuki Tanada’s Moon and Cherry, and Kota Yoshida’s Yuriko’s Aroma, Iguchi plays it much like a more feminine version on Noboru Yamashita. Quiet humor, long takes and a nice soundtrack. The middle third packs too much silly plotting, but the rest of the film has a lot of nice things going on. Yu Aoi’s supporting performance is once again fabulous.
Lourdes
Royal Tramp
Posts: 1994
Joined: 08 Jan 2005, 16:19

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Lourdes »

Cruel Winter Blues - 2/5
Slightly comic/slapstick gangster melodrama with plenty of drinking/swearing, falling over, physically/verbally abusing people, and a plot that doesn't make sense. Standard Korean movie.

Outrage Beyond - 2/5
Worse than the first because there was even less sense of a plot and characters. There are three sorts of scenes: black suited yakuza bowing to shiny black sedans, grey or pinstriped suited yakuza bosses shouting or hitting/kicking others, and GQ yakuza killing with VERY loud guns (I think every Kitano film has the loud gunshots).

Junk Food - 2.5/5
Not really sure what the director was going for, there are a number of different stories that really don't relate or come together at all. I think perhaps it was supposed to be gritty, but that really doesn't work in Tokyo... Still, I like DV and there were some pretty shots.

Buraikan - 5/5
This was amazing. A very theatrical style jidaigeki with a lot of comedy and oddities alongside action and a surprisingly serious and poignant plot.

A Wind Named Amnesia - 2/5
This is described as a classic but I don't think it has aged that well. If the concept had turned into a bigger production with more attention this might have been brilliant, instead it seems a bit corny/naff now.

Children of Hiroshima - 4/5
Really nice treatment of life a few years after the bomb in a sort of documentary style and set not long before the time in which it was filmed. Optimistic rather than depressing.

Daytime Drinking- 3.5/5
The title isn't accurate as there's plenty of drinking at other times too. Poor guys misadventures, or mishaps after he goes on a trip and his friends fail to show. Nothing much really happens and it's quite relaxing, but what does occur has a degree of awkward/tragic comedy that you can't help but be curious about.
User avatar
luckystars
Royal Tramp
Posts: 1893
Joined: 12 Sep 2005, 09:01

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by luckystars »

I absolutely loved Outrage :love:
2010 - The return of the HK movie industry :)
Image
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by grim_tales »

Markgway wrote:ハング拳: 1 つの変態仮面のチケットをしてください。

チケット販売: あなた変態 !
Eh? :? I don't know what that means :D
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

grim_tales wrote:
Markgway wrote:ハング拳: 1 つの変態仮面のチケットをしてください。

チケット販売: あなた変態 !
Eh? :? I don't know what that means :D
machine translation...
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by Markgway »

No, I learnt how to write Japanese over the weekend.

If your translate it back via online translator it makes perfect sense.

Mind you, I did post it a couple of weeks ago, so the context has undoubtedly been forgotten.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of

Post by HungFist »

Markgway wrote:No, I learnt how to write Japanese over the weekend.
True, it looks like something you learnt over the weekend :lol:

Yakuza War: The Japanese Godfather (Japan, 1977) [DVD] – 3/5
A grand yakuza epic from the final years of Toei’s genre cinema glory, helmed by the studio’s trusted multi talent Sadao Nakajima. It’s 130 minutes of crime politics with gratuitous violence, sex, and pop. In short, an ambitious storyline with enraged Sonny Chiba pulling a dead corpse from the chest after unloading his six shooter to the man’s body. Nakajima’s direction, however, lacks the burning energy and originality that made Kinji Fukasaku the genre’s superstar. Perhaps anticipating the end of an era, Toei collect all their tough guys, including some from the previous decade, together for The Japanese Godfather. The film packs Koji Tsuruta, Bunta Sugawara, Tsunehiko Watase, Mikio Narita, Sonny Chiba, Hiroki Matsukata, Asao Koike, and many more. Even the film’s tagline was “30 years of Toei men!”

Oxen Split Torturing (aka Shogun’s Sadism) (Japan, 1976) [DVD] – 2/5
Yuji Makiguchi’s semi follow up to Teruo Ishii’s torture epics is a mean, empty affair. The film earned itself a reputation for being one of the most stomach churning movies of the 70’s, with all gory sadism (cutting off body parts, burning alive etc.) amped up by Toei Studio’s first class production values. Indeed, the film looks as good as most historical studio productions of the era. But style and bite is missing. While Ishii’s 60’s works were wicked films with superb visual style, Makiguchi’s movie has very little besides the impressive special effects. Storyline, characters and cinematography fall flat. Curiosity value remains, nevertheless.
Post Reply