Last seen ASIAN movie

[Angra]

"Sukiyaki Western Django" 5/10

As i'm not a huge Western fan i'd hoped for Miike to put his signature crazy-touch on this one. Sadly i only saw glimps of that.

[friday13thfan]

CARVED (The Slit-Mouthed Woman)

[psycho d]

3-Iron AKA Bin-jip (2004). Kim ki-duk has once again outdone himself, this time with a movie that is not augmented with spectacular landscapes and other outdoor scenes. This one centers indoor and stays mainly within the city. This does not intimate that there are not some incredible imagery here, just that Kim must dig deeper to find it. The story, on paper, would fall flat if offered as a screenplay. With Kim's trademark mute central characters, dialogue is not only unnecessary, but would only clog up this wonderful flick. So what is it about? It is a love story of sorts, but one based on a light, almost dreamlike existence. It is a story about karma. It is of the symbolism of a shadow existence, of ghosts that are not dead. The acting was superb, the cinematography wonderful. Obviously, the story and direction were incredible. Lastly, the feeling that this flick leaves ya with is indescribable in all the right ways. Ashe.
d

[psycho d]

Violent Cop (1989). Outstanding! This flick is a little disquiting for movie-goers in that there almost seems to be no plot, instead events just unfold. Takeshi is truly a violent cop in this disturbing story. With characters so full of rage that it almost bleeds out in every scene, one almost feels agitated at the end, but then the ending itself almost serves as a catharsis for the viewer. Our cop, and his nemesis, are both portrayed as stone-faced killers, and it becomes difficult to see which one is the worse of the lot. Compared to a Japanese Dirty Harry, this flick is much more than that. The acting was great, and the cinematography was awesome. The walking scenes really give a strange aura to this flick, almost as if we are taking this horrible journey along with our anti-hero. The direction was awesome, and the violence perfect for those that enjoy such things. Overall, a very pleasing movie that takes the viewer into a darkness that he may not really emerge back from. Ashe.
d

[Doc Faustus]

Just saw Visitor Q last night. Amazing. I think it's the best horror film of the 21st century. The ending was twisted and cathartic in a way that no ending since that of Eraserhead or The Seventh Victim have been.

[DP McCoy]

Crows Zero

Apart from an oddly positioned ballad,I really enjoyed this,reminded me of a 80's beat em up coin op.

7/10

Crows Zero II

More of the same really,the addition of the rival 'Housen' school recalled The Wanderers,although there was no one quite as formidable as 'Terror' here.

7/10

20th Century Boys

The story started out fairly engaging and initially interesting,but it became dull by halfway and the finale was a bit of an anticlimax.

5/10

20th Century Boys II

A slight improvement on it's predecessor,with regards to the pacing,but still essentially quite dull.Part III will need to pack a whole lot more punch to save the trilogy.

6/10

[DP McCoy]

Chanbara Beauty

Bit of a mixed bag this one,the story was flimsy at best and the acting ability is limited (Although expected for the budget) ,but the very worst aspect of this film is the effects.Virtually all the blood letting was poorly rendered CGI,each sword slash an excuse to cover the screen with unconvincing blood spatter.
That's not to say the movie is all bad,it offers some mild entertainment and there are one or two scenes that I found quite visually striking,but they were too few to really elevate the film above it's overall lack of cohesion and quality.

5/10

[DP McCoy]

Epitaph

There was much to like about this film,the sense of mood and creeping menace were perfectly created,and the use of sepia tones complement the period settings and contrast against the more vivid colours that are used at several points during the film.There were some genuinely unnerving moments that while not completely original were extremely effective.
The main criticism I have is with the narrative,which became frustratingly confusing.I have no problem with films that don't provide the viewer with easy answers but I felt that in this case the filmmakers efforts to make the story enigmatic were misjudged which left me dissatisfied at the conclusion.

6/10

[roshiq]

My Girlfriend is an Agent (2009)

Pretty nice romantic-action-comedy from Korea. Worth a watch.

>>: B

[DP McCoy]

Originally Posted by DP McCoy

Chanbara Beauty

Bit of a mixed bag this one,the story was flimsy at best and the acting ability is limited (Although expected for the budget) ,but the very worst aspect of this film is the effects.Virtually all the blood letting was poorly rendered CGI,each sword slash an excuse to cover the screen with unconvincing blood spatter.
That's not to say the movie is all bad,it offers some mild entertainment and there are one or two scenes that I found quite visually striking,but they were too few to really elevate the film above it's overall lack of cohesion and quality.

5/10

Chanbara Beauty - Vortex

Take what I said above,remove the positives and make everything that was poor even poorer,and that about sums up this sequel.
The Director and actors from the first film must be sensible people because none of them have any involvement in this turkey.

3/10