Liverpool FC Forum

[dawson99]

been wathcing japanorama but he goes off on some weird tangents on that show... the pop cuture art episode was good tho.

not been wathcing many asian films lately, last were:

arahan and dongmakhal... will try to get more into it to keep this thread alive!!!

[woof woof !]

I really enjoyed Arahan , but had several faulty copies from hmv .Have only ever seen 70% of the movie .  . Eventually got fed up with traipsing back and forth to exchange it , I eventually took something else (Kim Ki-duk, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring , highly recommed it btw).

With Arahan in mind did you ever catch "Crying Fist " ? . I read this brief review , thinking of getting it on my next HK order.

"CRYING FIST, the long-awaited boxing movie from Ryu Seung-Wan, the director of ARAHAN. Director Ryu brings together powerhouse actor, Choi Min-Shik (OLDBOY), and Ryu Seung-Beom (ARAHAN) to make a movie as invigorating and painful as a punch in the face.

Choi plays a boxer at the end of his run. Middle age hasn't been kind, and he's been reduced to renting himself out as a human punching bag on the streets. For $10, frustrated men can pound him for one minute, frustrated women get to whale on him for two. On the other side of town, rage-junkie Ryu gets introduced to boxing while in juvenile lock-up. He discovers that instead of beating people up on the streets and getting arrested, he can beat people up in the ring and get paid.

Both men are losers, on a downward trajectory: one is middle-aged, the other is young, but neither are going to make it very far. They are the kind of guys who don't need any enemies besides themselves. And they both sign up for a super lightweight fight as their one big break. Which means that they're going to have to fight each other.

Neither character knows the other, and they don't meet during the movie, but the director turns the standard boxing movie dynamic neatly on its head. Usually we root for the underdog and cheer when Rocky beats Apollo Creed. But in CRYING FIST both men are the underdog, and we're pulling for both of them. With CRYING FIST, Director Ryu has created a minor masterpiece where everyone's a loser. "

[dawson99]

genius qwoof, havent seen that one, i'll soon rectify that!

[woof woof !]

Watched a Korean monster movie last night .

The Host . best laugh I've had in ages . Google for the trailer.



The Host (2006)
Reviewed by Jonathan Trout BBC Movies
Contains strong language and moderate horror

Action, slapstick, and melodrama lurk alongside whip-smart horror shocks in Bong Joon-ho's delicious creature flick The Host. Dim-witted Park Gang-du works on his father's food stand by the Han river. The life of the Parks, and the city, are turned upside down when a bus-sized mutant emerges from the waters and sets about hundreds of screaming Seoulites. Effortlessly comic, delightfully extreme, and echoing Jaws, Alien and Godzilla along the way, The Host is a monster.

In the bloody, spectacular riverside chaos, Gang-du's pre-teen daughter Hyun-seo is carried off in the creature's jaws. Regurgitated in the monster's bone-strewn lair, she calls her grieving father from her cell phone - triggering his and the rest of the family's wild attempts to find her. The Korean and US governments, though, in a confusion of cover-up, casual sadism and an astutely observed post-SARS and 9/11 institutional panic, have other ideas.

"WILL KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES"

A couple of lower-grade effects shots aside, the film looks wonderful - particularly the initial daylight catastrope - while the signature Korean genre-twisting will keep everyone on their toes. The cast sell their characters' cruel and extraordinary tale with verve, and the monster - brought to weighty and menacing life by the effects teams behind Lord Of The Rings and Babe - is a memorably deadly addition to the creature hall of fame.

(dvd at HMV £7.99)

[puroresu]

Crying Fist is a great film.  Last Asian film I watched was 'The Protege'.

Andy Lau and Daniel Wu both star in this.  Get SPL if you can starring Donnie Yen and Sammo.  Fatal Contact is a superb Martial Arts film so get that on DVD.

Election and Election 2 are superb films..

[maypaxvobiscum]

anyone watched Spider Lilies?

[woof woof !]

Crying Fist is a great film.  Last Asian film I watched was 'The Protege'.

Andy Lau and Daniel Wu both star in this.  Get SPL if you can starring Donnie Yen and Sammo.  Fatal Contact is a superb Martial Arts film so get that on DVD.

Election and Election 2 are superb films.

I ordered Crying Fist from a supplier in Hong Kong having read good things about it (mentioned earlier in this thread) . not familiar with "the Protege" , "SPL" and "Election" , I'll check out some reviews , thanks for the tip.

Maypax, haven't seen "Spider Lilies" either , cool title ,again I'll check out some reviews.

Would be easier if you guys had cut and pasted or linked some for me . yer b'stards.

 

[kobashi]

SPL is great HK action film.  the fight scenes are superb!

Election is a film about the political fighting inside the triad gangs.  check the reviews and hopefully you will buy them.

[woof woof !]

Sha Po Lang (SPL) . Positive reviews all around , thanks lads, deffo on my "must buy" list

[woof woof !]

anyone watched Spider Lilies?

"Behind Every Tattoo, There's A Secret. Two young women reawaken a dormant love for each other in "Spider Lilies," a relative leap into the big-time for Taiwanese director and lesbian filmer Zero Chou, here using two name leads for the first time. It portrays the love of and between two lesbians, evoking the hopes and hurts of everyone. "

Arty lesniac action not really my thing Maypax.

[woof woof !]

http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/004726.html

Election review

As I have said several times on these pages Johnnie To is a director I find incredibly frustrating. The man has undeniable talent behind the camera and is clearly one of the finest technicians currently working in Hong Kong but he has an unfortunate tendency to favor flash over character and once the whizzing and banging hits a lull his films often go flat. And yet I keep coming back to him. Despite having frequently promised myself that the next disappointment would be the last I keep coming back, film after film. Why? In the hopes that one day he’d put all the pieces together, that he’d find some content to fill out the form, believing that when that day came he’d turn out a masterpiece. Election is that film.

In Election To has crafted a classic triad film. For those unfamiliar with the triads, they are a deep rooted, clan-like system of organized crime groups tracing their roots back hundreds of years to political revolutionaries. In many ways they are reminiscent of the American mafia but the triad’s roots run deeper and their influence is far more pervasive throughout Chinese society, particularly in Hong Kong where To estimates there are over one hundred thousand triad affiliates. Again, much like the American mafia, the triads have often been romanticized on the screen as honorable rebels, renegades adhering to a higher code of honor. We’re often told that they are violent but noble. To will have none of that.

Like many triad groups the Wo Shing Society employs a rotating leadership. Every two years the senior members of the society, the Uncles, elects a new Chairman from their ranks to lead the group over the following two years. The election is absolutely binding and all Society members are expected to swear an oath of absolute loyalty to the new leader. The film opens as the old Chairman has come to the end of his term, creating a power vacuum, a vacuum two apparently opposite member a scrambling to fill. On one side is Lok, played by Simon Yam, a traditional man, a family man, a man who upholds the old ways. On the other is Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai), brash, abrasive, openly power hungry and determined to take the Chairman’s spot no matter what. He greases palms in an open attempt to buy the election and when that fails sets his men to steal the ornate baton that is the symbol of Society power, hoping to undermine Lok’s power and setting the two men on a collision course.

On the surface To’s film appears to set up like many other triad films, setting the forces of tradition – the good and honorable side – against forces of greed. But it quickly becomes apparent that To is not about to let the triads off that easily. Scratch the surface and what quickly becomes obvious is that there is no honor to be found in the triad, not anywhere. The old rituals serve as nothing more than window dressing, a way to pretty up the naked greed that actually drives the group. As is said more than once, “All that matters now is business.”

To makes a string of choices that elevate Election above other films of the type. First, he populates this world with a broad array of characters, all of whom have their distinct personalities and quirks. While the sheer number of them can be imposing on the surface as the film progresses they each take a distinct enough shape that there is no difficulty keeping them all clear. The triads do not exist in isolation, they are a true society and To does an admirable job of capturing the extent and complexity of that world. Second, he refuses to glam things up. It’s important to note that Election is in no way an action film. While it has its share of violence and blood To is aiming to capture the day to day reality of this life and the reality is that these are mostly men doing a job. An illegal job, true, but a job nonetheless and as in any job most of the time is spent simply punching the clock. Third, though both Yam and Leung turn in dazzling performances and the plot swirls around their two characters it quickly becomes clear that this is not a film about Lok and Big D, this is a film about the triads themselves, the shifting loyalties, the betrayals, the corruption and greed, the gap between their noble roots and current realities. Lok and Big D are parts of a larger whole and To wisely chooses to focus more on the whole than on any of his individual characters. To states clearly in included interviews that his goal was to create a cultural document, a record of the triads as they are rather than an entertainment based on some glammed up version of the gangs and while I’m in no position to comment on the accuracy of his portrayal that unusual approach is strongly felt throughout.

The film is beautifully shot, well scored and features a stellar cast from beginning to end. With its focus on character and the corrupting lust for power over action it deserves comparison to some of the world’s great crime films, The Godfather included. If there’s a complaint to be made it is that they have only seen fit to release the shortened theatrical cut rather than the full, intended three hour version though there is rampant speculation the long cut will make an appearance on DVD prior to the release of the now in production sequel. There are so many characters in this that To simply can’t do them all justice in the slender hour and a half run time of this cut and it is quite clear that many of these characters have had story threads removed to trim time. The cuts don’t damage the central story of the film in any way but there is so much good stuff in these secondary roles that you can’t help but want more, particularly when it comes to Jimmy and Jet, two of the younger generation.

From the compelling title sequence through to the graphic and shocking finale that stands as To’s indictment of triad society as a whole Election is a ringing success and well worth tracking down. It is worth noting that the two disc Hong Kong edition features English subtitles not only on the film itself but also on the full array of special features, from interviews with To and his key staff, to a slender making of documentary. Highly recommended.

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmCXPki8lt8

[

[woof woof !]

thanks Kobashi, that review has just cost me 90HK$. My Hong Kong supplier says thanks btw   Can't wait for the dvd to arrive , sounds great.

[woof woof !]

Well big thanks to Dawson and Kobashi . Finally got round to ordering receiving and watching "Welcome to Dongmakgol " and "Election" I give both movies an 8 out of 10 and at £3 a pop (from Hong Kong supplier) both well worth it.

I watched Crying Fist last night (synopsis posted earlier in this thread),but briefly oldguy who hires himself out as a punch bag and a young punk who learnt to box in prison make it to the korean national finals . Another piece of outstanding Korean cinema. Quirky, Humorous and Violent .One of the best and most touching boxing films I've seen.Korean with English subtitles.


Crying Fist

[woof woof !]

Saw a brilliant movie the other day , it's black and white, japanese with subs so may only appeal to the hard core cinema buffs in here . If you're into Samurai movies this is an absolute must .



Review from Asian Film
Hara-kiri, or seppuku, is the practice of ritual suicide by disembowelment either to atone for a heinous crime, or to die in an honorable fashion in order to save face. This was a fairly common occurrence during the samurai period. Often during times of peace, when a samurai's master is defeated or slain, all of his employed samurai become ronin. These ronin were usually assimilated by another master in times of war. During peacetime it was much harder for a ronin to find employment since samurai were not in such high demand. Many of these unemployed ronin opted to commit seppuku and die a noble death instead of live the life of a lowly beggar. In order for the seppuku ceremony to take place, the ronin had to "borrow" another lord's courtyard since he could no longer use his master's. When faced with this request, many noblemen decided to have pity on the downtrodden samurai and offer him a few coins to be on his way.

Masaki Kobayashi's Hara-kiri is a story about one of these ronin and his request to commit hara-kiri. Hanshiro arrives at the gates of Iyi Manor asking to use their courtyard to be given a samurai's death. Kageyu Saito, the lord of the house, recalls a story about a ronin who previously came there requesting hara-kiri under false pretenses. Saito pressed the issue and refused to let the ronin back out, forcing him to commit suicide. Saito tells this story to ensure that Hanshiro's intentions are sincere. After determining that Hanshiro actually intends to complete the ritual, Kageyu Saito grants Hanshiro the final request of telling his story so that others may benefit from hearing a dying man's last words. Hanshiro's plight is an indictment against the bureaucracy, hypocrisy, and false sense of honor that the samurai cling to so tightly.

Woofs rating 9 out of 10.

Found this great insight into the movie, it's director and the world of the samurai that may be of interest to some of you.

part 1

Part 2

unfortunately the actual movie clips don't contain subtitles but the dvd of the film does.

[woof woof !]

Azumi.

Watched this again last night, was eating popcorn by the bucket load , great mindless entertainment. Can anybody tell me how many people the girl (Azumi) hacks, slashes and stabs to death ? I've lost count

Azumi the films final battle