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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
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,

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.
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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?



Let the night air cool you off
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?
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.



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
and most of that is for the animation and some cool visuals.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
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.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



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.

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!



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.



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.



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.



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.
Where did you watch this?



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.



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



The trick is not minding
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.