Asian movies

[popcorn]

Keep in mind that this was actually what she was like. It's based on an online diary a guy kept about a girl he met. I read a few of the entries and the girl seen in the film is pretty close to the one described in the diary. I think the diary is still up somewhere, worth a look.

Yeah I know about the diary, but that doesn't really change anything. First, the entire diary could be a work of fiction. Second, even if the diary were "true", it ends up being a portrayal of some woman's bizarre behaviour as cute and endearing, which is a choice on the author's part. Third, there's no obligation on the film's part to make the same mistakes the original work does.

Sorry to make this into a TUMBLR FEMINISM FAGFEST but it really does fuck me off on, like, a film-enjoyment level. I'm sorry, Asia, but I don't find angry violent women cute. They're just MENTAL

[Van Dammage]

I can see where your coming from but I think the diary is real, he had pictures and everything. (I know, easy to just put up fake pics, but still). If i remember right he kept updating for a while but apparently it didn't work out well with her.
I read it a long time ago but i think the guy was actually irritated by the way she acted, as you are, but still ended up liking her anyway. I'll have to find it again, I haven't seen the film or read the diary in a long time.

[popcorn]

It doesn't matter if it was real though. Because the message of the movie is "isn't this cute?????" and it bloody isn't, it's annoying and weird.

[Benevolent Despot]

Girly Japanese movies are a secret indulgence of mine. I recommend the delightful My Rainy Days to those similarly indulged.


I recommend it for the clench-fisted small parcels of joy




For the shock




For the daydreamfullness of schoolgirls




For the discovery of lost kingdoms in tourist hats




For the softly lit scenes of subtly conveyed conveyances of heavy amounts of emote




For the dreaded prospect of eternal heartbreak




Nozomi Sasaki is in it and she's quite good. She might be in some of those photos I just posted.

[Van Dammage]

I probably mentioned it before somewhere here but i watched Fish Story again yesterday. This film is just amazing.
It's set in the present day when a Meteor is on its way to destroy the earth but then goes through different time periods from the 70's onwards. The story gradually comes together and centers around an old punk band called Gekirin (who, in the films world came a whole year earlier than the pistols) who were forgotten because they're music was too different and no one understood it at the time. I can't really say much more without spoiling it but it's well worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC5E4-LRrTk - You can hear a bit of the song in the trailer (It's great)

[popcorn]

I've been thinking about some ideas for Japanese films.

Shinjuku Laundry: a launderette worker (Bae Doona) endeavours to return a letter left in a suit pocket, with charming results.

Apron Dreams: in order to pay for university, a young woman (Bae Doona) takes a job in an Akihabara maid cafe and develops an unlikely friendship with a lonely salaryman regular, with charming results.

Yuki and Yuki: on a snowy Hokkaido island, a teenage girl (Nozomi Sasaki) develops a crush on her tennis coach (Bae Doona). Charming results.

Would appreciate some help in getting any of these made. I'd like to make it to Cannes for 2016.

[samadriel]

Sounds more like Yuri and Yuri, if you follow me.

[Van Dammage]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1373120/



"A bitter and abusive debt collector finds some relief when he meets a high school girl"
That's the IMDB description but it doesn't really do the film justice at all. It's a Korean film but it's a lot less stylish and polished than most of the modern Korean movies. Very gritty and realistic. Full of violence and swearing. Really, it's as if every second word is "Cunt" , "Wanker" , "Cockhead" or some variation of that. Although it still manages to be a lot more than just a typical violent crime drama.

[Benevolent Despot]

Has anyone seen Tamako in Moratorium, the newest film by the Linda x3 director Nobuhiro Yamashita? It's about a USELESS LAYABOUT GIRL and sounds right up my street. Here's the opening shot, how brilliant is this:



It's on the torrents but I can't find any English subtitles yet. I tried to watch it in Japanese but my Japanese is TOO SHIT and I had to force myself to turn it off.

I just watched this. Subtitles can be found here: http://subscene.com/subtitles/tamako-in-moratorium-moratoriamu-tamako/english/959526 [nb]Not being Japanese I can't vouch for their accuracy. They could be completely wrong, for all I know. The trust we place in anonymous subtitlers.[/nb]

It was as aimless and sweet as its protagonist. Tamako is a loveable slothly curmudgeon. There's a bit of light familial drama but otherwise the film is just a pleasant visual journey through modern ennui.

It's probably easy for many of us to identify with Tamako, and I really wish I could enter moratorium with her. This full-time work thing is sapping my life-spirit, sure I have money but I don't get any joy from spending it. I just wanna join her in her slumber.

Movie review complete. I challenged myself not to use the words 'charming' and 'delightful', and have succeeded.

Thanks for the recommendation, Popcorn. Now where can I find more films like this? I need a conduit for Asian movies into my life other than the random-stumble-upon find, and CaB threads (although you are very helpful chaps).

[Puce Moment]

I really enjoyed the Chinese film A Touch of Sin. Slightly surreal and moral, and an interesting snapshot of how Chinese filmmakers go about making socially critical films by critiquing immorality, but not framing it as representative.

[popcorn]

Smashing, I'm excited to watch Tamako.

Thanks for the recommendation, Popcorn. Now where can I find more films like this? I need a conduit for Asian movies into my life other than the random-stumble-upon find, and CaB threads (although you are very helpful chaps).

I too am always looking for more Gentle Sweet Sad Asian Movies Preferably Starring Kawaii Ladies, my favourite genre. I recommend Ganbatte Ikimasshoi (make sure you get the 90s movie and not the newer TV series) and especially Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (again, get the movie, not the TV series, I don't know why Japan keeps remaking its best films as cruddy TV shows).

[Moribunderast]

Had a mini Bae Doona festival in my house the other day. By mini, I mean I only watched two films, not that I hired short people to impersonate her. I'm saving that for my birthday. Both of the films I watched were quite good.

Air Doll kinda felt like a Japanese Amelie in some ways. Bae Doona plays an inflatable doll with a heart. By day she wanders the streets, works a job and has conversations, learning what it is to be human and whatnot. The film leans toward unearned pretense at times but the central concept is interesting enough and Doona's performance carries the film. It's a strange one, tonally and emotionally. Didn't go where I thought it was going at all. Not a classic by any means but worth a look for the unusual premise and main performance.

As One / Korea (As One) is a South Korean sports film that I absolutely adored. It's based on a true story from the early 90s, wherein the South Korean and North Korean table tennis teams joined forces to take on the (evil) Chinese for the title. The film is unashamedly cheesy and hits every note you'd expect a sport film to hit but it is so charming and fun and the ensemble cast are uniformly excellent. It's a film that knows exactly what it wants to be and goes about being fucking great at it. There are the obvious messages to come out of it about how the people of the South and North are not so different and if they can be unified by table tennis, why can't they be unified in general, etc. The more hilarious subtext seems to be "Hey, maybe the North and South could stop bickering and worrying about the other if they focused their hatred on the EVIL CHINESE." Seriously, the Chinese table tennis team are ridiculous arch-villains and it's great. Their leader is referred to as the "Ping Pong Witch" for Christ's sake!

I highly recommend As One. Meanwhile, I'm fuming that I missed out on a screening of Doona's latest film (A Girl At My Door) as my ticket fell through at the last minute. I just read a review of it and it was given five stars and labeled an instant classic. I wish I got more of a chance to see good foreign films on a big screen. As it stands, I get the Melbourne International Film Festival and that's it. Good luck finding a decent asian film at any cinemas outside of that three-week period.

Oh, a question for those who enjoyed My Sassy Girl - is it worth watching the slightly longer Director's Cut? Apparently that has a different soundtrack, as well as being 15 minutes longer. That's the copy I currently have but I'm not sure which cut is meant to be better. Holla at yer boy and let him know!

[Moribunderast]

It doesn't matter if it was real though. Because the message of the movie is "isn't this cute?????" and it bloody isn't, it's annoying and weird.

Having just watched My Sassy Girl, I actually didn't get the impression we were meant to be falling in love with the girl like the main fella did. I think her flaws were very obvious and her anger and violence was mostly played for laughs as it clearly exasperated the bloke. I didn't feel like I was being asked to find her behaviour endearing. As you say, it's weird and violent and not really okay. I guess you could argue the latter portion of the film tries to justify her behaviour but I felt it was more about giving background, as opposed to forgiving the way she was. I thought the film was quite funny (the squash slapstick was great) and I appreciate a romantic-comedy that portrays both characters as deeply flawed and is willing to go on odd tangents.

I did think there were hints of sexism in lines like "I'm just a helpless girl!" and him instructing her on how to be more feminine - immaturity on the writer's part or deliberate choice, I couldn't say - but overall I enjoyed the film and thought the ending was quite sweet.

[Benevolent Despot]

*Public service bump*

Calling all likers of

Gentle Sweet Sad Asian Movies Preferably Starring Kawaii Ladies

I have taken the liberty of uploading the entirety of My Rainy Days to Youtube, replete with correct subtitles. It has been extant on the service for some time, in very poor quality and with dodgy subtitles. I thought it was time to usurp this pretender and give it the full filmic treatment for those unwilling to fiddle with torrents, and to unexpectedly please an audience of stumple-upons. The film is also too finely shot for it languor on youtube in low res.

It seems there's a lot of full Asian films in high quality being uploaded. As far as I know MRD has never been released or screened outside of Japan, Singapore, and maybe a few other East Asian enclaves. So I think it's only just that us Westerners can enjoy it freely. I hope it stays up.

Feature presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4An4j4VflGU

I also made this pseudo-trailer for the film a while back partly out of affection, and also as a satire of bombastic movie trailers. It offers a visual primer, I suppose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7LJDePMC40

*End of public service announcement*

[amnesiac]

The music rules too. The film's version of the title song, a cover of a 1980s punk song I'd never heard before but is evidently super-famous in Japan, was released as a single.

I've had that Blue Hearts song for years but didn't know it was from a film and will correct this post-haste!

For Indian cinema I love Lagaan even though it's a three hour long musical period drama about cricket.

Amar, Akbar, Anthony

Yes that's a great tearjerker, saw it at the time and can remember a zipline scene for some reason,  see also the classic (Channel 4 favourite) Sholay which is my favourite indian film, also Pakeezah, basically films my parents watched when I was a kid, I have no knowledge of anything post-'85 and every single modern era film looks absolutely shit, although Three Idiots is very charming.

[Van Dammage]

Oh, a question for those who enjoyed My Sassy Girl - is it worth watching the slightly longer Director's Cut? Apparently that has a different soundtrack, as well as being 15 minutes longer. That's the copy I currently have but I'm not sure which cut is meant to be better. Holla at yer boy and let him know!

I only saw the directors cut but I know what scenes were cut and I couldn't see myself enjoying the non directors cut. There's one great scene in particular that I can't believe they cut.

[CaptainSchpunklewiff]

Not sure if these have been mentioned yet, but I loved Tampopo, a Japanese noodle western. It reminds me of a Wes Anderson film in some ways, in terms of the story within a story aesthetic and its "wackiness". I love a lot of Takashi Miike's work, including Dead Or Alive, Ichi The Killer and Gozu. Also, check out a film called Battle Heater, a film about a killer heater that feels like a mixture between a Sam Raimi film and an episode of the young ones. Battle Royale is a given. I feel the need to bring up the Ip Man films and an extremely underrated film by the name of Iron Monkey- it's one of the best martial art films out there and I never see anyone talk about it much.

edit: I'd like to add the horror films: Cure and Pulse. Both are fantastic. Make sure to watch the originals, not the shitty American remakes.

[popcorn]

It was as aimless and sweet as its protagonist. Tamako is a loveable slothly curmudgeon. There's a bit of light familial drama but otherwise the film is just a pleasant visual journey through modern ennui.

It's probably easy for many of us to identify with Tamako, and I really wish I could enter moratorium with her. This full-time work thing is sapping my life-spirit, sure I have money but I don't get any joy from spending it. I just wanna join her in her slumber.

Movie review complete. I challenged myself not to use the words 'charming' and 'delightful', and have succeeded.

Finally watched Tamako (was waiting for Japanese Friend to become available). To be honest, I was disappointed. It had the kawaii girl and the gentle pace and all of that, but it never came together into anything I found really engaging or endearing. It's all a bit hollow. Certainly no Linda x3.

Keen for As One.

[Van Dammage]

edit: I'd like to add the horror films: Cure and Pulse. Both are fantastic. Make sure to watch the originals, not the shitty American remakes.

Thankfully Cure hasn't been remade yet. I don't think anyway. The pulse one looks shit though.

[Moribunderast]

I only saw the directors cut but I know what scenes were cut and I couldn't see myself enjoying the non directors cut. There's one great scene in particular that I can't believe they cut.

I ended up watching the Director's Cut. Which scene/s did the shorter version omit? For a 137 minute romcom it actually felt quite well-paced and not overly long.

[Mr Ventham]

This is a  b  r  o  a  d  category.

Of the Kim Ki-Duk films, 3 Iron is one of the three reasons I am glad of the existence of golf. (The other two being Lynne Truss's Uncle Gwyn's Posthumous Curse and Jen Hadfield's poem The Murder Stone from her latest collection Byssus.) I love the way it is essentially a silent film. Watched Murnau's actually silent Sunrise recently. Culturally the two pictures are poles apart and yet are sort of similar. I surely can't be the first to draw the parallel? Kim Ki-Duk's Samaritan Girl. Well...that scene when the father walks into the respectable family home where the respectable family are sitting around the respectable dinning table. And what happens next - such a Korean reaction. The shocking, yet dignified way it is portrayed; what you do see - the spectacles, the trickle of blood - and what you don't.

So-Yong Kim's Treeless Mountain is probably my all-time favourite film. If there is a better film about the nature of growing up, about the resilience of children, I want to know about it.

Chang-Dong Lee's Poetry. About corruption, about the powerlessness of a little old lady with Alzheimer's, and yet how she can use a certain situation to her advantage. About the importance of poetry.

[Van Dammage]

I ended up watching the Director's Cut. Which scene/s did the shorter version omit? For a 137 minute romcom it actually felt quite well-paced and not overly long.

http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1036


92:21 is the one I found to be the most important

[Herbert Ashe]

Of the Kim Ki-Duk films, 3 Iron is one of the three reasons I am glad of the existence of golf. (The other two being Lynne Truss's Uncle Gwyn's Posthumous Curse and Jen Hadfield's poem The Murder Stone from her latest collection Byssus.) I love the way it is essentially a silent film.

Have you seen his newest, Moebius? It's another essentially silent film, or non-verbal at least (the exception being some sign language). Planning on giving it a watch soon, haven't seen any of his earlier stuff.

Chang-Dong Lee's Poetry.

I've not been arsed about most of the 21stC South Korean films I've seen, but this is one I found really good, definitely the best Korean film I've seen. Second this recommendation.

[popcorn]

Well, Benevolent Despot, I watched My Rainy Days, or tried to, but it wasn't working for me. Yes, it was sweet and gentle and starred a bevvy of kawaii ladies, but it didn't have that naturalistic element I crave. It was all a bit shiny and shampoo model and even had that bloody Sex and the City walk-down-the-street-side-by-side shot. I did only watch the first half hour, though, I might go back to it.

I've started As One now. Have there been any decent movies about North Korea? I read a couple of books about the place last year and I kept thinking about how brilliant a film a lot of the escape stories would make.

[Benevolent Despot]

Popcorn. I never saw your above post at the time, but have perchance found myself back here, and feel obliged to come down on the side of my favourite Japanese film once again.

It is very glossily shot, that is for sure. It is rather exaggerated in some of its plotting and circumstances, but it all serves a purpose later on when the crux-points happen and the emotional drama kicks in. There are some adult shocks which come in to upset the fashionable-girls-about-town candyfloss of it all.

Personally, I like all the sugary glossiness, big girl that I am. The film was directed by a 28-year-old lady, and I think it shows it in the asides to girly ways and manners - a rare sight in film.

[lazarou]

Anyone looking for something a little on the wistful, low-key side could do a lot worse than Architecture 101.



It's a charming, bittersweet story about first love and missed opportunities. I wasn't expecting too much, but it's played with a defter touch and more naturalistic style than most of its ilk. The extensive flashbacks with Lee Je-hoon as a terribly awkward teen struggling to develop his relationship with Bae Suzy are especially well judged. It never gets unbearably cringy, but it certainly has a ring of truth to it.

It's not perfect, and very slight stuff, but it was still a lot better than I'd expected. There's a solid translation available free at Dramafever, which you may need a US VPN to view, but if you're in any way fond of asian drama you should have one of those as a matter of course.

[WesterlyWinds]

Did anyone mention I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay, yet? Go watch that, all of you - now! I'm a big fan of the more dark and depressing South Korean films, but this one is great antidote to all that cynicism and misanthropic horror.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I watched Tamako in Moratorium and really liked it. The setting was lovely (I dunno why, a sports shop in a quiet Japanese neighbourhood just really does it for me) and I enjoyed the characters and the delicious looking meals. Tamako reminded me of myself, aside from me not being a mean young Japanese girl. The style reminded me of my favourite Japanese film, Like Someone in Love, which I think I mentioned in this thread. Just a very pleasant film which I can imagine watching again.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Just watched a really good South Korean crime drama called New World, from last year. It's basically The Departed/Infernal Affairs meets The Godfather, with some nice twists littered throughout.  Some really terrific acting, stylish direction and of course, since it's South Korean, eye watering violence.

[popcorn]

Has anyone seen Petal Dance? It came out in Japan last year and sounds right up my street:

"The film concerns a trip taken by two women, Jinko (Aoi Miyazaki) and Motoko (Sakura Ando), and their driver, Haraki (Shiori Kutsuna), to see Miki (Kazue Fukiishi), an old friend now living in a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. Jinko and Motoko have not seen Miki in six years, and the trip becomes a meditation on their own lives and sorrows, as well as reconciliation for their guilt of not being able to help her before."