I was a bit disappointed with the first one.

Japanese babes, swords and violence...it pushed my buttons

That's what I thought going in but actually found it all a bit blah. I don't know what happened. Maybe I wasn't in the mood.

I saw Kung-Fu Hustle yesterday. I liked it a lot.

Trailer for the new Takashi Miike film here

http://www.pulpmovies.com/trailers/yokai-daisenso

Its in Japanese (though with some of his recent offereings the language barrier has been the least of his problems)

Looks like he's been given a fair amount of cash too. Never Ending Gory anyone!

Trailer for 3rd film in Chan-wook Park's "revenge" trilogy - Sympathy For Lady Vengence

http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film.php?3152

Oldboy himself is in it

Ikiru.

I'd second that recommendation. Excellent film.

Having now spent some time with their reviews section I have to say that these guys seem to want different things from kung-fu movies to me. Most of my favourite kung-fu flicks seem to hover at the three and a half star mark over there (criminally the brilliant Buddhist Fist which contrary to their review far outweighs Iron Monkey in the kick ass stakes).

I neglected the opportunity to watch kung fu hustle on the plane flight home, thinking that it would be better as an experience on the big screen rather than the annoyingly small one.

Trailer for new Korean film Heaven's Prisoners...

Modern day soldiers transported a couple of centuries back in time. Looks like a time travelling Magnificent 7. (the idea was done well in Sonny Chiba's "Time Wars" and badly in "Final Countdown")

Watch the teaser first and then the main trailer, and see if you work out whether the marketing people have any idea whatsoever about how they want to sell the film!

http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:py1eXR...r&hl=en&start=1

This is disgusting. Almost as disgusting as knowing that they're about to remake Oldboy and star Nicolas Cage in the main role. Gah!

I saw a DVD called H in the store yesterday. Anyone seen H?

Is that even the same movie?

Those kurayzi Koreans...

Reading through this thread inspired me to get hold of a copy of Oldboy, which I watched the other night and really enjoyed except when he eats the octopus - blee! so thanks for the recommendation!

So you were all right with the tooth extraction torture, and the cutting out of the tongue , but the octopus scene bothered you? Sheesh!

Aaaah, but those scenes were achieved with special effects. He actually chowed down on a real, live, octopus in the the octopus scene

I love Min-sik Choi

Wish I could say I can't believe that they're remaking it, but it really is a sad day for cinema. Why can't Americans just learn to read subtitles, and leave classics like Ringu, Dark Water, and this alone? Oldboy's one of the best shot films I've seen in a very long time, as well as everything else about it being pretty much spot on. Pisses me off.

Yeah, as Sostie said, I knew they weren't real and I was kind of watching through my fingers anyway but I made the mistake of watching him eat the octopus and it was wriggling and and and eurgghhh! .

I watched Tokyo Godfathers last night. Has anyone seen it? I was in a really bad mood when we started watching it but it took me through every emotion possible. Great film.

i'm a big fan of asian cinema and spend most of my day at the kung fu cult cinema forums - anyone else visit there?

i've been watching anime, japanese and hong kong stuff for the last 15 years and have gotten more into thai, korean and chinese stuff over the last few years.

boo! to people who don't like john woo, sure, he's not done anything good since 'bullet in the head', but 'the killer' and the first two 'a better tomorrow' films are classics. i guess they've probably lost some of their effect if your seeing them for the first time in this day and age.

i'm not particularly a miike fan, except for 'the bird people in china', but on the whole, i'm not really interested in a lot of stuff that he does. i liked his camoe in 'last life in the universe', one of my favourite films of last year.

What about Hard Boiled and Face Off?

oops, i was under the impression that 'hard boiled' had come before 'bullet in the head', apparently not...

'face off' was pants though...

Showing at NY Video Festival

PINK RIBBON
NY Premiere
Kenjiro Fujii, Japan, 2004; 118m
Pink Ribbon chronicles the history of the Japanese sex film industry and its "pink movies", with lots of rare clips, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. Pink films are produced dirt-cheap, so directors rarely have the time or money to attempt anything ambitious. They're often a training ground for directors, Fujii talks with acclaimed auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who began his career in pink films, female director Yumi Yoshiyuki (clips are shown from her film Sister Sex Come Inside Me), and legendary 60s radical Koji Wakamatsu. Pink Ribbon concludes with a detailed set visit to a new pink production, Teacher's Love Juice, which we'll show on Fri, July 29 at 11pm. Appropriately explicit, this documentary contains nudity. Don't bring your children; 18 years and above only.
Fri July 29: 8:30 (18 years and older only)

U.S. Premiere
THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF SACHIKO HANAI aka HORNY HOME TUTOR: TEACHER'S LOVE JUICE
Meike Mitsuru, Japan, 2004; 90m
Sachiko Hanai is a call girl at an imekura (or sexual role-play club). One day she stumbles into a secret meeting between a North Korean and a Middle Eastern-looking man and a stray bullet hits her smack in the center of her forehead. The next day she finds a strange metal can in her pocket and, after dislodging the bullet, she's suddenly able to understand foreign languages and solve complex mathematic formulas. Unfortunately, the cylinder she picked up happens to contain the finger of the American President, whose fingerprint is capable of unleashing a devastating nuclear apocalypse across the world....
Fri July 29: 11 (director present) 18 years and older only

i think kfc cinema is a pretty good site, there's quite a range.

i finally got round to seeing akira today - it was a big disappointment, i've got to say. maybe it's after hearing that it's the greatest cartoon ever a hundred times, or just my lack of experience in manga, but it just wasn't very interesting or sensical (hey, is that a word?). still, it looked great.

Yip, I rented it a few weeks ago. I agree, it was very good.

yeah i like that film too! it's a great feel-good christmas film...unfortunately, i saw it in in the middle of august. still, made me feel good. in a sweltering kind of way.

Has anyone read the Initial-D manga or seen the anime? The live action version is out on DVD and am wondering what is it about/like.

there's been quite a bit of talk about it here...

personally, i've never read the manga or watched the anime, but i'm quite interested to see the film. people's opinions seem to be either 'it's a big pile of shit' or 'great, entertaining fun'...

jinx just asked me for some less obvious korean recommendations; my response was quite long, so i thought i'd share it here;



301, 302 - the story of two women who live in apartments 301 and 302 - both have their obsessions, one cooks, the other can't eat. darlky amusing, a strange buddy movie.


address unknown - an older kim ki-duk film about some of the residents of a small town next to a us air-force base. the usual grim, but good fare from mr kim.


aimless bullet - a classic of korean cinema; neo-realism fused with noir, in a tale of ex-army men, coping (badly) with a return to civillian life.


arahan - one of my favourites from last year. a super fun, entertaining film from ryu seung-wan, which stars his brother - ryu seung-beom - as a cop, who is essentially an idiot. one day, he is caught up in a fight and it becomes apparent that he may be an exceptional martial artist, if only he can apply himself.


barking dogs never bite - another black comedy, from bong jun-ho, that focusses on an unemployed lecturer who is getting driven mad by a barking dog in his apartment block.


birdcage inn - terribly grim, but almost happy kim ki-duk film about a girl who works a prostitute in a small family run motel.


crying fist - the latest offering from ryu seung-wan, again featuring his brother and choi min-sik (oh dae-su from 'oldboy') as two boxers, with very different backgrounds. not seen this yet, but it's been getting excellent reviews...


friend - much lauded tale of four friends growing up. probably a 'must-see film', but not one of the best i've seen from korea.


harmonium in my memory - charming drama about a girl with a crush on her teacher in a small rural school.


if you were me - interesting collection of short films that focus on discrimination. features an offering from chan woo-park ('oldboy', 'jsa', etc).


just do it - fun comedy about a down on their luck family, who start indulging in insurance fraud as a morbid get rich quick scheme.


school trip - charming tale of a group of children from a small isolated islad, who are taken to seoul by their teacher. very nice.


seashore village - another neo-realist classic from the late 50's / early sixties. shades of fellini, a very progressive morality and a pretty fine slice of melodrama.


lee chang-dong collection - three films - 'green fish', 'peppermint candy' and 'oasis' - from lee chang-dong, former author, who stopped making films to become the minister for the arts (?, or maybe tourism) in korea's new liberal government. he's since served his time and has a new film on the way.

good solid dramas, all tragedies and all highly recommended.


marathon - another that i have, but haven't watched. one of korea's most talked about films this year, based on the story of an autistic boy, who's mother pushes him into being a marathon runner.


memories of murder - one of my favourites and already hailed as a modern classic. a drama from bong jun-ho, based on the true events that surrounded korea's first serial killer. outstanding stuff.


my beautiful girl, mari - a beautiful slice of koranime (or whatever it's called), where a young boy is transported to another world after following a cat into a deserted light-house. nice soundtrack from lee byeong-woo too...


my generation - digi-cam filmed indie-flick about debt ridden youth, struggling in modern korea.


my sassy girl - much praised rom-com, soon to be remade by the woman who made 'bend it like beckham'. this a good solid rom-kom that's sparked many immitations and catapulted jeon ji-hyun to super-stardom across asia.


nowhere to hide - one of the first big hits of the korean new wave, name-dropped as a stylistic influence on 'the matrix'. it's essentially a very korean cop drama.


on the occasion of remembering the turning gate - great comedy drama from arthouse favourite hong sang-soo, as we follow an actor back to his hometown, after the faliure of his latest film.


president's last bang - another from my 'to watch' pile. a controversial black comedy about the last days of controversial president park in the 1970's. this caused quite a stir in korea earlier in the year.


samaria - one of my favourites from kim ki-duk. the story of two girls who prostitute themselves to pay for a trip to europe, but tragedy strikes. predominantly a film about the difficulties parents have communicationg with their children.


save the green planet - excellent incredibly dark sci-fi comedy, featuring some amazing performances from park yun-sik and shin ha-gyun as the head of a large corporation and the man who kidnaps him, believing that he is an alien.


she's on duty - fun comedy about a young police woman who goes undercover in a highschool, hoping that a star witness will come out of hiding to see his daughter. fun.


single spark - lee chang-dong scripted story, within a story, that focusses on the true story of a korean labour rights activist. good stuff and very interesting.


take care of my cat - the first korean film i watched. a charming story of four friends who've just left school and how they grow apart / together in their life after education. excellent.


untold scandal - a meticulously beautiful re-telling of 'dangerous liaisons' with a fantastic baroque soundtrack from lee byeong-woo.

I can't recommend this film enough. If you enjoy it get hold of Windstruck. Same star & director. Can be taken as either a direct prequel of MSG or a follow-up with a nice "in" joke.



Loved this one too...had some of the saddest end-credits ever which made blub a bit. What a wuss.

You said lesser known Korean films, so I guess there is no need to recommend Oldboy, Shiri and JSA.

Two I think should also be recommended

MY TUTOR FRIEND
Another rom-kon, obviously inpired by MSG, but still great entertainment.

ATTACK THE GAS STATION
Great comedy about a gang of youths who try and rob a gas station, but accidentley end up running it.

I watched Initial D last night and it's a top film about a Tofu delivery guy racing his dads car down a mountain against other racers. Very cool and slick looking film, one to watch for sure.

this was one of the earlier korean films i saw and i hated it. it had a pretty decent premise, but i was so lame and the characters were such charicatures and so annoying, that it just drove me mad.

this seems to be a film that really divides people, some love it, some hate it.

i'm a hater...

Anchor Bay's Dark Asia Label's First Release

hmm, the thai disc wasn't subbed, but i never heard anything particularly good about this. 'shutter' was last year's most talked about thai horror; again, it's your generic stuff, but pretty good according to most...

I watched Happiness of the Katakuri's a couple of weeks ago and it is bonkers but in a good way.
Thumbs up to that.

i haven't watched it, but i do love 'the quiet family', the kim ji-woon film that it's a remake of. i'm not much of a miike fan (except for 'the bird people of china', which i love), but from what i hear, he probably should've left 'the quiet family' alone...

I recently suffered the pain of watching the followup to Ong Bak. Its called The Bodyguard and stars the main trio from Ong Bak. AVOID THIS FILM. The dvd case is covered in quotes like "the film Ong Bak fans have been waiting for" etc etc. Boredom in a box is my opinion.

Anyone out there seen Visitor Q? Seen a few Takeshi Miike films, including Ichi the Killer and Dead or Alive, can anyone recomend some good ones as spending £20 on a rubbish film is never any fun.

well, you've been duped...

'the bodyguard' is not a sequel / follow-up to 'ong-bak'. it's a comedy that stars (and is directed by) petchtai wongkamlao - 'dirty balls' from 'ong-bak' - who is thailand's biggest comedian. it features a tiny cameo by tony jaa.

so, essentially it's a thai comedy, which is cool if you like thai comedy, although i hear that it's okay and not amazing. so, if you were expecting another 'ong-bak', i imagine that you would be feeling a bit let down.



also, if you're paying £20 per dvd, you're paying too much. have a look at this post for advice on;

buying import dvds

it may be of some use to you.

A very wrong film, shot on DV. If you like that kind of thing (and I genereally do) it's quite worthwhile. Lactating and necrophilia abound, from what I can remember. Rather different to DOA and Ichi.

Thankfully I didn't buy The Bodyguard. I saw it round at a friends house. He was gutted.

Visitor Q is indeed a sick bizzare film.
"Your dead and your getting wet! The mysteries of life!"

I showed it to a bunch mate who arent really into foriegn films and they were quite disturbed.

On the dvd price front, my only internet access is currently at work so I cant order stuff online and save money. Admittedly £20 is a bit over the top but the majority of highstreet shops dont stock decent asian cimema at less than £18 in most cases.

best news i've had all week...

Wheels on Meals is so dope.

I recently picked up a couple of Seijun Suzuki DVDs; Tokyo Drifter and the brilliantly titled Youth of the Beast. Both lurid and cheap but ace 60s Japanese Yakuza movies. Recommended.

Dead or Alive 2 and Final are both ace, City of Lost Souls is a laugh but ever so shallow, Gozu is a bit Lynch-like and excellent, Full Metal Gokudo is fucking top. His more straight-laced Yakuza stuff is worth a watch as well; Shinjuku Triad Society, Rainy Dog and Ley Lines are pretty good and Agitator is alright but not great.

Is Full Metal Gokudo also known as Full Metal Yakuza? If so, I've seen it. Weird as hell, the crazy scientist in pvc was bizzare. One to avoid is Fudoh:The next generation. Apart from some incredibly odd bits, like dart firing pussies and hermaphrodites, its poop.
Has anyone seen Tetsuo: Iron Man? I can only find Tetsuo 2 and its driving me nuts.

try here.
The two Tetsuo films are very similar, a bit like the Evil Deads one and two. The second film has a bit more money behind it and (I reckon) is the better film. The first one is really low budget and shot in black and white.

i loved 'testuo', but hated 'body hammer'...

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the new Thai film, Ang Bok is definately worth a watch. The main guy, who plays Ting, is an awesome martial artist, and its nice to see muay thai instead of kung fu. Some of the other characters are a bit lame, generally these are the 'opponents' who just shout a lot, and the bad guy is evil in a comedy way has to use a voicebox thingy to talk.. bzz kill him bzzzzzbut absolutely no wire work and quite a gritty fel make it worth a watch. Especially as i've never seen a thai film before, unless you count kickboxer

do you mean 'ong-bak'?

yep, it's great, his (tony jaa that is) new film 'tom yum goong' should be hitting the dvd shelves of east asia next month. i'm excited...

I do mean ong bak, I am suitably chastised.

I haven't read the entire thread, but is House of Flying Daggers any good?

Virgin has the one disc edition at £5.99 but I'm not sure what it's like.