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Asian movies

Started by popcorn, June 12, 2014, 09:42:24 PM

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Small Man Big Horse

Survive Style 5+ (2004) - A film with five sets of characters - A woman working in advertising, a woman who won't stay dead, a family who go to watch a famous hypnotist, a group of young carefree burgulars, and Vinnie Jones, oddly enough - who at first seem unconnected but begin to cross each others paths about half way through. Beautifully shot, with lots of surreal stuff, it's an energetic, smart and really enjoyable film, and my only issue was that I'm not quite sure what the advertising woman had to do with it all, but others smarter than me will probably get it.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - An incredibly sweet and beautiful film which captures childhood in a truly unique way. My only issue was that it ended. Stupid lazy animators.

Spiteface

Train to Busan (2016)

Korean zombie film. Bunch of passengers on a train, during which a zombie outbreak occurs. Turns out the one place in the country that has successfully voided being overrun is Busan.

One of the best zombie films I've seen in ages. Reminds me a fair bit of 28 Days later in some regards, mainly the running zombies, and the idea that a bunch of people are trying to get to this one safe place. Also, does the World War Z-style swarm of the buggers running over each other, only this time, in a film that's not shit. Worth a watch if that type of thing is your bag.

Small Man Big Horse

I was just wondering, does anyone know if any of the Studio Ghibli short films are available online anywhere? I've done cursory searches but can't seem to find anything unfortunately.

I've almost finished watching all of the Ghibli films as well, along with anything else Miyazaki and Takahata have created films wise, and wondered which other anime films were worth checking out, if anyone's got any recommendations it'd be hugely appreciated.

Osmium

^I've not seen much anime myself, but would definitely recommend you check out Satoshi Kon's stuff if you haven't seen that.

popcorn

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on June 25, 2017, 10:21:18 PM
I was just wondering, does anyone know if any of the Studio Ghibli short films are available online anywhere? I've done cursory searches but can't seem to find anything unfortunately.

Possibly not - they show some of them exclusively at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo and other one-off events. I think.

QuoteI've almost finished watching all of the Ghibli films as well, along with anything else Miyazaki and Takahata have created films wise, and wondered which other anime films were worth checking out, if anyone's got any recommendations it'd be hugely appreciated.

I can't recommend Wolf Children highly enough. I thought it looked a bit creepy furry weird in the trailer but it's one of the most gorgeous, moving films I've ever seen. If you like it, you might like the director's other films too - I especially liked The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Satoshi Kun is good as Osmium says. My favourite is Perfect Blue, a Hitchockian thriller that uses its own medium cleverly.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Osmium on June 25, 2017, 11:49:24 PM
^I've not seen much anime myself, but would definitely recommend you check out Satoshi Kon's stuff if you haven't seen that.

Thanks for that, I'd heard elsewhere Paprika was good so I'll check that out along with Kon's other work.

Quote from: popcorn on June 26, 2017, 02:15:41 PM
Possibly not - they show some of them exclusively at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo and other one-off events. I think.

I can't recommend Wolf Children highly enough. I thought it looked a bit creepy furry weird in the trailer but it's one of the most gorgeous, moving films I've ever seen. If you like it, you might like the director's other films too - I especially liked The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Satoshi Kun is good as Osmium says. My favourite is Perfect Blue, a Hitchockian thriller that uses its own medium cleverly.

That's frustrating about the Ghibli shorts but hopefully I'll get to visit the museum one day. And thanks for the recommendations there, shall obtain all of them asap!

Kishi the Bad Lampshade

Quote from: popcorn on April 14, 2017, 12:33:06 PM
I watched The Wailing last night, a recent Korean horror movie.

Jesus Christ! It was a bit up and down for me - started strong, then got a bit boring - but the final 20 minutes gave a proper spooking the likes of which I don't think I've ever known. Horror films rarely truly scare me, but...
Spoiler alert
----.
[close]
I'll be thinking about that for years.

(Edited out your Spoiler since the spoilers don't work anymore)

Just watched this, really enjoyed it. I think Korean films might be my favourite thing right now, for some reason.

Also I found it quite funny how for a while it seemed like it might have been a treatise on the dangers of racism, and then...wasn't. Or at least, offered multiple interpretations as to whether it was or wasn't

popcorn

Quote from: Kishi the Bad Lampshade on June 27, 2017, 06:41:47 PM
(Edited out your Spoiler since the spoilers don't work anymore)

Just watched this, really enjoyed it. I think Korean films might be my favourite thing right now, for some reason.

Also I found it quite funny how for a while it seemed like it might have been a treatise on the dangers of racism, and then...wasn't. Or at least, offered multiple interpretations as to whether it was or wasn't

Yes, exactly the same thing occurred to me. I'm not sure exactly what message to take from it, but interestingly, by the time of we actually got to the ending, it seemed to have transcended any of that business, it didn't matter any more. Christ, it still gives me the shivers.

Junglist

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on June 03, 2017, 10:15:02 PM
Survive Style 5+ (2004) - A film with five sets of characters - A woman working in advertising, a woman who won't stay dead, a family who go to watch a famous hypnotist, a group of young carefree burgulars, and Vinnie Jones, oddly enough - who at first seem unconnected but begin to cross each others paths about half way through. Beautifully shot, with lots of surreal stuff, it's an energetic, smart and really enjoyable film, and my only issue was that I'm not quite sure what the advertising woman had to do with it all, but others smarter than me will probably get it.

One of my favourite films, its absolutely wonderful. Despite them all being completely different, I put it up there with Save the Green Planet and Uzumaki in the oddness stakes.

hewantstolurkatad

After the Storm seems to be out in the UK right now, at least  I just saw it in a cinema. It's at the stage that he's so consistent it's hard to tell whether he's just hit upon some super easy formula or whether the overall quality is so high that it's hard for a new one to stand out especially, but it was very good. There was probably a better Koreeda film with the mother occupying a more central role but I was more than happy with this, best cinema experience in a few months.

Small Man Big Horse

I watched Paprika (2006) today thanks to the above recommendations of Satoshi Kun's work and enjoyed it an enormous amount, its beautifully animated and packed to the brim with great and strange ideas, I can't wait to check out the rest of his films now.

Sin Agog

You've gotta see Mind Game (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452039/) if you like that.  It's in a similarish vein, but popping full of even more psychedelic joie de vivre in every frame.  Masaaki Yuasa is like Kon's natural heir- the three or four series he's done are all mindblowing as well the way Paranoia Agent was.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Sin Agog on July 09, 2017, 09:02:32 PM
You've gotta see Mind Game (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452039/) if you like that.  It's in a similarish vein, but popping full of even more psychedelic joie de vivre in every frame.  Masaaki Yuasa is like Kon's natural heir- the three or four series he's done are all mindblowing as well the way Paranoia Agent was.

Cool, thank you for that, sounds just like my cup of tea and I shall obtain it asap.

marquis_de_sad

Quote from: Sin Agog on July 09, 2017, 09:02:32 PM
You've gotta see Mind Game (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452039/) if you like that.  It's in a similarish vein, but popping full of even more psychedelic joie de vivre in every frame.  Masaaki Yuasa is like Kon's natural heir- the three or four series he's done are all mindblowing as well the way Paranoia Agent was.

100% agree. Masaaki Yuasa is amazing.

zomgmouse

The Villainess - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6777338/
Korean film that played out of competition in Cannes this year.
Overall not a great film and too much ripping off things like Nikita and Kill Bill, though some of the best action I've seen in a long time. Several moments of breathtaking camerawork.

zomgmouse

Takashi Miike's The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji, due to the fact that the sequel (Hong Kong Capriccio) is playing at the film festival in a few weeks. This was fun and mad but also very messy. I feel like that characterises many of Miike's films.

Straight Faced Customer

Anyone here a fan of Cure, the 1997 film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa? It's essentially a more devious, troubling and subtle version of Se7en which this month has finally been given an official home release in the UK. It rewards on a rewatch, throwing up new questions and troubling possibilities with each view.

marquis_de_sad

Yes, it's great. Although I don't really like the mesmerism stuff. Kairo is also very good (that is, bleak and depressing).

Straight Faced Customer

His other stuff has yet to hit me in the same way, but always have time for him.

Random, spoilery thoughts on Cure:

-Is there more to the wife than meets the eye? Like Mamiya, she's forgetful, and the only other character without a professional occupation. Was Mesmerism a movement perhaps incorporating her, or simply a one-man band (Mamiya?)

-The earthquake near the end - was that a mass hypnosis of Tokyo taking place?

-There's some interesting comments made near the start by Detective Takabe on books, saying they don't mean anything. The plot of Cure itself though hinges on two separate books: the Mesmer book, plus Bluebeard.

-I love how the bespectacled psychologist consultant is taken in by Mamiya, as it's fundamentally different from Takabe's own journey. Takabe is enchanted on an emotional level, while the consultant is clearly desperate to see the techniques behind it all. His temptation is more on the intellectual side; interesting how his ultimate fate is very different to anybody else in the film.

- Nolan must have seen this film prior to The Dark Knight. Joker is essentially his Mamiya (and by extension, John Doe of Se7en).


marquis_de_sad

Quote from: Straight Faced Customer on May 03, 2018, 03:00:52 PM
-There's some interesting comments made near the start by Detective Takabe on books, saying they don't mean anything. The plot of Cure itself though hinges on two separate books: the Mesmer book, plus Bluebeard.

Yes. I worry that I'm inclined to push this sort of interpretation because I want the mesmerism thing to not be 'real' — I don't tend to like explanations via lore in supernatural stories. I guess it's safe to say the film is irresolute about these things.

Straight Faced Customer

For me, the mesmerism comes off purely psychological rather than supernatural, that invisible force being totally human and coming purely from a canny use of tricks and props.

Someone did a video essay recently arguing that the ending is actually a 2 in 1 which shows the choice of two paths Takabe must take in order to find peace - one is to deal with the mad man who plagues his work, and the other to deal with the 'mad' person who plagues his homelife...

EDIT: I do wonder what we're supposed to take from that brutal little shot in the hospital near the end. Is it a vision; if not who was the perpetrator? If it's our 'hero,' how does he end up at a cafe a free man? Or has the act only just been discovered? *being vague as the film is to avoid spoilers*

Yeah, it's all irresolute and pointless to conjecture! What a film.