What is the last non martial arts Asian movie you've watched?

[DrNgor]

Posted my K-horror reviews to the site:

Face (2004) - 5/10
The Wig (2005) - 6/10
Into the Mirror (2002) - 8/10

https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/10/three-k-horror-reviews.html

[Yggdrasil]

14 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

Posted my K-horror reviews to the site:

Face (2004) - 5/10
The Wig (2005) - 6/10
Into the Mirror (2002) - 8/10

https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/10/three-k-horror-reviews.html

Have the first two on Korean DVD.

[Yihetuan]

Holiday - Dir. Yang Yun-ho [2006] (Korea)

A recent re-watch in perhaps over a decade. I admit I tend to like prison films from any country especially those that expose the corruption and politics within the justice system like this movie. This film really made the viewer feel that South Korea was scarcely a decade removed from a brutal dictatorship. I felt the first two thirds was an absolute masterpiece and only slightly let down by the overly tear jerker melodrama in the final third. Again like most Korean films, the pacing especially towards the end grinds to a halt after being fairly brisk for the most part.

Also, this is best role I've ever seen with lead, Lee Sung-jae and he never topped this in his subsequent films. Same with Jang Se-jin, who had a unique look not just facially but with his tall lanky frame where he's a head taller than everyone around him. I saw him in a couple of the My Wife is A Gangster films and nothing else after at but he was exceptional here. Definitely a worthy recommendation for anyone interested in the sub-genre of "behind bars/prison escape" films and for those interested in the lurid miscarriage of justice that preceded the '88 Seoul Olympics.

 

[Chu Liu Hsiang]

FIGHT BACK TO SCHOOL 1 - 3. Part I was a rewatch. I liked part 3 better than 2, hard to beat Anita Mui and Anthony Wong. The school settings of the former 2 were fun though.

[ShawAngela]

On 10/18/2023 at 12:22 AM, MaskedAvenger said:

Last night I watched The Night Owl (2022)

Anybody else watched this? I thought it was very good. 

Is it a dvd ? Is it subtitled ? It looks like a thriller, right ? Are there any fights, though ?

[thekfc]

Bad Education: Taiwan 2022 

 

 

[Yihetuan]

Devil Girl 18 - Dir. Lam Wah-Chuen [1993] (Hong Kong)

This CAT III film starts out awesome and I was thinking I was in for a real treat about two demons who escape from hell to modern day Hong Kong on the search for two bodies they can transplant into for their time on earth. They just happen to stumble upon a group of triad thugs who die in a shootout with the cops and one of the deceased gangsters is the sexy mixed race moll of the triad boss played by Ng Sau-lan. Sounds great so far right? But then this movie just hits the skids and literally turns into a lame sophomoric juvenile sex comedy of the Charlie Cho variety. Yukari Oshima has a brief cameo as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor but is just wasted here.

 

[One Armed Boxer]

The War God (aka Calamity) (1976)

A 1976 oddity from Taiwan that poses the question of what would you do if a trio of kaiju sized aliens arrived on Earth and started smashing everything in sight with a joyful amount of glee? It may not be the first answer that springs to mind, but here it's to summon an equally kaiju sized version of Guan Yu, and see how they fare against his guandao! I gave it the full review treatment over at COF - 

https://cityonfire.com/the-war-god-aka-calamity-1976-review-kaiju/

 

[Super Ninja]

2 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

The War God (aka Calamity) (1976)

A 1976 oddity from Taiwan that poses the question of what would you do if a trio of kaiju sized aliens arrived on Earth and started smashing everything in sight with a joyful amount of glee? It may not be the first answer that springs to mind, but here it's to summon an equally kaiju sized version of Guan Yu, and see how they fare against his guandao! I gave it the full review treatment over at COF - 

https://cityonfire.com/the-war-god-aka-calamity-1976-review-kaiju/

 

This gem was recommended to me in Taipei by a group of youngsters who we got to hang out with, still didn't watch it.

Glad to see your rating confirms it's worth the watch.

[ChillyChong]

Among top3 Lam movies. However can't sort order with prison on fire and full contact. Fantastic movie with terrific cast

[DrNgor]

Watched and reviewed The Fortress (2017) for the site: https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-fortress-2017.html

(see @One Armed Boxer, I'm expanding my Korean horizons)

[One Armed Boxer]

Great review Doc. If you feel like watching a similar flick that's only about the battle sequences, then I can give a hearty recommendation for the following years 'The Great Battle', which goes for pure popcorn entertainment over the political intrigue and gritty realism.

[DrNgor]

9 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Great review Doc. If you feel like watching a similar flick that's only about the battle sequences, then I can give a hearty recommendation for the following years 'The Great Battle', which goes for pure popcorn entertainment over the political intrigue and gritty realism.

Thanks! Did you read my K-horror reviews last month?

[ChillyChong]

To be number#1

Godfather or Scarface standard it is not but fairly good crime movie of mans rise to top of crime world and in the end it all collapses. Cast is OK although I felt someone like Andy Lau, Simon Yam or Chow Yun Fat was needed around but Kent"run and kill" cheng, Amy Yip, Ng Man Tat, Waise Lee and few other familiar faces whose names escape me now do OK. At 135 minutes it is bit too long and goes forward too slowly at times, 20-25 to room of cutting floor would have helped. Not much action but 2 bigger scenes are OK and few minor hassles are offered. Legendary Collection dvd has usual typos which is not biggie but unfortunately there are chinese txt around 2-3 times which likely were quite related to story but not translated. Not bad at all, took close to 10 years to finally view it.

[nectarsis]

 

movie time!!

[Yihetuan]

Wayne Wang - Life is Cheap... But Toilet Paper is Expensive [1989] (US/Hong Kong)

A quirky film with an almost pseudo-documentary vibe. It helps to watch the interview the Wang beforehand in the special features to really understand what he was attempting with this mish mash cinema verite. I recently re-watched Wang's Smoke the other day and what a bookend this film was in relation to that one. Wang admits this was just gonzo filmmaking and he wanted to just unleash a transgressive film free from the boundaries he was constrained with his previous projects and it definitely as that feel. I can see this as a very polarizing work and one that many viewers will feel overwhelmed by the some of the sheer indulgence & assault on the senses that Wang revels in especially the chaotic HK street scenes.

My favorite segment & character was played by none other than Lo Lieh, who gives a poignant retelling of his previous life as a gifted pianist prodigy who made the ultimate sacrifice in name of principle. The segment was too brief and I would've loved to hear him talk more about his life pre & post Cultural Revolution and subsequent emigration to HK. Cora Miao's monologue on the meaning of "modern love" was also quite compelling.

I can see why this film received an "X" rating from the MPAA upon its initial release as the finale was simultaneously hilarious but very disturbing. Reminded me of Pasolini's Salò with the scatology & copraphogy ingrained with a light hearted comedic streak. There is also a rather graphic recurring scene of a close up of amputation that would make Tom Savini giddy with the end result of the practical effects department.

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Yihetuan

[pachito23]

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesian: Marlina Si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak) is a 2017 Indonesian thriller film directed by Mouly Surya. The film's Western style, its feminist tone, and rural Indonesian setting led to the term "satay Western" being coined following its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

When a young widow is raped and her cattle are stolen, she fights back and kills several of her attackers. She embarks on a journey of redemption and empowerment, but the ghost of one of the men she killed returns to haunt her.

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by pachito23

[Yihetuan]

@pachito23, I enjoyed that film quite a bit even if it's a rather slow burn with the rather languid pacing at times. I also wish the violence shown was more explicit for dramatic effect but overall, I just enjoy female revenge films of all sorts. This was put out by Spectrum several years ago on blu ray but a shame no English language version is available or I would add it to my permanent library.

[pachito23]

6 hours ago, Yihetuan said:

@pachito23, I enjoyed that film quite a bit even if it's a rather slow burn with the rather languid pacing at times. I also wish the violence shown was more explicit for dramatic effect but overall, I just enjoy female revenge films of all sorts. This was put out by Spectrum several years ago on blu ray but a shame no English language version is available or I would add it to my permanent library.

I have the French BR and enjoy watching the movie at least once a year. I love the scenery, the revenge theme and the story in general. I‘m happy with the language sub combination, my mother is French and my wife Indonesian. Another highly recommended movie is The night comes for us. 
I guess you already know Merantau or Headshot.

[Yihetuan]

13 hours ago, pachito23 said:

I have the French BR and enjoy watching the movie at least once a year. I love the scenery, the revenge theme and the story in general. I‘m happy with the language sub combination, my mother is French and my wife Indonesian. Another highly recommended movie is The night comes for us. 
I guess you already know Merantau or Headshot.

Yes, I have both on Blu ray.

[DrNgor]

Steel Rain (2017) - 4.5/5 - https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/12/steel-rain-2017.html

Time to Hunt (2020) - 3.5/5 - https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/12/time-to-hunt-2020.html

@One Armed Boxer - Okay, two more Korean films reviewed!

Edited December 29, 2023 by DrNgor

[ShawAngela]

I just finished to watch Rich and famous and Tragic Hero 1987. I took the opportunity of a good sale offer from Spectrum to bought the boxset and I must say that I ENJOYED THEM A LOT!

During years, I avoided watching movies with Zhou Yun Fa because... I actually don't know why, I wasn't particularly interested in this actor.

Then, maybe a year ago, I watched Replacement killers, which I loved, and later, The postman fights back. And recently, God of gamblers.

I must say that I'm slowly becoming a fan of his, though I'm not really in triads movies!

The plots were very good, and Andy Lau and Zhou Yun Fa paired very well.

I know that many of you must have seen these movies, but for those who haven't watched them yet, I strongly recommend them!

[ShawAngela]

On 12/15/2023 at 5:00 AM, ChillyChong said:

To be number#1

Godfather or Scarface standard it is not but fairly good crime movie of mans rise to top of crime world and in the end it all collapses. Cast is OK although I felt someone like Andy Lau, Simon Yam or Chow Yun Fat was needed around but Kent"run and kill" cheng, Amy Yip, Ng Man Tat, Waise Lee and few other familiar faces whose names escape me now do OK. At 135 minutes it is bit too long and goes forward too slowly at times, 20-25 to room of cutting floor would have helped. Not much action but 2 bigger scenes are OK and few minor hassles are offered. Legendary Collection dvd has usual typos which is not biggie but unfortunately there are chinese txt around 2-3 times which likely were quite related to story but not translated. Not bad at all, took close to 10 years to finally view it.

I had in on VHS many years ago, never watched it and upgraded it to the HKVideo French subbed version. I must say that I found it just so-so. Ray Lui is a good actor, but this movie was too much of a triad movie, which is not my favorite genre. I agree with you that maybe if Andy Lau and Zhou Yun Fa had been in it, it would have been better and I would have appreciate it better.

On 12/26/2023 at 9:50 AM, Yihetuan said:

@pachito23, I enjoyed that film quite a bit even if it's a rather slow burn with the rather languid pacing at times. I also wish the violence shown was more explicit for dramatic effect but overall, I just enjoy female revenge films of all sorts. This was put out by Spectrum several years ago on blu ray but a shame no English language version is available or I would add it to my permanent library.

Did Spectrum release it under this title ? It doesn't rign a bell at all, though I regularly visit the store...

[Yihetuan]

5 minutes ago, ShawAngela said:

Did Spectrum release it under this title ? It doesn't rign a bell at all, though I regularly visit the store...

They released it under the French title, Marlina : La tueuse en 4 actes. It was a combo blu ray + dvd release. It was 6 years ago, so who knows if it's still in print now?

[pachito23]

Flaming Brothers (1987)

A tale between two brothers: One has left the triads and gone legit, the other has decided to stay and keep the triad from going to the ways of drugs and gun running.