| If you like psychodelic cybepunk, then watch. I really enjoyed Mardock Scramble. For me, one of the best cyberpunk movies. |
 Finished "Himizu" the other day, and it was good, I especially loved the two leads. |
| A Cat, a Man, and Two Women - I love the story from Tanizaki, and this adaptation does it more than justice. The characters, emotions, and humor are spot on and some events are depicted more effectively than the source material. Pistol Opera - Seijun Suzuki's 'sequel' to Branded to Kill is a visual feast, but messy and completely incomprehensible. It's what I imagine a lsd-influenced dream of Suzuki's to be like. One Nite in Mongkok - Despite its flaws, a great Honk Kong crime/noir. Invasion of Alien Bikini - Indie film from Korea with a mix of sci-fi, horror, action, and campy comedy. Creative as hell with flashes of brilliance but also some real rough spots. Can't recommend it, but it may be worth a chance. |
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
Mahlerite said: Just rewatched Through a Glass Darkly. This is one of my favorite films and Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece in my opinion. Absolutely genius. That's one of my favourite films also, Mahlerite! I know The Seventh Seal is his "best" (i.e. his most famous one), but Through a Glass Darkly is far more interesting and prolific a film. |
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| I've been on an Italian film kick recently, so I just finished re-watching L'Avventura for the umpteenth time and marveling yet again on Aldo Scavarda and Michelangelo Antonioni's ability to give us a visual story rather than a narrative one. There is one set of scenes toward the end that fiercely reminded me of L'Année dernière à Marienbad (Last Year At Marienbad) directed by Alain Resnais. Oddly, I actually didn't like this film the first time I saw it, despite enjoying the cinematography (Aldo Scavarda does a superb job as always, but under Antonioni's direction is it truly flawless); but after reading an impressive essay I decided to give it a second chance and was very pleasantly surprised. On a more 'romantic' note, and in keeping with my Italian theme, I plan on watching the adaptation of my favourite Dostoevsky's short story, "White Nights," from the perspective of my favourite Italian director - Luchino Visconti in his Le Notti Bianche. Another visual arresting film but far more fragile due to the presence of the wonderful Maria Schell. I just love the imagery of a lonely man who befriends a city (not the townspeople, but the actual physical makings/buildings of the city itself). Those clever Slavics with their harsh truths and their stark, lonely realities. If I'm not too enthralled by those I'll likely watch Cukor's The Women again. Such a great juxtaposition between women in relationships - with friends, with family, with enemies, with men...it's so funny and so many great actresses! |
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BluntZ said: A Cat, a Man, and Two Women - I love the story from Tanizaki, and this adaptation does it more than justice. The characters, emotions, and humor are spot on and some events are depicted more effectively than the source material. I love a good Japanese novel adaptation - thanks for sharing this one! I look forward to finding it! |
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| Just got back from Woody Allen's new picture To Rome With Love - one word: de-light-ful. Delightful. ^_^ |
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| I just finished watching Orochi (1925) and I have to say, this movie really impressed me. I think this is probably my favorite samurai movie now, despite how old it is. I recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a classic Japanese movie with kabuki influences. |
Mahlerite said: His Girl Friday If movies were ranked by the amount of time the characters spend on the telephone, this would be near the top. Oh this is such a great movie! Especially for the era it was made. And that wonderful Rosalind Russell - she is one of my favourite actresses; so funny and clever! |
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| Mitsuko Delivers - I personally preferred Sawako Decides, but it was still a good film definitely worth a watch. Himizu - Brilliant, it could easily push its way into my list of favourites. A Simple Life - Very heartwarming film, Deannie Yip's acting was amazing in it. Desire to Kill - I felt it was kind of average, still had some funny moments though. War of Arrows - I haven't really seen many Korean historical type films but thought it was pretty decent. Hunger Games - It was okay. Not the best film I've seen, but not the worst either. |
AkuninSep 5, 2012 9:18 AM
| Men in Black 3 Starship Troopers: Invasion Biohazard: Damnation Killer Elite In Darkness |
| The Cabin in the Woods The Avengers (second time) I'm gonna be watching The Shining later. Starting now I'm going to be watching horror films, I was wondering if there are any Japanese horror films I should check out? |
ridojiri said: ...Yes, there are. Here's a small list; Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara Noroi Chakushin Ari Yogen Kairo Ju-on Kansen Ginī Piggu series Marebito Sweet Home House Tetsuo Tomie Uzumaki Cure Uzumaki is one of the strangest "horror" movies that I've seen from Japan. I would almost go so far to say it is the "scariest" one to me, not because it is horrific but because it just stayed with me for so long and kind if broke my brain a little. |
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| I've tried to watch Uzumaki before and didn't make it very far. I can't remember why I turned it off. But from what I've read concerning the manga, I want to read it first, then move on to the movie again. That being said I bumped the movie up my netflix list for Halloween. :) If we are talking about great horror not necessary Japanese. I just watched The Loved Ones, and Australian horror that was very good. Cabin in the Woods was also a fun watch for character deconstructions reasons. |
| Scent of a Woman ('92) |
| Wolf Children and Outrage today. I liked Wolf Children, but Outrage left me with a shallow impression of pretext to violent deaths. I'm still going to try some other Takeshi Kitano works though, I hope they're not all like this one. |
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| Outrage is kind of a parody of itself. It's hard to appreciate outside the context of Kitano's other works (which are extremely different) and the older genre films it references. I recommend checking out Kikujiro for some contrast. |
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| I think I commented about this with Elleir before on the irc, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities Outrage had with a Kitano film I recently watched called 'Brothers'. Basically, outrage sort of felt like Brothers if he had never gone to the L.A. But yeah I wasn't all that impressed with either films or any of Kitano's work since Fireworks. Perhaps someone could prove me wrong with some recommendations that they feel are better than Fireworks and Sonatine, in regards to Kitano's work of course. |
Orion1Oct 20, 2012 3:27 AM
| Alright so Sonatine, Kikujiro and Fireworks are added to my soon-to-watch list. |
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| I watched Solanin last night and it broke my heart again. I'd forgotten how sad and yet life confirming and satisfying the story was. It had me questioning what was going to happen next because apparently I had forgotten some parts of the story from the manga. But the movie was actually very accurate to Asano's original vision, and did a good job of capturing much of the similar emotions the manga brought out. Of course the movie was tamed down a bit. I remembered a few more graphic love scene's in the manga, but the felt it more appropriate to leave nudity out. I also watched a Korean movie called Nineteen filmed in 2010. Not a very worth venture. I'd steer clear of this teen angst drama that was anything other than amazing. Edit: 11/27/2012: Just watched Pornostar aka Tokyo Rampage in U.S., Poruno sutâ in Japan. It has nothing to do with porn. It should just be called Tokyo Psycho, but there is another movie with this title. Very slow film with little dialogue from the main character. Not much substance to the film other than the constant criticism of modern Japanese society I suppose. Still it has some interesting scenes and plays out as an fun Yukuza film, with a psychopathic twist, even more so than most. I was also finally able to get around to watching Hula Girls today. It was an emotional experience, with many ups and downs. The acting wasn't amazing, but it was good enough to keep the story progressing. I think it really is an example of how a good story and editing can actually make a film enjoyable. I had mixed feelings when basically killed off who seemed to be the main character, but it turned out to be a good transition for the film. It was a bit melodramatic and I could understand how some might feel like the drama was forced. But it was a good transitional film about a dieing coal town in need of economic change. I'm trying to think of similar movies that showcased dying cities in need of new ideas for creating jobs to maintain a community. I know I've seen a few, but non are coming to mind right now. Hula and the Hawaii theme was an interesting take on that formula though. 6/10 for it's story and editing. Acting and cinematography where very mediocre and sometimes felt very forced. There were however a few very good moments, the most poignant one being when the leads hardened coal miner mother watches her daughter dance for the first time. The start contrast between the generations, was a pivotal moment and a symbolic example of how things change and how one must change along with them or risk being left behind. |
Orion1Nov 27, 2012 3:43 PM
| Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrance The Ccent of Green Papaya 1 Litre of Tears 9 Souls |
| Got a chance to watch some films over holiday break. Happiness of the Katakuris takes a lot of chances. It's a mystery, family drama, musical and has some stunning clay animation sequences. I think it's pretty damn good. It's up there with Audition for favorite Miike films. At first glance Cutie Honey might seem like another low budet, 'hot girl action movie' with a whacky script. And that's because it is, but interesting visuals and excellent execution make it worth seeking out. Happy new year everybody. |
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Somai) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Joe) Every Night Dreams (Naruse) |
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| F is for Fake! and extras |
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| 2013-01-23T08:46:22+08:00 Last non-anime movie I watched was 1994 film Fist of Legend (starring Jet Li) six days ago. Last anime movie I watched was Detective Conan Movie 05: Countdown to Heaven a few days after Christmas last month. Hmm, I can't recall the last (live action) Japanese film I've seen. ~,~' 2013-01-23T08:49:41+08:00 2013-01-23T08:59:40+08:00 |
| Naysayers almost effortlessly make the possible seem impossible since they usually just parrot generalized, oversimplified, or uninspired arguments. However, the proper, but significantly more difficult way to refute an idea is to discredit all major and most minor cases. In contrast, a single convincing solution can prove feasibility though it isn't a trivial pursuit either. |
| Hirokau Kore-eda's beautiful and simple Arumitemo arumitemo (Still Walking). |
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| I just got done watch Sion Sono's "Cold Fish". It was brutal to say the least. Quite the disturbing little tale on the subject of murder and Fish? ;) |
| Watched Takashi Miike's One Missed Call a couple days ago. Not a bad film, but doesn't do much to differentiate itself from other "scary girl using technology (this time with phones) to kill people" films. |
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| I was able to finally watch Anno's film, Shiki Jistu yesterday. I enjoyed how it used the color red to it's full potential. The industrial architectures coldness, contrasted with the warm vibrant reds extremely well. The setting was probably this films strongest element. I also watched Swallowtail Butterfly finally. Glad I did watch this bizarrely violent picture of survival in Yentown. I've been trying to find and watch as many of Shunji Iwai's films that I still haven't seen and this one came up the other day while researching PiCNiC. Honestly, I'd recommend this film over Picnic. It's constructed much better, and the visuals carry much more meaning and purpose. The social commentary about the racism toward foreign labor, and what some endured while trying to earn some Yen, was over the top at times, but successfully created the tension, along with the few other gang factions, all working to collect on the booming economy Japan offered. As for the music, well, I wasn't thrilled with Chara's voice and music, which was one of it's biggest flaws. I don't think it was as well done as NANA, which some still say was still substandard pop. Some not me. The second flaw that others might pick up on quickly is the weird usage of Engrish, and different races of people. Most of Caucasians really didn't fit well into the film. A few did, but on a whole the cultural exchanges where less cosmopolitan and more just comic relief and distracting at moments. However, there is also an argument for it actually succeeding at making the film more dynamic. You might even say that the film was successful to some extent in creating the cosmopolitan gangster female. The strong modern sense of third wave feminism remains intact throughout this film. |
Orion1Feb 7, 2013 6:45 PM
| 2013-02-08T11:46:06+08:00 Skimmed through Rurouni Kenshin (2012). Recognized most of the actors as I've seen them in other j-drama. I'll watch the film properly sometime this year. >,< 2013-02-08T11:48:12+08:00 |
| Naysayers almost effortlessly make the possible seem impossible since they usually just parrot generalized, oversimplified, or uninspired arguments. However, the proper, but significantly more difficult way to refute an idea is to discredit all major and most minor cases. In contrast, a single convincing solution can prove feasibility though it isn't a trivial pursuit either. |
| So I'm a pretty big Rurouni Kenshin fan, mostly of the Trust and Betrayal ova vs. the series, however the series also had many merits, including the dynamic elements of Kenshin himself, and learning to accept his past, while embracing a future of helping others vs. killing them. He's strong and not easily swayed from his views, something that the film did an effective job of adapting. Takeru Sato's portrayal of Kenshin is in line with with the Trust and Betray Ova, since he minimized any slapstick or comedic elements. It appears he's new to the big screen but no stranger to television. It's fitting I suppose, he is most certainly quite the teen heart throb. Kenshins Yoda like repertory speech was also eliminated it was, it was. As with most adaptions that are attempting to incorporate a large amount of source material, this film also lacked it's own soul. Being a fan of the franchise seems to be a prerequisite for enjoyment. If you haven't been exposed to at least the Ova, then you will certainly feel like all the characters are completely static. Episodes from the series were also blended in this screenplay, with many instances that also required you having some prior knowledge. Basically, to sum things up, the film felt like one grand homage franchise, and less like a film that stands on it's own merits. There were a few aspects of the film that excelled, only to be bogged down with the poor selection of material from the series and ova. The action sequences were mostly well done and gave a sense that Kenshin surely was a man slayer. However, they forgot to include one of the most important elements of the Kenshin story, Seijuro Hiko, Kenshin's master and savior. I really wish they would have just adapted the Trust and Betrayal ova, instead of trying to mix it with the series. Probably the most moving moment in the film, was a flashback that highlighted the material from Trust and Betrayal. It's been a while so I'm forgetting how much of Trust and Betrayal was in the series, but much of it was and probably this scene too, where he kills the young samurai about to be married after defying his master and deciding to attempt to use Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu style to help usher in the Meiji era. Those are my thoughts on the film. Worth watching for fans, but certainly not an explanatory samurai film. |
Orion1Feb 8, 2013 11:15 PM
| Only a little post to participate a bit until I get the time to watch I am a Cat. I watched Hazard by Sion Sono ; I had a bunch of others from his to watch before this one, but I was on MUBI and it was part of May's feature films, so it caught my interest. It wasn't very good, but had interesting scenes. I liked that one of the most annoying characters started quoting Walt Whitman at the first third of the movie. I felt like there might be a little something valuable into this mess of obnoxiousness. Overall I like that Sion Sono tried to portray the will of japanese youth to try and get out of their ''sleepy but restless'' Japan, how they seek something more exciting. However, the form was shallow and had a very caricatural view of how New York really is like (black muggers, hold-ups, drugs, crazy beggars, etc.), which made is somewhat boring to watch to the end. |
ElleirApr 13, 2013 12:44 PM
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| ^I saw Hazard a long time ago but I didn't realize it was from Sono. I remember it being a pretty messy film execution wise. Finally watched Outrage Beyond tonight. It's awesome. Those who've seen the first know what to expect but the sequel is an overall superior film. Because the atmosphere and characters have already been established, this film gets to focus on its story and characters without getting entangled by numerous introductions. Cinematography is beautiful and the direction is top-notch. To me this is Kitano's most solid film since Kikujiro. |
BluntZMay 1, 2013 6:37 AM
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| Oh man Bluntz that's good amount of hype I'm going to have to check out Outrage Beyond now. Didn't know it was out yet. Thanks for the update. I'll just add that I had a little Mizoguchi night a few days ago. Finally got around to watching The Woman in the Rumor(噂の女 Uwasa no onna), A Story by Chikamatsu (近松物語 Chikamatsu monogatari). If the special features commentator was correct, then these two films were both two films that Mizoguchi really wasn't all that enthusiastic about. Partly because of a lovers Quarrel with Kinuyo Tanaka, whom he apparently attempted to stop from getting her second job as a director, of which she apparently never forgave him for. Regardless, Uwasa no onna was very enjoyable, and I thought very well done. Chikamatsu had a lot of potential but ended up becoming laughable at parts where the melodrama, and love affair became unbelievable and cliche. There was a confession involved that really felt disingenuous. |
| The Guard Post. It's one of those films where you're better off reading the plot and imagining for yourself how it would look like as a movie. All you get is people bursting in rooms terrified. I haven't seen a film so disjointed with its soundtrack since Crimson Rivers. By the time they pull out Basic twists, you just just want it to end. Two hours too long. |
| The The Grandmaster is gorgeous, but the Wiensteins planned 15 minutes of cuts might actually help the film if they cut out the other grand master scenes which are left completely undeveloped. And still it was so fun to watch it almost didn't matter. I heard there is a 4 hour version out there that probably explains the lack of detail into these other grand masters. Still Wong Kar Wai was able to deliver his now classic love story element. The ending still got me. Edit: Watched The Grandmaster again last night while not completely exhausted, this time with a few beers. I was blown out of the water this time at how good it was. While it's still true that there could have been more development in some of the other Grandmasters, it didn't matter when watching those great fight sequences done in a way apparently only Wong Kar Wai could deliver. I'll also concur that Outrage Beyond was much better than the first film, and yet completely dependent upon it as well. They could be watched as one movie. |
Orion1May 11, 2013 3:42 PM
| I saw Battle Royale again. This movie is so awesome! |
If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| My initial thoughts after seeing Miike's "Wara no Tate" last night: Caught Miike Takeshi's "Shield of Straw" (Wara no Tate) tonight. Like my student who saw it on the weekend, I was the only person in the theatre. But then again, the movie opened back in May. Anyways, it wasn't as action oriented as I'd hoped it would be. The beginning of the movie was reasonably fast paced but it slowed down badly in the middle and didn't pick up any speed in the end. For something that should've had a lot of tension (it was billed as a thriller), there were plenty of times where scenes which could've been really taut were dull and heavy handed. |
| I recently saw Lesson of the Evil by Miike. Entertaining as expected but the first half of the movie was kind of slow. It was probably needed to underline the main character but it could have been done in 30 minutes or so instead of 1h. Even so, once the movie catches up, it turns around 180 degrees. I couldn't believe that it was the same movie I was looking at 45 min earlier. |
If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
| The last movie I saw was Funky Forest. I expected it to be really weird, and it really was. Better have some patience though, kind of draggy sometimes. |
Elleir said: Only a little post to participate a bit until I get the time to watch I am a Cat. Elleir ~ How was I Am A Cat?? I just read the book last year and I am curious about the film adaptation. Do you recommend it?? |
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| Just finished Gate of Hell (地獄門 - Jigokumon) today and it was visually very beautiful with gorgeous cinematography, but I was less enthusiastic with the story. Most of those who like samurai pictures are likely to enjoy it, but it just didn't hold the same appeal to me as Ugetsu Monogatari or Revenge of a Kabuki Actor did. I would still recommend it for those who love costumes, old monaural colour films, photography, and drama though. |
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| I recently saw Kuroneko for the first time. My god, it was amazing. |
If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
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