Main Menu

Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 5,559,182
  • Total Topics: 106,348
  • Online Today: 719
  • Online Ever: 3,311
  • (July 08, 2021, 03:14:41 AM)
Users Online
Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 29, 2024, 04:41:20 AM

Login with username, password and session length

East Asian Cinema

Started by El Unicornio, mang, February 17, 2012, 08:27:59 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Hank Venture

Oh my, I didn't know it was an exploitation film. I knew it was brutal, but I thought it was more sober in its depictions, if that makes sense. I hadn't seen it, doubt I ever will now.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: phantom_power on February 22, 2012, 08:38:40 AM
Versus is a good crazy noisy film like Wild Zero.
Agreed on both of these. Versus has a sequel / prequel thing as well, which I seem to recall I enjoyed.

MojoJojo

Quote from: alan nagsworth on February 20, 2012, 06:05:10 PM
Wow, I had never heard of God of Cookery until now! I ran a search a couple of years back but I'm sure it only came up with his other two. Either way, thanks!

I think it's my favourite of Chow's films, although I need to track down and rewatch the non-US cut of Shaolin Soccer, haven't seen that in ages. From Beijing with Love is also worth a watch. Forbidden City Cop isn't quite as good (and has a weird final act), and I've not managed to watch King of Beggars all the way through.

El Unicornio, mang

The Yellow Sea - I recommend this one (from the same people who made The Chaser, which was excellent). The main crux of the story is that a Korean living in China is sent to South Korea to perform a hit, in order to pay a debt to some unsavoury gangster types. Naturally things don't go according to plan. It uses a quite unique approach of splitting the film into four parts, with each part shifting into a slightly different genre while the story builds. The first is a bleak social commentary, the second a tense thriller, the third a series of high-octane action set-pieces, and the final part is a noisy and very violent bloodbath. The first half is definitely stronger, with more emphasis on the plight of the lead character and the general atmosphere of the various landscapes, while the last hour drags a bit and becomes a tad over the top. Still a good solid film though, with some very effective cinematography and editing and fine acting all round.

vrailaine

Second recommendation for Tokyo story, still walking, Chungking express, in the mood for love and, especially, ikiru.

My favourite documentary (and Errol Morris's too) is Japanese, The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On, was banned in Japan at the time so it's never really gotten the exposure it deserves imo.

Most old John Woo is very entertaining.

Yi yi and a brighter summer day are lovely if have the patience.

Raise the red lantern.

Hana-Bi is the best Kitano I've seen.

Love Exposure isn't great, but the four hours flew by somehow ...then again, it isn't great.

another intriguing but not amazing one is love and pop, live action by the director of evangelion, has really unusual direction for the most part.

Pather Panchali, or whatever it's called, was very good. Wait, India doesn't count, yeah?


I should watch more Asian film.


Paaaaul

Was reminded last night, when I saw it available on Lovefilm streaming, of the brilliance of Tokyo Gore Police.
A very stylish, massively OTT, and incredibly fun story about mutants in Japan. Many films have tried and failed to be this shocking, largely because the makers favour style over substance, but this does a great job of balancing both.

I remember when it came out, it got mentioned alongside The Machine Girl a lot, but TGP is miles better in every way.

Benevolent Despot

I just watched My Rainy Days. It was very good. I nearly cried a bit at the end. Seek it out if you have a heart and aren't ashamed to be watching something with lots of schoolgirls in it.

Hangthebuggers

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on February 22, 2012, 03:41:29 AM
Men Behind the Sun is nasty (I fast forwarded past the cat/rat death scene) but I think his other film, Black Sun, is nastier. A baby dropped in boiling water, a fetus ripped out of a woman's stomach with a bayonet, a priest castrated, a girl of about 7 raped by soldiers, etc. The Japanese did a lot of awful shit during WWII, but these films are hideously exploitative and gratuitous.

A grim film and one that I only half-glimpsed at a friends house.

But to be absolutely fair, a lot of what you witnessed in Men behind the sun actually DID happen. Try and get some information on something known as unit 731 (not a film) - And read about the live human scarecrows, the pressure chamber experiments, live vivisection and other horrors. One of the most horrifying events in the history of human kind in regards to sheer clinical sadism and total abandonment of humanity. More than 200,000 were human guinea pigs. This is the only reason I defend this otherwise vile film, it's an unsettling reminder.


On a cheerier note - I'd say Dark Water is a great horror film, as is the original Ring. Hard boiled I and II are action classics, Battle royale deserves a mention, Tetsuo the iron man and Sympathy for mr vengeance.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Benevolent Despot on October 21, 2012, 11:32:33 PM
I just watched My Rainy Days. It was very good. I nearly cried a bit at the end. Seek it out if you have a heart and aren't ashamed to be watching something with lots of schoolgirls in it.
Based on the popular cell phone novel???? what?

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: Hangthebuggers on October 22, 2012, 03:04:38 AM
A grim film and one that I only half-glimpsed at a friends house.

But to be absolutely fair, a lot of what you witnessed in Men behind the sun actually DID happen. Try and get some information on something known as unit 731 (not a film) - And read about the live human scarecrows, the pressure chamber experiments, live vivisection and other horrors. One of the most horrifying events in the history of human kind in regards to sheer clinical sadism and total abandonment of humanity. More than 200,000 were human guinea pigs. This is the only reason I defend this otherwise vile film, it's an unsettling reminder.


On a cheerier note - I'd say Dark Water is a great horror film, as is the original Ring. Hard boiled I and II are action classics, Battle royale deserves a mention, Tetsuo the iron man and Sympathy for mr vengeance.

Yeah, it's all true stuff ('Philosophy of a Knife' is another film about unit 731), just presented with no subtlety at all. Also, he uses a live cat which he throws into a pit of rats, and then also sets the rats on fire which is pretty detestable.

Calistan

A Scene at the Sea should be on everyone's list. Barely any dialogue but by the end you'll have undergone a strangely wonderful/gruelling emotional experience.

Have to +1 Hana-bi and Memories of Murder. The latter reminded me of Zodiac actually (this basically amounts to the two being cracking serial killer films).