Asian Cinema - 2007 to date! What have i missed?

[Godzooki]

Basically, I have pretty much taken a year out from purchasing DVD’s in general. I guess the reason for my sabbatical was three fold, partly due to time constraints working abroad and post that starting new employment in the UK, partly being caught up in the HD hype where I adopted and supported both HD formats (which was expensive btw) and also down to the fact is was not actually watching a proportion of the Asian movies I bought.

I have a much better work life balanced now and have worked through all of my to-watch collection (150 or so movies) either by watching them or selling them on and I’m ready to return to the Asian cinema fold. So the question is, what have I missed?

HK, JP, Korean, whatever….what were your picks from 2007 and what upcoming titles have caught your eye? C’mon, help me spend my money better!

[romerojpg]

Not a lot. Asian cinema in 2007 and 8 has been frankly the worst years ever. I have bought loads and most were so bad I sold them, that says it all.

I cannot think of one great asian film at all, most the ones I kept were good, but far from great.

Asia went down the shitter basically for me in every way from Korea to Japan and Hong Kong in between. They seem to spend fortunes on the films now, and the end results are CGI abominations with epic budgets.

Off my head Fearless (the Jet Li film) was about the only good one I can think of, most others were massive disapointments or just shit.

[Godzooki]

Not a lot. Asian cinema in 2007 and 8 has been frankly the worst years ever. I have bought loads and most were so bad I sold them, that says it all.

I cannot think of one great asian film at all, most the ones I kept were good, but far from great.

Asia went down the shitter basically for me in every way from Korea to Japan and Hong Kong in between.

Part of the plan I masterminded to help me stop buying was to stop reading (about them) and limit my exposure. I have done a bit of reading now though and scanned over a few top 2007 movies threads on other forums and I think your not alone in your thoughts there Romero! Sounds like I certainly picked the right time for my break then!

So.... far from great but a few good, let’s start with those then?

[romerojpg]

I am sure some on here will love a few films that I have yet to see, but it has been an odd 2 years for me in that I have just spent less and less on asian films and many of the Big Box sets I had I sold as I could not justify the price for such average films

Most the asian films I have seen latley that I loved, were old ones and good old black and white samurai films from the 50's and 60's.

[Godzooki]

I am sure some on here will love a few films that I have yet to see, but it has been an odd 2 years for me in that I have just spent less and less on asian films and many of the Big Box sets I had I sold as I could not justify the price for such average films

Most the asian films I have seen latley that I loved, were old ones and good old black and white samurai films from the 50's and 60's.

I hear ya, big expensive (unsubbed) boxsets for poor movies are a thing of the past.

I have been having a good look on Yesasia and done some window shopping. I have also read some reviews and subsequently added a whole bunch of stuff to my cart.

What I have in there so far are

Korea
Our Town – Serial killer high jinks, I guess I’m hoping for something along the lines of Memories of Murder.

Seven Days – Kidnap thriller starring Yunjin Kim, I guess I’m partly drawn by my favorite Lost actress and the fact that although kidnap thrillers seem to being overdone by Korean film makers, reviews point to this being a fine example.

HK
Invisible Target (Blu-Ray) – Benny Chan’s latest action thriller, reviews on Yesasia seem favorable.

Mad Detective – Johnnie To’s latest effort, never seen a bad Johnnie To film and equally Lau Ching Wan has never failed to impress me…..its been far too long since I have seen him on screen too. Anyone caught this yet?

I have also pre-ordered CJ7 (Blu and DVD) and Kung Fu Dunk, I expect little from either and hope to be surprised.

JP
Tokyo Tower, Me Mom and sometimes Dad – Hugely decorated (14 JP academy award nominees and fine cast too, I know nothing more about it though.

Hero – Produced by the Bayside Shakedown team and stars both Takuya Kimura and Lee Byung-Hung – color me interested!

What’s missing and what needs to be removed from the cart?

[HungFist]

JP
Tennen kokekko
5 Centimeters per Second

and most likely How to Become Myself (haven't seen it yet)

[Godzooki]

JP
Tennen kokekko
5 Centimeters per Second

and most likely How to Become Myself (haven't seen it yet)

Cool, Tennan Kokekko sounds pretty decent, i'm gonna try and track down a few more reviews other than the one on Yesasia or try hold off for a cheaper disc as for £25GBP for a standard dvd!! The film would have to set my world on fire.

5cm per second had caught my eye already and the cheap HK disc has peaked my interest even more. Added to cart. Oh i also just noticed its coming to Blu-Ray soon too, might have to upgrade later

How to become myself, i can also only see the expensive JP disc and cant find any reviews either, can you point me in the direction of some?

[HungFist]

Haven't seen reviews, I just heard from a friend that it's very good.

[Yi-Long]

Personally, I'll probably pick up Isabella
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZh9V7tR_wM

Other than that, I'm also curious about what good movies/dvd's I should pick up next month when I'm in Hong Kong.

I really wish A Dirty Carnival would have a decent DVD release by now (non-korean)

[Godzooki]

Personally, I'll probably pick up Isabella
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZh9V7tR_wM

Other than that, I'm also curious about what good movies/dvd's I should pick up next month when I'm in Hong Kong.

I really wish A Dirty Carnival would have a decent DVD release by now (non-korean)

Never heard of either but caught the trailers and now Isabella is in the cart and im off to source A Dirty Carnival. There is a region 1 dvd out in May if i cant pick up the KR version!

[Beat TG]

HK
Invisible Target (Blu-Ray) – Benny Chan’s latest action thriller, reviews on Yesasia seem favorable.

Mad Detective – Johnnie To’s latest effort, never seen a bad Johnnie To film and equally Lau Ching Wan has never failed to impress me…..its been far too long since I have seen him on screen too. Anyone caught this yet?

I have also pre-ordered CJ7 (Blu and DVD) and Kung Fu Dunk, I expect little from either and hope to be surprised.

I'll add these:

The Detective (Oxide Pang Chun)
The Warlords (Peter Chan, HK/China)
Flash Point (Wilson Yip)
Eye in the Sky (Yau Nai-Hoi)
Triangle (Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, Johnnie To)
Protégé (Derek Yee)
Exodus (Edmond Pang)
Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, Taiwan but features HK actors)
The Drummer (Kenneth Bi)

[bradavon]

Lust, Caution is brilliant. I've not seen many New Asian films lately.

[Knetan]

hey,

furthermore on top of some excellent choices from 2006/07:

The Pye Dog - The flick from new, acclaimed filmmaker Derek Kwok.
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/thepyedog.htm

Herman Yau got back to something pretty decent and nasty with Gong Tau An Oriental Black Magic
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/go ... kmagic.htm

Hooked On You - Light stuff from the Johnnie To factory but I fell for this and again Eason Chan's performance.
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/hookedonyou.htm

Magic Boy - Being shot on video shouldn't stop you as Adam Wong (When Beckham Met Owen) continues to delight.
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/magicboy.htm

A Mob Story - Merely decent from Herman Yau but this shot on video triad story offers up a gory time as well.
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/amobstory.htm

I second Eye In The Sky, Expdus and Isabella as well.

[Markgway]

Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, Taiwan but features HK actors)

Pretty sure it's a HK co-production.

[Godzooki]

Well that was quick, my first lot of stuff arrived today, just watched 7 Days (Yunjin Kim) and really enjoyed it but the ending was one twist too many!

[bradavon]

Pretty sure it's a HK co-production.

Does it really matter?

[Killer Meteor]

well they are seperate countries and all. And its useful for those who are interested, So yes, it does matter

I've never tried to keep up with asian cinema. I missed the HK movie boom of the 90's. There's a goldmine of 70's movies for me to plow through first!

[Markgway]

Pretty sure it's a HK co-production.

Does it really matter?

What was the point of your post, seriously?

[HungFist]

Now that Death Note got me temporarily excited about Japanese mainstream cinema, tell me quickly (before I lose my interest again) some other good jp mainstream stuff from the past 5 years.

I was thinking about Cyborg She but then it's destined to be average at best. Memories of Matsuko looks too disgusting (although for some reason I'm still slighty interested). Last year I said that once a month I get the feeling of wanting to see Nana 2, but I haven't felt anything since last summer. Probably good.

Actually something darker would be better.

Ah, this is probably hopeless.

[thelostdragon]

"Memories of Matsuko" was a great film IMO. One of the best films I have seen actually in 2008.

[gasteropod]

"Memories of Matsuko" was a great film IMO. One of the best films I have seen actually in 2008.

I've got that and Kamikaze Girls on pre-order, haven't seen either but they look good.

[diceman]

Some newer releases I liked:

- Yo-Yo Girl Cop (Japan)
I always love recommending this one, although everyone else besides me seems to think of it as crap (and they're probably right). :mrgreen: But if you're into contomporary J-Pop-Culture and got some love for Japanese Schoolgirls to boot, it's pretty entertaining trash.

- Exiled (Hong-Kong)
Johnny To's semi-sequel to "The Mission" is a rather good looking take on the Heroic Bloodshed genre, with a few Western vibes thrown in for good measure.

- Hula Girl (Japan)
Set in the 60s in a small rural town depending on their local Mining-industry. Add Hula-Dancing, lots of teary drama and some happy moments.

- Memories of Matsuko (Japan)
An utterly sad story told through the lense of a shiny happy Musical facade. Genius.

- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Japan)
One of the best Anime-Series ever done. Great characters, lots of Cosplay, and an original Mystery-Story.

- Mad Detective (Hong-Kong)
Johnny To again: a most original Crime-Drama with a twist: the lead-character can see other people's multiple personalities.

- Dai-Nipponjin (Japan)
Great satire with lots of subversive humour.

- The Rebel (Vietnam)
One of the greatest looking period action-movies of recent years: set in the 20s in Vietnam under French occupation, "The Rebel" has it all: suspenseful story, brutal action (Martial Arts and gunfights), bloodshed and drama.

- Sukiyaki Western Django (Japan)
Takashi Miike's take on the Spaghetti Western. I was lucky to catch this at a festival on big screen. Sadly all western releases only feature the international cut and the Japanese DVD doesn't have subtitles. Sure, they're all speaking english, but understanding it can prove to be a real challenge.

- The Machine Girl (Japan)
Schoolgirl, big gun, over-the-top enemies, splatter. 'Nuff said.

- Tokyo Gore Police (Japan)
Don't believe Hung Fist. It's awesome. :mrgreen: The second best film of 2008 besides "Girl Sparks" and Eiji Uchida's "Sisterhood" (whose I didn't list, because they're still unavailble on DVD).

- CJ7 (Hong-Kong)
Stephen Chow's really warm and funny take on an "E.T"-like story.

- An Empress and the Warriors (Hong-Kong)
Hong-Kong swordplay + romance with a pleasantly oldschool feel.

- The Chaser
Great thriller with a few really chilling twists. The solution is kinda generic, though, but everything before hits home with deadly accuracy.

- Chocolate (Thailand)
If you love Muay Thai, watch this girl kicking the crap out of multiple adversaries. And the story actually works (kind of).

[HungFist]

In the lack of better things to do; comments

- Yo-Yo Girl Cop (Japan)

I'll watch this after I've seen Sukeban Deka II & III and rewatched the first film and watched the second film for the first time

- Exiled (Hong-Kong)
Johnny To's semi-sequel to "The Mission" is a rather good looking take on the Heroic Bloodshed genre, with a few Western vibes thrown in for good measure.

Didn't I write that?

- Hula Girl (Japan)

May try some day. And maybe Waterboys, too. Or maybe not.

- Memories of Matsuko (Japan)

...

- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Japan)

If I had time to watch TV shows (other than Sukeban Deka...)

- Mad Detective (Hong-Kong)

This is quite good, but To has made better films (Throwdown, Sparrow etc).

- Dai-Nipponjin (Japan)

This is kind of brilliant, although seem to have given it "only" a 3. But that equal's to most people's 4.

- The Rebel (Vietnam)

i don nou...

- Sukiyaki Western Django (Japan)
Takashi Miike's take on the Spaghetti Western. I was lucky to catch this at a festival on big screen.

Me too. Twice (although the latter time was because I didn't have anything better to do at 4 am)

Sadly all western releases only feature the international cut and the Japanese DVD doesn't have subtitles. Sure, they're all speaking english, but understanding it can prove to be a real challenge.

That's why God game man understanding, and someone invented ears.

The R2J edge enhacement was the devil's doings, though.

- The Machine Girl (Japan)

I have the (delayed) R2J - with Hajirai Machine Girl - on order, altgough I'm prepared for a disappointment. But I had to catch the LE dvd and I'm happy I did, it went "out of print" two months before its release.

- Tokyo Gore Police (Japan)
Don't believe Hung Fist. It's awesome. :mrgreen:

:x

- CJ7 (Hong-Kong)

I'll watch it if it the dvd falls from heaven and lands in front of me witout killing me or cutting my eye.

- An Empress and the Warriors (Hong-Kong)

HK's made too many period pics recently.

- The Chaser

This I wanna buy. Some day.

- Chocolate (Thailand)
If you love Muay Thai, watch this girl kicking the crap out of multiple adversaries. And the story actually works (kind of).

I don't know about the story but I don't want to touch Tony Jaa but I want to hug her and that's what matters. The ending was a riot, on both sides of the sceeen (at a festival at least)

Should I continue? Yes. 2007 & 2008 films.

Recommended

- Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge (Japan)
The most awesome romantic chainsaw film with some terrific fight scenes

- 5 Centimeters per Second: A Chain of Short Stories About Their Distance (Japan)
Shinkai perfection

- The Sky Crawlers (Japan)
It's not a Ghost in the Shell (although occasionally the terrific soundtrack is) but it's still pure Oshii.

- Tokyo Sonata (Japan)
I knew Kurosawa could do a great film if he dropped the ghosts.

- Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone
Me like but haven't seen the TV

- Breath (South Korea)
Kim imprives after Time

- Tennen kokekko (Japan)
Yamashita isn't what he used to be but this is still a great film.

- Spider Lilies (Taiwan)
This is actually a pretty dumb girl romance film but I like it a bit.

- Like a Dragon (Japan)
A good video game adaptation? Yes. A good film? Yes. Summer night in Tokyo has never looked this good before.

- How to Become Myself (Japan)
Narumi + Ichikawa = terrific film.

- Sparrow (Hong Kong)
One of To's best.

Somewhere in the middle

Za yakiniku mubi: Purukogi (Japan)
- Not that great but Riki Takeuchi is crazy and Yu Yamada's pants are great too

-This World of Ours (Japan)
Hikikomori Ryo Nakajima’s debut. It's not bad, but too intentionally artistic.

- Heavenly Forest (Japan)
Cliché ridden sentimental platonic romance in which Aoi Miyazaki is cuter than almost anyone, anywhere, ever.

- Flash Point (Hong Kong)
Wilson Yip seems like a one time wonder (SPL). But this an ok film.

- Big Bang Love – Juvenile A (Japan)
It's not as horrible as people say. The structure is just completely wrong, you need to know how the films end before you can enjoy it.

- Lemon no koro (Japan)
I remember this being alright although I can't remember why. Maybe because of Mitsuki Tanimura.

Kantoku banzai (Japan)
- If you've a got a bit of Tom in you, you may like it. And it's got Anne.

Anti-recommendations

- Shamo (Hong Kong)
Good film (Love Battlefield) followed by terrific films (Dog Bite Dog) followed by duh (Shamo). What happened?

- Shindo (Japan)
Riko Narumi may be the most promising new actress, or then she needs Jun Ichikawa in order to be great in a great film. And Ichikawa is dead. EDIT: she's lost.

- OneChanbara (Japan)
It looks good. In stills.

- Ashes of Time: Redux (Hong Kong)
Wong goes Lucas. Stick with one of the older cuts.

- Secret Sunshine (South Korea)
The horror. The horror. Bad even for a melodrama.

- Vexille (Japan)
How bad can a movie be?

- Appleseed: Ex Machina (Japan)
This benefitted from Vexille being made. But there's still no reason to waste your time.

And finally, to answer my own question, I shall recommend myself Twentieth Century Boys live action adaptation without knowing anything about it.

[bradavon]

Are you guys bashing one out, over who can type the longest post?

[HungFist]