What asian film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[HungFist]

Miramax's Mickey Mouse cut is actually superior to the Hong Kong version for at least improving the technical quality a bit.

How does it do that? I always wanted to see the HK cut but since there was never a decent release I gave up.

Mainly by improving the editing. The HK version (also the action scenes) lack any flow and often go on forever. For example in the opening action scene in the mountains Jackie falls about 700 times on his way down...

You can see Miramax agreed - they didn't just remove certain scenes to make the running time shorter, but they made several hundred edits (many of them just one or two seconds) because the entire film was in a need of re-editing to make it look less amateurish.

I had the R2J with both cuts (the long version is non-anamorphic), but sold it. Hard core Jackie fans will say the HK version is better simply for being longer and original, but it's really quite a poor film and the HK version only enhances the issues...

I'm not defending Miramax's decision to custom cut the film, I'm just saying don't except the original version to be a better film, because in fact it's worse.

edit: http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1809

[Markgway]

Have to disagree: the HK cut of First Strike is superior. It's not a great movie by any means but I enjoyed it more in the original cut. The butchered New Line version is almost totally incoherent. If you only care about the action you lose little with the cuts.

I'd rank the four films mentioned in this order (from best to worst):

First Strike *** (uncut) **½ (New Line)
Mr. Nice Guy **½
Thunderbolt **
Rumble in the Bronx **

[gasteropod]

The butchered Dimension version is almost totally incoherent.

Yeah I was thinking that, the US cut doesn't make much sense and I'd gathered from reading about the HK cut in the past that important dialogue scenes had been removed.

[Killer Meteor]

Actually New Line released RUMBLE, FIRST STRIKE and MR NICE GUY.

[HungFist]

Rubbers ou onna (Japan, 2010) - 4/5
A few years ago adult video girl Aino Kishi made an attempt at “mainstream acting” in the splatter fest Samurai Princess. Her performance wasn’t very good even for a racy genre film. Now she’s back with a romantic semi-pink rubber fetish film – and both her performance and the film are among the best of 2010. Up and coming director Takafumi Watanabe helms a lovely low-key romance of a nerdy young man (the always brilliant Hiroshi Yamamoto) and tokusatsu loving rubber fetish girl (Kishi). While perhaps intentionally moe, Kishi is fantastic in her role, underplaying the sexual aspects and coming out sweet and adorable (contrary to the film’s sexy marketing campaign). The screenplay could’ve been slightly improved, but the film leaves a wide smile to anyone’s face. A small gem unlikely to be discovered by wider audiences.
- in more detail: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4486&start=130

Karate Inferno: The Executioner 2 (Japan, 1974) – 4/5
The rat pack is back in an unbeatable heist pic / mental insanity celebration. Forced to deliver another karate film against his wishes, director Teruo Ishii filled the sequel with anarchist gags and slapstick comedy. The classic scene where Chiba saves a burning man’s life by pissing on him may not even be the dirtiest joke in the film. It’s not much of a martial arts film (although the final fight blows first film’s fight choreography out of the water), but the perfect casting guarantees a top grade ride. Sonny Chiba (prick ninja), Eiji Go (pervert karate man) and Makoto Sato (Frankenstein monster look-a-like) are joined by guest stars Etsuko Shihomi and Tetsuro Tamba, plus half of the once-killed villains from the original film. Yakuza film legend Kanjuro Arashi does a cameo at the end – too bad western audiences are likely to miss the joke.

at the end of the film the gang is sentenced to Abashiri Prison, where they are greeted by an old prisoner played by Kanjuro Arashi. Abashiri Prison was a hugely popular yakuza film series helmed by Teruo Ishii (all 10 installments) in the 1960’s. Kanjuro Arashi was one of the series’ regular actors. Sonny Chiba also appeared in the 6th film.

[Markgway]

Actually New Line released RUMBLE, FIRST STRIKE and MR NICE GUY.

Oops. My mistake.

[HungFist]

Flesh Target: Rape (Japan, 1979) – 1.5/5
Action / pink director Yukihiro Sawada’s rape comedy is yet another oddity that amuses to a certain point, but eventually overstays its welcome. The minimal storyline follows a business man who decides to rape the most attractive female workers in his company. Catchy jazz music is played after each rape. Compared to Yasuharu Hasebe’s more famous rape thrillers, Sawada’s outing lacks style and bite. More interesting than the film itself is the fact that Sawada was churning out violent pinks while also working in mainstream films at the same time. Flesh Target: Rape was released the same year he directed one of Japan’s most beloved screen actor of the time, Yusaku Matsuda, in No Grave for Us.

My Neighbor Totoro (Japan, 1988) – 4.5/5
Miyazaki’s best film – a lovely family movie with no violence, but plenty of cinematic magic and unforgettable title character. The latter is also the film’s only real flaw – each of Totoro’s scenes are so good, that the rest of the film somewhat pales in comparison.

[Ricochan38]

reign of assasins

the movie reminded me of crouching tiger hidden dragon, same kind of (style) movie

4 out of 5



sector 7

south korean horror movie with Ha ji won

bad cgi and ridiculous stupid story, and ha ji won isnt at her best also.

1.5 out of 5

[HungFist]

Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood (Japan, 1985) – 3/5
A beyond legendary horror film that terrified Charlie Sheen so much he called the feds to find out if it was real! Even today, watching the film is kind of like asking a cute girl out - knees shaking and pulse up to 200, until you get yourself together and the reality turns out to be something a little less intense. Still, it’s a film to scare people, especially those who have never seen it. The special effects work is, for the most part, notoriously good. The main issue is that the film doesn’t quite find the right focus – the characterization is non-existent even by genre standards, yet at the same time the film feels a bit too cinematic to be mistaken as (fictional) reality. Nevertheless, it’s a strong experience and a phenomenon that goes much beyond the film itself.

Ponyo on the Cliff (Japan, 2008) – 3.5/5
Miyazaki’s welcome return to Totoro-style anime after several disappointing films. While it could’ve been edited down a bit during its first half, the film is rather lovely and absolutely beautifully drawn.

Just wondering, how was the boob-talk translated in the English subtitles? That scene might have presented a bit of cultural challenge for translators...

[gasteropod]

Just wondering, how was the boob-talk translated in the English subtitles? That scene might have presented a bit of cultural challenge for translators...

Hmm I can't remember, what were they saying in Japanese?

[HungFist]

Just wondering, how was the boob-talk translated in the English subtitles? That scene might have presented a bit of cultural challenge for translators...

Hmm I can't remember, what were they saying in Japanese?

I can't remember it from word to word, but there were a lot of lines like "it's good for your boobs" and "oh, thank you, this is good for my boobs". Of course the conversation was in relation to producing breast milk, but I think it would sound a bit strange to many foreigners...

[gasteropod]

I can't remember it from word to word, but there were a lot of lines like "it's good for your boobs" and "oh, thank you, this is good for my boobs". Of course the conversation was in relation to producing breast milk, but I think it would sound a bit strange to many foreigners...

Ohhh yeah I seem to recall it being something like, 'thank you, this will help me produce lots of milk' or something along those lines.

[degeneration]

I've not seen as many Miyazaki films as I'd like yet, so can people give a run down of their ratings for his films, so I know where to start off next.

In fact I'll finish this post here and start that as a new thread topic.

[Keung]

Paper Marriage - ★★★½

Miracles - ★★★★½
- I haven't watched this since the HKL DVD came out. Back then I found it quite boring. I've learnt to appreciate it more now that I'm older. Excellent set design, great costumes, and Anita looked amazing. R.I.P.

Rosa - ★★
- I watched this with a very bad hangover so my attention wasn't always on the film. I also paused it a few times to bid on eBay items. And, I didn't quite understand some of the jokes, particularly during the Mahjong scene.

[grim_tales]

I remember enjoying RUMBLE a lot, MR NICE GUY was good fun as well but I've only seen the US versions of said films.

[Keung]

Channel 5 showed the HK version of Mr Nice Guy in 2009. I couldn't believe it!

[Markgway]

Must've been an accident!

[HungFist]

The whole film must've been an accident!

[Markgway]

... it's not that bad.

[bradavon]

Channel 5 showed the HK version of Mr Nice Guy in 2009. I couldn't believe it!

In Cantonese? That is especially surprising for C5. Is this the one set in Australia? Or is that First Strike? Whichever it is, that's awful.

[Keung]

It was entirely in English, but not dubbed English like the theatrical version is. Music was slightly different, too.

[Markgway]

Is this the one set in Australia? Or is that First Strike? Whichever it is, that's awful.

Both were set in Australia.

[HungFist]

Sonatine (Japan, 1993) – 4.5/5
Kitano’s most genius film. Still feels unique despite many followers and the Kitano’s own later films. The best comparison would probably be, somewhat surprisingly, Nobuhiro Yamashita, who started his career after seeing Violent Cop and thinking “I could do that, too!”.

One Million Yen Girl (Japan, 2008) – 2.5/5
Yuki Tanada missteps into mainstream with a poorly constructed screenplay, however, the pic is semi-saved by the brilliant Yu Aoi. Opting for an episodic structure the film follows a troubled 21-year old girl (Aoi) who travels from one city to another, always settling down for a short period of time, and then packing her bags once she has saved 1 million yen to ensure a smooth start in the next location. It has several good moments and some wonderful images, but the structure is frustrating – every time the ground up work is done, the process will reset. In the end, the film comes out very conventional, especially in terms of a side plot featuring a bullied little brother. That being said, the stunningly beautiful and equally talented Yu Aoi shines at every turn the screenplay allows her to.

[Yi-Long]

Channel 5 showed the HK version of Mr Nice Guy in 2009. I couldn't believe it!

In Cantonese? That is especially surprising for C5. Is this the one set in Australia? Or is that First Strike? Whichever it is, that's awful.

I believe both of those were set in Australia. And both were horrible.

[bradavon]

Both were set in Australia.

Oh . Maybe I've seen bits of both then.