What Have You Just Seen... Marks Out of 5

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 27 Apr 2007, 22:19

Does 'pile o' arse' not warrant a 0/5 or maybe even a 1/5?

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 27 Apr 2007, 23:30

hey,

Tonight Nobody Goes Home 3.5/5

Taiwan production directed by Sylvia Chang. A simmering film but rewarding. Detailing when old farts decide to to try and recapture their youth. Comes with a price in terms of what consequences it has on your children but it's a healthy journey too as it turns out.

Some good veterans in there, like Lung Si-Hung, Gua Ah-Leh. Also with Rene Liu, Winston Chao, Jordan Chan and a surprisingly good turn by Alex To. Just remember him singing at the roller disco in Inspectors Wear Skirts!

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 27 Apr 2007, 23:32

Knetan wrote:hey,

Tonight Nobody Goes Home 3.5/5

Taiwan production directed by Sylvia Chang.

Any better than 20 30 40 ? That was dull as hell.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 27 Apr 2007, 23:37

Kurgan wrote:Does 'pile o' arse' not warrant a 0/5 or maybe even a 1/5?

Depends on how much you like arse!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 28 Apr 2007, 01:37

Knetan wrote:Just remember him singing at the roller disco in Inspectors Wear Skirts!

Cantonese rockabilly!

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 28 Apr 2007, 05:05

EvaUnit02 wrote:
Knetan wrote:hey,

Tonight Nobody Goes Home 3.5/5

Taiwan production directed by Sylvia Chang.
Any better than 20 30 40 ? That was dull as hell.

It doesn't sound like your type of cinema then, neither Sylvia Chang movie.

But I've discovered thoguh that her output from Tempting Heart and onwards have been great movies not quite ready to be great movies. However Tonight Nobody Goes Home and Siao Yu from earlier in the 90s seems to represent her directorial skill at its best. For those with a liking in cinema where people just talk that is...

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 29 Apr 2007, 08:30

I thought 20 30 40 was really good.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 29 Apr 2007, 08:59

A Scene at the Sea - 4,5/5
Not Kitano's best movie but his most charming one.

Django - 3,5/5
Nice. Can't wait for the Miike remake

Collateral - 4/5
I wasn't that distracted by all the clichés this time (maybe because I knew what was coming). Excellent film otherwise.

On Deadly Ground - 2,5/5
Seagal is the man but the film tends to drag at times

New Jack City - 3/5
Snipes too is the man.

Memories - 4/5
Three stories; the first one is the best, the second is totally over the top but lots of fun, and the last is the most interesting of the bunch in terms of content (very Orwellian vision)

Dust Devil - 3,5/5
A bit uneven but throughly interesting.

Throw Down - 4/5
My Favourite Johnnie To so far. Perfect soundtrack, great characters and actors (I'm serious!) and wonderful video game / manga esque feel.

Porno jidaigeki - Bohachi bushido - 4,5/5
With subs this time. Still one of the best chambara films ever made

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 29 Apr 2007, 09:15

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 3 (1st 4 episodes) - 3.5/5

Surprisingly fun to watch so far, it was quite cool to see some old episodes uncut (Turtles on Trial, Sky Turtles etc). In the UK version of "Turtles on Trail", a few uses of the word ninja are snipped, 2 fights are cut - a museum fight and a fight with two toughs in the street (nanchukus!) and Shredder uses a throwing star (in the UK version he used a grenade instead?)
When I was little I didnt get the Sam Spade references in "The Maltese Hamster" episode.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Apr 2007, 09:36

hey,

Throw Down - 4/5
My Favourite Johnnie To so far. Perfect soundtrack, great characters and actors (I'm serious!) and wonderful video game / manga esque feel.

You didn't cite the other obvious Japanese reference that even I picked up on then?

But true, this and The Mission are two of his very best.

Enter Mark...

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 29 Apr 2007, 09:38

grim_tales wrote:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 3 (1st 4 episodes) - 3.5/5

In the UK version of "Turtles on Trail", a few uses of the word ninja are snipped, 2 fights are cut - a museum fight and a fight with two toughs in the street (nanchukus!) and Shredder uses a throwing star (in the UK version he used a grenade instead?)

How the fuck do you remember these minute details bout a 15+ year-old children's programme?

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 29 Apr 2007, 09:41

Phantom of the Opera (2005) 3.5/5

This is the first time I had seen Phantom of the Opera in any capacity, and I actually quite enjoyed it. The cast did a great job with the songs considering that they are not proper singers. Emmy Rossum is just loveliness personfied as the sweet Christine. Gerard Butler is okay as The Phantom, although Antonio Banderas might have brought a bit more charisma and sensuality to the role. Overall, not quite as good as Moulin Rouge though.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 29 Apr 2007, 10:50

Because I had the UK versions on VHS somewhere, when they were last on TV.
Even "The Old Switcheroo" episode is slightly cut in the UK (references to ninjas and the fight at the end).
Is it more wierd than knowing about the different cuts of other films?

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 29 Apr 2007, 10:58

grim_tales wrote:Is it more wierd than knowing about the different cuts of other films?

Not weird at all. I just find it hard to believe when people say stuff like "The DVD colours are wrong. I remember there being a green tinge when I saw the film in the cinema." for stuff that is several years old. Honestly who can remember minute things like that after such a long time?

HungFist wrote:Collateral - 4/5
I wasn't that distracted by all the clichés this time (maybe because I knew what was coming). Excellent film otherwise.

You even liked the shitty 3rd act?

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 29 Apr 2007, 11:56

Knetan wrote:hey,

Throw Down - 4/5
My Favourite Johnnie To so far. Perfect soundtrack, great characters and actors (I'm serious!) and wonderful video game / manga esque feel.
You didn't cite the other obvious Japanese reference that even I picked up on then? But true, this and The Mission are two of his very best.

I'm not sure if you mean the Kurosawa stuff or Cherrie Ying looking kawaii as hell. Or something else?

Long version of the mini review (which I felt was a little embarrasing and decided not to post but here goes):

Throw Down (Hong Kong, 2004) – 4/5
Johnnie To’s Akira Kurosawa tribute exceeded all my expectations by being of the best HK movies of recent years and probably my favourite To film. First of all, the characters are superb. I couldn’t help but to feel they were very manga esque, with some video game feel thrown in. At one point while watching the film it made me think about Dragon Tiger Gate, and also realize what a bad film that was compared to Throw Down. I loved Louis Koo and Tony Leung and kinda liked Aaron Kwok’s drunken sleep walking, too. And don’t even get me started with Cherrie Ying who looked like she had taken some lessons on how to look cute. The judo sequences may come as a disappointment at first but they’re pretty cool once get used to them. Don’t expect any huge martial arts showdown though, judo is more of way to tell story here. And finally, the soundtrack is perfect. It’s the single most important thing that makes the film so damn good. The only thing that keeps the film from being a masterpiece is that the ending doesn’t quite meet the expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I love the finale but storywise I expected it to take place on a higher, more mythical level.
- dvd / Panorama

EvaUnit02 wrote:
HungFist wrote:Collateral - 4/5
I wasn't that distracted by all the clichés this time (maybe because I knew what was coming). Excellent film otherwise.
You even liked the shitty 3rd act?

This time yeah. When I saw the film for the first time that was one of the things* I hated

* Cruise telling the story of a man dying in the train and that happening at the end of the film, cops stopping them and Fox having to talk their way out, Max playing Vincent at the club, turning Max into an action hero in the end, showing an unrelated character at the beginning and then making her very much related at the end... I think Max even quoted Vincent at some point... It's weird how I could still love the film so much with such long shit list. But I really like the technical side and Cruises performance. On the second viewing I knew where the film is gonna fail and just tried to ignore that stuff... and did it very succesfully. Everything else was great and I loved the film.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Apr 2007, 12:15

hey,

Johnnie To’s Akira Kurosawa tribute

Since I know so little about Japanese cinema, that would be the only reference I could pick up on. It also kind of helps that To writes about that fact in the booklet.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 29 Apr 2007, 12:27

Knetan wrote:hey,

Johnnie To’s Akira Kurosawa tribute
Since I know so little about Japanese cinema, that would be the only reference I could pick up on. It also kind of helps that To writes about that fact in the booklet.

...and that the film ends with a text saying "a salute to Akira Kurosawa, the greatest filmmaker"

I didn't get a booklet. Looks like a re-issue. Not that it really bothers me
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/4807/throwsrj5.jpg

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Apr 2007, 12:54

hey,

...and that the film ends with a text saying "a salute to Akira Kurosawa, the greatest filmmaker"

Nah, that's too subtle for me to understand.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 29 Apr 2007, 14:30

HungFist wrote:* Cruise telling the story of a man dying in the train and that happening at the end of the film, cops stopping them and Fox having to talk their way out, Max playing Vincent at the club, turning Max into an action hero in the end, showing an unrelated character at the beginning and then making her very much related at the end... I think Max even quoted Vincent at some point... It's weird how I could still love the film so much with such long shit list. But I really like the technical side and Cruises performance. On the second viewing I knew where the film is gonna fail and just tried to ignore that stuff... and did it very succesfully. Everything else was great and I loved the film.

I liked everything except Max becoming an action hero in the third act. Honestly Collateral should've been a movie where the bad guy won. Mark may argue that you can't feel empathy for a villain unless he's been wronged somehow or was a victim at some point, blah, blah. I have no problem with a film not having characters to sympathise/identify with.

Yeah, the technical aspects were marvellous, especially the shootout at the Triad night club. But WTF happened with Miami Vice 2006? The big shootout at the end was a near unwatchable mess (he went overboard with the digital camera shaky-cam style) and lets not forget about the mumbling.

I don't know if like Collateral more than Heat though. I've seen the former 3 times but the latter only once, so it'd be unfair to judge either.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 29 Apr 2007, 14:37

Knetan wrote:Since I know so little about Japanese cinema, that would be the only reference I could pick up on. It also kind of helps that To writes about that fact in the booklet.

What's there to know about any style of cinema? It's about just watching movies, not about knowing trivia like the size of Jackie Chan's wang, that Leslie Cheung would've liked to have seen Jackie's wang or that Derek Yee was making allusions to Jackie's wang in his last film.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 29 Apr 2007, 14:47

Knetan wrote:
...and that the film ends with a text saying "a salute to Akira Kurosawa, the greatest filmmaker"
Nah, that's too subtle for me to understand.

More specifically it's a big homage to Kurosawa's directorial debut: Sugata Sanshiro, a good film but one that was tragically butchered by the Japanese censors back during WW2. I doubt we'll ever get to see Kurosawa's original film.

EvaUnit02 wrote:What's there to know about any style of cinema? It's about just watching movies, not about knowing trivia like the size of Jackie Chan's wang, that Leslie Cheung would've liked to have seen Jackie's wang or that Derek Yee was making allusions to Jackie's wang in his last film.

Ken's talking about film references, I'm pretty sure he had the "style" of the film pretty sussed. Obviously when it comes to spotting direct film references it does help to have seen and be familiar with a wider range of films. Although in the case of ThrowDown, the film doesn't really make many references.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Apr 2007, 16:46

hey,

Painted Faces 4/5 (Encore viewing because Celestial won't unleash their remastered print)

Suitably divided between being a story of Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao's harsh and good times as Peking Opera students under Yu Jim-Yuen (played by Sammo) and the portrayal of a dying art. Alex Law and Mabel Cheung evokes the era beutifully and performances by Sammo and Lam Ching-Ying in support serves the purpose of this tuned movie well. Even the tortoise symbolism manages to work.

It ends on a postive note as the students are being sent on their way to stardom yet it remains touching to see one aspect of the lives involved peter out...

It's well established that the film took (or had to?) some liberties with the truth such as portraying the ways of Master Yu as rather mild compared to real life? A guess is also that Cheng Pei-Pei's role is meant to be Lam Ching-Ying's master Madam Fan Fok Fa? If she and Yu had affection for one another, I couldn't say but having it as an issue in the film doesn't disrupt.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 29 Apr 2007, 18:30

brooce-leroy wrote:I thought 20 30 40 was really good.

Mostly boring.

slasher13 · Post by **slasher13** » 30 Apr 2007, 13:29

Jadesoturi aka Jade Warrior - 5 / 5
Errr there can't be a high enough number for this, I absolutely love this movie, its great, words can't explain it. Such a refreshing beautiful movies!!!. Jingchu Zhang is just soo beautiful, I loved her in Seven Swords and Protégé, so was well happy when I saw her in this movie. Tommi Eronen is pretty good as Kai, You do feel sorry for him. This movie is soo much better than Curse of Golden Flower, it was highly enjoyable, very very sweet love story (which I am a sucker for) and excellent fight scenes.

Up there with Brotherhood of Wolves, Legend of Zu, Man Called Hero, StormRiders!!!

Now to find a finnish website shop, so I can buy this dvd, it evens has english audio commentary.

BTW quite surprised that Tom hasn't really shouted about this movie, I thought he would have liked it.....

..
.
.

Just joking Tom, I think I read you loved the movie as well

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 30 Apr 2007, 14:34

Oooh sounds cool, I really want to see that too

Have you seen the old-school TMNT episodes yet?

After watching more of Vol 3, I noticed that even relatively harmless episodes like "Enter The Rat King", "The Old Switcheroo" (I think) and "The Fifth Turtle" were edited in their prepared UK versions (the word ninja is always cut in the UK version, random dialogue exchanges are also cut, possibly due to Mike's nanchukus on screen).
Thankfully these are the uncut editions

I like some of Raphael's one-liners, they make me smile