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

[saltysam]

Lady Whirlwind 2/5 i like Angela Mao and don't mind Chang Yi but this is a medicore effort.Flat action and rather boring.The Chang Yi character is a whining wimp here.

[Markgway]

Burning Paradise ***½

If you haven't seen this already... why not?

[HungFist]

Be a Man! Samurai School (Japan, 2008) – 2.5/5
No better topic for Tak Sakaguchi than cinema ABC to manhood. The debut film shows his inexperience in editing room – many scenes run too long, losing their intensity in the process – but directing is nevertheless sufficient, perhaps thanks to his action choreographer experience. The film comes out as a relatively entertaining action comedy and man-parody. Despite the small budget, the film looks good. Versus baddie Hideo Sakaki co-stars.

Noroi – The Curse (Japan, 2005) – 4.5/5
Grotesque director Koji Shiraishi’s fake doc borrows various elements from other horror movies and even throws in a shameless Morricone variation soundtrack (The Thing). The outcome is one of the scariest movies ever made. What sets it apart from most other ghost branch J-horror films is that Noroi is built more on realism, myths, and flesh than on purely supernatural elements. In a way, it’s closer to religious / psychological horror films like The Exorcist than Ju-on. The film is seen almost entirely through the video cameras used by a two man documentary crew. A couple of special effects shots fail miserably, but are easy to forgive considering how good the characters are and how atmospheric the film is. Digital cinematography is used to maximum effect, with some VHS footage supporting it. The Japanese PG-12 rating is pure insanity: wonder how many elementary schoolers got traumatized for life watching Noroi...

[gasteropod]

It's mad that Noroi hasn't even been released in the UK or US, people don't know what they're missing.

[luckystars]

Police Story 10/10
Groundbreaking, pivotal HK genre action movie, and a defining role for Jackie Chan (a typecast so set in stone, he's still trying to escape it). Jackie goes on record stating the success achieved in the making of Police Story is owed to his family, his JC Stunt Team family that is. This was one of the first HK films I remember watching (nearly 20 years ago), and it still wows every time. Classic, and hard not to be in any fans top 10.

The Dead and the Deadly 9/10
I wont lie, I'm in love (still) with Sammo's style of Martial Arts Horror. Building on the mythos that Spooky Encounters defined, the lesser Dead and the Deadly immerses the viewer the supernatural world of Taoist magic, superstition, reincarnation and of course brutal action.
The plot which revolves around an inheritance scam, works so well at the point of the twist (no spoiler), that TDATD goes far beyond typical comic hijinx and showboating of Sammos great physical acting and exquisit action sequences. The brutality, greed, and lengths that the plotters will go for riches, are only surpassed by Sammo's own hard hitting performance towards the end of the film, looking by far some of his most powerful onscreen encounters ever. I genuinely felt sorry for the stuntmen. Ouch!

Police Story 2 (HK cut) 9/10
A real standout production for Jackie, not only is this probably his darkest film in tone, its also far more realistically shot and acted than was the norm in HK at the time. I think the industry was really trying to grow up towards the end of the 80's...while not nearly as dark or serious as Yuen Biaos On the Run, this film really packs a punch with hard hitting stunts, violence and scenes of torture not associated with a Jackie film. So much so its actually quite shocking how much his outlook must have changed between making this and films like City Hunter etc. Classic fights, drama, danger and some of Jackies biggest ever stunts. This film would be an 8.5/10 if it wasn't for the sophistication of action Design on display here. Classic Jackie if not to everyones taste.

[HungFist]

It's mad that Noroi hasn't even been released in the UK or US, people don't know what they're missing.

Quite common with great Japanese films, although more puzzling than average with Noroi, it being a (semi) recent J-horror film. Even today they're still releasing plenty of these Ju-on and other ghost horrors in the US, yet the very best one remains unreleased.

Oh well, the HK dvd is of good quality and very cheap too. Bound to go oop sooner or later, though.

[gasteropod]

Oh well, the HK dvd is of good quality and very cheap too. Bound to go oop sooner or later, though.

Yes but unfortunately most people are fools seemingly incapable of finding it (despite the fact it's the first search result that comes up on eBay).

[grim_tales]

Police Story 10/10
Groundbreaking, pivotal HK genre action movie, and a defining role for Jackie Chan (a typecast so set in stone, he's still trying to escape it). Jackie goes on record stating the success achieved in the making of Police Story is owed to his family, his JC Stunt Team family that is. This was one of the first HK films I remember watching (nearly 20 years ago), and it still wows every time. Classic, and hard not to be in any fans top 10.

The Dead and the Deadly 9/10
I wont lie, I'm in love (still) with Sammo's style of Martial Arts Horror. Building on the mythos that Spooky Encounters defined, the lesser Dead and the Deadly immerses the viewer the supernatural world of Taoist magic, superstition, reincarnation and of course brutal action.
The plot which revolves around an inheritance scam, works so well at the point of the twist (no spoiler), that TDATD goes far beyond typical comic hijinx and showboating of Sammos great physical acting and exquisit action sequences. The brutality, greed, and lengths that the plotters will go for riches, are only surpassed by Sammo's own hard hitting performance towards the end of the film, looking by far some of his most powerful onscreen encounters ever. I genuinely felt sorry for the stuntmen. Ouch!

Police Story 2 (HK cut) 9/10
A real standout production for Jackie, not only is this probably his darkest film in tone, its also far more realistically shot and acted than was the norm in HK at the time. I think the industry was really trying to grow up towards the end of the 80's...while not nearly as dark or serious as Yuen Biaos On the Run, this film really packs a punch with hard hitting stunts, violence and scenes of torture not associated with a Jackie film. So much so its actually quite shocking how much his outlook must have changed between making this and films like City Hunter etc. Classic fights, drama, danger and some of Jackies biggest ever stunts. This film would be an 8.5/10 if it wasn't for the sophistication of action Design on display here. Classic Jackie if not to everyones taste.

PS1 and PS2 are classics indeed PS2 was probably the first Jackie film I saw in its original language, on TV about 12 years ago.
I felt Crime Story and Heart of Dragon are maybe darker, but there are some great scenes in PS2 especially the one where the bombers read out Maggie's letter to Jackie, taunting him, that is emotional

[Heka]

Karate bearfighter (Japan, 1977) - 4/5
Another great Sonny Chiba movie, this time we get to follow him playing his real life Karate master Mas Oyama. This is the second movie he's doing that and he fought a bull in the first one. That wasn't enought for him so this time the battle is against a bear or a man in a bearsuit if you are feeling sarcastic. The fight scenes in this movie are pretty good but I watched the last battle of Drunken Master right after watching this movie and I have to say that Karate bearfighter pales in comparison in this field. Story wise I have to say I'm a bit confused why everybody wants to kill Oyama but that doesn't matter because the end product of this constant stream of enemies is very entertaining.

[HungFist]

There's a clear difference between JP and HK movie fighting.

HK was influenced by Peking Opera, which leads to more operatic, long, athletic, and sometimes, "staged" fighting. As far physical performances and stunts there's no beating HK. They were certainly the ones responsible for the "best ever" fight scenes. But often when we have a bit less talented guys doing it, or sometimes even with the more talented guys, we end up with a 20 minute fight scene that lacks power. How damn weak are the fighters when they can't cause any notable damage to the opponent even with 200 blows? With Chang Cheh / The Venoms films I too often get this feeling that the fighters aren't even trying to hurt each other, just posing for the audience.

JP film fighting on the other hand emphasizes power. It's much like samurai films, which also had very short fights. When you got hit by Musashi Miyamoto's katana... well, you were in two pieces after that, game over. Japanese karate cinema is similar... Chiba hits you once and you're dead. This brings much more intensity to the fights (further enhanced by the exploitative nature of Japanese 70's cinema): every single blow could be deady, as opposed to HK films where you can usually fast forward the first 7 minutes cause you know nothing remarkable will happen during that time. On average, I must say I prefer (70's) JP film fighting for the intensity and brutality of it. Plus, Chiba just happens to be the baddest motherfucker on the planet.

In nutshell: Chinese ninjas live in the shadows, attack like a lightning, fight, and die in 15 minutes. Japanese ninjas live in the shadows, attack like a lightning, fight, and die in 1.5 seconds

(unless the ninja is played by Chiba. In that case everyone around him dies in 1.5 seconds )

[Markgway]

Chinese movie martial arts are more about the aesthetic.

I couldn't stand the karate stylings in Chiba's Street Fighter.

A matter of personal preference as with anything.

[luckystars]

Chinese movie martial arts are more about the aesthetic.

I couldn't stand the karate stylings in Chiba's Street Fighter.

A matter of personal preference as with anything.

I honestly thought the blood soaked Japanese martial arts films were more about the aesthetic of violence than Chinese films ever were.

[Markgway]

I honestly thought the blood soaked Japanese martial arts films were more about the aesthetic of violence than Chinese films ever were.

Lol... I'm no expert on japanese martial arts pics so I'll let you and Hung argue it out.

[Keung]

The Romancing Star 3.5/5

Very silly and entertaining flick.

[HungFist]

Well, like I said, I feel Chinese movie martial arts are more about sports and theater, while Japanese (movie) martial arts are more of a weapon. Which one is more aesthetic depends on how you see it. JP maybe in terms of violence, HK in terms of gracefulness.

Mark, if you ever wanna give Chiba a second go, try The Killing Machine or Karate Bullfighter & Karate Bearfighter. In both Chiba plays real life character. In Karate he portrays his real life master Masutatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin karate. In The Killing Machine he plays Doshin So, the founder of Shorinji Kempo (Shaolin Karate).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT-B3EjjBgk
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ptnm

But if you disliked the pure awesomeness of The Street Fighter, then maybe it can't be helped. Maybe you're just hopeless

[HungFist]

Top 10 badass actions committed by Chiba
(slights spoilers ahead)

10. Started martial arts / acting school because his co-actors were not in good enough shape to fight him (real life!)

9. Had a drug named after him in the US (real life!)

8. Made films that work like medicine. I broke up with a girlfriend, then re-watched The Executioner and immediately felt better again! (real life!)

7. Hit a guy at the back of his head so hard his eyes came out (Return of the Street Fighter, 1974)

6. Ripped a man's balls off and fed them to a stray dog (The Killing Machine, 1975)

5. Raped a Japanese woman because she was shaming herself by selling her body to foreigners... and then found out she was actually an interpreter who had never had sex before. Oops. (Karate Bullfighter, 1975)

4. Had an intro speech that was later quoted by Quentin Tarantino and mistaken by people as Bible quote! (The Bodyguard, 1976)

3. Entered a room while the enemy was having sex, killed the enemy, and then had sex with the enemy's woman while the body was still lying on the floor. (The Executioner, 1974)

2. Saved a burning man's life by pissing on him (Karate Inferno, 1974)

1. Helped death row prisoner escape, and then when the brother and sister who hired him couldn't pay, threw the brother out of the window (from 10th floor) and sold the sister to brothel. And then went home to eat chicken and watch TV (The Street Fighter, 1974)

[luckystars]

Top 10 badass actions committed by Chiba
(slights spoilers ahead)

10. Started martial arts / acting school because his co-actors were not in good enough shape to fight him (real life!)

9. Had a drug named after him in the US (real life!)

8. Made films that work like medicine. I broke up with a girlfriend, then re-watched The Executioner and immediately felt better again! (real life!)

7. Hit a guy at the back of his head so hard his eyes came out (Return of the Street Fighter, 1974)

6. Ripped a man's balls off and fed them to a stray dog (The Killing Machine, 1975)

5. Raped a Japanese woman because she was shaming herself by selling her body to foreigners... and then found out she was actually an interpreter who had never had sex before. Oops. (Karate Bullfighter, 1975)

4. Had an intro speech that was later quoted by Quentin Tarantino and mistaken by people as Bible quote! (The Bodyguard, 1976)

3. Entered a room while the enemy was having sex, killed the enemy, and then had sex with the enemy's woman while the body was still lying on the floor. (The Executioner, 1974)

2. Saved a burning man's life by pissing on him (Karate Inferno, 1974)

1. Helped death row prisoner escape, and then when the brother and sister who hired him couldn't pay, threw the brother out of the window (from 10th floor) and sold the sister to brothel. And then went home to eat chicken and watch TV (The Street Fighter, 1974)

Fantastic!

[grim_tales]

I loved the eyeballs moment!

[HungFist]

[Heka]

Neither Japanese nor HK fighting look that real to me but in Hong Kong the moves are often done faster and with more power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xev3_XjC ... re=related
Here Sonny explains the difficulties of making legit fighting scenes in Japan.

That's a epic top ten list Hung. I would like to see more actors who are in good shape, have martial art training and can act.

[Markgway]

Raped a Japanese woman because she was shaming herself by selling her body to foreigners... and then found out she was actually an interpreter who had never had sex before. Oops. (Karate Bullfighter, 1975)

...and you think I'll like this film...?

Entered a room while the enemy was having sex, killed the enemy, and then had sex with the enemy's woman while the body was still lying on the floor. (The Executioner, 1974)

Holy shit.

Saved a burning man's life by pissing on him (Karate Inferno, 1974)

[Markgway]

But if you disliked the pure awesomeness of The Street Fighter, then maybe it can't be helped. Maybe you're just hopeless

http://www.blacklotuscinema.com/_Karate ... 54417.html

If I couldn't direct a better fight scene than that I'd go into witness protection.

[HungFist]

But if you disliked the pure awesomeness of The Street Fighter, then maybe it can't be helped. Maybe you're just hopeless

http://www.blacklotuscinema.com/_Karate ... 54417.html

If I couldn't direct a better fight scene than that I'd go into witness protection.

Well, I do think that fight scene is quite excellent. It's got that killing taste that I was talking about, rather than slapping taste. You get the (fictional) feeling that every single one of their kicks and hits could break your skull, and that is exactly what they are trying to do. That's why every move counts and could be fatal, and makes the fight so exciting. Plus Chiba's bigger than Mt. Fuji badass charisma helps also.

In comparison, here's a fight from Crippled Avengers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR9iNW4RtdY

I can't really get the impression that the fighters are even trying hit each other...

[luckystars]

n comparison, here's a fight from Crippled Avengers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR9iNW4RtdY

I can't really get the impression that the fighters are even trying hit each other...

No. You need to watch Sammo fight for that.

[HungFist]

Or Jackie vs. Benny