What ELSE (other than KUNG FU) has everyone been watching?

[Sheng]

THE HIMALAYAN (Huang Feng) Despite some laughable plot twists a most compelling film! Also definitely a better viewing experience then anticipated. The print appears to be quite damaged and smudgy in parts, colors are still half-way decent though. The subs are unbelievably shabby (even by HK standards), often had to freeze the picture and wildly guess what they mean (definitely helpful if you understand some standard Mandarin phrases, they hardly bothered to translate these!). This is one movie that would look AMAZING if given a proper digital facelift!

BANDITS FROM SHANTUNG (Huang Feng again) Good acting and sensibly shot, but a tad too much trampoline hopping and reverse film action for my liking. Except for the night scenes and the first 15 minutes this did look half-way decent on big screen tv with pretty saturated colors and ok contrast levels, despite a lotta print damage.

BEACH OF THE WAR GODS. Tremendously enjoyable Wang Yu/Lung Fei romp. Just had to watch this again to convince myself that my recently acquired German Eyecatcher version is CLEARLY superior to the Joy Sales print. And at least this time the German title ("Todesbucht der Shaolin") didn't make me throw up yesterday's Nasi-Goreng as way too many of the others do... ("Schlitzauge" anyone...?)

I for one am grateful for these re-issues in Joy Sales Legendary Collection, despite all the imperfections. Don't think we'll be able to lay our hands on better copies in the forseeable future.

[ShaOW!linDude]

This weekend I viewed:

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Maximum Cage Fighting

Shaolin Wooden Men

I've posted my thoughts in the Review section under "My Many Mini-reviews" as I didn't think I should start another thread for them. That will be my practice. Feel free to read them. Comment or don't. Hope you enjoy them.

[AlbertV]

CIRCLE OF FURY - new independent MMA film. Review is on the main page.

LEGENDARY - John Cena breaks from the action genre to star in this inspiring film as a former high school wrestling champion who is estranged from his family and spends his time trying to find work, drink, and get into bar fights. He learns his little brother has joined the high school wrestling team and he becomes his private trainer. The little brother hopes to use the sport to reunite his mother and brother. Danny Glover appears as a mysterious fisherman who is not all he appears to be (in a good way). I really enjoyed it.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Impossible Woman-

Wong Tao is in this but doesn't get to fight for some reason. Maybe I missed the 10 seconds of action he gets or something:ooh: The story is decently done for being such low budget. Yasuaki Kurata gets a nice fight at the end. The lead actress is Elsa Yeung. Yuko Muzino is also in it, from Heroes of the East. Funny to compare this to Heroes because Kurata actually gets to hook up with her this time. She gets nude. Actually I don't think they meant to show her nipple, but, they did:xd:

[kngfu]

FIGHTER

Engrossing Danish-made drama where a young TUrkish girl desires to learn kung fu against her parents' wishes. The action is abit over the top, but the director expressed that she wanted it that way to take the viewer to a higher level during the action. I enjoyed this movie for the acting, but the fights are okay, but a bit Matrixie.

[bearpower]

Kick Ass and I enjoy it

[AlbertV]

FIGHTER

Engrossing Danish-made drama where a young TUrkish girl desires to learn kung fu against her parents' wishes. The action is abit over the top, but the director expressed that she wanted it that way to take the viewer to a higher level during the action. I enjoyed this movie for the acting, but the fights are okay, but a bit Matrixie.

I really liked it. Was like kung fu's Bend It Like Beckham. I reviewed it here on KFC's main page.

[kngfu]

I rewatched ALONG CAME THE TIGER

The fights were all spectacular, expecially the one with Wong Tao and Phillip Ko.

[Sheng]

Watched the German edition of INVINCIBLE ARMOUR last night. First time I've seen Ng See Yuen's spirited, brilliantly edited & narrated masterpiece since the bad old VHS days and I don't think its ever been presented better (despite the incomplete Mandarin audio - gotta endure roughly 10 minutes of the English dub in between...)

A real pity that the New / Eyecatcher lot is no more...

[kngfu]

MASTER KIM VS MASTER KIM VS MASTER KIM aka THREE KIMS

I thought this movie was great. Just the right amount of silly Canto style comedy and some pretty good fight scenes.

[teako170]

Dr. No (1962)

Decent start for the 007 franchise. Honey was yummy but the villain, Dr. No, could have been better.

Shutter Island (2010)

Was on cable. Bit skeptical at first but Leo & Marty put on a great twist-filled period caper.

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Ingmar Bergman's only "horror" film. Surrealistic and slow paced (sometimes too slow) but some memorable scenes as well.

Adaptation. (2002)

2nd viewing. Nic Cage does a good job playing two roles. Engaging script.

From Russia with Love (1963)

2nd Bond. Laughable SPECTRE agents reminded me of KAOS (TV's "Get Smart"). Robert Shaw gave a solid performance.

"Rome" (2005) (TV series)

Watched episodes 3,4,5. This HBO series continues to entertain.

Alien³ (1992)

Much prefer the first two films. Some of the CGI for the Alien looked weak. Nothing new explored here.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

John Wayne + James Stewart + Lee Marvin + John Ford = Great western! A Must See.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

But isn't Yojimbo pretty much Dashiell Hammet's Red Harvest and The Glass Key (both of which were already adapted for the screen) with swords?

...

I was waiting for someone to post that. The answer is it is not an adaptation or remake, but several scenes were influenced by those two books. I posted some comments on my co-site (www.criterionforums.com) about this here. Here is my postings for those who don't want to click on the link:

I have read it stated that this film was a remake or at least an adaptation of Hammett's Red Harvest and I've occasionally mentioned this as well. This seems to have caused a dichotomy amongst certain critics where some mentioned in this source:

For decades, American film critics such as Manny Farber and Andrew Sarris have assumed that Yojimbo was, in fact, an uncredited version of Red Harvest--"a bowdlerized version," wrote Farber in an oft-quoted 1966 essay, "The Decline of the Actor." In The Samurai Films of Akira Kurosawa, David Desser states categorically that Yojimbo "is an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest" and that "the basic situation that motivates the plot in Yojimbo is adapted from Hammett's Red Harvest."

and others like Donald Richie does not even mention it in The Films of Akira Kurosawa (3rd Edition) and Alain Silver's THE SAMURAI FILM (EXPANDED AND REVISED EDITION) refutes it and is mentioned here:

Even the footnotes can be fascinating. On page 314 Silver offers up a mini essay that disputes the notion that YOJIMBO is unofficially based on Hammett's RED HARVEST. Noting that there are narrative similarities, Silver traces the critical history of the belief and asserts that the connection is bogus.

When I receive that book I will quote that passage here. I had always wondered why Richie never mentions the relationship between Red Harvest and Yojimbo. I have even had conversations from people who state that the similarities of this film to the book were as similar as A Fistful of Dollars to this film.

My feelings is that one should never assume (assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups) anything. There is so much felonious information out there (this reminds me of when people state that Reservoir Dogs is a complete rip-off of City on Fire where really only the last part of City on Fire is used in that film). I think here is another one. After reading Red Harvest I can easily state that Yojimbo is nowhere near a remake of the book and I seriously doubt it is an adaptation as well. Is there influence? Quite possible, but to state that this movie is anywhere near Red Harvest as A Fistful of Dollars is to Yojimbo is just plain wrong.

There are definitely similarities to the book but even those are not that exact. We have a no-named stranger come into town (hired in the book; random choice in the movie) and is caught in-between different sides and tries to play them against each other. The book actually has more than two main sides (it gets more and more complicated toward the end) while Yojimbo focused on a split in town. Other than that the protagonist drinks in both films and there is a sheriff type figure in both films there isn't that much more similar.

Some other thoughts:

Sanjuro in the movie is much more stronger than the Continental Op character.

There is no female fatale in the film like Dinah Brand in the book.

The film feels like a western translated into a chambara movie while the book feels completely like a hard-boiled detective story.

I really do not recognize any of the situations that take place in the book in the film.

The same goes for the characters.

The Continental Op detective has help from associates and fears his boss. He is also much more talkative than Sanjuro.

The amount of betrayals and different sides in the book is almost overdone.

There is no serious injury or serious workover to the Continental Op character like what happens to Sanjuro.

There is no showdown(s) in the book like what happens in the movie (of course this gives the movie a western feeling while the book is very much ambush oriented in dealing with the opposite sides).

Now I am not knocking the book. It is a fun read that is easily worthwhile for any fans of pulp fiction. The dialog is awesome and will easily remind you of the film adaptations of other Hammett's novels like The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man. It does overdo the "aha" situation where almost all murders are performed by people you do not expect and he even has false suspects several times throughout the book.

-------------------------------

Here is an interesting link discussing both The Glass Key and Red Harvest in relation to Yojimbo: Yojimbo: All Things Dashiell Hammett Make sure you read the comments which has more info dealing with Red Harvest. One scene in Yojimbo that is similar to Red Harvest I forgot that is mentioned in the comments is mentioned here (the first one the last comment mentions I feel is not really similar enough; this scene is almost mentioned by another commentator in that thread as well):

The other is when Reno cuts down the four remaining men of Pete the Finns gang, including Pete, after implicitly promising them safe passage in return for coming out of the building where theyre holed up. (Chapter XXV, Whiskeytown.) (See NoelCT's earlier post for a quote.) This is reminiscent of the scene near the end of the movie when Seibei, Orin, and their son surrender only to be cut down by Ushitoras gang.

Though I have to mention that being familiar with a book and having your film being a remake or adaptation is two completely different things (this is response to one of the posters in that thread). This movie, to me, is clearly not an adaptation of the book, but as I said before it could have some inspiration from the book. Coincidences in both literature and cinema is nothing new. Proving them to be an influence is still a bit difficult unless we have proof.

One thing I think you might find interesting is that in Red Harvest the term "Blood Simple" is used a few times by the lead detective. It, of course, reminds me of the first film of the Coen Brothers. I completely agree on Hammett's influence on cinema. While I still need to read more of his books, I sense his others like Red Harvest seem to easily translate to the screen. I'm going to try to watch Miller's Crossing soon while both Yojimbo and Red Harvest are still in my mind.

[Gaijin84]

Watched "Let the Right One In," the original Swedish version of the US remake "Let Me In." Excellent movie, great atmosphere and acting from the kids in it. I haven't seen the US one yet, but it would be hard to top this one.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

The Contract (1978: Michael Hui) Hong Kong ***/****

While this movie is nowhere near as funny or cohesive as The Private Eyes (1976), I still found it a worthwhile comedy that mixes TV satire (Hui worked for many years in the HK TV industry), broad silly comedy and elaborate gags and gadgetry to form an episodic film that occasionally sputters but mostly entertains me.

Chih-Wen (Michael Hui) works for MTV (its logo is a rat; this is parodying TV station ATV) who does not value his talents (though he cannot sing or dance), but also will not let him go from his contract to pursue another more lucrative contract from TVC (parodying TVB which Hui worked for several years with). MTV is a strict organization whose managers tend to commit suicide by leaping off the building (reminding me a bit of The Hudsucker Proxy) if they are not successful. Along with his inventor brother Frog (Ricky Hui) he sets out to steal the contract which is locked up in the manager’s safe which is guarded by a few thugs and a very talkative parrot.

Meanwhile Shih-Chieh is a struggling magician whose indentured servitude with his sister to an Indian magician (who ate their practice pigeons when they couldn’t pay their dues) caused them to flee him and join MTV where he gets stuck with a bad contract.

The film works best when the gags are plenty like the fight between the obviously fake Indian and the magician or when Frog accidently gets locked up into a safe. Some of the material is a bit dated because caustic attacks on TV networks is nothing new (and not new at this point since Network had already been released, but it still was territory that had not been overexploited) and a little obvious like the game show which a lady can choose death for her husband or a chance at what’s in the box. But overall I enjoyed it and found it funny regardless of whether plot points did not make sense or a few flat gags. One thing I notice is that Hui’s films always seem to have gags ahead of its time – The Clapper is used here way before the American invention to turn on and change channels for a TV – though do not clap too much.

The remastered Fortune Star release is by far the best DVD to purchase. Like most of these R0 releases the subtitles are not perfect and could easily use a dedicated writer of English to modify awkward phrases, occasional misspellings or misuse of words.

[bearpower]

High kick girl love this movie real karate

[ShaOW!linDude]

This weekend's fare:

Chai Lai Angels

Millennium Dragon

Kebab Connection

Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin

See 'My Many MiniReviews' in "Reviews" section.

[Delirious]

I had the Audrey Hepburn experience

-Sabrina

-Roman Holiday

-Breakfast at Tiffany's

-How to steal a million

[kngfu]

High kick girl love this movie real karate

If you don't mind the slow motion instant replays of everything.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans- LOVED this movie. Nick Cage plays a lieutenant with a lucky crack pipe, a gambling addiction and a hooker girlfriend. Kind of slow moving at first, but gets much better. The last 30 minutes or so is brilliant. Very unpredictable. I thought I knew how it was going to end, but I'm so glad they went in a different direction than what I expected.

I love messed up movies, and this one hit all the right notes for me.

[kngfu]

DRACULA 2000 This movie started out very interesting, but devolved into a silly mess.

DRACULA 2: ASCENSION I liked this one, as Jason Scott Lee and Jason London both add some style to the film.

DRACULA 3: LEGACY This is the direct continuation of part 2 but seems to get cheaper and they leave alot of things unexpained. How did the young Dracula from 2 become Rutger Hauer?

[AlbertV]

Had kind of a John Waters kick going:

A Dirty Shame - Tracey Ullman stars as a prudish Baltimore (where else if it's John Waters?) housewife who hits her head and soon becomes a raving sex addict who gets "therapy" from Johnny Knoxville. Very insane and funny movie.

Cry-Baby - Johnny Depp's classic role of a 1950's Drape who finds love with lovely square Amy Locane set to classic 1950's oldies and thematic oldies. Fun film, plus there is a hilarious scene where Cry Baby's friend Hatchet Face dives through a movie screen and scares the hell out of the juvenile delinquents thinking they are watching a 3D movie.

Hairspray - the original John Waters film set in 1960's where else? Baltimore where Ricki Lake's famous Tracy Turnblad uses her dancing to attempt to integrate the teen population. Divine is great as both Tracy's mother and the station manager.

Also got to see Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Fun adventure film with Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, the adopted prince framed for the murder of his father and discovers a dagger which can turn back time. Very nice parkour scenes add to the mix. DISTRICT B13 star and parkour founder David Belle choreographed the parkour scenes.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Dragonwyck (1946: Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

Originally this was supposed to be directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Gregory Peck in the Van Ryn role (GP would still have been second or third bill on this movie with Gene Tierney being quite popular at this time) but by movie fate Joseph L. Mankiewicz made his official directorial debut after many years in the business. While this is an atypical production for Joe (small exception for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir), though it is not an atypical production for its time. The gothic romantic drama was popular in print and in cinema with this movie directly adapted from a serialized essay by Anya Seton a few years earlier, but with the past successes of Rebecca, Jane Eyre and others this was already a well worn formula.

This was the only film I had not seen out of the Fox Horror Classics Collection, Vol. 2 so I felt this would be a good month to get it over with. I was not overly looking forward to it mainly because the plot seemed too obvious to me (you ever watch a film because it is the last film in the box set you have not seen?). After watching it the plot was easily the least interesting aspect to the film, but there were enough positive elements to the film to make this a recommendation to many. Vincent Price is in fine form here. So much so I was rooting for him over everyone else (especially since his land might be possibly taken from him from the government). This film is known as a prototype for his later performances, especially in the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations (and an interesting coincidence, the novel this film was based on has an appearance from Edgar). Though this film would not stereotype Price as a maniacal mad man, which would be House of Wax in 1953. Prices performance is the most memorable in the movie.

Walter Hustons characterization as the fundamentalist Ephraim Wells (Genes Dad whose overbearing nature can be seen as the impetus for her wanting to get out of the household) is well done. Gene is Gene, beautiful as always but not as memorable in her acting presence as Huston or Price. I always get a kick out of seeing Harry Morgan act. Part of this is because of all those years I had seen him in M.A.S.H. Notice I am avoiding talking about the plot.

I think fans of Joseph L. Mankiewicz (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, All About Eve, Sleuth) will also want to view this. The direction is astounding beautiful with great work from the cinematographer Arthur C. Miller (The Ox-Bow Incident, Gentleman's Agreement). The atmosphere is definitely one of grandeur and aristocratic aesthetics are done well for an early post-WWII film. The budget though was strong for this A-picture release and it would make a tidy profit that year as well (when you get these films packaged together you do not always realize that you get once popular films of its time).

Actually none of the films from the Fox Horror Classics Collection, Vol. 2 really feel like a horror film. The first set is easily a recommendation though. It has two of the greatest 1940s horror films with Laird Cregar (who was also up for the Van Ryn role in this film, but he had died earlier). That set I recommend before this volume 2.

[ShaOW!linDude]

The wife and I saw RED last night (starring: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban).Great movie and well worth the ticket price. I encourage you to go. It's a good movie for the big screen. (Malkovich will own you.)

[bearpower]

From Paris with Love

Batman: Under The Red Hood

[ShaOW!linDude]

Last night the wife and I watched "The Signal".

A psychotronic signal is emitted over the airwaves and through TVs and radios. People don't get zombified but they do turn into homicidal maniacs. It's not that scary. The movie actually takes a different bent than I would've thought it would. It's broken down into 3 acts titled "Transmissions" and Transmission 2 was a weird scenario of people exposed to the signal but seeming to strive to remain rational. The dialogue is almost humorous at times. The end was kind of "meh". I really can't even remember exactly how it ended now so what does that tell you. Act 1 = good at luring you in; Act 2 = interesting, yeah, it's interesting; Act 3 = um, well, okay then.