Member tinlunlau Posted June 15 Member Share Posted June 15 Rewatched The First Slam Dunk dubbed in Cantonese on Disney+. Sucks that Sakuragi and Rukawa's voices had to be replaced no thanks to their binding contracts with TVB. Can't enjoy this dub as it had been presented in theaters across Hong Kong. Defeats the whole purpose of watching this dub featuring the original ATV Cantonese dub cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member morpheus Posted June 18 Member Share Posted June 18 A Day Without Policemen (1993) I'm not even going to review this one. Love Simon Yam, but this was so incoherent it's not even funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted June 23 Member Share Posted June 23 Undeclared War. 3.5/5 Terrorists plan to kill american delegation and it is up to HK special forces and CIA to stop them. Story while simple moves forward nicely without lagging. Rating may be a bit low because I don`t like western cast and for some reason found multilanguage track bit annoying. It it had been all chinese cast would have given chance for martial arts action too, now unarmed combat is just basic punching, villains throw less than half a dozen kicks total. Shoot outs are superb, Danny Lee and Rosamund Kwan do fine. So does guy whose name escapes me now but was in (excellent) prison on fire 1&2 too as corrupted agent who shows some regret eventually. Excellent vinegar release with sturdy slip, informative booklet and neat poster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted June 24 Member Share Posted June 24 16 hours ago, ChillyChong said: Undeclared War. 3.5/5 Terrorists plan to kill american delegation and it is up to HK special forces and CIA to stop them. Story while simple moves forward nicely without lagging. Rating may be a bit low because I don`t like western cast and for some reason found multilanguage track bit annoying. It it had been all chinese cast would have given chance for martial arts action too, now unarmed combat is just basic punching, villains throw less than half a dozen kicks total. Shoot outs are superb, Danny Lee and Rosamund Kwan do fine. So does guy whose name escapes me now but was in (excellent) prison on fire 1&2 too as corrupted agent who shows some regret eventually. Excellent vinegar release with sturdy slip, informative booklet and neat poster. just finished a Ringo Lam two-fer night 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted June 30 Member Share Posted June 30 The Rice Bomber - Dir. Cho Li [2014] (Taiwan) Biopic based on the story of Yang Rumen & his book, White Rice is Not a Bomb about a disillusioned young activist farmer who plants 17 bombs (mixed with rice hence his moniker) to get the attention of the plight of the agricultural industry & government indifference in Taiwan in the early to mid 00s when Taiwan joined the WTO. Shows a young Rumen growing up helping his family farm in idyllic rural Taiwan and his close relationship with his younger brother to his mandatory military service where he is severely hazed to finally his reunion with his childhood friend who has turned revolutionary. Parts are quite dry especially the scenes filled with stock newsreel footage of mass Taiwanese protests of the WTO but director Cho Li does a decent job with the narrative where it could've easily turned into a staid docudrama about eco-terrorism. The most interesting character is the aforementioned 'revolutionary' childhood friend played by actress Nikki, Hsieh, whose fateful reunion is his epiphany to a call for action. Nikki is in reality a pouty spoiled only child of a prominent & wealthy businessman/legislator with daddy issues and seems her only true motive for revolution is to get back at her father. Yang soon grows weary of her antics which he calls all show and no go & that is the turning point where he becomes dejected after exhausting legal means to bring voice to the plight of the farmers in his community that he decides to turn to bomb making. I especially enjoyed the scenes where he turns into an eco-Travis Bickle where he begins to shape his body with daily exercises and starts researching bomb making and also how to be one step ahead of criminologists and profilers. Recommended with certain caveats. It's the not the most entertaining film nor one that would appeal to anyone really interested in the details of Yang Rumen's bombing spree (a separate police procedural film about from the law enforcement POV would be more entertaining) but still had its moments despite its leisurely pacing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted June 30 Member Share Posted June 30 Revisited Bullets of Love (2001). Still my favorite Andrew Lau film. Updated my review: https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/06/bullets-of-love-2001.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted July 3 Member Share Posted July 3 Fulltime Killer (2001) - https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/07/fulltime-killer-2001.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member morpheus Posted July 6 Member Share Posted July 6 Intimidation (1960) Great 65 minute pocket film with Kaneko Nobuo and Nishimura Ko. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted July 7 Member Share Posted July 7 CheckIng this out for the first time 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted July 7 Member Share Posted July 7 Tonight's second movie.I haven't watched this in at least fifteen years so time for refresher 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted July 8 Member Share Posted July 8 time for the sequel... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted July 11 Member Share Posted July 11 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) - I had the pleasure of rewatching this gem on the big screen, still my favorite Apichatpong Weerasethakul movie. Who else can make such a gentle, beautiful and contemplative movie about ghosts, death, karma, kidney disease, a man who mated with apes and a princess having an intercourse with a catfish? And win Palm d'Or for that? Tokyo Cabbageman K (1980) - It's not that I've never watched a jishu eiga before, but back at the time I didn't know movies like The Adventure of Denchu Kozo were jishu films. Well TCK is simply brilliant, part manic energy of early Shinya Tsukamoto, part punk madness of Sogo Ishii (who was the cinematographer here) and part bizarre experiment of Shuyi Terayama, yet still a unique piece of hachimiri oddity. See Cabbage Man dancing with the rockabillies at Yoyogi Park, exploding 17 yo girlfriends and bloody yakuza finger-chopping to the sound of 1970 by The Stooges in Japanese and Vivaldi's Spring. Thanks to the one and only @Yihetuan for sharing this obscure little jishu gem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted July 19 Member Share Posted July 19 Count aka Countdown - Dir. Kwon Hyeok-jae [2023] (South Korea) “I keep thinking how my life would have been happier had I finished second” - Park Si-hyeon, 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist A sports redemption film which mixes equal amounts of melodrama and comedy. Based on one of the most controversial sports scandals in Olympic history, the absolute robbery of the Gold medal in boxing for American boxer Roy Jones Jr during the '88 Seoul Summer Olympics. Instead the Gold was awarded to South Korean Park Si-hyeon who was clearly outclassed and outpointed by Jones. This film picks up a decade later after that scandal where Park Si-hyeon is now a PE teacher at a small provincial high school and subject of scorn and ridicule as he has to carry the legacy of having been awarded a 'fake' Olympic gold medal. He goes about his daily life browbeaten and resigned to the fact that his life will forever be marked by scandal and will have to bear the derision of the public but one day a high school transfer student captures his attention with his boxing skill and Park decides to form his own high school boxing team (made up of various delinquents) to compete at the regional championships. Unfortunately, the politics of boxing and unfair judging continue to haunt Park & the specter of his past looms large but undeterred he puts all his hope in his young protege, Yoon-woo (played by Sung Yoo Bin of Witch 2 & Broker fame) to overcome the odds. The underdog redemption arc is okay, there were also some genuinely funny moments (usually involving Koo man-deok who plays the neighborhood ne'er-do-well always scheming for his one big break and he unintentionally predicts things which are now commonplace in Korea like the mukbang, webtoons, etc) but it was pretty standard fare with a cookie cutter script & predictable. Also, my personal preference would've been for a more serious tone. It also didn't help that the actual boxing footage in the ring was pretty lackluster with too much pulling of punches and just not realistic enough for my liking. The lead actor who played Park Si-hyeon is Jin Seon-kyu, who has been one of Korea's go-to character actors for over a decade. If you don't know his name then I'm sure you'll know his face and this is his first lead role. He does well here and in real life, he actually is boxing fan and boxes as a hobby, so his passion is evident. During the end credits, you can see glimpses of the real life Park Si-hyeon and what he's been up to after the Olympics. Overall, I can't recommend this one unless you're a diehard boxing film fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted August 2 Member Share Posted August 2 I start of my 2015 Marathon at my site by updating my old review of Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe, which I originally posted here. Check it out: https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/08/chronicles-of-ghostly-tribe-2015.html . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted August 5 Member Share Posted August 5 I checked out the tVN drama series MILITARY PROSECUTOR DOBERMAN SEASON 1 and it had its ups and downs. I was impressed overall with Jo Bo-wah's character but Oh Yeon-su stole the show for me as the main villain and her comeuppance was one of the reasons I stayed with it. The most entertaining story was the GOP 14 bullying case. I'm sucker for military hazing and bullying story lines (also enjoyed the Korean drama series D.P.) and while this is no FULL METAL JACKET, this episode was quite entertaining and my favorite of all the episodes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 7 Member Share Posted August 7 Target (2023) - 9/10 Midnight (2021) - 8/10 Intruder (2020) - 7/10 Emergency Declaration (2022) - 7.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted August 8 Member Share Posted August 8 Finally got around to watching this in one sitting.I've always seen bits and pieces through the years 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted August 11 Member Share Posted August 11 THE LOST CHOICES - Dir. Ahn Yong-hoon [2015] (Korea) A rape/revenge thriller but what really sets this film apart is how bleak and grim the story is from beginning to end. This girl has to literally be the unluckiest girl in the history of Korea. Yes, the director makes some scathing social commentary about the inequities of the Korean justice system in how it handles sexual assault cases and how those with perceived disabilities are treated in society. But the real highlight is the strong performance by lead, Shin Hyun-bin (I recognize her from the excellent neo-noir Beasts Clawing at Straws) as you can see her gradual descent into losing faith, not only in the justice system but society as a whole and seeing she has nothing to lose, embarks on a journey of revenge. Her character has a speech impediment and she is able to translate that onscreen very naturally. Some of the scenes were quite rough & brutal (not in the I Spit on Your Grave or Ms. 45 exploitative way) but from an emotional standpoint and she handles these scenes with aplomb. Will definitely keep an eye out for in the future! @One Armed Boxer, have you seen this one? Can you recommend any other Korean rape/revenge thrillers? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted August 11 Member Share Posted August 11 4 hours ago, Yihetuan said: THE LOST CHOICES - Dir. Ahn Yong-hoon [2015] (Korea) A rape/revenge thriller but what really sets this film apart is how bleak and grim the story is from beginning to end. This girl has to literally be the unluckiest girl in the history of Korea. Yes, the director makes some scathing social commentary about the inequities of the Korean justice system in how it handles sexual assault cases and how those with perceived disabilities are treated in society. But the real highlight is the strong performance by lead, Shin Hyun-bin (I recognize her from the excellent neo-noir Beasts Clawing at Straws) as you can see her gradual descent into losing faith, not only in the justice system but society as a whole and seeing she has nothing to lose, embarks on a journey of revenge. Her character has a speech impediment and she is able to translate that onscreen very naturally. Some of the scenes were quite rough & brutal (not in the I Spit on Your Grave or Ms. 45 exploitative way) but from an emotional standpoint and she handles these scenes with aplomb. Will definitely keep an eye out for in the future! @One Armed Boxer, have you seen this one? Can you recommend any other Korean rape/revenge thrillers? Might be a bit of a stretch to call it a rape & revenge movie, but Bedevilled is a great one. With the quantity and variety of your repertoire though, you must have seen it already. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 12 Moderator Share Posted August 12 21 hours ago, Yihetuan said: @One Armed Boxer, have you seen this one? Can you recommend any other Korean rape/revenge thrillers? I confess rape revenge thrillers aren't usually my go-to genre of choice, so I've never had the opportunity to check this one out despite being aware of it. It sounds a little similar (and definitely superior) to the 2019 DTV flick 'No Mercy', although I wouldn't give that one much of a recommendation. Great review as always! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yggdrasil Posted August 14 Member Share Posted August 14 I wouldn't call this a film, but it's a Japanese TV drama from the late 90's. The series is called Stand Up!!! and it's hilarious. Only seen episode 1 as I'm transcribing the show from the hardsub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted August 18 Member Share Posted August 18 @One Armed Boxer - Hey, look! A South Korean film! Empire of Lust (South Korea, 2015) - https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/08/empire-of-lust-2015.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 19 Moderator Share Posted August 19 21 hours ago, DrNgor said: @One Armed Boxer - Hey, look! A South Korean film! That's the spirit soldier! Korea actually cranked out 2 period sex romps in 2015, this one and 'The Treacherous', which demand to be double billed. 'Demand' being the operative word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted August 20 Member Share Posted August 20 15 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: That's the spirit soldier! Korea actually cranked out 2 period sex romps in 2015, this one and 'The Treacherous', which demand to be double billed. 'Demand' being the operative word. Both were quite good as period drama/sex films but I preferred The Treacherous slightly more for its deranged portrayal of Prince Yeonsan (picture a Korean Caligula). Unfortunately for EMPIRE OF LUST the only blu ray version available is cut & no uncut version exists but fortunately I have the full extended uncut version even if it's missing subs (although you don't really need them for the graphic sex scene). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yihetuan Posted August 20 Member Share Posted August 20 BALD-HEADED BETTY - Dir. Cheung Sum [1975] (Hong Kong) HK getting in on the sexploitation craze with this sleazy entry starring Meg Lam as a care free teenage girl who meets the wrong dude and gets roped into a prostitution ring (she gets punished by having her hair shaved off hence the title) and Eurasian James Yi (of Red Panther fame) feels sorry for her ordeal once he learns the truth and attempts to rescue her but ends up caught and badly beaten for his troubles leaving him a gimp. But in true white knight fashion he get his revenge in a bloody finale. It was okay especially the revenge angle but I was expecting a bit more sexy time as Meg Lam dons various wigs and becomes a hit at the club/brothel and shows her bedding down a bunch of men wearing hairpieces (once they find out she's bald as well, it really amps up the fetish) and while it has a overall sleazy feel, it really stops short of being a total sexploitation film like what Japan and Europe were producing at the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.