Asian Cinema

[dw2k6]

Bloody hell mate, you are expecting too much from neo forumgoers.

[James]

Spot on

The Neo 'Top Ten' is essentially someone walking in to their local Blockbuster and writing down the first ten Asian films that they see in the world cinema section, nothing original or unique, just the usual films that everyone and their dead goldfish have watched by now.

Until Neo tell their readers to watch a new film they won't be doing it anyway.

[-Jay-]

I'm Asian cinema lite, ie - I've seen a few*, but can you officionados maybe post up your top tens? It'd be interesting to see some asian cinema I don't know about. Cheers.

* I love Oldboy, Ring, Audition, Infernal Affairs. Found 2046 intriguing but not essential. What else ... didn't really rate The Grudge, *love* Hero, love Crouching Tiger, found Flying Daggers good but not superb, um ... Visitor Q was pointless, can't think of any more ....

Jay

[dw2k6]

The Neo 'Top Ten' is essentially someone walking in to their local Blockbuster and writing down the first ten Asian films that they see in the world cinema section, nothing original or unique, just the usual films that everyone and their dead goldfish have watched by now.

Yeah haha. Isn't really helped by the fact that only about 2 of the films picked were old.

And when people talk about old Japanese films how come everyone seems to have forgotten the 1954 Godzilla?

[James]

I'm Asian cinema lite, ie - I've seen a few*, but can you officionados maybe post up your top tens? It'd be interesting to see some asian cinema I don't know about.

More of a 'ten films I'd reccomend' than put in to any order but here it goes...

1: Hard Boiled – John Woo makes bullets dance like butterflies
2: A Better Tomorrow – the film that got me hooked in the first place
3: Full Contact – put Chow Yun-Fat into uber cool mother fu@ker mode
4: Samurai Banners – an epic chambara classic
5: Gamera 3 – the giant turtle shows the giant lizard how it should be done
6: Once Upon A Time In China 2 – for the end rope fight alone
7: To Live – no-one does human drama better than Zhang Yimou
8: The Hidden Fortress – what you mean Star Wars was an original idea?
9: Chungking Express – a film that helped me get over many a break-up
10: Ping Pong – yes it’s a film about what you think it is

Best Movie About Japan: Lost In Translation

[-Jay-]

Nice one cheers. I have Hard Boiled and I really didn't like Lost In Translation (too much 'ha ha aren't foreigners funny?' for my liking) but I've never heard of the rest so shall check them out forthwith. Thank you.

Jay

[dw2k6]

if i had to say what some of my favourite asian films were, even though ive only seen a few, i would say.

1: Burst City - 1982 Jap classic. Music driven pure ultra fast actionfest. With Yakuza, Post apocolyptic Freaks, Cops, and Punk Rock bands all battling it out.
2: Godzilla - Bloody classic.
3: Men Behind The Sun - Bloody classic literally.
4: Ichi The Killer - Absolutely full of hillarious moments if i remember correctly. One of the few more recent movies that will be remembered for its "moments". Its usually 70s/80s action films or martial arts films that get that.

[Bob Syko]

6: Once Upon A Time In China 2 – for the end rope fight alone

I love that fight so much. I know we have talked about this fight before, it just rocks so hard. Everyone should pick up Once upon a time in china 2 even if you just fast forward to the bits with donnie yen in.

Iron monkey as well is a great example of the Kung Fu.

[James]

I really didn't like Lost In Translation (too much 'ha ha aren't foreigners funny?' for my liking)

As in a lets laugh at the Japanese way? I felt that too at first but only when he has that stripper/prozzie come to his room, the rest of the film, and this is what really surprised me, is spot on.

[Eric]

Bob, watch Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood in War. It's Korean and is an excellent film. And why do you watch so little of English film? Oh, and 3 Extremes - a compilation of three horror movies directed by Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike, and some Korean guy.
Edit - Okay, so every movie I just mentioned is in this thread somewhere, but I'm keeping it anyways

[rumblecat]

I really didn't like Lost In Translation (too much 'ha ha aren't foreigners funny?' for my liking)

As in a lets laugh at the Japanese way? I felt that too at first but only when he has that stripper/prozzie come to his room, the rest of the film, and this is what really surprised me, is spot on.

I sort of lost patience with the film when I realised the Scarlett Johansen character actually had friends in Tokyo. So really she was just sitting around moping in her hotel room, being spoilt. "I'm in Tokyo, poor me."

[Bob Syko]

Bob, watch Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood in War. It's Korean and is an excellent film. And why do you watch so little of English film?

I have seen it and it is quite an excellent film, no too keen on the evil north Korean bits, kind of like all the evil russian bits in american films.

There aren't loads of western films that appeal to me. I prefer the style of asian films. Not that I'm saying western films are rubbish or anything, some of the best films ever made are in english.

[aidanon]

I really didn't like Lost In Translation (too much 'ha ha aren't foreigners funny?' for my liking)

As in a lets laugh at the Japanese way? I felt that too at first but only when he has that stripper/prozzie come to his room, the rest of the film, and this is what really surprised me, is spot on.

I sort of lost patience with the film when I realised the Scarlett Johansen character actually had friends in Tokyo. So really she was just sitting around moping in her hotel room, being spoilt. "I'm in Tokyo, poor me."

Any movie which contains an intro purely aimed at Scarlett Johansson's ass and Bill Murray can only be amazing in my book. The scene with the whisky commercial is one of the best in living memory..

[rumblecat]

Yeah, it's certainly not a bad film at all- I just didn't sympathise with her character at all. Bill Murray, of course, was excellent.

[dw2k6]

I don't see what the fuss is about with lost in translation, Ive seen parts of it before and have been watching it downstairs on tv today. I think its a bit too pretentious, boring, quiet and slow. Is the whole film two miserable foreigners walking around Japan extremely confused, moaning and acting like they have never ever left their houses and seen other people before?
And it seemed to want to make fun of Japanese peoples engrish at any chance it got.