Recently Seen, part 11 (March, 2016)
-
ebossert — 10 years ago(April 03, 2016 08:17 AM)
Part 12 of my Asian Horror Year In Review playlist is now up. It covers movies released in 1996:
Here are the films I saw this week.
Highly Recommended
A Brand New Life (2009) (Korean Drama) (repeat viewing) After being abandoned at an orphanage by her father, a little girl must adjust to her new life. This is deliberately paced and very realistic. The main characters are very young but their world is captured beautifully by the director, who apparently used her own personal experiences as a guide. The actresses are all good, but Sae-ron Kim is flat-out excellent. Theres a lot of feeling and information that is expressed without words, and the interaction between the girls is very interesting. Quite sad at times but all of the emotion is earned thru minimalism without the need for melodrama. Runtime is perfect at 92 minutes. Awesome.
All Esper Dayo (2013) (Japanese Comedy Television Series) In Notsu, Oita Prefecture, a variety of sexual perverts are inexplicably endowed with supernatural powers in this J-drama (12 episodes, 30 minutes each). High school student Yoshio Kamogawa (Shota Sometani) is one of them and can read other peoples minds. He befriends some other oddball characters and hopes to one day save the world. Sion Sono co-directs, which is obvious due to the number of upskirt panty shots (and leg shots). The humor is relentlessly sex-themed and perverted, but its also delightfully light-hearted. Im not the biggest fan of sex-based humor, but this is phenomenal stuff! Tons of laugh-out-loud moments in this one. This isnt just a compilation of jokes, however, because some dramatic elements creep up at times and are well-executed. The characters are properly developed too. The finale episode is one huge curveball, and I really liked it. Sometani is perfectly cast as the lead. Kaho has played some disturbed characters in the past, but shes totally awesome here as a spiffy, tough-as-nails chick. Erina Mano is smoking hot, by the way.
Run and Kill (1993) (Chinese Thriller/Horror) (repeat viewing) A chubby salesman inadvertently starts a series of violent events that gradually escalate to produce a heaping body count. This is a rarity because it offers a scintillating storyline despite its CAT III classification. The real treat of this film though is Simon Yam, who gives one of his best performances as one of the most sadistic bad-asses in the history of CAT III cinema. His character is a highly trained war vet who breaks out machetes, flammable liquids, and even AK-47s to wipe out victims of all ages and sizes. The violence isnt as graphic as the more extreme movies within this genre, but it does have some rather shocking deaths. The finale is one of the most exciting duels-to-the-death youll ever see.
Spotlight (2015) (American Drama) Revealing a string of cover-ups stretching back decades, a team of reporters exposes the Catholic Archdioceses history of keeping reports about child molestation and other preist-initiated abuse under wraps. This is predictable stuff, but its proficently executed and absorbing. It reminded me in some ways of The Insider with its premise of journalists who fight an uphill battle against a seemingly insurmountable system of cover-ups. This movie does a good job at showing the amount of work that is necessary for such a task. This has a solid cast of Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and others who are assisted by well-written dialogue. Its nice when the Academy awards Best Picture to a film thats not a turd pile.
Recommended
Vendetta (1992) (Chinese Thriller/Action/Horror) (repeat viewing) A police officer kills two violent robbers (a man and a woman, who were twins), but years later his twin children become possessed by the spirits of the dead criminals and seek vengeance upon him. In true Hong Kong style, you get a mix of horror, action, bloody violence, and laughable absurdities. Its an entertaining mix indeed, especially when considering that the children are toddlers! Toss in a sadistic third robber whos a tough son-of-a-gun and youve got a fun romp on your hands.
Mood of the Day (2016) (Korean Romantic Comedy) By chance, a man and a woman meet on the KTX train and spend 24 hours in the unfamiliar city of Busan. This has a nice rhythm to it, with a laid-back mood and good performances. Its simplistic but very focused on the two leads, which showcases a lot of interaction between them. The male character is basically trying to sleep with the lady throughout much of the runtime, but there are some good moments along the way. The script uses a few contrivances and the ending is cliched, but I enjoyed this one. Ill watch Chae-won Moon in anything.
Armed and Dangerous (1986) (American Comedy/Action) (repeat viewing) A fired cop (John Candy) and useless lawyer (Eugene Levy) sign up as security guards and find theyve joined a corrupt union. The story and characters are weakly developed, but this still holds up in terms of fun comedy -
zelena33 — 10 years ago(April 03, 2016 03:59 PM)
Nice write-up, All Esper Dayo (2013) looks completely bonkers. Not sure I'll watch the whole series, but it's kind of kooky with all the signature Marilyn Monroe oops!-my-skirt shots. I just happen to have watched Mood of the Day last night - will give my take next time. I share your take on Mockinjay. Where did all the money go indeed. Malibu, I think. I have a bad habit of paying $10 to see this stuff just for the sake of going to the movies - that makes me an enabler or something..
-
ebossert — 10 years ago(April 03, 2016 04:03 PM)
I'm interested in hearing others' opinions on Mood of the Day. I get the feeling that I may be in the minority on that one.
YouTube Asian Movie Review Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/anticlimacus100 -
zelena33 — 10 years ago(April 07, 2016 08:58 PM)
Watched a hell of a lot of films recently:
1.
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Not a big fan of Ghibli, but I popped this one on to cleanse the palette from something toxic, and I loved it. Liked it much better than Spirited Away, which I found good but disturbing and pushy. Kiki is put together in a way that is just like how kids play make believe. Just takes kooky ideas and runs with them, in a cutely serious and guileless way. The "city" where it takes place is a real work of imagination. It's funny how everyone sees their own city in it. It's a hodgepodge of European city characteristics, as imagined by a Japanese kid. The beep street signs were a great touch. Fake jumbled Hungarian and Italian, etc. I saw Prague and Dubrovnik in this city. Phil Hartman from SNL as a cat? My girl Kirsten Dunst in the lead, and Janeane Garofalo as artsy aunt saucypants. Great casting. This is a real nice charming film; that characteristic Japanese nicey-nice that many of you like. By the time you get to the end credits, with the bopping 80s Japanese pop song, you think; yeah, that was good. I'm glad I watched that. 8/10
2.
The Wind Rises (2013)
So I also queued this one up. Absolutely gorgeous animation. Not a big anime guy, but one thing I like about animation is the ability to create whole worlds, especially historical worlds. For the audience, it's not important whether it looks real, it's important whether you can "buy it." And animation does that better than CGI when it comes to creating whole cities at specified points in the past. This one is closely related to Grave of the Fireflies. The cameo from
a famous person
is great. It's a big spoiler to say this is a
heartbreaking tragedy
. Sometimes you're in the mood for that. 7/10
3.
Mood of the Day (2016)
I basically agree with everything Ebo-san had to say about this one. It is a little below par for a krom kom, but that's a pretty high bar. I thought this one was going pretty well for the first half. But it fell into the trap that a lot of romcoms do: the first half is just the characters being fun, and everyone including the audience is having fun. Then around halfway, the writer realizes, damn, I'm gonna have to wrap up this plot. And the second half just gets bogged down in tying up the plot, in cliche and obvious ways, when it can only really end in one way:
Smootching on a train platform (duh).
If they just kept being fun, I wouldn't give a damn what happened to the plot. As ebo says, a lot is 'forgivable' in a comedy. Everything except being annoying.
Moon what's-her-name from
Love Forecast
is great - great at facial expressions. But pretty-boy was in over his head. He could handle playing the rake: a charmingly-arrogant-millionaire-who-is-kind-to-old-ladies-and-children, but a lot of guys can handle that. I think that's the easy part. When it came to the moment of deep feelings flashing across his face, he looked like "damn, what do I do with my face again?", and it took me out of the film. An actor needs to know what to do with his face. Hell, I'd rather watch Kang ho-Song as a romantic lead! Any day, and twice on Sunday!
I bet they shot this in two weeks last October and had it in theaters in January. Some nice images of Busan. This movie really had that fresh-out-of-the-oven smell that Korean TV and pop films have, and I do love that. Maybe it was the opening drone shots of Seoul, but it feels incredibly 2017, in a good way. It's like stepping into next year. Korean films do seem to carry a spirit of communal experience, all of us in on it, more than Japanese or Chinese culture exports. Maybe I'm just more open to it, but judging by how korean wave has swept the world, I think there's some magical secret sauce to it. A foreign policy of inclusion and charm. Like Serbia on organic vegetables, but more clean-cut and happy and sober and financially solvent and with fewer machine guns. Yeah. 6/10
4.
My Love, My Bride (2014)
I bail on a lot of films if I'm just not feeling it, so you might want to take this with a pinch of salt. This wasn't that bad, but I bailed at the halfway mark. So I'd say definitely below par for a krom kom. Too much drama. 5/10
5.
A Hard Day (2014)
Watched this one by accident because I confused it with a different film, a comedy.. I think someone here reviewed it recently. I don't normally watch this kind of film - action/suspense/thriller - so it was kind of fun and certainly well done. I think Hitchcock is huge in Korea; this is some well done no-don't-go-in-there suspense and great real (not CGI) special effects. Some violence but not the kind of spurting blood you see in a lot of asian films, which I can't stomach. Jin-woong Jo great as the unkillable baddie. 7/10
6.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Ok, Western Asia? I had somehow managed to not see this film up until now. Just didn't interest me. Arabs? Nah, I don't want to watch a movie about Arabs But this film is simply stunning. It instantly slam-dunked itself into a spot on my list -
sitenoise — 10 years ago(April 08, 2016 01:20 AM)
Jin-woong Jo
is the reason I decided to watch
A Hard Day
. I loved him in
An Ethics Lesson
. I like these big frumpy unstoppable Korean guys like him and Kang-ho and the guy from
The Chaser
.
I'd probably agree on the Wei Zhao issue if hell froze over and I watched
Lost in Hong Kong
. I recently called out Zhou Xun for Jumping the Shark. That generation is over.
I'm excited about
Right Now, Wrong Then
because of
Min-hee Kim
. She so impressed me in
Hellcats
that I forgive her for
Very Ordinary Couple
. Haven't liked her in Action/Thrillers either.
RNWT
and Hong seems like a fit for her.
I'm not sure yet if I want to break my vow of never watching movie trailers. -
zelena33 — 10 years ago(April 08, 2016 07:12 AM)
I think Right Now, Wrong Then is right up your alley. I didn't know you're anti-trailer, but this is certainly one case where the trailer won't help you and won't do justice. You seem to have a much higher tolerance for the dead serious, and even I liked this one. In fact, I hated it at first so much that I wasn't fully prepared to like it by the end. But it's actually about more than I said in the review. Would be very curious to hear your take. Min-hee Kim is really good. I am just trying to place where I've seen her maybe something from TV that isn't credited on imdb..
By the way, Kang has one coming up this year as a secret agent, with director
Jee-woon Kim
of Good Bad Weird, and Tale of Two Sisters This could actually be a strong year for films.
Oh, you meant Koreeda's trailer. Yeah, check it out, I think you're going to hate his new one. -
plsletitrain — 10 years ago(April 08, 2016 01:44 AM)
"Not a big anime guy, but one thing I like about animation is the ability to create whole worlds, especially historical worlds. For the audience, it's not important whether it looks real, it's important whether you can "buy it.""
Yeah, that's one thing I like about anime or animation in general. It brings you to another "world". What I like with Ghibli in particular is that it has this trademark of putting life to overlooked little-yet-lovable things, such as butterflies, the grass, or a pond and it breathes life to it. It gives me a light feeling whenever I see these drawings.
"Arabs? Nah, I don't want to watch a movie about Arabs"
Lawrence of Arabia has been on my to-watch list for a million years now, I wonder why I keep on forgetting. I'll have to watch this but if you don't mind, why don't you like to watch a movie about Arabs?
Speaking of Arabs and animation (although this one's not really Arab but close to it) I just finished watching a 2013 Indian animated film entitled MAHABHARAT. And wow, so much for being India's most expensive animated film. I have read it stars the big names of India, so its probably where its budget went? Because I didn't see it in the animation. It was very poor. I don't know if it was in 3D or 2D or whatever D, it was really messy. The story had a good premise, it had potential. And the voices were soothing and accurate. Wasted and gone because of the crappy animation. Like, I can't make of the character who speaks their lines because they look all the same?????????
The story was good. It was about betrayal, love for family, revenge, thirst for power, etc. All serious themes. Then the letdown: since it was about a family or two with hundreds of members battling it out on the kingdom, you have to make of the many Hindu names that I can't memorize. Then added with the same-looking faces talking to each other, so yeah, great. lol.
(Sorry I had to inject my thoughts on the film on my reply to your post. Everything is just so fresh I wished to write them down immediately. Hehe.)
Koreeda's new film! I won't watch it. The reason being: I almost cried watching the trailer. Although if Koreeda stays on tract with his pattern, it should end in a happily ever after. ButI pitied the father. I'm not ready to cry. So I'm not watching it. Anything with someone living like he's useless and worthless, I really pity. Sorry, I'm that immatured that I had to take everything so seriously. lol.
That's what happened with me with MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 that's why I bailed out after a few minutes. I just can't take too much sadness. I mean, life-sadness. Except for love stories because that's what I'm looking for. I'm talking about life sadness. You know, being left by your loved ones, being alone and you're sick, feeling so worthless, defenseless, prejudiced, judged, etc. etc. Hehe. I can't handle it.Meadows of Heaven-
-
zelena33 — 10 years ago(April 08, 2016 07:32 AM)
What? You don't like soul-crushing tragedy? I love that stuff! It's fun, it's like dark music, the whole point is to get it out of your system. Let's not fish for spoilers, but with the new Koreeda, I wouldn't be surprised if it has a happy ending. Or some kind of wholesome ending anyway. I think it looks good. More like my kind of Koreeda film because it has a little bit of levity to it. I'm certainly going to check it out.
I agree, the details in the Ghibli films are pretty amazing. I like his lighter, more childish ones. I don't think the heavy themes translate as well into animation for me. I want to see a real person suffer and fear
By the way I forgot to mention I re-watched Floating Weeds after we discussed that. One of my all time favorites. Some scenes from that one just stick with me over the years the upstairs place where the actors work on their make-up, the colors. Nothing else looks like that film. And it's so dense as a "play," it's like there are three films crammed into one. Some scenes are unforgettable Machiko Kyo is amazing. I guess all of Ozu's films are basically the same, but this one is the most beautiful, to me.
Re: Arabs; I just mean my country has had such a tortured history in the past 15 years with the Arab/muslim world, and I find none of the film coverage of it any good. Most of it is terrible, and like a lot of people I would just rather not think about it. That's part of what makes LoA so incredibly refreshing and unexpected to me. It felt like a cool, crisp spring morning. -
ebossert — 9 years ago(April 10, 2016 07:56 AM)
Part 13 of my Asian Horror Year In Review playlist is now up. It covers movies released in 1997:
Here are the films I saw this week.
Highly Recommended
Rocky (1976) (American Drama) (repeat viewing) When world heavyweight boxing champ Apollo Creed announces hell give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers pick Rocky Balboa, an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed this one. The dialogue is especially good and it develops the characters very well. It really builds towards the fight in a profient manner, which makes the fight itself very exciting. Carl Weathers screentime is limited, but hes fantastic.
The Big Short (2015) (American Drama/Comedy) Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight. Some very interesting observations are introduced regarding the recklessness of bank lending, as well as the behind-the-scenes deals with those who in some ways should be regulating them. There was also a lot of pressure on the protagonists that tested their resolve. The cast contribute impressive performances. Christian Bale is great as the oddball. Im not a fan of Ryan Gosling or Steve Carell, but even they are really good in this. The infusion of comedy also helps to maintain pacing, and there are a handful of legitimately funny moments.
Surprise Party (aka Surprise) (2002) (Korean Romantic Comedy) (repeat viewing) A girl plans to give her boyfriend a surprise party upon his return to South Korea, but her plans are thrown into chaos when her father expresses his disapproval. Therefore, she sends her best friend to the airport in an attempt to stall her boyfriend for 12 hours while she works to change her fathers mind and set up the party. Unfortunately, her friend has never met the boyfriend previously, which forces her to think of ways in which a stranger could possibly stall someone for that long resulting in a variety of misadventures. The acting is solid, the characters are likable, and the tempo is fast. The scriptwriting is smarter than you might expect, and gets more interesting as the film progresses. This is a remarkably pleasant genre film with an emphasis on charming interaction and simplistic everyday humor instead of over-the-top wackiness. Look out for the supporting roles and cameos by now popular Korean actors and actresses.
Appaloosa (2008) (American Western Drama) Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow. This has a generic plot, but it is executed very well. I especially enjoyed the dynamics between the lead characters and how it developed throughout. The big decision that is made near the end is understandable and nuanced. Performances are top notch (Ed Harris, etc.). Heck, even Viggo Mortensen is impressive in this and that doesnt happen often.
Rocky 2 (1979) (American Drama) (repeat viewing) After Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on, but soon enough, the Italian Stallion and the Master of Disaster are set on a collision course for a climactic battle. This is a solid follow-up that shows the unfortunate events that befall our protagonist. Pacing is actually a bit slower than Rocky, but the final half hour is pure awesomeness. I love the scene with the kids running with the protagonist, and the fight is one of the best ever. For maximum impact, I highly recommend that this film be watched immediately after its predecessor.
Recommended
I Hate But Love (1962) (Japanese Drama/Romance/Comedy) A famous talk show host contemplates his unsatisfying lifestyle, deals with his nutty lover/manager, and helps a caller who has promised to deliver an old jeep to her penpal boyfriend. The first half is practically a romantic comedy, while the second half shifts towards a road trip drama with the theme of celebrity. This has a lot of energy and some major sparks between the leads. All of the actors really bring it in this one, almost with a sense of determination in all of their everyday actions. I must say that I enjoyed the first half more than the second, but this is good stuff overall. Ruriko Asaoka is insanely hot too.
Coming Home (2014) (Chinese Drama) A devoted couple is forced to separate when the man is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. He finally returns home (years later) only to find that his beloved wife no longer remembers him. This causes some distress for the man and his teenage daughter, who try various methods to cope with the situation. This is directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Gong Li, so its no surprise that its good. I also liked the male leads performance as well. Im glad this avoided melodramaticism for the mos -
this_seat_taken — 9 years ago(April 11, 2016 12:27 PM)
Suna no utsuwa (1974)
AKA "The Castle of Sand" (Yoshi-tarô Nomura, 1974)
Watched it conveniently on Hulu because of a current dedicated thread on Film General. It didn't click with me so I was motivated to dig out my custom subtitled DVDR of "Home from the Sea" which I know I like.
Furusato (1972)
AKA "Home from the Sea" (Yôji Yamada, 1972)
Rewatch of the nice 2.35:1 Region 2 DVD bootlegged with custom subs. 8/10 -
ebossert — 9 years ago(April 13, 2016 03:22 PM)
"The Castle of Sand" was pretty good, I think. It is less concerned with evidence and more concerned with the investigation into the victims relationships with his acquaintances. Theres an abrupt, stylistic change made during the final 40 or so minutes, which was rather interesting. A good film, but perhaps a bit too long at 143 minutes.
YouTube Asian Movie Review Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/anticlimacus100 -
MikeF-6 — 9 years ago(April 13, 2016 02:56 PM)
Da zui xia (1966)
(Come Drink With Me)
/ King Hu. The wuxia films are based on Chinese literature that feature martial artists who, like the Knights of the western world, are defenders of justice and the powerless. This type of film began to flower in the 1960s and director King Hu (born Hu Jinquan) is one of the major creative forces in this genre that continues to be popular into the 21st century. This particular film is a fine example of his work. It was Chinas selection for the 39th Academy Awards (the films of 1966), but wasnt one of the five nominees. The story is of a gang of bandits who kidnap the son of the local governor so they can trade him for the gangs leader who is in lock-up. When a young man shows up in the town near where the gang operates and proceeds to defeat every fighter in the local cafe/bar, he attracts a lot of attention. But the young fellow isnt all he seems, mainly, he is not male, but the sister of the kidnapped official. She is an accomplished martial artists of her own right, but when she is finally brought down by a poison dart, she is rescued by an unexpected ally, the town drunk, known as Drunken Cat. He is, himself, a martial arts Master who has issues of his own and a past about to catch up with him. Pei-Pei Cheng, who was cast because of her dancer training, plays the skilled young woman. She is best known to western moviegoers for a role 34 years later as the villainous Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Hua Yueh (Drunken Cat) continued to act in Hong Kong productions until 2008.
Nihon no ichiban nagai hi (1967)
(Japans Longest Day)
/ Kihachi Okamoto. Excellent docu-drama covering the events in Japan as the defeated nation makes plans to surrender at the end of World War II. During a 20-minute prolog, a narrator takes us quickly through the last months of the war, the island defeats, and the atomic bombing of the homeland. After Japans government receives the Allies demands for surrender (The Potsdam Declaration), the Emperors Cabinet meets for debate. They are bothered by a phrase that the Emperor will be subject to the occupying force, so they take their concern directly to the Emperor. The Emperor stands up to speak at noon on August 14, 1945, beginning the last 24 hours of the war. The film ends at noon on August 15. That Longest Day begins with one of the films best scenes. Emperor Hirohito (being portrayed for the first time ever in a Japanese movie) tells his leadership (while being photographed either from the back or having his face partially hidden) that he wishes the war to end. He goes on to say that he will go anywhere and do anything to appease anyone opposed to peace. It doesnt matter what happens to me, he says. Save my people. The room full of high-powered politicians and high ranking military officers begin to sob uncontrollably, some falling to the floor. One of the more restrained is General Anami (Toshirô Mifune), Minister of War and Commander of the Army. Of the dozens of people that the movie follows over it course, Gen. Anami could arguably be called the major character, not only because of screen time but for Mifunes powerful performance. Anami is an old-time soldier in the Japanese military culture of honor, so would prefer with every fiber to fight until the entire population was killed. Yet, in some way he realizes that futility and battles with another powerful pull on his life: to do his duty by obeying the Emperor. Meanwhile, back at Anamis headquarters, a group of junior officers, devastated by news of surrender, hatch a plan to storm the Imperial Palace and take the Emperor into custody for his own good. In addition to Mifune, some other faces familiar to Western viewers can be seen. Takeshi Shimura, Mifunes frequent co-star when he was with Kurosawa, plays the Information Bureau chief and Ozu regular Chishû Ryû appears as Prime Minister Suzuki, a man of quiet authority, soft-spoken but with a spine of steel. As conspiracies are formed and fall apart, desperation increases as the time approaches for official action. The only real critique I can bring against this film is that its running time of 2:33 is too long. While individual moments are perfect, there is a bit too much of it. Even a 10 minute trim would have helped considerably. Other than that, this is a fine motion picture.
Shao Lin si (1982)
(The Shaolin Temple)
/ Hsin-Yen Chang. This was the first of a loose trilogy that gave Hong Kong superstar Jet Li his film debut. The setting is the Shaolin Temple in the northern China province of Henan. It was here, as legend has it, that Chinese, indeed all Asian, martial arts began in the 5th century C.E. The story of the movie takes place about 200 years later. Li plays a young man whose family had been killed by a local warlord who has aspirations of overthrowing the Emperor. Badly wounded, he is taken in by the Temple monks. As he grows, he becomes the best pupil in the Shaolin kung-fu method but his path to becoming a monk -
ebossert — 9 years ago(April 13, 2016 03:28 PM)
Japan's Longest Day was awesome. I really like Okamoto as a director.
I feel like I need to give Come Drink With Me a second chance. I didn't like it much the first time around.
I disliked Memories of the Sword. Performances are good, but right from the start I thought that the sword fights are overly-edited and irritating. I also felt that there were too many dramatic moments that were unsupported by normal moments. There is a fairly good twist that is revealed later on though, so I'll give it that.
Gohatto was beautifully shot and acted. There are a few good, realistic swordfights to enjoy too.
I hope to watch The Golden Cane Warrior soon.
YouTube Asian Movie Review Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/anticlimacus100 -
ebossert — 9 years ago(April 17, 2016 06:03 AM)
Part 14 of my Asian Horror Year In Review playlist is now up. It provides a lengthy introduction on contemporary Asian horror, then includes mini-reviews on some of the less impressive films released in 1998 (the better ones will be covered in my next video):
Here are the films I saw this week.
Highly Recommended
The Flame of Devotion (1964) (Japanese Drama/Romance) The tale of a young woman from a mountain who fell in love with a fishermans son, and her devotion to him during World War II. Theres a lot of cultural value here that shows the daily life of these people. Another interesting aspect is that the female lead isnt a push-over, subservient woman; shes actually quite selfish, which makes her more interesting. This film is great to look at, with very nice environments that are beautifully shot in black-and-white. The ending is dramatically effective. This is really good stuff by Koreyoshi Kurahara.
Vengeance of an Assassin (2014) (Thai Action) (repeat viewing) When a young woman is targeted for assassination, some underworld hitmen and gangsters tangle in a series of deadly clashes in this film by Panna Rittikrai. Like many action films from Thailand, the story here is weakly constructed but the action is outstanding. Fight scenes are expertly crafted and extremely hard-hitting. Were talking tons of bloody violence, bone-crunching knock-out blows, and some fantastic deaths. There is one sequence that uses poor vehicle CGI, but its still fun. There are also some creative moments to enjoy, like the insane opening martial arts soccer match and two lengthy shootouts that were shot in a single take (with great use of squibs). For brainless action, you cant go wrong here.
Rocky 3 (1982) (American Drama) (repeat viewing) After successfully defending his title for the tenth time, Rocky Balboa is challenged by the hungry, powerful Clubber Lang. Easily the flashiest of the franchise to this point, it starts with a lengthy and entertaining 7-minute montage that sets up the whole film. The antagonist is shallow and poorly developed, but this is pure 80s entertainment regardless. You got Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, bromance between Stallone and Weathers, and Eye of the Tiger baby. This has got some good dialogue too, and two fights that do not go to the cliched 15th round. This is also very briskly paced. Oh, and it has one of the best freeze frame final shots in cinematic history. Let the smack talk begin.
Rocky 4 (1985) (American Drama) (repeat viewing) Rocky is coerced back into the ring to battle against Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a big Russian with freakish strength. This has the best music of the franchise. There are some outstanding montages that get the viewers blood pumping, and James Brown tears it up! Like Rocky 3, the pacing is very fast (likely due to the inclusion of an additional fight inserted near the mid-point). Its fairly ridiculous American propaganda, but if anything that makes it even more entertaining!
Recommended
When Animals Dream (2014) (Danish Horror/Drama) A teenage girl lives on a small island with her seriously ill mother and her father, who takes care of the family. But something strange is happening to her body, and the neighboring residents seem to know more than she does. This has a common premise that is fairly predictable, but the overall quality is good especially in terms of acting, direction, and dramatic build-up. The conflict between the protagonists family and the townspeople is vicious and effective. The seaside fishing town environment also adds some mood.
A Company Man (2012) (Korean Action) A hitman works for an organization that fronts itself as a legitimate company, but his morals create problems for his profession. Very generic premise here, but the action is solid. Both the hand-to-hand fighting and shootouts are quite good and sufficiently violent, with the highlight being the lengthy office shootout near the end. The lead actor is good and is a convincing badass. He kills female assassins along the way.
Alice In Earnestland (2015) (Korean Comedy/Drama/Thriller) A woman gets some bad breaks in life and must now earn money to pay off hospital bills. She is granted an opportunity to assist in a redevelopment project, but soon realizes that her honest mentality may not be the right way to go. This is a fairly slow-paced film that is infused with low-key, black comedy from start to finish. One hilarious scene involves an unintentional assassination. There are a few scenes of bloody violence and macabre moments, but the humor component never completely goes away. The lead actress is quite good. An interesting genre-bender.
The Virgin Psychics (2015) (Japanese Comedy) This theatrical film is a spin-off of the J-drama about sexual perverts who are endowed with supernatural powers. It is recommended to watch the television series first because the film focuses less on developing the characters (although it does give a brief introduction -
zelena33 — 9 years ago(April 17, 2016 07:40 PM)
Its so friggin stupid, with atrocious dialogue and even worse acting.
Yeah I have to agree with you on that one. I recently re-watched this one, and I was surprised how poorly it aged. It came out when I was a teenager and it seemed pretty hardcore then. So I think Lynch had a lot to do with introducing certain styles that became really mainstream in the 90s and are completely tiresome now. Also it's just a terrible movie. I generally hate David Lynch, but that's why I was surprised how much I loved
Mulholland Drive
(although it has some of that cheap, Lynchian awfulness). It's a film I re-watch over and over. So he's a guy with "one film" as far as I'm concerned.
Man,
Alice In Earnestland
is pretty polarizing. Has been on my watchlist but not sure whether it's for me. -
ebossert — 9 years ago(April 17, 2016 07:53 PM)
That's weird. I also find Mulholland Drive to be the only Lynch film that I actually enjoyed.
YouTube Asian Movie Review Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/anticlimacus100 -
sitenoise — 9 years ago(April 19, 2016 04:16 PM)
Man, Alice In Earnestland is pretty polarizing. Has been on my watchlist but not sure whether it's for me.
Saying it's
polarizing
gives it way more credit than it deserves. It's not a film that takes chances. For ebo it
is
an effective genre-bender with black humor. If you have a good idea of what he likes and dislikes and you have a good idea of what I like and dislike then you have some help deciding if it's for you.
It's not. -
zelena33 — 9 years ago(April 20, 2016 07:58 AM)
Lol Well I am pretty much on exactly the same page as Ebo-san when it comes to comedies. But I can't stand any of the blood and gore that both of you guys are fine with. And it's hard to tell which films I am on the same page as you with. I guess the dramas and more high artsy-fartsy stuff. Actually my ratings of films are almost always in the range of what everyone else thinks, but sometimes more emphatically yours is more unpredictable. So I'm on the fence. Like most people on this board it's at the point where I'm hurtin' for more good asian films to watch. I've burned through 70% of the classics from the past 20 years and I'm scrapin' the bowl. I get a substantial proportion of my leads from this board.