Looks like Wan Kar Wai's tribute to Yip Man should be out soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ngxn9NzLzs
Thanks, that looks awesome! I'm ever impressed with the increasing production quality of Chinese film.
Loving the fighting style of the upcoming Judge Archer. http://vimeo.com/53006640#at=0 http://vimeo.com/53014793 And Johnny To's new flick Drug War looks to be more over the top gangster thrills. Love To's films (most of the time). http://vimeo.com/53272961
1942 with Adrian Brody opens November 30th! I hear there will be a couple of special morning screenings in Westwood Village opening weekend at the Bruin. It would be great to see it at that theater! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etF0QCTd ... ature=plcp
電視電影 遺忘 Forgotten http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj5lWHvv9zU part one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UePOkhMxHQk part two
Huh? Should we retitle this Asian films for non-native Asian language speakers? Besides, is that a made for tv soap opera? 1942 looks epic and heavy. Poster is freaking awesome. Seems the director, Feng Xiaogang, has a war fetish. This is his third WW2 film?
Just saw this review on Twitchfilm. Now I want to see "Back to 1942." http://twitchfilm.com/2012/11/review-ba ... story.html
did director Feng make other films about WW2 before? I watched a film called "Aftershock." "Back to 1942" reminds me of that film a little.
Aftershock is his as well. The only thing I have seen by him was World Without Thieves which overall I thought was good but had some parts where, like old HK films, your scratching your head wondering who was high in the editing room.
1942 is screening Saturday and Sunday (Dec 1&2) at 11 am in Westwood Village (my local non-cineplex theater). Though not an IMAX, the Westwood theaters are awesome and I'm excited to see it on the big screen. Won the A.I.C. award for best cinematography at the Rome film festival.
1942 was amazing.... though not loved that much by the critics. While the character development could have been better, it is an incredible documentary-type film about the tragedy starvation of 1942 Henan provence. Be warned - graphic violence in all its full screen glory. Any new asian films opening soon?
I saw Wu Xia (Dragon in US) with Donnie Yen is to be out now or soon. This is a one armed swordsman remake. Really liked the first two-thirds of the film. Then it got messy and a bit stupid. Also, Jet Li in Sorcerer and the White Snake should get a US release this weekend. I can't remember this film. Saw it about a year ago. Must have been bored by it. Two Monkey Kings next year. One with Donnie Yen and the other by Stephen Chow. That's all I am up on. Oh yeah, Host 2 in production... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fedr47ugbM
This list looks good. I seemed to have previously missed a few of these titles. http://twitchfilm.com/2013/01/marshys-1 ... art-2.html
Ok, a little catch up as I just watched Wan Kar Wai's The Grandmaster. If you like WKW I am sure you'll love this film. It's beautifully shot. But as always i find him tedious. He is to busy trying to paint a painting instead of make a move. Much of the action was more about the shot then the choreography. I much preferred Donnie Yen's version of Ip Man with Sammo Hung being action choreographer. On the other hand I loved Stephen Chow's Journey to the West. It felt both epic and personable. The violence was hard core and yet remained true to his playfulness. Looking forward to the next two installments. Watched two sweet and gentle films as well. Au Revoir Taipei. A simple love story where everyone is really not so bad. Even the worst gangster is a Pee Wee Herman knock off. And the Korean movie Punch which was just a simple but sweet coming of age film. Lots of others on my list to catch up on. Looking forward to New World, Berlin File, and Drug Wars. Getting out of Asia I would highly recommend the John Hughes style Spanish film Ghost Graduation as well as the French film The Intouchables. Both were a true delight.
Is this my own lonely thread? Jonnie To's Drug War was very disappointing, as to many of his films are. Over the top characters, cops that can find anyone anywhere in the city in moments and be back across a city moments later, gangsters that can hit any target while running and ducking back and forth on a bus while everyone else misses, and completely idiotic effects of drugs. CSI China and not much more. Young Detective Dee was awesome. I think this was what Tsui Hark has been aiming at his whole career. Epic fantasy. Like Baron Von Munchausen or Pippy Longstocking. Fun, silly, wild action. It even has kaiju, or whatever Chinese equivalent there is. You can tell he filmed it FOR 3d instead of how we do our action movies where we just add the ability to see it in 3d. Now waiting to see Rigor Mortis and On The Job. The Jackie Chan film I mentioned the other night was Little Big Soldier. One of his better films.
Snowpiercer was pretty fun, sad that it will be butchered for its American release. Much like other Asian films, because apparently is Americans are to stupid to understand complex storytelling and compelling character development. I'm keeping a new out for what comes out of japan. I've been meaning to catch up with it. Regardless, I really like the strong Chinese cinema, worth it's salt always.
This. Finally watched Vulgaria, which is every bit as hilarious and clever as everybody says and actually felt like the first "real" HK film in a veeery long time to me. Oh yeah, also watched both Tales from the Dark movies, which are just as uninspired and terrible as everybody says. If you must, just watch the second part for the last segment by Teddy Robin...
Well this is going to be waaaaaay too squishy and sentimental for you male macho types , but, if you care to see a really old-fashioned movie... I remember when I was a little girl, and my Mom would take me to see the Chinese movies coming out of Taiwan and Hong Kong, playing at the local Chinese theaters in SF Chinatown. There were actually 4 or 5 small Chinese movie houses at the time. You paid for your ticket, but you could "legally" sit through and watch the films for as many times as you wanted. No popcorn or soda, the locals brought in their own snacks (the floors were strewn with black melon seed and pumpkin seed husks, and no plastic water bottles in those days--I think the little old ladies brought small metal thermoses of hot tea). No english subtitles as I recall, so my Mom had to whisper back and forth to my brother and I to let us know what the heck was going on. My Mom liked to see the old classic tales with period dress (she would read the novel versions when she was a little girl). This thread made me recall those days... One movie that really stuck in my mind was the Dream of the Red Chamber (or sometimes known as the Dream of the Red Mansions). It's about the fate of two spirits who existed in celestial heaven, and then get sent to earth to repay their celestial debts, from favors received by Immortals. I actually found the movie version my Mom took me to see. The character playing the young wealthy boy (Bao Yu or Pao Yu) was a very famous Taiwanese (I think) romance actress. Wonder what happened to them... Unfortunately, I can't find the full series Here are two episodes, the first one is a modern version with better translated sub-titles, the second version, is the actual one I saw back in 1977. Lots of memories! ***SQUISHY WARNING*** Ok, you tough types have been warned Modern adaptation (watch this version first, as it sets up the story more accurate to the novel): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virK4GUMM_w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHjsk_7HQtc 1977 Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuMYe6dAV5M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wi6v6WT_aw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNhK57lK7-Y Then there is the classic folk tale about a beautiful woman who is really a white snake, and her tale on earth, but I can't remember the title, so I can't do the search on that one....
I'm not an expert on Chinese folk tales, but you might be looking for the Shaw Bros. version of Madam White Snake...
Or Tsui Hark's Green Snake (White Snake is Green Snakes sister and also in the film). Snowpiercer. Looking forward to that. Plus Special ID.
That's it! Thank you bunnyboy and SaintOfSpinners!!!! A bouquet of thanks for you each! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_White_Snake I can only remember bits and snatches of the film I saw, way back when.... What I do remember was a particular scene when the White Lady metamorphosed into the white snake form (before the age of CGI!). Thanks again!
