Bullets 'n' Babes

The Killer Snakes (Hong Kong, 1975) – 3/5
Bullied young man makes friends with snakes in a dark and depraved Shaw Bros horror. It doesn’t turn quite as wild as you’d wish, but the soundtrack (which borrows Morricone heavily) works and the grindhouse smut atmosphere is first rate. Also, one can’t help but to wonder if director Kwei Chih-Hung had been keeping Nikkatsu’s output of the time on eye...

Killer Snakes was a bit too disturbing and dark for me

...and it was on after your bedtime!

Lust, Caution: 4.25/5

Very good film. Extremely well acted, Tony Leung is a fantastic actor but Tang Wei is very good (this was her film début AFAIK and she looks gorgeous in it), the designs and costumes are fantastic, theres fine music (loved the haunting piano theme).
What happened to Tang Wei at the end? Interesting how Tony Leung talks to his wife at the end as if "Mrs. Mak" was real, I mean he doesnt say she was just acting in a plot to kill him. I think the part where she helped him escape showed she sort of fell in love with him?.
The film seemed a bit long in places and its more of a drama than a thriller. The part when Chin Kar Lok is shot/stabbed mutiple times is quite nasty!

I thought it was excellent too. It's a shame there is no Western BD, the Asian ones cost a bomb.

grim_tales wrote:What happened to Tang Wei at the end?

She gets executed for being a spy. As do her comrades. She sold them and her country out for a bit of cock basically. That's why I thought the ending frankly sucked ass.

I completely disagree, as we discussed before.

You're putting it way too simply. I don't see how the ending you wanted would make it better, just different. Both are valid endings the director could've gone with.

Not that I thought it was detrimental to the film. It worked, as did the rest of the film.

I got the impression that Yee felt a sense of loss or something, when Tang Wei was executed. I mean, right at the end he tells his wife to tell the others that "Mrs. Mak had an emergency and went back to HK", he doesnt say anything about her being a spy. Would that upset her? Obviously she's been taken in, part of Tang Wei's mission was to be Joan Chen's friend, to get close to Yee.

I thought the movie was a bit long too, it "felt" like 2+ hours but wasnt boring to me. Certainly classily acted as Mark said.
Yee treats Chia-Chi like shit, he doesnt love her IMO. One point Chia-Chi is in over her head and she says she "keeps waiting for someone to come and shoot Yee in the back of the head". But at one point Yee asks her if she still hates him, and she says "no"

bradavon wrote:I completely disagree, as we discussed before. You're putting it way too simply. I don't see how the ending you wanted would make it better, just different. Both are valid endings the director could've gone with.

How do you know what ending I would've wanted? I didn't say.

grim_tales wrote:I got the impression that Yee felt a sense of loss or something, when Tang Wei was executed. I mean, right at the end he tells his wife to tell the others that "Mrs. Mak had an emergency and went back to HK", he doesnt say anything about her being a spy. Would that upset her? Obviously she's been taken in, part of Tang Wei's mission was to be Joan Chen's friend, to get close to Yee.

Yes. Tony Leung felt sadness. He had fallen in love with Tang Wei. He saw no reason to upset his wife. But also because he may have had to explain his involvement with her and his status as traitor.

I thought the movie was a bit long too, it "felt" like 2+ hours but wasnt boring to me.

Hitchcock would've done it in under two hours.

Yee treats Chia-Chi like shit, he doesnt love her IMO.

To start with he does. He doesn't want to get involved emotionally but can't help himself. It's the same for her. She hates him but starts to love him so there's inner conflict. Still didn't buy the ending though - there's no way she could've loved him to the extent where she would've sold out herself, her comrades, and her country. In my ending (pay attention Brad) Wei would've killed Tony but with a certain regret. That to me would've been more believeable and poignant.

I get what you mean Mark. Its interesting your preferred ending is, in a way, the reverse of what actually happened.
From Tony Leung's POV he executed Tang Wei but obviously with regret and sadness, I felt Leung played that end part very well.

Markgway wrote:How do you know what ending I would've wanted? I didn't say.

Huh? Of course you did. One where she doesn't sell out (in your opinion) to her fellow country men.

Markgway wrote:Hitchcock would've done it in under two hours.

Yawn, what a stupid statement. Lee isn't Htichcock but he's still a very talented director.

I didn't find it long in the slightest. I do agree that the ending was a bit off but it really didn't bother me. What you're not giving credit to is the excellent performances and Ang Lee's usual excellent directing.

IMO it's a very good film.

Markgway wrote: Still didn't buy the ending though - there's no way she could've loved him to the extent where she would've sold out herself, her comrades, and her country. In my ending (pay attention Brad) Wei would've killed Tony but with a certain regret. That to me would've been more believable and poignant.

Oh right, so your ending is better because "it's yours". That reminds me of Yi saying the FOL DD DVD had been fucked up because DD didn't include the cut Yi wanted.

I agree that would've been interesting but no less or more than the ending given. It works perfectly well as it is.

grim_tales wrote:From Tony Leung's POV he executed Tang Wei but obviously with regret and sadness, I felt Leung played that end part very well.

Exactly. That wouldn't have been possible in Mark's ending. You get regret either way, it just depends who you prefer to see regret.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 4.5/5

At one point I watched 10 episodes in one sitting (5 hours!), it's that gripping. I've got the 2nd Gig on its way to me, so hopefully that will arrive on Monday morning so I can continue!

I imported the R4 Madman box set of SAC due to the many problems that the R2 Manga set suffers, and it's been really good quality throughout up until the last couple of volumes where nasty ghosting and juddering spoils the experience. Quite odd since all the previous episodes had proper PAL transfers.

bradavon wrote:Huh? Of course you did.

That was just a generalised comment about the direction I would've gone in, not an actual ending. I've since elaborated. Brad, stop telling people what they've said, and what they think. I can do it for myself.

Yawn, what a stupid statement. Lee isn't Htichcock but he's still a very talented director.

Stupid how? Because it's true? Directors today are far too self-indulgent. There was no need for LUST to be 158 mins. You could've cut out a half hour easily and it still would've been a longish film.

What you're not giving credit to is the excellent performances and Ang Lee's usual excellent directing.

I did in my original review. But Grim's comments tackled the ending so that's what I was responding to. No probs with the acting and Lee knows how to make a classy film.

Oh right, so your ending is better because "it's yours".

No, it's better because it's better. 8)

This World of Ours (Japan, 2007) – 2,5/5
Ryo Nakajima’s debut feature borrows from the 'new digital jp wave' and throws in a more violent focus and blown out contrasts. It’s a decently strong experince with several good scenes and some visually impressive shots, but also has a lot of student film style angst visible. Occasionally the use of classical music and handheld cinematography feel more intentionally artistic than appropriate.

Plastic Little: 3/5

It's a shame that all that was made was this 50 minute OVA, as it would have been pretty good as a series. The artwork was surprisingly good, not just for the breasts bouncing up and down either haha.

Ashes of Time redux

The good:
It looks brilliant. Perfectly restored.
In some shots, you feel like you're looking at a brand new film.
Brigitte Lin now speaks mandarin = No more awful lip-sync.

The bad:
Everything else.
The beginning is cut, the ending is cut. The music has been entirely replaced by some soft melancholic Yo-yo Ma bullshit that makes you want to puke.

This movie isn't Ashes of Time. Time to make a backup copy of my Mei Ah DVD (for safekeeping).

tom2681 wrote:Ashes of Time redux

The good:
It looks brilliant. Perfectly restored.
In some shots, you feel like you're looking at a brand new film.
Brigitte Lin now speaks mandarin = No more awful lip-sync.

The bad:
Everything else.
The beginning is cut, the ending is cut. The music has been entirely replaced by some soft melancholic Yo-yo Ma bullshit that makes you want to puke.

This movie isn't Ashes of Time. Time to make a backup copy of my Mei Ah DVD (for safekeeping).

That's what I was affraid of....
-sigh-...

Cant believe a classic got fucked up. By it's own creator no less.

As expected.

I'll check it in a couple of weeks anyway.

The sad thing is that I'm sure the new reviews will be full of praise, with many of the reviewers never having seen the original version...
So WKW will probably think he has done the right thing.

Plus it's almost certain the original cut will now never be released again.

I guess its like Apocolypse Now/Redux right? Can you even get the original AN?

grim_tales wrote:I guess its like Apocolypse Now/Redux right? Can you even get the original AN?

Doesn't The Complete Dossier come with both remastered?

And then there's a million old dvds with the orig. cut.

Oops
I'm not sure about the Complete Dossier. But doesnt Copolla call Redux his preferred cut now?
Another example would be ETD.