Asian Film Hall of Fame

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!

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.

I've had the same with a few samurai films, where the action is in the finale. With the rest of the film holding its own quite enjoyably. And just as rewarding as they were, it sounds like this will be very similar and worthwhile.
Cool.

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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.

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

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

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.)

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

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

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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.

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.


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.

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

Also, @Citizen Rules - you've missed my Chocolate review: https://www.movieforums.com/communit...49#post2190549.

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.

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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.

I think the fact that the characters don't have much room to grow tracks the film's themes. The rot from the occupation has put all the characters into terrible positions from which there is no escape, something of a noir trope as well.

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.

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 .

My first and only viewing of Rashomon was a poor video transfer and the film didn't really resonate with me. I'm hoping a second watch with a good quality video makes the differences for me.