[drugstore cowboy]

okay, i've seen a shit load of asian cinema over the last month, too much to start individual threads. so…


infernal affairs trilogy -

the first movie is basically a cat & mouse crime thriller, with two moles: one working for a crime lord within the police department, and another working for the police department undercover within the crime world. the two are trying figure out the identities of each other. it stars andy lau and tony leung, two asian heavy weights, they rock. the second movie is a prequel giving back stories on all the characters, and the third picks up right where the first left off with some nifty twists and turns. as far as this genre of movies goes: this is king, it's pretty much set the standard for crime thrillers. word is brad pitt loved 'em and has picked up the rights, with martin scorsese interested in directing. i can't say enough good things about these films, they just blew me away. the first in the trilogy is the highest grossing film in honk kong history, and also won 11 awards at the chinese version of the oscars.


azumi -

in a nut shell the story is: 5 warriors are on a mission to assassinate 3 shogun lords. the title character is a young girl who can basically kick a lot of ass. and that's all you need to know. the movie is from the same guy that directed 'versus,' except this time he gets a big budget. the swordplay in this flick is awesome, a lot of folks getting sliced up. and if you thought the uma vs crazy 88 fight from 'kill bill' was badass, wait til you see azumi take on over 200 guys for the movie's climax. there's also jaw dropping shot with the camera rotating 360 degrees vertically around two fighters, it has to be seen!

on a side note: i picked up the 'ultimate versus' dvd, if any of you liked the original version, get this! the director took all the crew back to the forest and filmed 10mins of new footage, basically a few mins worth of new blood and gore for each existing action sequence. it kind if makes this version of the movie the uncut version. worth seeing, changes the movie a lot more than you think it would. and if you haven’t seen 'versus' yet: it's a movie about zombies, yakuza, samurai, and everyone fights. 2 hours of violence with 'evil dead 2' kind of humour. get it!


zatoichi: the blind swordsman –

again in a nut shell: takeshi kitano vs tadanobu asano. asano played kakihara (the blonde haired badass with cheeks piercings) in 'ichi the killer.' this is probably a strong contender for greatest samurai flick of all time, it simply rules. kitano does a great job of bringing the blind swordsman back to life. the cinematography is also gorgeous in this movie, it's like kurosawa crossed with the shaw bros, the best of both worlds. i saw this originally at the theatre, but the dvd i have has a lot more blood and people get shit chopped off scenes, so make sure you get hold of the uncut version. and for all the people that bitched about the ending, pay attention to the last fucking line! kitano keeps the trademark intact. essential viewing.


shark skin man & peach hip girl -

this also stars tadanobu asano, and again confirms him as the coolest guy on the planet, he's surpassed bruce campbell in my eyes. it's your standard guy & girl on the run from bad guys flick. the directing is pretty cool, the title sequence that introduces all the characters is absolute class. it also has a lot of strange and kind of funny in weird way dialogue. the shoot out at the end of the movie is truly bizarre, involving night vision goggles and a baseball bat concealing a sword. cool little film with some great memorable characters. it’s like a japanese tarantino film.


sympathy for mr. vengeance -

the story is about a guy who's sister is dying and needs a kidney transplant, but he's poor and can't afford the surgery. so he decides to kidnap his bosses daughter and ransom her for the cash. but everything goes wrong, and this is where the title comes into play. vengeance is definitely order of the day. there's a lot of disturbing moments in the movie, but it's all done in a clever way, a lot of the violence is implied. your mind will think some bad shit during the course of this flick. anyways, it's an amazing film, and truly artistic in many ways. again, get hold of the uncut version, cause i've seen a shorter version and it sucks.


electric dragon 80,000 v -

this movie rocks, literally. the soundtrack is japanese industrial/punk rock, it plays a big part in the movie. the story is about a guy that was electrocuted as a kid and has grown to develop electric powers. he's then challenged by a strange man who seems to possess the same sort of powers to a battle. it's crazy stuff, a lot of quick editing and different cameras techniques. it's also completely in black & white, reminds me a lot of the movie 'pi.' the whole movie is a complete assault on the senses, you've never seen anything like it, trust me. the main guy is played by tadanobu asano, who i think i've mentioned way to many times now for you not to know who the fuck he is! bow before him, you sluts!

[drugstore cowboy]

official site with trailer for the new takashi miike (audition, ichi the killer) movie:

http://www.izo-movie.com/

miike finally makes a samurai flick, and starring takeshi kitano no less.
i have nothing further to add except this will own each and everyone of you.

[sixxx(sic)six]

still have yet to see ichi the killer....i dl'd a bad copy

[Harry Hard-On]

Thanks for posting those man, I will deff. check EVERY one of those out!
Please keep posting these films as you find them, it'll drain my cash, but I know for sure I will be buying at least a couple of the films that you listed.

Q. Where did you find 'Versus Ultimate Edtition'!?!?! I have to fuckin buy this. I loved this film! I'm in the U.S. but PLEASE tell me that I can find this in a Region 0 or 1 dvd.

I REALLY want to see 'zatoichi: the blind swordsman' I love Kitano.
I've watched a couple of the 'Zatoichi' films and I look forward to Kitano's take on the series. I'll have to special order this as soon as I can.

I am also just starting to get into Miike. I picked up 'Audition' and 'Full Metal Yakuza'
and I'm going to order the 'Dead Or Alive' trilogy along with 'Sabu' and 'Ichi The Killer' as soon as I have some more money.
I did buy 'Ichi' once but I realized that I had picked up the R rated edition and took it back untill I can find the Unrated Edition.

A few days ago I bought a copy of 'Lady Snowblood', the 'Kill Chiba' Collection that includes 3 of Sonny Chiba's big action movies 'The Bullet Train' 'The Executioner' and 'Golgo 13' and I expanded my Chow Yun-Fat collection with 'Tiger On Beat' and 'God Of Gamblers'.

When I have some more time I will write some reviews of the more recient Asian Cinema that I have watched, and I'll post them here.

[errantrogue]

i am eager to see the new Zaitochi... and wish i had the cash to get the few of the B&W classics on DVD.

[Harry Hard-On]

Ok, I found 'Ultimate Versus' and 'Azumi' on E-Bay.
Bought them both.
Now comes the time to wait for them to arrive....

[drugstore cowboy]

nice work, man. looking forward to your views on both movies. i've got his latest film on order: sky high. people's opinions seem to be split, some think it's the best thing he's done since versus, while others say it's maybe his weakest movie to date. i'll post a review as soon as i've watched it.

two movies i saw the other night:


fulltime killer & bangkok dangerous -

okay, i rented both these movies out together after reading good things about each of 'em. i expected to love FK and simply be pleased with BD, but... FK sucked and BD rocked.

i love hitman/bullet ballet/heroic bloodshed/john woo style/whatever else you wish to call 'em types of flicks, and i felt that FK was a complete whoring of that type of genre, while BD was a worthy addition.

the story for fulltime killer is basically two hitmen competing for the no.1 spot... there are deeper issues than that, but they're played out so ridiculously that you really couldn't give a fuck. the main reason i hated this film was andy lau, his performance was so bad i had strong desires to place his nutsack in a vice and crank the fucker till i saw some tears. comedy can often work in hong kong movies, but this just didn't. i'm sure he thought he was being suave and cool speaking in english... but he wasn't, basically cause he wasn't able to speak fluent english. also the director must have thought referencing other movies was hip, but just blatently naming the movies doesn't work, it was all so painfully obvious.

on the other hand bangkok dangerous was too cool, it kept it's integrity and refused to lower itself to comedy status. the acting, the cinematography, the directing, the plot, the script... all top notch. there was obvious influence from john woo's the killer, but it was all done in a inventive way. the story is again about a hitman, but in this film he's deaf and pretty much broke, his hits pay for his food and shelter. it's a tough gritty movie that'll have you thinking about it for a while after viewing.

[Harry Hard-On]

The Ultimate Versus:

I LOVE THIS FUCKING FILM! As soon as I read that this existed I went on e-bay and bought it. I couldn't be more happy with it. The new footage was fucking great. I especially loved the new fight scene at the end between Tak Sakaguchi and the red haired villain (sorry I don't know his name) was such a great add on.

Azumi:

I have a new love her name is Aya Ueto. Could she be any hotter? Ahhhhh... But besides that. Awesome Fucking Movie! I just got done watching it and I'm sooo happy I picked it up. The whole premise of the film was fantastic and the fight scenes were the best I have seen since 'Kill Bill'. And as you mentioned the 360' camera turns were pure fucking eye candy. I can easily say that Ryuhei Kitamura is now one of my favorite directors. I REALLY hope that he does a sequel to 'Azumi' where they take on the final Evil Lord. I have to pick up Kitamura's other films soon as I have some money.

Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl:

Between 'Versus' 'Azumi' and 'Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl' Tadanobu Asano is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I'm going to have to order 'Ichi The Killer (Unrated)' next.

I thought that this movie was pretty cool. I would have liked to see some more blood, but what ya gunna do? But I did laugh my ass off when the little bitch hitman ran into the fully lit lobby with his night vision goggles on, I love it when shit goes wrong for characters that piss me off.

Fulltime Killers:

I picked up this dvd from the movie store I work at for about 3 bucks. I haven't gotten around to watching it yet, but now I'm not too excited to watch it... But I'll post my thoughts when I get around to it.

Bangkok Dangerous:

I watched this a year or two ago... I'll have to find this film again and watch it a second time... I can't remember too much about it. I remember liking it quite a bit. Especially the fact that the lead character was deaf.

I'm going to end up having to buy the 'Infernal Affairs Trilogy', 'Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance' and 'Electric Dragon 80,000 v' I can't find shit for Asian cinema to rent or buy over here in MT...

Plus 'Hero The Uncut Edition' is up for pre-order on EdayMovie. Dammit I Wish I Had More Money!!!!

dsc - Thanks again for listing these movies, I fuckin loved 'Azumi' and look forward to future info on new and old flicks. Keep up the good work.

[BlyssfulStorm]

I saw "Zatoichi: the blind swordsman" and loved it. Takeshi and Asano can do no wrong in my eyes. I can't find "Bangkok Dangerous", though.

[errantrogue]

hmm... found a japanese splatterfest in the used section the other day called Sucide Club (or Suicide Circle)...

haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but the premise sounds interesting... its about a rash of school girl suicides and how a website seems to be predicting them ahead of time.

one of these days ill get Battle Royale on DVD... i just can't decide which edition to get.

[BlyssfulStorm]

I suggest "Battle Royale: Special Version".

I just saw this flim called "Naked Blood" it was rather...graphic. This guy experiments on 3 of his mother's female patients. He makes this chemial that causes the brain the release a HELL of a lot more endorphines than it should. The more pain you experience, the better it feels. It also goes by the title "Splatter".

[Harry Hard-On]

I bought a copy of 'Suicide Circle' about a year ago. Great movie.
I especially loved the FruitRoll Ups Of Skin. Ummmm.... YummY!

As for 'Battle Royale' I picked up the single disk theatrical cut and a copy of the special limited 2-disc director's cut. There isn't too much difference between the theatrical and the director's cut, but the Special Features on that second disc are pretty bad ass.

Q. Am I the only one that has picked up 'Battle Royale 2: Requiem'?
I'd like to start up a conversation about the differences and likes/dislikes.

Also:
I just rented a movie called "Gun Crazy" soon as I watch it I'll post a little review.

[errantrogue]

isn't that the one where the new class is set after the survivors of several old classes?

[Harry Hard-On]

Kinda....

The polt centers around Tatsuya Fujiwara (Shuya Nanahara) and his band of rebel followers as they wage war on all adults. Shuya and his followers start blowing up buildings and causing general acts of terrorism. To retort the 'Adults' choose a class of 8th graders to unwillingly participate in the BR2 act. The team of 40 or so 8th graders are put into teams of 2, each wearing an explosive around their neck. As an added twist this time around if one dies, the other dies.

So the new group is sent out to destroy Shuya and his followers at their home base. Chaos ensues.

[BlyssfulStorm]

I've been trying to get my hands on a copy since it was released on DVD in Japan. Overall, how was it?

[drugstore cowboy]

i've still yet to see battle royale 2, mainly due to all the bad reviews, but since i'm going in expecting the worst i'll probably end up liking it. the official uk release is next month, i'll rent it then. also, i think both those movies get way too much attention than they deserve, the first battle royale was an excellent movie, but c'mon, i can think of a load of asian movies that rip it apart it terms of greatness. it's the same with the ring.

anyways, azumi 2 is on the way, although it's without the directing skills of kitamura. shusuke kaneko is directing this time, i don't know much about him except that he's directed a few godzilla flicks. which is kind of fitting as kitamura is working on the new godzilla movie, i don't know if that's just a coincidence or whether it was planned for them to switch projects. but all that isn't the good news, cause this time we get chiaki kuriyama (aka gogo yubari from kill bill) as well as aya ueto, praise the lord! no idea when the release date is, the official site has nothing but a big 'azumi 2' logo.

other news, martin scorsese has confirmed that the infernal affairs remake will be his next movie. the film's title will be changed to 'the departed', and casting so far is: matt damon as andy lau's role, and leonardo dicaprio as tony leung's part. all that is official. alot of fans of the original are pretty pissed as the've decided to exclude some of the main characters in the american script. watch the frickin' original, damnit!

link to the house of flying daggers trailer (new movie from the guy that made 'hero'):

http://www.apple.co.jp/quicktime/tra...ers_large.html



a tale of two sisters -

i didn't expect too much from this movie, i thought it'd be another typical asian horror flick like 'ju-on', 'the eye', 'ringu', 'dark water'... but it turned out to be a completely amazing film, one of the best movie experiences i've had actually. i don't use words like masterpiece that often, but this definitely was. i can't really say a lot about the plot without giving too much away. if you like "mind-fuck" movies then you'll love this, the structure of it is kind of similar to 'mulholland drive'.

the movie begins with two sisters being brought home by their father, they seem to have been away for some time, and the first part of the film is about the two of them settling in again. the older of the two sisters has some serious issues with their step-mom, who is one evil bitch, and things get heated more than a few times between them. while all that is going on, some strange occurrences start happening around the house, occurrences of the creepy kind. on a base level it is a horror, and their are a few pretty scary moments, but under all that is brilliant psychological drama. saying anymore than that would be too much. also, it'll take a few viewings to really work out what exactly happened in the movie, it's pretty complex.

again, hollywood notices an opportunity too make some quick cash: a remake is in production. and for the first time i think there really is 100% no reason to remake the film, it is perfect. the look of the movie is gorgeous, you can tell a lot of thought went into each and every shot.

bottom line: this is essential viewing.

[drugstore cowboy]

Originally Posted by Harry Hard-On

I just rented a movie called "Gun Crazy" soon as I watch it I'll post a little review.

when it comes to "bullets & babes" movies, the 'gun crazy' flicks are supposedly the crème of the crop. i was thinking about picking them up myself now that they're finally available with subtitles. looking forward to your review.

[Harry Hard-On]

Originally Posted by drugstorecowboy

azumi 2 is on the way, although it's without the directing skills of kitamura. shusuke kaneko is directing this time, i don't know much about him except that he's directed a few godzilla flicks. which is kind of fitting as kitamura is working on the new godzilla movie, i don't know if that's just a coincidence or whether it was planned for them to switch projects. but all that isn't the good news, cause this time we get chiaki kuriyama (aka gogo yubari from kill bill) as well as aya ueto, praise the lord! no idea when the release date is, the official site has nothing but a big 'azumi 2' logo.

Chiaki Kuriyama & Aya Uet