The Asian Film Thread

Ah, the source of many American movie ideas today...

Has anyone seen any great Asian movies as of late?

Needless to say, I recently saw the conclusion to Park Chan-Wook's Revenge Trilogy, "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance." Definitely the most arthouse entry in the trilogy, the occasional bizarre imagery and overall direction (as well as a great performance by Lee Young-Ae) make this a well worth the wait.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well nothing great, but I watched Pulse/Kairo the other night. It's apparently going to get the American make over, and when it came by my store I jumped at the chance to watch it.

Disappointing.

While the movie had a few creepy moments and visuals, it wasn't very scary at all. I'll admit, I'm a major coward when it comes to horror, but this movie just didn't have anything that stuck with me. The storyline also failed to make any sense. One minute we're talking about suicide, the next the world's ended. I'm actually looking forward to how Hollywood will translate the (or fabricate a new) story.

Rent it if you're curious. You're better of renting or buying a classic like Audition, which in itself isn't scary but is ten times more enjoyable than this garbage.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ah, asian movies, my favorites
Yesterday me and a friend watched something called Phone (Korean I think?), some horror about phones and girls with long black hair. Anyhow, we didn't finish the movie, it really sucked :\

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Kairo's definitely on the deliberate side in terms of pacing, but though the story's not exactly the clearest to me, from what I've discussed on other boards as well as my own viewing, the depressed suicidal entity (the one seen near the end in the warehouse) has always been there with that computer program thing, getting through to others by way of loneliness. As he gets to more and more people, there are more of those red tape-sealed rooms for the ghosts to get more people. The fact that so many people get taken in the end is just a means for Kurosawa to illustrate the society of disconnect we live in: we are all "connected" by way of internet, but in reality, we are all as distant and as alone as we'll ever be in life.

Oh yeah, and Crying Fist I saw a while back. Choi Min-Sik never disappoints.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Firstly, thanks for stealing my thread (I was going to make it!) Oh well.

Well, I haven't seen any new Asian films really. I haven't been watching the OMNI Channel much because alot of the movies they play now simply don't interest me in the slightest. However, the last good film I saw was AV. This is a film directed by Edmond Pang (Men Suddenly In Black). While, it's not as good as Men Suddenly In Black, I must give credit to it's creativity. Basically, you follow this group of teenagers who try running a porn video business and the whole film is basically about making a porn film. It's pretty funny at times, but overall, it's not a film I'd recommend.

I also want to check out Election, by Johnnie To. I've heard quite a number of good things about this film. Like, how it's as good as his The Mission and PTU. I heard a sequel was being made to the film, called Election 2. Johnnie To never seems to disappoint me. I really hope he doesn't go Hollywood like John Woo or Ronny Yu.

Speaking of Kairo, I've got to say that film is really good. It's not scary, that I will agree on, but it's definitely an enjoyable film. I remember I posted a review of the film in the last Asian movie thread. It's a slow film, but I didn't find it distracting. It was basically a film about Tokyo falling apart, and residents disappearing one by one in a ghost like town. I thought the elements of "quiet" and "slow" made sense. I'd say it's more of a drama horror, than one of those psycholical horrors.

Phone sucks. It's not even worth a review.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I just watched Hero last night, but considering that everyone has seen that movie, I don't know if that makes me really hip/cool or anything.

Are there any specific movies/directors that anyone would suggest to someone who wants to see more films of the Asian variant?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Hachifusan: If you like Hero, you would probably enjoy "House of Flying Daggers" too. They are very alike.

FELIPE NO

Quote:

I just watched Hero last night, but considering that everyone has seen that movie, I don't know if that makes me really hip/cool or anything.

Yeah, I just watched Hero like last month, I borrowed it from a friend. I didn't really like it.

As for House of Flying Daggers, that movie was alright, a little better than Hero. I'm not really into the romance part I just like to watch the fight choreography.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by typ44

Yeah, I just watched Hero like last month, I borrowed it from a friend. I didn't really like it.

As for House of Flying Daggers, that movie was alright, a little better than Hero. I'm not really into the romance part I just like to watch the fight choreography.

I actually liked Flying Daggers better, neither of the movies has a great story (in my opinion) but Flying Daggers is plain beautiful, prettier than Hero

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Are there any movies like "Oldboy" out there? I seen it a while back, and while I thought it was over-rated like heck, I still really liked it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I've seen a couple of asian films lately:


Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean

A fairly unambitious Japanese remake of the classic Das Boot (with a paranomal twist!). Basicly a good score saved it from being a complete waste of time.

The Quiet Family

Another film heavily inspired by an old European film. In this case the hysterical Delikatessen. It's got good performances by Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-sik (among others) and an engaging (and very funny!) story. I can definitely recommend this one.

Koi no Mon

The best romantic comedy I've seen in ages. Definitely recommended. There's a good review of it on it's imdb page. So read that if you're interested.


Add to that a row of more-or-less low budget HK kung fu films, with names such as 18 Fatal Strikes, 46 Deadly Fists and Bruce Lee The Invincible (starring one of the countless Bruce Lee imitations that came along after his death). Great stuff for sleepless nights!

Originally Posted by evergreen

Oh yeah, and Crying Fist I saw a while back. Choi Min-Sik never disappoints.

I liked this film as well. My favorite Korean film of last year together with A Bittersweet Life.

Originally Posted by The GreyFox

I also want to check out Election, by Johnnie To.

I heard good things about it as well. In fact I haven't seen a single bad review of it, which suprises me since I didn't think it was anything to get particularly excited about. Felt like a very standard Johnny To film to me.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

My very recent was Old Boy. Hell, I'm not even that into much with Asian cinema but whatever really.

Old Boy was a ride since many tell me it's "oh my gawd its asian SO IT IS GUD" cliched phrase of suck I hear so I told them that I'll watch it. Eventually.

And I did. I must admit I am pleased. Not because of the violence with the hammer but because of the story. Everything seems to patch together.

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I just brought:
- My Wife is a Gansta
- Dark Tales of Japan
- Ringu
- Breaking News
- The Promise

They look pretty good... anyone seens these?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Pardon::

Does anyone know the status/details on the production of "Battle of Red Cliffs?"

Also, if you're looking for an absolutely fantastic Korean movie, check out Welcome to Dongmakgol if you can find it.

One of the best Asian films i've ever seen.

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Originally Posted by Sepharite

My Wife is a Gansta

Is this a ghetto version of My Wife is a Gangster or what? I liked that film a lot, as well as the sequel.

FELIPE NO

A few months ago I saw this cracked out Korean movie called Save the Green Planet. It was one of the strangest movies I've ever seen, and it left an impression on me. Finally, I was able to find it on DVD this week at an import store. The movie I guess would be classified as a dark comedy, with a lot of suspense and horror thrown in.

"Hopped up on consiracy theories and sci-fi films, Lee, a blue-collar sad sack is on a mission to save the world. Andromedian aliens have infiltrated human society and are planning to destroy the planet at the next lunar eclipse. The one alien possessing the Royal Genetic Code needed to stop this plan just happens to be his old boss."

Basically the main character, Lee, kidnaps his old boss under the excuse that he's an alien, and starts torturing him. Since Lee also takes lots of halucinogenic drugs, you aren't sure whether he really believes that these aliens exist, or whether it's just an excuse to get revenge on the boss who fired him.

It's all very cleverly done, and the movie will make you laugh, cringe, and freak you out a bit all at once. Definitely worth seeing if you want to see something a little different.

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Originally Posted by Terminus

My very recent was Old Boy. Hell, I'm not even that into much with Asian cinema but whatever really.

Old Boy was a ride since many tell me it's "oh my gawd its asian SO IT IS GUD" cliched phrase of suck I hear so I told them that I'll watch it. Eventually.

And I did. I must admit I am pleased. Not because of the violence with the hammer but because of the story. Everything seems to patch together.

Oldboy is amazing
Why not try out the movie A Bittersweet Life? It's not about being held prisoner for 15 years, but there are some details in it that makes it feel a bit like Oldboy. Both are great movies.

I'm gonna watch something called A Tale of Two Sisters soon, same director as in A Bittersweet Life (Ji-Woon Kim). I heard it's a very scary psychological horror, just my taste
Any comments on it?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

And since we're talking about Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, the two other "episodes" of the vengeance trilogy by Chan-wook Park are really worth a watch or two (...or 5).

Last asian movies I saw were "Tom yum goong " (they call it "Ongbak 2" and I still wonder why) which was a waste of time except for 1 or 2 nice fights. Scenario, acting, directing, everything was lame (the scenario is even worse than Ong Bak, which is a little revolution by itself).
On the other hand : "Sha Po Long" with Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen and Wu Jin was astonishing. The first part of the movie was a little slow paced, with a common chinese mob VS good cops story, but in the second part, this is where it gets serious. Every scenes featuring Wu Jin are delightful, in a sadistic way. Not to mention the last fight full of anger between Sammo and Donnie Yen.
A movie which made me think that the HK action movie genre is not totally dead yet.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The last Asian film I watched was "Nobody Knows". I had to write up a bit about it for a class, so here's what I wrote.


A film about four children forced to survive on their own after being abandoned by their mother, Nobody Knows is simultaneously uplifting and tragic. It is sad to see their lives slowly fall apart as time passes, but at the same time is is very touching watching them combat this simply by being children. Techincally, the film as a whole is actually very simple, leaving the actors to carry the film. This was definitely for the best as the children look and act very natural onscreen which adds exponentially to the film. The film is very, very sad; the family is slowly sliding into poverty and the twist at the end is crushing, but the (naive?) hopefulness of the children lifts the mood of the film and keeps it there. Overall, it is an excellent film about childhood that balances its tone wonderfully.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I watched Welcome to Dongmakgol. Its Korean, and one of my favorite Asian movies. I have been watching quite a few as of late and I enjoy many of them.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by evergreen

Ah, the source of many American movie ideas today...

Has anyone seen any great Asian movies as of late?

Needless to say, I recently saw the conclusion to Park Chan-Wook's Revenge Trilogy, "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance." Definitely the most arthouse entry in the trilogy, the occasional bizarre imagery and overall direction (as well as a great performance by Lee Young-Ae) make this a well worth the wait.

Loved Lady Vengeance to death. I thought it was, in many ways, better than Oldboy. I still enjoyed Oldboy more, but Lady Vengeance was a much more touching and emotional story overall.

In terms of visuals, Lady Vengeance is without question the most beautiful film I've ever seen. Hero held that title for a while, but I've never watched a movie where I couldn't wait for the next shot to appear just to see how good it was going to be. Every frame in that film is beautiful. It's a testament to both Chan-wook and his DP.

Has anybody seen Park Chan-wook's first film, JSA (Joint Security Area)?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Currently I'm most interested in Korean movies an dramas. Korea is currently the collest place on earth so can anyone advice on some good movies other then Oldboy and the obvious. ^^

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I've seen mostly Korean movies. The latest Korean movie I watched was "She's On Duty" and it was actually more violent than I assumed during the later scenes.

I tend to like action films with a bit of comedy, but I haven't seen anything else since November or so.

FELIPE NO

I'm going to rent Taegukgi tomorrow, which I'm assuming most of you have seen but I hadn't even heard of until yesterday. It's supposed to be very good, so I guess I'm kind of excited.

Hopefully the hype won't kill it for me.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

People say Stephen Chow (Chow Sing Chi) movies are pretty funny.
I've only seen about 2-4 of his movies. It has stupid comedy but it's so funny.
Anyway, maybe someone can recomend some of his title since I haven't seen many.

Jam it back in, in the dark.