Asian Film Hall of Fame [Archive]

Citizen Rules

03-22-21, 10:21 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75456
Asian Film Hall of Fame
Everyone is welcomed to join!

A simple and fun HoF. Any film that's from that vast place known as Asia is eligible...As long as it hasn't already won a previous HoF and isn't English language...Deadline: June 1st

PM me your nominations and include: film title & year of release. Keep your nomination a secret until the unveiling of the films in a few days.

Open Door Policy: For one week after the reveal of the movie nominations, I will be taking new members.

Length of HoF: There will be approximately one week of viewing time per movie, so if there are 10 movie nominations the HoF will be about 10 weeks long. The deadline to finish will be posted after the HoF starts.

During the HoF: Everyone watches the nominated movies and will discuss them in this thread. You need to write at least a few sentences about your thoughts on each movie, after you watch it. Part of the process is discussion of the movies as a group.

If you've seen a movie recently: or have seen it many times you can skip watching it, otherwise you have to watch all nominated movies.

Requesting help to locate movies: If you have trouble locating a movie make a post and ask for help. When responding with a movie link send it by private message, don't post links or embed films in this thread.

Dropouts: Members who don't finish will be disqualified and their movie nomination removed from the HoF. If for any reason you do need to drop let me know you can't finish.

Members:
Allaby 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2197835#post2197835)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192721#post2192721)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192621#post2192621)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200189#post2200189)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2196021#post2196021)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198053#post2198053)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195934#post2195934)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194147#post2194147)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191765#post2191765)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192471#post2192471)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194518#post2194518)

Citizen Rules 11/11 List finalized
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198077#post2198077)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2193240#post2193240)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191777#post2191777)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198071#post2198071)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2201177#post2201177)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204283#post2204283)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2196115#post2196115)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2201987#post2201987)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195672#post2195672)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194015#post2194015)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199530#post2199530)

CosmicRunaway 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195817#post2195817)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192607#post2192607)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194469#post2194469)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2193570#post2193570)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2197238#post2197238)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2196168#post2196168)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190432#post2190432)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192136#post2192136)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190666#post2190666)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191147#post2191147)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195309#post2195309)

Edarsenal 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206560#post2206560)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192529#post2192529)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204497#post2204497)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199240#post2199240)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207701#post2207701)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208609#post2208609)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194212#post2194212)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204474#post2204474)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199296#post2199296)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200868#post2200868)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2201907#post2201907)

HashtagBrownies 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206104#post2206104)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208702#post2208702)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191216#post2191216)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204943#post2204943)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207706#post2207706)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202619#post2202619)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208872#post2208872)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206535#post2206535)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198880#post2198880)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190501#post2190501)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208824#post2208824)

Jiraffejustin 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202977#post2202977)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2193316#post2193316)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190570#post2190570)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199564#post2199564)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204558#post2204558)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190984#post2190984)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192115#post2192115)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202374#post2202374)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207184#post2207184)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200920#post2200920)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2196140#post2196140)

PahaK 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195966#post2195966)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190549#post2190549)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190566#post2190566)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191569#post2191569)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2203166#post2203166)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194588#post2194588)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200439#post2200439)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207036#post2207036)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192710#post2192710)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200439#post2200439)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207045#post2207045)

Rbrayer 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2205945#post2205945)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194734#post2194734)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2193256#post2193256)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191128#post2191128)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200855#post2200855)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204142#post2204142)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2196393#post2196393)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2203074#post2203074)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2197745#post2197745)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2205214#post2205214)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2201217#post2201217)

Siddon 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208593#post2208593)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191559#post2191559)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206605#post2206605)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200190#post2200190)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208909#post2208909)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207043#post2207043)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207851#post2207851)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207242#post2207242)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206603#post2206603)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2200179#post2200179)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208941#post2208941)

Wyldesyde 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208145#post2208145)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2202258#post2202258)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2208912#post2208912)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2207829#post2207829)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2206107#post2206107)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2209291#post2209291)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2194867#post2194867)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2203635#post2203635)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2204004#post2204004)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198255#post2198255)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2195959#post2195959)

Ueno_station54 11/11 List received
Black Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199447#post2199447)
Chocolate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190935#post2190935)
Daimajin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2190664#post2190664)
Drunken Angel (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198126#post2198126)
Dust in the Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199934#post2199934)
Hanagatami (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2198250#post2198250)
Mother (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199552#post2199552)
Paprika (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2199856#post2199856)
Rashomon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2191789#post2191789)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2192056#post2192056)
Tears of the Black Tiger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2197886#post2197886)

.

Citizen Rules

03-22-21, 10:21 PM

The Movie Nominations for the
Asian Film HoF

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75429
Rashomon 'Rashômon' (1950) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Country: Japan
1h 28min
Allaby

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75430
Black Rain 'Kuroi ame' (1989) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097694/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4)
Dir: Shôhei Imamura
Country: Japan
2h 3min
Citizen Rules

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75431
Mother 'Madeo' (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/)
Dir: Bong Joon-ho
Country: South Korea
2h 9min
CosmicRunaway

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75432
Drunken Angel 'Yoidore tenshi' (1948) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040979/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Country: Japan
1h 42min
Edarsenal

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75433
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow 'Se ying diu sau' (1978) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078252/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Dir: Woo-Ping Yuen
Country: Hong Kong
1h 30min
Hashtag

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75434
Tears of the Black Tiger 'Fah talai jone' (2000) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0269217/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Wisit Sasanatieng
Country: Thailand
1h 50min
Jiraffejustin

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75435
Chocolate (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183252/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Prachya Pinkaew
Country: Thailand
1h 32min
PahaK

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75436
Paprika 'Papurika' (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1)
Dir: Satoshi Kon
Country: Japan
1h 30min
Rbrayer

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75437
Daimajin (1966) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062851/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Country: Japan
1h 24min
Siddon

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75438
Hanagatami (2017) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6887624/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Country: Japan
2h 49min
Ueno_station54

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75428
Dust in the Wind 'Liàn liàn fengchén' (1986) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091406/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Country: Taiwan
1h 49min
Wyldesyde

.

edarsenal

03-22-21, 10:44 PM

well, well well!
Looks like I'm off to pick me a proper nomination lol

Thank you SO MUCH CR for taking on the Hosting mantle for this!!

Citizen Rules

03-22-21, 10:56 PM

well, well well!
Looks like I'm off to pick me a proper nomination lol

Thank you SO MUCH CR for taking on the Hosting mantle for this!!Cool! glad to have you join.

edarsenal

03-23-21, 12:21 AM

and very glad to be here.
Just sent my nomination over

pahaK

03-23-21, 12:29 AM

I'll consider this. I have no idea what to nominate, though. Quite a few titles that have popped up are hard to find or bound to piss other participants off or even both.

jiraffejustin

03-23-21, 12:44 AM

I'll consider this. I have no idea what to nominate, though. Quite a few titles that have popped up are hard to find or bound to piss other participants off or even both.

bring it on

ueno_station54

03-23-21, 01:39 AM

I've never gotten the chance to participate in a HoF. I'm in for sure.

Wyldesyde19

03-23-21, 01:42 AM

I'll consider this. I have no idea what to nominate, though. Quite a few titles that have popped up are hard to find or bound to piss other participants off or even both.

I actually hope you do join. Outside of Pretty Baby, and Tideland I’ve liked your nominations. Angel Heart especially was a pleasant surprise, and In a Glass Cage, while not “great”, was full of style.

Wyldesyde19

03-23-21, 01:43 AM

Oh, and in.

HashtagBrownies

03-23-21, 06:52 AM

Allaby

03-23-21, 08:28 AM

Sounds good. Sign me up!

Wyldesyde19

03-23-21, 01:05 PM

I'm in. I'm only in the mood for a small HOF at the moment (but if this ends up having lotsa participants I don't mind that either).

I'll be interested to see how many noms we get that aren't from Japan or South Korea.
I figure most noms will be from Japan and South Korea as well (spoilers: mine isn’t). Followed maybe by Hong Kong/ China, Taiwan, India. If we’re lucky, maybe a few from Indonesia,Iran or Palestine. I doubt it, but it’d be very interesting

jiraffejustin

03-23-21, 02:14 PM

My nom is from Thailand, but I'm not against watching a bunch of Japanese films. or South Korean films.

HashtagBrownies

03-23-21, 02:40 PM

My nom is from Thailand, but I'm not against watching a bunch of Japanese films. or South Korean films.

Me neither, just curious what they are.

HashtagBrownies

03-23-21, 02:43 PM

I'll consider this. I have no idea what to nominate, though. Quite a few titles that have popped up are hard to find or bound to piss other participants off or even both.

Join: It doesn't really matter if lotsa people hate your nom. Besides, it's cool to introduce people to unfamiliar parts of cinema.

CosmicRunaway

03-23-21, 02:44 PM

Now that the thread is real, it looks like I'll have to rewatch the film I was considering nominating sooner rather than later haha.

Citizen Rules

03-23-21, 02:46 PM

So far we have eight members, yahoo! Even if we get a lot more people there will be extra time if needed for this, so no worries.

We have some awesome films so far! When I have some free time I'll post a teaser with the names of countries are noms came from.

Wyldesyde19

03-23-21, 03:20 PM

My nom is from Thailand, but I'm not against watching a bunch of Japanese films. or South Korean films.

If it isn’t Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives I’m flipping this table in front of me......unless it’s any film from
Apichatpong Weerasethaku.

jiraffejustin

03-23-21, 05:34 PM

If it isn’t Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives I’m flipping this table in front of me......unless it’s any film from
Apichatpong Weerasethaku.

It's not from Joe, so go ahead and flip it.

Wyldesyde19

03-23-21, 05:49 PM

It's not from Joe, so go ahead and flip it.
*flips table*

+1 rep for referencing him by his nickname.

Olivier Parent

03-23-21, 06:14 PM

May I join?

rbrayer

03-23-21, 06:18 PM

I'm in! PMing you my nomination shortly

jiraffejustin

03-23-21, 06:28 PM

Just for reference, here are the Asian films that are already in our illustrious Hall of Fame:

Sansho The Baliff (1954 Kenji Mizoguchi)
High and Low (Akira Kurosawa 1963)
Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou, 1992)
Spirited Away (2001 Hayao Miyazaki)
A Separation (2011 Asghar Farhadi)

Not many.

edarsenal

03-23-21, 06:51 PM

May I join?
Please do!!

pahaK

03-23-21, 07:13 PM

When is the deadline for nominations?

Citizen Rules

03-23-21, 08:01 PM

May I join?Yes, of course, anyone can join. I hadn't posted the detailed rules as most of us already know them, but for new people I just now posted the rules on the 1st post.

When is the deadline for nominations? I think I'll do the reveal on this Friday.

edarsenal

03-23-21, 09:59 PM

sounds like a plan

pahaK

03-24-21, 05:58 AM

I sent in my nomination. It shouldn't cause as much anxiety in people as In a Glass Cage did (I had a bit more triggering option as well, but decided otherwise). Let's hope people like action films :)

CosmicRunaway

03-24-21, 11:51 AM

I rewatched the film I was going to nominate last night but...I wasn't super into it this time around. Still really like the direction it takes, and appreciate how it doesn't go down the expected route, but the runtime just felt really long this time. My second choice, which I'm rewatching this evening is actually half an hour longer, so we'll see how that goes haha.

I do have a third film in mind to rewatch in case that goes poorly too. Hopefully I still like at least one of these.

Citizen Rules

03-24-21, 12:35 PM

This is shaping up pretty nicely:) PahaK just sent his nomination in and that makes 10 members so far. I will do the reveal on Friday.

rauldc14

03-24-21, 03:21 PM

Will sit this out mainly due to time constraints but look forward to seeing the noms

Thief

03-24-21, 03:23 PM

Damn, too much things going on. Barely holding on to the HOF24 and the Personal Rec and now this :laugh:

CosmicRunaway

03-24-21, 03:55 PM

After trying and failing to sit through option #2, I might actually go with my first choice now. Hopefully I have time to watch the third one before Friday.

Wyldesyde19

03-24-21, 06:01 PM

So how is the breakdown by country represented so far?

edarsenal

03-24-21, 06:08 PM

edarsenal

03-24-21, 06:11 PM

After trying and failing to sit through option #2, I might actually go with my first choice now. Hopefully I have time to watch the third one before Friday.

you're over thinking this -

https://th.bing.com/th/id/Rf8836e560de6c915250bf9507251534d?rik=YYOoX8FSNJgM7w&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.becompany.ch%2fblog%2fassets%2f2016-11-04-reactive-manifesto%2fbruce_lee.gif&ehk=Yx1oCxJIKsOBROkzMZjk4kbG1ZaPG0t9SG9LArPFUho%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw

Citizen Rules

03-24-21, 06:59 PM

So how is the breakdown by country represented so far?OK so far:

Leading the pack is Japan with 6 films.
Then Thailand with 2 films.
And Hong Kong & Taiwan with 1 film each.

Wyldesyde19

03-24-21, 07:03 PM

OK so far:

Leading the pack is Japan with 6 films.
Then Thailand with 2 films.
And Hong Kong & Taiwan with 1 film each.
Thailand second is a surprise.
No nominations from South Korea is an even bigger one.

Citizen Rules

03-24-21, 07:40 PM

Thailand second is a surprise.
No nominations from South Korea is an even bigger one.And not a one from Kamchatka;)

edarsenal

03-24-21, 08:11 PM

Thailand second is a surprise.
No nominations from South Korea is an even bigger one.
None from Korea IS a surprise. I had a couple I love from there and ended switching out, figuring others would cover Korea. . .

CosmicRunaway

03-25-21, 05:10 PM

you're over thinking this -
Yes, I 100% am. I've been doing that a lot when trying to think of what to nominate for these HoFs for some reason. I think I'll just go with my first choice, since I was going to nominate it for a previous HoF as well, but changed my mind then too.

I think when I rewatched it, I wasn't in the right mood, and since I knew everything that was going to happen, that made it feel longer than it was. I still like it though, and it would be interesting to see how everyone feels about it.

Alright, mind made up. Going to send CR the film asap so I don't back out or change it haha.

CosmicRunaway

03-25-21, 05:25 PM

When looking for a poster to send CR, that little google information sidebar gave me this absolute gem of a genre :p:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75384

edarsenal

03-25-21, 05:34 PM

Yes, I 100% am. I've been doing that a lot when trying to think of what to nominate for these HoFs for some reason. I think I'll just go with my first choice, since I was going to nominate it for a previous HoF as well, but changed my mind then too.

I think when I rewatched it, I wasn't in the right mood, and since I knew everything that was going to happen, that made it feel longer than it was. I still like it though, and it would be interesting to see how everyone feels about it.

Alright, mind made up. Going to send CR the film asap so I don't back out or change it haha.

LOL
There's been SO many times I second guessed myself and wished I went with something else later, so now I just let a film pop up, trust my gut and run with it.

Regardless, I'm pretty d@mn happy to have a Cosmic film to look forward to :)

Siddon

03-25-21, 05:48 PM

I went with a Japanese film that was the best of it's genre in the hopes it makes the top 100. It has zero chance at winning but for those that watch it they should enjoy it.

Citizen Rules

03-25-21, 06:14 PM

I went with a Japanese film that was the best of it's genre in the hopes it makes the top 100. It has zero chance at winning but for those that watch it they should enjoy it.Your nom looks real interesting and I think people will appreciate its uniqueness. We have a number of unique films, I think everyone will be surprised and happy with the noms when they are revealed tomorrow.

Citizen Rules

03-25-21, 06:16 PM

And Cosmic now makes it 11 members...and adds a new country: South Korea.

pahaK

03-25-21, 07:27 PM

OK so far:

Leading the pack is Japan with 6 films.
Then Thailand with 2 films.
And Hong Kong & Taiwan with 1 film each.

No Indonesian horror :(

jiraffejustin

03-25-21, 07:32 PM

No Indonesian horror :(

If you gottem, PM me some Indonesian horror recs.

Wyldesyde19

03-25-21, 07:55 PM

No Indonesian horror :(
Yep. Joko Anwar has one that looks interesting, Impetigore. Hopefully it’s better then Satan’s Slaves.
Was hoping to see one from them as wel

pahaK

03-25-21, 07:59 PM

If you gottem, PM me some Indonesian horror recs.

A great place to start is the director Joko Anwar. Impetigore (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9000302/) and Satan's Slaves (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7076834/) are both good.

May the Devil Take You (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8765496/) is also considered quite good, but I personally prefer Timo Tjahjanto's action films. There's also a sequel that I haven't yet seen.

edarsenal

03-25-21, 10:39 PM

And Cosmic now makes it 11 members...and adds a new country: South Korea.

https://sasssmcgill.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/tumblr_mytp7zwnje1qfmguto1_400.gifhttps://media.tenor.com/images/424b004561d02b05588d5ce8e3ab4136/tenor.gif

Citizen Rules

03-26-21, 01:27 PM

@jiraffejustin (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=76459) edarsenal @HashtagBrownies (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=96250) @Allaby (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=110465) @Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) @Wyldesyde19 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=104656) @ueno_station54 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=111569) @rbrayer (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=102321) @pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) @CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868)

The movie nominations are up on the 2nd post!

Lots of great choices! Thanks all for picking such cool stuff:)

Deadline to watch the movies and submit a voting list is June 1st, that's 11 weeks (if I counted correctly):p

Allaby

03-26-21, 01:44 PM

Looks like a great lineup! Happy viewing everyone!

rbrayer

03-26-21, 01:49 PM

Citizen Rules

03-26-21, 01:51 PM

Thanks! Super excited - I've seen Rashoman and Paprika but the rest is new. Looking forward to it! Those are the same two that I've already seen out of the bunch.

Siddon

03-26-21, 01:59 PM

Yeah don't do that...but yes Daimajin is on youtube

rbrayer

03-26-21, 02:01 PM

Yeah don't do that...but yes Daimajin is on youtube

Oops! Thanks for pointing that out. Sick and not thinking clearly!

HashtagBrownies

03-26-21, 02:12 PM

Rashomon: A Kurosawa that I find slightly over-rated, but that opinion could change greatly on a re-watch
Black Rain: Never heard of this before, but I like a good drama
Mother: I love a good murder thriller.
Drunken Angel: Haven’t seen much if any of Kurosawa’s crime films, so this’ll be cool to check out
Tears of the Black Tiger: Never heard of this, but from a quick google search it looks cool.
Chocolate: Nice! We don’t get enough good autistic person representation in cinema, and apparently this is a good example of that. It’s been in my watchlist for a while and I love a good martial arts film.
Paprika: A Kon film that I haven’t seen yet, cool.
Daimajin: Only added this to my watchlist recently funnily enough, so I’m eager to see it.
Hanagatami: Nice! I always wanted to be more acquainted with Ôbayashi’s later films.
Dust in the Wind: Not familiar with this one, but it looks good from a quick google search.
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow: My nom. I’ll post a writeup for it soon.

Awesome picks everyone!

Wyldesyde19

03-26-21, 02:17 PM

Great lineup! My thoughts.

Rashomon*'Rashômon' (1950)
Just watched this last year. Wonder if my opinion on it has changed any?

Black Rain*'Kuroi ame' (1989)

Shohei never seems to be mentioned among Japans greatest directors but he was a driving force of the Japanese New Wave film movement. His accolades are as impressive as any other. This film, dealing with with the effects of the nuclear bomb on its citizens, is as good as any place to start. Solid choice

Mother*'Madeo' (2009)
I figured we’d see either Bong or Park get nominated.
This one is streaming on Hulu, and I’ve had my eye on it for awhile now.

Drunken Angel*'Yoidore tenshi' (1948)

Between this and the Personal Recc 3 foreign edition, I’m good. To have plenty of Kurosawa films to watch.

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow*'Se ying diu sau' (1978)

Hmmm. Not familiar with this one.
Tears of the Black Tiger*'Fah talai jone' (2000)
This is that western style film isn’t it? Heard of it, unless I’m mistaken it for some other film.
Chocolate*(2008)
Same director as Ong Bak, right?
Paprika*'Papurika' (2006)
Anime. And one I’ve been meaning to check out as well.
Daimajin*(1966)
Japanese Kaiju says what? The first of the Daimajin trilogy.
Hanagatami*(2017)
Vaguely know of this, but haven’t looked into it previously. Good pick
Dust in the Wind*'Liàn liàn fengchén' (1986)
My pick. 🙂

CosmicRunaway

03-26-21, 02:19 PM

This looks like it's going to be an interesting Hall of Fame, and I'm glad I didn't miss out! I've only seen a few of the films, and there are quite a few that I haven't even heard of, but I liked what I saw in the quick google searches I did of them.

Rashomon (1950) - It's been ages since I've seen this, and it was in that block of time during high school when I consumed so many Japanese films in a short period of time that they all started to blur together over the years. I'm looking forward to experiencing this one again, and finally pulling it out of that memory mass!

Black Rain (1989) - The title sounds familiar, but I don't recognize the images that turn up at all, so I certainly haven't seen it before.

Mother (2009) - This is my nomination! I'm going to write something about it soon (hopefully).

Drunken Angel (1948) - I've seen parts of this film before, but not the entire thing. I've been meaning to rectify that, and now I'll finally have the motivation to do so.

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978) - I haven't seen this one either, and it's been a long time since I've watched a Jackie Chan film, so I'm looking forward to it!

Tears of the Black Tiger (2000) - I've never heard of this before, and the images that come up when I search it look quite intriguing.

Chocolate (2008) - Another film I've never heard of that seems interesting.

Paprika (2006) - When I first saw this I wasn't a huge fan, but when I rewatched it for a previous tournament, I really came around on it. The same thing happened with one of Satoshi Kon's other films, Millennium Actress. It's nice to see animation get some more love!

Daimajin (1966) - The title doesn't seem familiar, but for some reason the screenshots do. Perhaps I've seen references to this film in passing, but never quite picked up on it.

Hanagatami (2017) - Yet another film I've never heard of.

Dust in the Wind (1986) - I've at least heard of this one, but that's about it haha.

edarsenal

03-26-21, 02:59 PM

Taking a quick peek, this looks like a very fun and exciting HoF list of films. Some intriguing unknowns, a few revisits. . . Thanks to everyone participating and nominating such a wonderfully diverse selection of films!

Rashomon 'Rashômon' (1950) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Country: Japan 1h 28min Allaby This is actually gonna be a two-fer for me since I was lucky enough to have it as a Recommendation in the Foreign Language HoF along with being a Kurosawa I need to see.

Black Rain 'Kuroi ame' (1989) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097694/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4)
Dir: Shôhei Imamura Country: Japan 2h 3min Citizen Rules This is unknown to me but it looks like a great watch

Mother 'Madeo' (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/)
Dir: Bong Joon-ho Country: South Korea 2h 9min CosmicRunaway Have not seen this intense film in quite some time so looking forward to a revisit

Drunken Angel 'Yoidore tenshi' (1948) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040979/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Country: Japan 1h 42min Edarsenal This is a Blind Grab for me with Toshirô Mifune's very first film with Kurosawa so it should be a great fit in this

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow 'Se ying diu sau' (1978) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078252/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
Dir: Woo-Ping Yuen Country: Hong Kong 1h 30min Hashtag A young, pre-Hollywood Jackie Chan?? Hell yeah!

Tears of the Black Tiger 'Fah talai jone' (2000) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0269217/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Wisit Sasanatieng Country: Thailand 1h 50min Jiraffejustin Been over a decade since I first saw this. The color scheme in this is almost hallucinogenic (in a glorious way). Looking forward to this revisit

Chocolate (2008) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183252/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Prachya Pinkaew Country: Thailand 1h 50min PahaK This is an unknown and when I checked it out, something told me to watch the trailer. . . and HOL-EEE SH#T I am SO gonna enjoy this Thailand Action Flick!!

Paprika 'Papurika' (2006) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1)
Dir: Satoshi Kon Country: Japan 1h 30min Rbrayer This has been on my Watchlist for EVER. YAY

Daimajin (1966) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062851/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Kimiyoshi Yasuda Country: Japan 1h 24min Siddon What looks like the first of a trilogy this should be a very interesting watch. I was a huge fan of the Giant Monster films as a kid and this looks like it has some serious gravitas to it.

Hanagatami (2017) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6887624/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi Country: Japan 2h 49min Ueno_station54 Don't believe I've ever seen an Ôbayashi so this should be a wonderful introduction

Dust in the Wind 'Liàn liàn fengchén' (1986) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091406/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)
Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien Country: Taiwan 1h 49min Wyldesyde Another unknown that I'll have the pleasure of discovering.

CosmicRunaway

03-26-21, 03:47 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75448

Mother / 마더 (2009)
Directed By: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo

Mother is a slow moving film that is as much about it's titular character's growing desperation as it is about the murder mystery at its centre. It can be tense and unnerving at times, but as with many of Joon-ho's other films, it still contains the occasional dose of dark humour that is a little more obvious in the first act than later on. The film starts strong, then meanders a little in the middle, before closing with a strong finish. The first time I watched it, I found it so compelling that I didn't even notice that the central character was never given a name.

Kim Hye-ja's performance as the unnamed mother is simply fantastic. Her character's commitment to her son is the driving force behind the plot, and as such Hye-ja carries the bulk of the film's emotional weight on her shoulders. While the mystery she is attempting to unravel is interesting enough in its own right, it is the mother's plight that captivated me throughout the film. It's hard not to sympathize with the poor, single mother who, though a little overbearing, clearly loves her son.

The son's mental disability is never fully explained, but I don't think giving the audience his diagnosis would change anything. He's clearly a little naïve, and has issues with recollection and handling unexpected and stressful moments. The first scene at the police station is evidence that he'll agree with an incorrect version of events when someone else leads him into them, and that is all that is needed to set up his later situation. I appreciate the manner in which the story is told, and the unexpected turns it takes to set it apart from the typical thriller.

rbrayer

03-26-21, 04:07 PM

Mother (2009) is on Hulu FYI

jiraffejustin

03-26-21, 05:03 PM

Rashomon - Seen this about a year ago, but I'm down to watch this again. It'll probably be near the last thing I watch for this as I want fresh stuff first. It is great, but not near the top of my favorite Kurosawa films.

Black Rain - I've been meaning to see some Shohei Imamura films, but I thought I was going to start with Vengeance is Mine. Maybe this will be a pleasant surprise. Looks very heavy.

Mother - Been on my radar probably since it came out, just never gotten to it. I was in the mood for South Korean thriller last night, my brother is here visiting and had never seen Oldboy, so we watched that. Mother was an option I passed over.

Drunken Angel - Much like Hitchcock films, I know that I will eventually see them all, I just don't know what order. This one has been rattling around my watchlist for awhile, but probably more towards the mid-priority than top-priority behind Stray Dog and a couple others.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - I'm down for some Kung Fu.

Tears of the Black Tiger - I nominated this mainly because I wanted a reason to watch it again. It's pretty crazy, I hope others like it too.

Chocolate - I know of it, but I don't think I would have really ever gotten to it unless I decided I wanted to take a deeper dive specifically into Thai films. I'm usually pretty happy about films like that when they pop up in one of these, as they often are worthwhile.

Paprika - I really dug this one when I saw it several years ago. Looking forward to it again. I've also been meaning to get around to Perfect Blue as well.

Daimajin - I've heard of this film, but just briefly. I don't know that I would have chosen to watch it on my own accord any time soon. I'm open to a fun time with it.

Hanagatami - This was already on the top-priority watchlist. I expect to love this.

Dust in the Wind - Pretty similar feelings to the ones I wrote for Black Rain just replace Shohei Imamura and Vengeance Is Mine with Hsiao-Hsien Hou and A City of Sadness.

cricket

03-26-21, 05:19 PM

I've only seen 5 so I may try a couple of these out. I saw Black Rain from 89 and thought what the hell that's an American movie until I found the other one.

ueno_station54

03-26-21, 05:36 PM

Rashomon - It's been a long time since I've seen it, and I hope for my own sake I enjoy it more this time around but as of now I'll be keeping its spot at the bottom of the list warm for it, lol.

Black Rain - I've always known about this film because it was the first film Takashi Miike worked on (he was my gateway to non-American film). I've been meaning to watch some Imamura forever now.

Mother - Not a Bong Joon-ho fan really. I liked this when it came out but I don't know if it'll still appeal to me.

Drunken Angel - I do need to see more of Kurosawa's non-jidaigeki stuff.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Want to dig in to this era of martial arts films a lot more. Very hype.

Tears of the Black Tiger - I bought a region 3 DVD of this from a second hand store (even though I don't currently have anything to play it on) just because it looked that cool. High expectations for this one.

Chocolate - I remember seeing this DVD cover all the time at Blockbuster. Should be fun.

Paprika - Very happy to get to revisit this. Paprika rules.

Daimajin - I'd never heard of this but I'm extremely excited for it now.

Hanagatami - I picked this because its my favourite applicable film for this. I hope everyone gets as much out of it as I did and if not sorry for that runtime lmao.

Dust in the Wind - A friend of mine who digs on Taiwanese film big time gave it 3/5 and that's the extent of my knowledge about this film. The poster looks lovely and that's usually enough to sell me on a film.

Looks like mostly cool stuff got picked, I'm looking forward to this.

CosmicRunaway

03-26-21, 07:12 PM

Mother - Not a Bong Joon-ho fan really. I liked this when it came out but I don't know if it'll still appeal to me.
Which of his other films have you seen? I didn't like The Host or Snowpiercer. Okja was okay. Really liked Parasite though.

cricket

03-26-21, 07:23 PM

I didn't like Snowpiercer at all. I did like The Host but I like Mother better.

ueno_station54

03-26-21, 07:24 PM

Which of his other films have you seen? I didn't like The Host or Snowpiercer. Okja was okay. Really liked Parasite though.
Okja is probably my favourite of his from what I've seen. The Host is alright, Snowpiercer is god-awful and I liked the first half of Parasite well enough.

Citizen Rules

03-26-21, 07:29 PM

I've seen The Host and liked it. I seen Snowpiercer and didn't care for it at the time, but I think I was wanting a realistic sci-fi when it was more like a Terry Gilliam film...I should rewatch it one of these days. Still haven't seen Parasite yet.

edarsenal

03-26-21, 07:37 PM

Parasite was REALLY good. His best of what I've seen, and I'm of the rare breed who liked Snowpiercer. Liked The Host more the second time around. Remember being very caught up with Mother even with the slow pacing of it.

jiraffejustin

03-26-21, 08:23 PM

You guys should check out Bong Joon Ho's Influenza. It's an interesting short film that is all security camera footage that shows a criminal doing worse and worse sh*t.

HashtagBrownies

03-26-21, 08:51 PM

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

75451

My pick for the Hall of Fame. It's not entirely unknown or anything like that, but I wanted to pick something that maybe not many had seen before but something that was also highly entertaining.

Jackie Chan plays a mistreated orphan who comes under the wing of a kung-fu master, but soon has to come to his master's aid with his kung-fu skills. If you have to watch this film for any reason, it's Yuen Woo-ping's fantastic fight choreography (Same fight choreographer as Kill Bill and the Matrix btw): The fights go on for excruciatingly long periods of time but they are never boring, they constantly maintain their excitement with amazingly smooth movement and attacking. Not to forget it's combined with the bizarre sound design, where a thud that plays after every punch makes it sound much more impactful.

Another aspect to why the film is so entertaining is its comedy: Sure it contains a fair bit of the Jackie Chan style comedy within the fights, despite it being quite early in his career, but a lot of the characters are such walking clichés and stereotypes (the spoiled rich kid for example) that you can't help but laugh at it. The most bizarre character and most bizarre element of the film is a white priest that shows up out of nowhere and yells at people for sinning, hilarious stuff. I don't know about you guys, but I like to watch old kung-fu movies with the English dub, the cheesiness of the voice actors adds a whole other scale of entertainment.

I surprisingly have not yet checked out Yuen Woo-ping's much more popular action comedy 'Drunken Master' yet, so I should do that soon.

Also a note to animal lovers: One of the key scenes in the film involves a cat fighting a snake. In some cuts of the film, real footage of a cat fighting a snake is shown. From what I've seen though, most of the versions of the film on YouTube have heavily edited the scene so that no contact between the snake or cat is seen, so you should be fine.

Wyldesyde19

03-26-21, 09:11 PM

In regards to Bong, I loved Parasite, liked The Host (even if I was left scratching my head about how much it is raved about), didn’t care for Barking Dogs Never Bite.

I prefer the more gritty and violent films of Park.

jiraffejustin

03-26-21, 09:59 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4urbXO68tAs&ab_channel=TheCurator

Does this look like a good copy of Daimajin to use Siddon?

pahaK

03-26-21, 11:21 PM

Let's see what we have here...

Rashomon: I may or may not have seen this ages ago. In either case, I don't remember anything about it. I've never seen a bad Kurosawa film, though, so it should be at least OK.

Black Rain: I think I've heard of this before, but I don't know anything except it's related to the Hiroshima bombing.

Mother: Again, don't know anything more than the name and the director. Snowpiercer and The Host are OK. I've also seen Memories of Murder but it's been too long (and I may have it partially mixed with another film).

Drunken Angel: Same as Rashomon, except I'm sure I've never seen this before.

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow: I truly respect Jackie Chan's stunts and athleticism, but I haven't exactly enjoyed his movies. I haven't seen his old stuff in like 30 years or something, though, so maybe my opinion will change now.

Tears of the Black Tiger: Never heard of this one. It appears to be a comedy, so it may not be for me. It sort of looks interesting though, and it's definitely the first Thai western I'm going to see.

Chocolate: My nomination. Great martial arts action (especially towards the end), likable/sympathetic main, and a small cute girl kicking ass. what's not to like. And Citizen Rules might consider changing the length to 92 minutes (110 min is, according to IMDb, a Thai version but I've never seen such in reality - even the blu ray only has the shorter one).

Paprika: Again, a familiar name but not much else. Oh, I was pretty sure it's anime and it looks like I was right.

Daimajin: Never heard of this. Too few HoFs have films about giant living stone statues, though, so at least this one's cleared for that.

Hanagatami: Nope, never heard of this one. It's long, though, so hopefully it's good too.

Dust in the Wind: Never heard of this either. No apparent joke comes to mind either.

Looks like a fun line-up with a good portion of stuff I'd never seen otherwise.

Citizen Rules

03-26-21, 11:26 PM

...Chocolate: My nomination. Great martial arts action (especially towards the end), likable/sympathetic main, and a small cute girl kicking ass. what's not to like.

And @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637) might consider changing the length to 92 minutes (110 min is, according to IMDb, a Thai version but I've never seen such in reality - even the blu ray only has the shorter one).
Sure I can change that. BTW I should tell everyone that I did find a link in Thai with English subs, in case someone needs it.

pahaK

03-27-21, 04:11 AM

Chocolate (2008)

I've always been a fan of martial arts films. It's probably the most long-lived cinematic passion I have, and while it's been overtaken by a love for horror, these films still have a special place in my heart. It's a physical brand of film-making that's often at its best when you can feel the actors hurting. That's what generally separates western films from Far Eastern ones; the crazy stunts where people put their health and life at stake.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/efd6b07d83896c6c39afedf377cba101/tumblr_p6gtti0Vg41rmrpdmo4_400.gifv

Besides the fights, you usually need a sympathetic hero or someone likable for the hero to defend (Steven Seagal manages without this, but he's a special case). JeeJa Yanin's portrayal of an autistic girl trying to get money for her mother's hospital bill is sympathetic for sure. Acting, in general, is above average for an action film like this, but JeeJa is easily the star.

The action in Chocolate is a mix of Thai-style Pinkaew created in his earlier films (Ong-bak being the most famous) and Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. JeeJa being this small lady, the fights require a dose of suspension of belief. She does a great job with the fights, though, and especially the ones later in the film are amazing. As usual, there are some bloopers at the start of the end credits that show how much it hurts to make a film like this.

On the negative side, the main villain of Chocolate is bland and forgettable. Also, the introduction is a tad too long. Production values are clearly lower than, for example, The Man from Nowhere that was in the 24th HoF. Overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives (for me, at least), and Chocolate is one of my favorite action films of this century.

pahaK

03-27-21, 06:58 AM

大魔神 (1966)
aka Daimajin

I love how the Japanese don't care about genre restrictions, be it music or movies or, presumably, any form of art. Daimajin is, at the same time, a samurai epic, a kaiju horror, and a fantasy adventure with the most cliched plot of an evil usurper and a righteous heir in exile (sort of). While the result may not be great, it's quite entertaining and definitely charming.

https://37.media.tumblr.com/c53c7ada71858c0a5b8da43c8c62e481/tumblr_n4tb0zbdf71rewusno1_500.gif

The production values are good for an obvious B-movie. I suppose samurai films were so popular that costumes and sets and props were abundant. But even the more unique aspects are well-made. The mountain hideout and the nearby statue look good, and once the god awakens, it's surprisingly effective and lifelike in its rampage. I was a little disappointed by the lack of blood, but maybe this was meant to be a family-friendly film.

I don't know what else to say. Daimajin is an interesting mix of genres, and I wouldn't have watched it without this HoF. It'll never be my favorite, but it was definitely worth a watch. While it's not exactly my kind of movie, it's exactly the kind of nomination I love.

jiraffejustin

03-27-21, 08:35 AM

https://gojirakingdom.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/daimajin8.jpg
Daimajin (1966)

Forgive me if you have zero interest in pro wrestling, but everything is pro wrestling. Watching this film I couldn't help but to think back to two specific pro wrestling matches from the largest pro wrestling company's most lucrative time period: The Undertaker vs Mick Foley in a Hell in a Cell match and Triple H vs Mick Foley in a Hell in a Cell match. The Undertaker and Mick Foley is maybe the most famous pro wrestling match of all-time, if you are a fan of the sport(s-entertainment) you've seen at least the two major clips. Mick Foley goes off the side of the cage through the announce table and later goes through the top of the cage to the hard ring below. As far as I know, there was not any sort of build that said Foley was going through the cage in that match, but when it happened, it was organic and it was bananas. Foley vs HHH on the other hand, was built entirely around Foley being willing to dive off the cage to take out HHH. The anticipation for a single moment was off the charts. And while Foley did go through the cage again, it was far less organic, far less satisfying (, and far safer) than the other match. The match with Undertaker had probably worse work outside of the two big spots than the HHH match, but the work itself didn't matter nearly as much to the fans who had sky-high expectations.

Daimajin has a very cool look, like a Hulk that I wanted to see smash, and that's pretty much all I wanted in this film. I was promised that Hulk smashing all kinds of sh*t, but I guess, just like the WWF fans in 2000, I should have managed expectations and appreciated what I was getting for what it was. There was a decent enough samurai film going on, but we were all here for the Hulk and not Bruce Banner. But this was like sitting through an hour of decent Bruce Banner for a fantastic ten minutes of Hulk smashing. 3

CosmicRunaway

03-27-21, 12:09 PM

I just rewatched Rashomon, and I think I actually saw this not too long ago and simply forgot. Maybe in preparation for the Japanese Hall of Fame? I think I need to start keeping a movie diary or something, since my memory for these things is getting even worse haha.

jiraffejustin

03-27-21, 12:14 PM

ueno_station54

03-27-21, 05:29 PM

Daimajin (Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1966)

https://mikestakeonthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/daimajin17.jpg

It is so messed up that this dumb monster movie looks better than anything that's come out in the last 30 years. This looks so good I can 100% forgive the boilerplate story and weak dialogue and honestly it might even be better for being as simple as it is in those regards. The lighting, camerawork and even the colour grading are very expressive and definitely carry the bulk of the film along with the impressive sets until (obviously) the kaiju action kicks in and oh man it is so, so satisfying when it does. Marked out huge for basically everything the Majin did and the miniatures are maybe some of the best I've ever seen. The only real downside is the score. It's very similar to the Gojira score and leaves no impression whatsoever. That's my only gripe. I was completely blown away by this. Definitely gonna watch the rest of the trilogy at some point.

CosmicRunaway

03-27-21, 05:33 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75460

Rashomon / 羅生門 (1950)
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Kichijiro Ueda

Rashomon is a film that focuses on differing perspectives, and how biases can influence our interpretation of events. It questions what the word “truth” means in a world where we are incapable of being completely objective. There is a fantastic use of light and shadow, with clever techniques being used behind the scenes to make the forest's natural light more visible on film. The editing is also great, and I particularly liked how emotionally-charged shots would often abruptly cut to a character sitting quietly in the court before continuing their story.

Machiko Kyō's character underwent the most dramatic changes between the different versions of the murder being presented, and she did an admirable job jumping between those personalities. While I certainly enjoyed the performances overall, I sometimes felt that they were just a little too over-the-top for the tone of certain scenes. This more theatrical style of acting did occasionally work well, specifically in the wife's recollection of events, but most of the time I thought it could've been tempered a bit better.

Rashomon's ending seems strangely optimistic in comparison to the rest of the film, but supposedly Kurosawa wanted the sky to have a much more foreboding look, and the weather just didn't cooperate. I think another storm cloud brewing in the distance would've been perfect, since hinting that more misery was right around the corner would've made for a much stronger ending. Since that was reportedly Kurosawa's original intention, I'll happy to pretend those shots made it into the final cut of the film.

jiraffejustin

03-27-21, 05:57 PM

Marked out

everything really is wrestling

Wyldesyde19

03-27-21, 07:23 PM

Just a heads up, if anyone hasn’t mentioned it yet, but Dust in the Wind in available on Amazon Prime if you have it.

ueno_station54

03-27-21, 07:33 PM

Oh yeah, if anyone needs help finding Hanagatami hmu, I have it up on a google drive.

Citizen Rules

03-27-21, 07:53 PM

Oh yeah, if anyone needs help finding Hanagatami hmu, I have it up on a google drive.I haven't looked for any of the movies yet, and I should as some might be hard to find.

Could you PM me your link to Hanagatami hmu? I'm not familiar with Google Drive so probably couldn't find it on my own.

HashtagBrownies

03-27-21, 08:27 PM

I haven't looked for any of the movies yet, and I should as some might be hard to find.

Could you PM me your link to Hanagatami hmu? I'm not familiar with Google Drive so probably couldn't find it on my own.

I found a very accessible link to it, I'll send it to you.

Citizen Rules

03-27-21, 09:01 PM

I found a very accessible link to it, I'll send it to you.Cool, thanks.

CosmicRunaway

03-28-21, 05:50 PM

So it turns out that I had actually seen Snake in the Eagle's Shadow before!

The first couple scenes didn't seem familiar, but by the time the training montage started, I knew I had seen it before, and could even remember how to rest of the film played out. There were often Jackie Chan marathons on one of the channels we had when I was younger, so I must've caught it on tv at some point.

ueno_station54

03-28-21, 08:13 PM

Chocolate (Prachya Pinkaew, 2008)

https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/40960/cache-30660-1445889740/image-w1280.jpg

So I don't really want to hold this against the film because it was clearly made on the cheap but this was shot on a potato and its hard to look past sometimes. It's a shame too because the choreography is certainly there but its done such a disservice by the filmmaking. I mean, they definitely tried to give it some visual flair but it backfired more often than actually improve the film, most notably in the fight at the butcher shop where I couldn't read a single thing that happened. In the other fights I at least can tell what's going on but the camera and edit still manage to suck most of the life out of them. Honestly the film just feels extremely slow and dull overall and its most memorable moments are indebted to the soundtrack which has these surprisingly great bargain-bin dream pop bangers sprinkled throughout. Now, as a neurotypical it wouldn't be my place to make a judgment on whether this character portrayal is ableist or anything but it was certainly pretty cringe to watch. Yeah, didn't really like this much.

rbrayer

03-28-21, 08:56 PM

I found a very accessible link to it, I'll send it to you.

me too please and thank you

jiraffejustin

03-29-21, 03:01 AM

https://film-grab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Hanagtami-035.jpg

Hanagatami

Speaking on an Obayashi film is not an easy thing to do, because he didn't make films that fit within convention. I could describe to you the things that he did that others didn't, but it would fail to really show why those things worked so well. I would love to spend a day travelling around his mind and seeing it at work, because he was totally unique. I've only seen three of his films, but two of them from 40 years apart both being legitimate five-star classics tells me what I need to know about him. He made gorgeous films that stunned me and grabbed me with their playfulness, inventiveness, and audacity. Hausu was a crazy ride, Hanagatami was maybe the best coming-of-age film I've ever seen. With Obayashi, a simple descriptor such as that fails to do it justice, but I don't think I could do this film justice anyway.

easy 5

rbrayer

03-29-21, 03:23 PM

Drunken Angel (1948, Akira Kurosawa)

This is a fascinating, if minor film in the Kurosawa oevre. As many note, it is primarily worth mention for the first casting of Toshiro Mifune as Matsunaga, a vicious gangster with TB that forms an unlikely friendship with alcoholic slum Doctor Sanada (Takashi Shimura). The film tricks you into thinking Mifune is the protagonist - a nice idea unfortunately undercut by Mifune's amazing screen presence and energy. Indeed, from the second Mifune appears, his intense physicality overpowers virtually everything else in the film. Kurosawa eventually focuses more heavily on Matsunaga, implicitly acknowledging the issue.

The film also features what would become some trademark Kurosawa visual flourishes - including framing multiple speakers in different parts of the screen looking in different directions, a stunning technique that looks like fine art - and one used to perfection in the far better Yojimbo. There is also a breathtaking three mirror shot in the final fight and several other hints of the genius work to come from Kurosawa.

The film is strong thematically - it reflects the sorrow and disarray of post-war Japan and slips in several negative references to Americans, averting censorship. Notably, the Yakuza dress and act American. It is a nice touch too that Doctor Sanada is far from a perfect messenger to help save Matsunaga. It's difficult for him to persuasively insist Matsunaga quit drinking to avoid more damage from his TB when the Doctor himself is drinking. Similarly, the Doctor's fits of anger and arrogance mirror the very qualities he hates in the Yakuza, a sign of the moral rot that had infested Japan (along with the less subtle toxic waste river in the middle of town.)

The biggest drawback is Shimura's performance, which is over-the-top even for Kurosawa, though undoubtedly a lot of that is in the writing. There is also a thread with a woman he is harboring from the Yakuza that only sort-of gets paid off. The film is a bit wobbly all in all, but interesting historically, if nothing else.

On a personal note, it's a funny coincidence that I was strongly considering nominating the movie that this film directly led to - Red Beard, in which Mifune plays the doctor that confronts the Yakuza. It's a far stronger film, but I'm glad I got to see this one anyway, as I would have watched it eventually and there are some great moments. If nothing else, it's worth a watch to see the incredible Mifune performance and the beginning of one the most fruitful and visionary pairings between actor and director in cinema history.

3/5 stars.

Citizen Rules

03-29-21, 03:32 PM

Is the best copy of Daimajin (Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1966) only on YouTube? If someone has a better link could you PM me?

CosmicRunaway

03-29-21, 04:34 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75539

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow / 蛇形刁手 (1978)
Directed By: Woo-Ping Yuen
Starring: Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu Tien, Hwang Jang Lee

It's been many years since I've watched a film with this style of martial arts comedy, so it felt a little nostalgic to sit back, relax, and laugh at the absurd antics on screen. The use of ridiculous action sound effects, and slapstick facial expressions felt like a novel concept once again, rather than the tired trope it became over the last few decades. Since Snake in the Eagle's Shadow was one of the films to start that trend, it's quite appropriate that it's the one which has reconnected me to the joy I used to feel watching the genre as a kid.

Despite its light-heartedness, the film's pace is almost exhausting, with very little pause in between its elaborately choreographed action sequences. The story becomes almost irrelevant, as nearly any excuse is used to showcase the work of its talented stunt team. That's not exactly a complaint, because those martial arts performances are a key component to these types of films, and they are certainly a major draw for its target audience. Jackie Chan does a particularly great job here, making it easy to see why directors typecast him in similar roles for most of his career afterward.

While I'm sure I had previously seen an edited version of the film, this viewing did contain very uncomfortable footage of real animals fighting that went on for far too long. Watching the fight serves as inspiration for the protagonist, but just one clip of the cat swatting at the snake would've sufficed, so I do recommend going with an altered cut if it's available. I'm not going to hold it against the film, but I certainly don't condone animal cruelty, and I'm glad film makers across the globe have been moving past this.

CosmicRunaway

03-29-21, 04:56 PM

Also a note to animal lovers: One of the key scenes in the film involves a cat fighting a snake. In some cuts of the film, real footage of a cat fighting a snake is shown. From what I've seen though, most of the versions of the film on YouTube have heavily edited the scene so that no contact between the snake or cat is seen, so you should be fine.
I don't usually read the reviews of films I haven't watched yet until I've written my own piece about them, but I had noticed this bold part while scrolling down the page at the time, and read the note.

Even though I ignored the advice and did not watch the copy on Youtube (and even worse, watched the original version) I just wanted to say that I appreciated the warning.

Citizen Rules

03-29-21, 04:58 PM

I'm glad Cosmic just posted about that, cause I didn't see the bolded part in Hastag's review. Think I'll watch the YouTube version so my wife stays happy:D I'll be happier too.

HashtagBrownies

03-29-21, 05:09 PM

Yeah, I remember after nominating it and suddenly thinking "OH F@CK THE ANIMAL FIGHT SCENE!", because the first time I saw it was on YouTube which almost cut the entire scene out, only learned about the extended version through further research.
So I thought bolding that section in my review was my best way of warning.
Well darn, maybe I should've nominated Cure instead!

HashtagBrownies

03-29-21, 07:50 PM

75570

I know that it's common for Kaiju films to focus more on the characters than the monster, but I can understand why some people may be dissatisfied with this film (When the monster starts moving there's only 15 minutes left!). Personally though, I enjoyed the monsterless part of the film so it didn't bother me. I found all of the characters to be well acted (especially the priestess) and the music was good.
I have to say, when the monster showed up, I was very satisfied! The massive amount of destruction, the monster design, the obvious blue-screen, it's all so charming and kinda badass.

Nice pick Siddon, now I feel inclined to check out some other Kaiju films.

edarsenal

03-30-21, 12:27 AM

rbrayer

03-30-21, 02:41 PM

For anyone interested in a more detailed (and better) review of Drunken Angel: https://deepfocusreview.com/definitives/drunken-angel/

edarsenal

03-30-21, 05:56 PM

For anyone interested in a more detailed (and better) review of Drunken Angel: https://deepfocusreview.com/definitives/drunken-angel/

THANK YOU!
I just may wait and read this, just before watching it. Looks like a great insight into the film.

Also, my first review will be Chocolate, which I really enjoyed. Gonna try to get a review for it up very soon.

rbrayer

03-30-21, 06:50 PM

THANK YOU!
I just may wait and read this, just before watching it. Looks like a great insight into the film.

Also, my first review will be Chocolate, which I really enjoyed. Gonna try to get a review for it up very soon.

Absolutely! Having seen the film I can attest to it being a fantastic essay. Wondering though, why read just before watching instead of after?

Wyldesyde19

03-30-21, 07:08 PM

This weekend I’ll be renting a few of these to watch. Stay tuned

edarsenal

03-31-21, 01:32 AM

Absolutely! Having seen the film I can attest to it being a fantastic essay. Wondering though, why read just before watching instead of after?
From the initial paragraphs, I stole a peek at, along with a few cursory glances throughout, it appears to have some amazing insight into Kurosawa's mindset when creating it.
For example: "For Kurosawa, the only thing worse than disgrace and humiliation was to profit from it. Yakuza gangs thrived in this postwar atmosphere,".

It highlights various subtleties, nuances, and perceptions that would enhance my viewing experience/enjoyment that I would have been ignorant of if I had waited for afterward, thereby waiting for a return visit to appreciate said knowledge.

Some films are exceptional going in utterly blind. Some movies need assistance in understanding the "purpose/focus" of a filmmaker.
And some, without spoiling anything that is already understood, "basic story points" delves deeper, and thus, allow a more profound appreciation beyond the "basic story development/cinematic endeavors."

I had a similar pleasure when I watched a short bio of Renoir and, specifically, the film La Grande Illusion when I first watched it. It gave me a tremendous appreciation of the Classes' unique relationships and the civility extended to prisoners during World War One. (Something I was completely unaware of.)

edarsenal

03-31-21, 01:34 AM

This weekend I’ll be renting a few of these to watch. Stay tuned
https://writingfollies.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/watching-tv.gif

Citizen Rules

03-31-21, 02:24 AM

Yeah, I finally watchrd one of the noms...but which one?

mark f

03-31-21, 02:44 AM

ホーマーはさよならを言う (Hōmā wa sayonara o iu) Homer Says Sayonara

Siddon

03-31-21, 07:13 AM

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F7ITFBTWh4Q/maxresdefault.jpg

Chocolate (2008)

When I was a boy one of my favorite games was Metroid, in the game of Metroid a pulsepounding soundtrack guides you through a series of caves to find powerups to move onto other caves. It's a meditative process and even though you can't really finish Metroid it's enjoyable enough to just meander.

Chocolate's narative is very similar to Metroid, each scene is filled with these random inserts of characters often times devoid of logic. The point of each scene is to bring us the viewer to the well made kung fu set piece.

Is this a good film..no but it is a memorable one. I suppose one should be offended by the autistic lead who discovers skills in Muay Thai...though her powers are more Kung Fu based. You've got a scene in this film near the end where a random Kung Fu master who has what assume to be Tourettes battles the Autistic lead...and I wonder who this film is for.

The biggest failure of the film is it's inability to lock onto any genuine emotion. We get attempts at humor and sentimentality that fall flat, 1/7th of the film is Tarrantinoesque that doesn't belong. It's fairly disjaring to have two films one where it's all Jackie Chan style fighting and then it flips over to John Woo shooting.

It's weird, and kinda offensive and really poorly put together...and yet I didn't hate it.

pahaK

03-31-21, 08:28 AM

酔いどれ天使 (1948)
aka Drunken Angel

Unlike I said initially, I may actually have seen this earlier. At least lots of it felt somehow familiar. Anyway, it's one of the weaker Kurosawas to me. Some of the issues may not be Kurosawa's fault (I blame the US-issued censors), but it doesn't change the fact that, on the surface, the film feels too much like a Japanese self-flagellation. Like a poster-boy film expected from the defeated nation.

https://media1.giphy.com/media/ZOxafG8ene7ni/giphy.gif

Despite the story being simple, the characters don't have much room to grow. The doctor is just a grumpy old drunkard with a heart of gold, and Mifune's gangster is a good man gone astray but finally set straight by his fear of death. There's really nothing more to them (unless you count Mifune looking like a silent-film era vampire at the end). Yakuza and the life of crime, in general, are presented very much under the Hays Code.

Still, Drunken Angel is a moderately easy watch. It knows it hasn't much to say and doesn't linger. Just like old Hollywood movies, it offers a comforting glimpse into a world where justice prevails and things change for the better. Even a cynic like me feels a little something when the young girl, cured of TB, walks into an assuredly bright future.

pahaK

03-31-21, 08:30 AM

It's weird, and kinda offensive and really poorly put together...and yet I didn't hate it.

And here I was thinking no one would be offended by this :rolleyes:

Also, Citizen Rules - you've missed my Chocolate review: https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2190549#post2190549.

CosmicRunaway

03-31-21, 12:28 PM

I haven't read the Chocolate reviews yet since I haven't watched the film, but I noticed the "kinda offensive" line due to the quote. Is it slightly offensive because of how it handles autism? My cousin has autism so I'm really interested in seeing how it's portrayed in an action film.

rbrayer

03-31-21, 12:49 PM

From the initial paragraphs, I stole a peek at, along with a few cursory glances throughout, it appears to have some amazing insight into Kurosawa's mindset when creating it.
For example: "For Kurosawa, the only thing worse than disgrace and humiliation was to profit from it. Yakuza gangs thrived in this postwar atmosphere,".

It highlights various subtleties, nuances, and perceptions that would enhance my viewing experience/enjoyment that I would have been ignorant of if I had waited for afterward, thereby waiting for a return visit to appreciate said knowledge.

Some films are exceptional going in utterly blind. Some movies need assistance in understanding the "purpose/focus" of a filmmaker.
And some, without spoiling anything that is already understood, "basic story points" delves deeper, and thus, allow a more profound appreciation beyond the "basic story development/cinematic endeavors."

I had a similar pleasure when I watched a short bio of Renoir and, specifically, the film La Grande Illusion when I first watched it. It gave me a tremendous appreciation of the Classes' unique relationships and the civility extended to prisoners during World War One. (Something I was completely unaware of.)

That's a cool idea and I agree that it would enhance your experience. The trick is knowing when it would do so and knowing when it would spoil the experience. Is there a way to know if you haven't seen the film?

Interesting that you mention La Grand Illusion, which I love, easily my favorite Renoir film. I didn't have that background but I thought the film conveyed that point so clearly I didn't need any background. I do think some of the occupation stuff would have helped me with Drunken Angel, though.

rbrayer

03-31-21, 12:51 PM

CosmicRunaway

03-31-21, 05:58 PM

I just rewatched Paprika, but it's getting late so I won't be able to write anything about it today. Actually, it probably won't be until sometime the weekend since I have a lot to do tomorrow and Friday.

It really put me in the mood to rewatch Kon's other films though, so I might do that once I've finished the HoF.

Allaby

03-31-21, 07:38 PM

I rewatched Rashomon (1950), directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. The film is about the murder of a samurai shown from four different perspectives. I remain convinced that Rashomon is an absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. It is is masterfully directed and the screenplay is smart and insightful. The film touches upon truth and lies and the nature of humanity. The performances are memorable and effective from the uniformly excellent cast. This is truly an essential film and my rating remains 5.

Citizen Rules

03-31-21, 08:03 PM

Citizen Rules

03-31-21, 11:08 PM

75651
Daimajin (1966)

The forest scenes were my favorite aspect of the film, loved that waterfall! Though I wish I'd seen a better copy of it. I watched the YouTube video and the image quality was pretty poor. Still the forest was impressive, if that was a set (which I think it was) it sure was good looking. I'd say the escape to the mountain forest really added a lot to the film. And for me I was glad the monster didn't appear until the very end. I gather Daimajin was the equivalent of a Roger Corman B movie...and if this was indeed made on a shoe string budget then I have to say they really got a big bang for the dollar, I mean yen.

The stop motion was well done. I'm a big fan of Ray Harryhausen and I'd say the stop motion animation was comparable to Ray's movies. Very cool when the giant statue swipes it's hand over it's face, turning stone into flesh...sort of green flesh I guess. The closeups with the real actors eyes also added to the statues effectiveness. Oh, I just knew the spike was coming out of his head and going into the top bad guy.

Interesting choice and a fun watch.

ueno_station54

04-01-21, 12:40 AM

Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)

https://akirakurosawa.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Rashomon-600x333.jpg

Happy to report that I enjoyed this a lot more the second time around. I guess I didn't notice the gorgeous camerawork and lighting before because that's what swayed my opinion more than anything. Really loved how they essentially did zooms with 4 increasingly closer static shots, felt impactful every time and the scene with the medium was money. The story is very clever and also manages to not feel as claustrophobic as most films this narratively focused do. Only a couple notable downsides: one) the music isn't great, ranging from lame to fine and two) Mifune is kind of terrible here, just outright irritating most of the time (at least he's impossibly hot though). Overall its definitely a good film but the one thing that hasn't changed since my first viewing is that its still just not the type of film that appeals to me very much. I imagine this is winning the thing for sure now that I'm probably not gonna tank its ranking as much as I had initially thought.

CosmicRunaway

04-01-21, 03:32 AM

Mifune is kind of terrible here, just outright irritating most of the time (at least he's impossibly hot though).
I really enjoyed his performance...except for that laugh.

ueno_station54

04-01-21, 06:03 AM

I really enjoyed his performance...except for that laugh.
Admittedly the laugh was a big part of why I couldn't stand him lol.

ueno_station54

04-01-21, 11:46 PM

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (Yuen Woo-ping, 1978)

https://images.mubicdn.net/images/film/34945/cache-91908-1535349381/image-w1280.jpg

This is the oldest Jackie Chan film I've seen and clearly he's just always been the most charismatic performer out there and the film needed it. Not to say it would be a bad Wuxia film without Jackie in the lead, it's completely competent across the board. The choreography is really fun, it keeps the action going and the characters are all distinct. Now the fight scenes are definitely very fun and clever but there isn't really any huge moments and I think a lot of my favourite bits are in the first half. The back half isn't a huge drop off or anything but does get the slightest bit stale by the end I suppose. Another thing of note is how insane the music is. What is that electronic piece they keep using? Like, I love it but why is it here??? Anyway, yeah this mostly a fairly average Wuxia with enough charming bits to make it a worthwhile watch.

jiraffejustin

04-02-21, 08:04 AM

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EFkAdR3WsAcUy83.jpg
Mother

I don't really want to get into spoilers for a film like this, because it will probably always be best the first time you see it. I think a lot of these South Korean mystery/mystery types end up that way. Twists and turns and reveals and intrigue and suspense and all of that good stuff pop up.

I might mention a spoiler or two here, so you don't really need to read any of this until after you see the film. After you see the film, you don't really need to read this anyway.

The scene with the mother in the closet and trying to sneak out was very intense. The performance of Hye-ja Kim as the mother was great, she was compelling and sympathetic despite some of her quirks. The movie doesn't really go into too much depth about Do-joon's mental illness, but some of those quirks the mother displays with her relationship with her son probably come from that mental illness. Since we aren't given much about it, we also don't know if her attempt on his life caused a mental illness or if the attempt was because of the illness or none of the above, but it gives us something to think about.

CosmicRunaway

04-02-21, 11:30 AM

I had time to write something about Paprika after all!

it will probably always be best the first time you see it
I definitely agree with this. I don't think it's the kind of story that holds up well to repeat viewings.

CosmicRunaway

04-02-21, 11:32 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75685

Paprika / パプリカ (2006)
Directed By: Satoshi Kon
Starring: Megumi Hayashibara, Akio Ōtsuka, Katsunosuke Hori

While the visuals of Paprika can often be confusing at first glance, especially during the particularly cluttered parade sequences, the vibrant colours and imaginative imagery are the perfect match for Kon's trademarked blending of fantasy and reality. There is a dark, somewhat sinister undercurrent to the film's overall light-hearted tone, which mirrors the collective dream's nightmarish qualities and generates a rather interesting atmosphere.

The use of CGI does not blend well with the rest of the animation, but its jarring appearance actually works quite well within the narrative. Its ability to distort the surroundings, both intentionally and as a consequence of how much it sticks out, adds to the bizarre, dreamlike quality of the visuals. After being initially put off by that disconnect, I actually grew to appreciate it.

Paprika is not a film that provides a lot of answers to the questions it raises, but that doesn't make the conclusion feel unsatisfactory. The science of the “DC mini” is never fully explained, but its psychological implications are far more important, so I never felt like the film needed to clarify its mechanics. It's an interesting premise that asks how much of our dreams we take back with us to the waking world, and I always enjoy the kind of film that leaves things open to interpretation. It's not my favourite of Satoshi Kon's filmography, but it's still a great work of science fiction.

jiraffejustin

04-02-21, 03:58 PM

I definitely agree with this. I don't think it's the kind of story that holds up well to repeat viewings.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about how much you should take into consideration your first time viewing of a film when determing your valuation of that film. A first-time vewing that blows you away is probably still worth something even if that thing doesn't hold up the next time around. Some films are meant to blow you away that first time, but obviously can't when you know what's coming the second time around. I still love Hausu, Obayashi is a king, but my repeat viewings of it could never match that first time. I had no idea what I was about to see. I watched Oldboy with my little brother the other day, I had forgotten a couple of the beats, but watching with somebody who had never seen any of it made probably as close to a first-time I'll ever be able to get again. I know us movie nerds talk about films that you can revisit and find something new every time, and that's great, but I still think there should be a level of respect put on that first-time experience. I'll always remember and cherish the first time I saw Tucker and Dale vs Evil and Black Dynamite in a double-feature on a movie night with friends. Those films deserve credit for being perfect for that atmosphere. Anyways, movies are good.

CosmicRunaway

04-02-21, 07:25 PM

Well said jj!

Allaby

04-03-21, 05:13 PM

I watched Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978) today. Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, the film stars a young Jackie Chan as a mistreated orphan who is trained by an old kung fu master. The film is pretty entertaining and fun, with lots of elaborately choregraphed fight scenes. There are some amusing comedic moments too. A satisfying watch for fans of action/comedy kung fu films and for Jackie Chan fans. My rating is a 3.5.

edarsenal

04-03-21, 05:32 PM

AMEN JJ!!!

edarsenal

04-03-21, 09:38 PM

https://64.media.tumblr.com/7946156452899ebcbe0679739387e709/tumblr_p6s298aVbH1v6w3juo5_500.gifv
https://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/RegalNightmare123/tumblr_o3fhqvRyvq1v4u49oo1_500.gif
https://64.media.tumblr.com/2f9c66e3f8549a3d185c91556f5f8076/tumblr_n4nzhyQoXB1qhf9j2o1_250.gifvhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/2ff0b0f0710d795a7bcd9635381807fa/tumblr_pgxcx46fK01xthcgdo5_400.gifvhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/399d1f0e038dbd38ce92395da176f9d1/tumblr_p6gtti0Vg41rmrpdmo3_400.gifvhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7fm76vgKl1rvcjd7o7_250.gifv

Chocolate (2008)

Director: Prachya Pinkaew continues and expands on the same amazing martial arts as I remember with Tony Jaa in Ong Bak.
In the original, Zen (JeeJa Yanin) learns from inspirations that included Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies. Due to licensing problems, Pinkaew was only able to show the "reference styles" to them via Zen's fights.
Being autistic, she is quite the chameleon regarding technique. Shown when she battles another youth with Tourettes. An amazing encounter amid a film filled with them.

Just as I could speak endlessly on the action, I equally could upon the story and this film's characters. Though I must admit, and this totally on my dumb ole @ss. It was my own curiosity to see a martial arts film a la pahaK. Which, I mean, I DID, and it was F@ckin AWESOME. It was me thinking there was going to be something within Zen's autism beyond that, well, THAT was the "a la" portion. Done beautifully with a realistic, positive perspective. It was, as befitting Zen's name, something that is. And within that world was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable story about the daughter from a mob boss' "Property"/Enforcer/Lieutenants?? affair with a yakuza soldier. I loved the line the father commented on, that it was the imperfections of things that the woman he loved, Zin (Ammara Siripong), adored. Seeing Zen's autism as another beautiful aspect of the child she would do all for.
Along with a childhood friend, Mangmoon (Taphon Phopwandee). Their dynamics are equal parts warm and funny. A scene in the trailer shows him helping her train by throwing fruit, balls, and the like at her, and she'd catch them without looking up. Just as he's about to try with a knife, he has to quickly hide it as Zin steps out, demanding to know what's going on.

Culminating in an excellent martial arts film with the right mix of heart and characters who you can care about and enjoy.

https://i2.wp.com/the-avocado.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Chocolate-12.png?resize=720%2C405&ssl=1

Citizen Rules

04-03-21, 10:32 PM

I think I've found all the noms, except I need free to watch, links with English subs for:

Mother (2009) & Paprika ( 2006)

Can anybody help?

CosmicRunaway

04-04-21, 11:59 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75832

Chocolate / ช็อคโกแลต (2008)
Directed By: Prachya Pinkaew
Starring: Yanin Vismistananda, Ammara Siripong, Taphon Phopwandee

After being excited by what I read about the film's premise, the opening scenes of Chocolate worried me quite a bit. Mediocre acting in a martial arts film is completely forgivable, but the awkwardly cut montage set to a strange and inappropriate score was a huge turn off for me. The overall quality seemed poor, and based on what I had seen so far, I was concerned about how the eventual action sequences would be framed.

Zen's introduction restored some faith in the film, because I was quite impressed by how realistically an autistic character was portrayed. The tantrums, and reliance on signals or short vocalizations to communicate felt particularly genuine. It's almost a stereotype for films and television to have autistic characters, particularly children, turn out to be savants, but having Zen's skill be physical in nature was a pleasant change that kept the film from feeling cliché.

Despite my early reservations, I actually really enjoyed Chocolate, and that's entirely thanks to Yanin Vismistananda's performance, and the fantastic martial arts choreography she and the stunt team performed. The warehouse fight scene was probably my favourite, because I loved seeing Zen slipping into narrow places the men she was fighting couldn't fit through. Every action scene was impressive, and a joy to watch. They more than made up for the film's weaker elements.

CosmicRunaway

04-04-21, 12:10 PM

It's a physical brand of film-making that's often at its best when you can feel the actors hurting. That's what generally separates western films from Far Eastern ones; the crazy stunts where people put their health and life at stake.
Yeah, you can see and feel a lot of hits actually connecting, rather than the editing just making them look like they are. The injuries shown during the credits prove that as well, and a couple of them looked quite serious.

CosmicRunaway

04-04-21, 12:18 PM

Can anybody help?
I don't have any links, but when looking for anything related to Mother, I found I got better results looking for Madeo instead, due to how many films have the same or similar titles.

Our movie search feature is a great example of that. You get a giant drop-down list if you type in "Mother", but "Madeo" leads to Bong Joon-ho's film.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75833

Citizen Rules

04-04-21, 12:41 PM

I don't have any links, but when looking for anything related to Mother, I found I got better results looking for Madeo instead, due to how many films have the same or similar titles.

Our movie search feature is a great example of that. You get a giant drop-down list if you type in "Mother", but "Madeo" leads to Bong Joon-ho's film.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75833Thanks that's a good tip! Luckily Cricket found a couple links for me so I should be good to go🙂

Allaby

04-04-21, 12:46 PM

I watched Daimajin (1966). I really liked the look of the film. The sets and costumes were very good and the cinematography was quite nice. I do wish that the statue would have come to life a little earlier in the film. He looked great when he did start moving, but I wanted at least a little more of him and more scenes of him stomping around destroying things. The parts of the film without him were fine and reasonable well acted, but I still wanted more of him, sooner rather than later. Overall though it was a good film and fairly enjoyable. My rating is 3.5.

pahaK

04-04-21, 07:37 PM

羅生門 (1950)
aka Rashomon

Telling the story repeatedly from different points of view is a gimmick that rarely works. In Rashomon, this storytelling decision doesn't even feel like a gimmick. The narrative flows naturally from one version of the truth to another, and what really happened remains shrouded by the lies. There are no reliable narrators in Kurosawa's world.

https://i.gifer.com/EwqB.gif

All four retellings of the confrontation have a lot going on (certainly more than I can catch on one viewing). Every narrator wants to make themselves look good: Tajomaru paints himself as a great warrior and honorable bandit; the wife gives herself the only honorable response to the crime; samurai makes himself a victim of betrayal and gives himself the only honorable ending; woodcutter wants to hide his theft and make all the subjects of his envy look bad. We never get to know what really happened. Maybe the truth can be pieced together from all four stories?

Kurosawa's films often have over-the-top acting, and Rashomon isn't an exception. Mifune's animalistic behavior and chimp-like laughter surely fall under this category. The woodcutter is also exaggerated as a simple and fearful peasant. Other than slight over-acting (which is likely a stylistic choice), the cast is doing a splendid job. The film also looks beautiful. Overall, a much stronger entry in the legendary resume than Drunken Angel. Didn't like the ending, though (kinda undermines the rest of the film).

Allaby

04-04-21, 08:53 PM

I watched Chocolate (2008). Directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the film stars JeeJa Yanin as an autistic teen who uses her martial arts skills to beat up people who owe money to her sick mother. The fight sequences were very well done. The stunts and choreography are impressive and entertaining. Yanin does a fantastic job in the lead role and is very likeable. Her character projects both innocence and strength. The story didn't always work for me though and could have been better developed, but I still enjoyed the film. My rating is a 3.5.

Citizen Rules

04-06-21, 01:31 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=75947
Chocolate (2008)

Big plus is JeeJa Yanin who's very skilled at martial arts on screen and does some amazing stunts, that must have hurt! She's also really good as an actress. Portraying an autistic teen for an actor has got to be as tough as all of those spinning drop kicks she did. Her character made the movie palatable to me. My favorite moments were when we're learning about her home life and how autism effects her and her family. I really felt for her and her mom during those scenes. I liked her 'adopted' brother too, though he didn't have much to do as an actor, but as a character he gave Zen much needed support.

I suppose the martial arts fighting was well done and expertly choreographed, but it's just not my thing and I got bored with it after the third fight in the ice house. I wanted more of Zen's life and her struggle with autism. Of course it's a martial arts film not a drama so I cant' fault the film for that.

I disliked the overly cartoonish beginning with the gangsters and all the guns...What's with turning the guns on their side when pointing them at someone? I'm pretty sure bullets aren't flat! I never knew exactly who these people were either, other than being cliched baddies for the sake of conflict. And why did they care if she wrote a letter to her husband in Japan? I mean what kind of motive was that for them to go bonkers?

However I liked the subject of an autistic girl being a martial arts expert. IMO no way is that insensitive, in fact I'd call it empowering. Though I do have to admit the match up with the Tourettes opponent felt very exploitative..kind of like watching a dwarf throwing contest in a bar, you know it's wrong but you can't help being fascinated by it.

I wish the film had been about Zen learning to find some inner peace by mastering martial arts...she ends up competing in a martial arts competition where of course she has to go up against an uncouth champion who will use her autism against her. That would've gave the film more heart. Chocolate could've been Thailand's answer to the Karate Kid, instead it borrows to heavily from other auteur directors.

Wyldesyde19

04-06-21, 01:55 PM

I’ll be starting this up in a few days. Definitely before Friday.

Citizen Rules

04-06-21, 02:00 PM

I’ll be starting this up in a few days. Definitely before Friday.:up: There's some interesting and varied films to choose from for your starter, happy watching🙂

Wyldesyde19

04-06-21, 02:02 PM

:up: There's some interesting and varied films to choose from for your starter, happy watching🙂
Probably going with Mother since it’s available on Hulu, but Drunken Angel, Black Rain, and Tears of the Black Tiger will be next in some form. Along with Dust in the Wind.

Citizen Rules

04-06-21, 02:03 PM

Sounds like a good plan!

rbrayer

04-06-21, 02:29 PM

Daimajin (1966)

Well, this was something interesting. I definitely never would have watched it without you guys, so thank you! Calling this a monster movie would be misleading. This is a samurai fairy tale with a classic good v. evil framing. The filmmakers do an excellent job setting up Ōdate Samanosuke as pure evil, making the story especially compelling.

As others have noted, the "monster" does not appear until the last 20 minutes of the film. I think this is to the film's advantage. The knowledge that it is lurking creates suspense throughout the film and, when it finally does appear, it's impact is heightened by its prior absence. Additionally, the "monster" is incredible, one of the best special effects displays I've ever seen, particularly given the practical limitations of the time. The incredible sound of the shaking must have influenced films like Jurassic Park all those years later. That and the amazing score are mesmerizing. 3.5/5.

Siddon

04-06-21, 02:38 PM

I like how everyone has pretty much the same reaction to Daimajin...something I would never watch but it's good. :yup:

jiraffejustin

04-06-21, 06:12 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/thumb/0/07/Chocolate_2008.jpg/800px-Chocolate_2008.jpg
Chocolate

Saying bad stuff about movies isn't something I enjoy at all, but I didn't really care for this film. I think the pacing was kinda jank, the story wasn't that good, the film looked cheap and dingy, and I didn't actually care for the choreography.

Since I don't really enjoy this part of the process, I will just list out my feelings as to why my last sentence is true:

1. The pacing was weird to me, because even though the opening sequence felt like it took way to long to set everything up, it was still a bunch of information being thrown at us without any care put into it. It was almost like the filmmakers didn't really care about all of this stuff, but felt it necessary to justify the following action. We go from a Mexican standoff with hostages to romantic montage, to a forced breakup so quickly that no emotional connection can be established.

2. Not caring for the story is probably tied somewhat into my previous point, but I don't think the story is the main concern in a martial arts movie, so that's fine.

3. A film can look cheap and dingy to its advantage at times, but I don't think that applies here. It looked cheap, but maybe it was. I don't know much about the budget. The butcher fight scene had a red tint to it that I believe was intended to look like a cool glowing red stylized arthouse action fight scene, but it just looked dull and kind of distracting.

5. The choreography: so, this might just me picking nits. I fully understand that this won't apply to everyone, so just grain of salt this opinion of mine. I had hard time getting into this fight scenes that look relatively impressive with this young girl who is clearly giving it her all. I just don't think the fight scenes were well developed. There should have been more weight put behind this girl's knockout blows. There are a few good examples of the strikes she threw that looked really good: the push type kicks (specifically front kicks to the body), the regular round kicks she threw to the guys hanging out windows where it looked like her shin connected to their heads, knees, and elbows. I don't want this to come off as me being some kind of MMA training fightbro douchebag guy, but after watching so much MMA and listening to podcasts about different fighting techniques, some times movie fight scenes can lose me a little bit. I had a hard time buying some of her round kicks to the head that landed with her foot, her hook kicks weren't "believably" KOing anybody either. There was also a scene where her and her opponent ran at each other and she ran up him and came down with a knee tap to the forehead when it would have been way more impactful and believable and awesome if she would have ran up and delivered the knee to the jaw on the way up. Once again, picking nits, but this sort of thing kept happening the whole film and bugging the hell out of me. I loved the low flying elbow and knee knockouts she did though, those were really nice.

I think the little girl's performance was pretty great. I have no clue how realistic it was for a kid with autism assuming that's what they were actually going for. I think she did a good job of being sympathetic, plus I loved it when she started impersonating Bruce Lee, I legit got kinda hype for that. I really don't enjoy having that much negative stuff to say, and it's not even like I hated the film. I just think the fighting scenes could have been handled more thoughtfully and done more to cover up would be weaknesses of a character. I really think they should have done more to make her more brutal and I would have been totally bought in completely. More knees and elbows, more push kicks and sweeps to get opponents on their knees in front of her, maybe more of throwing her body around like a pinball.

EDIT: gonna pretend I went from 3 to 5 on purpose.

pahaK

04-06-21, 08:12 PM

I don't want this to come off as me being some kind of MMA training fightbro douchebag guy, but after watching so much MMA and listening to podcasts about different fighting techniques, some times movie fight scenes can lose me a little bit. I had a hard time buying some of her round kicks to the head that landed with her foot, her hook kicks weren't "believably" KOing anybody either. There was also a scene where her and her opponent ran at each other and she ran up him and came down with a knee tap to the forehead when it would have been way more impactful and believable and awesome if she would have ran up and delivered the knee to the jaw on the way up

I love to nitpick myself, so I'll nitpick your nitpick a little.

You don't have to land kicks with a shin or knee to KO someone. As you mentioned MMA, let's look at Anderson Silva's front kick:

https://youtu.be/h1Ik4aI2PD0

That doesn't look like much compared to some roundhouse shin KOs, but there are many ways to land a KO hit.

And about a knee to forehead vs a knee to the jaw. You can ask Cyborg Santos if a knee to the forehead has enough impact:

https://youtu.be/p0A3nURbYqQ

I'm not denying the flaws of the fights, but I just think they're definitely above average. And like I said, you need some suspension of disbelief for a movie where a little woman is beating dozens of men. You can't make that realistic because it just doesn't happen in real life.

Siddon

04-06-21, 09:36 PM

Yeah the problem I had with that was she was clearly doing Kung Fu but she learned Muay Thai...

pahaK

04-06-21, 09:56 PM

Yeah the problem I had with that was she was clearly doing Kung Fu but she learned Muay Thai...

And the actress has a Taekwondo background :) But yeah, she was learning kungfu from the films she saw.

jiraffejustin

04-07-21, 12:29 AM

I love to nitpick myself, so I'll nitpick your nitpick a little.

You don't have to land kicks with a shin or knee to KO someone. As you mentioned MMA, let's look at Anderson Silva's front kick:

https://youtu.be/h1Ik4aI2PD0

That doesn't look like much compared to some roundhouse shin KOs, but there are many ways to land a KO hit.

And about a knee to forehead vs a knee to the jaw. You can ask Cyborg Santos if a knee to the forehead has enough impact:

https://youtu.be/p0A3nURbYqQ

I'm not denying the flaws of the fights, but I just think they're definitely above average. And like I said, you need some suspension of disbelief for a movie where a little woman is beating dozens of men. You can't make that realistic because it just doesn't happen in real life.

Both of the examples you mention are not the kind of thing I have a problem with. The Anderson Silva front kick is awesome, I remember watching that live. It's also a front kick, my problem was with the round kicks that slapped with the foot. It's a different type of impact. I mention enjoying the push kicks, which are different than Anderson's front kick, but a lot of the push kicks are front kicks.

Also the specific knee I had a problem with is NOT the same type of knee that murdered Cyborg. That knee was actually the same type of motion I would have preferred, because that was an upward motion instead of going above a person and changing your momentum and tapping on them on the way down. I mentioned the specific body parts just as an example of where I thought the momentum would have carried her if she had been going the same route.

I just rewatched the specific knee I was bothered with. It's not as bad as I remembered, but it's still not as good as a regular flying knee would have been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtbfkmIT-A&ab_channel=Movieclips
It's at about 2:30 in the video

here is the knee you mentioned.
EDIT: you posted the video in the spoiler wrap.

Page connects on the way up like I would have preferred.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B45Qif04DnQ&ab_channel=CHESTERSMOVIECLIPS
I like the knee at 1:15 a lot. Looks brutal and badass, the kind of thing that makes me buy into this character being a threat.

And I am not asking for a realistic fight, because a realistic fight would have been two men grab her and they all kill her. But to help my suspension of disbelief and to make it look really good, I mentioned a few of the things that would have helped me out.

pahaK

04-07-21, 09:52 AM

Just snipped what I wanted to reply to.

Both of the examples you mention are not the kind of thing I have a problem with. The Anderson Silva front kick is awesome, I remember watching that live. It's also a front kick, my problem was with the round kicks that slapped with the foot. It's a different type of impact. I mention enjoying the push kicks, which are different than Anderson's front kick, but a lot of the push kicks are front kicks.

I don't get the issue with the roundhouse kicks connecting with the foot. Muay Thai isn't the only martial art with effective kicks :D Here's a random kick KO video from kickboxing and all of these land either with foot or ankle area.

https://youtu.be/h-_64002dj0

I just rewatched the specific knee I was bothered with. It's not as bad as I remembered, but it's still not as good as a regular flying knee would have been.

I get what you mean. I think that particular knee is sort of a tribute to Tony Jaa's special downward elbow (obviously the director made Jaa's first films but JeeJa also trained with Jaa's camp for the film):

https://youtu.be/FMXf_NWYX24

jiraffejustin

04-07-21, 12:47 PM

I don't get the issue with the roundhouse kicks connecting with the foot. Muay Thai isn't the only martial art with effective kicks :D Here's a random kick KO video from kickboxing and all of these land either with foot or ankle area.

Like I said, it is nitpicky, it's also a thing that I've tried to make clear that is a specific nuisance to me and I understand why it might not be to others.

Yeah, you can knock someone out with a kick when it's the foot connecting, specifically more likely when it's the ankle connecting. Often times those kicks will be connecting on the button with someone leaning into them, and those kicks look to have some weight behind them, some oomph. Taekwondo, which is what the actress is good at, is more about scoring points than getting KOs, but obviously any type of kick to the head could potentially knock someone out. Snap kicks, like she throws, just won't knock everybody out every time you throw one, especially if you are young girl fighting grown men. I guess my issue is that for those specific kicks I am bothered by, the end result (the henchman collapsing unconscious never to be heard from again) didn't match the strike. Those strikes seemed like they would knock the dude off-balance, then maybe the knockout blow follows it. I am not trying to sway anyone's opinion though, I hope people liked it more than I did, and it seems they did. :up:

pahaK

04-07-21, 01:53 PM

Like I said, it is nitpicky, it's also a thing that I've tried to make clear that is a specific nuisance to me and I understand why it might not be to others.

Yeah, you can knock someone out with a kick when it's the foot connecting, specifically more likely when it's the ankle connecting. Often times those kicks will be connecting on the button with someone leaning into them, and those kicks look to have some weight behind them, some oomph. Taekwondo, which is what the actress is good at, is more about scoring points than getting KOs, but obviously any type of kick to the head could potentially knock someone out. Snap kicks, like she throws, just won't knock everybody out every time you throw one, especially if you are young girl fighting grown men. I guess my issue is that for those specific kicks I am bothered by, the end result (the henchman collapsing unconscious never to be heard from again) didn't match the strike. Those strikes seemed like they would knock the dude off-balance, then maybe the knockout blow follows it. I am not trying to sway anyone's opinion though, I hope people liked it more than I did, and it seems they did. :up:

Heh, I also have an antipathy towards the Olympic Taekwondo (not necessarily because it's points-based, but because of the awful habits these fighters learn from it - hands dows cause no punching to the head and constant jumping). I also agree about the snap kicks, but that's just a form "lacking visual impact" that's far too often missing in these films (that's a very big issue in Chinese kungfu films, too).

To me, the rest is just the suspension of disbelief. JeeJa is, by far, one of the best female action stars, and for a realist (in this case as an opposite to feminist) they're the ones I have to compare her to. I think it's impossible for someone like her to have a visual impact on all of her strikes in an extended fight - it's bothersome to a degree, but nothing you can do.

But yeah, I don't (fully) agree with your ideas regarding kicks. Many KO hits (punch or kick) look like glances, and I'd presume that the vast majority of kick KO's across all the sports are either foot or ankle connections.

CosmicRunaway

04-07-21, 04:06 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76018

Drunken Angel / 醉いどれ天使 (1948)
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Chieko Nakakita

Drunken Angel is a highly symbolic film that critiques not only the Western occupation of Japan after World War II and its influence on Japanese culture, but traditional Japanese ideals of honour and sacrifice as well. The heart of Japan is plagued by poison, both from outside sources and from within, just like the town's water is swamped by pollution. Wardrobe and musical choices work well to reinforce these themes, but unfortunately I found little substance beneath them.

My problem with Drunken Angel is that the plot doesn't seem to go anywhere. There's no major conflict at the centre of the story, just personal issues that aren't fleshed out enough to be the main focus. It feels like a slice of life film, and while there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I don't typically find them very compelling. There isn't much in the way of character development or growth either, which coupled with the aforementioned lack of conflict, makes for a rather dull viewing experience.

Perhaps that lack of direction and resolution are meant to be symbolic as well, but I can't help but feel that the film would be far more interesting if the narrative was told more from Matsunaga's perspective instead of the doctor's. Matsunaga's diagnosis throws his entire life into disarray, but we only see his struggle from an outsider's point of view. To see him more intimately question his beliefs and loyalty would've been far more engaging to me. While I do appreciate certain aspects of Drunken Angel, I think I just expected more from it.

CosmicRunaway

04-07-21, 04:16 PM

(unless you count Mifune looking like a silent-film era vampire at the end)
I was going to point that out, but forgot. I actually liked the makeup, as it was both fitting and mildly amusing at the same time.

rbrayer

04-08-21, 11:45 PM

In case it hasn’t been said, Chocolate is on Kanopy. Watching it next.

Citizen Rules

04-09-21, 03:11 PM

76157
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow
(Woo-Ping Yuen 1978)

I can totally understand why people like these comedy-martial arts exploitative films. Not really exploitative of course, but they do have the same feel as what is often called black exploitation films from the 1970s. Basically both are small budget, made for the drive-in and deliver lots of cheesy fun.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow reminded me of the Keystone Cops silent movies, very slapstick and intentionally so. Especially with those fun, over the top sound effects and grunts...Oh and the crazy twist of the hand movements too. Jackie Chan as a misfit paired with the old Kung Fu master was a good comedy pairing. The old master was funny. Loved the way he caught all those flies in his hand. The funniest part was Chan's attack of the Cat Claw move!

So this is hard for me to rate as I'd say it's successful and doing what it want's to do, it's just that I'm not into martial arts, but at least the comedy was zany enough for some laughs.

edarsenal

04-09-21, 03:33 PM

Interesting perspective, Cosmic, on Drunken Angel. It is always a pleasure to catch your insight before seeing a film, and since this was a Blind Grab for me, it'll be playing about in the back of my mind when I check this out.

And I'm glad there was enough zaniness for Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow to work for you, CR, beyond the martial arts that doesn't. Jackie Chan does have an inherent knack for comedy and often uses a bit of slapstick in his fights. And since I've barely seen any of his older films, except clips from a documentary I remember watching back in the late nineties regarding him and two friends, Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung, who were all trained similarly and got into films around the same time,
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/86/07/ba/8607ba146426af8cc12fb461706c013f.jpg
along with the enjoyment of martial arts since childhood, I'll be looking forward to this one.

Also, I finished Mother (I loved it) and going to try to write up something tonight for it.

CosmicRunaway

04-09-21, 05:43 PM

jiraffejustin

04-09-21, 05:46 PM

Wyldesyde19

04-09-21, 07:05 PM

I’m getting around to Mother (finally!) tonight.

pahaK

04-09-21, 09:27 PM

I also started (and finished) Hanagatami today. Full review in few days, but I didn't either love or hate it (I loved or hated some aspects of it, though).

Allaby

04-09-21, 09:53 PM

I watched Paprika (2006) today. I liked the animation and the look of the movie. There's some cool visual sequences that were creative and well executed. The main problem I had was with the story. It didn't really work for me. There was a lot going on, but it felt muddled and hard to connect or engage with. It seemed like weird nonsense happening randomly for no discernible reason. I get that the film is supposed to be surreal and the dream sequences or elements were meant to be fantastical, but I felt like it needed something more substantial to make it work. Paprika felt longer than its run time and I wasn't satisfied by the end result. I would rate it a 3 and most of that is for the animation and some cool visuals.

edarsenal

04-10-21, 05:50 AM

I was going to watch Hanagatami, but just 15 minutes in I've turned it off because I feel like this is the type of film I really need to be in the mood to watch, and I don't think I'm there right now. Not sure if I'll move on to something else and revisit this later, or wait until I feel like I'm ready to experience this film.

In the meantime, can someone who has already seen it tell me if it's meant to be taken completely seriously, or if there's an intentional element of comedy?
If it's not time - it is NOT time. Much better an experience thatta way.

I think once you see it all the way through, you'll be able to tell when it is completely serious. But with the Obayashi films I've seen, I think there is clearly supposed to be some comedic elements to it, it's also totally unique to all other filmmaking.
Thanks JJ, will be keeping that in my mindset and curious to explore the "uniqueness" when my time comes.
I also started (and finished) Hanagatami today. Full review in few days, but I didn't either love or hate it (I loved or hated some aspects of it, though).
Gonna be watchin for this.

edarsenal

04-10-21, 07:26 AM

https://i0.wp.com/www.dogandwolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Madeo.Mother.1.jpg?fit=600%2C255&ssl=1

Mother aka Madeo (2009)

Reminding me of a similar extraordinary aspect when I watched Edith Evans in the 24th Hof's The Whisperers, I was captivated by Hye-ja Kim playing a slightly off-centered mother; her simple son getting accused of murder and her willingness to do everything for her beloved child. It is played out within the dark-humored, well-spun tale and Bong Joon Ho's jaw-dropping turn of events. A top-of-the-line quality, style, f@ckin amusing, HOLY SH#T predecessor to Parasite.

Quick derailment: My original comment of this being a second watch turns out I mistook this to be some other in the happy overdose of Korean Crime-related films we watched when first discovering them a few years into the new millennia. Making for a very, VERY enjoyable first time as well as a favorable rewatch overall, even after knowing how the rabbit got into the magician's hat in the first place, being such a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

One of the many aspects of adoration that drew me into Asian films is the poetry and symmetry that are astonishingly blended within such tragically dark and graphic events. While one may express it as excessive when commenting on South Korean cinema, it is imbued with a poetic nuance.
For me, Madeo is one such film in a sea of. And oh how I do adore the swim!

Complimenting Hye-ja Kim's performance is Won Bin as Mother's equally captivating slow-witted son, Yoon Do-joon.
https://images2.vudu.com/background/175798-576a.jpg
rounding out the two main characters and their relationship. Won Bin endears you to the good-intentioned young man who doesn't like to be called "retard".

Yet another addition to what has become an amazing beginning to this year's movie experience.
F@CKIN YAY!

cricket

04-10-21, 04:36 PM

Citizen Rules

04-10-21, 06:37 PM

I really haven't been following this thread too closely. I thought about joining but I couldn't find links to the 2 movies I was interested in nominating (Insiang and Manila in the Claws of Light). Anyway, Black Rain sounded interesting to me and it was from the same director as what I have to watch for the current Personal Rec HoF, so I watched it. I won't say much because I didn't join and strangely it seems nobody has watched it yet. It's incredible and would have been my #1 here had I joined. Look forward to the writeups. CR, I don't know if you've seen it set yourself but great find. I had never heard of it before.Black Rain was a blind grab...but...I spent a lot of time looking for & reading about, different foreign films for a possible nom. As soon as I seen Black Rain was a drama about the aftermath of Hiroshima I knew I wanted to watch it. I can't image what living through the atomic bomb would be like and that's what interested me about the film.

cricket

04-10-21, 06:39 PM

Black Rain was a blind grab...but...I spent a lot of time looking for & reading about, different foreign films for a possible nom. As soon as I seen Black Rain was a drama about the aftermath of Hiroshima I knew I wanted to watch it. I can't image what living through the atomic bomb would be like and that's what interested me about the film.

I'll post something more about it later on in the rate the last movie thread.

Citizen Rules

04-10-21, 06:41 PM

I'll post something more about it later on in the rate the last movie thread.I'm interested in reading your thoughts....Maybe give me a @mention?

cricket

04-10-21, 06:59 PM

I'm interested in reading your thoughts....Maybe give me a @mention?

Come on now I don't know how to do that stuff LOL

Citizen Rules

04-10-21, 07:00 PM

Come on now I don't know how to do that stuff LOLNo worries:p I'll find it sooner or later.

seanc

04-10-21, 08:03 PM

cricket

04-10-21, 08:05 PM

Where did you watch this?

YouTube

Citizen Rules

04-10-21, 08:55 PM

YouTubeWow, I didn't even know it was there. Was the video quality OK? Sometimes those YouTube videos are pretty poor quality. I do have a link that's good quality and has English subs, if anyone needs that just let me know.

cricket

04-10-21, 09:18 PM

Wow, I didn't even know it was there. Was the video quality OK? Sometimes those YouTube videos are pretty poor quality. I do have a link that's good quality and has English subs, if anyone needs that just let me know.

I thought it was good

Citizen Rules

04-10-21, 09:43 PM

I thought it was goodI just looked at the YouTube video and it actually looked better than what I had. Sweet deal:)

Wyldesyde19

04-11-21, 12:31 AM

I really haven't been following this thread too closely. I thought about joining but I couldn't find links to the 2 movies I was interested in nominating (Insiang and Manila in the Claws of Light). Anyway, Black Rain sounded interesting to me and it was from the same director as what I have to watch for the current Personal Rec HoF, so I watched it. I won't say much because I didn't join and strangely it seems nobody has watched it yet. It's incredible and would have been my #1 here had I joined. Look forward to the writeups. CR, I don't know if you've seen it set yourself but great find. I had never heard of it before.

Imamura is a director whose filmography I’ve longed to dig into. The Insect Woman, The Pornographers, Veangence is Mine, The Ballad of Narayama, Black Rain, and The Eel have all been among my watch list for so long I was glad to see him nominated here.

CosmicRunaway

04-11-21, 10:36 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76217

Daimajin / 大魔神 (1966)
Directed By: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring: Ryūtarō Gomi, Jun Fujimaki, Miwa Takada

While every now and then I do enjoy seeing a typical, action-filled kaiju flick, I've always preferred films like Shin Godzilla, which was more about government bureaucracy and ineptitude than it was about the giant monster itself. Going into Daimajin, I had no idea where on the scale it would fall, but I had seen some comments mentioning that we only see the majin in the final scenes of the film. Some viewers might be disappointed by that, but it actually made me more interested in seeing it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-made samurai story about good triumphing over evil and honouring tradition, with themes warning viewers of the dangers that greed and excessive ambition bring. It's similar to a fairy tale in nature, and reminded me of the old fantasy films I watched as a kid, especially with the tyrannical antagonist. The plot is very predicable, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

The sets and costumes are amazing, and the visual effects are incredibly impressive. There's a clever use of angles to make the daimajin look imposing, and you can feel the weight of its steps, except in one close-up where its clearly moving but no sound effects accompany it. The performances from the human characters were great across the board as well, and they felt far more grounded in reality rather than theatrics. I doubt I would've watched this had it not been nominated, so I'm very glad that it was.

CosmicRunaway

04-11-21, 10:47 AM

Daimajin is, at the same time, a samurai epic, a kaiju horror, and a fantasy adventure with the most cliched plot of an evil usurper and a righteous heir in exile (sort of).
This is a samurai fairy tale with a classic good v. evil framing.
Just wanted to mention that I'm glad I wasn't the only one who got fantasy film/fairy tale vibes from Daimajin, since the reviews I read ahead of these didn't point that out and I was getting worried haha.

Wyldesyde19

04-11-21, 01:57 PM

I’ll have my review for Mother up later today.

Allaby

04-11-21, 02:44 PM

I watched Tears of the Black Tiger (2000) today. Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng, this romantic western adventure stars Chartchai Ngamsan as Dum aka. the Black Tiger, the fastest shot in the East. I thought Ngamsan did a fine job as the main character and the supporting cast were pretty good too. I really loved the look of the film. The use of bright and vibrant colors was wonderful. The use of flashbacks was also very effective and I especially enjoyed the scenes of the two main characters as kids. The action and shootout sequences were fantastic and a lot of fun. Some of the violence was intentionally over the top, which I thought worked well. Tears of the Black Tiger is considered to be both a homage and a parody and it succeeds at both. It also is a very good western adventure in its own right. I am glad I watched it. My rating is a 4.

Citizen Rules

04-11-21, 03:34 PM

pahaK

04-11-21, 10:42 PM

Hanagatami (2017)

This was the first Ôbayashi film I've seen (I'm aware of Hausu, but I haven't seen it). I quickly glanced at some reviews when the nominations were revealed, so I knew to expect something unique. While I respect the uniqueness, it doesn't always equal good.

76228

The most prominent things in my mind after watching Hanagatami are odd direction and shooting choices, poor CGI and green screen usage, and occasional beautiful images. Considering how experienced the director is, I must presume that the oddities are intentional, but I can't even begin to fathom why dialogue scenes reverse the character positions between cuts. Also, some of the CGI seems intentionally bad. Ôbayashi must have had his reasons, but I don't get them.

There are many gorgeous shots, too, especially outdoors. All that tomfoolery with the moon was my favorite visual detail in Hanagatami. I also loved the not-so-subtle vampire references regarding Mina (starting with the name, obviously). In many ways, she was also the only relatable character in the film. Everyone else was as all over the place as the film itself. And what's with all the gay vibes between Toshihiko and Ukai (who both definitely seemed to be into girls).

Hanagatami is like a definition of a mixed bag. It throws all of its highs and lows at the viewer in a seemingly haphazard fashion. There were far too many annoyances for me to really like it, but it has a unique charm to it.

ueno_station54

04-12-21, 05:07 AM

The most prominent things in my mind after watching Hanagatami are odd direction and shooting choices, poor CGI and green screen usage, and occasional beautiful images. Considering how experienced the director is, I must presume that the oddities are intentional, but I can't even begin to fathom why dialogue scenes reverse the character positions between cuts. Also, some of the CGI seems intentionally bad. Ôbayashi must have had his reasons, but I don't get them.

Can confirm the bad cgi, green screen and even the horizontal flips are staples of the last leg of Obayashi's filmography.

Dog Star Man

04-12-21, 06:25 AM

Black Rain... now that's a tough watch. I don't think I've ever gotten past the first few minutes of that film without being totally revolted. The dropping of the atom bomb was perhaps one of the most, if not the most, despicable of war crimes...

rbrayer

04-12-21, 02:56 PM

Chocolate (2008)

Ok, wow, I have mixed feelings here.

The first 15 minutes were just awful. It felt like a weirdly bastardized mashup of a telenovela and a music video. The music generally throughout the film was cheesy and intrusive, but especially so in the setup. I appreciate that the director told so much of the story visually, but it was just so incoherent and gratuitous. The sex/tattoo scenes were a bit silly but the part that really put me off was the chopping-off-the-toe in front of a kid thing. I get that it was an inciting incident for Zen, but how much did we really need to see? There seemed like a lot of shock value for shock value sake.

The story itself was pretty silly as well. Autistic Zen apparently learned martial arts from watching people fight in the Muay Thai Kickboxing school she shared a residence with and from TV and videogames. Absurd. No physical practice, just some jedi mind trick and she's the best fighter on the planet. Come on. Just dumb. Also, we were never given any reason to care about her family. Only her cousin was remotely relatable. On a story and character level this film was a complete mess.

All that said, these are far and away the best, most impressive marital arts sequences I have ever seen. They were absolutely breathtaking. Admittedly, I don't watch tons of martial arts films, but the choreography here was just stunning. It looked so real that I was not terribly surprised when a 5 minute bit of outtakes at the end showed numerous actors getting injured in the process of shooting the film.

So this is a martial arts film that totally fails as a story and as to characters but succeeds beyond all reasonable expectations at the actual fighting, which is ostensibly the point. So I don't know what to do with that. 3/5. Glad I saw it but wouldn't watch again.

Btw: I couldn't find this as a movie on the site I could check off. Does anyone know if it is listed under a different title?

Chypmunk

04-12-21, 03:05 PM

Btw: I couldn't find this as a movie on the site I could check off. Does anyone know if it is listed under a different title?
Just use "chocola" as the movie title and it's the second entry listed. Add in the next "t" though and it disappears from the list :shrug:

Citizen Rules

04-12-21, 03:37 PM

Just use "chocola" as the movie title and it's the second entry listed. Add in the next "t" though and it disappears from the list :shrug:Good catch Chyp, I wouldn't have known that if you had posted.

CosmicRunaway

04-12-21, 04:46 PM

Autistic Zen apparently learned martial arts from watching people fight in the Muay Thai Kickboxing school she shared a residence with and from TV and videogames. Absurd. No physical practice, just some jedi mind trick and she's the best fighter on the planet.
Well we do see her practising when we was younger, against the wooden pillar. The damage done to her legs prompts her mom to wrap the blankets around it so she has something softer to kick. We don't see exactly how much she practised her moves over the next couple years, but given how martial arts became her obsession, and she was clearly commited (given how she didn't initially give up kicking that pillar despite splinters), it's safe to assume that she did it quite often from that point forward. We also know she's been practising her reflexes with those street performances. She likely hasn't actually fought anyone before, but she clearly had physical practise.

rbrayer

04-12-21, 04:55 PM

Well we do see her practising when we was younger, against the wooden pillar. The damage done to her legs prompts her mom to wrap the blankets around it so she has something softer to kick. We don't see exactly how much she practised her moves over the next couple years, but given how martial arts became her obsession, and she was clearly commited (given how she didn't initially give up kicking that pillar despite splinters), it's safe to assume that she did it quite often from that point forward. We also know she's been practising her reflexes with those street performances. She likely hasn't actually fought anyone before, but she clearly had physical practise.

I'd forgotten about that early scene as it's been a few days before I had the chance to write. Thanks for pointing this out.

However, even given the above, the idea that these activities would be sufficient to make her Bruce Lee crossed with John Wick is pretty implausible, so I stand by the sentiment.

Citizen Rules

04-12-21, 05:00 PM

...However, even given the above, the idea that these activities would be sufficient to make her Bruce Lee crossed with John Wick is pretty implausible, so I stand by the sentiment.This is my take and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind...

I see Chocolate as a fantasy type movie that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy. Most marital arts films I've seen (and I ain't seen many) are completely impossible in the real world. With Chocolate's broad pallet & colorful and zany characters I don't see how it could be held to the same standards as a serious, real world film would be. That's just how I view it.

pahaK

04-12-21, 05:23 PM

Most marital arts films I've seen (and I ain't seen many) are completely impossible in the real world.

Marital arts sounds like a cool way to describe porn :D

rbrayer

04-12-21, 05:57 PM

This is my take and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind...

I see Chocolate as a fantasy type movie that requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy. Most marital arts films I've seen (and I ain't seen many) are completely impossible in the real world. With Chocolate's broad pallet & colorful and zany characters I don't see how it could be held to the same standards as a serious, real world film would be. That's just how I view it.

That's fair, but even in fantasies, internal story logic is important. If she had some magical powers from an amulet or something, fine. If she was genetically modified to learn at some incredible clip, fine. But autistic+movies+self-practice=warrior of death is incoherent and the movie invests significant time in giving us this explanation, so I think it's reasonable to challenge it.

Citizen Rules

04-12-21, 06:12 PM

Marital arts sounds like a cool way to describe porn :DHa! It took me a while to figure out your post, then I got it:p

That's fair, but even in fantasies, internal story logic is important. If she had some magical powers from an amulet or something, fine. If she was genetically modified to learn at some incredible clip, fine. But autistic+movies+self-practice=warrior of death is incoherent and the movie invests significant time in giving us this explanation, so I think it's reasonable to challenge it.Yeah, that's true that all movies, even fantasy films need to be true to their own universe.

Wyldesyde19

04-12-21, 07:12 PM

Regarding martial arts film, even though I’m not a huge fan of the genre, I have enjoyed a handful. One thing to keep in mind is many of them do in fact have a fantasy elements to them, especially the wuxia genre (think Hero and Crouching tiger, Hidden Dragon). They’re meant to be somewhat over the top, much like John Wick is, or many of the US action films that was prevalent in the 80’s.
During the Hong Kong New Wave of the 80’s, in fact, they embraced the silliness and added a heavy dose of comedy to make the martial arts seem less so. Think A Chinese Ghost Story, which admittedly had a fantasy elements.
Jackie Chan was an exception to this, as his films martial arts were more realistic, considering the style. At least from what little I have seen anyways.

Wyldesyde19

04-12-21, 08:49 PM

Mother

The story of a women’s somewhat creepy, always complicated and definitely caring relationship with her son. A son who suffers from a intellectual disability (I had to look up exactly how to describe it correctly without using the “r” word”), named Do-Joon. (Also had to look that up to properly spell it)
Prone to fits of anger when he called the “r” word, and easily manipulated, he is arrested for the murder of a young girl. His memory can’t always be trusted, as it is easily twisted, including his supposed best friend. Yet he can accurately recall past events with such clarity it can be a bit of a paradox.
His mother takes it upon herself to find the killer, and it’s amazing the lengths she will go to to prove his innocence.

Bong Joon-Hoo is the director, and as most South Korean films are, has a deliberate pace set to it. But it’s never slow or boring. It’s somewhat methodical. Especially when the truth is discovered, and who really committed the murder. It reminded me of the reveal in Rudderless.
The acting accomplished what it needs to, with the mother and her son both doing quite well in their roles. And of course the direction is great as one would expect.
And all the while the mother, never named, is the guiding force to this film. We go where she goes. Her discoveries are ours. We feel for her and her son. Almost like a burden at times, even to her at her weakest moments. But she never gives up her determination in proving her sons innocence.
It ends as it begins......with her dancing.

CosmicRunaway

04-14-21, 02:51 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76373

Tears of the Black Tiger / ฟ้าทะลายโจร (2000)
Directed By: Wisit Sasanatieng
Starring: Chartchai Ngamsan, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon

Being equal parts parody and homage to genres I don't particularly like, Tears of the Black Tiger is a film that I have mixed opinions about. It features a fantastic visual style, but the over-satured colours often bleed together, making many scenes look blurry instead of vibrant. I assume this was done intentionally to help emulate old film stock, but I feel as though sharpening the film up just a tiny bit would've made the aesthetics really pop.

The first shoot-out at the start of the film is ridiculous and over-the-top, and for a brief period I thought I might actually end up loving this film. I found the opening quite amusing, and seeing a Western in a lush forest was a pleasant novelty. However I never laughed again afterwards, not even once the absurdity returned with a vengeance for the climactic finale. I wasn't particularly engaged, so the action didn't entertain me as much as it otherwise would have.

I think my mood soured during the scene I've featured as the header image. Instead of the soap opera-esque performances the rest of the film exhibited, both Chartchai Ngamsan and Supakorn Kitsuwon seemed to be acting in a grade school play here. The obviously painted backdrop and fake tree didn't help that perception either. Perhaps this was a reference I didn't understand, but I disliked it so much that I couldn't get back into the film afterward.

CosmicRunaway

04-14-21, 02:56 PM

Tears of the Black Tiger is considered to be both a homage and a parody [...]
Being equal parts parody and homage [...]
...jinx? 😁

Citizen Rules

04-14-21, 03:10 PM

We need some more reviews from the right bank, I'll let you guys figure that out:p

CosmicRunaway

04-14-21, 05:18 PM

Just watched Black Rain, but probably won't write anything about it for awhile since it's getting late, and I'll be busy tomorrow.

It reminded me of some other film about the same subject that I saw some time ago, but I don't remember enough about it to look up what it was.

cricket

04-15-21, 08:47 PM

It reminded me of some other film about the same subject that I saw some time ago, but I don't remember enough about it to look up what it was.

Hiroshima Mon Amour?

mark f

04-15-21, 09:24 PM

Of course.

pahaK

04-15-21, 09:25 PM

I also watched Black Rain a couple of days ago, but I find it difficult to write anything about it. And I'm not overwhelmed or devastated or anything, but I just don't know what to say. I'll try to scribble something today or tomorrow to finally get that review out of the way. For short, it was okay, bordering on good even, but I didn't like it nearly as much as cricket.

cricket

04-15-21, 09:42 PM

Citizen Rules

04-15-21, 10:55 PM

I didn't care for Hiroshima Mon Amour...my review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1685804#post1685804)
So I hope it's not like Black Rain (which I haven't seen yet).

cricket

04-15-21, 10:59 PM

I didn't care for Hiroshima Mon Amour...my review (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1685804#post1685804)
So I hope it's not like Black Rain (which I haven't seen yet).

Black Rain reminded me of it, but there's no comparison to how I feel about them.

Citizen Rules

04-15-21, 11:07 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76488
Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa 1950)

A great film, or so they tell me. I have no complaints and it seemed to hit it's mark and it delivered just what it aimed for...But what it was aiming for eludes me. I'm guessing what people like is the enigma of which of the four stories are correct? Perhaps Rashomon is meant to be a mind puzzle where one uses logic and insight to find similarities in the four stories and then decipher the truth from that. If that's the allure of Rashomon then it's worthy of it's praise.

For me I've never enjoyed mind puzzles and when I watch a movie I like to lose myself in the narrative and characters lives. Rashomon gives little up about the forlorn Samurai and his wife. We never really get to know them except from second hand stories. We do glimpse a bit more of what lays beneath the thick skin of the bandit. The priest and the woodcutter both seem to have inner turmoil that drives the story.

I wonder if Rashomon is meant to be a critique on outdated Japanese beliefs? We have the Samurai's wife being raped and then she's told she needs to die as she has been with two men. Talk about blaming the victim! OR was she the perpetrator of the murder of her husband? I guess those questions are why Rashomon is so highly esteemed.

CosmicRunaway

04-16-21, 11:41 AM

Hiroshima Mon Amour?
I don't think so because I saw that just a few years ago for a Hall of Fame. I'm thinking of something that was shown to us in school, specifically the scene where...

there's a kid who has strips of skin hanging off his arms and body, who is trying to get his big brother to recognize him.
I don't recall anything like that in Hiroshima mon Amour, but then again I primarily only remember the romance of the main characters.

cricket

04-16-21, 11:59 AM

I don't think so because I saw that just a few years ago for a Hall of Fame. I'm thinking of something that was shown to us in school, specifically the scene where...

there's a kid who has strips of skin hanging off his arms and body, who is trying to get his big brother to recognize him.
I don't recall anything like that in Hiroshima mon Amour, but then again I primarily only remember the romance of the main characters.

I don't remember that specifically, but there are horrific scenes from the bombing's aftermath.

CosmicRunaway

04-16-21, 02:45 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76514

Black Rain / 黒い雨 (1989)
Directed By: Shohei Imamura
Starring: Kazuo Kitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka, Etsuko Ichihara

Black Rain is a film about the physical, emotional, and social turmoil caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. It is presented through the eyes of a ground zero survivor, his family, and the small community he lives in that will forever feel the impact of that tragic day. The bittersweet drama that exists at the heart of the film is incredibly engaging, and you really want the Shizumas and their niece to find happiness, despite the odds stacked against them.

The sets and costumes are all fantastic. The make-up effects on the primary bomb victims, as well as the charred corpses seen throughout Hiroshima are as impressive as they are horrifying. I appreciated that the film's recreation of the atomic bomb's aftermath was not overly sensational, and instead allowed the imagery to speak for itself. There is confusion and agony, as no one understands what happened, and everyone just keeps moving forward trying their best to survive.

An overall brooding atmosphere, and lack of closure in the final scene mirror the uncertainty the survivors of the bomb faced. They didn't know when they would begin to show signs of radiation poisoning, or how severe it would get. They could never be sure of how much time they actually had left - even the Shizuma household clock foreshadows this, as it always seems to fall five minutes behind. Though quite dour, the film does not rob viewers of all hope, and it ends in what I believe to be an incredibly appropriate manner.

Wyldesyde19

04-16-21, 03:16 PM

Watching Tears of the Black Tiger today

Allaby

04-16-21, 10:52 PM

I watched Mother (2009), directed by Bong Joon Ho. When a devoted mother's son is accused of murder, she will do whatever it takes to prove her son's innocence. This was really well written film. It told the story in an engaging and effective way. Hye-ja Kim is excellent as the obsessed mother and Won Bin is very good as the son. Their relationship is very complex and multi-layered, portrayed in an interesting way, believable and non-judgmental. Bong Joon Ho did a great job directing the film. Mother is a clever and satisfying film, which entertains and challenges the viewer. For me, this is his second best film after Parasite. I rate Mother a high 4.

Wyldesyde19

04-17-21, 03:31 AM

Tears of the Black Tiger

Going into this, I knew very little of it. All I knew was it had been in the BFI too 100 Western films and was intrigued. To see it nominated here, I thought was an interesting choice. Left to my own devices, it probably would have been quite some time before I watched it of my own volition.

I’m glad I didn’t have to wait. This movie is a trip! Full of vibrant, pastel colors, and enough over the top violence to make even Tarantino blush, this film never lets up. And all the while, it moves ain’t with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek.

It’s obviously meant to be a parody of sorts, with its over the top action, over wrought scenes and over acting. That’s the point of course. I’ve seen a few other westerns that took themselves too seriously while trying to be too cute and fail at both. The Quick and the Dead springs to mind and could have taken a lesson from this, while Django, and The Hateful Eight weren’t nearly as bad off, but were still guilty of the above.

No, TotBT keeps its head up the clouds. It can get a little too silly at times, but it never falls off the rails regardless. Not completely anyways. And it borrows quite a bit from the Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960’s, in a nice homage.

The story is pretty simple. Young man falls in with a gang for vengeance over the death of his father. He quickly becomes the leaders right hand man, much to the jealousy of the former right hand man. He meets his childhood girlfriend and sees a chance at a redemption of sorts. They rekindle their love, but the gang and her impending marriage to a police captain, who incidentally is after his gang, stand in their way.

Very fun to watch, I must admit I laughed at how ludicrous it all seemed. But that was the point of course.

pahaK

04-17-21, 04:07 AM

黒い雨 (1989)
aka Black Rain

For some reason, I have very little to say about Black Rain. I do like its retro feel (it doesn't only look like an older film, but the writing feels old, too). I kinda get the Ozu references, but it's more hectic and stylistically mixed than his work (maybe closer to something like Humanity and Paper Balloons). I think it tries to fool the audience to feel like their watching a more immediate response to the bombing than it actually is.

76532

The scenes in 1945 are harrowing (and more brutal than I'd expect from a Citizen Rules nomination). They have sort of a horror film feel to them with the shambling ragged forms crowding the ruins. The devastated city is like a setting from a 50s SciFi movie. The vintage style mostly works, and it helps the film to focus on the people. Black Rain isn't about the bombing but how the lives of these people were changed by it.

The five years later part of the film looks like an Ozu film. The feel is different, though. Black Rain isn't as introverted as Ozu. Its struggles and crises happen in the real world instead of being just issues of the soul. I think it was easier for me to relate to these people than, for example, the father and daughter in Late Spring. On the other hand, I didn't like how the PTSD guy was turned into comic relief (those scenes of him attacking the bus just didn't fit the overall tone).

I'm not entirely sure of my rating yet, but I think Black Rain hovers somewhere between OK and good. If I figure out more to say, I'll just reply to someone else's review, but this is it for now.

Allaby

04-17-21, 01:03 PM

I watched Dust in the Wind (1986), directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. The film is about a young couple who leave their hometown and their experiences and struggles. The film is competently made, but I found the story and the characters uninteresting. It didn't really engage me and I had a hard time caring about the characters or their experiences. The actors did a decent job, but I felt that the writing fall flat. The film felt longer than it was. I wouldn't consider it a bad movie, but I don't think it was sufficiently entertaining or interesting. My rating is a 3.

Citizen Rules

04-17-21, 01:26 PM

I haven't seen Black Rain yet so can't comment on it...I'll have to watch that!

Citizen Rules

04-17-21, 10:36 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76545
Mother (Bong Joon-ho 2009)

I liked this...I was transfixed by the performance of Hye-ja Kim who played the mother. She doesn't even have a name and that tells you something about her identity. She seems to only exist to nurture her mentally slow son (Won Bin). They have a bond that transcends the normal parent/child relationship. And it was this relationship and the ends that 'mother' would go to, to protect her son that caught my attention. The first 45 minutes or so were amazing! I love first hand story telling with deep character study that captures the very essences of living. Watching the first part of the film was special and I was hooked.

The later part of the film didn't work as well for me as I wanted the personal story of 'mother' and her son. I liked the framework of the wrongly accused son and his mother trying to find the killer. But I don't think we needed the son's friend to act a mentor and helper to the mother. I think that weakened the story some. Still a good watch.

jiraffejustin

04-18-21, 04:37 AM

https://i.imgur.com/lUEYHcZ.png
Tears of the Black Tiger

I'm partial to films that are just plain weird and don't stick convention. While this film doesn't go completely off the rails avoiding the rules of cinema, it's pretty clear that it's not trying to be a regular film of its day. Instead it is looking back at old melodramas and doing them better. While the direction is clearly top notch, I think the actors of this film deserve a ton of credit. They managed to really make me care about what happens to them even though I've seen this all before and they aren't allowed to act the way they must have been taught to act when they were coming up in the business. The ridiculous shoot-out sequences just add to the craziness of this film while paying tribute to Leone's westerns by either directly using Morricone's music or getting some music that sounds really damn close. I think this is one of those films where you could say almost any frame could be a painting. The crazy color palette is probably the most notable and noticeable thing about the film, and really the film probably could have been about anything while looking like this and I would have loved it.

CosmicRunaway

04-18-21, 11:15 AM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76549

Hanagatami / 花筐 (2017)
Directed By: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Starring: Shunsuke Kubozuka, Honoka Yahagi, Keishi Nagatsuka

While I struggled with Hanagatami a lot in the beginning, I got used to its quirky style the longer I watched it, and eventually I found the whole thing strangely compelling. The film is highly symbolic, imaginative, and vehemently anti-war. While many of the effects are odd and poorly integrated, there is an intention behind those jarring visuals that makes them somewhat endearing. Occasionally there would be genuinely beautiful shots as well.

Hanagatami does however feature an uncomfortable amount of incestuous relationships, and a Tarantino-esque fixation on feet that I don't understand. For the duration of the first act, I hated Toshihiko, because there was something about Shunsuke Kubozuka's face that looked off, almost like he belonged in a Tim Burton film. I despised seeing his cartoonish expressions. The fact that he was a 36 year old man playing a 17 year old didn't help either. However even this no longer bothered me by the second act.

In retrospect, I think the age of the actor was meant to be a commentary on how Japan treated boys as though they were fully grown men, as that was a running theme throughout the film. Both the story and visual language of Hanagatami are so are steeped in metaphor, that you could spend hours combing through individual scenes and still find something new. If it wasn't for the film's runtime, I'd almost be tempted to watch it again to catch all the things I missed.

rbrayer

04-19-21, 01:46 PM

Mother (2009):

Wow. This was fantastic. I'd seen Parasite, but that was the only one of Bong Joon Ha's films I'd seen previously. He is a master of tension, thrills, suspense, and social commentary. He's also great at twists, and this movie is no exception, though I will obviously refrain from discussing the twist here.

Kim Hye-ja is a revelation as the titular, unnamed character, a lower-class acupuncturist with a mentally-challenged son that faces a series of dramatic incidents when her son is accused of murdering a young girl. Hye-ja goes on an intense journey, navigating violence, deception, and hatred in her unyielding quest to clear her son. Won Bin is convincing as the intellectually disabled son, Yoon Do-joon, who's spotty memory is a great device to create tension and suspense throughout the piece. The world Ha presents is a dark and cynical one, to say the least, and I'm not sure what the takeaway is supposed to be thematically, but this is certainly a crackerjack of a film, tremendously entertaining, and certainly the best of the 4 films I've seen so far.

Citizen Rules

04-19-21, 01:53 PM

CosmicRunaway

04-19-21, 02:26 PM

Wow. This was fantastic. I'd seen Parasite, but that was the only one of Bong Joon Ha's films I'd seen previously.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was worried that anyone who had only seen Parasite wouldn't like Mother as much, since between the two I think Parasite is the superior film. I'd definitely put Mother ahead of the rest of his work though haha.

rbrayer

04-19-21, 02:44 PM

Glad to hear you liked Mother so well. I believe this is your first HoF? How are you liking the HoF?

It's been great! It's fun to get a chance to see films I would not have otherwise considered watching and getting to read other opinions and analyses has also been excellent as it's increased my appreciation of the films. I'm game for more HoF any chance I can join!

Citizen Rules

04-19-21, 03:30 PM

It's been great! It's fun to get a chance to see films I would not have otherwise considered watching and getting to read other opinions and analyses has also been excellent as it's increased my appreciation of the films. I'm game for more HoF any chance I can join!Cool...The 25th HoF will be starting very soon. It's the main HoF where any movie can be nominated as long as it hasn't won before. I'm hosting that one too:) You're welcomed to join.

rbrayer

04-19-21, 04:27 PM

Cool...The 25th HoF will be starting very soon. It's the main HoF where any movie can be nominated as long as it hasn't won before. I'm hosting that one too:) You're welcomed to join.

I'd love to, thanks! I just need to make sure I see the post before the deadline as I'm not on the forum tons. Since you say it's very soon, I will keep an eye out.

CosmicRunaway

04-21-21, 02:42 PM

I keep seeing this book at work, and the colour palette reminds me of Tears of the Black Tiger.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/9141dk-7I8L.jpg

CosmicRunaway

04-21-21, 06:42 PM

I finished watching Dust in the Wind, so once I write something for that I just need to figure out my list. I think I say this nearly every HoF, but ranking these films really is going to be a difficult task.

Citizen Rules

04-21-21, 06:45 PM

CosmicRunaway

04-21-21, 07:45 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76711

Dust in the Wind / 戀戀風塵 (1986)
Directed By: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Starring: Wang Chien-wen, Xin Shufen, Li Tian-lu

I do not typically enjoy coming of age or slice of life stories, as I tend to find them incredibly boring. Unfortunately, Dust in the Wind was no exception. My biggest problem was that the main characters all lacked personality. They never even have any proper conversations with each other either. What sparse dialogue there is might as well be monologues directed at the camera, because they garnered little to no reaction from those hearing them.

Family members and friends felt like complete strangers, since there was no intimate look at their lives or relationships. As such, I was not engaged, and did not care about what happened to them. A scene near the end of the film was clearly meant to be an emotional moment for Wan, however I felt absolutely nothing for him. I don't even know who Wan really is, despite him being the main character.

My disinterest made the runtime really drag, but I can't say that I hated Dust in the Wind because I don't really have any strong feelings about it one way or the other. Getting an authentic look at rural Taiwan was somewhat novel, and I do wish I had something more positive to say about it. For now I'll just look forward to reading other reviews, since I get the feeling that there's something I missed, or perhaps there is another perspective that'll make me understand the film's appeal.

CosmicRunaway

04-21-21, 07:50 PM

Wow! That was fast!
What's more is that before joining this HoF, I had only watched about three films this entire year. :p

Citizen Rules

04-21-21, 07:55 PM

What's more is that before joining this HoF, I had only watched about three films this entire year. :pWell then...the 25th is coming up real soon...just sayin' :)

rbrayer

04-22-21, 06:12 PM

OK so I just finished Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. I don't have time to write right now, but I just wanted to say thanks. This movie was soooo much fun. I was so confused in the beginning but then it became one of the most entertaining movies I've ever seen, easily my favorite of the 5 I've watched so far, though I guess I might feel differently if I had seen a version with the cat/snake fight.

Still, can't believe I've never seen a Jackie Chan film (not even an American one...) Planning to watch Police Story on Criterion in the near future as a result. Wow. :up: :up: - more to follow

Wyldesyde19

04-22-21, 06:46 PM

What's more is that before joining this HoF, I had only watched about three films this entire year. :p
Only 3? Time to turn in your MoFo card.

All joking aside, I’m around 125 already, but have hit a busy patch at work the last few weeks that has kept my watching to practically nothing.

Wyldesyde19

04-22-21, 06:47 PM

Also, can I get a link for Snake in the Eagles Shadow?

rbrayer

04-23-21, 04:13 PM

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)

This film starts like a parody of martial arts films - a clash between two kung fu masters with threats to destroy each other's styles. Super cheesy. We then see some fighting at a kung fu school with terrible, ridiculous comedy sound effects (mixed wayyy too loud - not sure if this is a function of the age of the print or is in the original. Whatever it is, it's distracting.) This all made me think "what is this trash??"

That changed quickly thanks to the star, Jackie Chan, in one of his earliest parts. Chan plays Chien Fu, an orphan adopted by a kung fu school that works as a janitor. He is viciously abused by the temporary leader of the school and used as a punching bag for students. His only friend is the cook, Ah-Wu, who takes pity on him, and appears sympathetic. Fu meets an old beggar in the street, Pai Cheng-tien (played by the director's father, Yuen Siu-tien), and befriends him by sort-of defending him in a fight and offering him a place to sleep and food. It turns out that Cheng-tien is a kung fu master, one of the last surviving ones teaching the Snake style. He teaches Fu first, to defend himself, and then ultimately, the Snake style. That style comes into conflict with the tiger style, and a fairly straightforward mentorship/good v. evil plot emerges. That's all fine on paper, as far as it goes.

In reality, it is so much more, mainly due to a key decision by the creative team, after failed attempts to make Chan the next Bruce Lee, to make this a comedy martial arts film, rather than a serious one. This proves to be, bad sound effects notwithstanding, pure genius. Chan and the rest of the cast are hysterical, never taking the absurd premises of the rivalry between kung fu schools seriously, and finally leading to the brilliant turn of Chan adding "cat's claw" to his style, a form of fighting that involves him pouncing like a little kitty cat while pretending to make an incredible kitty cat growling sound that you just have to hear to believe.

But Chan is not just funny, he's genuinely sympathetic and believable as a hapless janitor regularly getting mercilessly bullied. Chan exudes a lovely humility that, combined with the decision not to take himself seriously, makes it so easy to root for him. Additionally, Siu-tien is a delight as the humble yet brilliant old master, training Fu in kung fu with a blend of nonchalance and focus that makes for fun montages (and a far FAR more convincing arc than the more dour and so much less fun Chocolate...)

As great as all of the above is, none of it works without Chan's electric physicality. He is unbelievably talented - a pure acrobat. Some of his sequences were as fresh and agile as anything I've seen from Astaire. Chan is nothing short of breathtaking. You can't take your eyes off him as he performs one insane feat after another in quick succession. It's no wonder he became such a huge star.

There are other fun parts of the film. A Jesus doppleganger Christian missionary (obviously dubbed) walking around unconvincingly attempting to convert folks before turning out to be a kung fu master. And then there's Chinese Adam Driver! I took a screenshot but can't figure out how to upload here, but he's a dead ringer! In all, so many laughs. A tremendously entertaining, rollicking ride. In case any confusion somehow lingers: I loved it.

A final word on an earlier point. Because it placed in the top 100 countdown, I watched Enter the Dragon earlier this year. It was ridiculous, racist, misogynist, self-serious trash. Even the marital arts sequences weren't that impressive. Chan was soooo much more entertaining and fun. It's not even close. I can't wait to dig into the rest of Chan's films. Easily my #1 so far.