Cavite

I'm not sure what to think of this film.
I'm not sure I understand what happened.

It was certainly very well done though!

Tokyo Drifter (1966). Give a basic plot of a gangster story and hand it to Seijun Suzuki, then tell him to calm down a bit, and this is the result. Far from calm, this one uses color like an ADHAD kid uses a single crayon in an empty room that is all white. Each frame is like the kid gets a new crayon to play with. This movie has nothing to do with plot and everything to do with style. Suzuki warps film industry norms and conventions with the adept attention of a brilliant madman. Stunning stuff. Ashe.
derek

Infernal Affairs (2002). A great gangster flick flick from Hong Kong that was redone in America as The Departed. More than just a crime drama, this flick allows the lead actors, the yin and yang, to develop quite nicely. This simple yet intriguing story is well crafted, allowing it to be rather tense at times while always digging deeper towards its elemental depth. The acting and direction was wonderful; the cinematography was beautiful. As awesome as The Departed was, Infernal Affairs was even better. Ashe.
derek

Legend of the Red Dragon (2004). Pretty decent Jet Li flick. i saw the dubbed version so that may have have brought it down a level. This was a fun comic book style Kung Fu flick, and while i usually don't care for tongue n cheek humor, it was pretty entertaing here. The fight scenes were decent as well. Overall a fun flick. Ashe.
derek

Rough Cut aka A Movie is a Movie (2008)

A real gangster is recruited to fill a role and save the production of a crime film.

A pretty interesting drama with a slight touch of dark comedy all over. The directions, action sequences, characterizations & acting all are great. Recommended to all.

>>: B+


Thirst (2009)

A quite different & interesting take on Vampire myth by Chan-wook Park. Loved it.

>>: A-

Once Upon a Time in China (1991). The beginning of this one was rough for me. With lots going on and with the threat of being overly corny, i almost ditched it. Glad that i did not. Once it settled down, it turned into a great first instalment of what i hope is a great trilogy. Ashe.
derek

Shi gan AKA Time (2006). Ki-duk Kim is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite directors. i love the complaints that are thrown his way, which are basically that he is too this or too that. Sounds like jealousy to me. Time is a wonderful account centering on the self, what it is, how it changes, and how others will accept the change, both physical and mental. It is like an identity crisis that manifests in the material world. S. Koreans definitely have the penchant for taking a twisted concept, one that would serve as the complete story for an American flick, and using it to give a story momentum before getting to the real heart of the story. The acting is wonderful if not painfully and embarrassingly portrayed. The direction was wonderful, and the cinematography was splendid. i am not sure whether Sculpture Park really exists or was a set production, but the sculpture there was intensely wonderful on its own accord. Lastly, i usually detest love stories no matter how they are told, and this turned out to be a love story that i loved, tragic though it may have been. Dark, cerebral, moody, and pretty twisted, Time was a wonderful flick on all accounts. Ashe.
derek

trilogy?


6 and counting

have you seen 3-iron yet?

The reason i called it a trilogy is cuz i got the trilogy boxset from the library, obviously it sounds like there are a double triple of them.

Naw, its pretty high on the list though. Any good? i have only made my way through four of Ki-duk Kim's works (i am pacing myself).

Last seen:
Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992). Even better than the first. Ashe.
derek

Black House (2007)

>>: B

The Grudge 2 (2006). i am thinking this franchise is played out. Hard to be scary when we are all familiar with the main villains in the deal. The darkroom scene was kinda cool though. Ashe.
derek

Thirst

An enjoyable vampire film overall with plenty of dark humor, sex and gore. But I did think it was just a bit too long, and some of it I just found kind of annoying. I didn't love it, but I did like it.

Public Enemy/Gonggongui jeog (2002). A superbly dark and funny Korean cop story. The beginning dialogue seems a bit much at the beginning, but its purpose is humorously worth it. The story is not your typically convoluted Korean twist upon twist flick, but instead a pretty solid story that is simply well told. Instead of being twisty, it uses dark, and even crass, humor as well as some wonderful side characters to spice it up. There was no dearth of violence as well. The acting was awesome, the direction great, labba labba labba. Overall, this was some pretty good stuff. Ashe.
derek

probably my fav, along with spring, summer, autumn, winter...and spring

Noroi: The Curse

It was alright. Kind of long. Some things could have been left out and the movie would have been all the same to me.

The Warrior AKA Musa (2001). An epic war story that was kinda long and maybe a little predictable, but the way in which the story unfolds makes for a wonderful watching experience. There are lots of characters to keep track of, but not too many such that it becomes arduously confusing. In fact, many side characters get enough screen time to keep us interested and concerned. Of course, it the main characters that we really care about, despite their flaws, or maybe because of them. The battle scenes themselves are awesome, with some blissful slow motion to better appreciate the blood splattering violence. The villains themselves are not protrayed as scum dogs, but instead just devout warriors on the other side of the battle line. Overall a wonderful though violent movie experience. Ashe.
derek

Stacy (2001). At first glance, this appears to be an amateurish take on zombie gore. But something is amiss. As bad as it is, there cannot help but noticed an underlying philosophic message that threatens to be reavealing if the viewer only has a little faith. With camerawork that is almost too awful, and with washed-out film that is like watching your tv with sunlight filtering in the room, this mess of a story relays an underlying message almost as unsettleing as the movie itself. Combining notions of Christian love, zombies and the resultant low-budget gore, dirty old man love, then sprinkled with tributes to American zombie icon Bruce Campbell and George Romero, this flick is somehow entertaining, enjoyable, and endearing. With a goofy love story turned hard rock turned love story score, this sick little venture lures the viewer in and then sucker punches him with its ultimate message, an uppercut to the sexual subconscious brain.

The Forbidden Kingdom(2008). A must see if only to watch Jackie Chan and Jet Li together for the first time on film. Too bad the movie was not epic as such an endeavor should have been. The acting was great, as were the fights, especially between the two. The story was pretty good if predictable. There was just something missing that should have been there. Either way it was enjoyable nonetheless. Ashe.
derek

Beautiful Boxer (2003). Tough call for a guy that hates most romance or love story flicks, this movie turned out to be beautiful and touching in all of the right ways. Without being in your face, this splendid movie takes very sensitive material and portrays it in a ways that gets the viewer wanting more. The fight scenes themselves are pretty good, but this is not a martial arts flick, but a story in which Thai kick boxing happens to be a central element. The acting was top notch, and i was surprised to read that the lead was played by a real life boxer and this was his first acting role, at least in a film. An amazing movie all around, don't let the genre scare ya away, or you will only be missing out on a great movie experience on the human spirit. Ashe.
derek

Started watching "Voices" from the "8 Films To Die For" series......I can't watch sub-titled movies when I'm tired...puts me right to sleep.

sukiyaki western django

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972). A WIP flick that takes Japanese sexploitation to the next level by turning it into art. The lead, played by the beautiful Meiko Kaji of Lady Snowblood fame, plays her coldly erotic part with aplomb. With no lack of boobs (almost every violent scenes begins with the ripping open some gal's shirt) the senseless violence and torture is captured with fun camera angles. Some of the bizarre sounds that are used only help to further the artfully disquieting atmosphere. Smoothly mixing the absurd with surrealism, this movie goes where it wants in style, almost in way comparable to the inimitable Seijun Suzuki. The setup for the prison guards to visually exploit the gals in the "walkover" scene is hilarious. If there is such a thing as Japanese arthouse sexploitation, then this just might be its flagship. Ashe.
derek

you should see Ju-on 2, it pwns

prisoner 701 sasori

Ringu is also a good asian film, I want to the korean version, and the sequals:D

Kill Zone (2005). This pretty much an outstanding flick on all accounts. The story itseslf was intriguing, with many elements moving it forward in meaning and depth. This was also a pleasingly dark and even artsy affair. The direction and cinematography were wonderful. The acting was solid. The ending was sublime. And the fighting was minimal but furious. The knife vs police baton fight was insanity, and the kung fu cum Brazilian wrestling ending was actually pretty cool. All in all an impressive story with some intense fighting sprinkled in. Ashe.
derek

Alive (2002). From the guys that did Versus and Azumi, this is quite a departure from their previous work. For people that are looking for an action intensive rollercoaster of a flick, this will fall flat. It starts out light on action, but makes up for it with some pretty good dialogue, unnerving atmosphere, and pretty decent character development. The story itself, based on a comic, is pretty twisted. i love how the Japanese can take something that would be stupid or goofy if done in the states and make it into something worthwhile. The ending is action-filled, and here we can see the comic book feel coming to fruition. Being a cerebral-minded Japanese action flick that is based on a comic, this may not be for everybody; if those characteristics don't scare ya off, then it will likely be a great view. Ashe.
d

Once Upon a Time in China 3 (1993). Another great addition to the series. Must have been both a choreagrapher's and costume designer's nightmare. Wong's sidekick really has a penchant for accidental mischief with disasterous results. Ashe.
d

Tai-Chi Master (1993). One of Jet Li's best in my opinion, this flick has it all, from a great story sprinkled with a bit of humor to some absolutely spectacular fight scenes. Of course, some of the fighting was a bit over the top, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Jet Li does a nice job acting here as well, and his character is more than his usual stony self. Michelle Yeoh was also impressive, both as an actor and a fighter. Great stuff. Ashe.
derek

"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.

CARVED (The Slit-Mouthed Woman)

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

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

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.

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

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

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

My Girlfriend is an Agent (2009)

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

>>: B

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