Asian Cinema Thread #7 - so much more than just action flicks and anime!

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i agree, most remakes are bad, but LH was surprisingly good.

i dont know what movie to watch next, i have tons waiting but of course, i havent started any!
 
:lol: Aww okay never mind. I still reside in Oahu. I don't really know my way around the Big Island that well. But there's this store here called "Toys & Joys" where you can get your movies a lot cheaper. Some are about $20.00 or around there.
 
I definintly need to buy some Korean dramas (though the box sets for the tv series range from $75 to $95). Any reccomendations on what's a good buy? Because I do need to give my reign of Korean/Japanese horror a little rest (of course, there are some that I definintly want to watch).

Today...besides studying for my finals this Wednesday...it was mostly a lazy Sunday afternoon so I watched A Tale of Two Sisters, Phone, Acacia and Tokyo Psycho. Oh and Shadow of the Wraith which is the best supernatural and doppleganger (something rare these days) movie.

Tokyo Psycho wasn't as bad as I thought. I would be freaked out too if I kept getting letters from an old psychotic classmate that says "You were born to marry me." And then it turns out that the one who was stalking Yumiko (the main character) was...okay I'll leave it at that.

Acacia, though entertaining, has two drawbacks in my opinion. The same continuous violin music that keeps playing over and over again towards the climax. And its confusion. I have no idea what happened to that little orphan the couple has adopted.
 
goodnightboy I didn't realize that it was a novel, but I reallie enjoyed the movie. I'm not sure what it was cause when I watched 'Spirited Away', I wasn't in to it, but with 'Howl's..' I was. Eh, either way, both great films ... btw, is the novel in english? Would I be able to pick it up somewhere?

Mavericks - Full House is great. It's a fun and upbeat series, where as Autumn Tale was utterly depressing. Therefore, I prefer watch Song Hye Kyo in Full House with Rain. :D

I've heard a lot about 'My Sassy Girl'. I'm thinking that's going to be on my list of movies to watch next. Hm ...
 
I always expect adaptations to be terrible. Maybe that's why The Lake House didn't seem so bad.
Of course, I haven't seen the original. Maybe one day. It's difficult to find korean movies here.
 
Who was Lee Jun Ki in My Girl? Is he the friend of the lead guy Lee Dong Wook (which is also a total hottie)? The King and the CLown looks very interesting.

I haven't watched any recent Asian flicks. Lately though, I'm watching these Japanese series called Hana Yori Dango 2. It totally relieves me from stress and I LOOVE Jun Matsumoto and Inoue Mao. I think they are really big in Japan now.. I am not really sure....
 
Shrrshrr - coolness. you're from the bay area? :) where is Japan Town there exactly?

Midnight Eye does really extensive reviews. one of the other sites i also go to is lovehkfilm.com which is not just HK film... :)

anyways...

i bought Shall We Dance? , one of my all time favorites in dvd as a present for a friend's bday. i really recommend this movie to those who want to watch more japanese films. :) and while the US remake is ok, the original Japanese version still holds a special place in my heart.

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Koji Yakusho is great in this movie. which brings me on to another one of his movies i've been looking for, unsuccesfully though.

Warai No Daigaku / University of Laughs

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here is Koji btw:

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from Subway Cinema:

Based on a stage play by Koki Mitani, this two-man movie is one of the funniest and deadliest satires of the current American political situation you'll ever see. Japan 's favorite leading man, Koji Yakusho (DOPPELGANGER, SHALL WE DANCE?) stars as a government censor in 1940 whose job it is to ensure the patriotism of the plays in the theater district. They must be ideologically sound, loyal to the Emperor, supportive of the Japanese war effort, and full of truth, justice and the Japanese way. Any deviation is seen as an effort to undermine homeland security as Japan brings peace and harmony to the world through guns and bombs. Enter Tsubaki (Goro Inagaki), a flashy young comedian whose latest farce is a send-up of “Romeo and Juliet”. Yakusho doesn't get the play – it's not even that funny. He is about to reject it outright when X begins to plead: he'll make changes, any changes at all. And so Yakusho starts to insist on edits, first motivated by political concerns, and then motivated by aesthetic ones. The young writer diligently reworks his play however he's ordered, and it actually starts to get better. Before long, the two men are engaged in a conspiracy of two, crafting the funniest play they can imagine. But, of course, there's a war going on, and none of this can end well.

imagine my surprise when i discovered one of the SMAP members (Inagaki) is in this movie. :)

i might get it off ebay coz i can't find it in the japanese stores here. yesasia has it, but its $$$$. :cry:

and oh, i finally have a Filipino film to recommend called Blue Moon .

dvd back cover synopsis:

Can a love that bloomed under a Blue Moon truly last forever? At a quiet home in Boston, Massachusetts, an elderly Filipina named Corazon (Boots Anson-Roa) is writing a love letter. Knowing she doesn’t have much time left, Corazon is writing to every man named Manuel Pineda who’s listed in the Philippine directory, identifying herself as his long-lost love. In the Philippines, an elderly man named Manuel Pineda (Eddie Garcia) is diagnosed with cancer, and told he only has a few months to live. Manuel decides that before he dies, he wants to find the woman he loves most, whom he hasn’t seen in decades: Corazon. Such is the dramatic opening of emotional “Blue Moon,” a hopeful, moving love story that spans many decades. “Blue Moon” follows Manuel’s daunting search for Corazon all over the Philippines. He’s joined by his emotionally distant son Rod (Christopher de Leon), and recently-separated grandson Kyle (Dennis Trillo). As Rod and Kyle accompany Manuel in his search for his lady love, they discover that there were actually two ladies named Corazon in Manuel’s life: the nurse whom Manuel married after World War 2, and the spunky girl who was Manuel’s first love in 1938. The blossoming of young love between the dashing young Manuel (Mark Herras) and the two Corazons (Jennylyn Mercado and Pauleen Luna) in the Forties is counterpointed with the dying Manuel’s search for his one true love in the present day. But which Corazon is it, and will he find her before he joins his Creator?

i really loved this movie, which is a lot coming from me. i am sure my other filipino fforumers would agree as Philippine Cinema is usually typical and unoriginal. movies that top our box office are the comedies, with slap stick humor and romantic-comedies with the predictable ending. its been awhile that i've seen a Filipino film with substance....i am glad i got it! :)

thats it for now.. have to sleep! :yawn:
 
*nods* I think that's a good point, and I'm personally against most remakes - but a Korean remake could be interesting...
 
i've seen Il Mare and i loved it.

The Lake House wasnt that bad. in fact, it was good for an adaptation. Il mare is more dramatic though. :)
 
OH MY GOD! Don McKellar's in this film?

I haven't seen it yet and I already know it's going to be one of my all-time favorites. There are no words for how much I love him.

First discovered hm in Highway 61, which I own (bought right after it was released on VHS), eventually I saw him in his own film, Last Night, which is in my top ten of all time and will remain there. He was amazing in it, but the film is amazing. Heck, my therapist and I discussed it through two sessions!

As a bonus, Sandra Oh is in it, along with many fabulous Canadian actors (too many to take the time to name).

*is beside herself*

mukooh - did you see the article about Clean I posted a page or two back?

ETA - I just realized he also wrote Highway 61, not just acted in it. Amazing.
 
I also haven't been watching any asian movies.

I saw "The Lake House" yesterday and kind of liked it. I didn't expect to like it so much.
Has anyone seen "Il Mare"?
 
Anabela - i just saw Nobody Knows today, thanks to Mukooh :)

but like you, i cried so bad. it went to the point that i had to pause the dvd player because it hurt to much. :cry:

but its absolutely beautiful. i've passed the dvd onto my aunt, and warned her to have a box of tissues nearby.

i also saw a korean movie, A Millionaire's First Love , which was bittersweet. one scene in the movie totally moved me to tears.

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yes, its one of those days where everything moves me and i get all teary and such. :lol:
 
Eliza Cuthbert? in Jeong Jee Hun's role? :look:

kinda weird...

i loved watching Howls...... esp with Takuya Kimura as Howl's... ... but a lot of people said the novel was better. i just love Kimura though, :sigh:

in Kdrama land, i also love the series Rainy_summer said. :)

and i have heard of Tony Takitani ...... i havent seen the dvd though....
 
Oh, okay - well, I like Midnight Eye because they have so much information. :)

I'm pretty lucky because I live in a community with a high number of Asian cultures, so we get all sorts of films.

But recently they've discussed tearing down Japan town, which has been around for ages and ages. There's a poll to stop them, and everything. The Kabuki theater there is terrific - shows more than just Japanese films, and they have live performances including a recent one by Andy Lau (article by a friend of mine).
 
I'm not sure what to think of that remake.
I love A Better Tomorrow. It's one of my favourite action movies ever and a remake sounds like a terrible idea. But a korean remake could maybe be interesting. I'm not sure.
 
i was in corona del mar.....waiting to embark on that ocean voyage....and instead i got sidetracked to 1938 india......will catch that ship tomorrow while she's still in port........will be back to report on my voyage........:)......

more things to take note of.....

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the blog site is rather comprehensive......it's got lots of cool stuff on it.....it also features a video clip of maggie and one of my favorite canadian actors in a scene together....someone i didn't even know was in the film until i looked at this site.....his name is don mckellar....he's talented and good looking......anyone else hear of him?
 
Really? I hated it. But that's because it deviates so much from the original novel, and I loved the book. :shrug:

I want to watch Tony Takitani :) has anyone watched it?
 
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