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

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 26 Jul 2008, 17:26

Thanks. I'll see if it fits the schedule then.

Godzooki · Post by **Godzooki** » 26 Jul 2008, 20:42

HungFist wrote:How to Become Myself (Japan, 2007) – 4/5
As far as subtle cinematic language goes Jun Ichikawa, when at his best, is probably the greatest director in Japan, maybe better than anyone else in the world. How to Become Myself is another beautiful film although not as powerful as some of the director’s earlier films. The wonderful title describes the content perfectly. Riko Narumi plays a 14 year old girl who during her last day of school has a conversation with another girl in her class (Atsuko Maeda). Two years later she accidentally finds out her email address and decides make friends with her, but without revealing her identity. She starts writing a story about Hina and Kotori, Kotori being a fantasized, ideal version of herself. Both girls take different roles in their real life and are affected by friends, parents and their own ideas of that they should be like. Some scenes in the film, the ever so slightly sentimential ending included, don’t work to the fullest. Still, films as poignant as this are few and far between. Acting is great from both leads, with Riko Narumi giving a stunningly good performance. Quite a charming film.

I caught this a few weeks back, pretty good film, Mrs enjoyed it too! Id give it 4/5 too!

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 27 Jul 2008, 12:45

Ashes of Time Redux - 3.5/5

A sumptuous visual and aural feast that demands to be seen in theatres. Frankie Chan's haunting score (that I was already familiar with, thanks to TheLostDragon.) fits every scene perfectly.

Leslie Cheung dominates this film. Ouyang Feng will definitely be a role that will come to the surface whenever I think about this actor, from now on.

The story itself is a series of connected vignettes about mostly lovelorn individuals... Wong Kar Wai by the numbers really. I found the Brigitte Lin story to be the most entertaining.

P.S. This is the only version of the film that I've seen.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 27 Jul 2008, 12:50

I assume you haven't seen the original cut, then?
EDIT: Ah, confirmed.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 27 Jul 2008, 13:25

How weird, New Zealand still hasn't been shown My Blueberry Knights but it has Ashes of Time: Redux.

I cannot wait to see it and am going in with an open mind, although I don't love the original cut as much as some. I've not been given a chance to give a proper chance. Bloody bastard DVD distributors.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 27 Jul 2008, 14:18

My Blueberry Nights probably has been and gone, I can't be arsed paying attention to the arthouse cinema schedule in the newspaper. I'll pick up the Blu-ray.

Oh and Knights? WTF?!

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 27 Jul 2008, 15:39

Oops

. I have Batman on the brain, what an awesome film.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 27 Jul 2008, 17:34

So is Frankie Chan's original score still present, just re-recorded using string instruments?

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 27 Jul 2008, 18:02

Most likely the case, but I've only seen the one version of the film.

I can tell you that "The Killer's Career" and "Both Love and Hate" are most certainly there.

EDIT: I THINK that they may've rejigged "The Illusion" with string instruments.

EDIT2: Oh Lordy, they DEFINITELY redid "A Duel". It sounds way better than this screeching synth version.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 27 Jul 2008, 23:36

Lee Dae-Ro, Can't Die (Korea - 2005 - with Lee Beom-Soo and Byeon Ju-Yeon): 3,5 / 5
Also known as "Short Time".

Not bad at all.

Synopsis:
A corrupt and lazy detective decides to do something with what's left of his life when he finds out he's about to die from cancer. The most important thing for him is to make sure that his 7-year old daughter gets his insurance money.

Despite the depressing plot, this is actually a comedy. Kinda like Windstruck on laughing gas.
Most of the actors deliver flawless (and completely over-the-top) performances, especially Lee Beom-Su (City of Violence, My Wife is a Gangster 3) and the amazing 7-year old Byeon Ju-Yeon.
There's some slick camerawork and editing too to ensure you don't fall asleep when there's no humour, action or melodrama.

I'd recommend this to people who have liked My Wife is a Gangster 3, She's on Duty, Romantic Killers, Just Run, etc...
Short Time would fit just fine in such a collection.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 29 Jul 2008, 19:29

Hitokiri (Japan, 1969) – 4/5
Hideo Gosha’s most famous film is also one of the best jidai geki movies ever made. Shintaro Katsu, in one of the best roles of his life, plays a samurai who mindlessly follows his master (Tatsuya Nakadai) and believes the more people he kills the more respect he will get. The screenplay is terrific and avoids many of the genre’s cliches. Gosha manages to keep the film rather realistic without having to sacrifice any of the entertainment value. At 135 minutes Hitokiri doesn’t feel stretched but instead almost too short. Cult writer/actor Yukio Mishima appers in a supporting role.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 29 Jul 2008, 20:16

Shogun's Ninja blu-ray 2/5

Not one of Chiba's better movies,here he plays the villain to Henry Sanada's hero.Sue Shiomi and some regular faces from past Chiba epics show up here.the film set in feudal japan is entertaining enough if overlong. Sanada makes for an acrobatic hero.poor blu-ray though,you'd never know you were watching HD here

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Jul 2008, 20:41

hey,

Center Stage 3,5/5 (154 minute edit)

Had a chance to finally watch this at full length and it's a different experience compared to the 120 minute version, presumeably edited down to fit onto laserdisc once upon a time. There's still feelings and atmosphere of the 20s and 30s movie- and political climate that doesn't travel to me but the story about Maggie Cheung's Ruan Ling-yu and what drove her to suicide is still intriguing in Stanley Kwan's slow, often hypnotice style. The main expansions comes through even more interviews conducted by Kwan with his actors and a few scenes documenting the making of Center Stage. Now, I'm not sure what Kwan's intentions was with this choice of flip flopping between fiction and documentary but I chose to flow with it and would rather have the movie at full length obviously.

Updated review:
http://www.sogoodreviews.com/reviews/centerstageivl.htm

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 29 Jul 2008, 23:10

hey,

Au Revoir, Mon Amour (aka Till We Meet Again) 2.5/5

Grade probably went from 2 to 2.5 after watching the Taiwan edit of this Tony Au film.

It is a step up from I Am Sorry and a valuable history lesson but that wasn't Tony Au's sole intention for his grand war drama. Clearly closing the window for us to take in what it's like to be lovers on ultimately opposite sides of patriotic desire, it's a cold movie experience where largely the visual splendor can be considered a nigh on perfect exercise. Everyone tries extremely hard and clearly delivers something but core ingredients about a triangle of characters wanting to escape a war torn reality seems to engage only Tony Au. A moderate recommendation but another uneven strike for the director.

Having watched the Taiwan edit, it's interesting to note that it does have extended scenes, some only slight but the biggest differences are in the use of more voice over (which the flick needed) in the Taiwan edit and many scenes are either differently edited or placed at different times. I'm not a fan to the extent that I can judge if the editorial decisions make sense in each respective version though. Some exclusive footage is available in each release, even alternate events of sorts but the pick for me would have to be the Taiwan version as it plays out more clearly and now the film becomes more of a watchable, yet standard melodrama.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 30 Jul 2008, 17:59

Kiryuin Hanako no shogai (Japan, 1982) – 3,5/5
Gosha’s massive gangster family biopic has a lazy start, including a nasty dog fight scene, but grows incredible debth during its 140 minute running time. The whole story is seen through the eyes of a girl (Masako Natsume from Somai’s Gyoei no mure) who is adopted by a yakuza godfather. Ultimately she’s not the film’s main character, or at least not the only main character. Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays the godfather, acts like madman. The best, and pretty much only imaginable comparison part would be Al Pacino in Scarface.

Wives of the Yakuza (Japan, 1986) – 2/5
Somewhat lazy effort from Gosha. Certainly he still knows how to make movies, but the energy and inventiveness of his past masterpieces is missing. The plot idea is not bad, though. The film follows a bunch of yakuza wives, most of them now heads of their families as the husband is either in jail or dead. Two sisters, one of them the leader of the most powerful crime organization in the area, and the other living with his father and trying to stay clean, are in the spotlight. Instead of going to action mode Gosha follows their normal life; relationships, sunny beaches, karaoke... and clan wars. But the characters are not very interesting (a very pretty lead, though), and nor is the storyline. It more or less works about 3/4 of the film, but when the emotional finale comes, you notice you don’t feel much anything for them.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 31 Jul 2008, 23:34

CJ7 Blu-Ray 2.5/5

2nd time watching this,it's an ok movie ,entertaining enough.Chow takes a back seat here as the destitute dad working all hours to give his son a good education.the role of Chow's son is brilliantly played by a young girl.like all movies featuring cute alien visitors it gets mawkish towards the end but at 88 minutes doesn't outstay it's welcome.didn't think much of the blu-ray transfer,for a new movie it looked a little rough round the edges.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 02 Aug 2008, 19:47

Run and Kill (Hong Kong, 1993) – 2,5/5
Billy Tang (one of the best Cat III directors; someone capable of delivering both the bloodshed and technical quality), Kent Cheng, Simon Yam, Danny Lee (yeah, cop). This one wasn’t going to fail. And the outcome doesn’t surprise. Cheng is excellent as a likable loser character that you care for, and Yam gives his usual psychopath performance. Lee is a bit dry but hey, it’s Lee as a cop, it’s all good. No complaints about the music. Overall not as much fun as Tang’s best films, but that’s not the problem. The problem is how to survive till the end. The first 80 minutes, yes, easily. It’s not very gory, and surprisingly there’s no graphic sex or nudity at all. But the last 8. There’s a classic scene that some might consider tasteless. People like me, who enjoyed a hamburger meal after Ebola Syndrome. Thankfully a comic relief follows. Those who still feels like laughing may like it.

Comments refer to the uncut DE dvd. As far as I’ve understood Simon Yam is less insane on the Hong Kong dvd.

The Intruder (Hong Kong, 1997) – 1/5
Mainland girl steals a dead woman’s identity and makes her way to Hong Kong, only to continue her terror in even more brutal forms. Cat III rating attached. Quite a cleaver cash in plan (see production year). That is, however, where the cleaverness ends. The Intruder is an incredibly frustrating thriller with zero originality. An amateurish attempt to copy from better filmmakers, without any understanding for their work. Making matters worse, the director creates severely overlong suspense scenes although the audience knows exactly where it’s going. Depending on the scene the viewer is 10 to 15 minutes ahead of the film. The only surprise is how the film manages to fail on all possible areas from uninteresting cinematography to bad writing and dull use of music. Yet it demands to be taken seriously. But that’s impossible, and so is going to other end as there isn’t anything funny about its badness. The worst kind of failure.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 03 Aug 2008, 22:23

One Armed Swordsman commentary (Dragon Dynasty): 4/5

An interesting commentary that made me want to see more early Shaws eg Vengeance, Invincible Fist, New One Armed Swordsman etc, when they were mentioned. Sometimes I felt stuff was tossed in even if they didnt really know - eg "Er.. the logo was probably shot through a glass door"

There was lots of good stuff though, interesting point about the music as well and how HK directors stole music wholesale from other films!

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 03 Aug 2008, 22:41

The New One Armed Swordsman is one of the best Shaws ever, and perhaps my favourite HK swordplay film. It also makes you realize exactly how much John Woo borrowed from Chang Cheh: the themes of honor and duty, friendship between two men, heroic bloodshed, three number bodycount... they're all here.

Btw, why does John Woo always get all the credit for creating the heroic bloodshed genre? Chang Cheh had been doing the exact same thing for decades before.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 03 Aug 2008, 23:30

HungFist wrote:Btw, why does John Woo always get all the credit for creating the heroic bloodshed genre? Chang Cheh had been doing the exact same thing for decades before.

Because it's easier for a modern audience to relate to homoeroticism between gangsters, hitmen and policemen.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 04 Aug 2008, 00:24

HungFist wrote:The New One Armed Swordsman is one of the best Shaws ever, and perhaps my favourite HK swordplay film. It also makes you realize exactly how much John Woo borrowed from Chang Cheh: the themes of honor and duty, friendship between two men, heroic bloodshed, three number bodycount... they're all here.

And how much Cheh borrowed from Sam Peckinpah

Btw, why does John Woo always get all the credit for creating the heroic bloodshed genre? Chang Cheh had been doing the exact same thing for decades before.

That subgenre wasn't really defined until Woo's reign in the late 80s, and Chang's films were always lumped in the general "Kung Fu" genre.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 05 Aug 2008, 16:21

Zoom In: Rape Apartments (Japan, 1980) – 3,5/5
Hidden gems like this are the reason to keep digging the Nikkatsu junkyard. First time director Naosuke Kurosawa delivers a totally unique mix of shock violence, terrific cinematography and giallo influences. Effective surreal imagery, including one scene that is quaranteed to drop your jaw, is introduced as the film nears its end.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 05 Aug 2008, 19:46

SPL Blu-Ray 4/5

2nd time around watching this,it remains a fine HK Thriller and must be one of the best films of it's type to come out in hk the last few years. one thing i found a bit ludicrous was why
the cops felt the need to tamper with the tape and frame Wong Po,surely there was plenty enough evidence already on it without needing to do that

blu-ray looks great,bright and colourful.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 05 Aug 2008, 23:59

They wanted him to go down for murder instead of GBH - although his involvement would've seen him do long jailtime even if he didn't pull the trigger

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 06 Aug 2008, 15:55

Stray Cat Rock: Girl Boss (Japan, 1970) – 4/5
Rock n' roll, fashion and tough as nails biker girls. Yasuharu Hasebe’s classic delinquent girl film was a trend setter and the start of an entire genre. But unlike many of the sleazy followers, Girl Boss is mostly clean and upbeat. Pop star turned actress Akiko Wada plays the lead role in the similar fashion as Reiko Oshida in her Toei movies. Meiko Kaji, Han Bunjaku and the other girls - often wearing sunglasses size of a football - give good support. On screen performances by bands such as The Mobbs and Andre Candre are also an important part of the film. A special mention goes to the use of vehicles; motorcycles and a Daihatsu Beach Buggy (driven by Tatsuya Fuji’s manically laughing villain) dominate almost every outdoor scene.

Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (Japan, 1970) – 3/5

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (Japan, 1970) – 4/5

Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (Japan, 1970) – 3/5

Stray Cat Rock: Beat ’71 (Japan, 1971) – 3/5

Reviews, caps etc. to be posted in the other thread as soon as I get a couple of Suzuki films out of the way