Bullets 'n' Babes

grim_tales wrote:What did you think of Metade Fumaca Mark/LD? I really liked it

According to my DVD Profiler I rated it 3.5/5 on May 4th 2006. I remember really liking it, but I only watched it once so I don't remember the details.

My viewing was the first time I had seen it

grim_tales wrote:What did yo0u think of Metade Fumaca Mark/LD? I really liked it

I last saw it almost ten years ago so the film is vague in my mind. But I do remember giving it 3.5/4.

I watched it 2 or 3 times, and liked it, but also not a classic. Just a nice and well-made movie with a good Nic Tse and Eric Tsang.

Cold Fish (Japan, 2010) – 4/5
Another strange film from Sino Sono. This film is about alpha and beta males. The protagonist is a Beta male who has to grow into an alpha because of the "misfortunes" he encounters in his not so normal life. I don't know if this is an allegory to the fact that the average Japanese person is too submissive. The first 2/3 of the film have some boring stuff but the last 1/3 is a real black comedy gold if your sense of humor is dark enough. I liked the fact that it was shot in aquarium shops since I'm a huge aquarium freak, more about that later in this post. At times the film looked like it was shot on a video camera. The guy who was in charge of the music was Tomohide Harada, the same dude was also composing for Love Exposure and it shows (In a good way).

Ok the review out of the way we can discuss some of the inaccuracies about aquarium fish this film has. In the beginning one dude says that a Pirarucu is the largest freshwater fish but that's not the case. It's a large fish but the Mekong Giant Catfish is the biggest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapaima Pirarucu or sometimes know as Arapaima
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_giant_catfish Mekong Giant Catfish
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TfGCrnBn5K4/T ... atfish.jpg Largest freshwater fish ever caught a 293 kg (646 lb) Mekong Giant Catfish

There was also a talk about an Arowana breeding program in the film. Although feasible in Japan it would be impossible to compete with the prices of Malaysian and Singaporean Arowanas that are bread in outdoor ponds rather than in aquariums. Also the most price individuals are mutants (unusual color variants for example) and the mutation is always in the recessive gene with makes breeding them a long and tedious process.

http://aquarticles.com/articles/breedin ... owana.html
And they sure are as expensive as said in the film.
http://www.myfishtank.net/fish-news/800 ... rium-fish/

There were also some gibberish (species) fish names. I wish there were more aquarium shots in the film...

I liked the lighting and the pretty colours in the fish shops

HungFist wrote:Of course, Kyokushin karate isn’t the only martial art Chiba practiced, as Wikipedia tells us:

Chiba holds black belts in the following martial arts:

Ninjutsu - 4th Dan
Goju-ryu karate - 2nd Dan
Judo - 2nd Dan
Kendo - 1st Dan
Shorinji Kempo - 1st Dan
Kyokushin karate - 4th Dan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBDn5PiL00

Sorry, couldn't resist. That info is true of course.

A Night in Nude: Salvation (DC) (Japan, 2010) – 3.5/5
Takashi Ishii, now mostly stuck with low budgets S&M films, was once Japan’s most interesting noir director. A Night in Nude: Salvation marks his long awaited return to the genre. The film continues from where Ishii’s original neo-noir bravura A Night in Nude (1993) left off, with a private detective/entrepreneur Maraki once again getting caught between yakuza and femme fatales. While not looking as refined as the original film, Salvation is instantly recognizable Ishii with its neon-lit Tokyo and mental case yakuza running the night life. It does step into a psychological landmine towards the end – even more so in the extended Director’s Cut version, but strong screenplay and excellent performances compensate. Takenaka is excellent as usual, supported by the stunning (and surprisingly well acting) gravure idol Hiroko Sato, and Nikkatsu legend Joe Shishido as the film’s biggest sleazebag.
- Full review: http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2 ... vation-dc/
- BD review: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5915

Kimi to aruita michi (Japan, 2005) – 3/5
Based on the song ”Thank You” by Shogo Hamada. One of the more unusual film projects, director Naoki Hashimoto set to make a double feature inspired by the works of singer / songwriter Shogo Hamada. The first film, Catch Ball was a poorly executed drama-comedy featuring two noisy kids (or chubby elementary school comedians, if you will) travelling to see their father. Kimi to aruita michi, a junior high school film, is the far superior of the two. Beautifully shot with pleasing colors, slight grain and bright image, its visual appearance is slightly reminiscent of Iwai, Yamashita, and Ishikawa. Hashimoto is not in the same league, though. His impressive images are coupled with songs that don’t quite blend in, and narration that sometimes brings it to the verge of accidental genre parody. Furthermore, the last five minutes is puzzlingly (and amusingly) bad in its uneven trendiness. But then again, taking a little less critical view on what came before it’s is actually rather nice little movie and certainly easy on the eye. Some might criticize it as bad film, but I’d be tempted to call it a good one.

Sanjuro - 4/5

Game of Death (HK/USA, 1978) - Scenes with Bruce 5/5, scenes without Bruce 0/5.

This film looks like it was made by Godfrey Ho (for obvious reasons). Just skip the fights and story with fake Bruce and watch the spectacular fights that star the real Bruce Lee as their own entity. The level of physical acting done by Bruce Lee in this movie is a real treat to watch.

Been quite a while since I last saw Game of Death (it's not in my mini-review archive, which features every film I've seen since late 2006) but recall it being pretty good. Tower of Death is awesome.

Time goes by so fast. I just saw an HK Video teaser for The Blade. Said "Mai 2006". And I remember I had been waiting for that release to happen forever. God, how old am I

Heka wrote:Game of Death (HK/USA, 1978) - Scenes with Bruce 5/5, scenes without Bruce 0/5.

This film looks like it was made by Godfrey Ho (for obvious reasons). Just skip the fights and story with fake Bruce and watch the spectacular fights that star the real Bruce Lee as their own entity. The level of physical acting done by Bruce Lee in this movie is a real treat to watch.

Or better yet watch the superb 40 min reconstruction of Bruce's original scenes available on A Warrior's Journey or as an extra on the HKL.

Wouldn't be right to judge a movie by unfinished footage, but to be honest some of that original GoD footage is really bad. Especially dialogue, and Bruce acting smart ass... I'm sure the final edit would've been much better, but still... I've come to doubt whether it ever could've been the "greatest ever" that some fans seem to believe...

L’Ilya (Japan, 2001) – 2/5
Everybody wants to die in Tomoya Sato’s semi-documentaristic short film. The 40 minute movie tries an interesting spin on the topic, adapting the view of a cinematographer turning suicides into disco-entertainment and video art. Shot harsh and grainy the pic looks pleasing but doesn’t have the courage to go to the satirical pop-dimensions of Sion Sono Suicide Club. Sato’s film is, in the end, a far more conventional offering with dramatic soundtrack and preachy message. It’s unable to bring anything of its own to the topic, mainly aiming at drawing affirmative audience reactions such as “yes, it’s a sad world indeed“. It soon becomes more frustrating than poignant.

Dohyogiwa no aria (Japan, 2010) – 3/5
One of Nobuhiro Yamashita’s many gun-for-hire gigs, Dohyogiwa no aria is a “cell phone romance” aimed at female audiences. The four part series was originally distributed as cell phone download content through AU's Lismo Channel. Each of the five minute episodes covers a piece of the protagonist’s life, starting from childhood and proceeding to present moment: the wedding day. And yes, the series does feature Chiaki Kuriyama dressed up as a 12 year old, a 15 year old, etc., as part of the fun. Pacing is set with portable device on mind, however, the series does work on bigger screen as well. It’s nicely shot, and while Yamashita’s true slacker days may be long gone, his recognizable touches can still be seen. Chia-chan here is essentially a feminine reincarnation of the Yamashitan loser hero – not quite a Hiroshi Yamamoto, but facing the same communication problems nevertheless.

HungFist wrote:Wouldn't be right to judge a movie by unfinished footage, but to be honest some of that original GoD footage is really bad. Especially dialogue, and Bruce acting smart ass...

You mean these original scenes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNvdSbMW_F8

The Robert Clouse version did not have any original dialog in the fights (if at all). I didn't see him as a smart ass, everything he said was true from the disadvantages of having a style thats bound to rhythm to the thing he said about fighting to the death. There is also some humor in the fights.

Now lets put on our martial arts goggles on and inspect those original scenes. The first opponent uses Eskrima (sometimes called Kali) which is a martial art from the Philippines. This martial art has a lot of weapon techniques and they are showcased in the "movie". The opponet is Dan Inosanto, who was a student of Mr. Lee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskrima

The second opponent is Ji Han-Jae the founder of Sin Moo Hapkido. Hapkido is a traditional Korean martial art that's kinda like a mix between judo and taekwondo. To many people Ji Han-Jae is like Mas Oyama, a very respected grandmaster. To prove I'm not pulling this info out of my ass you can check out how many places in Finland teach this style.
http://www.kamppailulajit.net/lajit/hap ... aikat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji,_Han_Jae

The last dude was none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was a student of Bruce. The style he uses is Jeet Kune Do. If you don't know that style you shouldn't be watching these movies...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeet_Kune_Do

Yes, I was talking about those original scenes.

Speaking of Ji Han-Jae I should re-watch Hapkido some day. Seen it about 10 years ago...

The HKL was fine, or?

HungFist wrote:Yes, I was talking about those original scenes.

Speaking of Ji Han-Jae I should re-watch Hapkido some day. Seen it about 10 years ago...

The HKL was fine, or?

I found it fine.

Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn (Japan, 2003) – 1.5/5
Pink director Daisuke Goto deserves credit for being a storyteller. This was evident in his near excellent romantic comedy Blind Love that just happened to be a pink production. His earlier film, Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn, is less successful. Playing its story with poker face, it follows senile old man mistaking his dead son’s widow as “cow”, hence milking her every morning. It doesn’t come out as ridiculous as it sounds, however, the pic is dragged with dull sex scenes. Worse more, its storyline and characters aren’t nearly well enough crafted to engage the viewer. Despite Goto’s best attempts to tell an unusual love story, Lonely Cow Weeps at Dawn is, in the end, a rather conventional film.

Strange Circus (Japan, 2005) – 3/5
Sion Sono goes ero-guro with a mixture of psychology, pedophilia, splatter, and cinema poetry. It certainly makes for a wild ride, but proves relatively little depth in closer inspection. Being a far more staged movie than most of Sono’s works, Strange Circus is missing the freshness of Sono’s best pop and guerilla films. That does, however, line with the strong horror shocks that were deservedly granted an R-18 rating. Masumi Miyazaki’s strong performance in multiple roles stands out in the middle of carnage and madness.

I've been wanting to see Strange Circus for ages, it's unavailable to rent on Lovefilm, grrr.

Beware the HK DVD. It's running some minutes shorter than the R2J (which I have). It's either a standards conversion, or cut (very much possible). It could also be the R-15 version... I think one exists, although I can't find confirmation right now.

R1 should be fine, has the R2J extras, too.

Fearless 3/5

Wow, overrated.

New Righting Wrongs Blu-Ray looks to be an upscale.

Karate Bullfighter (Japan, 1975) – 3.5/5
Sonny Chiba’s badass biopic of his real life master, Kyokushin Karate founder Masutatsu Oyama. Adapted from popular manga comics the film received Oyama’s blessing despite a few questionable twists, such as displaying him as rapist! Proceeding from fight to fight every 15 minutes, including the famous Chiba vs. bull duel lifted from Oyama’s real life resume, it’s certainly rough on the edges but never dull. While slightly weakened by hectic camera work – the cinematographer appears to be dodging kicks while capturing them on film – the pic comes with such raw energy and brutality that it wipes the floor with most over-choreographed martial arts ballets.

Karate Bearfighter (Japan, 1975) – 4/5
Chiba and director Yamaguchi are back to claim more asses in the second Oyama karate installment, marking one of Chiba’s career highlights. Kicked out from the respectable karate circles, this time our anti-hero finds himself as a yakuza bodyguard – no better excuse to dress in white and wear sunglasses while beating the hell out of bad guys. Improved camerawork, slightly more coherent storyline, and superb action scenes make for a superior sequel, even though hard core bullfighting has made way for man-in-teddy-bear-suit brawling. The new positive is the lack of moral dilemma – no more sympathizing the poor animal (bull/bear) in the hands of the true beast (Chiba).

Hissatsu onna kenshi (Japan, 1976) - 3/5
This movie lacks cowbell, the cowbell being Sonny Chiba. Etsuko Shihomi can't carry the whole weight of the film and the strong beginning with Chiba hurts the film in the long run. Shihomi looks lovely but lacks the menacing aura that's needed in a film like this. The film is about a daughter of a karate master who has to avenge his father. Standard stuff.

Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken (The Street fighter) (Japan, 1974) - 5/5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyV2cPLuFuA
Well this movie deliveres. Packed with ultra-violence and attitude. Sonny Chiba plays a tough dude who does what he wants, when he wants. Strong beer is a very good pairing with this movie. After seeing this I felt like punching somebody in the face. Too bad the only face in punching distance was the adorable mug of HungFist so I had to save my rage for another day.

Heka wrote:adorable mug of HungFist

Heka wrote:lacks the menacing aura that's needed in a film like this

hmmm... if you're willing to give her another go, we can try Sister Street Fighter, which is notably more violent than Dragon Princess (although it doesn't alter Shihomi's sweetness). And of course I've got more Chiba in the shelf, including Return of the Street Fighter.

The Street Fighter (Japan, 1974) – 4.5/5
The most motherfucker movie ever made! Sonny Chiba’s legendary grindhouse film takes the action star’s brute-karate and pairs it with his earlier yakuza villain characters to come up with the meanest anti-hero in the history of action cinema. The bloodthirsty gun-for-hire portrayed by Chiba is approached by the Chinese mafia, but rather than taking the kidnap gig he decides to get himself hired by the enemy side (after first beating the shit out of a karate army just to show how badass he is). Produced in the aftermath of Bruce Lee fever, The Street Fighter turned out a whole different animal with its ultimate badass factor and non-stop ultra-violence that earned it the X-rating for violence as the first movie ever. In addition to exhilarating non-stop action and unforgettable performance by Chiba the film packs a puzzlingly homoerotic comic sidekick (who keeps referring to Chiba as “darling”) and a grand acting moment (!) by female lead Yutaka Nakajima when she’s told her father just died yesterday.

Dragon Princess (Japan, 1976) – 4/5
Toei’s 1976 genre-star Yutaka Kohira (karate, biker, and WIP all in one year) takes Chiba protégé Etsuko Shihomi under his direction in an ultra-entertaining karate actioner. Blessed with top notch girl action and groovy soundtrack its one of the best showcases for the ever so sweet Shihomi whose persona and willingness to perform all the own stunts and action compensate for the slight slowness in some of her moves. Supporting cast is absolute gold with yakuza legend Bin Amatsu (evil karate instructor), forever-evil Masashi Ishibashi (blind assassin), cult machine Yasuaki Kurata (mysterious man), little bro Jiro Chiba (family man), and of course the eye patched Sonny Chiba himself. The fast moving storyline was slightly altered in the original US version, which added a random sex scene in the middle of the film, among other changes.

I didnt know that Hung, in the English subtitles I'm sure his sidekick keeps calling him "Partner" on the DVD I have. The film is a lot of fun
It's bone breaks were referenced in Romeo Must Die, IIRC.