Asian Cinema

[dreamweaver13]

I watch asian films every chance i get. and i've seen so many (and fell in love with quite a few) that i can't begin to list em all. but let's start with the usual suspects:

chungking express

infernal affairs (one of my all time faves. and none of that departed stuff)

battle royale

azumi (i'm in love with aya ueto)

ichi the killer

ran, seven samurai and other akira kurosawa films

recent ones i've seen that i liked:

Great Yokai War

Hana & Alice (ok, so i'm also in love with Aoi Yu)

Stacy (and no, i'm not in love with the lead. she bugs me.).

Next up for viewing are the Tomie films.

as for aya ueto, if you like her, aside from azumi and her ads, you could also check out "Attention Please!". uber-tomboyish cuteness in that one. sometimes even a tad too much cuteness. but as fans of japanese culture, how can one ever have too much cuteness? hehe.

[wolfx]

My asian films list is a bit long... but if you haven't seen one this year, see The Host.

The Host was one really strange film. It was like a social commentary against US's foreign policy against South Korea under the guise of a monster flick. I didn't like it maybe because i was EXPECTING a monster flick, not some artsy fartsy social commentary. I mean you can't help it that they keep advertising it as "special effects by WETA!!"

Hmmm.... been awhile since I watch Asian films. Latest one i watched was 10 Promises To my Dog....a heart warming tale of a girl growing up with her Golden Retriever , Socks. My date cried a pail-load but I was thinking of 101 ways they could've made the movie sadder.

Then there was Touch, Japanese film based on a manga I believe, about 3 friends who are into baseball and want to make it to the nationals together. Not that good.

I love Takashi Miike movies, like Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q.

Then there's of course Battle Royale which was awesome, but the sequel sucked.

Some people recommended Linda x 3 and Tampopo, so I think i'll go give those a try. For me, MOST Japanese movies are too slow and I lose interest fast. I fare better watching Korean love comedies.

[eugimon]

linda linda linda is not a fast paced movie, fyi. Tampopo has a much faster pace and is definitely a comedy.

[Gubaba]

Okay...it's a little off-topic, but since there are so many Aya Ueto fans out there, here it is, the first in the brilliant Soft Bank "White Family" ad series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaPk40FFkS4

As I said, it's helpful to know some Japanese to get it...but if you don't, all you really need to know are the following family words:

"Okaasan" = "mother"

"Niichan" = "older brother"

and most importantly,

"Otousan" = "father"

Enjoy!

Edited December 12, 2008 by Gubaba

[Einherjar]

They show Heaven and Earth occasionally on the movie cable channels. I've never got to watch the whole thing in one sitting though.

[SilentCrossHairs]

Okay...it's a little off-topic, but since there are so many Aya Ueto fans out there, here it is, the first in the brilliant Soft Bank "White Family" ad series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaPk40FFkS4

As I said, it's helpful to know some Japanese to get it...but if you don't, all you really need to know are the following family words:

"Okaasan" = "mother"

"Niichan" = "older brother"

and most importantly,

"Otousan" = "father"

Enjoy!

Dude that was crazy...and trippy to...Glad i saw it when I was tipsy Thank God for Rossetta Stone.

[Ghost Train]

The Host was one really strange film. It was like a social commentary against US's foreign policy against South Korea under the guise of a monster flick. I didn't like it maybe because i was EXPECTING a monster flick, not some artsy fartsy social commentary. I mean you can't help it that they keep advertising it as "special effects by WETA!!"

This is true, I did read about the social commentary of the film prior to seeing it. The social commentary was not a plus or minus for me, it was what it was. The monster itself was nothing too awesome either. I enjoyed the film because of its portrayal of the dysfunctional Park family, which was often times really comical, and often reminds me of my own clan

[Gubaba]

The Host was one really strange film. It was like a social commentary against US's foreign policy against South Korea under the guise of a monster flick. I didn't like it maybe because i was EXPECTING a monster flick, not some artsy fartsy social commentary. I mean you can't help it that they keep advertising it as "special effects by WETA!!"

I'm not terribly sympathic to this viewpoint...monster movies have long been a vehicle for social commentary...from the original Godzilla to Cloverfield. The Host handled its themes better than most, I think, and, as Ghost Train pointed out, the family saga was great.

Some people recommended Linda x 3 and Tampopo, so I think i'll go give those a try. For me, MOST Japanese movies are too slow and I lose interest fast. I fare better watching Korean love comedies.

Haven't seen "Linda" (I love the Blue Hearts song it's named for, though), but Tampopo is excellent. But before you watch it, make sure you have time to go to a Japanese restaurant; it'll make you hungry as hell.

[eugimon]

I'm not terribly sympathic to this viewpoint...monster movies have long been a vehicle for social commentary...from the original Godzilla to Cloverfield. The Host handled its themes better than most, I think, and, as Ghost Train pointed out, the family saga was great.

agreed, all great monster movies/stories started life as social commentaries.

Haven't seen "Linda" (I love the Blue Hearts song it's named for, though), but Tampopo is excellent. But before you watch it, make sure you have time to go to a Japanese restaurant; it'll make you hungry as hell.

If you're in southern california a surprisingly good Japanese ramen place is Shin Sen Gumi, it's a chain and there's some in LA and one in OC.

[Gubaba]

If you're in southern california a surprisingly good Japanese ramen place is Shin Sen Gumi, it's a chain and there's some in LA and one in OC.

Heh. The LA one is pretty close to my work. (I've also been meaning to check out Ajisen Ramen on Valley Blvd. next to the Hilton, but mostly because it looks like a real-life Nyan Nyan.)

Still, I was stating that as a recommendation to wolfx, because I once watched Tampop with a friend, the movie finished at 12:30 AM, and the only ramen restaurant around that was open was in Little Tokyo, which isn't all that close to my place.

We made it, though.

Anyway, lesson learned: anytime you watch Tampopo, make sure there's a handy ramen shop around for afterward.

[crescens]

GO is also worth mentioning... story about North Korean boy that was born in Japan. Funny sometimes, sometimes serious. I like to call it japanese Snatch, though it's not as funny as Snatch was... but still good movie

"super chicken run" heheheh

[lord_breetai]

I'm not terribly sympathic to this viewpoint...monster movies have long been a vehicle for social commentary...from the original Godzilla to Cloverfield. The Host handled its themes better than most, I think, and, as Ghost Train pointed out, the family saga was great.

Haven't seen "Linda" (I love the Blue Hearts song it's named for, though), but Tampopo is excellent. But before you watch it, make sure you have time to go to a Japanese restaurant; it'll make you hungry as hell.

Yes Tampopo is great... but I did have to go to have Ramen with my friend after we watched it in Japanese class... nomnomnom!

Speaking of the original Gojira, I uploaded clip from KOTM (I have the two disc set that has both versions of the film) in this clip the Japanese characters are talking about the possibility of killing Gojira and the english characters are talking about going to Odo Island to look for clues. Freaking funny if you understand what's being said.

Been a while since I saw a good asian film, last one I checked out was Kamikaze girls I think.

[Mog]

Damn! No one's mentioned Harakiri yet?

It's a little talkative, but it's a damn good movie and story.

[wolfx]

Ok....watch Tampopo...have ramen stall nearby....check. Wow Japanese gov. should mass export this film to improve its economy.

[crescens]

need to keep this topic alive you lazy n00bers <3 XD

found some funny movie "Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge" i think it's based on some mangs or anime, so it can be actually cheap but sometimes is good to watch something that dont need to be thinked over after watching