RE: Foreign films you watched recently

Follow @empiremagazine

Forum Home

Register for Free!

Log In

Moderator Tickets

FAQ

Users Online

RE: Foreign films you watched recently

Logged in as: Guest

Printable Version

All Forums >> [Film Forums] >> World Cinema >> RE: Foreign films you watched recently

Page: << < prev 36 37 [38] 39 40 next > >>

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 23/5/2007 8:07:16 AM

Pherlygwen

Posts: 772
Joined: 14/12/2005
From: Hagnesta Hill

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jasiri
I know I'm not alone in this but I've so much stuff sitting here to be watched it's a joke.

You're right - you're absolutely not alone! You don't even want to know how much I have. I need a couple of years off work. Family. Life.

_____________________________

You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1111

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 23/5/2007 3:57:22 PM

Gram123

Posts: 5665
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Reino Unido

Ghost In The Shell S.A.C. 2nd Gig: I actually liked this better than the first series (which was still very good). The only cons to it are 1) the continued long jargon-laden expository dialogues; and 2) that somewhat late decision to have the characters make references to the "Nuclear World War 3" and "Non-nuclear World War 4" of their recent history, neither of which were mentioned in the 1st Gig series. The animation took another step up from the first series, and the antagonists of the story where given a more in-depth background than the Laughing Man. The 1st Gig episodes were either "Stand Alone" or "Complex", roughly half being Stand Alone episodes having little to do with the central story arc. This time the series is made up of "Individual", "Dividual" and "Dual" episodes, the Dividual episodes, being the equivalent of the Stand Alones, are fewer in number and are more strongly intertrwined with the central arc, which gave the whole series a better flow.
I now have the problem of finding other anime series that can reach somewhere near this high standard. 4.5/5

The Gambling Ghost: Sammo Hung in an action comedy that's more comedy than action. Hung plays three roles - Ah Bao (or Fat Bao) with his catchphrase "Don't beat my head!", Bao's father, and his ghostly grandfather. The difference in Hung's characters in these roles is surprisingly good (it's remarkable what a pair of specs and a cardy can do!), and whereas Hung and Lau Kar Wing's 2 characters each in Odd Couple rarely appeared in the same camera shot, here Hung successfully uses split-screen technology and doubling to give a pretty decent illusion that the 3 generations are different people.
The comedy is more hit than miss (or am I just getting used to the Cantonese sense of humour?), and whilst there are only two or three relatively short fight scenes, it doesn't really suffer from their scarcity. The film opens with a dream sequence pastiche of God Of Gamblers, and there's also a humorous section wherein Wu Ma dressed in his full Daoist monk outfit from the A Chinese Ghost Story films has stepped out of filming to watch the live lottery draw in the next studio, hoping his numbers come up so he can quit acting. There may be other film references too, though I haven't seen a wide enough variety of HK films to say for sure (e.g. Stanley Fung and Richard Ng as police officers may reference to the Pom Pom films).
Whilst not the greatest film in the world, it remained entertaining throughout and it got me thinking that maybe I'm beginning to enjoy Sammo films better than Jackie Chan films (if that's not sacrilege). It seems to me that Hung is more innovative and varied in his films than Chan would be, especially in this era.
The quality of the print isn't the greatest, and the subs are pretty poor, but I'd rather struggle through with them than listen to the horrendous American dub (although pairing the two gives an oddly humorous disparity e.g. subs: "Kill that shit guy!" vs dub: "Get that putz!").
Overall, I'd say the film is on a par with the Lucky Stars films, and worth a watch if you are happy with HK comedies. 3/5

< Message edited by Gram123 -- 8/8/2007 11:48:08 AM >

_____________________________

Gram123's Top Songs Project

(in reply to Pherlygwen)

Post #: 1112

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 23/5/2007 8:53:08 PM

jamdodge1

Posts: 641
Joined: 19/3/2006
From: Here to Eternity

Oldboy
The Host
Les Choristes

(in reply to foz)

Post #: 1113

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 24/5/2007 9:24:37 AM

Gram123

Posts: 5665
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Reino Unido

Ley Lines: The third film in Miike Takashi's Black Society Trilogy has comparitively little focus on gangsters, dealing instead with the story of three half-Chinese young men who move to Tokyo and subsequently get mixed up with some dodgy characters, beginning by dealing bottles of toluene (a solvent) on the streets.
When they try to buy fake passports, they troubles begin to spiral and their fate seems inevitible. Why this act should incur quite as much wrath as it does is unclear, and it's not helped by a complete lack of subs whenever the exiled Triad boss (or anyone else) speaks in Chinese (is this the case with all versions?).
The cinematography is interesting, pretty dark in places, and has a slightly surreal quality in others through the use of strong reds and greens. People's rudey parts appear to have been scratched out of the films, which I pretty much expected as the same occurred in a brief scene in Rainy Dog, and there are also a few bleeps to block certain naughty words (apparently these are examples of racist language as opposed to other expletives).
I don't have a particular problem with these censorial choices, they just seem odd for an 18 certificated film.
Having now watched the complete trilogy, I'd have to agree 100% with foz and Jasiri that Rainy Dog is definitely the best of the three, and IMO there's more to enjoy in Ley Lines than in Shinjuku Triad Society. 3.5/5

< Message edited by Gram123 -- 24/5/2007 9:27:06 AM >

_____________________________

Gram123's Top Songs Project

(in reply to jamdodge1)

Post #: 1114

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 24/5/2007 9:35:25 AM

foz

Posts: 3490
Joined: 1/10/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gram123

...not helped by a complete lack of subs whenever the exiled Triad boss (or anyone else) speaks in Chinese (is this the case with all versions?).

...People's rudey parts appear to have been scratched out of the films, which I pretty much expected as the same occurred in a brief scene in Rainy Dog, and there are also a few bleeps to block certain naughty words (apparently these are examples of racist language as opposed to other expletives).
I don't have a particular problem with these censorial choices, they just seem odd for an 18 certificated film.

Miike uses multiple language frequently in his films (City of Lost Souls flits between Japanese, Portuguese & Chinese constantly for example), and he is one of very few JP directors to even acknowledge that non-Japanese do actually live in Japan - the lack of subs in this bit are probably there to emphasis the lack of cross-understanding in this case.

As for the rudeys, Japanese film rules are very strict when it comes to genitalia (and very little else) - in order to avoid huge areas of pixels, directors will often self-censor by scratching at the negative to reduce the area of censorship as much as possible, or sometimes they'll add a jokey coverup (Kikujiro, Happiness of the Katakuris). Swearing is an odd one, I can only imagine that this was to get a lower Japanese rating.

< Message edited by foz -- 24/5/2007 7:16:31 PM >

(in reply to Gram123)

Post #: 1115

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 25/5/2007 4:08:44 PM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

An Actor's Revenge (1962) Kon Ichikawa

Apparently the story behind this goes that Daiei gave Ichikawa this remake of a 1936 film to direct as 'punishment' because they were unhappy with the lack of commercial success from some of his previous films,I think it's safe to say he succesfully turned the tables on the bosses though as this highly stylised work of genius was obviously not what they were expecting.The most obvious comparison is with Seijun Suzuki's later Nikkatsu films like Tokyo Drifter & Branded to Kill,turning a standard genre potboiler into something extraordinary.
Set in the late Edo Period it concerns Yukinojo,a famous onnagata (a male kabuki actor who specialises in female roles) who has sworn to avenge his parents who were driven to madness and suicide.After many years he finally finds the three men responsible when his kabuki troupe is invited from Osaka to perform in Edo and he hatches an intricate scheme for revenge.Brilliant piece of film making that just goes to show what a truly talented and inventive director can make from fairly limited material

(in reply to foz)

Post #: 1116

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 26/5/2007 4:29:33 PM

Orbital

Posts: 1183
Joined: 18/10/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Orbital

.
quote:

ORIGINAL: Kira

Japanophilia? Of course . But now I raise the Italian/Spanish points:

Updated count
austria 1
holland 1
belgium 1
denmark 1
australia 1
germany 13
spain 13 (up one)
argentina 1
Thailand 1
singapore 1
HongKong 38
mexico 10
USA 15
Bollwood 1
china 31
poland 3
Taiwan 11
russia 6
Greek 1
Italy 5 (up one)
norway 1
hungary 1
s.korea 41
France 89
japan 253 (up two)

There are a lot of reviews being posted multiple times

worst offenders are people who return to the thread to post and another review of a film they've watched many times, example I just re-watched 'pan's labyrinth' and then they post the review a second or thrid fucking time of the very same movie
The thread is mostly deeply stricken with Japanophillia, and it's mostly 'I just re-watched BattleRoyale, I just re-watched GhostintheShell, Young thugs innocent blood....'

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gram123

Yeah, you could have a "Non-Japanese foreign films you watched recently" thread!

Maybe this is a good idea

Here's an Updated count
belgium 1
holland 1
austria 1
East Europe/Former-Yugoslavia (up one)
denmark 1
australia 1
Former East-Pakistan (up one)
germany 13
spain 14 (up one)
argentina 1
Thailand 2 ( up one)
singapore 1
HongKong 42 (up four)
mexico 10
USA 15
Bollwood 1
china 32 (up one)
poland 3
Taiwan 11
russia 6
Greek 1
Italy 5
norway 1
Palestine/Arabia-region (up one)
hungary 1
s.korea 44 (up three)
France 92 (up three)
japan 261 (up Eight)

(in reply to Orbital)

Post #: 1117

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 26/5/2007 7:52:04 PM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

Belle de Jour (1967) Luis Bunuel

Typically sly satire,starring Catherine Deneuve as a sexually repressed bourgeois houswife who attempts to live out her masochistic fantasies by leading a double life as a part time prostitute.Enjoyed it but don't quite understand the level of critical acclaim the film gets.

(in reply to Orbital)

Post #: 1118

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 29/5/2007 10:54:09 AM

Gram123

Posts: 5665
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Reino Unido

Pulse / Kairo: Decent enough J-horror. I wished they'd spent more time showing or referring to the disappearances of well, everyone. There was the brief news story listing missing persons, but I didn't really get the sense that the whole country was being gradually de-populated. It's not scary, and the claim on the cover saying "the most scared I've ever been in a movie theatre" by some Time Out reporter is quote ridiculous, but it's ok nevertheless. I'd be interested, though not massively eager to see the remake. 2.5/5

Still haven't found a J-horror (or K-) that comes anywhere near A Tale Of Two Sisters.

_____________________________

Gram123's Top Songs Project

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1119

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 29/5/2007 2:50:23 PM

mafyou

Posts: 2565
Joined: 23/11/2005

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind A wonderful Eco-tale from the master of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki. One of his best films (although they are all bloody good so it's hard). The story follows the young Princess Nausicaa in a world ravaged by humans where everything and everyone are misunderstood. 4.5/5 (probably, possibly 5!)

_____________________________

Et In Arcadia Ego

(in reply to Gram123)

Post #: 1120

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 11:52:38 AM

dj vivace

Posts: 5991
Joined: 28/7/2006
From: plymouth

Good, very unsettling considering the fact its based on a true story, the only problem was that i didn't find it all that scary. Unsettling, yes, scary, no not really. Apart from that, a pretty decent film 3/5

_____________________________

you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!

See more of my reviews here under the name Matt Wavish :
Horror Cult Film Reviews

(in reply to mafyou)

Post #: 1121

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 1:39:45 PM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

Secret of the Urn (1966) Hideo Gosha

Excellent,fast paced chambara action,a remake of a 1935 film Sazen Tange and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo directed by the great Sadao Yamanaka.The Yagu clan have been picked by a corrupt official to restore a sanctury for the Shogun,the don't have the required funds to hand so they must bring to their Lord in Edo a pot which contains the secret of where a cache of a million ryo is hidden,while the official attempts to intercept the pot steal the money and ruin the clan.Unfortunately for both sides during an attempt to steal the pot it falls into the hands of a ronin Sazen Tange,a one-eyed,one-armed killing machine.

Doppelganger (2003) Kiyoshi Kurosawa

More head scratching oddness from Kiyoshi Kurosawa about a reasearch engineer played by Koji Yakusho who begins to get hounded by a doppelganger.For the most part interesting and quite funny but it kind of falls apart a little towards the end when it just turns plain daft
.

Le Plaisir (1951) Max Ophuls

A portmanteau film based on three short stories by Guy de Maupassant,the stories themselves are ok but nothing really special,visually though it's a completely different story,very detailed sets with superb compositions and camerawork.

Project A (1983) Jackie Chan

Haven't watched any of Jackie Chan's films for I don't know how many years but this has really put me in the mood to go back and watch some more.Brilliant entertainment with some of the best action sequences and stunts you're likely to see.

< Message edited by Jasiri -- 1/6/2007 1:40:12 PM >

(in reply to dj vivace)

Post #: 1122

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 4:25:47 PM

Pherlygwen

Posts: 772
Joined: 14/12/2005
From: Hagnesta Hill

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jasiri

Project A (1983) Jackie Chan

Haven't watched any of Jackie Chan's films for I don't know how many years but this has really put me in the mood to go back and watch some more.Brilliant entertainment with some of the best action sequences and stunts you're likely to see.

Couldn't agree more, Jasiri. I watched Police Story last night - a brilliant film, too. But not as good as Project A (IMO). I prefer his earlier work. They are funnier. (And yes, I know PA is only a couple of years older than PS. Still, it looks and feels like it's way more.)

_____________________________

You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1123

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 6:45:24 PM

Orbital

Posts: 1183
Joined: 18/10/2005

Updated count

singapore 1
belgium 1
holland 1
Romanian ? (up one)
austria 1
East Europe/Former-Yugoslavia
denmark 1
australia 1
Former East-Pakistan
germany 13
spain 14
argentina 1
Thailand 2
mexico 10
USA 15
Bollwood 1
china 32
poland 3
Taiwan 11
russia 6
Greek 1
Italy 5
norway 1
Palestine/Arabia-region
hungary 1
HongKong 43 (up one)
s.korea 44
France 94 (up Two)
Japanese 265 (up Four)

(in reply to Pherlygwen)

Post #: 1124

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 7:14:38 PM

foz

Posts: 3490
Joined: 1/10/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pherlygwen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jasiri

Project A (1983) Jackie Chan

Haven't watched any of Jackie Chan's films for I don't know how many years but this has really put me in the mood to go back and watch some more.Brilliant entertainment with some of the best action sequences and stunts you're likely to see.

Couldn't agree more, Jasiri. I watched Police Story last night - a brilliant film, too. But not as good as Project A (IMO). I prefer his earlier work. They are funnier. (And yes, I know PA is only a couple of years older than PS. Still, it looks and feels like it's way more.)

Puts me in the mood to watch Armour of God again. A film with the most ridiculous stunt ever as an ending

(in reply to Pherlygwen)

Post #: 1125

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 1/6/2007 7:32:32 PM

Pherlygwen

Posts: 772
Joined: 14/12/2005
From: Hagnesta Hill

quote:

ORIGINAL: foz

Puts me in the mood to watch Armour of God again.� A film with the most ridiculous stunt ever as an ending

I'm always in the mood for Jackie Chan.

But tonight it will be something completely different - Sansho The Bailiff. I can hardly wait.

_____________________________

You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!

(in reply to foz)

Post #: 1126

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 2/6/2007 11:54:58 AM

Indio

Posts: 7131
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: London

Les Valseuses

7/10

_____________________________

'Think about the future.'

(in reply to Pherlygwen)

Post #: 1127

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 4/6/2007 4:02:18 PM

Gram123

Posts: 5665
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Reino Unido

As planned, after watching the two GITS series', I watched the Oshii films.

Ghost In The Shell: 3rd viewing. It's been a while since I last saw this, and having seen the series' in the meantime, it kind of felt like a long episode. There are differences between the film and the series of course, not least the languid scenes showcasing the excellent artwork of the backgrounds. The intricacies of the film made more sense with the understanding gleaned from the series', although there are a few unresolved issues between the two.
Most notable of these is the fact that the film is set in 2029 (and the sequel in 2032), a little earlier than the series, so how does Motoko get from where she is at the end of the first film (and throughout the sequel) to where she is in the series?
I was glad to note that the English voice actors for Batou, Togusa and Aramaki were used for both films and series (not sure if Motoko's voice in the first film was the same as subsequent incarnations, though).
One negative for me, was that the audio syncing was out, so a footstep or a gunshot occurred on-screen a moment before the audio. Not sure if this was also the case for the Japanese audio, and not sure if this issue has been fixed on later releases of the film.
All in all, a little short perhaps, but it's still a great anime film. 3.5/5

Ghost In The Shell II: Innocence: 1st viewing. Visually, a significant leap forward, with some beautiful CG shots and backgrounds, which in most cases compliment the animation. The major CG scene (the festival) sticks out a little, like a cut-scene from a console game, but is amazing nonetheless, and the scenes with people's brains being hacked are very well done.
As I understand it, some people liked Innocence less than the original film, partly due to the CG and partly due to what was perceived as the film's central philosophy being undermined in the film's climax. This seems moot to me, as I don't really believe Oshii was trying to make the particular point of a similarity between humans and robots, it was an explanation rather than the film's meaning - in a futuristic world of "e-brains", "thermoptic camouflage" and "ghosts", I don't see a problem with characters discussing possible explanations for robots going mental, even if their theories ultimately prove to be incorrect.
The film stands on it's own pretty well, and for the most part is distinct from the first film. If you've seent the first film, and/or the series I would recommend. 3.5/5

< Message edited by Gram123 -- 8/8/2007 11:46:58 AM >

_____________________________

Gram123's Top Songs Project

(in reply to Indio)

Post #: 1128

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 5/6/2007 10:50:41 PM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

A Generation (1955)
Kanal (1957)
Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Three films from Polish director Andrzej Wajda about war and resistance,the first two are set during the German occupation and the third at the very end of the war.A Generation is about the political awakening of a young man and the group of young resistance fighters he joins.Kanal takes place during the final part of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and is a bleak,claustrophobic film which follows a group of fighters who in danger of being over run are forced to retreat down into the sewers to try and escape.Ashes and Diamonds takes place in May 1945 on the day and night of end of the war,the German High Command has surrendered and while Poland is free from the Nazi's it's now becoming a puppet state of the Soviet Union.Two members of the Polish Home Army loyal to the government in exile and opposed to Soviet influence are sent to a small town to assassinate a visiting Communist Party official.

Three very good films which feature some outstanding cinematography,the only thing I wasn't too keen on was the performance of the lead in Ashes and Diamonds which I think really lets it down at some key moments,a shame because other than that it's excellent.

< Message edited by Jasiri -- 5/6/2007 10:51:30 PM >

(in reply to Gram123)

Post #: 1129

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 6/6/2007 11:43:00 AM

Deadly_Little_Miho

Posts: 398
Joined: 30/9/2005

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion

Plot Synopsis from IMDB: After being cruelly set up and deceived by Sugimi (Natsuyagi Isao), a conniving and crooked detective she had whole-heartedly fallen in love with (and subsequently lost her virginity to...), Matsushima Nami's desire for revenge knows no bounds. Her failed attempt at stabbing Sugimi on the steps of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters results in her doing hard time in a female prison run by sadistic and horny male guards. To Sugimi's surprise, Matsushima refuses to testify against him and his connections to the mob, and now the sheer fact that she knows such secrets makes her a liability. So Sugimi and the Japanese mafia orchestrate a plan whereby Matsushima will succumb to an "accidental" death in prison. They enlist the help of Kagiri, another female inmate with ties to both Sugimi and the mafia, thus their formidable plan is quickly set in motion. Little do they realize, however, how hotly Matsushima's desire for revenge burns within her.

Watching this on a recommendation of my Art teacher, following a conversation about the film Red Angel, I wasn't expecting much. Not just because exploitation films have never really interested me, but also the fact that my sole foray into 'pinky violence' films (the genre the teacher insisted this was in) left me somewhat cold - dark, grainy cinematography and unerotic sex scenes don't exactly scream "great film".

However, having watched the film, I can safely attest to it being far more than a simple T&A fest with a little sadism thrown in for good measure. That's not to say those aren't present, they are along with lesbian seductions and a number of rape scenes (male to female, and vice versa). So-far-so-crappy, but what sets this apart, and elevates it to IMO a great film, is three-fold. Firstly the story is genuinely involving, and well-written able to stand proudly amongst the glut of modern revenge pics. Secondly, the central performance by Meiko Kaji radiates intensity, managing to be both frightening and alluring as needed. Finally, and most importantly, is the cinematography, and sheer style of the thing. It really is a feast for the eyes. two scenes particularly stand out in my memory. The first, a moment of pure psychadelia, sees a convict remove a gurad's eye with a sliver of glass. The second is the rape of Mitsu by Yakuza, when the camera is placed beneath the floor at the victim's shoulder, forcing the viewer to experience the act exactly as she would.

< Message edited by Deadly_Little_Miho -- 6/6/2007 11:44:07 AM >

_____________________________

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, but hit a man with a brick and you can have all his fish... And his wife!"

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1130

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 8/6/2007 9:36:14 PM

mafyou

Posts: 2565
Joined: 23/11/2005

Cidade de Deus

I'm pretty sure you've all seen it and know how good it is so i don't really need to explain!

_____________________________

Et In Arcadia Ego

(in reply to Deadly_Little_Miho)

Post #: 1131

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 9/6/2007 1:50:08 AM

fernetcontonica

Posts: 8183
Joined: 29/4/2007
From: Everywhere

I *just* realized that most of the films I've seen lately were "foreign"!!!

I'll go with the first ones documented in these forums....

JAPAN
"Survive Style 5 +"

Really nice film, it promises the intertwining of 5 stories but it doesn't quite achieves it. Anyways, the individual stories are really appealing and bring up fun, violence, dark humor and even cuteness. Also it simply looks great and has nice music. Oddly enough, Vinnie Jones acts in this movie (?!), but no big deal.
8/10

ARGENTINA
"Cien Veces no debo"

Based on a play, this movie is simply hilarious... It's about two middle-class parents that discover their "little girl" is pregnant and try to locate the father of the child, The first thing they find out is that their "little girl" is quite a "whore" that've been sleeping around the neighborhood, the movie ends up arising as a harsh criticism to middle class (which is quite a recurrent theme in argentinian fiction) nicely evolving from absurdity to drama.
8?/10

_____________________________

Dettachment 6?/10
The Dead Inside 7?/10
The Haunted Mansion 5/10
Anatomie 2 6/10
Anatomie 6?/10
I, Anna 8/10
Excision 7?/10
The Elephant Man 9?/10
REC 3 Genesis 6/10
Blindness 8?/10

(in reply to mafyou)

Post #: 1132

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 10/6/2007 9:27:33 AM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

The Cremator (1968) Juraj Herz

Set in Prague 1939 before and during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia,The Cremator is a very creepy and unsettling satire about Karl Kopfrkingl a disturbed crematorium worker whose delusions grow with the coming of the Nazi's and who all to easily becomes a monster.
The film works so well partly because of the way right from the very start it draws you into Kopfrkingl's increasingly fractured mind and some of the transitions are absolutely superb,really adding to the uneasy atmosphere of the film as it imperceptibly shifts from one location to another at odd moments.

(in reply to fernetcontonica)

Post #: 1133

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 10/6/2007 10:59:07 AM

Pherlygwen

Posts: 772
Joined: 14/12/2005
From: Hagnesta Hill

OK, where to begin...

New Police Story (Jackie Chan) - This struck me as very violent for being a Jackie Chan film. And quite different from what I have seen before. I have lately watched a lot of older Jackie films, so obviously it was very easy to see that age has, more or less, caught up with him. Well, I suppose he's still way more fit than any of us will ever dream of at the same age (or perhaps even today!), but you know what I mean. You can easily see the difference. Still, turning 50 hasn't stopped this guy from practising dangerous stunts and fight scenes, so you get a lot of action as expected. As well as some pretty good acting too, which hasn't been Jackie's trade mark over the years. Particularly Jackie himself throws in a good performace, although it's more or less the same mood during the entire film. One of Jackie Chan's better films IMO, but more violence in this one and expect no comedy. Nicholas Tse tries a bit, but doesn't quite succeed. The theme song sung by Jackie himself still rings in my ears!

Sansho The Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi) - A very tragic story about a family's destiny set in the Heian period (which is at the same time as the Viking period in my part of the world). An honorable governor is being sent into exile. His wife and kids have to tend for themselves, something that goes horribly wrong eventually. It's a beautiful film from a great director, which I recommend a lot.

The Naked Island (Kaneto Shindo) - This is truly a remarkable film and one of the best and most special films that I have ever seen. Almost no dialogue and lots of carrying water, but that doesn't matter. The film is beautiful and the cinematography ditto. Nothing to put on if you want some action, but not having to read subtitles and instead watching the screen during the entire film for once was very welcome.

Truly, truly recommended. I can't believe I've had this sitting on my shelf for so long (almost two years!) and not watched it before.

Vengeance Is Mine (Shohei Imamura) - My first encounter with this director and probably not the last. This film impressed me as I liked it more than I thought I would, knowing what it was about. A ruthless murderer on the run from the police for about two and a half months. The beginning was pretty violent so I expected "the worst" but fortunately, for us who don't like too much blood and gore

, this wasn't as violent as I had expected. It's truly one of the least likeable protagonists that I have watched in a film, and it made me wonder what makes people turn out like Iwao Enokizu. Very much recommended.

< Message edited by Pherlygwen -- 10/6/2007 11:02:45 AM >

_____________________________

You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1134

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 13/6/2007 10:23:24 PM

TheGodfather

Posts: 5099
Joined: 21/10/2005
From: Sin City

Tonight:
Zerkalo (Mirror)
Before I started watching I didn`t really know what to expect of this one (my first Tarkovsky). I wasn`t dissapointed but I did kept a kind of double feeling about it.
On one hand, the visual aspect was brilliant and I witnessed a whole bunch of fantastic and memorable scenes.
On the other hand I didn`t really know what to do with the story. Was was the intention of the story?
I`ll watch the extra`s on the dvd, maybe they can help me out a bit. 1 thing is sure: I`ll be watching this again in the future to see where it puts me.
Untill then:

7,5/10

_____________________________

Jules: "What" ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak English in What?
Brett: What?
Jules: ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! DO-YOU-SPEAK-IT?

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1135

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 13/6/2007 11:31:42 PM

Jasiri

Posts: 2497
Joined: 23/10/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheGodfather

On one hand, the visual aspect was brilliant and I witnessed a whole bunch of fantastic and memorable scenes.
On the other hand I didn`t really know what to do with the story. Was was the intention of the story?

You picked a tough starting point,Mirror is his most complex and personal film based around fragments of memories and things.I remember reading an interview where he said there were things about it even he didn't completely understand.

There's a lot of good reading on MoC's Tarkovsky site. http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~tstronds/nostalghia.com/index.html

Suzhou River (2000) Lou Ye

Absolutely loved this a beautifully shot,fascinating and touching film about love,loss and obsession.There are obvious parallels with elements of Hitchcock's Vertigo but it's very much it's own film.

(in reply to TheGodfather)

Post #: 1136

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 13/6/2007 11:41:24 PM

cobrakai

Posts: 74
Joined: 8/6/2007

Survive Style +5 was something I saw ages ago then lent to a friend and never got back, so this has been bugging me.....I've been seeing a lot of silly clips floating around on the internet lately and my memory is telling me that they're from this (the daydreamed ideas for adverts that one of the characters has)......so, is there a moment in the film when a bunch of guys run down a race track, then one of them gets into bed and makes love (very quickly) to a woman. Oh, and my avatar, is that from it too? Or is my memory tricking me?

Anyway, on subject, the last world cinema movie I saw was 'Master Kims' a Korean marital arts comedy. I'd read a few positive reviews online at yesasia.com and saw a clip on kungfucinema.com so I picked it up in Korea. Overall it didn't have much depth, was largely predictable, and didn't come close to matching the action in something like Kung-Fu Hustle, yet I still found myself pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it on the whole. Some very good comedic acting from the three main actors (the Kims from the title) and a child in a supporting role who steals a few scenes.

_____________________________

I ain't got time to bleed....

(in reply to Jasiri)

Post #: 1137

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 14/6/2007 3:16:12 PM

Gram123

Posts: 5665
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Reino Unido

Warriors Two: Marvellous period fu from Sammo Hung, Leung Kar Yan and Korean Tae Kwon Do expert, Casanova Wong. One of Sammo's very best films for action, with almost non-stop fight scenes and Wing Chun training sequences. Bits of daft comedy here and there, but it doesn't get in the way. 4/5

_____________________________

Gram123's Top Songs Project

(in reply to cobrakai)

Post #: 1138

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 14/6/2007 5:03:27 PM

Deadly_Little_Miho

Posts: 398
Joined: 30/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: cobrakai

Survive Style +5 was something I saw ages ago then lent to a friend and never got back, so this has been bugging me.....I've been seeing a lot of silly clips floating around on the internet lately and my memory is telling me that they're from this (the daydreamed ideas for adverts that one of the characters has)......so, is there a moment in the film when a bunch of guys run down a race track, then one of them gets into bed and makes love (very quickly) to a woman. Oh, and my avatar, is that from it too? Or is my memory tricking me?

The first one is. Not sure about your AV though I have seen it before. I've been in the mood to watch SS5+ again recently since posting in the Unsung Gems thread. I'll let you know okay?

_____________________________

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, but hit a man with a brick and you can have all his fish... And his wife!"

(in reply to cobrakai)

Post #: 1139

RE: Foreign films you watched recently - 14/6/2007 5:18:36 PM

fernetcontonica

Posts: 8183
Joined: 29/4/2007
From: Everywhere

quote:

ORIGINAL: Deadly_Little_Miho

quote:

ORIGINAL: cobrakai

Survive Style +5 was something I saw ages ago then lent to a friend and never got back, so this has been bugging me.....I've been seeing a lot of silly clips floating around on the internet lately and my memory is telling me that they're from this (the daydreamed ideas for adverts that one of the characters has)......so, is there a moment in the film when a bunch of guys run down a race track, then one of them gets into bed and makes love (very quickly) to a woman. Oh, and my avatar, is that from it too? Or is my memory tricking me?

The first one is. Not sure about your AV though I have seen it before. I've been in the mood to watch SS5+ again recently since posting in the Unsung Gems thread. I'll let you know okay?

I'm sure it isn't

I've been wondering where that AV is from

_____________________________

Dettachment 6?/10
The Dead Inside 7?/10
The Haunted Mansion 5/10
Anatomie 2 6/10
Anatomie 6?/10
I, Anna 8/10
Excision 7?/10
The Elephant Man 9?/10
REC 3 Genesis 6/10
Blindness 8?/10

(in reply to Deadly_Little_Miho)

Post #: 1140