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

[DiP]

Overheard 2 (2011)

Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu return in the sequel but playing new characters in an unrelated and better story. And their performances are reversed here. Lau Ching-Wan was the driving force in the first film whereas Daniel Wu (pretty impressive!) runs the show this time (followed by Louis Koo's subdued but intensely sharp cop character) as an eavesdropping extortionist that seeks justice for his deceased father through bribe and violence. Great film and the most intense and enthralling film from duo Alan Mak/Felix Chong to date who keeps showing that they can do good without Andrew Lau. The film's other strength is the action (car stunts, explosions) which are a bit more in numbers compared to Part 1 and staged creatively (by Dion Lam, who also appears as the main villain's sidekick). Look out for the vehicle chase scene near the 2nd half of the film. Dope stuff! Rating: 9/10

Crazy Safari (1991)

Mr. Vampire meets The Gods Must Be Crazy! Its' sequel (Crazy Hong Kong) was lovely but this was a bit more lovely. Basically about a guy who - with the help of a taoist priest (Lam Ching-Ying) - wants to buy back a "corpse" (Peter Chan Lung) at an auction somewhere in Europe that he claims is his ancestor. But complications starts on their way back to Hong Kong and them both are forced to emergency-land in Africa separated from the corpse, that is on the loose, which they have to find. At the same time, they come across N!xau and his tribe of bushmen and more complications arise concerning the corpse. Had a great time watching it! The comedy is on some other stuff. Rating: 8.5/10

[Fist Of Boss]

It`s semi-kungfu but King of beggars was very nice, almost on-par with kungfu hustle:wink:

[DiP]

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Still amazed by its' sophistication and execution. Everything here is too good. Acting, direction, cinematography/lighting, cast, composition, music, intensity/suspense; everything. Rating: 10/10

Infernal Affairs 2 (2003)

Very different but equally as well done as Part 1. Only beef I have with the film is Shawn Yue and Edison Chen. Chen's role required him to do more with his acting so he was convincing but both lacked energy to elevate their performances. To see real acting, watch Francis Ng. Rating: 9.5/10

[DarthKato]

Just got through watching "Inception"(2010 Starring Leonardo DiCaprio)

[DiP]

The Replacement Killers (1998)

Chow Yun-Fat's Hollywood debut directed by the guy who did Training Day. Can't say it's a great film altogether but it isn't as bad as people say it is. Chow (whenever he wasn't looking cool) and Sorvino made things work because part of the emotional aspect was based on their unusual relationship, and of course on Chow's character as we find out when his back story is revealed (not the greatest but it makes sense and sells the acting). That being said, the presentation itself was very problematic. Many things feel/look so oversaturated and overstylized that you wonder what the makers wanted to do with the content. At times, the film has a grimy, gritty look but in the next moment it becomes a cheap John Woo film. And then things start to go extreme that it begins to resemble a B-film. Too bad because the film could've gone other way. Rating: 5.5/10

[DarthKato]

Serenity(2005) Starring Nathan Fillion

[DiP]

Johnnie Got His Gun! (2010)

A French-produced documentary about Johnnie To and his work. Only thing baffling about this is that it doesn't come off as a documentary but more like an hour long interview with footage from his films and behind the scenes of some of his works while To discusses his style and his knowledge in filmmaking. That leads to huge confusion upon seeing it. Nevertheless, it contains a good deal about how he makes his films, where he gets inspiration from, and what drives him to making films. Rating: 6/10

[DiP]

Immortals (2011)

There's no doubt that the CGI spent on the film was grand so it sure comes off impressive. But there's wasn't much in the content that left me amazed otherwise. Films like these (well known people/figures in ancient times) may be different in what they want to show but I feel it's been pulled of the same many times already. The saving grace was the action though. Some scenes features long-ass takes and great use of slomo, and the choreography comes off a bit Hong Kong-ish which got my attention right away, nice touch. Rating: 5/10

The Corruptor (1999)

Not really new stuff going on here, it's basically the successor to 1985's Year Of The Dragon (Chinatown, Asian criminals) starring Mickey Rourke. But Chow Yun-Fat's contribution makes it a fine film on its' own (one of the best foreign films starring a Hong Kong actor imo) and stands out among other films in the sub-genre (like Serpico and Training Day). Mark Wahlberg wasn't too bad and supporting roles played by Ric Young, Paul Ben-Victor, Andrew Pang, Brian Cox, and Byron Mann elevated the film's portrayal of cops and criminals to great effect. Chow Yun-Fat carries the whole film though. Unlike his almost embarrassing turn in The Replacement Killers, Chow surprisingly excels in his role and show what he's made of. Usually it's hard to imagine someone with limited English doing this but he pulled through. If Chow plans to do more Hollywood films, it should be like of same quality as this film. Rating: 9/10

[DarthKato]

Commando(1985 DVD) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

[jmungus]

stieg larssons MILLENIUM trilogy

the first, "the girl with the dragon tattoo"may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but its a damn good thriller that can hold its own in the world of contemporary a-thrillers.

i was a bit disappointed with "the girl who played with fire", as it felt less engaging and inspired in every single aspect compared to "tattoo".

finally, "the girl who kicked the hornets nest", was a solid finale with a handful of great moments, but nothing even remotely special.

i did read the novels and all in all, they did manage to keep the series authentic with all the many subplots gone as a necessity to transfer a rather epic mystery-conspiracy-crime-thriller theme from the books to the big screen.

tattoo: 7.8/10 ; fire: 5.5 ; nest: 6.3

hangover 2

felt a little tired to me. a simple rehash of the first installment imo. it still managed to keep my interest (although on a considerably lower score on the excitOmeter) and it did have a handful of hilarious scenes. 5.7/10

mural

if u didnt like sorcerer/white snake or thought that the chinese ghost story remake was just redundant after all, then stay far away from mural, a muddled mess of gutless mediocrity and cliche.

i give it 3.8/10 for it was kinda watchable and maybe im just not part of their target audience, although i do wonder who is.

tekken blood vengeance

the worst of all those motion capture cg japanimovies i watched (i believe i didnt miss one, but cant be sure).

2 or 3 sequences stand out due to a nice cinematographic design and editing, the rest is just bleh and blahzay blah. some of the MA and action choreo was alright tho.

for real suckers of this style of movies, i`d say its a 3.5/10 tops. others need not really bother (equals 2/10) . "vexille" for instance is tons better and we all know that flick was kind of a letdown.

ironclad

now heres a sleeper hit if there ever was one. at least from my pov.

im so spoiled with the better of the chinese and korean medieval warrior fares, im having a hard time appreciating the western made movies depicting the middle ages in europe and the middle east.

ironclad was well acted, brutally in your face when it came to the swashbuckling and its plot, as "classic" (u can also call it stereotype) as it is, was nicely crafted and cut together.

7/10; a fun watch.

deadheads

very well made, mildly entertaining c-horror-spoof that has all the tools of the trade- quirky, cheesy, zany, cartoonish, over the top characters and situations. despite it being a busy gig for the fx guys, all the blood and dismemberments didnt really provide for a gory splatter vibe.

text book zombie spoof. easily digestable. very watchable but not on par with the better ones among the lot. 5.5/10

cowboys and aliens

when it comes to hollywood blockbusters, very often i catch myself thinking 'a potentially good premise was destroyed by the studios` pretentious approach and cut and dried execution.

this time around, the premise, the entire script and most of the execution is the epitome of uber-retarded cut and dried, but it was partially saved by the qualities and star power hollywood can provide.

not living up to i guess everyone`s expectations, like deadheads it was "mildly entertaining".

for popcorn-western entertainment on the silver screen, better watch s/t like the mask of zorro or whatever. 5.7/10

the lincoln lawyer

didnt expect for this to be as decent as i thought it`d turned out.

it came with a sorta unique vibe to it and was reminiscent of the (more light hearted) crime thrillers from 20, 25 years ago.

if u`re into court thrillers, this one`s a safe bet. 7.2/10

austin powers trilogy

theres not much left to say about this series, even in retrospect.

austin powers is a good time period.

2nd one is my fave among the 3. basically a improved version of the first. goldmember was larger in scale, but lacked the heart of 1 and 2 and pretty much only spoofed its predecessors.

i give the whole experience a 7.5/10

my kingdom

u are drawing a complete blank as to what movie u feel like watching ?

u are in the mood for s/t outta hk/china with the period look of a hundred years ago ?

u wanna know if the scarce action sequences of my kingdom u read about are anything rewarding ?

then give it a go. sadly, its a fatally flawed example of what could have been a (at least minor) classic in the making (ie "this decades peking opera blues").

3.8/10. watchable. underwhelming.

[bruceleewannabe]

Super 8: It was an interesting film but the ending seemed kind of odd to me. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it.

Captain America: This one surprised me a bit. I don't think much of the super hero movies cause there are so many being made and only a handful of them are good. This one was interesting and really tied a lot of things together about his origins and where he ended up, also Tommy Lee Jones provides the humor throughout with his sort of sarcastic and dry wit and it works.

[DiP]

Year of the Dragon (1985)

Good premise but things got worse toward the middle thanks to sloppy writing. The set-up of Rooke's character started promising: a cop determine to put an end to organized crime in Chinatown. Then he comes off being a complete jerk for almost the rest of the film as we learn more about his private life and his past which seemed to rub him off and make him misbehave in the process. Way to go. John Lone (opera mate of Lam Ching-Ying, Chung Fa, and Mars) was the highlight and depicted his ruthless and slimy gang boss character to surprising perfection. Another surprise was seeing Fan Mei-Sheng (Fan Siu-Wong's father) appear as a Thai drug lord. Rating: 5/10

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Great late 30s thriller from Hitchcock about a young lady who acquaints with an old lady at a train station and notices that the latter disappears after a while as they board a train on their way through Europe. The influence of mental distraction can clearly be seen in later films such as Suspicion, Spellbound and Vertigo. Another sign where Hitchcock was getting an idea of what and how to make his films. Another classic. Rating: 9/10

[massa_yoda]

Captain America: This one surprised me a bit. I don't think much of the super hero movies cause there are so many being made and only a handful of them are good. This one was interesting and really tied a lot of things together about his origins and where he ended up, also Tommy Lee Jones provides the humor throughout with his sort of sarcastic and dry wit and it works.

Yeah Tommy Lee Jones was awesome wasn't he? This and Thor were my favorite of the superhero movies this last summer.

[AlbertV]

A MADEA CHRISTMAS (2011) - Very funny Tyler Perry play revolving around a pompous family where the level headed daughter invites her maid's family for Christmas when she is forced to work the holidays and guess who the maid's aunt is??? Yep, Madea!!! They delved more with the comedy and messages.

[DarthKato]

"Underworld"(2003 DVD) Starring Kate Beckinsale

:Check out my review of it. The link is in my signature.

[DarthKato]

"Underworld:Evolution"(2006DVD) Starring Kate Beckinsale

:Check out my review of it. The link is in my signature.

[DarthKato]

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"(2009 DVD) Starring Michael Sheen

:Check out my review of it. The link is in my signature.

[ShaOW!linDude]

RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE --- 2010 documentary on the Canadian power trio/rock band. Fantastic! Very in depth and personable interviews from the band members. And there's a cast of musicians and celebrities who speak of the influence that Rush has had on them. While I'm not a diehard fan, I do enjoy some of their music. You can't deny what phenomenal musicians they are. May have to go digging through my cd's now.

[DarthKato]

:"Dawn of the Dead" (1978) Starring Ken Foree

[bruceleewannabe]

RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE --- 2010 documentary on the Canadian power trio/rock band. Fantastic! Very in depth and personable interviews from the band members. And there's a cast of musicians and celebrities who speak of the influence that Rush has had on them. While I'm not a diehard fan, I do enjoy some of their music. You can't deny what phenomenal musicians they are. May have to go digging through my cd's now.

Got this on blu-ray. It's awesome! I've seen them in concert and they are a band worth seeing!

[DarthKato]

A "PUPPET MASTER" marathon, movies 1-4. As soon as I am finished with them, I will probably watch the movie "DOOM" for the second time.

[DiP]

The Killing (1956)

This was a heavy film and an outstanding depiction of its' topic (pulling off heists), especially being a mid 50s film. It began pretty slow in the beginning - though I thought it had plentiful time to give a clear idea of the characters' motives and the whole scenario which is the selling point later on - but it picked up real quick. And from there on, the story shifts to nailing down the whole thing with details and building up suspense through narrating and intercutting in a way I'm very amazed at. Great ending as well. Rating: 8.5/10

The Wild Bunch (1969)

I came fascinated to see what the hype was all about. Pretty good with a nice little message (all epochs has an ending) and good dose of history between Americans and Mexicans injected but that's it. Felt like it didn't come across as something that would show anything else other than train robberies and conflicts with law enforcers and outlaws. This is pretty much a film where the style is more showcased (heavy use of slomo and intricate editing in the action scenes), and it's indeed used to great effect. But compared to Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West (best western to me so far) this one didn't move me nearly as much. Rating: 7.5/10

[DiP]

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

An unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Really liked it and its' hype is well deserved although I didn't find it much overwhelming as I expected. The story's simple and the film has some typical traits that is known in westerns plus there ain't much remarkable acting going on either, apart from Eastwood and the main villain having incredible charisma just standing and walking around looking cool. Leone's direction makes up for everything though and fans of minimalistic and stylish storytelling will get a hell lot out of the film. Rating: 8/10

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Second entry to the Dollars trilogy and the superior part so far. Once again, Leone offers a minimalistic story involving bounty hunters hunting down targets, gunslingers carrying out bank heists and male bounding between protagonists and antagonists. But this time, Leone set up the story much better and the entertainment value is upped. Eastwood and the actor who played the main villain in the first film were good as usual but this was Lee Van Cleef's show (loved the way he was build). The action was lovely too, a bit more stylish here too which added more to my enjoyment. Seeing the film also clarifies part of all comparisons being made between European and Hong Kong directors. John Woo and Johnnie To (who borrowed some scenes for Exiled) must be proud fanboys. Rating: 10/10

[Takuma]

Red Nights (France / Hong Kong, 2010) – 2.5/5

An interesting Hong Kong Giallo – a directorial debut by French screenwriter duo Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud, best known for their work on Johnnie To’s Running Out of Time. Not an entirely satisfactory film, but as a mixture of European and Asian styles it certainly has several interesting things going on. Naked Killer cult starlet Carrie Ng stars as an art collector with hidden sadistic desires. The film’s ultra-violence, while quite limited, packs notable psychological punch – in the fest screening the audience could stomach the most brutal scene, but the follow-up, with Carrie inspecting her knife and saw collection, made half a dozen people walk out – although this bit features no violence whatsoever, only a promise of things to come.

The Other Side of Sleep (UK, 2010) – 2/5

An interesting dream-like yet gritty murder mystery that should find its audience, although those looking for a strong character film will be disappointed. The impressively minimal style serves general arthousiness, and, perhaps atmosphere also, but does not translate as serve subtle character exposition as might be expected from a film of such minimal nature. It’s not a flaw necessarily, but will leave many viewers cold.

Turn me on, Goddammit (Norway, 2011) – 3/5

Norway’s late answer to Fucking Åmol (in the lack of better comparison). The 15 year old Alma is horny – unfortunately she lives in a godforsaken small town with no good guys to fuck... except one, who turns out to be a real dick. A relatively standard Scandinavian youth-drama-comedy that benefits from the director’s documentarian background – there’s a nice layer of grain and fresh air to make the film more lively that it might be in the hands of a more boring director. A fun film with excellent leading performance (Helene Bergsholm), despite falling a little short overall thanks to worn out storyline. Potentially slightly touchy in the US, UK, and other sexually under-developed countries, but has notable success potential in the Nordic countries. Ideal film for semi-mainstream audiences. trailer: http://www.filmweb.no/trailere/?articleId=410670

Our Day Will Come (France, 2010) - 3.5/5

Vincent Cassel stars as a psychopathic shrink in a ballsy road movie. The pitch black drama/comedy follows a bullied, angry and unstable young man who is joined by a manipulative and plain insane psychiatrist on his road trip through France. Sex, violence and social commentary with a brave ending that will probably anger a few moralist viewers.

A Stoker (Russia, 2010) – 3.5/5

Aleksey Balabanov is Russia’s Takeshi Kitano! His 1990’s set crime films are violent, minimalist, and set to sarcastic pop-soundtracks. A Stoker is another addition to this line up. The title character is “the hero of the Soviet Union” – an Afghanistan veteran who went a bit senile after being wounded in the war, and now works as a stoker. His war time buddies, now local gangster, keep bringing him dead guys to burn – “they were all bad people, the word will be better without them”, they always tell him. It’s early 90’s Saint Petersburg, people keep going up in ashes, and the pop music never stops. Based on an 18 page screenplay – this is truly director’s cinema! Trailer:

Kill List (UK, 2011) – 4/5

An interesting genre mash-up taking its time with gritty family drama and then, much later, making a sudden turn to extremely violent hitman thriller – and more. It’s thanks to the strong build up and characters that the film packs so much punch – only the last 10 minutes fall of rails and stretch it one step too far. Nevertheless, easily one of the genre events of recent years, and an upcoming cult classic.

[wongfeihung62]

Gamera - guardian of the universe

gamera - the advent of legion

gamera - revenge of iris

rise of the planet of the apes