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

the68monkey · Post by **the68monkey** » 16 Apr 2006, 22:19

Tom2681 wrote:Sure the camerawork is great, but that alone doesn't make a film...

But Nowhere to Hide has WAY more than just nifty camerawork. It created the incredible character of Detective Woo! He's not smarter than the bad guy. He's not stronger or better looking, and MOST DEFINITELY not better dressed!

He's simply tenacious. He wins through sheer willpower. He just DOES NOT GIVE UP! He goes. He fails. He goes. He fails. He keeps going. And finally, he wins.

Visually, the film is stunning, in so many places. The scene with "Holiday" playing in the background has to rank as one of the most beatiful on film. It's artistically conceived and directed, not just filmed by the cameraman.

For me, Nowhere to Hide is one of the few Korean films I'd give a perfect "5" (and believe me, I've seen a LOT of Korean films

)

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 16 Apr 2006, 22:55

Damn, you put it that way and now I almost want to see the film again...

I found NTH to be the most irritating and boring Korean film I have ever seen (not that I'm seen too many, but still). All those endless visual tricks were pure misery for me.

I did love that assassination scene, though. That was the only thing I liked.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 17 Apr 2006, 01:26

She's the Man 3/5

Aye enjoyable wee rom com. Obviously it suffers from the predictability and cheese factors but still, good fun for around 90 mins or so.

I'm in love with Amanda Bynes btw.

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 17 Apr 2006, 14:24

Ice Age 2 - The Meltdown

Greatly entertaining and funny movie, fortunatly with an excellent German dubbing.

4.5/5

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 17 Apr 2006, 14:29

The Foul King 4.5/5

I haven't laughed so hard in years. One of the funniest comedies I've seen in a while. Song Kang-ho is the ultimate method actor, I was surprised to see that he pretty much executed most, if not all, his wrestling manouvers. Although, I'm surprised to see how slim he looks in this film. Great Kim Ji-Woon effort. Now that I've seen all of his films, my list is as follows (from best to worst):

A Tale of Two Sisters
The Foul King
The Quiet Family
A Bittersweet Life

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 17 Apr 2006, 19:20

I love "The Foul King" as it is one of the films that shows Song Kang-ho's dedication to his roles. He really learnt those backflips etc for his role as a secret wrestler.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 18 Apr 2006, 21:40

Aye! I was well surprised to see him wrestle like a pro.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 18 Apr 2006, 21:46

Heat After Dark - 3/5
Quite a cool film which Ryuhei Kitamura shot when he came back from Australia. With a running time of only 50 minutes it does not feel too long, but at the same time, neither too short.

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:03

Not one Less (1999)

Another great movie by Zhang Yimou. So realistic and also touching. The way he tells simple stories is just great. I begin to appreciate this man´s work more and more.
This movie gives you a impression of how live is on the Chinese countryside and why so many children have to leave school too early.

Now that I´ve seen Hero, HotfD, Happy Times, The Road Home and Not one less (not much, I know...) I want to see more.
Which other movies of him can you guys recommend?

4.5/5

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:14

Jam Films - 4/5
Whoa! Can't believe I have waited so long to see this. The Universe DVD is superb and subtitles everything including the Japanese writings we see.

The Messenger - 4/5
Cool Kitamura flick with nice ideas.

Kendama - 4/5
Very funny film about fate and coincidences.

Cold Sleep - 4.5/5
LOL, probably the funniest film I have recently watched. Jôji Iida is a great director.

Pandora - Hong Kong Leg - 2.5/5
Huh? WTF? Wasn't it just bizarre?

Hijiki - 4/5
The director starts this film really wonderfully with a warning to the audience, giving away that the ending will be really tragic. And it was...

Justice - 4.5/5
LOL! Loved this and reminded me so much of the unnecessary stuff I used to do at school. Isao Yukisada is a brilliant director. Have recently seen "Go" for the first time and before that "Crying out Love in the Centre of the World" which were both great and I can't wait to see more from him.

Arita - 4.5/5
Tragic, hilariously funny and it made me think.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:17

dragonhero005 wrote:Which other movies of him can you guys recommend?

"Happy Times" and his most recent film "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles".

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:30

thelostdragon wrote:Jam Films - 4/5
Whoa! Can't believe I have waited so long to see this. The Universe DVD is superb and subtitles everything including the Japanese writings we see.

Really? Anamorpic? I don't trust Universe too much, and that's why I've been thinking about getting the R2J. But maybe I should still concider the HK disc...

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:32

No, it's not anamorph. It's even a DVD5, but the price is more than worth it. The picture is clean and the subs are really good, too.

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:35

thelostdragon wrote:
dragonhero005 wrote:Which other movies of him can you guys recommend?
"Happy Times" and his most recent film "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles".

Thanks! Have already seen "Happy Times". Also a great, but also sad movie.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 19 Apr 2006, 15:50

thelostdragon wrote:No, it's not anamorph. It's even a DVD5, but the price is more than worth it. The picture is clean and the subs are really good, too.

Thanks. I'm gonna pass it then. I have this obsession of always owning the best version available, so...

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 19 Apr 2006, 18:37

thelostdragon wrote:Jam Films - 4/5
Whoa! Can't believe I have waited so long to see this. The Universe DVD is superb and subtitles everything including the Japanese writings we see.

The Messenger - 4/5
Cool Kitamura flick with nice ideas.

Kendama - 4/5
Very funny film about fate and coincidences.

Cold Sleep - 4.5/5
LOL, probably the funniest film I have recently watched. Jôji Iida is a great director.

Pandora - Hong Kong Leg - 2.5/5
Huh? WTF? Wasn't it just bizarre?

Hijiki - 4/5
The director starts this film really wonderfully with a warning to the audience, giving away that the ending will be really tragic. And it was...

Justice - 4.5/5
LOL! Loved this and reminded me so much of the unnecessary stuff I used to do at school. Isao Yukisada is a brilliant director. Have recently seen "Go" for the first time and before that "Crying out Love in the Centre of the World" which were both great and I can't wait to see more from him.

Arita - 4.5/5
Tragic, hilariously funny and it made me think.

Nice... now go watch Jam Films 2. Then watch Jam Films S.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 19 Apr 2006, 19:41

Happy Times (2000 - Zhang Yimou) : 3,5/5

Nice little film. Top-notch acting by Dong Jie.
Too bad the sad ending doesn't fit with the light-hearted comedy present throughout the film.

Seoul Raiders (2005 - HK) : 4/5

- Crappy storyline, annoying Hsu Chi, unbelievable plot twists.
+ Nice fights, good-looking korean chicks, perfect Tony Leung.

I had more fun with this one than with Tokyo Raiders.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 19 Apr 2006, 20:32

I can't believe you gave Seoul Raiders 4/5, I could barely finish the film, and I like Tokyo Raiders. But it is you after all

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:00

gasteropod wrote:I can't believe you gave Seoul Raiders 4/5, I could barely finish the film, and I like Tokyo Raiders. But it is you after all

This is the guy who thinks Twins Effects 2 is great.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:19

BiscLimpkit wrote:Nice... now go watch Jam Films 2. Then watch Jam Films S.

Yeah, I'm watching that tonight. I already have the Unverse DVD ready on TV, waiting to get watched.

What is "Jam Films S"?

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:34

I'm curious to see Twins Effect 2 if only so I can venture an opinion. It can't be any worse than some of the other Twins disasters I've sat through... can it?

the68monkey · Post by **the68monkey** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:41

Tom2681 wrote:Happy Times (2000 - Zhang Yimou) : 3,5/5

Nice little film. Top-notch acting by Dong Jie.
Too bad the sad ending doesn't fit with the light-hearted comedy present throughout the film.

Agreed. I thought the end was emotionally manipulative, and it just made me MAD after such a good film.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:41

Markgway wrote:It can't be any worse than some of the other Twins disasters I've sat through... can it?

Trust me... it can. You might be thinking the same way I did before I saw the film: "Oh, it has Donnie Yen and Jackie CHan fighting each other in it. The fight can't be worse than in 'Shanghai Knights', can it?"

Har har har! Little did I know.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:44

Actually, the Donnie/Jackie cameo was the only thing I DIDN'T like about Twins Effect 2.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 19 Apr 2006, 22:54

@Mark:

You could at least watch the trailer to make up your own mind about whether you should watch it:

http://rapidshare.de/files/18443080/Twi ... 2.rar.html